Oriens Articles

Centered Leadership

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:13:00 GMT

by Kelley Black, Founder of Balancing the Executive Life

"Women start careers in business and other professions with the same level of intelligence, education and commitment as men. Yet comparatively few reach the top echelons." ~ McKinsey Leadership Project  

Does the statement above make you cringe? When I first read it I felt my stomach turn and I realized I was holding my breath. Why? The biggest challenges in modern work, life and organizations need and respond to what are traditionally thought to be "female" strengths and styles. Here are some examples...

Managing and developing global teams - requires more sensitivity than traditional localized structures

Approaching cultural diversity as a strength - requires enhanced intuitional, projective and protective intelligences for greater perception, awareness and openness to possibilities

Creating inclusive, responsible plans and making ethical decisions - requires compassion, humanity and a spiritual connection

Again, these strengths and styles are all traditionally female.

Centered Leadership is a new approach to leadership that helps women gain confidence, optimal health. It is a model for thriving in business and life.

Centered Leadership is about expanding your spiritual, mental, emotional and physical capacity so you can achieve peak performance without burning out in the process. Centered Leadership makes you a better strategic thinker, inspires others and positively impacts the bottom line at home & work.

Naam Coaching gives you the support you need to be a Centered Leader. Naam Coaching expands your capacity, connects you to your feminine spirit and the strength therein. It is a game changer for business and life.

Here are some best practices that we encourage you to integrate into each day to achieve Centered Leadership:

Establish a Collaborative Mindset - View your colleagues as potential allies rather than threats. The same with your spouses, partners and anyone else you may be having a conflict with. Ask for their opinions and listen to what they have to say. Work on inclusion and resist exclusion. Use collaboration and cooperation to remove tension.

Reach out to others - Find ways to connect on a personal level. Proactively look for opportunities to help others. Focus on what you can do to benefit the other person NOT vice versa.

Raise the bar on your health/wellbeing – Your health is more than an annual checkup. Commit to optimal health by taking care of your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical bodies. Do daily practices to alleviate stress. Build a true partnership with your healthcare providers and consider them to be “trusted advisors.” Understand your energetic imprint, karmic influences and ways of bringing self-healing and a permanent cure to symptoms that manifest in the physical body.

Develop and use your intuition - Trusting your intuition is a great way to enhance your decision-making skills. Listen to your instincts and debrief with a trusted advisor, colleague or mentor. Note the outcomes of your intuitive decision-making and capture them in writing. Doing so will help you develop your intuitive ability.

Meditate daily - Meditation is essentially a deeper state of thought and relaxation then we normally achieve. It is good for health, healing, de-stressing and will heighten your connection to your intuition. Naam Meditation will open your heart, awaken and enhance your feminine strengths. It makes you grounded, authentic and attuned to who you really are and your vision.

Build your confidence - Get comfortable in your own skin by valuing your inner worth. This helps you get rid of jealousy, pettiness and the tendency to gossip. You will be able to assess situations and people neutrally and objectively for mutually beneficial outcomes.

Put yourself out there - When it comes to connecting with others take a risk. Go out of your way to greet a colleague. Be the first to say hello. Don't wait to initiate contact and never ignore another person. Everyone longs for connection and it can simply be a big friendly smile.

And remember what Katherine Graham, the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 enterprise (the Washington Post Company) famously said, "To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?"

Are you interested in being a Centered Leader? We have support and proven strategies for you raise your personal bar on Centered Leadership through our monthly Naam Coaching Group for Women @ Oriens beginning September 20th, 2011.

Visit www.balancingexec.com.

3 Lies About Health & Weight Loss

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:35:00 GMT

by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac.

“There is absolutely a fundamental idea when it comes to weight & obesity - that the way you get fat is by taking in more calories than you expend. It is the gluttony & sloth hypothesis: We eat too much & exercise too little. It sounds undeniable, but this doesn’t tell us anything meaningful about why we get fat.”

-Stanford & Harvard University scientist-journalist, Gary Tobbs

As a health professional I first found this news shocking. And then, I looked at the research.

The good news / bad news is two-fold:
1. You absolutely can take charge of your weight, by addressing the right issue.
2. Obesity & Weight Loss Resistance and The New Millennium Diseases – cancers, autoimmune issues, Alzheimers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, the list goes on – share a root problem. Address it and you reduce your risks for all of them.

In 1990 the CDC informed us that 14% of Americans were obese, and warned us that if we didn’t change what we were doing, we would face an epidemic. 14% might not sound like a lot, until we think about 300 million people.

What did we do with that information as a nation? We did what we do best—we started selling. Suddenly lots of doctors and experts on TV appeared, telling us how to lose weight and be healthy. New books came out every month. New articles in magazines appeared weekly. New pills. Even Subway and Taco Bell came out with diets.

After millions and millions of dollars spent, 9 years later—by 1999 – the CDC told us that now 20% of Americans were obese. More diets, more pills, more experts, more books and articles. In 2008 the percentage of obese Americans leapt to 24-30%. The current projection is that by 2020, 75% of us will be obese.
75% is not a big number or even a huge number, it’s a ridiculous number. It points to a very sick nation.

So the question is, “Is our nutrition working?” Clearly, the answer is “No.”

So what is our real problem with our weight? (hint: it’s the same as with our health)

Our problem is we have bought into 3 Myths that make us fatter, not leaner, sicker, not healthier.

Myth #1: It’s About Calories IN vs. Calories OUT
It’s partially true, if you reduce your calories and exercise more, on average a woman will lose 15-20 pounds, a man 20-25. But most diet/exercise warriors will gain it back as the body adjusts to its new set point. It will require greater and greater restriction and increase in exercise to continue losing weight. It is also likely you will yo-yo the same pounds back on when uncontrollable urges hit in response to the next stressful event.

But worse, for most, the pound loss will be muscle rather than fat, because we have not taught the body to burn fat! So it burns muscle instead!

Myth #2: More exercise = More Weight Loss
But a review of research on exercise shows us there is no compelling evidence that exercise affects weight in a permanent way. Exercise is extremely important for our health—for many reasons! But it is not the crux of sustainable weight loss. To lose weight, exercise is the cherry on the top.

Myth #3: Fat Makes You Fat
Fat does not make you fat. It is the inability to burn fat that makes you fat! In fact, good fats HELP you burn fat! Fat has gotten a bad rap. We have grossly oversimplified the cholesterol issue, and thrown the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Learning to use good fats effectively can turn us into fat-burning, lean muscle-building machines and balance our cholesterol and hormone picture for optimal health.

The unfortunate truth is, we have trained ourselves to be sugar-burners, not fat-burners. And as long as this remains true, we will not sustain our weight loss. And, we will lose our health.

Your body can only use 2 things for energy:
1. Sugar
2. Fat

Why Your Weight Issue Is Not Your “Fault”
Healthy people can burn both sugar and fat for energy. But most Americans can only burn sugar. The inability to burn fat for energy leads to uncontrollable cravings. And this undesirable situation pivots on a hormone called Leptin.

The hormone Leptin controls food cravings and fat burning instructions for your body. The hormone Insulin controls sugar in and out of the cell.

Truth: To understand weight loss in the 21st century, you have to understand hormones. And to fix the hormone issue, you have to go deeper than hormones. To fix our weight and health problems, we must work at the cellular level.

“ Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them. “—Albert Einstein

We are throwing pills, diets, hormones, effort, information and a whole lot of money at symptoms, when the real problem lies at a deeper level – at the level of the cell. We need to understand and address the root cause, not the symptom that we see.

Obesity is a symptom. Weight Loss Resistance is a symptom. Diseases are symptoms. The pandemic / epidemic we really face is cellular inflammation.

And the cost of cellular inflammation is far greater than our appearance. Cellular inflammation drives cardiovascular disease and diabetes, cancers and other autoimmune issues, brain fog and attention issues, fatigue and sleep problems, depression, anxiety, thyroid and hormone imbalances of all kinds. In fact cellular inflammation is now understood to be the root of almost every health issue we face, as well as premature aging. It is the great plague of the 21st century. It is the heart and foundation of what we now call The New Millennium Diseases. And you can address it.

But what about people who are eating healthily and still can’t lose weight, still get sick?
Most of us who are health conscious are eating well and taking supplements. You can take the best supplements in the world. You can eat organic, vegan, raw and paleo. You can eat the Blood Type diet or take any other proven approach. But if you cannot get your nutrition into your cells, it doesn’t matter.

If your diet is good and your supplementation is good and you are still sick or overweight, you can be confident your problem is not your nutrition, it is your bionutrition. It’s about your nutrition getting into your cells. That is the purpose of food, it’s why we eat. And its how we command ourselves toward wellness or illness.

Would you like to overcome your problem with weight and reverse weight loss resistance?

Are you ready to regain your health and solve chronic issues?

Are you excited to stack the odds in your favor against serious illness?

Or to slow down the aging clock?

To do so you need to: Understand, Plan, Execute.
1. Understand Your Issue – let’s test, not guess. Through important fact finding questions, and testing we’ll determine what’s wrong and what we need to address.

2. Plan – Once we know what’s going on, we’ll create a realistic plan you can follow to achieve your weight loss or health goal.

3. Execute & Empower– a combination of at-home steps, in-office care, and a support system will step you through to success.

How to Get Started:

Contact Oriens to set up an Evaluation or Re-Evaluation: 212-213-5785 or info@oriensliving.com

You are also invited to attend:

A Special Oriens Lecture: Why You Can’t Lose Weight and How You Can
Speaker: Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac.

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Time: 6:30-7:45pm
Where: Oriens Living Lounge

Cost: Free

RSVP REQUIRED

May is THE BEST Time to Detox—Make it Simple, Smart & Effective

Tue, 10 May 2011 16:49:00 GMT

Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac. interviewing Jack Tips, N.D. Ph.D., C.Hom, C.C.N.

“. . . people soon drop unwanted pounds, experience better energy, mental clarity, fewer allergies, better sleep, fewer signs of aging, increased sexual satisfaction, and a host of internal benefits called disease prevention.”

The article below will help you understand why a Spring Detox is imperative! The article is in-depth and highly informative. As you read it, consider who you are—your lifestyle, your personality, your goals, your health concerns—and consider which of the two Oriens Spring Detox Programs outlined below will serve you best.

