Napping, the Ancient Art

My friend, Liza Pascal, an acupuncturist in Boulder, Colorado, used to work with Dr.Yeshi Dhonden, the personal physician to the Dalai Lama.  I’m certain that Dr. Dhonden has many secrets of longevity to share with mankind, but one that he practices first hand and daily is to take a nap every afternoon at 1pm.   Rain or shine, whether it’s The Dalai Lama or the common man at his door, Dr. Dhonden understands the importance of this easy, effective and free lifestyle habit to boost his overall health and longevity.

A Nap is a Nap is a Nap….Not Exactly

When I was little, my mother used to make me nap every day for at least an hour.  Later, I had the amazing opportunity to study in Madrid, Spain for a year where the entire country would take a nap every day for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

In my private practice, in Marin County, so many of the patients I work with struggle with sleep issues in particular as they age.  Acupuncture is terrific for insomnia and sleep related issues, so much so that  I am considering extending those visits to an hour and a half because it pains me too much to wake people so soundly asleep after an hours visit.

If you have a demanding job, are working long hours or on the night shift, if you are finding that you are drinking several cups of coffee or sodas to keep you going through the day, adding extra pounds because you rely on too many carbohydrates for quick fuel, or just not feeling as healthy as you would like, then you might want to start practicing the art of napping right now.

What is the Perfect Nap for You?

Not all naps are created equal and some are better for different circumstances than others.  Below is a short list that you might find useful.

Nap 1: 5 minutes or less. Effective for sleepiness.

Nap 2: 5 – 20 minutes. Increases alertness and improves motor performance and stamina.  Scientists have proven that taking a 20-minute nap approximately eight hours after waking will do more for your stamina than sleeping another 20 minutes in the morning

Nap 3: 20 minutes. Includes the benefits of the above naps plus improves muscle memory and long-term memory.

Nap 4: 50 to 90 minutes. Good for improving perceptual processing and repairing bones and muscle.  You may want to lay off of this type of nap if you are having sleep issues at night because you will probably go into a deeper sleep and it may interfere with your night’s rest.

Nap 5: The preventative nap.  If you know you are going to be sleep deprived, try getting a nap in advance.

The Benefits of Napping

Napping in general benefits heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick who is at the forefront of napping research.  A power nap, says Mednick, maximizes these benefits by getting the sleeper into and out of rejuvenating sleep as fast as possible.

If you want to reduce stress levels, increase your productivity, memory and cognition, boost your creativity and maximize your overall health, then give napping a try.  You don’t need a bed to nap.  If you are at work, try closing your office door and putting a do not disturb sign on your door.  Or get more of a bang for your buck.  Go out into nature, find a nice spot on the grass, and enjoy a quick nap in the sun as you absorb that well needed Vitamin D, which studies show us most Americans are lacking in.

And if you want the perfect icing on the cake, I’d suggest my own special form of napping……

…..the cat nap.

To your optimal health and longevity always,

Carlyn

Carlyn Montes De Oca L.Ac., M.T.O.M., Dipl. O.M.
Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling 415.306.1853
www.ModernAlchemyAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Energetic Healing

When do you go see the Doctor?

Most people usually go to see their Acupuncturist once they are sick with an illness or disease that they can no longer ignore.   Other people take a more proactive approach and focus on prevention before they get sick such as eating a balanced diet, exercising and living a healthy lifestyle.  Having said that, I find that there is one vital point that just about everyone misses when addressing their health.

The Missing Link is Sync

Whether you are trying to get healthy, stay healthy or live longer, the important step that most people ignore in their health plans is staying in Sync with nature.

Chinese Medicine contains in its scope a profound system of knowledge called the 5 Elements which reminds us that we are not separate from nature or the universe and are subject to its laws.  The 5 elements are named after different aspects of nature – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water – and each of these elements correspond to a different season of the year.

The Element of Wood

The Spring corresponds to the Element of Wood and its energy is different than any other time of the year.  If you look outside you will see the new growth of plants shooting upward and outward towards the sun with an energy of rebirth and renewal.  Do you notice a more dynamic quality to this energy especially in contrast to the slow crawl of the winter just a few short months ago?

