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Based upon Taoist meditation practices, the Inner Smile Meditation can have profound effects on your body and mind. This simple meditation suggests that you “smile” to all of your internal organs and glands. It is a way of saying “thank you” to your body for working 24 hours­­­, 7 days a week!

Focusing your attention and smiling in this way can calm the autonomic nervous system, revitalize the internal organs, and increase the flow of blood and Qi.

Below is the Inner Smile Meditation for the main Meridian Organ Systems. For more information, please refer to Mantak Chia’s book, Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality.

Choose a quiet spot and keep warm throughout the meditation. Sit comfortably at the edge of a chair, feet flat on the ground with your back straight. Breathe deeply and relax. Clasp your hands together, left hand on bottom and right hand on top, palms touching, and rest them in your lap.

Close your eyes and feel a connection between the soles of your feet and the ground.
Focus on the midpoint between your eyebrows. Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth. Put a smile on your face and journey down to the wonderfully amazing body that keeps you alive, alert and active.

Heart -See your heart as a vibrant red color. Focus the energy of “joy” into your heart. Feel it pulse with love. Breathe in and exhale with the sound of HAW.

Lungs – Radiate the feeling in your heart to your lungs. Picture your lungs as pure white. Focus on letting go of sadness and grief. Exhale with the sound of SSSSSS.

Liver – Keep the feeling spilling over into your liver, which is just under your ribs on the right side. Picture it as a vibrant grass-green. When exhaling, let go of anger and frustration with the sound of SHHHH.

Spleen – Continue to the left, under the ribs. Shine a vibrant yellow color into this organ. When you exhale, let go of overthinking and worry, and use the sound of WHOO.

Kidney – Focus your attention on your lower back, just below and under your ribs. Imagine a deep blue-purple light. Breathe in courage and exhale fear. When you exhale, use the sound of WOOO.

Once you have traveled through your body, begin to focus your attention on your navel. Smile down to your navel, and focus your attention there.

Mentally move the energy in a spiral at the navel 36 times. Women start the spiral counterclockwise, men start it clockwise. Next, reverse the spiral direction and bring the energy back into the navel, circling 24 times. You can use a finger to guide the spiral motion.

It is ok if you don’t know the exact locations of your organs. Just bringing awareness to your organs is benefit enough. Your body will love you just the same.
Perform each exercise 9 times, twice a day. These exercises can affect your body and mind, so it is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider.

Tinnitus is a condition characterized by ringing within the ear when there’s no actual source of sound present. There may be hope for people with tinnitus with healing methods like acupuncture, that has been proven to relieve symptoms.

It’s estimated that upwards of 10-15 percent of the U.S. population suffers from tinnitus. The good news is that most people tolerate it well, with the condition having only a slight affect on their normal daily life. However, about 1-2 percent of the population experience severe cases of tinnitus, affecting their mood, sleep patterns and even their general health.

Medical experts continue to debate over what exactly causes tinnitus. There’s some belief that ototoxic drugs can damage the inner ear, increasing the risk of tinnitus, while others believe it’s caused by a chemical imbalance within the brain. The general consensus is that long-term exposure to loud noise can lead to this condition.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Clinic of Tinnitus of the Department of Otorlarynology Head and Neck Surgery found acupuncture to offer relief of tinnitus symptoms. Researchers treated 76 patients with either acupuncture or the placebo called sham acupuncture. While both groups experienced an improvement in their symptoms, the group that received acupuncture had a greater improvement in their symptoms, attesting to the effectiveness of acupuncture.

“We conclude that there was significant reduction of the counting of the moments pre and post needling in both the groups, and in the group study the reduction is greater that in the group control,” wrote the study’s researchers.

How can acupuncture stop ringing within the ears?  When your body’s natural energies are not flowing correctly, it can lead to a number of diseases and illnesses, including tinnitus. Licensed acupuncturists are trained in correcting these blockages by targeting various acupuncture points within the body’s meridians. When these blockages are fixed, your body can return to its natural balance.

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16951850

Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? If so, you aren’t alone. It’s estimated that more than 26 million Americans have the chronic inflammatory disease asthma, and more than 50 million Americans have nasal allergies. While most people resort to harsh prescription drugs to treat these conditions, a safer and more effective solution may lie in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture.

Some people might turn your head at the thought of treating asthma by placing small needles under your skin. However, this ancient practice is believed to be effective in the treatment of numerous respiratory disorders, including asthma. The World Health Organization (WHO) even listed asthma as being “a condition for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that acupuncture will cure your asthma, but it can help alleviate the symptoms and reduce the frequency of flareups.

Acupuncture involves the placement of fine needles in specific points of the body, known as acupuncture points. The idea behind this practice is that placing the needles in these areas will restore the body’s flow of energy (Qi). When Qi becomes stagnant, it leaves the individual susceptible to disease and illness, which is why it’s important to keep it moving throughout the body. Professional acupuncturists often treat asthma by using acupuncture points found in the Lung, Stomach and Kidney meridians.