2 Easy DETOX Options

1. The 5-Day RESET – Super Simple and Gentle Detox – A Cleanse in a Box -- this meal replacement program (Nutrition Shakes & Bars) is ideal for you if you want to initiate weight loss and get free of sugar and carbohydrate cravings AND your diet is less than perfect and you don’t have time or inclination to cook. If you'd like to make it fun and enjoy supportive community, let us know! REGISTER by Friday May 13, for Sugar Buster Boot Camp (May 23-27) -- a group RESET detox! Dr. Deborah Kern will lead a tele-community in doing RESET together! Education, support and community! Call or email Oriens to get set up or discuss your needs: 212-213-5785 or info@oriensliving.com.

2. The 2 Week Gentle Liver Cleanse – Highly Effective Combination Food & Herb Cleanse --guidelines for delicious eating that will help the liver and body cleanse itself (guidelines apply to take-out, restaurant dining or cooking) PLUS an herb protocol (capsules or tinctures) for highly effective detox. Should you desire support, Oriens Nutrition Counselor Kathryn Flynn will create menus (or select dishes off your favorite restaurant menus) and help you create a sustainable lifestyle routine that keeps your results going! Call or email Oriens to get set up or discuss your needs: 212-213-5785 or info@oriensliving.com.

We all need to do a Spring Detox! But we need to be smart about it, and it needs to fit our lifestyle. Back by popular demand, this favorite Oriens article, my interview with one of the gurus of detox, gives you an in-depth grasp of the nuts and bolts of detox, and helps you choose the right program for you!

The Nuts & Bolts of DETOX

Spring is the time of the liver in Chinese medicine, and therefore the ideal time for detox.

Please join Dr. Tips and me as we explore the crux of this very serious issue facing all of us in the modern world. It has been my great privilege and pleasure to be mentored by Dr. Jack Tips over the last 12 years. He has consulted on many of your cases over that time, always providing invaluable insights and strategies. A brief bio of Dr. Tips is found at the end of this interview.

EC: In Chinese Medicine, Spring is the season in which the energies of the liver are highlighted. We know from both the eastern and the western perspective that the liver performs many vital functions. One of its main roles is to “detoxify.” Could you speak a bit about what that means? What is detoxification and why is it so important?

JT: In the context of the seasons, we can think of detoxification as spring cleaning. No matter what, it’s needed every year. In fact, Hippocrates, the renowned Father of Medicine, states, “ Disease is an expression of detoxification.” This means that all of our symptoms are 1) the body trying to detoxify: or 2) the body blocked from detoxification; 3) or both.

In natural health, every disease that is labeled by medicine as “no known cause, no known cure” is rooted in ineffective detoxification of pathogens, chemicals, and metabolic wastes which, in turn, is either the cause or effect of a lack of cellular energy. The only exception to this is genetic disorders and mechanical malfunctions. Thus every chronic degenerative disease and auto-immune disease is rooted in inflammatory patterns, which themselves have toxins as triggers.

The body’s chief detoxification organ is the liver. In the current phase of life on Earth, we all live in a chemically-oriented culture and this ignorance has made toxicity a major concern. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans consume over four pounds of pesticides each year and have over 400 toxic substances stored in their tissues. More than 3,400 chemicals are found in our current food supply. This is literally a seminal, survival-threatening event that has a profound impact on our health.

Toxic diseases have increased, with cardiovascular disease and cancer being most prominent followed by arthritis, allergies, obesity, and various skin problems—all the result of toxicity. Early warning signs of the need to detoxify include the various mild symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, pains, hormonal imbalances, coughs, gastrointestinal problems.

Toxicity can occur on an internal and an external level. We are all exposed to toxins daily and can acquire them from our environment by breathing, eating, or touching them. Also, prescription drugs, food additives, and all allergens can create toxic elements in the body.

If the liver detoxifies all the xenobiotic (foreign chemicals) that it is responsible to eliminate, then a relative state of good health is maintained. If the liver fails to detoxify the onslaught of toxins, then they are stored in various tissues, especially adipose (fat) tissue resulting in weight gain.

Toxins that attach to the cell membrane cause that membrane to be less effective in receiving the oxygen necessary to produce ATP (adenosinetriphosphate)—the chemical energy of life. Additionally, a toxin-altered cell membrane is unable to receive the directives of hormones such as estrogen, thyroxin, and insulin. Thus cellular toxicity is the cause behind hormonal imbalances, metabolic ineffectiveness, and glucose metabolic functions. Thus, more specifically, menstrual problems, low thyroid function, and diabetes can be the result of toxins bothering the cellular membranes.

Further, toxins disrupt the cells’ communication with other cells, and that means that the core of the immune system is compromised. Thus, toxicity is a major concern of all auto-immune diseases, and detoxification is often a milestone on the pathway to cure.

EC. How much of people’s allergy complaints are related to toxins?

JT: Actually quite a bit. Toxicity is always a significant factor in allergies. With allergies, there is first the genetic code for the body to react against the allergen out of a self-preservation directive. Allergies are simply a beneficial immune feature turned against the body due to over exuberance.

But what causes the over exuberance? Here’s the pathway. Let’s say that a person has a genetic factor that reacts aggressively to the protein in wheat. So this person lives in a state of low level, chronic inflammatory activity in the small intestine because wheat a major factor in the diet. This inflammation is not enough to cause a diagnoses of celiac sprue, or irritable bowel syndrome, because of its low level. But this “small war” occupies the immune system and puts all the immune cells on “red alert.” Next, along comes a mold or pollen in the air and the immune system over reacts with histamine release and antibodies that take a toll on energy. Now the allergic person is miserable, weak, and susceptible to bronchitis. The person goes to the doctor and gets allergy shots for pollen, steroids, and antihistamines but this does nothing about the cause. In fact, suppressing the body’s expression of the allergy can further confuse the immune system and leave the body susceptible to free radical pathologies, e.g. cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.

EC: Thank you. I’d like to move on to a discussion of what it means to “cleanse and detoxify.” In both Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, there is the understanding that a very intimate and important relationship exists between the liver and the colon. That is one reason why healthy bowel function is essential. Could you elaborate on this relationship?

JT: Toxins in the bowel can directly impact the liver when they are absorbed into the bloodstream or congest the portal pathway between the liver and the bowel. The bowel is often the source of chronic inflammation that deranges the immune system leaving a person susceptible to acute illnesses (colds, flu) as well as susceptible to chronic degenerative diseases and super-infection, like H.I.V.

This is why, for the past 80 years, acupuncturists and naturopaths advocate cleansing as an excellent place to start a detoxification program. Our bodies need help due to the onslaught of toxins acquired each and every day.

So if a person has frequent indigestion, fermentations, belching, flatus, constipation, diarrhea, etc., it’s a strong indicator that the liver is being overburdened with toxins such as ammonia and phenols that demand instant performance from the liver in addition to the liver’s massive daily workload.

Internally, our bodies produce toxins through normal cellular metabolism. These cellular, biochemical processes generate excessive free radical molecules associated with cancer and degenerative diseases. When these are not properly quenched by the body’s normal processes, they cause inflammation and alter normal tissue functions which then are diagnosed as diseases of certain tissues. Oxidized fats and partially-hydrogenated fats are primary causes of free radicals (free electrons that destroy cells).

Functionally, poor digestion, colon sluggishness and dysfunction, reduced liver function, and poor elimination through the kidneys, respiratory tract, and skin all add to increased toxicity.

The immune system generates free radicals as a method to eliminate bacteria, viruses, and fungi. But the additional free radical molecules that that occur from dietary sources and toxins become too much for the body’s anti-oxidants to handle and cellular destruction occurs resulting in diseases.

Pathogens such as intestinal bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and parasites, produce metabolic wastes that the liver must handle. Our emotions and stress generate increased biochemical toxicity by altering metabolism. A normal functioning body was created to handle certain levels of toxins; the concern today is with highly excessive exposure and production of toxins, and the inability to eliminate them.

Toxicity occurs in our body when we take in more than we can utilize and eliminate. Toxins can produce an immediate reaction (allergy) or cause long-term, degenerative diseases.

If our bodies are detoxifying well, exhibited by an effective immune and eliminative processes, we can handle our basic everyday toxin exposure. It’s not a hopeless situation. Through detoxification, we clear out the backlog of toxins and wastes, and allow our bodies to maintain a better degree of health. Thus doing an annual detoxification program is literally a new lease on life that keeps us healthy and energetic and youthful.

EC: “Cleansing” and “detoxification” programs that focus on increased bowel activity are hyped everywhere these days. Celebrities and experts are touting many kinds of products and methods. And unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there! What are the biggest dangers of these fad cleanses and detox programs?

JT: Public awareness of the dire need to help the body detoxify is a good thing. However, many of the cookie-cutter programs can be dangerous if they force the body to free up heavy metal toxins, e.g. aluminum accumulation from antiperspirants, mercury in vaccinations and teeth, lead from the air, cadmium from tobacco smoke, estrogenic compounds from plastic food cartons and water bottles-- and put them in circulation and stress the body’s already stressed detoxification pathways.

If the body does not have the detox pathways open (a concept called “drainage”), then these disease-causing metals can settle deeper in tissues such as the brain, kidneys, ovaries, etc. and be the root cause of death by disease. It really is essential to consult directly with an expert to have a detoxification program custom designed or to have them point you to a ready-made program that they know to be safe.

Detoxification should occur without the person becoming more ill on the road to better health. Thus when a detoxification program causes headaches, skin eruptions, greater fatigue—not bad per se, but it’s best to reduce the program and slow down the process.

Additional support of the cell membranes (anti-oxidants, glycoproteins), as well as the detoxification pathways (lymph, liver, kidneys, skin, gall bladder, etc.) are necessary as the person proceeds with the detoxification process.

EC: Knowing what NOT to do, and to be careful of, is so important. Now let’s discuss how to lighten our toxic load and support our organs properly. What are the essential missions and stages of this very important process?

JT: Our bodies innately handle toxins by transforming and eliminating them. Our cells themselves can combust toxins when there is adequate cellular energy (ATP).

The liver transforms toxic substances into harmless agents, and the blood carries wastes to the kidneys for excretion. The gall bladder is a companion to the liver as it eliminates wastes through the bile into the intestines for excretion.