If you bring this energy into your awareness you can create a powerful synergy that will allow you to accomplish more than just trying to get things done on your own.  For example, if you have a project or an idea that you have been wanting to give birth to, this is the best time of year because nature’s energy will support you in that endeavor.  Not only will you have your own inspiration and drive in hand but you will also be aligned with a powerful energy of growth and rebirth that will help you bring your projects to fruition.

Green is the color corresponding to the Wood Element.  All around us we see green as our natural landscapes come alive from the Winter.  This would be an ideal time to take in “the green” by eating more leafy greens such as kale, chard and spinach or even better, juicing your greens for a powerful blast of nutrients. Chlorophyll, barley grass or Kyogreen would also be beneficial to take in at this time to cleanse the body, keep you more alkaline and bring greater energy to your cells.

The Emotions of Wood

Hands down, Kleenex gets used up in my office more in the Spring than at any time of year.  Yes, a lot of people come in during the spring for Acupuncture Treatments and nutritional consultations to help with allergies but the Kleenex disappears not because of allergies but because of the emotions that inevitably get stirred up inside each of us at this time of year.

Every element has a particular emotion that is predominantly out of balance during a particular season.  When it comes to the Wood Element, Anger is the primary emotion that is affected and can surface unexpectedly especially if you have been repressing it.

Anger doesn’t usually live alone and other emotions that tend to surface around this time are resentment, judgment irritability, volatility,  moodiness, timidity, frustration and even depression.

If you are feeling particularly emotional during the season and don’t know why, just take a moment to look outside your window.  What is the nature of the wind as it blows through the trees?  The wind comes and goes, is unpredictable, at times volatile, at times gentle, it can be powerful enough to knock over the largest of trees especially when they are inflexible and refuse to bend.  This is the nature of wood.

To be in alignment with this element and in sync with nature, you must be willing to look at your anger or your avoidance of it.   When addressed, our emotions can be a powerful tool for growth and self mastery or when avoided can eventually transform into physical pain, suffering and illness.  The choice is always in your hands.

5 Tips to Staying in Sync with Spring

1. Start a new project.  Give birth to a new idea.
2. Eat Green!  This is an optimal time to add leafy greens to your diet especially in juice form.
3. Do a Liver Gallbladder Flush.  The Liver and Gallbladder are the two organs that correspond to the Wood Element and are often neglected until painful gallbladder stones grab our attention.  The Amazing Liver Gallbladder Flush by Andreas Moritz is a book I highly recommend to become better informed on why and how to do a proper flush.
4. Got tight tendons or ligaments?  Having pain that comes and goes?  Feeling a little more emotional or stressed in general?  These are all possible symptoms the wood element being out of balance in the human body.  If this sounds like your body, consider getting a soothing, restorative and seasonal acupuncture treatment to relieve your symptoms and bring you back into balance.
5. Cultivate the positive aspects of Wood by becoming more balanced in the following areas….. assertiveness,  motivation, ambition, competitiveness, flexibility, responsibility and having greater foresight and vision.

May you have an optimal Spring filled with renewal, well-being and a greater awareness of your undeniable link with nature.

Carlyn

Carlyn Montes De Oca L.Ac., M.T.O.M., Dipl. O.M.

Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling 415.306.1853

www.ModernAlchemyAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Energetic Healing

Cellular Nutrition

You are as healthy as your cells.  So when is the last time you gave them any thought?  In your body, the cell is the smallest unit of living matter.  It holds your DNA and houses your energy and your vitality.   If you feel sluggish or are constantly tired, in pain, or ill, your cells may not be as healthy as they need to be to keep you healthy and to insure your longevity.

Inside each of our cells, are even smaller particles called, atoms.  Each atom contains a nucleus and a pair or more of spinning electrons orbiting around it.  As long as the atoms are in pairs, life is good, you have a healthy cell and you feel healthy.  But once that atom loses one of those electrons it is now unstable, unhealthy and dangerous.

