From our Spring Newsletter:

In Chinese Medicine, five element theory helps us understand natural relationships. The five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water – reflect the balance of life within the universe and within ourselves. The wood element is represented by the spring season. Ideally, we awaken in the spring with renewed vitality after the winter slumber. Like the spring, the wood element has an active nature, and during this season the ancient texts encourage us to “rise early with the sun” and take “brisk walks.” While walking, we can’t help but notice the emerging force of spring. Buds begin to press through woody winter branches as tender shoots push through the earth. We leave the rich and salty foods of winter behind as we embrace a lighter cleansing diet. Spring is the perfect time to fill your fridge with sprouts and fresh greens, embracing the colors of the season. With these super fresh foods, less cooking is required – opt for light steaming or sauté for a short time at a high temperature to preserve the inner freshness and vibrancy.

If the last winter, or the last year for that matter, has been particularly grueling, you may want to consider a cleanse. The wood element (reflected in the liver and gallbladder systems) is especially vulnerable to stress, emotional upsets, fats, intoxicants, and chemicals, and can easily become congested. When we cleanse the liver system we can clear out and let go of all the congestion that has been building up throughout the prior seasons. Once cleansed we feel calm, balanced, and harmonious and become naturally vibrant, decisive, and effective leaders.

So here’s to spring! Let’s throw off the burdens of the last winter and start fresh!

Are you ready to transform and renew? Our spring cleanses can help! We have several options to meet your needs. Choose from a week to a month, with costs starting at $150. Give us a call at (805) 687-7775 to get started!

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is rooted in the philosophy that people should live in harmony with their environment. Since the Winter season is associated with stillness and colder weather, it’s the perfect time to embrace this philosophy by slowing down, nourishing yourself, staying warm and getting plenty of rest. Enjoy a healthier, happier winter by following some (or all) of these tips:

• Rest as much as possible during the winter: get to bed early and don’t feel guilty about sleeping more. Your immune system will thank you! Your hormones appreciate the extra down time too!
• Boost your immune health by taking Jade Screen (available year round at Points of Health) a traditional Chinese formula that will keep you health, especially when you are regularly exposed to colds and flu viruses in the winter. Helpful vitamins include vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D-3.
• Nourish your body with warming foods such as soups, stews, root vegetables, dark leafy greens, kidney and black beans, walnuts, sesame seeds, whole grains and seaweeds. Too many raw foods tends to “cool” the body and can deplete the ability to assimilate food efficiently.
• Use these quieter months to do some internal housekeeping. Meditation and/or breathing practices can help you clean out any negative emotions or thoughts that you may be clinging to.
• Utilizing acupuncture and Chinese herbs to maintain and optimize the balance that your body needs during the winter will prepare your body, and mind, for the renewed vitality of Spring.

Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) affects 42 million Americans and is typically due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. We encourage everyone to be aware of your cholesterol health because high cholesterol can happen to anyone, despite age or body weight.

Below are some general dietary guidelines that can help those with high cholesterol (or for those who have normal levels and are seeking prevention):

• Keep your diet low in cholesterol and saturated fats; however moderate amounts of eggs does not adversely affect lipid levels in most people
• Eliminate refined sugars and refined carbohydrates
• Increase soluble fiber from whole grains (oats, brown rice), legumes, vegetables, and whole fruits (especially grapefruit and apples that have cholesterol-lowering pectin)
• Eat liberal amounts of soy protein, garlic, onions, raw carrots, yogurt and ginger
• Get the majority of dietary fat from fish, nuts (especially walnuts), seeds, unrefined cold-press oils, and avocados
• Avoid artery-clogging trans fats (hydrogenated fats and unstable fats subjected to excess light and heat)
• Avoid drinking in excess of four 8-0unce cups of coffee per day. Excess coffee will raise cholesterol levels
• Red wine contains the flavanoid reservertrol, which is capable of raising protective HDL and inhibiting LDL oxidation
• Eat smaller meals, especially at night

Lifestyle choices can also help reduce cholesterol:

• Stress management: stress promotes the production of cholesterol so effectively managing your stressors and stress levels through acupuncture or other means (yoga, therapy, meditation, etc.,) can be very beneficial
• Weight management: weight loss, for those who are over weight, can be a key factor in reducing LDL cholesterol
• Regular exercise: exercising on a regular basis has been shown to lower total cholesterol in men and women and increase HDL cholesterol

Cholesterol management through nutrient therapies, herbal therapies and clinical nutritional counseling are available at Points of Health. Call us to schedule an appointment at 805.687.7775.

We hope you are soaking up the joys of the season! We are filled with gratitude for the opportunity to support your health and wellness in 2011. We look very forward to being there for each of you in 2012, offering you a place of sanctuary for healing, rest and release.

Give family and friends a a gift they will remember – give the gift of health! Acupuncture gift certificates are always available on our website. Purchase them here 24/7 with secure shopping!

Please specify whether you want the gift certificate to be mailed to you or the lucky person.

For most, life seems to speed up around the holidays. This can mean stress, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, poor digestion and a weaker immune system. If this is you right now, swing by our acupuncture clinic and pick up these formulas:

• Initial Defense: kick a cold before it takes hold
• Curing Pills: one-for-all digesting remedy
• Calm ZZZ: get to sleep and stay asleep, without strong medications
• Rescue Remedy: take the edge off your stress right now!
• Relaxed Wanderer: be the more zen version of yourself!

