At RiverWest Acupuncture in Portland, we want to share our ideas and recipes for some of the things that we do here in the clinic.  For those of you who have been around as we do these things, we’ve had you sample our concoction of the day.

Here is today’s bonus;  Kale Chips

1.  Make the Chips:   Tear the kale into “chip” size pieces.   We don’t include the stem since’s it’s pretty coarse.   Lay them on a baking sheet.

2.   Lightly drizzle some olive oil over them.

3.  Lightly sprinke with Garlic Salt.  Regular salt can be used rather than garlic salt.

4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

They don’t look so pretty when they are done, but the taste more than makes up for lack of “presentation.”   Also notice the amount of shrinkage.  Take that into consideration when you consider your chip size.

Enjoy and be healthy!

Detox Recipe

This is a detox recipe that we used this morning.   It tasted good and it’s effective.   One of the things that gets interesting is how to make these juices taste good so that it’s not a chore to get them to go down.    I use as much organic food as I can find.  

Serves 6

3  Cucumbers

12 Kale leaves – medium size

8  Celery sticks

1/2 Parsley bunch

3  Apples

3  Pears

3 Lemons (we use the whole lemon)

Fruit Fix

This is one of those foofy drinks that should have a little umbrella hanging out of it as you sit around the pool.

1  cup Pineapple chunks

1  cup Raspberrys

1  cup Strawberrys

1  Mango

1  Pear

1  Lemon (optional)

Drink and Smile!

What do allergies, gardening and working out all have in common? 

They generally will direct patients to come in for acupuncture.   This time of year, I start to see more patients as a result of symptoms that arise from these three activities.  It really boils down to;  They all require the body to be strong.   Here are some Tips and Recommendations on how to get and keep your body strong.

1.       Allergies:

For anyone that suffers with allergies, if you’ve spent the winter  kind of tired and run down, when allergy season comes along, it hits you with much more impact, than if you’ve had a really healthy winter, with little sickness, you’ve got plenty of rest, you’ve eaten well and in general stayed strong over the winter. 

 I recommend:

• Coming in and getting acupuncture to align the body to make it strong so that it can do what it does really well when it’s balanced, and that is to heal itself.  
• Chinese Herbs are also extremely helpful in alleviating allergy symptoms as well as helping to strengthen the body.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Stay away from Dairy and Sugar as they create inflammation.

2.       Gardening:

For all you gardeners, this is the time of year that I start to see you because you have either been more sedentary during the winter, then we FINALLY get a nice day and you spend the day bending, kneeling, pulling, digging, hauling, dragging, etc. etc. etc.  Your back hurts, your legs hurt, your neck hurts and a few other parts hurt.

I recommend:

• Warm up before starting your gardening.  Particularly, your low back, your hamstrings (the back of your legs) and your neck and shoulders.
• Stretch these same areas out, which will also help warm them out.
• Don’t sit, bend, or kneel in any position for a long time.  Take frequent breaks and stretch those key areas.
• Drink plenty of water.  First it irrigates the body, and it forces breaks both when you drink and then you have to go use the rest room.    

3.      Runners and Training:

This is the time of year that the seasonal runners start to come out of the woodwork, so to speak.  It’s time to start training for all the races that Portland has during the next 8 months or so culminating in the Portland marathon.    There are a lot of organizations in the Portland area that offer support in training.  Some of them are fee based, and some are free.  They should have great advice around training schedules, eating, stretching, and strength training. 

I recommend:

• Take the time to stretch properly.  I know there are varying opinions on whether to stretch before, or after or both.   I am a person that struggles to stretch, AND I know when I stretch before and after, it works best for me. 
• Drink plenty of water.
• Get plenty of rest.  Rest is so important for the body to heal.
• Start gently and build up both in distance and speed.
• Acupuncture treatments can help keep the body aligned and prevent injury.

We are coming up to the end of the first quarter of the year.   Where are you on the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

In the past,  each year when I would make my New Year’s resolution around eating healthy, exercising more, working harder, not working as hard, taking better care of myself, etc. etc. etc. by February, all those resolutions had pretty well petered out.  Then I would wonder why this was the case.  Or I would fall into the category of simply feeling guilty about not keeping my well-intentioned, well-planned New Year’s resolution; more of a “What’s wrong with me?” followed by all the reasoning about why I wasn’t  successful.  Can anyone relate?

After some research it appears there are several theories suggesting why this seems to be the case.  One theory that resonated with me is that most resolutions are made in response to something negative — a habit or situation that the person wants to change or end.  That becomes part of the problem.  As humans, it’s much more difficult to develop momentum from a negative response. It is always easier to move toward something positive rather than away from something negative. Some of my old coaches would never allow me to state my intentions as something that we did NOT want to do.   It was always phrased as something that we WERE going to do.   Any of you that have been in my Relational Acupuncture groups know that I always have you create intentions that are worded in a “what you WILL do” rather than “what you WON’T do.” 