Historically, Chinese Medicine reveres the gall bladder whereas Western Medicine has quick and easy methods to surgically remove gall bladders leaving people with an impaired detoxification system. Detoxification is so important, the body has several methods to get it done such as through perspiration, but our culture abhors sweating and blocks the process with chemical antiperspirants that contain aluminum (a toxic element).

Other detoxification organs include the lungs (toxicity is the true source of bad breath), sinuses (via mucous drainage), and skin (often seen as acne, psoriasis, eczema, hives.)

Any time people take in fewer toxins and eliminate more, their bodies are more healthy, so dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce intake of toxins and improve elimination must be addressed.

Avoidance of chemicals (from food or other sources such as cosmetics and household products), refined food, sugar, excessive caffeine, tobacco, excessive alcohol, and drugs help to minimize the toxin load.

Drinking extra water and increasing dietary fiber by including more raw fruits and vegetables in the diet are positive steps in the detoxification process that anyone can do. In natural health practices, we detoxify to clear symptoms, counter disease processes, and prevent further problems. We also detoxify to rest our overloaded digestive organs.

The information in my book, The Pro-Vita! Plan For Optimal Nutrition, is an excellent place to start because it advocates a low stress approach (fewer toxins), good bowel elimination, and excellent liver support.

However, when we eat an average diet high in fats, non-organic meats, non-organic dairy products, refined foods, and chemicals, frequent detoxification becomes absolutely necessary. Today we find that virtually everyone needs to detoxify.

EC: I know you support the RESET Your Metabolism Gentle Detox we do a few times per year at Oriens. Kathryn leads a group of participants around New York and the country in this super simple cleanse. It’s a good starting point for a healthier lifestyle.

For those that are ready to do more in-depth detoxification, could you speak about safe and effective options such as homotoxicology and combinetic herbology? Who would benefit from one over the other?

JT: RESET is a wonderful start to getting blood sugar stabilized for healthy weight and getting people ready for a healthier diet. Shifting the diet toward organic produce reduces the body’s toxic burden.

Filtering your water is now a necessity considering that your body is 75% water. So food and water are two big steps toward avoiding toxin accumulation and staying healthy. Exercise helps the body detoxify though better blood circulation. But we still breathe the air, and inadvertently encounter numerous toxins daily.

I think it is best to combine the two sciences—homotoxicology and herbology, especially coupled with acupuncture —for effective detoxification therapies. The homeopathic remedy addresses the known toxins and opens the eliminative pathways (drainage). The herbs help neutralize the toxins (chelation) and strengthen the detox pathways. The acupuncture facilitates the bodies transitions for quicker and easier response. Together, they provide a comprehensive plan based on both bio-energy and biochemistry.

EC: When someone is doing a program safely, what can be expected?

JT: During a detoxificaton program, a person can experience some side effects as the toxins put a burden on the body while they are being cleansed. The natural health practitioner will help minimize this by custom designing the program. When designed by a natural health practitioner, most people have very few health issues during detoxification because that practitioner has the tools and experience to help the body detoxify itself. If too many symptoms are arising, the health practitioner can slow it down so the body goes along with the detox more easily.

On the positive side, even if there is some discomfort during the detox process, people soon experience better energy, mental clarity, fewer allergies, better sleep, fewer signs of aging, increased sexual satisfaction, and a host of internal benefits called disease prevention.

As the “terrain” is cleansed, the body no longer provides a breeding ground for pathogens. A great French physician, Beauchamp said, “The terrain is what predisposes a person to disease, not the pathogen.” His arch rival, Louis Pasteur, cried out on his deathbed, “Beauchamp is right, the terrain is everything.” A clean terrain does not support pathogens. A terrain tainted with toxins forms biomasses that support Lymes disease, amoebas, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens that ultimately weaken the immune system and cause disease.

Dr. Jack Tips, N.D. Ph.D., C.Hom, C.C.N. has been in clinical practice for over 35 years. He participates as a member of the scientific counsel of the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists, and serves on the advisory board for the International Association of Naturopathy. In 1984, he developed a three-tiered approach to health: classical homeopathy to stimulate vitality, combinetic herbology to support specific tissues, and clinical nutrition for metabolic balance. He is the author of twelve books, including: The Pro-Vita! Plan For Optimal Nutrition, The Weight is Over, Your Liver, Your Lifeline, and Conquer Candida And Restore Your Immune System. In addition, Dr. Tips maintains a rigorous lecture schedule, speaking at a variety of naturopathic, medical, and secular schools around the world on nutrition, herbology, and homeopathy.

Breathe Life into Your Skin!

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:26:00 GMT

by Valerie Graham

What’s the secret to healthy, radiant skin?? OXYGEN! Up to half the oxygen content in our skin can be lost by the age of 25. What does that mean? It means slower cell turnover, the reduction of collagen and elastin, and the appearance of fine lines and discolorations.

Skin cells need oxygen to survive, reproduce and regenerate. Today's environment, stress, poor diet, and sun exposure all rob precious oxygen from the skin. As oxygen levels diminish, the result is dull, dry, congested skin.

The biological renewal process needs assistance to compensate for the deficit of oxygen and vital nutrients. At Oriens, we’ve brought in Oxygen Botanical™ products to provide the fuel necessary to increase the production of new healthy cells resulting in younger, healthier, more hydrated skin. Increased oxygen in skin cells also aids in the elimination of toxins as well as inhibits bacterial growth which causes acne and blemishes.

Oxygen Botanicals™ product are infused with pure oxygen (most other lines utilize hydrogen peroxide, which can bleach and be drying to skin). Through a proprietary process, pure oxygen time-releases into the skin approximately every 40 minutes for 10 minutes over a 12 hour period.
The products are water-based, utilizing the most advanced natural botanicals and pharmaceutical grade ingredients available. All of these are combined in such a way as to invigorate, calm, soothe, and replenish your skin. Natural grapefruit absolute is used to lightly scent the line, a higher grade of essential oil.

The most effective anti-aging regime should contain both antioxidants to prevent free radical damage along with repairing agents such as oxygen to treat existing signs of aging. Oxygen facials consist of gently exfoliating the skin through a multi-step process of chemical, mechanical and enzyme exfoliators to remove the dull, dead uppermost layer of skin cells.

Skin is then masked to provide nutrients to your skin and massaged with a nourishing gel containing hyaluronic acid to help retain moisture (hyaluronic acid can retain 1,000 times it weight in water). Finally your skin is hydrated using a very fine mist of serums and activators to renew and rejuvenate itself. The results can be startling! Everyone leaves with a radiant, youthful glow which remains evident days, even weeks later.

The good news is the benefits are cumulative -- as collagen and elastin increase, you erase the fine lines and wrinkles, your skin is firmer and hydrated, while your complexion returns to its youthful glow. To continue the benefits of an oxygen facial, retail products are available. With twice daily applications, Oxygen Botanicals™ rejuvenates your skin 24 hours a day, providing oxygen to renew its youthful appearance and hydration to aid in the suppleness of your skin.

Call or email Oriens to book an Oxygen Facial, or have Valerie and her team assess and rejuvenate your skin!
212-213-5785 or info@oriensliving.com

Cold Laser for...Everything! by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac.

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:59:00 GMT

I am very excited to share with you the opportunities to benefit from Laser Therapy at Oriens.

These are “cold” or “therapeutic” lasers. We use them every day for pain and injury…back, joints, discs, sprains, TMJ, chronic pain, you name it.

And we LOVE them in our Alternative-to-Facelift treatments. The smoothing, tightening, lifting and collagen boosting is tremendous.

Aging, accidents, inflammation, damage of another sort--the many ways cold laser light is used yields the same result: repair and rejuvenation! P.S. Laser can be added to Acupuncture sessions. Or you can JUST do laser and be in and out in 15 minutes!

Why Low Level Lasers?

Most of us have heard of lasers for surgery or skin resurfacing, but have heard little, if anything, about the therapeutic use of lasers. Both types of lasers use light for their healing purposes.

Hot lasers operate at high frequencies with great amounts of energy, burn and cut the skin. This is an amazing and very precise surgical application.

Low level laser therapy (LLLT), also known as “cold” laser, uses much lower frequencies and penetrates the skin at varying levels. LLLT uses lower frequencies and fewer joules (a measure of energy output) to promote healing in tissues of all depths: from organs and bones to increasingly superficial systems, such as lymph, tendons, ligaments and muscles – and of course the largest organ in our bodies, the skin.

Over 3,000 clinical studies have been published worldwide, including over 120 randomized, double-blinded and controlled studies, on LLLT-- the type of therapeutic laser we now use at Oriens. European and American clinical scientific literature is packed with evidence of the effectiveness of LLLT, addressing “impossibles” such as spinal nerve regeneration. Peer-reviewed European journals chronicle their success with such difficulties as non-healing wounds. Laser therapy has advanced solutions for injury and pain management, such as herniated discs and TMJ disorders. They have been widely used for collagen regeneration for wrinkles.

The incredibly broad range of applications around LLLT is based on their ability to treat inflammation, the base cause of most tissue degeneration in the body and to regenerate cells. Lasers are even being used in hospice care in Moscow as “an analgesic, antioxidant, desensitizing, bio-stimulating, immuno-stimulating, immuno-correcting, detoxifying, vasodilative, anti-arrythmic, antibacterial, anti-hypoxic, anti-edematous, and anti-inflammatory therapy.”

Advantages for Patients:

Advanced Pain Solutions
Accelerated healing and recovery times
Options for needle-free acupuncture
Painless and non-invasive therapy
No need to stop or modify work and activities
Short appointments (15 minutes) with abbreviated treatment cycles
Option to include laser for special needs during regular appointment
Long-lasting results
Effective rate upwards of 80%

How LLLT Works

The particular LLLT laser we use at Oriens is the TerraQuant Cold Laser with Advanced Super Pulse Technology™. The TerraQuant laser has been used in more than 30 countries over the last 15 years, and it is the only laser to offer the unique combination of four types of therapeutic technologies (described below under “Specialties of the TerraQuant”).