Free Radicals, Brown Apples and You

This type of atom which is missing an electron, is called a free radical and it is dangerous because it will do anything it has to do to survive.  Free radicals steal other electrons from nearby atoms and molecules changing them into more free radicals and they in turn do the same to others of their kind.   Remember the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers?  Where spores were taking over the earth, converting everyone in their path?  Well the same massive domino effect is takes place in your body as these free radicals multiply and replicate.

This process of losing and stealing electrons is called Oxidation.  If you ever cut an apple in half and leave it sitting on a counter, you will find that over several hours, the apple will turn brown.  This same “rusting” process is what occurs in your cells and that creates inflammation and ultimately degenerative disease.

Oxidation is a natural process that occurs in the body but in our current society it has become excessive.  What is creating the over proliferation of free radicals?  Pollution, heavy metals, hormones, pesticides and additives in our food, cigarette smoke – 1^st and 2^nd hand, electro magnetic radiation (cell phones, microwaves, computers etc.), sun damage, skin care products containing toxic preservatives, even excessive exercise are just some of the countless reasons that accelerate the formation of free radicals in our society today.

Despite the fact we seem to be living longer, degenerative diseases are rampant in our society and becoming even more so.  Heart disease, stroke and cancer are the three main diseases attributed to premature death.  50% of the population will develop some kind of degenerative disease after age 65 and many will develop more than one.  Although most people believe that this is a natural way to age – to spend 20 or more years suffering and in pain – it is not.  Degenerative disease is preventable and very often reversible and it all begins with the health and an awareness of the smallest building blocks of your body…..your cells.

The Free Radical Solution

If your grandmother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables, it was probably the best advice she could have given you.  Fruits and vegetables contain Anti-Oxidants and are the secret weapon “against – oxidation” and free radical formation.  Unfortunately you have to eat 8 oranges these days to get the Vitamin C we got from one orange 100 years ago and 33 lbs of spinach to get the 400 IUs of Vitamin E.

This phenomenon is due to the depletion of minerals and nutrients from our soil, which has developed from over farming.  What does this mean for you?  It means that there is just is no way that you can get the daily required nutrients you need from your food anymore.  This depletion of the soil leads to free radical damage affecting your tissues, organs and eventually can lead you to being an active participant in the degenerative disease epidemic we find ourselves in today.

7 Ways to keep your cells healthy

• Eat food that is organic, whole and local whenever possible
• Eat at least 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
• Supplement with green foods such as Spirulina, blue green algae, chlorella or check out this product which I really love – Kyogreen
• Invest in a juicer and juice at least once a day especially in the Spring and Summer
• Your cells are predominantly water so keep hydrated by drinking half your body weight in ounces of water.
• It’s always easier to deal with something before it breaks.  The same goes for your cells so think prevention instead of waiting for the symptoms of disease to occur.
• You can’t get all the nutrients you need out of your food so supplement with high quality nutritional supplements.  Not all supplements are created equal, just like not all food is good for you.  So go for the best.
• Create Balance in your life, minimize stress wherever possible

At my acupuncture and nutritional counseling practice, Modern Alchemy, in San Anselmo, I treat many patients for stress and the symptoms of degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.  I also give consultations on holistic nutritional practices which can be implemented easily and effectively.  It really is amazing to see that with committed awareness, knowledge and the right tools, how many people can reverse heart disease, diabetes, hot flashes, insomnia and many other degenerative or chronic condition which they previously thought there was no remedy for.

All it takes is commitment, desire and ultimately choice.

To your optimal health and longevity,

Carlyn

Carlyn Montes De Oca L.Ac., M.T.O.M., Dipl. O.M.

Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling 415.306.1853 www.ModernAlchemyAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Energetic Healing

What is True Health?

Most of us grew up with the idea that when we got a runny nose, an ache or pain, a headache and any other symptom of “not feeling well”,  that was the time to go to the doctor and get a bottle of medicine to take away our “problem”.

That paradigm is shifting….dramatically.

Today there is a new way of looking at our health, which is swiftly overtaking the model of illness that we grew up believing in.  The new model of health is called, Wellness.