While wording is important, it’s not a magic bullet.  It is not as easy as thinking, “If I get a good positive goal going, then I will be successful.”   After running my Relational Acupuncture groups for 5 years now, I have found that when we get a goal and we get all excited about what we are going to accomplish and we say Let’s Go!  And then what happens?   You get that pit in your stomach, and you get afraid.  The little thoughts come in and say, What if I can’t, what if this happens, what if the dog eats my homework…  you get the point.  Often these thoughts can be quite subtle, to the point that they aren’t even in our conscious thoughts. 

I find that the clearer one gets on why a resolution or intention is important and when it is aligned with  your heart’s desire the more successful one will be.

Here are some questions you might ask to establish your intention or to clarify your resolution or help you move forward if you get “derailed”:

1. What do you really want?
2. Is this something that you want, or is it something that you think you should want, or that other people think you should want?
3. Why is this important to you?
4. Why is now the right time?
5. Who will it allow you to become?

From a Chinese medicine perspective, I would approach it like this:

1. Hearts Desire: The Heart and its element Fire would include your personal beliefs and values.
2. Mindfulness: The Kidney  (is tied to the mind) and its element  Water and one could ask what are your skills, your strengths and weaknesses and  areas of expertise
3. Relationship: The Liver (paired with your vision) and its element Wood.   What do you truly want, now and in the future
4. Alignment: The Lungs (inspiration) and its element Air.    What are your dreams and your timing as well as the timing of the Universe.
5. Transformation:  The Spleen (digestion).  Not simply your food as you eat, but how do you digest what you are confronted with and what will that turn into for you.

In my Relational Acupuncture® Series, I’ve done a lot of work with patients around setting goals and then following through.  We find that the important pieces to forwarding intention is Consistency; Diligence and Gratitude: 1- Be mindful of your intention daily; 2 – Use your personal practices (meditation, visualization etc. daily to forward your actions to move you forward in achieving your intention and 3 – Each night write down 3 things you saw or did to foward your intention and what you are grateful for on this day.  If you find that your action did not support forwarding you intention then be curious and use it to see what learning you found. Then be grateful. Remember we create our lives.  May we do it the best we can.

Acupuncture is an effective way to manage stress.  Anyone that has come out of a treatment with that “acupuncture haze,” as we sometimes call it, knows what I’m talking about.  However,  when you don’t have, or make, the time to get a treatment, I want to offer you some other helpful tips for this Holiday Season that will help with your stress levels.   

‘Tis the season to be jolly — and also stressed out.   Remember; whatever your intention is, you will manifest it.  If you’re feeling irritable, rushed, resentful, lonely, or overwhelmed, keep these strategies in mind to help relieve that stress and shift your intentions:

1. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major disturber of people’s moods. Jet lag, traveling, parties, and over-excited children all make it hard to get your usual number of hours.

2. Exercise. Studies show that one of the quickest and surest ways to relieve stress is to exercise. A short walk or stretch will help. Even better, exercise outside, where the sunlight will help improve your mood and focus. While it’s been pretty chilly recently, it’s also been unusually dry and sunny for this time of year, here in Portland.

3. Stay in control of your eating.  Guilt about holiday binging is a major source of the blues.  Some folks do this via abstaining altogether, others are able to control with moderation.  Whatever works for you, do it.   

4. Take your time; plan ahead. Hurrying to pack, rushing through stores, sprinting to make a flight – these are sure to put you in a bad mood. Try to give yourself plenty of time to do what you need to do.

5. Learn from the past. What has made you unhappy in years of old? Think back. Avoid your triggers. Stay out of the kitchen, stay out of the mall, stay away from Uncle Billy – sometimes there’s a weird triumphant satisfaction in getting worked up, yet again, by a particular situation. Don’t do it! Don’t expose yourself to known stress risks.

6. Make time for real fun. Sometimes holiday vacations, which are supposed to be “fun,” are actually a huge hassle. Figure out ways to have fun.  Include time for things YOU like to do: going to a movie, taking a nap while everyone else goes skiing, going to the gym

7. Behave yourself! If you sulk, snap, tease, or shirk, you’re not going to feel happy. It may feel good, but only for a moment. Then you’re going to feel bad. Instead, try to help out, bite your tongue, clean up, or run to the store. Look for opportunities to say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” or “This is fine,” or “What should I be doing?” Do good, feel good—this really works! The way we act shapes the way we feel, so if you act in an affectionate, thoughtful way, you’ll feel more affectionate and thoughtful.