The Basic Science

LLLT, or cold laser, is the use of specific wavelengths of light to stimulate therapeutic effects on a cellular level. This process is known as phototherapy, or photobiomodulation: it is the process by which exposure to light triggers a chain of chemical reactions.

Starting with the Greeks, and for centuries since, light has been used as a therapy. Consider solariums, and the early recommendations to visit the seaside and take in the sun. If you reminisce back to high school physics, you’ll remember that photons are the units of energy of light – and that they are both wave-like and particle-like.

Laser therapy delivers a concentrated amount of photons into the tissue, where your cells can absorb and convert them from light energy into biochemical energy. The photons interact with your cells at the level of the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell), stimulating increased production of ATP by up to 500% (ATP is the actual energy unit of your cells).

What’s amazing is not that one photon activates one enzyme molecule… but that one enzyme molecule, in turn, can process thousands of other substrate molecules. This is the mechanism by which a relatively small amount of energy produces very significant biological effects. Through initiating a variety of biochemical processes, laser therapy optimizes your own cells’ ability to naturally heal themselves. The end result of LLLT is pain reduction, improved healing times, decreased swelling, and increased circulation.

Specialties of The TerraQuant

The TerraQuant Cold Laser with Advanced Super Pulse Technology™ is the only laser to offer the unique combination of four different types of therapeutic technologies: low level super-pulsed laser, wide-based infrared radiation, red light, and a magnetic field generator. This combination helps to relieve pain, decrease inflammation, and optimize cellular conditions for natural healing.

This laser:

Stimulates cellular activity, growth, and metabolism
Stimulates enzyme synthesis
Increases cellular respiration (optimizes the intake of nutrition and the expulsion of waste)
Increases the energy of the cell
Enhances collagen synthesis
Provides antioxidant effect
Supports the immune system

The super-pulse technology of the TerraQuant is particularly remarkable. By “super-pulsing”, the laser is able to provide a high amount of energy and photon density while maintaining a very low mean energy output. It provides a peak pulse of 25 watts, but sustains it for only 100–200 nanoseconds, resulting in a mean power output of only 1.5 milliwatts. This peak pulse allows for short treatment times at deep levels of penetration (for accessing deep structures such as discs, joints, tendons, ligaments, and organs not accessible by other lasers), while the low mean output prevents the generation of heat.

Research Highlights

•   Acute injuries: improves swelling and edema
•   Bone Fractures: stimulates osteoblasts for bone healing
•   Chronic Joint Disorders: pain reduction and improved health status
•   Immunosuppression, post-chemotherapy: in pediatric oncology patients, post-chemo, ↑ counts of mature
   T-lymphocytes, T-suppressors, and lymphocytes—“general improvement without any complications or side effects”
•   Ligament Injuries: improves ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and stiffness
•   Nerve Injuries: anti-inflammatory effect on damaged spinal cord and potential role in nerve regeneration
•   Peripheral Neuropathy, including diabetic and chemo-induced: ↓ pain, ↑ sensation
•   Post-Herpetic Neuralgia: reduction in pain intensity and distribution
•   Post-Operative Vomiting: reduced in children undergoing strabismus (eye) surgery
•   Post-Radiation Skin Reactions: shortens recovery time
•   Stroke (ischemic): accelerates healing
•   Wounds: accelerate wound healing and tissue repair, including necrosis, venous stasis ulcers, episiotomies and perenial
      tears from childbirth
•   Wrinkles: increases collagen production

The Conditions Most Commonly Treated in the U.S. with LLLT

Laser therapy is a highly effective and pain-free means by which to treat a wide variety of pain and inflammatory conditions. As skin issues are linked to and driven by inflammation, most skin conditions, including acne and wrinkles, can be addressed effectively. Treatments are quick (usually less than 20 minutes) and typically provide immediate effects, which over the course of a treatment cycle yield cumulative and long-lasting or permanent results.

If you do not see your concern on the “common conditions treated” list below, or to access more information on laser therapy, please ask. We’d be happy to discuss how to integrate laser therapy into your overall care with us. For additional technical and clinical information about laser therapy, check out these sites:

•   www.superpulsemypain.com
•   www.laser.nu

➢   Arthritis
➢   Back Pain: upper, middle and lower, including herniations
➢   Bone fractures
➢   Burns
➢   Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
➢   Chondromalacia Patellae
➢   Diabetic Neuropathy
➢   Fibromyalgia
➢   Joint Injuries: elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, wrists, fingers and toes
➢   Lower Back Pain
➢   Muscle Strains
➢   Neck Pain
➢   Nerve Regeneration
➢   Neuropathies
➢   Plantar Fascitis
➢   Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
➢   Repetitive Stress Injuries
➢   Shingles
➢   Shoulder Pain and Injury
➢   Strain, Sprain and other soft Tissue Injuries
➢   Swelling/Edema
➢   Tendonitis
➢   Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
➢   Tinnitus
➢   Trigeminal Neuralgia
➢   TMJ Syndrome
➢   Trigger Points

Laser can be added to Acupuncture sessions. Or you can JUST do laser and be in and out in 15 minutes! We hope you'll take advantage of what it can do for you!

Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP, Founder and Director of Oriens

*Very special thanks to our former intern, Ginny Wick, who helped prepare this article.

Chocolate Mousse for Hormones & Fertility! by Kathryn Flynn, B.Ed., RYT

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:29:00 GMT

Chocolate Mousse for Hormones & Fertility! by Kathryn Flynn

The wisdom that what you eat is a direct reflection of your health is now widely accepted as science and continues to prove that certain foods do, in fact, improve reproductive function. For years, clients have requested more delicious tasting fertility-friendly recipes.

From this desire emerged the idea for my cookbook: Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul – along with an instructional “Cooking for Fertility DVD ” for those wanting to learn how to cook to conceive.

Cooking for Fertility is a simple approach to nourishing the reproductive function which combines modern science with the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

While enhancing your chances of conceiving, the bigger picture of living a fertile life includes learning lifestyle, exercise and food choices that are fertility promoting. For those experiencing infertility, there are specific meal plans that address common Western and Chinese Medicine imbalances with healing foods. One simple premise is that by optimizing your digestion, you naturally absorb more nutrients and prepare yourself for a healthy pregnancy. Above all else, the key to eating for fertility is pleasure: over 100 delicious recipes are included for your enjoyment, including a healthy chocolate mousse with fertility benefits!

Chocolate Mousse with Tofu and Avocado

Dark chocolate has numerous health benefits, including it’s arginine content, which encourages blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. Tofu is a healthful alternative to whip cream and eggs, and it preserves the creamy texture of this delicious mousse (along with the avocado). Using a low glycemic sweetener is important to stabilize blood sugar levels, and it is important for energy level, metabolism and balanced reproductive hormones.

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Serves 4 to 6

10 ounces dark chocolate, melted
1 package silken tofu
(optional: 1/2 an avocado)
2 to 4 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a blender or food processor, puree the tofu (and optional avocado), along with the agave, vanilla and cinnamon until perfectly smooth. Add the melted chocolate and mix until fully combined.

Pour mixture in a bowl, and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

To YOUR health!

Kathryn Flynn, BEd, RYT
Nutrition Counseling
Weight Optimization
Detoxification

Contact Kathryn about the Oriens Weight Optimization program, Hormone Balance meal plans, or to develop your personal nutrition protocol. You will LOVE your food.

What Does Your PMS Saying About You? by Elizabeth Carpenter and Sharon Wyse

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:15:00 GMT

The Syndrome

As successful women with busy lives, we often put ourselves, our health, our well being and our happiness far too low on our list of priorities. Faced with an endless list of loved ones, responsibilities, challenges, opportunities and passions, we sometimes square our shoulders and suffer through many things in life that we would do well to heal instead. When it comes to a condition like PMS, we often tell ourselves that we just have to “deal” with it – that it is just a part of life. In recent literature it is noted that as many as 80% of women experience some form of PMS at one time or another, and 30-40% of these women have PMS severe enough to interfere with their day-to-day lives.

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is actually a group of symptoms that start one, or even two weeks before your period. Most women have at least some symptoms of PMS, and symptoms typically go away after menstruation begins. While the symptoms related to PMS are not life threatening (abdominal bloating and cramps, breast tenderness & swelling, mood changes irritability, frustration, depression, anxiety, acne, back pain, fatigue, food cravings, headaches, insomnia, joint pain, water retention, and dizziness), they can greatly diminish our quality of life and how effective we are in our lives. And that is significant – for ourselves and for those we love, work for and associate with.

As a woman you do not have to experience this pain and discomfort every month – or even occasionally! When the symptoms of PMS are reduced or eliminated, we feel more energetic physically, mentally, emotionally and creatively.

The Opportunity

PMS is a symptom of menstrual cycle energy out of balance.

Chinese medicine is quite distinct from western medicine in its linkage of the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. In our monthly cycles we see all of the major Yin organ systems in coordination with one another. And each system carries its spirit-emotion energy into the cycle.

The Heart rules our highest spiritual expression. The Spleen guides our nurturing of others and our contemplative and introspective nature. The Lungs govern bonds and their dissolution. The Kidney energies are our deepest, most profound energies—our potential, our truth, fundamentally who we are. The Liver oversees our use of energy within our own bodies and personalities and our ability to move out into the world.

The menstrual cycle is a dance of these spiritual energies, as well as the physicality of the cycle we are more familiar with. Sadly, many of us have been trained to resent or ignore our periods, or worse, to see them as shameful. Consequently, we are missing out on one of our greatest teachers!

PMS is a twist on the natural fullness of the womb that then escalates with pregnancy or releases into menstruation. Our bodies miraculously gather and layer nutrition in the uterus in anticipation of a child. At this time we are at our peak fullness.

With all of this collecting, our energy at this time is high! It is a powerful time. We are “saturated” with Life! It is the "summer" of the monthly cycle. When we are in synch with our bodies, we can tap into that fullness to make PMS week a super-productive and positively expressive time. We can get stuff done! AND command it. Alternatively, when we are out of balance, this fullness can get translated into a kind of stuckness. Our enormous energy doubles back on us—we feel irritated, pressured, frustrated. Our bodies feel burdensome. Some of us feel weighed down while others of us feel so underfunded we just can’t do anything…we want to sleep, eat, lie down.

