Healthwise Clinic Natural Health Blog

Adding lemons to your diet in spring is the secret traditional chinese medicine tip to lose weight.

In Spring your body is detoxing naturally – yes really!  This excellent news means this is the perfect time to lose weight.

Why add lemons to your diet?

Lemons break down mucus build up

Lemons also help to reduce blood fats

which leads to you losing extra weight and being healthier.

However, you don’t need too much of the sour taste in Spring as it will upset the Liver which is the organ associated with Spring.  About half a lemon a day – or posssibly even one whole one – is easily enough.  If you have too much of the sour taste you can damage your tendons and soft tissue.

One of the best ways to get the benefits of lemon is to squeeze the juice of a lemon into boiled and slightly cooled water, and drink.  Go on, try it!

Traditional Chinese medicine links to the lunar calendar which is based on the Moon.  Health is affected by the seasons and each season is linked to different functions within the body.

This year 2010 the first day of the new year, which is also the first day of Spring, is on 14th February.

The Chinese approach is to dedicate each year to an animal.  2009 for example was the year of the Ox, and 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.  An ox and a tiger have little or nothing in common, and the year ahead has the potential to be very different from the past year.

The years rotate, and you can work out which year you were born in.  To have “Tiger” qualities you would be born in 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1998.

Here is a brief summary of the qualities of Tiger people:

Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They are naturally centre of attention, and if ill demand a great deal of sympathy.  They can also be extremely short-tempered, however.

Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision made too late. They are courageous and powerful. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs

Chinese medicine and your health

In chinese medicine as you probably know we treat the whole individual rather than the symptom.

Even within each Year of the tiger there are other influencing factors, and each year is dominated by a particular element:

Water, Wood, Fire, Earth or Metal.

While it can be fun to find out about the qualities of a particular year, or Chinese animal type, the most important aspect for your well-being is to have a personalised diagnosis.

Your health is determined by the balance of energies within your body.  some of these may have been influenced by your year of birth, some by upbringing, and some by your dominant thoughts.  Your health is a complex and fascinating subject, and our great joy at Healthwise is to help people realise how much of their own health is within their own power.

The magnificent energy of the Year of the Tiger will, we hope, help us to improve the health and well-being of a lot more people who are suffering.

Related

• Year of the (Metal) Golden Tiger – 2010 (coconuter.blogspot.com)

” I’m Yours” the song sung by Jason Mraz has been in the charts for nearly a year and a half.   Is it so popular simply because it helps people feel good? Despite the global financial melt down at heart we want to be happy and for life to be simple.  Here is the live version in front of a rapt audience.

The tune sticks in your head, life seems less complicated, and you relax.  At Healthwise we are interested in anything that helps people feel better.  Because the better you feel, the better your health.

We also love the words.  Why?  Because Jason refers to two of the big health concepts of traditional chinese medicine which are cornerstones for us here at Healthwise.

“I’ve been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror”

Yes you can tell a lot by looking at your tongue in the mirror!  The most obvious thing is the colour but the size, and the shape are also very important indicators of your health.

“Rid yourself of vanity just go with the seasons“.

We don’t know if Jason does know about traditional chinese medicine but the seasons are a vital concept for health.  Each season is connected to a different part of the body system and therefore different health issues are best addressed in the relevant season.

Take the advice in the song and “don’t complicate our time” just watch the song and relax!  Jason, Mr Toca (and the gnome) are here for you!

I’m Yours sung by Jason Mraz live

Did it make you feel good?

Now go and look at your tongue in the mirror! If you want help, get in touch..

