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There is a beautiful legend about a Golden Palace that would please the heart of any person, but, that person must earn the key to the palace through his or her good deeds.

One day, Hung Di approached the Golden Palace and asked the door keeper “What shall I do to earn the key to the Golden Palace?” The door keeper replied “do something nice for somebody else, and you can earn the precious key.”

Huang Di ran to find someone to do something nice for. He searched the streets to find a beggar and gave him the coins he had been saving for years. He waited at the roadside to help people cross the muddy and slippery path. “Now,” he said, “I have surely earned the key.” He hurried to the door keeper, but the old man shook his head sadly and said, “try again.”

Huang Di returned to town disappointed. As he came to a steep pathway he noticed an old woman struggling up the mountain with a heavy load. Huang Di thought to himself, “I shall carry her heavy load all the way to the top and that shall earn me the key!”

His good deed completed, he turned and hurried to the door keeper and cried “the key, the key, I surely earned it now!” The door keeper looked sadly at Huang Di and said, “try again.”

Now Huang Di was discouraged. He decided to abandon his attempt to earn the key to the Golden Palace. Feeling dejected, he walked home in despair. Suddenly he heard a faint cry from the bushes. As he parted the bushes he noticed a shaggy dog caught in a hunters trap. Huang Di knelt and tried to unfasten the trap, pulling at the sharp sticks until his fingers were torn and bloody. Finally, the dog was free. He tore off his shirt and bandaged the shaggy dogs paw. The dog licked his hand and whimpered thankfully. Huang Di scooped up the dog and carried it home.

Suddenly, the old door keeper appeared in front of the tired and bloody Huang Di and handed him the much sought after key to the Golden Palace. Huang Di said, “the key is not for me. I did not help the little dog for the key. I forgot about the key.” To which the door keeper responded with joy, “you forgot about yourself, Huang Di, the key is for those who forget about themselves when doing good deeds.”

We don’t win the rich rewards of life by doing things with the hope and expectation of a reward. Only when we do something through sheer compassion, sincere love, and friendship do we reap the rewards we seek.

The holidays are a big part of the fall and winter months. This is often a time to reconnect with family and loved ones, to attend social events, and celebrate your beliefs.

­Unfortunately, it can also be a time of extra commitments, nonstop activity, and pressure to get it all done. This can result in a lot of stress both mental and physical.

Everyone feels stressed occasionally, but when it continues for a long time or gets overwhelming it can take a real toll on your health. The immune system is particularly sensitive to its effects, which means that ongoing stress can leave you vulnerable to colds, flu, and other illnesses.

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In Traditional Chinese Medicine, health is achieved by living in balance with nature and the seasons. Winter, the season of the Water Element, is the season for slowing down, reflecting, and conserving our resources. We all feel this tendency, but we don’t always listen to our bodies.  In the Western culture, being active is rewarded and expected. We feel compelled to keep up the hectic pace that is typical in our daily lives.

This season is associated with the kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands and the time of year when these organs are most active, accessible, and even vulnerable. They are more receptive to being restored, nurtured and energized. At the same time, it is also when they can become easily depleted. continue reading »

Throughout the year, nature provides us with the appropriate foods to protect us from the climate, support our health, and keep us in balance. Becoming aware of seasonal foods and seasonal eating habits can attune us to the natural cycles of nature, and our bodies.

Fall is the harvest season for rich, dense foods that support and fuel the body, providing additional heat to protect us from the cooler, damper climate. The concentrated foods and roots available at this time also “thicken” the blood in order to keep us warm in cooler weather. Our diet should shift toward foods rich in protein-fat and whole grains. These complex carbohydrates may lead to a few added pounds put on during the season, so it’s important to keep active. Preparing foods in harmony with this season means cooking with more astringent, sour foods. Some foods that are sour to include in your diet are – sourdough bread, sauerkraut, olives, pickles, leeks, aduki beans, salt plums, rose hip tea, vinegar, cheese, yogurt, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and sour varieties of apples, plums, and grapes. Be careful with extremely sour food, because small amounts have strong affects upon the body and blood pressure. (Avoid large amounts of sour foods if you have a history of high blood pressure.)

Our appetites are also stimulated by the fragrance of aromatic flavors and spices. Other foods that are useful during the Fall are pungent foods. These foods both cleanse and protect the lungs and large intestine. Some pungent foods are – garlic, turnip, ginger, horseradish, cabbage*, radish*, daikon, and white peppercorn.

To help boost your Wei Qi, consume dark green and golden-orange vegetables. They are high in beta carotene and appear to protect the lungs and large intestine against illness. Carrots, winter squash, pumpkin, broccoli, parsley, kale, turnip, mustard greens, and blue green algae are foods to consume this time of year. You may also want to use herbs such as ginseng, yerba santa, nettles, mullein, and astragalus.

Adding the above foods to your daily diet may help bolster your immunity and support the health of your lungs. In general, cook with less water, and at lower heat, for longer periods of time.

*These foods are “cooling” and should be used sparingly with an autumn diet.

The dropping temperatures and colorful landscape can only mean one thing: fall is right around the corner. Also known as the Autumnal Equinox, the fall season begins on September 23 and lasts until December 21. During this time many people will succumb to illness, such as the common cold, flu virus (influenza) or infections, but the good news is that you can protect yourself from seasonal fall sickness by eating the right foods and seeking the services of a licensed acupuncturist.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins aren’t used strictly for making spooky Halloween jack-o-lanterns; they are also a nutrition-packed fruit that’s loaded in beneficial vitamins and minerals. Pumpkins are classified as a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, which is the same family as squash, cantaloupes and cucumbers. This festive orange fruit is loaded in variety of free radical-fighting antioxidants, such as leutin, xanthin and carotenes.

Pumpkin seeds are equally as nutritious as the actual fruit. They are an excellent source of  fiber, monosaturated fatty acids (the good fat), protein, selenium, zinc and iron. So instead of tossing the pumpkin “guts” in the trash, bake them on a cookie sheet for a nutritious snack.

Apples

The adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” holds true during the fall season. When you feel the onset of a hunger craving, grab an apple. It’s a sweet and delicious fruit that’s chalk full of beneficial vitamins.

Apples contain vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and fiber. And at just 90 calories per serving, it’s a great snack choice for people who are trying to lose weight.

Brussels Sprouts

A third food that you should include in your diet this fall is Brussels sprouts. Sprouts boost immune function with their high concentration of vitamin A. and antioxidants. Brussels sprouts are also rich in protein and dietary fiber, which is just one more reason why they should be a regular part of your diet.

If you don’t prefer the taste of plain Brussels sprouts, you can make them a bit more palatable by roasting them in the oven with a glaze of olive oil and all-natural sea salt. This will create a caramelized coating that compliments its natural flavors..

Beat Seasonal Fall Illness With Acupuncture

If you really want to safeguard yourself against illness this fall season, you should consider scheduling an appointment with a licensed acupuncturist. People  from across the world have used this ancient practice for centuries to ward off disease and improve their overall health. Acupuncture works by stimulating the body’s natural healing mechanism, which subsequently boosts the immune system and white blood cell (WBC) count.