The menses themselves naturally feature a kind of emotional release. Once the bleeding starts, pressure lessens. Physical pain with PMS or flow time is a signal that things were not balanced going into it.

Yet having a kind of sadness with the bleeding is normal. This is Lung energy at work. While enzymatically the uterine lining dissolves, so our expectation of pregnancy dissolves. Even if we are actively protecting against pregnancy, we were biologically gearing up for it, and now we say goodbye to that potential. Goodbye’s are bittersweet. We feel melancholy—nature’s invitation to intimacy with self. The early bleeding days 1-3 are for reflection, quiet, rest. It is a time of high intuition.

Moods tend to change around day 3 of the period—a shift out of sadness into hope. It is about this time in the cycle that a new follicle is gaining attention for our next shot at pregnancy. Our mood rises and Life gets back to business as usual.

So it is NORMAL to have emotional flux before and during your period!!!!

For those trying to conceive the PMS and period weeks can be very difficult indeed. Hopes up, hopes dashed. Feelings of failure can arise and wound the spirit.

Whatever you are experiencing, PMS week and your period invite you to LISTEN IN! If you accept this time in your cycle as an opportunity, you may discover things about yourself—your deepest yearnings, your truest feelings, surprises in your relationship with your past/present/future.

Whether you want children, don’t want children, have them, have lost them (physically or spiritually)…your reproductive years and the menstrual dance are an opportunity Mother Nature provides you to experience yourself as Mother.

Every woman is called to motherhood – some with literal children, some with figurative children (career, service, creativity, and her other blessings out into the world). As we mature, and move through our reproductive years, we learn that our cycles are opportunities to know and mother ourselves—that is, to gestate and give birth to who we are meant to be. As the Oriens motto puts it, “more of who you are.” That’s our Kidney energy (life mission) nurtured by our Spleen energy (self-understanding) and expressing as Heart energy (spiritual unfolding) – all orchestrated by the Liver energy (creative urge).

Relieving PMS

The Oriens Approach to Treating PMS ~ Success with Combination Strategy

Acupuncture & Herbs, Nutrition and Maya Abdominal Massage

At Oriens, every woman is treated uniquely. We first listen, then tailor design her plan. But we can definitively say we experience great success using a combined approach.

Some women will see a reduction in their symptoms right away while others may take a longer period of time. Anticipate three menstrual cycles of treatment for the root causes of your PMS to be well in hand. Stress levels, lifestyle, and general health are variables in your personal response time.

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine

Acupuncture works to physically correct disturbances in how your cycle is flowing. Acupuncture helps rebalance the energy relationships within your body, so that the dance of your menstrual cycle is one of harmonious celebration of your fertile, reproductive years…no pain, no symptoms.

Check out this article in the British Journal of Obstetrics summarizing over 27 research studies of more than 3000 women demonstrating acupuncture’s effectiveness in reducing menstrual pain and other symptoms.

Chinese Herbal Medicine can quickly change a menstrual pattern from nightmare to healthy cycle. Herbs invite your body to recover and replenish what has been lost, or to reconsider how to use and direct the resources it already has. Unlike pharmaceuticals, herbs don’t contain hormones or replace hormones. Instead, herbs prompt the self-healing switch to turn on, which helps the cueing system you already possess to resume more useful functioning. Always work with a national board certified Chinese herbalist. Herbs are natural, but powerful and need to be used safely. Don’t fall for gimmicks and one-size solutions on the internet or what you heard worked for a friend. You’re more complicated than that, and herbs are complicated too.

Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac. has been helping women balance their cycles, restore their fertility and resolve their health issues since 1998. Sharon Wyse, MS, L.Ac. leads the Oriens Chinese medicine practitioner team. Her passion for women’s health and research helps keep Oriens abreast of the latest developments in science and reproductive medicine.

Nutrition

Research on nutrition’s role in inflammation reduction, hormone modulation, digestive function, immune regulation helps us to understand how food and supplements can address all the symptoms and drivers of PMS. Kathryn Flynn, Oriens Nutrition Counselor and women’s health expert, provides individual menus, recipes, meal plans, snacks, dining-out and take-out tips to match your personal lifestyle. She will also advise you on supplements and much more. Kathryn stays with you as a mentor as you follow her guidelines.

Maya Abdominal Massage

MAM is an external, non-invasive manipulation that repositions internal organs that have shifted and restricted the flow of blood, lymph and qi. The technique relieves congestion and blockages. Toxins are gently flushed and circulation is greatly enhanced, allowing nutrients to reach their targets to tone tissue and balance hormones. Simone Burgos is an extraordinary practitioner of MAM, standing in direct lineage to the originators of the Arvigo technique, which has brought MAM to the world. She brings healing touch and also teaches you how to honor and care for your womb.

What is your cycle and PMS pattern saying to you, about you?

In the Oriens approach, Chinese medicine serves as the diagnostic cornerstone for understanding a woman’s PMS. One reason our programs are so effective is that we get to the root of the problem. Yes, we manage symptoms too.

You'll find the most common PMS symptom cluster categories below. Most women will recognize themselves in more than one.

Don’t let the poetic language of TCM fool you,
but do allow the common sense of the poetry to speak to you!

We hope you will feel inspired to listen to your cycle and reconsider it!

Liver Qi Stagnation pattern: Emotional stress is one of the main contributors to the Liver Qi Stagnation pattern of PMS. Other clinical manifestations include headache, breast tenderness, depression, irritability, and a feeling of distention or pain under the rib cage, constipation before flow starts.

Heart Blood deficiency pattern: Chronic illness or excessive menstrual blood loss contributes to Heart Blood Deficiency pattern of PMS. Other clinical symptoms include heart palpitations, dizziness, insomnia, emotional upset, speaking incoherently, sadness, fatigue/sluggishness, poor memory and dull-pale complexion.

Spleen qi/ yang deficiency pattern: Poor diet and emotional stresses are the main causes for Spleen qi and yang deficiency pattern of PMS. Clinical manifestations include feeling weak and lethargic, water retention, bruising easily, bearing down sensation of the abdomen or uterus, pale face, shallow breathing, loose stools.

Kidney qi/ yang deficiency pattern: A pattern of menstrual disorders with Kidney Yang Deficiency will often include lower back soreness before and during menstruation, sometimes with weak or sore knees, fatigue, watery menstrual blood, diarrhea just before menstruation, cramps after menstruation begins, ringing in the ears, or a feeling of cold in the body.

We feel privileged you have trusted us with your healing needs, and to be your portal to scientifically based information, other responsible resources, and to be your counselors and your mentors.

If you have questions, or would like to schedule with Elizabeth, Sharon, Kathryn or Simone please simply call 212.213.5785 or email. We also invite you to work with them through their Oriens Online Services.

Summer Fire ~ Sun Worship, Fire Pits and Passion! by Rev. Sandra Bargman

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:02:00 GMT

Yes, we have officially ushered in High Summer, having long since moved through the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. This happens each year when the path of the Sun is at its highest point on June 21. The term Solstice comes from the Latin words sol, “sun” and sistit, “stands.” For several days before and after each solstice, in fact, the sun appears to stand still in the sky – that is, its noontime elevation does not seem to change.

When I think of summertime, two images pop to mind immediately…sun worshiping on my lounge chair and sitting around late-night bonfires singing, storytelling, and solving the mysteries of the world.. I wisely stopped the baby-oil-sun-baking many years ago, and, though I may be a bit too busy to indulge in late-night bonfires, the symbolism of these two images is not lost on me. Interestingly, both of these activities have a great deal to say about my (our) spiritual life and understanding.

Let’s start with sun worshiping. The Sun has long been worshiped by ancient and indigenous cultures. To the Egyptians, the sun god, Ra, represented light, warmth, and growth. It was believed that Ra was the supreme deity and ruled all of creation. The Sun is associated with masculine energy in astrology and astrotheology. What is the basic nature of the masculine energy? What are its beauties? The great aspect of the masculine is that it is outwardly creative. The feminine creates within, receiving guidance and vision. The masculine takes action on this information. It wishes to explore, discover and build outwardly something that is an extension of itself.

Everyone has both masculine and feminine energy. With SuperWomen, it could be said that their masculine energy is well developed. This is a vital element in the desire to accomplish. Developing this strong drive to succeed can come at a price, however, where the feminine energies of softness, rejuvenation and stillness can, in the extreme, be considered weakness. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the feminine to be dismissed as ineffectual. Knowing that we need both of these energies for optimum health and accomplishment, we need to stop and ask: How the masculine and feminine energies can become balanced?

This brings me to my fire pit.

“The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides, gravitation, (masculine) we shall harness for God the energies of love (feminine). And, on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” -T. De Chardin

From ancient times through the present, fire is a symbol of the light, love and Spirit within. We light candles in religious institutions, on alters, during meditations, all in celebration of this deep connection. Fire also represents purification and renewal, out of the ashes comes rebirth from the old into the new.

Fire speaks of passion. We typically think of passion as the fire within, that which excites us. Passion is often spoken of in sexual terms. We are told to follow our passion, but then are “told” to do this passively, quietly, sedately – living a life not quite fulfilled and not quite unfulfilled.

Passion is the Fire for Life. It is the Fire for the experience of life. It is the desire to know yourself deeply. Our deep longing for something more, is our longing to reconnect to this FIRE. Sit with this for a few moments and then ask yourself this question: How often do I truly experience passion?

Take some time this summer to explore anew how you can connect to that deep fire within. How can you harness the energies of love, as De Chardin reminds us, and rediscover that FIRE WITHIN?

Light a candle and set aside time for quiet reflection. (Note: Can be done while sun worshipping)
Remember that journaling is an excellent way to discover your thoughts, desires, and internal yearnings. (Note: Can be done while sun worshiping)
Engage in counseling to get honest with yourself about the ways you may be restraining yourself, restraining your fire within.

Finally, remember that passion rises around what is most treasured and dear to us, and it propels us outward into compassionate action. It is internal guidance moving into inspired action. This is the balance of feminine and masculine energy.

Passion, the Fire Within, is our deepest wisdom and an experience of the sacred.

Passion is living life, your life, in its fullest expression.