With all the current panic surrounding swine flu, what are we to do – Get on with our lives and hope for the best or hide away from the world wishing it would all go away?
Western and Eastern medicine have different perspectives on how best to deal with this issue. As a pharmacist and a practitioner of natural medicine we find that a combination of both approaches is the most effective way in fighting this pandemic before it gets out of control.
Both trains of thought would agree that prevention is better than cure. The campaign to CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT aims to reduce the spread by encouraging good hand hygiene.
From a treatment point of view, western medicine suggests the best option is with the anti-viral tamiflu. This is currently available in England when you meet the symptom criteria. At this point you are given a reference number for a designated medical centre and your healthy friend collects it for you. Tamiflu doesn’t cure the virus but is believed to speed up the rate of recovery.
Chinese medicine, when dealing with an epidemic, takes the same initial precautions as western medicine but the treatment approach is where it differs. This is comprised of a combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine to help the body fight off the virus naturally. During the SARS outbreak many people were successfully treated using herbal medicine made up of very strong anti-viral plants. This approach helps the body fight off the virus more efficiently and completely without side effects. The best approach of course is prevention and again herbs are used for this. There is a simple 3 herb combination that has been proven in clinical trials to be very effective in increasing immune function. This helps to protect against contracting the virus in the first place.
A few tips to protect yourself from the pandemic
1. Ensure good hand hygiene by washing hands after sneezing, coughing and after being in public places.
2. Follow the campaign “CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT” by having a supply of clean tissues with you at all times. Use each tissue only once.
3. Keeping your immune system strong is vital. Try to get plenty of sleep, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and try to avoid sugar and alcohol as they quickly weaken immunity.

By Philip Crilly and Andrew Loosely

Andrew Loosely’s first article on natural health has been posted
at 50 Connect in the category alternative health.

The 50 connect website encourages people over 50 to “live life to the full” which fits exactly with Andrew’s views on health. One of the secrets of good health is to adapt to the seasons, and the article will gives more background to the principles.

Head over and read it! You don’t have to be over 50 to look after your health!

The sun is out at last! Spring has arrived and the leaves are starting to turn green.

Our bodies are regaining energy after the winter but they still need to be gently supported in the Spring. So don’t immediately turn to cold food even thought the sun is out.

Soups can be made easily and quickly and are the perfect spring time meal. Lighter than the rich winter casseroles, soups help your body to make the most of the natural detox going on at the moment. They are a great way to get lots of nutritious goodness. And for an extra twist to really help your body add a little spice. It will boost your energy.

To find out

come to Andrew Loosely’s talk at Healthwise

A great attitude will certainly help you to get there! We certainly believe there is nothing preventing you.

There are lots of things you can do. General advice includes things you’ll know already like taking some gentle exercise every day, drinking water, eating healthily, and avoiding excesses of tea, sugar, coffee and alcohol.

However, the diet that is right for you wouldn’t necessarily be right for somebody else. The exercise that is right for you may also not be helpful for somebody else. Without knowing your personal situation, my best advice after the general points above is to follow the Seasons.

The Seasons are very important in Chinese medicine. Each season brings different health problems which can best be solved within that season. I will be talking about this over the next few weeks in my column at 50 c0nnect and will also post it here so you can look at your health from this perspective.

You may have some particular problem that can be solved, but more general advice would be to stay balanced. Have time for reflection and time for action, be physically active and also relax completely, take some time out and just be still!

Natural medicine is based on the energy that goes round your body, and ideally you want it to flow freely and not get stuck. Getting stuck in any emotion like anger or fear, for example, is connected to your physical well-being and is also connected to this time of year.

There is a particular emotion connected to Spring, and you will hear about that very soon.

Keep in touch and in the meantime have some me time…….

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We are finally up and running on Facebook!!  If you would like to join us you can search for the Healthwise Clinic group and click to join us. There you will receive regular updates on events and can let us know if you’d like to attend and also post questions for us to answer. We are posting our in house only newsletters there so you can now read them free of charge and get health tips too.

We are working hard to get as much free information about natural health care out there in the public domain for the benefit of anyone who would like to read about it so please let your friends know about us and join us on Facebook too. You can also read our blog on this site to receive slightly different bits of information.

Join, become a friend of Healthwise and help your friends get free health info too
many thanks and best wishes
Andrew

How many people do you know who were ill over Christmas?  A lot of my friends and acquaintances have been laid low in the run up to Christmas and afterwards.

According to the lunar calendar used in Chinese medicine this is not surprising as we should all be taking it easy in the winter months. Winter is traditionally the time for accumulation (not depletion of energy), nourishment and growth.

Flowers do not bloom in winter, trees lose their leaves .. plants have a period of downtime – and so should we!  Instead of getting stressed, winter is the time we should be relaxing more, eating good healthy food, and getting the rest we need.

So make the most of the credit crunch and avoid the sales and you will helping your health as well as your wallet!