We have expanded our team in response to the continued support of our community! We are delighted to introduce you to Minka Robinson Stevens. We have known Minka and her lovely family for years and it was an easy decision to bring her on board.

Bio

Minka Robinson Stevens was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Growing up she developed a passion for botany, gardening, cooking, nutrition and herbal medicine. Minka attended Yo San University in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s leading Chinese Medical graduate programs, founded by eminent 38th generation Doctors Daoshing and Maoshing Ni. She graduated with honors holding a Masters of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and is licensed to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine by the California Acupuncture Board. A forerunner in her field, Minka completed an externship in pain relief at the Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles, participating in the first health, wellness and integrative medicine programs offered at a free clinic in the United States. In addition to her medical training, Minka is a certified Aromatherapist as well as a certified flower essence therapist. She is the co-founder of Golden Path Alchemy, an effective line of holistic, organic skin care. Golden Path Alchemy showcases Minka’s passion for plants and their medicinal properties.

Minka specializes is

• Healthy Aging
• Dermatology
• Pain Relief
• Mental and Emotional Wellness
• Weight Loss Support

To book an acupuncture session with Minka, please call the Points of Health acupuncture clinic at 805-687-7775.

Many women are utilizing in vitro fertilization (IVF) these days if they have been unable to conceive a child on their own. IVF involves removing the ova (eggs) from the body, fertilizing the ova with sperm outside of the human body and then implanting the fertilized ova into the uterus. The desired result of this process is a pregnancy  and a child (or children) but there is always a percentage of implantations that are unsuccessful and ends in miscarriage. Women may go through one or more cycles of IVF before successfully having a child.

New research shows that women who received electro-acupuncture significantly improved the clinical outcome of embryo transfer. In a randomized placebo-controlled study of 309 women going through the IVF process, live birth rates jumped from 21.2% for women who did not receive acupuncture to 42% for those who did receive acupuncture twice. The women received acupuncture 24 hours before the IVF procedure and 30 minutes after IVF. In another control group, women who received acupuncture only once, 30 minutes after IVF, had an increased success rate to 37.3%.

Acupuncture treatments for fertility has made the news through such celebrities as Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Carey, who did not use IVF, used acupuncture for stress relief and hormone therapy to boost her fertility while Dion used acupuncture during her 6th attempt at IVF. Both gave birth to healthy twins.

Acupuncture can help you overcome fertility challenges or can be used as a complement to your IVF treatment. Call Points of Health Acupuncture Clinic in Santa Barbara at 805.687.7775 for an appointment.

High-fructose corn syrup has been getting a lot of press lately. Found in many packaged foods in the grocery store, it has been pinpointed as a troublesome ingredient that, if consumed regularly, can lead to long-term weight gain and may even play a role in feeding certain cancers that thrive on fructose.

With this knowledge, people are looking for sugar-alternatives. You may be surprised to hear that some of the sweeteners on the market today are just as unhealthy, but for different reasons, as high-fructose corn syrup.  The information below will help you decide whether to keep or toss the sweeteners in your kitchen! Here’s how they stack up:

• Aspartame: Commonly found in diet soda and low-cal or low-sugar foods. A recent study by the University of Liverpool found that when mixed with a common food color ingredient, aspartame became toxic to brain cells. Also, some researchers found that one harmful breakdown product of aspartame is formaldehyde. Recommendation: Toss!
• Agave: Agave has been popularly promoted as a “natural” sugar-alternative, but most agave nectars contain 70 to 80 percent fructose – even more than what’s found in high-fructose corn syrup! Agave is also heavily processed in an extremely energy-intensive manner similar to the way corn is converted into high-fructose corn syrup. Recommendation: Toss! If you cannot give up your agave, look for types that contain no more than 30 to 40 percent fructose.
• Sucralose: Better known by its brand name, Splenda, as a no-calorie sugar alternative, this sweetener is anything but natural. It is processed using chlorine and researchers are finding that the artificial sweetener passes through our bodies and winds up in waste-water treatment plants where it cannot be broken down! Recommendation: Toss!
• Stevia: Extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant, stevia is the safest sweetener there is. It can be very sweet in the powdery form, and if this has been the case for you, try it in the liquid form. Look for it in Coke and Pepsi later this year, as they got the green light to use Truvia (a sweetener make in part from stevia) in their beverages. Recommendation: Keep!
• Sugar Alcohols: Sugar alcohols include xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol and are made through a fermentation process of corn or sugar cane. They have been found to prevent cavities and leave a cooling sensation in the mouth. Just note: too much can cause GI distress. Recommendation: Keep!
• Honey (organic): Honey does have higher fructose levels, but also contains cancer-defending anti-oxidants and local honey has said to help alleviate allergy symptoms. As an added bonus, honey has a low glycemic index, so adding it to your tea or yogurt won’t take you on a temporary sugar high (and sugar low) during the day. Honey can also be used to speed healing on burns, and as a natural antiseptic on cuts and scrapes. Recommendation: Keep!
• Blackstrap Molasses: High in calories, but rich in iron, potassium, and calcium, makes it a healthier choice than artificial sweeteners or refined sugar. Look for Fair Trade Certified blackstrap molasses. Recommendation: Keep!

Balance nutrition is linked to optimal health! Erik provides nutritional counseling that combines the best of western and eastern approaches to enable dynamic results in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of conditions. Schedule an appointment with Erik Smith at Points of Health acupuncture clinic by calling 805.687.7775.