Rev. Sandra Bargman, Spiritual Counseling
Meditation & Guided Imagery
Oriens Community Leader

Fire Up –It’s Summer! by Rachel Duvall, MFA

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:52:00 GMT

Summer is Fire Season – the season to PLAY, dance, move, flare, seek out new experiences.

This summer season offers many opportunities to think outside the box and try a variety of activities to energize and condition your body. Here are a few activities to help inspire you to get moving and take advantage of the fiery, passionate energy of summer:

Get to the park! One of the best ways to get moving in New York City also happens to be absolutely free. And use it as an invitation to reconnect with friends. Why not get a group together for a round of Frisbee golf? Rent or bring a bike to Central Park. Take a walk or run and catch up with a loved one. Now is the time to take advantage of the beauty that New York has to offer, right outside your door. And if you’re reading this and you’re not in New York, make use of the park in your area.
Midsummer Night Swing! Here in New York, Lincoln Center offers swing dance lessons followed by live swing and jazz performances. Bring a partner and come enjoy the summer night air with some fabulous music and lively dance! Take a risk and get out there – shake your body and feel the energy all around you. Participate completely! Be fully present to be inspired by the moment – and the movement!
Come to a free Nia jam! Every month at the JCC in Manhattan, Nia teachers from all over the city get together to share the Joy of movement. It is an exciting, celebratory atmosphere where you can experience a variety of teaching styles in one evening. Contact the JCC in Manhattan for dates and times. If you’re not in New York, invest some time to learn about Nia and find a class to experience it for yourself. A simple Google search can get you started!
Free kayaking lessons! Enjoy the sunshine and the Hudson River at one of several piers in New York City, such as Pier 96 off of west 56th street. After a few lessons you can also join 3-hour guided tours down the river.

Whatever you do and wherever you are, use this season as an invitation to yourself to embrace life around you, literally. Use your body to enjoy everything around you. This is your one beautiful life and your amazing body.

This summer, allow yourself to be inspired by movement and to be set on fire with a renewed passion toward health and energy through movement.

Rachel Duvall, MFA - Nia Dance Instructor

I Rise by Rev. Sandra Bargman

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:51:00 GMT

Spring is the season of new life surging…or rather resurrection. Resurrection is the essential drama of the West, whether or not you are a Christian. In exploring the story of resurrection from the mythical and psychological angle, the resurrection story holds deep meaning, potency and connection for each of us. We hold the possibility of, and might I say, the commitment to many resurrections in our lifetime.

I love springtime. . . Mother Earth feels to be rejoicing. Each day she awakens more and more from her slumber, as the bird chorus grows richer with more and more returning singers, the trees are budding and blossoming and the light of day is longer.

I am a child of April and I’ve always loved the celebratory feel of the season. When I was a little, I always hoped that my birthday would fall on Easter. I was not raised very religiously, but we did revel in the big holidays, and Easter was a flurry of new dresses and hats, egg decorating, post church family parties with tables full of ham and all the fixings, and big bright birthday bashes. I loved attending church on Easter, even if I did stumble over the story of the Resurrection. Jesus was someone that I felt close to, and I loved the music, the lilies and daffodils.

In addition to the Christian story of Jeshua, as Jesus was named, there are numerous resurrection myths told from cultures around the world. There is the Egyptian story of Isis, who searches for the pieces of her beloved partner Osiris, whom she re-members and enlivens, and thus she becomes impregnated with her son Horus.

There is the Greek Olympian story of Demeter, who, after grieving the abduction of her daughter Persephone by Hades, Lord of The Underworld, retrieves her daughter for 6 months of the year, creating the season of rebirth on the earth.

The story of Adonis and Dionysus, and the Goddess Inanna are all stories of resurrection, life as it had been known, destroyed and then remade. Here we understand that resurrection is the dying to oneself, then a time of transmutation or inner changing, and the subsequent re-emergence of the Greater Self.

The resurrection story lives in all of us. Indeed, each of us is encoded with the call to resurrection. We have just emerged out of the winter months, a time of darkness, a time of “dying” in Mother Earth’s cycling, to feel the springtime rhythms of resurgence, the budding of new ideas urging us to expansion.

Many religious rituals and rites speak to the myth of dying to oneself and being reborn to a greater knowing of Self. The rite of a young person to adulthood, bar/batmitvah in the Judaic tradition, Confirmation in the Catholic, among many other rituals of more ancient traditions and indigenous cultures, is the understanding of dying to oneself as a child, and the awakening to greater acknowledgment of the community and one’s place within it.

Mythically and psychologically, resurrection is a re-membering of our TRUE nature. Resurrection is the vulnerability to new information and the evocation of a whole new being. Think about the challenges that you have faced or are presently facing today. These all have been calls to resurrection, to self -renewal.

When my mother passed away, I was thrown into a deep descent of grief and I could barely recognize myself. For months and months I was in the womb (the tomb) of darkness, the Underworld. I was engaged far beyond the controls and habits of my life, or that of the world around me. I was stripped of all I had known. I surrendered and ever so slowly, I was changed by new internal information and self discovery.

I died to my life as I had known it with my beloved Mother. Something deep within me was stirred and began to awaken. As Jean Huston has said, I was “pulsed into new patterns appropriate to [a] new place.” A new consciousness grew and I ascended, and emerged with greater self knowing and understanding.

The word resurrection comes from the Latin word, “resurgo”, meaning “I rise”. A proclamation of action! After the deep internal wombing, resurrection culminates in movement, progression, and growth, the moving aside of the stone, as the rhythms of Mother Earth teach us.

The nature essayist John Burroughs wrote, “In April, all nature starts with you. You have not come out of your hibernaculum too early or too late: the time is ripe, and if you do not keep pace with the rest, why, the fault is not in the season.” Spring is an opportunity to see ourselves anew. Now is the time to bring forth the changes within ourselves into the world. I Rise!

This springtime we again feel the quickening of Life, as Mother Earth is greened anew (at least in this part of the globe) and I, too, feel the quickening of new beginnings, of renewal stirring within my heart.

The seasons of Mother Earth are matched in my interior life as surely as they are within the chesty robin. These rhythms of renewal, of reaching up and out to the sun for warmth and food, after the winter season of darkness, of going inward, are deeply encoded within us.

The great Sufi poet, Rumi said, “This outward spring and garden are a reflection of the inward garden.” This is the time of renewal, of rebirth, and of resurrection.

Spring Fling! by Rachel Duvall, MFA

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:52:00 GMT

Can you feel it? Spring is here! The clouds are parting and the sunlight is breaking through! It is the time of year when the world around us is literally blooming. What a perfect time to break through, tap into your fertile energy -- healing, joy and abundance. Why not take advantage of this energy and use it to achieve goals, to improve your health and do the things that bring you happiness? A wonderful way to come back to the present and tap into the vibrant spring energy is through dance.

There is a rich history, across various cultures, of dance rituals used in springtime to celebrate the harvest and welcome the spirit of fertility. This practice could easily be applied to our personal life experiences.

In springtime we can tap into our own fertile energy and celebrate the life we’ve created and the life we have yet to create.

Perhaps you’ve lost sight of your New Year’s Resolutions--the intentions you listed to manifest in January. The good news is now is a perfect time to redirect, become present and recommit to living those intentions.

Three simple words can provide a powerful reminder:

Move, Express, Be

Move — to find healing and to physically condition the body.
Express — to find emotional release. Let go of the thoughts and emotions that no longer serve you and welcome those that give you energy.
Be — stay present, allow yourself to be inspired by the beauty around you.

A Simple Spring Salad for Fertility by By Kathryn Flynn, Oriens Nutrition Counselor

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:51:00 GMT

Spring is the perfect time to refresh your relationship with fresh
organic vegetables. In Chinese Medicine the spring is the time of the
liver, which is also the organ that processes our hormones. You may
notice people around you feeling more exuberant with the blossoming of spring and at the same time a little edgy. Increased symptoms of PMS may call for a gentle spring detox.

I’ve adapted the recipe below from my Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish
Your Fertile Soul cook book to offer you a simple spring salad to nourish your fertility!

Choose dark leafy greens, like kale, that have a high chlorophyll content and are replenishing to your entire system.

Cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, help to metabolize excess estradiol and help the liver to process hormones more effectively, ideally helping to relieve PMS.

Dr. Deb Kern introduced me to this amazing salad dressing, simple and packed with healthful anti-inflammatory apple cider vinegar and the omega 3 benefits of flaxseed oil. It is so easy to make and truly delicious on top of any salad.
Note: Although we favor cooked foods, as we enter the spring and summer season it makes sense to include some raw foods, which are cooler in nature. When eating salads, be sure to chew very well or use your food processor to help pre-digest raw foods. If you are into juicing make sure to add ginger to maximize the warming properties, making the beverage much easier to digest.

2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup kale, thinly sliced

2 radishes, grated

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

½ cup slivered almonds

Deb’s Simple Cider Vinaigrette

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup flaxseed oil (try Usana’s optomega oil)

¼ cup Braggs amino acids

Combine chopped cabbage, radish, almonds and sesame seeds in a bowl.
In a separate jar mix together apple cider vinegar, flaxseed oil and
Braggs amino acid. Pour over salad, and combine. Enjoy!

Kathryn’s Fertility Cookbook comes out in just a few weeks! Pre-order Yours here!
Join Kathryn on the Summer Solstice to kick off a 5-Day Gentle Detox & Cleanse!

Fertility ~ When Professional Guidance and Inner Wisdom Meet By Simone Burghos, LMT and Sharon Wyse, MS, L.Ac.

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:51:00 GMT

Oriens works extensively with couples seeking to conceive, often in later life. We separately asked Simone and Sharon what their top tips were for women seeking to get pregnant. Not surprisingly, their tips were not about miracle cures or the latest new thing! But about putting YOU in your own fertility power seat!

Simone says

Have a Mayan Abdominal Massage (MAM) at least once in your life.
MAM is a noninvasive, hands-on massage treatment that is meant to center the uterus. By centering the uterus, a woman's monthly premenstrual symptoms will cease, there will be no pain during menses, and she will have a beautiful flow. Centering the uterus can be akin to centering yourself. For MAM, the goal is an easy flow of blood. For yourself the goal is an easy flow of your Spirit.
Educate yourself so you can trust yourself.
Never be afraid of asking questions and discussing concerns with your health care provider. It is better to ask the question than mull it over, causing anxiety. Once you have answers and have done your research, you can then take responsibility in making your own decisions. In taking responsibility for yourself, you give yourself the beautiful gift of inner wisdom. No one can take away your inner wisdom.
Learn how you best relax and ALLOW yourself some indulgences.
Allowing yourself to indulge in something you find pleasure in will open the door to relaxation. Sometimes women become very angry and judgmental of themselves and their partners when they struggle to get pregnant. It is important to take a deep breath and accept the situation at that moment. Constant expectations of yourself and your partner will only cause rifts.

