and Gain Conscious Healthy Living
by Jinmei Xu, Licensed Acupuncturist
impatient; lose your temper easily; feel stressed out and unable to relax? Are you easily overwhelmed; feel your mind is constantly going; have trouble sleeping at night? Do you have pain and discom- fort more often than not; or struggle with constipation? Do you finish meals in less than 20 minutes? Do you frequently crave sweets or salty, crunchy foods? Do you carry extra weight? If you answered “yes” to the last
D
question and to five or more of the others, your health issues are likely connected to the extra weight and to the stress in your life. Stress and weight gain are closely related and are often the cause and effect of one another. Stress can cause disease because stress creates heat and blocked energy in your body. This blocked heat and energy can make you feel tight and scattered - your mind and body cannot not work in harmony. When this happens, you tend to feel
more urgency about tasks than is really necessary. You are not living in a state of conscious awareness. It is as if your mind went on a wild ride and does not know how to get back to where you can feel settled and content. Then you tend to have trouble sleeping; suffer more fre- quent and severe headaches; are unable to concentrate on a task for very long; and feel tired and irritable. The heat created by stress can also cause constipation, exces- sive hunger, skin problems, too frequent urination, and sugar cravings. Stress can cause you to overeat. This
is because your body desperately wants to relax. Foods, especially those that are sweet or salty, relax your body. Unfortu-
o you feel tired all the time? Are you are constantly jumping from one task to another? Are you
nately the results do not last, and overeat- ing causes weight gain. From a Chinese medicine perspective, the extra fat under your skin is “phlegm.” Phlegm causes you to feel tired, easily overwhelmed, foggy headed and heavy, and to have dull headaches. If this continues for a long period of
time you can even slide into depression. This means you lose interest in activities you used to love. You will tend to isolate yourself and want to stay home and eat. Phlegm also causes stress. When you gain excess weight your energy gets blocked. When your energy does not flow freely, heat is created. Heat in the body creates stress. You can start to see how the vicious cycle repeats and can get worse if nothing is done to correct the imbalance. Acupuncture is a very powerful method to stop this downward spiral.
Acupuncture can unblock the energy and allow it flow freely again. When the energy is flowing, your body will begin to get back into balance. Acupuncture can also drain the heat from the body. When the heat is dissipated, your mind and body can start to work in harmony. Your mind can then return to a place where you feel content and conscious. This will help you make the right choices in your daily life and sustain your body’s balanced state. Conscious awareness is the key to a happy and healthy life.
Jinmei Xu, Lic. Ac., is a fourth genera- tion acupuncturist specializing in diges- tive and women’s issues. She practices acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Acupuncture Associates of Raleigh. www.
raleigh-acupuncture.com. 919-636-2148. See ad on this page.
WEIGHT PROBLEM? NO PROBLEM!
• Decrease appetite and food cravings • Improve metabolism and digestive function • Doctor recommended program proven to work • Regain health and happiness
trained in China and the U.S. Jinmei Xu, Lic. Ac.
Mark J. Molinoff, Lic. Ac. Experienced practitioners
EXCELLENT RESULTS IN TREATING: FERTILITY ISSUES • ARTHRITIS •
PAIN SYNDROME • ANXIETY / DEPRESSION •
ACUPUNCTURE ASSOCIATES OF RALEIGH TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS:
4801 Hargrove Rd, Raleigh, NC 27616 (off Capital Blvd.)
5530 Munford Rd, Raliegh, NC 27612 (off Glenwood Ave./Rt 70) 919-636-2148 •
www.raleigh-acupuncture.com
natural awakenings December 2010 41
Lose the Pain
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