When physical symptoms arise in the body, we usually have missed the many of the  signs along the way that our body has been giving us to take better care of ourselves.  The body always starts speaking to us in whispers such as minor discomforts, light emotions that come and go, irritabilities that we may ignore – if we pay attention to these seemingly small indicators at the time that they begin, we can usually avoid the body’s need to shout louder at us through illness, degenerative disease and chronic pain.

Wellness is not just the absence of disease. It is a proactive approach designed to achieve greater levels of health.  To achieve this, as in any successful relationship, we have to be willing to listen and to honor what our body is saying, regardless of whether it is convenient for us to do so or not.   Such is the Wellness model – listening to the body, and focusing on prevention before we get to the disease state.  We don’t wait until it’s broken to fix it.

What does Wellness Look Like?

• A positive and proactive approach to health emphasizing the whole person – mind, body, spirit.
• Having a reserve of strength and endurance
• Enjoying a consistent state of well-being free from disease
• Experiencing an optimal state of health and vitality that supports your purpose in life

If you honestly feel this way, then congratulations, you are probably one of the few who do.  If you are not, then begin your journey towards wellness, now.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The next best time is now.    ~Chinese Proverb

6 Ways for You to Achieve Wellness

• Listen to your body’s signals when they are still whispers and before they become illness. For example do you feel irritable at different times of the day? Perhaps you use food to suppress how you feel and you may feel better for a while but then the irritability returns and so do the pounds from suppressing your irritability with food.  Extra weight brings with it the potential for different diseases.  So now in addition to the irritability you may feel because you are upset at your spouse or dislike your job you also may have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.  It also means that you’ve gone from the Wellness model, which was to listen to the irritability and addressing the issue, to now treating the symptoms of disease. The key is to listen to when the body first begins to speak.  Or better yet, take such good care of yourself, that your body doesn’t have to resort to your body speaking so loudly through illness.
• Add to your health savings account on a daily basis – Instead of depleting yourself then wondering why it’s so hard to get better when illness strikes, be proactive.   My previous blog posts on sleep, exercise, nutrition and the power of the breath are great ways to generate awareness and begin your journey towards wellness.
• Take an honest account of where your health stands at this very moment – Is your nutrition filled with organic, wholesome foods?  Are you taking the proper supplementation that your body requires to maximize your antioxidant and mineral levels?  Are you exercising daily and giving your body the movement and flexibility it requires for optimal health now and into your later years?  If your answers are  “no,” take a step towards achieving what you want, then the following week another step, followed by yet another the week after.   Small but consistent steps will get you there.
• Keep your cells optimized – The cells are the basic building blocks of life and Cellular Health is a vital component to maximizing our wellness.  You are as healthy as your cells and considering the environment we live in and the environmental stresses that exist, that is not always an easy task.  We can no longer eat all of the food necessary to maintain optimal health so make sure you supplement with the healthiest nutritionals available.
• Cellular Nutrition – learn the basics of cellular health. On January 28^th @ 7pm, my colleagues, Dr. Robert Adamich and Charity Goodin CMT will be giving a presentation on How Nutrition Works – The Secret of Cellular Nutrition. Please join us in exploring and learning how to incorporate this essential component of health into your life.  For more information contact me at 415.306.1853 or contact me @ modernalchemyacupuncture@gmail.com.

Changing your perception from a disease consciousness to a wellness approach is one of the greatest gifts you can ever offer yourself.  The wellness model will empower you to take your health into your own hands rather than constantly relying on medications to numb your symptoms.

To your optimal health and wellness,

Carlyn

Carlyn Montes De Oca L.Ac., M.T.O.M., Dipl. O.M.

Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling 415.306.1853

www.ModernAlchemyAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Energetic Healing

My love affair with sugar

When I was young, I loved playing sports.  Once during my 8^th grade softball season, our coach made us a proposition that was too good to be true.  She offered to buy an ice cream sundae to any player who  hit a home run against the opposing team.  More than one home run?  More ice-cream sundaes for that player.

I hit three home runs that game.

It was also the last time my coach made the offer.