Of course, acupuncture may also help those who suffer from allergies. Allergies are the result of the immune system’s wrongful identification of what it believes to be a foreign invader. When you are exposed to an allergen, for instance, your immune system may view the substance or pathogen as being a foreign invader, at which point it responds by manifesting symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, etc.

By restoring the body’s Qi, the immune system is given a helpful boost of energy that allows it to properly identify what’s a foreign invader and what’s not.  Whether your allergies are minor or severe, you should consider seeking the services of an acupuncturist. It’s a safe and painless process that can reinvigorate your body and mind, alleviating the symptoms of both allergies and asthma. A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found acupuncture to offer greater relief of allergies when compared to both antihistamines and sham acupuncture.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get back on track to better health!

Arthritis is a condition characterized by painful inflammation and stiffness in the joints. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 52.5 million U.S. adults suffer from either arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia, or lupus1. If you have arthritis, you should try the following tips to alleviate your symptoms.

1) Maintain a Healthy Weight

The first step in reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis is to manage your weight. Individuals who are overweight will experience more arthritis flareups, and with worsening symptoms. The excess weight places pressure against the already inflamed joints, causing additional pain and stiffness.

2) Take a Joint Supplement

Whether your arthritis is minor or severe, you should get into the habit of taking a daily joint supplement. Glucosamine and chondroitin are powerful compounds which have been proven to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis. These two compounds are building blocks of cartilage, and taking a supplement containing them will protect strengthen your own body’s cartilage while subsequently protecting your joints.

3) Exercise

It’s difficult to stay active when the slightest movements cause sharp pain shooting through your joints. However, you must learn to cope with the pain so your arthritis symptoms will subside. Studies have shown that regular, low-impact exercise (e.g. walking or swimming) will reduce the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis.

4) Meditate

You might be surprised to learn that meditation can alleviate arthritis pain and discomfort. The National Institute of Health (NIH) even published an article on its website, citing meditation as being an effective form of treatment for people with joint pain.

5) Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for good health, but they are particularly beneficial for people suffering from arthritis. Omega-3s strengthen and protect the joints, which in turn alleviates the symptoms of arthritis. Wild-caught fish is an excellent source of omega 3s, as well as extra-virgin olive oil.

6) Massage Therapy

While most people seek massage therapy for its stress-reducing benefits, it’s also known to help fight arthritis. Massaging the joints affected by arthritis reduces swelling, stiffness and even pain, giving the individual greater freedom of movement.

7) Acupuncture

Even acupuncture can help to alleviate the pain and discomfort of arthritis. This centuries-old practice involves the placement of fine needles to restore the body’s flow of energy (Qi) and stimulate its self-healing mechanism. When performed by a licensed acupuncturist, it can strengthen the joints and ward off arthritis.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get back on track to better health!

1. http://1.usa.gov/1awEzzE

1) Manage Your Weight

Being either underweight or overweight can significantly reduce your chances of getting pregnant. One study involving the analysis of 2,112 female participants found that women with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-39 required twice the length of time to become pregnant as women with a healthy BMI of less than 19.

2) Eat More Liver

Some people might turn their head at the thought of eating liver, but it’s actually a delicious dish that can prove helpful in boosting your fertility. In fact, a report published by the Weston A. Price Foundation found liver to contain more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. Whether it’s beef or chicken, liver contains vitamin A, vitamin B, protein, folic acid, iron, purines (precursors for DNA) and more.

3) Eat More Seafood

Seafood  –  fish, oysters, clams, mussels, lobster, crabs, etc. – are an excellent food for boosting your fertility. They contain large amounts of zinc, iron, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin D, omega fatty acids (the good type of fat), and other essential nutrients, many of which are directly linked to the body’s reproductive system. When choosing seafood, however, it’s recommended that you opt for smaller-sized fish to minimize your consumption of mercury. Because of its large size, tuna carries a heavy dose of the toxic chemical mercury, and therefore should be consumed sparingly.

4) Acupuncture

You might be surprised to learn that acupuncture can improve your chances of conceiving. Back in 2002, a team of German researchers performed a study to determine the effects of acupuncture on fertility. Researchers split 160 women who were trying to conceive into two groups: one group received acupuncture, while the second group did not it. They concluded that 42% of the women who received acupuncture got pregnant, whereas only 26% of the control group got pregnant. Does this mean acupuncture will guarantee a pregnancy? Not necessarily, but this form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is proven to help couples conceive in less time.

5) Cut Back on Processed Foods

Many women who struggle to conceive eat far too many processed foods. While a fast food burger and fries may seem appetizing, it forces heavy amounts of saturated fat, sodium and even sugar into your body while offering little-to-no real nutritional value. Fertility experts say women should focus on a more natural diet if they want to conceive.

Give me a call today to learn how you can get on track to better health.