8. Fill your heart with love and gratitude.  When you are feeling love and gratitude, it’s quite difficult, if not impossible to feel stressed at the same time.  This can be hard to do, but it will make you less stressed and focuses and aligns you differently.  If you are less stressed, those around you will be better able to less stressed.

Holidays are supposed to be a time of peace, love, and fun — and we can’t bicker, complain, and nag our way there. Figure out what YOU need to do to keep a holiday spirit. Number One on my personal list: GET ACUPUNCTURE to get grounded and de-stress.  Of course,,,

You knew I would say that.

Video – Click on this link.  Apple Cider Give Away

A few weeks ago, either during a business coaching session with our business coach, or in a weekly Team Meeting, Lisa came up with the idea of handing out free hot chocolate, or apple cider, in front of the RiverWest Acupuncture in Portland clinic.    We landed on Hot Apple Cider for week of Thanksgiving and Hot Chocolate for the week of Christmas.   Our original intention was to spread some happiness to folks as they sit in line to get across the Ross Island Bridge each afternoon, and yes, a little marketing for RiverWest.

Monday was the first day that we tried it.   There had been some talk about the best place.   Would we be right in front of the clinic, or should we go down the block to the stop sign where people have to stop?   We originally decided we would set up down the block where cars are stopping at a stop sign already.    However, on Monday as we went out to set up, it was drizzling a little and I didn’t feel like shlepping all the gear down the block, so I set up in a parking spot in front of our building and directly in front of our big RiverWest Acupunture sign.    Tina had made us some paper signs that said Happy Holidays from RiverWest, and Free Apple Cider.  However, we quickly realized that they were much too small.   Given the number of folks that stand beside the road with signs asking FOR donations of all kinds, I came to realize that I might get classified as one of “those.”  Thus they wouldn’t know that I really wanted to give them something.  So Tina ran back in and made us bigger signs to indicate that it was FREE  APPLE CIDER.

Armed with our bigger signs, and quite the setup I might add, we offered Hot Apple Cider to anyone that would roll down their window and take us up on our offer.   We stayed out from 3 – 4:00.   We handed out about 40 cups of cider.   Responses ranged from folks taking them and being very appreciative, to people not even looking at us, and I could make up a number of stories why.  But I won’t.   We had folks that smiled, waved and said No Thanks.   We had folks that didn’t take it and said, Thank you for doing this.   It was fascinating and it was fun.   The most fun for us, was when folks took it and enjoyed it.   Isn’t it interesting how often when we are offered something, we turn it down.   Sometimes its simply because we don’t want what’s offered.   But how often is it because of our own inhibitions, that we hold back.

That’s actually what I learned, because I saw myself in the many that drove by and simpy declined.   I probably would not stop myself if I were in their shoes.  My reasons range from;  I don’t need that, I don’t need a handout, I don’t know them, I don’t know what they might do to it, and the list goes on and on.   And then I don’t experience the abundance of what is offered.  Often, Simply offered without strings attached.

This Holiday Season, we at RiverWest Acupuncture, wish that you find abundance and joy.  It’s out there, if we can simply see it.    I attached the video that Tina took of me as I was handing out some Cider to some pedestrians that came along.  Don’t you think I look trustworthy?

Did you know, in Chinese Medicine, there are two times per year, if you get sick during those times, the sickness takes longer than normal to abate?   We are headed into one of the two times during these next three weeks, and we are in the midst of the cold and flu season.  If that is of concern to you, come in and get a preventative treatment.  Lisa and Jenn are using a moxabustion technique, commonly called moxa, to warm and tonify the body.  This particular moxa technique is burned in a small moxa box, with a towel between the box and the skin.  It doesn’t burn the skin, so is not at all uncomfortable.  If you would prefer not using the moxa, we can use a TDP lamp with heating oils to create a similar therapeutic effect.  The point of the treatment is to nourish and strengthen the body…. And it feels great as well!

 Here are some additional tips to best avoid illness at this time:

1. Keep warm; especially keep your neck and chest warm.   Wear turtlenecks and scarfs to fortify those areas.
2. Do not sleep under an open window at night.
3. Drink beverages with cinnamon and nutmeg in them; both are warming to the body. 
4. A soup with a hearty stock (preferably chicken or beef, unless you are vegan) helps nourish and warm the body.
5. Watch sugar intake, as it creates inflammation.
6. Keep your hands washed.
7. Don’t share eating utensils with family members that are sick.
8. If you work in an office environment, wipe your phone handset down with an antiseptic wipe if the phone is shared. 

Feel free to call and come in for an acupuncture treatment with moxa if you are looking for acupuncture in Portland that will knock the flu out of you quickly.

