NUMBER ONE: Check-in on your B Vitamin needs. Why? Taking a good B Vitamin complex throughout the month will help reduce the symptoms of PMS. Estrogens, including oral birth control pills or hormone replacement, deplete B vitamins. Depletion can take a toll on the body because we need B vitamins for multiple functions. Vitamin B6 specifically helps to boost the production of serotonin. When serotonin is low, women experience depression, poor memory and poor sleep (which we often see in PMS). In the liver, B Vitamins contribute to detoxification of environmental pollutants, medications and excess estrogens. Having a busy lifestyle, high exercise output, stress, and alcohol consumption all deplete our B’s. Even if a woman is not taking an estrogen hormone, she likely needs them! Make sure to ask your provider about doses.
If you have been adjusted before, you are familiar with the usual popping or cracking sound that sometimes happens. Many people ask me what that sound is, guessing that the bones are rubbing together or its the sound of a bone popping back into place. However, what is actually occurring is something much more simple.
We are excited to share that we have recently expanded our massage offerings. We have two therapists at Vitalize and have appointments available on both Saturdays and Sundays. Massage options include; deep tissue, therapeutic, cranial sacral, pin and stretch, lymphatic drainage, cupping, and scraping are all available.
When a woman's menstrual cycle is normal, ESTROGEN is the dominant hormone during the first two weeks of the cycle, leading up to ovulation (known as the follicular phase). Estrogen is balanced by PROGESTERONE after ovulation, during the second half of the cycle (known as the luteal phase). Estrogen dominance means a woman can have deficient, normal or excess estrogen, but with little progesterone to balance its effects. When this happens, a woman can experience a wide range of PMS symptoms. Here we will discuss a few ways to harmonize this balance and reduce symptoms.
Do you know where your coconut oil comes from? You should. In a day and age where chemicals are readily found in our food system, and more and more labs are creating genetically modified foods, it’s important to be informed, and understand what you’re eating. Coconut oil is one of those foods that can vary greatly in processing, so know what you’re really buying and putting in your body. After all, your body is a temple!
Fertility treatments are commonly centered around the use of acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Even so, nutrition and lifestyle counseling is also a core part of a holistic treatment plan. Often times this includes the use of supplements. I may suggest a supplement, people may come to me having been given supplements by another healthcare provider or they may simply be going off of a recommendation from a friend, book, or website. It can be difficult to sort through the information about many of these supplements and very few have reliable research to back up their claims.
Allergy season in the NW has officially started. If you are feeling the symptoms here are a few tips to get you through...
1) Before bed wash your face and hair: Allergens, like pollen that are blowing around outside stick to our hair, clothes, and face. Before bed, wash out these allergens so that your body's immune system isn't stuck fighting them all night long.
n Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the element of Wood. The liver and gallbladder are the wood organs and benefit from detoxification especially during this time of year. The emotion of the liver is irritability, anger and frustration. The emotion of the gallbladder is decisiviness, or, when out of balance, indecision. There are many ways you can support a healthy cleanse of your liver. Acupuncture and supplements are a big way that Vitalize can help you have a healthful Spring. On your own, in your daily health regimen include more dark leafy greens. Nettles, dandelion greens and burdock root are three really great options that are at their peak during the Spring season.
Acupuncture can help redirect blood flow to reduce these patterns of vascular instability. Acupuncture can also help balance hormones, reduce stress and the inflammation that is an underlying cause. Then, perhaps with the help of other interventions such as herbs, identification of triggers, and some lifestyle adjustments, migraines can be a thing of the past, or at least greatly reduced.
I remember the first time I learned about the Chinese zodiac and the 12 animals that represent a 12 year cycle. I had gone to a small Chinese restaurant, sat down with my parents and noticed a bit of information about each of the 12 animals on my paper placemat. This stuck in my head and returned to me when I began learning more about them once I entered acupuncture school.
For the record, we didn't really learn much about these 12 animals as we studied acupuncture and Chinese medicine. However, we did learn a lot about '5 element theory', which is the basis for much of the knowledge and prediction made through the Chinese zodiac.
There’s nothing better than the holidays: enjoying libations, goodies and rich meals together with friends and family. However, add-in the hustle and bustle of the season, stresses and responsibilities and before long, we are getting bogged down. Did you know that the average weight gain per season is 7 to 10 pounds? With that added weight comes stored toxins and increased oxidative stress which can set you up for future disease. But don’t despair! You can enjoy the fun and festivities and mitigate some of this damage by incorporating just a few affordable and easy-to-implement tricks. You will set yourself up to be your best healthiest self for the start of the new year.