Needless to say, as most kids, I grew up on sugar and refined carbohydrates – ice-cream, cookies, pie – they all brought a big smile to my face.  What I didn’t know at the time – what none of us knew – was the long term effect eating that much sugar would have on our physical health and ultimately on our longevity.

I have no regrets about my sweet tooth of the past.  I feel that every experience has brought me to where I am today.  Still, it would have been handy to know that the amount of sugar that the human body needs, per serving, was contained in an apple, not a bag of cookies.

What’s so bad about eating sugar?

High Glycemic carbohydrates convert into sugar in the human body.  Glycemic is a term used to refer to a scale used to measure carbohydrates.  Cookies, candy, pasta, white rice, alcohol and potatoes are some examples of high glycemic carbs.  Eating an excess amount of these kinds of carbs leads to a spike of sugar in our bloodstream.  This spike is then followed by a sharp drop.  As a kid, this plunging of my blood sugar would leave me feeling irritable, moody, tired and eventually craving even more sweets.

Why would my body crave what it didn’t need?  Because the only way to bring my blood sugar back up quickly was to eat foods that would generate the most fuel.  Carbohydrates do that.  The problem is that instead of bringing my blood sugar back up to within a healthy range, another spike would be created that surpassed that limit.  What followed would be  another plunge followed by another spike.  This type of up and down roller coaster ride, which comes from eating too much sugar, can also create depression, dizziness and excess weight gain.

Science has discovered that it takes about 15 years for these kind of repetitive spikes and crashes to develop chronic inflammation in our bodies.  This kind of systemic inflammation leads to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, arthritis, diabetes and many other ailments.  It also leads to obesity.  Most of us do not eat this way for 15 years.  We actually eat this way all of our lives.

Nature’s Solution

So what is the answer?  Do we eliminate all carbohydrates from our food supply?  Do we say goodbye to sugar altogether?  Of course not.  Our body needs sugar to survive…..the right kinds of sugar.  The kind that will not create sugar spikes and crashes in our blood stream and lead us towards death’s door prematurely.

Low glycemic fruits and vegetables (most fruits and vegetables except for tropical fruits and potatoes) are the most optimal sources of carbohydrates and sound nutrition for our body to consume.  They are packed with vital antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which are paramount for health and longevity.  Combined with healthy fats and healthy proteins, these powerhouses of nutrients will keep our body fueled, maintained and healthy for years to come.

5 Tips towards balanced blood sugar

1. Eat low glycemic fruits and vegetables and high quality proteins instead of grains and processed carbohydrates – if you’re not sure what is low glycemic, check out the book, “Healthy for Life“.
2. Eat breakfast within one hour of waking.  Make sure this first meal is a balance of low-glycemic carbohydrates, healthy fats and a high quality protein.  I make a protein shake every morning that is not only balanced, but delicious too.  Eat frequent and small meals throughout the day.
3. For a good balance, follow the 80-20% rule.  Eighty percent eating low glycemic – 20% otherwise.
4. Exercise daily for 30-45 minutes.
5. Take high quality nutritional supplements. Optimal amounts of Vitamins and Minerals are extremely important for sugar balance.

The majority of people who visit my acupuncture practice at Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling in Marin County, have some form of sugar imbalance.  In fact an astounding number of people in this country have some form of insulin resistance.  This is a type of metabolic imbalance, which can lead to diabetes and comes from eating too many refined carbohydrates.

Once they are aware of the connections between sugar and their health, most people want to make a change.  But cravings and addiction can be a challenging task master.  One step at a time to make long lasting and permanent change is often the wisest course.

For this reason, I recommend a wonderful and effective jump-start program to reach their goals.  The marvelous side effect of this program is weight loss.  And who doesn’t like that?  Whether you live in Marin County and are a patient of Modern Alchemy Acupuncture or live somewhere else in the world, if you have issues with your blood sugar or are carrying around a few extra pounds, Click here and check out this program.