Hi All,

Acupuncture in Portland and the Flu Season.  It sounds like a kids story doesn’t it.  Well, the story is that Flu season is definitely here. Everywhere I go I hear people coughing and hacking. Oh, maybe that’s because Bev has been fighting this cough that’s going around, so I hear her in the office and at home. Truly, it is more than just her. I have seen and treated many patients that are fighting it, and have had several last minute cancellations, due to patients just wanting to head home and go to bed.

 Depending on the patient I talk to, symptoms either start with a headache, or some start with a sore throat, and some just start right in the chest. End result, it appears to last and last. There is treatment we can offer to alleviate the suffering. With a combination of acupuncture and the Chinese herbs, we can move it along, so it doesn’t last for the two or three weeks that many folks are reporting. For Bev, Jenn gave her a treatment 3 days in a row, and also made an herbal formula for her. Using that protocol, she only experienced two nights of sleep interuption from coughing. Normally, she would take an over the counter cough syrup to suppress the coughing so she could rest. Unfortunately, for her, cough syrups cause nausea, to the point that she can’t take them. But after those two nights, she has been relatively cough free. That’s a pretty quick turn around; two days vs. two weeks. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, consider coming in for treatment and relief.

On the more entertaining side of things,,,we have a couple of exciting events that are coming up at RiverWest that I’d like to mention. Our Veterans Give Back is on Nov 11th. If you don’t know about that program, click on the link and find out more about it and if you and your family qualify to come in and see us that day. Please tell your friends and family about this program.  We want to practice Acupuncture Portland can really benefit from. 

Next, we have another Conversation Dinner on Nov 19th. Bev and I attended the first one and it was simply delightful. Again, if you want to read more about it, click on the link. We will send out the details in a separate email, but if you are interested, at the least,,,,”SAVE THE DATE.”

At the suggestion of a few of our patients, we are going to try a pilot program for a Movie Night at RiverWest Acupuncture. The first one will be Dec 2nd, a Friday eve, at 7:00 pm. We will do this once a month. The ideal would be for you to bring a friend that has never been to RWA before. It’s not mandatory that you do that, it’s a request. We’ll annouce the Movie for Dec 2nd in the next couple of weeks when we send out additional details. If you are interested, at the least,,,,,,,, “SAVE THE DATE.”

Last, but certainly not least, our Holiday Party, will in fact be during the Holidays this year. It will be Thurs, Dec 15th from 4 – 7pm. Again, “SAVE THE DATE.”

 Feel free to comment on this blog page. We’d really like to get a dialog started on our blog as a way to hear from patients; both those that we see regularly, and those of you that maybe we haven’t seen in a while. It’s a way to let us know you are still out there and doing well.

In Health,

Lisa

Hi All,

In an effort to serve our patients further, we are opening our clinic on two  Saturdays in the month of  November.   If we see that this meets a need, we will continue to offer Saturday hours in the future.   We’ll keep you posted on the response.   Please feel free to offer your comments or suggestions below on this blog.

We will have a Community Acupuncture session and we will offer appointment slots for  individual sessions, for both Lisa and Jenn. They will also be available for the Chinese herbs Portland patients have come to love and savour!

SCHEDULE DATES:   Nov 5th   and   Nov  19th

SCHEDULE TIMES:    Community Acupuncture:   10:00  a.m.

                                           Individual Treatments:  Starting at 11:00 a.m.

Call us at 503.246.0103 to schedule an appt or email us at contact@riverwestacupuncture.com

 In Health,

Lisa

We would like to congratulate all the runners that participated in the Portland Marathon this year.     For all of you that did participate, please feel free to respond to this and share your experiences.  We would love to hear about them.  We want to be the acupuncturist Portland runners depend on to keep healthy!

 I found a recommendation for the use of acupuncture from Lisa Rainsberger, who was the winner in the Boston Marathon in 1985 and now coaches.   As an aside, no American woman has finished first at the Boston Marathon since Rainsberger won in 1985. 

She says  ”The rigors of training for endurance events like a marathon or a triathlon often cause unwanted overuse injuries. As a former Professional Athlete and winner of the Boston Marathon I have found the hardest part of being an endurance athlete is getting to the starting line healthy. One of the training tools that I personally use and prescribe to the athletes that I now coach is acupuncture; Acupuncture treatments for common overuse injuries can get an athlete up and training again and to the starting line.”

   Not only does it help once you have the injury, but by getting regular treatments, before you actually sustain the injury, it can act as a preventative maintenance strategy, to prevent the injury from occurring in the first place.    Clearly, this year, it’s too late to use acupuncture as a way to keep you healthy for this year’s marathon.   However, as you  train for your next event, you now have another tool in your bag to keep healthy.  

If you are still feeling the after effects of your post marathon soreness;  you may want to get some acupuncture to aid you in the after effects of running the marathon.   Acupuncture is very effective in the recovery as it moves energy and releases lactic acid.