What helps you relax? Try lighting some candles and taking a hot bath with rose petals. This is a wonderful way to embrace your femininity and the woman deep within. The goal in learning how you best relax is to honor yourself by listening to how you feel, what you need and what you want. So how can you get quiet to let that come to you?

Think about something that gives you pleasure and go for it. Indulge yourself from time to time. You are allowed. Allow yourself. The stress of resistance will show up in many ways in many areas. Taking the time to take care of yourself and listen to yourself…this one simple thing will change EVERYthing.

Sharon says:

Understand your body and your cycle.
The more you know and understand about your body and your cycle, the more in control you are over your fertility. Whether you are trying to conceive naturally or with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), this information will give you more insight into when you are most fertile and help you trust your body more as you fall in with your own rhythms. I LOVE to educate women about their cycles and what their bodies are saying to them!
Trust trained professionals, NOT the internet.
Before women come in for help, they often research information through fertility forums and websites. While these forums and chat sites may be educational and inspirational, they should not be looked at as medical advice. Find a trained health care professional, i.e. Reproductive Endocrinologist, Fertility Acupuncturist, or OB/GYN who can accurately explain your situation and options.

Often times, new patients present a list of herbs they found online that claim to "boost fertility." While this may be true, it can be harmful to take too many supplements or herbs without the proper advice of a certified herbalist…not every supplement is right for every fertility patient!
Find a healthcare routine you can stick to.
I often recommend patients come in for weekly acupuncture and/or Mayan Abdominal Massage (MAM) to help them in their journey towards pregnancy. Both of these prepare the body to conceive in many ways - naturally or with ART. Healthy ovaries and uterus and healthy body don’t come from quick fixes. We cultivate them methodically and over time. It takes 3-6 months to change the environment in which eggs come to maturity and to restore the health of the menstrual cycle. Don't jump around trying everything. Find the few things that really work, that you can stick with and give them a chance.

*We invite you to speak privately with us in a fertility consult. Oriens offers Surround & Support programs to help women and couples conceive for health pregnancy. You may work with Oriens in NYC or long distance.

Laser for Pain, Inflammation & Cosmetics by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac.

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:53:00 GMT

Laser therapy is a highly effective and pain-free means by which to treat a wide variety of pain and inflammatory conditions.

As skin issues are linked to, and driven by inflammation, most skin conditions, including acne, wrinkles and signs of facial aging can be addressed effectively.

Treatments are quick (usually less than 20 minutes) and typically provide immediate effects, which over the course of a treatment cycle (3-15 sessions) yield cumulative and long-lasting or permanent results.

Advantages for Patients

We Commonly use LLLT for . . .

Advanced Pain Solutions
Advanced Cosmetic Applications: collagen stimulation, wrinkle and sagging reduction, tightening
Accelerated healing and recovery times
Options for needle-free acupuncture
Painless and non-invasive therapy
No need to stop or modify work and activities
Short appointments (15 minutes) with abbreviated treatment cycles
Option to include laser for special needs during regular appointment
Long-lasting results
Effective rate upwards of 80%

Featured in the Oriens Signature Alternative-to-Facelift Treatment
Arthritis
Back Pain: upper, middle and lower, including herniations
Swelling/Edema
Bone fractures
Burns
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Chondromalacia Patellae
Fibromyalgia
Joint Injuries: elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, wrists, fingers and toes
Lower Back Pain
Muscle Strains
Neck Pain
Nerve Regeneration
Neuropathies
Plantar Fascitis
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Repetitive Stress Injuries
Shingles
Shoulder Pain and Injury
Strain, Sprain and other soft Tissue Injuries
Tendonitis
Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
Tinnitus
Trigeminal Neuralgia
TMJ Syndrome
Trigger Points

Why Lasers?

Most of us have heard of lasers for surgery or skin resurfacing, but have heard little, if anything, about therapeutic lasers.

Both types of lasers use light for their purposes. Hot lasers burn and cut the skin (operating at high frequencies with great amounts of energy), hence the surgical application. In contrast, low level laser therapy (LLLT), also known as “cold” laser, penetrates to varying levels, using lower frequencies and fewer joules (a measure of energy output) to promote healing in tissues of all depths: from organs and bones to increasingly superficial systems such as lymph, tendons, ligaments and muscles, to skin.

Over 3,500 clinical studies published worldwide, including over 120 randomized, double-blind studies have been conducted on LLLT, the type of therapeutic laser we now use in this practice.

Peer-reviewed European and American clinical scientific literature is packed with evidence of their effectiveness. They have an incredibly broad range of application. That is because of their ability to treat inflammation --the base cause of most tissue degeneration in the body-- and to regenerate cells.

Lasers are even being used in hospice care in Moscow as “an analgesic, antioxidant, desensitizing, bio-stimulating, immuno-stimulating, immuno-correcting, detoxifying, vasodilative, anti-arrythmic, antibacterial, anti-hypoxic, anti-edematous, and anti-inflammatory therapy.”

How LLLT Works

The particular LLLT laser we are using is the TerraQuant Cold Laser with Advanced Super Pulse Technology. The TerraQuant laser is used in more than 30 countries. It is the only laser to offer the unique combination of four different types of therapeutic technologies which are described below, under “Specialties of the TerraQuant.”

The Basic Science

LLLT, or cold laser, is the use of specific wavelengths of light to stimulate therapeutic effects on a cellular level. This process is known as phototherapy, or photobiomodulation: the process by which exposure to light triggers a chain of chemical reactions. Starting with the Greeks, and for centuries since, light has been used as a therapy. Think solariums, and the early recommendations to visit the seaside and take in the sun.

If you hark back to high school physics, you’ll remember that photons are the units of energy of light that are both wave-like and particle-like. Laser therapy delivers a concentrated amount of photons into the tissue, where the cells absorb them and convert them from light energy into biochemical energy.

The photons interact with the cells at the level of the mitochondria (the power house of the cell), stimulating increased production of ATP (the energy unit of the cell) by up to 500%. What’s amazing is that one photon activates one enzyme molecule… but that one enzyme molecule, in turn, can process thousands of other substrate molecules.

This is the mechanism by which a relatively small amount of energy produces significant biological effects. Through initiating a variety of biochemical processes, laser therapy optimizes cells’ ability to naturally heal themselves. The end result is pain reduction, improved healing times, decreased swelling, and increased circulation.

Specialties of The TerraQuant

The TerraQuant Cold Laser with Advanced Super Pulse Technology is the only laser to offer the unique combination of four different types of therapeutic technologies: low level super-pulsed laser, wide-based infrared radiation, red light, and a magnetic field generator. This combination helps to relieve pain, decrease inflammation, and optimize cellular conditions for natural healing. This laser:

Stimulates cellular activity, growth, and metabolism
Stimulates enzyme synthesis
Increases cellular respiration (optimizes the intake of nutrition and the expulsion of waste)
Increases the energy of the cell
Enhances collagen synthesis
Provides antioxidant effect
Supports the immune system

The super-pulse technology of the TerraQuant is particularly remarkable. By “superpulsing”, the laser is able to provide a high amount of energy and photon density while maintaining a very low mean energy output. It provides a peak pulse of 25 Watts, but sustains it for only 100–200 nanoseconds, resulting in a mean power output of only 1.5 milliWatts. This peak pulse allows for short treatment times at deep levels of penetration (for accessing deep structures such as discs, joints, tendons, ligaments, and organs not accessible by other lasers), while the low mean output prevents the generation of heat.

Research Highlights

The following is a summary of recent research findings. Search the scientific literature for studies on LLLT and its applications for your interests.

Acute injuries -- improves swelling and edema
Bone Fractures -- stimulates osteoblasts for bone healing
Chronic Joint Disorders -- pain reduction and improved health status
Immunosuppression, post-chemotherapy -- in pediatric oncology patients, post-chemo, ↑ counts of mature T-lymphocytes, T-suppressors, and lymphocytes—“general improvement without any complications or side effects”
Ligament Injuries -- improves ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and stiffness
Nerve Injuries -- anti-inflammatory effect on damaged spinal cord and potential role in nerve regeneration
Peripheral Neuropathy, including diabetic and chemo-induced -- ↓ pain, ↑ sensation (study soon to be published in JAMA)
Post-Herpetic Neuralgia -- reduction in pain intensity and distribution
Post-Operative Vomiting -- reduced in children undergoing strabismus (eye) surgery
Post-Radiation Skin Reactions -- shortens recovery time
Stroke (ischemic) -- accelerates healing
Wounds -- accelerate wound healing and tissue repair, including necrosis, venous stasis ulcers, episiotomies and perineal tears from childbirth
Wrinkles -- increases collagen production

Want More Info on LLLT?

To determine if LLLT could help you, please ask to speak with Elizabeth. We’d be happy to discuss how to integrate laser therapy into your overall care with us.

You may also follow the links in this article to specific information on the Terraquant and on LLLT technology and research.

*Many thanks to Ginny Mimms, L. Ac., our intern, who gathered information and helped draft this article.

Facing Challenges and Fear by Rev. Sandra Bargman

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:42:00 GMT

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

— Joseph Campbell

What is challenge?

Most of us see challenge as something to fear, as an obstacle that we must overcome and power through, or at the very least, something to merely endure. In either case, we ultimately miss the opportunity to grow. However if we can see challenge as an opportunity, an invitation to grow and expand into More of who we are, then we are much more likely to create the life we desire, for it is this very willingness to get out of our comfort zone that opens us up and delivers all that we profess to desire for ourselves. It expands our understanding of life and ourselves, it expands our confidence, and it ushers in self trust.

Change is Life. It is growth and it is inevitable.

However, with change, comes fear.

