Keys4Healing Essence

Hello everyone, hope you are doing well. We are living in a crazy, history making time. I want to share a letter I received from a friend. I thought it might help make these long and difficult days more enjoyable. Hey Tom, I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel a little stir crazy. When you're not allowed to leave your home except to pick up groceries, just the idea of leaving – for any reason or no reason at all is awfully appealing. So in this age of social distancing, isolation and "stay at home" suggestions, I have a suggestion of my own: take a drive. Unless your state prohibits travel, you're not breaking any rules. If it's just you and the road (or a co-pilot you'd have at home anyway) it's perfectly safe to hop in your car and head out. And believe me, it can be a lifesaver getting off the couch. So that's what Karen and I decided to do. With no agenda, no place to go, we packed up a lunch, put Ellie in the bac...

This year the Elements at play are Earth and Earth, so it’s a double Earth year—think of a solid mass that doesn’t move easily, like mountains or a big boulder—a year that may lead people who are determined to achieve their principles and goals to take a firm stand and fight to the end. Harmony may be elusive and confrontation or clashes may be the norm, as in the politics of our country and in international relations. This tough, stubborn streak may spill into personal relationships, so watch out for unexpected misunderstandings and disagreements. With so much Earth energy this year, we need to watch out for earth disasters, too, like earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions. Let’s examine how this year might affect the five areas of health in your life—physical, mind, relationship, career/work and finances—and what you can do to best adapt to the changing energy cycle, maximizing positive outcomes while minimizing negative ones.  1. Physical Health On the physical hea...

Colder temperatures can mean aching joints for many people with arthritis. Here are 5 ways you can reduce that pain: 1. Drink Tea - Research has shown that green tea is rich in  polyphenols - compounds that suppress a key gene involved in arthritis inflammation. Black tea is made from the same leaves and may be as beneficial. Drink one or two cups of hot or cold tea daily. 2. Boost you C and D - Vitamin C is believed to slow the loss of cartilage due to osteoarthritis, while a diet low in vitamin D can actually speed the progression of osteoarthritis. In a recent high-profile study, doctors discovered that patients who ate a diet high in vitamin D (or who took supplements) reduced their arthritis by 75%. Another study of over 25,000 people concluded that a low intake of vitamin C may increase the risk of developing arthritis. Food's rich in vitamin C include strawberries, lemons and oranges, chili peppers, red bell peppers and papayas. If you prefer supplements, take supplemen...

As you read this, consider how you are holding your neck. Is it sitting on top of your frame, evenly balanced between the front and back of your body? Or is it positioned forward with your neck muscles keeping it from falling forward?
 The neck must do a great deal of work. The muscles in the back of the neck bring the head backward. The muscles on each side of the neck bend the neck laterally and they also rotate the head and neck. The muscles in the front of the neck bring the head forward. The muscles between the shoulder blades support the weight of the head.
 An average adult head weighs 10 to 15 pounds. Poor posture with improper positioning of your head can add pounds of weight strain to your neck. For example, leaning your head 45 degrees forward for extended periods of time will more than triple the weight burden to your neck, up to 49 pounds. Leaning 60 degrees forward will have you carrying the equivalent of a 60-pound bag of dog food at the back of your neck! Then there’...

Bu Tong Ze Tong, Tong Ze Bu Tong. This phrase, taken from the The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine written around 200BC, translates literally as: “when open there is no pain, when there is pain, it is not open.” This is one of the basic principles of my practice as a pain/massage therapist.  If we can allow the energy (qi) to take it’s natural course of healing, then it pushes against the blockages or stagnation until there’s enough energy pushing on it that it clears it out. Think of river with a dam in it. On one side of the dam, the river becomes a pool of stagnant and rotten smelling water, while the other side dries out, devoid of all life and energy. When the water is flowing, the river is healthy and self cleaning. It's the same with your body, flowing energy means healthy cells and tissue. Body awareness is another of my guiding principles for living a pain life. In my Tai Chi and Qigong classes, I am constantly urging my students to take a moment to just breathe...

Brown Rice is Good for the Body Many of you know that I love Chinese food, I consider it my comfort food! And now most Chinese restaurants will give you two choices for the rice dish, white or brown.  I recommend the brown rice. Rice has been a staple in the diet of many cultures for centuries and natural brown rice has been considered a magical healer since way back around 2800 B.C. It was believed to be nature's most perfect healing food because of its delicate, natural balance – offering an optimal yin/yang balance. The ancients viewed brown rice as a food of inner peace, tranquility and divine health. Early folk healers noted the calming serenity brown rice promoted and viewed it as a gift from the gods. What the ancients knew instinctively has largely been confirmed through analysis. Natural brown rice protein contains eight (out of a total of eleven) essential amino acids, is a valuable source of the B-complex vitamins, plus minerals like manganese, selenium, magnesium, phos...

 Vitamin C may help you see better , according to a new study that found people with high vitamin C intakes had a decreased risk for cataracts. Cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens that can occur during aging, are the leading cause of blindness around the world. Researchers of the study, which was published in the journal   Ophthalmology,   looked at data from 2,054 female twins, ages 50 to 83, who participated in the TwinsUK cohort study. Participants completed food frequency questionnaires about their vitamin C intake (from foods and supplements), and about their intake of other nutrients. Researchers used digital imaging to examine the participants’ eyes for cataracts at the beginning of the study. Then, around ten years later, researchers followed up with 324 of the twins to examine for cataracts again. Researchers also tested the participants for a genetic predisposition for cataracts to understand which factors contributed to the development of cataracts. At the...