Will you start your holidays in good health, ready to enjoy the magic of summer?
Or are you, like most people, rushing to meet all your commitments by the end of the year, planning and shopping for Christmas, attending end of year celebrations and running your body into the ground?
A lot of people are so busy and run down by the end of the year that they get sick as soon as they finally get some rest! Their holidays are spent recovering from the flu and catching up on much needed sleep. By the time they are feeling refreshed and rested, it’s time to go back to work again.
By getting some balance back in your life, you can finish the year on a high and make the most of the glorious Australian summer.
Here are seven top tips to help you survive the silly season.
1. Rest
Getting enough good quality rest and sleep is usually easier said than done at the end of a busy year. Make a commitment to have an early night when you don’t have social engagements to attend. If you do find that you are going out several nights of the week, try to have a nap in the afternoon. Even if it is just for an hour or so, it will help you to recharge your batteries.
If you are having trouble sleeping, refer to the earlier article on natural sleep techniques. Herbal teas such as chamomile or valerian before bedtime can help, as can warm milk.
If these techniques still aren’t enough, then call the Clinic for some convenient herbal pills that you can keep in the bathroom cabinet for those nights when you can’t easily drift off to sleep.
2. Food
When your usual sleeping and eating routine is disturbed during the Silly Season, it can really create havoc with your health and peace of mind. Even if you are eating out a lot, try to always start the day with a nutritious breakfast. Whole grain cereals, such as oats, provide energy and also calm your body and mind.
When you’re at social events, try to opt for healthy snacks where possible and if you are the host then make sure you offer your guests healthy options. For example, have sushi and wraps instead of deep-fried or highly processed foods. Serve vegie sticks with yoghurt dips or homous and unsalted nuts with organic dried fruit, alongside chips and cheeses, to give your guests the option to stay healthy.
If you are going to an event with finger food, then try to grab a sandwich or a salad before you go so you are not hungry and filling up on high calorie, salted food.
If you still find that you’re overindulging then it could be time to consider a Herbal Party Pack. It’s a selection of three classic herbal formulas for headache, nausea and sluggish digestion due to overeating. Call the Clinic to order your pack.
3. Drink
At this time of year, alcohol is served at all hours of the day and night, from champagne breakfasts to late night cocktail parties. Aim to reduce the quantity of alcohol you’re consuming, while still being socially acceptable by holding a glass of something! Always go for low-alcohol options when you can, such as light beer or a wine spritzer. Try to alternate each glass of an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic one such as water or soda-lime-bitters. If someone offers to recharge your glass then ask for half a glass.
If you’re having cocktails then try non-alcoholic fruit-based versions such as a virgin mary or an alcohol-free daiquiri. Then you’ll be keeping up your fruit & veg and your liver will thank you. When all else fails, the headache and nausea formulas in your Herbal Party Pack can come to the rescue.
4. Exercise
Just a half hour walk each day will help to clear your head and keep your energy flowing. If you’re thinking of making a New Year resolution to exercise regularly then give yourself a Christmas gift of an interesting exercise class like martial arts, fitness training or yoga to help you to get motivated.
5. Moderation
The Taoist philosophy of Chinese Medicine is based on “everything in moderation”. Just as overeating is damaging to your health, following an overly restrictive and punitive diet creates disharmony in your mind.
If you really need some chocolate then have a square or two rather than the whole block! Craving and denial can be just as unsettling as overindulgence. If you overdo it one night then don’t try to redress the balance with a punishing exercise routine and fasting the next day.
Just get back into moderate exercise and healthy food and try to increase your awareness so the next time you’re out, you go a little easier on yourself.
6. Reflection
Take a moment to reflect on your achievements this year and think about what you would like the new year to bring for you.
If you’ve had a hard year then congratulate yourself for making it through! Most importantly, reflect on everything that you are grateful for in your life. If you're feeling stressed and finding it hard to feel gratitude to start with, then consider the slum children of India, for example. They don’t have clean water, good food, adequate shelter, security or education. Australia overflows with good fortune, and any difficulties that we encounter in our lives can be put into context by comparing our luxurious standard of living with many of our fellow human beings.
