Here are the tips I give my patients on staying healthy, preventing disease, and recovering from existing health conditions.  1: Exercise: 

Chinese medicine recommends a moderate amount of exercise:  30 minutes, 3 times per week.  The rest is negotiable and varies, as does everything else, according to individual constitution.  It is also important to note that excessive exercise consumes lung and heart Qi, so moderation is the key.

2.     Relaxation:·      A fundamental practice in maintaining health and balance is a good but simple meditative technique.  Breathing.  The goal is to get into one’s breath – don’t try to alter it, or change it, just visualize and feel it going in and out of the lungs – for 20 minutes per day.  This takes us out of our heads and into our bodies, turning off the harmful effects of stress.  ·      In TCM, a healthy body relies on a relaxed Liver, which regulates the flow of Qi, Blood and Emotions in the body.  Stress impacts the Liver’s ability to maintain good flow of Qi, leading to imbalances in all organs’ energetic systems.·      Start out by setting aside 5 minutes every day.  If the mind wanders away from the breath after only 10 seconds, notice it and bring it back.  Remember, it’s called a ‘practice’ for a reason.  Do this for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, working your way to 20 minutes.  ·      20 minutes may seem like a long time that you can’t afford.  Consider that you can’t afford not to practice it.  ·      Get to 20 minutes a day for a month and you won’t recognize yourself.

3.     Diet:

·      Chinese medicine speaks of a ‘Clear Bland Diet’, the description of which is closely resembles our common anti-Candida diets.  To keep it simple:   i.     Consume all types of food in moderation when in a state of good health.

1.     Generally, avoid the excessive consumption of greasy, deep-fried, sweet, and raw foods.  These tend to hamper the Spleen’s ability to extract the pure energies and excrete the impure energies from our diet, leading to Dampness, the symptoms of which often closely resemble the effects of excessive Candida albicans.2.     Avoid excessive consumption of spicy foods and alcohol as these lead to an imbalance of the Liver energy system.3.     Avoid excessive consumption of salty foods as these lead to imbalances in the Kidney energy system.                                           

ii.     It may be necessary to adopt a more rigorous and exclusive diet when managing existing health imbalances.  It is often difficult to reverse such imbalances with diet changes alone; a TCM herbal protocol is recommended.   

Consult with your TCM doctor for more information.Content written by Dr. Peter Wood

The Truth Behind A Healthy Core

By Dr. RobinArmstrong, Vancouver Chiropractor

I was recently reading an article about Madonna’s personal trainer, and it got me thinking about the common misconceptions about abdominal strength.  Although my hopes are that the old fashioned sit up has left our gyms for good, after attending a cardio class at the Kitsilano community centre, I discovered that the public’s desire to do 100 crunches for a good workout is still alive and well.

Here are my tips for a healthy (and perhaps aesthetically pleasing) core:

• Always maintain the curve in the low back.  Our spines were architecturally designed to carry a load.  Remove the architecture (the curve) and we become less structurally sound.
•  Our legs are heavy! It is easier - and safer - to lift and carry a heavy box close to our body.  The same applies to our legs and our spine.  If we do ab exercises with our legs straight, it puts alot of unhealthy load on our spine, if we keep our knees bent, we diminish the load, but reap the returns.
• Quality over quantity.  100 sit ups does not a healthy body make.  Choose safe and effective exercise over repetitive out dated exercise.  Here are two of my favourites
  • Front Plank: Lying on your stomache set up your elbows stacked under your shoulders, forearms on the floor.  Curl your toes under and lift your body so that you are parallel to the floor.  Do not let your hips pop up or sag down.  Hold for 30 secs.  Repeat
  • Side Plank:  Lying on your side, set up your elbow so that it is staked underneath your shoulder, forearm on the floor.  Set up your feet either a) Flexed, one foot stacked on top of the other, or b) Flexed, one foot in front of the other on the floor.  Lift your hips up so that your body is parallel to the floor. Do not tipforward or back, keep yourself perpendicular to the floor.  Hold for 30 secs.  Repeat. Switch sides.

Happy Exercising!