The Deeper Wisdom

Finally, when I work with someone who has issues with sugar cravings, or are carrying excess weight, I often suggest that this is a great opportunity to take a look at their lives and see where they are missing the sweetness that life has to offer.  When we reach to food to satiate our cravings it is often a way to mask uncomfortable emotions, or as a distraction from something we may not want to look at.  Using sugar as our primary source of feeling joy blocks our ability to really see the vast palette of experience that life has to offer.

Remember that optimum health requires not only looking at our physical body’s imbalances but the emotional and spiritual components that effect it as well.

May you have a blissful and peaceful holiday….To your health and longevity,

Carlyn

Carlyn Montes De Oca L.Ac., M.T.O.M., Dipl. O.M.

Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling 415.306.1853

www.ModernAlchemyAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Energetic Healing

Holiday Delight

As we approach the holidays, we are fortunate to be surrounded by friends, family and the delicious foods that come with the joy of the season.  This form of ritual and community brings us emotional, spiritual and physical nourishment, which is important for our health and longevity.  But as they say, knowledge is power, so it is also good to know that often what brings flavor to these prepared foods are sugar and salt (sodium).

I am not going to say that you should give up eating salt.  After all, our body is .4% organic sodium and it requires sodium to stay healthy and vital.  Sodium has been coined “The Youth Element” by Dr. Bernard Jensen, because it keeps our joints “young, active, limber, pliable and able to jump for joy”.  It is also a necessary component of optimal health for our blood and lymph systems.

Why the bad salt wrap?

Sodium itself is not the problem, it’s the kind of salt that we are ingesting that is basically hurting so many of us.  Regular table salt, composed of sodium and chloride, has been depleted of all other trace minerals that are necessary for our body to maintain its health.  When our body is deficient in these minerals it looks to other parts of our body to get them.  Our jaw bones, spine and joints can’t afford to be depleted of their mineral storehouses to fill the drought.

This leaching of minerals can lead to arthritis, joint stiffness, bone problems, headaches, nervousness, dizziness and many more physical problems.   Additionally, ordinary table salt is processed at very high temperatures and typically contains additives.  Hopefully, by now you understand the importance of eliminating additives and preservatives from all of your foods.

The American Addiction to Salt

Unfortunately, Americans consume salt more than any other group in the world.  Statistics show us that the average American is consuming 20-50% more salt than our body requires.  We fall into the misperception that a pinch of salt here and there will not affect us.  But those pinches add up over time, settling into the blood stream and making the heart work much harder than it has to.

Also, as I mentioned before, salt often gives prepared food more flavor.  You might be surprised by how much sodium is listed on the labels of the most common products that you purchase.   The salt frenzy is one of the reasons that our country’s collective health is dominated by high blood pressure, kidney problems and other degenerative diseases.  In Japan, where fish is often preserved in salt, stomach cancer is quite high.

The Salt Solution

In my private practice at Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling, I see many people who crave salt.  Yet I know it is not table salt that the body, in its infinite wisdom, is asking for.  Since the body needs organic sodium, I advise them to consume it in its natural state.  That means more vegetables and some fruits.  Organic celery in  juice form is a great way to get the sodium your body may be lacking.  Steamed okra is another beneficial food to get the organic sodium your body requires.

I also highly recommend to patients that they toss out their table salt and substitute it for Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Rock Salt.  These natural salts have between 60-80 trace minerals, which are beneficial to your health and vitality, and will not create the myriad of health problems that table salt can contribute to.  Even so, try to enjoy your organic and natural foods without adding too much additional sodium.

For a great source of organic sodium and a natural diuretic to flush out toxins, consider the following drink.  Did I happen to mention that it is also delicious?

Carlyn’s Celery Elixer

1. 4 celery stalks
2. 1 large carrot
3. 1/2 green apple
4. 1/4 – 1/2 lemon
   

Juice the celery, carrot and apple in a juicer and squeeze in the lemon to taste.

Until Next Monday….To your health and longevity,

Carlyn

Carlyn Montes De Oca L.Ac., M.T.O.M., Dipl. O.M.

Modern Alchemy Acupuncture & Nutritional Counseling 415.306.1853

www.ModernAlchemyAcupuncture.com

Acupuncture, Nutritional Counseling, Advanced Energetic Healing