By reflecting on everything that you are grateful for in your life, you can open your heart and experience a wonderful sense of wellbeing, as well as feeling naturally more compassionate towards those around you.
7. Tithing
Once you have realised the abundance of good fortune that we all enjoy, work out how much you can spare to share with others. If you don’t have a lot of cash, can you donate your time or expertise? Can you give gifts of charity donation certificates instead of presents? Can you choose gifts that were made by workers who are adequately compensated for their labour? Good local sources of Fair Trade products are the Oxfam store at Warringah Mall, the organic co-ops in Whistler St, Manly and Arthur St, Forestville, or the Sunday Organic Markets at the Parkway Hotel in Frenchs Forest.
This post is brought to you by Lois Nethery, acupuncturist and Chinese medicine herbalist at Ocean Acupuncture in Curl Curl on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Ocean Acupuncture is a natural medicine centre of independent health practitioners. The views expressed in this blog are the author's only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the other Ocean Acupuncture practitioners.
The information presented in this blog, and on the Ocean Acupuncture website, is for interest and educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for health or medical information or advice. For health or medical advice, please consult your health professional.
01 December 2006
01 June 2006
Sleep well - naturally
Do you know someone who has trouble falling asleep? Maybe they can get to sleep easily but wake up during the night. Sometimes people get enough hours of sleep but they don’t sleep well, feeling groggy and hung over in the morning.
About one in five people don’t get a good night’s sleep. For many of these people, there is no specific cause such as sleep apnoea. They simply have recurrent or constant difficulty getting adequate refreshing sleep.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are excellent treatments to help establish healthy sleep.
Simple techniques for good sleep
Whether you’re going through a temporary period of stress or have suffered from poor sleep for a long time, these tips can help your body to fall back into a natural rhythm.
The right environment
Try to reduce noise, light and heat in your room. Try heavy curtains to absorb noise and block light. If you are sensitive to noise, a fan or white noise machine can help. It is best to sleep in a room with fresh, cool air rather than being too hot. Use another blanket if necessary.
Bedtime rituals
Give your mind and body cues that it is time to sleep. Choose soothing activities such as a warm bath, shower, foot soak, light reading, meditation or sipping a cup of non-caffeinated tea.
Bedroom sanctuary
Your mind needs to associate bed with rest and sleeping. If you need to read, to have an important discussion, think about work or watch television then it’s best to do so in another room. Try to write down any concerns or worries during the early evening so you don’t think too much at night.
Daily rhythms
Your body adjusts to a rhythm of sleep and waking so it’s important to maintain a regular bedtime, even on weekends.
Correcting disturbed sleep patterns
If you suffer from disturbed sleep, then you might need to implement some further techniques to train your body and mind to sleep well.
1. Calculate your current hours of sleep
Estimate how many hours you were actually asleep last night. For example, if you went to bed at 10pm and got up at 6pm but spent a total of two hours awake during the night, then this is six hours of sleep.
2. Work out your bedtime
Decide on a time to get up every morning (even weekends). Using the number of hours you slept last night, count backwards from the time you will get up to figure out when to go to bed. For example, if you slept for six hours and will get up at 6am, then go to bed at midnight.
Repeat these steps every night until you are able to sleep through from bedtime until morning. This is an important step in helping your mind to make the association between bed and sleep.
3. What to do if you wake up at night
Many people who wake up in the middle of the night alert or worrying tend to become more and more anxious and frustrated. They watch the clock, tossing and turning, and then start to get even more anxious that they will be too tired to function well the next day. This becomes a vicious circle of waking up, feeling frustrated, and then becoming too worked up to go back to sleep.
After some time, the mind no longer makes a connection between bed and sleep. Now the idea of bed is associated with worry and frustration, so the very thought of going to bed can fill some people with dread.
This is why it’s so important to nourish the mind’s connection between bed and sleep, and take steps to protect this connection.
If you wake up during the night, check the time and then tell yourself you will just lie in bed peacefully for 20 minutes. Close your eyes and gently focus on your breathing. Try to avoid checking the clock too often. Some people will fall asleep at this stage, just by being relaxed rather than worried.
If you’re still awake after 20 minutes, then GET UP! It is very important that you don’t compromise your mind’s bed-sleep connection. Go into another room (use low lighting or candles). Try reading, meditating, writing or other soothing activities. Avoid watching television as it’s too engaging. You could have a cup of chamomile tea, some of our special Peace Tea (blend of relaxing Chinese herbs) or a Chinese herbal sleep remedy.
When you start to feel sleepy, go back to bed and again tell yourself you’ll just lie there peacefully for 20 minutes. Keep repeating this cycle until you fall asleep.
It might seem strange or difficult at first, but these strategies can go a long way towards giving you a long, refreshing night’s sleep. This post is brought to you by Lois Nethery, acupuncturist and Chinese medicine herbalist at Ocean Acupuncture in Curl Curl on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Ocean Acupuncture is a natural medicine centre of independent health practitioners. The views expressed in this blog are the author's only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the other Ocean Acupuncture practitioners.
The information presented in this blog, and on the Ocean Acupuncture website, is for interest and educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for health or medical information or advice. For health or medical advice, please consult your health professional.
01 May 2006
Beating cold and flu in Autumn
Take these simple steps to ward off colds and flu and stay healthy in the cooler months.
Rug up
Scarf it
If you do get caught in the wind, apply a heat pack to the back of your neck when you get home, to “warm the channels” and prevent health problems from occurring.
Boost your energy
Try some ginseng tea to give your energy a lift. Ginseng has been scientifically shown to help your body adapt to stress and has been a valuable herb in Asia for thousands of years. If you’re not sure whether Ginseng is right for you, give us a quick call on 9938 2182 to find out.If you are susceptible to colds and flu, you might need some herbal energy armour to get your body’s resistance into shape! “Jade screen” herbal formula provides an energy shield for bodies that are weakened against attack. Call us on 9938 2182 to see if “Jade screen” formula is suited to your individual constitution.
Soup it up
During the hot months of summer, we tend to eat light foods like fruit and salad. When the weather cools down, we need warming foods to help us to keep our energy shields working against invasions of cold and flu.Raw vegetables aren’t suitable in cool weather. Instead, try steaming, roasting and stir-frying vegetables to give your body warmth and energy.
Cold and flu “first aid”
Sometimes cold and flu can penetrate our defences. At the very first sign of a cold, follow these steps to ensure you bounce back as soon as you can:1. Rest
2. Sweat a little
According to Chinese medicine, in the early stages the cold is still in the exterior of your body. Have a warm bath or shower and then rug up in warm clothes and blankets. Drink hot fluids. If you can sweat a little, then you can help your body expel the bug.3. Herbs to the rescue
Hot-type "colds" and flu start with a sore throat and sometimes fever with blocked nose that is yellow. Use Peppermint tea to cool the heat and lightly sweat out the wind attack.
4. Home herbal “first aid” kit
For even greater effectiveness, you can add a home herbal “first aid” kit to your arsenal against cold weather bugs. A basic kit contains one herbal medicine formula for cold-type and one formula for hot-type colds. Then you can add a herbal cough syrup, plus a formula for nausea and vomiting. Imagine being able to treat yourself as soon as illness strikes, with very effective, safe and natural treatments.5. Professional advice
The above steps should save you from falling prey to cold weather viruses. However, if it’s a strong bug or if your body can’t fight it alone, then call us for an individualised herbal formula and acupuncture treatment that is matched to exactly what your body needs. Always remember, early treatment means quick recovery.This post is brought to you by Lois Nethery, Acupuncturist at Ocean Acupuncture in Curl Curl.
Ocean Acupuncture is a natural medicine centre of independent health practitioners. The views expressed in this blog are the author's only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the other Ocean Acupuncture practitioners.
The information presented in this blog, and on the Ocean Acupuncture website, is for interest and educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for health or medical information or advice. For health or medical advice, please consult your health professional.
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