What is fear? Fear is seclusion. It is the mistaken belief that you are the chaos of your life, that you do not have the power to CHOOSE. It holds the need to reframe, to box in, limit and restructure the greater outcome to the smallest space set by your imagination.

Struggle is our greatest addiction. We struggle with ideas, questions, rights and wrongs, the toys of the mind. We struggle to be free of these limited beliefs and yet, in the same breath we struggle to hold onto them, for this is all we THINK we know. Fear is anxiety of what is unknown. Fear suppresses the choices that are available to you!

Gratitude is the polarity of fear. Gratitude is connected to acceptance. Allow each moment of fear to teach you how you may not trust yourself. Allow your fears to show you where your illusions about yourself lie. An important aspect of gratitude is trust, trust in yourself, as well as trust in the Universe. Trust is the guiding principle to help us in “showing up” to what the Universe offers. Trust requires acceptance. There is no fear of what might transpire, because there is trust that all is guided and supported and that if challenges arise, then they’re simply reminding you to stretch.

Remember: You are READY!

Trust is continually exhaling. It is gently releasing what you think you know about yourself, to become who you truly are. Trust is self love. And trust is a deep knowing that Life is in support of you!

Learn more from Sandra

Winter Advice for SuperWomen by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:39:00 GMT

Winter is the most yin of seasons. In Chinese medicine, winter is the season of water, of sinking and depth. The plan, if we look about in nature, is quiet, rest and renewal. Snow blankets the earth creating silence. Ice freezes water’s movement above ground. Yet below the surface big things are happening. Underground rivers feed and assist germination, preparing the way for the burst of creation we call spring.

Associations with the water element: the kidneys and adrenals, reproduction and life stages, bones, the fear-trust opposition dynamic, deep understanding of who we are, deep health programming and genetics.

Winter begs us to follow nature’s lead. Chinese cosmology tells us we humans are not above natural law, even if we’re Superwomen! Fertility issues, difficult hormonal transitions and issues, immune challenges, premature aging, lack of energy and many of the psycho-emotional ailments are considered issues of water imbalanced or under-performing, according to Chinese medicine.

We westerners like to flaunt nature. We SuperWomen are sure we can do it all. We overwork and push ourselves to the limit in every season. We forget to eat or fail to eat nourishing foods. We consider sleep, relaxation time and alone time….luxuries. And we exercise like it’s a competition out of will power.

Yet, if we are brave enough to listen, by heeding winter’s call we have opportunity to heal deep matters, balance hormones, regain energy, restore fertility, turn things around, thrive!

Winter’s Advice for SuperWomen

Dance with your shadows ~ know yourself more deeply, go into your dark places and take ownership of them. We are more psychologically tuned in during winter.
20 minutes a day ~ hot bath and tea…the soothing nourishing heat is restorative and the mind wandering, alone time heals mental-emotional tension
Slow down and stop pushing ~ less on the calendar whenever possible, less pushing through, more downtime and quiet time, more sleep.
Store up energy ~ spring is coming and that season invites you to breakthroughs, high energy creative pursuits, and to get in the game!
Quickie Diary ~ remember the therapeutics of this as a girl? Dump your mind in your journal, pour your heart out . . . watch the surprises tumble out . . . no judgments or premeditation, no need for punctuation or perfection . . . feel the difference in the load you carry!

“The wise nourish life by flowing with the four seasons and adapting to cold and heat, by harmonizing joy and anger in a tranquil dwelling, by balancing yin and yang, and what is hard and soft. So it is that dissolute evil cannot reach the man of wisdom, and he will be witness to a long life.”

— from the Huang Di Nei Jing, Su Wen (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic on Internal Medicine, Simple Questions; circa 200 BCE)

For more of the deep stuff, we invite you to read Sandra’s gems on the fear-trust opposition dynamic.

Winter is the season of going deep...

Enjoy 10% OFF all online service from Sandra, Christina, Simone and Heather using the discount code WINTER10

Winter Foods for Women by Kathryn Flynn, B.Ed., RYT

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:06:00 GMT

Learn more from Kathryn

Winter provides a special opportunity for hormone balancing for every woman, and fertility enhancement for those seeking children, particularly in mid-life. In Chinese medicine and philosophy, winter is associated with the water element, the color black and the emotions of fear and survival. The corresponding organs, the adrenals, kidneys and reproductive organs have special opportunity to thrive and heal in winter, if nourished and replenished through sleep, relaxation and wholesome foods. During this time of year it is particularly important to focus on self nourishment with healthy comfort foods to build your deepest energies and attune with the winter seasons.

Balancing tips during the winter months include:

Choose foods slowly simmered in water, the corresponding element of the kidneys, like soups, stew and casseroles. Add dried seaweeds, like kombu and wakame, while cooking to absorb nutrient rich minerals.
Since the corresponding color to the water element is black and blue, consume use black beans, black sesame seeds, blueberries and blackberries for kidney, reproductive and adrenal health.
As Paul Pitchford says in Healing with Whole Foods: root vegetables “grow in cold climates and contain minerals and other elements that make it possible to survive in harsh weather and under snow. When eating, we take on their qualities and build resistance to cool weather and disease.” Root vegetables include: sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips.
Finally eat foods that according to Chinese Dietary Therapy help to restore your deepest energy reserves: Adzuki beans, black bean, bee pollen, blue-green algae, chlorella, clams, corn, gelatin, kelp, legumes, lycium, millet, mulberry, organ meats, oysters, parsley, pumpkin seed, raspberry, royal jelly, spirulina, string bean, tofu, walnuts, wheat germ, wheat grass, wild rice, yam.

Adzuki Bean Stew

This is my favorite winter soup! It delights the palate and includes healthful onion and garlic which help to build immunity and keep blood flow moving. Spinach, rich in chlorophyll, combines with tomatoes to fortify and purify the blood. Make a big batch of this flavorful soup on a Sunday and enjoy throughout the week! To make this dish suitable for vegetarians make the stew with vegetable stock and omit roasted chicken.

Serves 4
Cooking time: 60 minutes

3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme
2 cups adzuki beans, pre-cooked
32 ounces organic chicken stock or veggie stock
4 whole stewed tomatoes
8 ounces spinach
1/2 cup edamame
Optional: 1 cup roasted chicken (main attraction) or brown rice
Sea salt or dulse flakes to taste

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until softened. Add thyme and adzuki beans. Slowly stir in chicken stock. The longer you allow this soup to simmer, the better it tastes. Finish by adding stewed tomatoes, edamame and spinach, until wilted.

(from Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul — my new cookbook and DVD coming out shortly)

Simple Ideas for Winter Blues by Rachel Duvall

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:51:00 GMT

Dance with Rachel every Wednesday night!

In the wintertime with fewer daylight hours and more time spent indoors, many of us experience a lower level of energy and possibly an overall sense of sadness. For some this sadness can progress to a depression which is linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. So what are some ways we can turn this time of darkness, low energy and sometimes sadness into a time of light, renewal and joy?

Get Moving! ~ Moving our bodies raises our mood by enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain and releasing feel-good endorphins. Hint: come dance with me on Wednesday nights!
Find Community ~ Once the warmth of the holidays have past, the wintertime can often feel isolating and lonely. Find time to come together with others and dance, connect and laugh!
Fresh Air & Rest ~ Take time to get outside and take in fresh air, breathe deeply, even if it’s only for a few minutes each day. Getting a full night’s rest, optimally 8 hours, also helps the body recharge, rejuvenate and prepare to welcome the light the next day.
Get Creative ~ Use this time of darkness as a time for introspection, going within and tapping in to your creative spirit. Movement and music can be a wonderful way to tap in to your creative expression and release and relieve stress.

Treating Endometriosis by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP, and Sharon A. Wyse, MS, L.Ac.

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:48:00 GMT

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month!

Who is affected?

Endometriosis is a condition suffered by women of reproductive age and affects an estimated 89 million women around the world, regardless of background or race. It is estimated that 30 to 40 percent of women who report infertility problems have endometriosis. Endometriosis most commonly diagnosed in 30-40 year olds, but can develop in teenage years.

What is happening?

The word endometriosis is derived from the word "endometrium," which is the lining inside of a woman's uterus. The uterine endometrium (sometimes called endometrial tissue or lining) is normally shed during each menstrual period. Every month when a woman has her menstrual period, if the ovulated egg is not fertilized, the endometrial tissue along with blood and the unfertilized egg are shed from the uterus resulting in menstruation.

In the condition called endometriosis, the tissue normally found in the uterus is also present outside of the uterus. It can be nearby (commonly the cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, rectum and bladder wall), but it can also travel as far as the lungs and nose, even the brain!

The endometrial tissue outside the uterus responds to the hormonal changes that occur with the menstrual cycle. Dislocated, this tissue is not expelled from the body during menstruation. Instead, it lingers and is slowly absorbed into the body, inflaming the surrounding tissues.

How does the woman experience it?

Endometriosis is silent in about 40% of cases. But that other 60% are only too aware! There is often great pain involved, because women with endometriosis have more prostaglandins (hormone-like substances responsible for the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle, inflammation regulation, blood vessel dilation, blood pressure and more). The intense pain can sap energy and lead to feelings of depression.

Here are very common symptoms:

Pain in the low back, abdomen, or thighs 5-7 days before menstruation and throughout the period
Lower abdominal pain mid-cycle with ovulation.
Debilitating pain that interferes with life, such as preventing school or work attendance.
Additional pain at the site of the dislocated tissue
Heavy bleeding with clots
Nausea, vomiting, intestinal upset
Fatigue
Pain with sexual intercourse
Pain with bowel movements and urination
Irregular periods
Infertility

How is it diagnosed?

Endometriosis is classed according to severity. However, interestingly, infertility is not directly correlated with class.

Mild -- small, flat patches
Moderate -- larger, often somewhat raised implants
Severe -- inflammation and scarring caused by the unabsorbed blood can create bands of fibrous scar tissue, adhesions, that bind pelvic organs together.

What causes it?

Science is not completely sure, but there are prominent theories. The most commonly accepted theory is retrograde menstruation, also known as "backward menstruation." This is often related to uterine shape and position. Normally during the menses the menstrual blood is shed and comes out. In some women, a small amount of blood flows backwards through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity, carrying the endometrial cells along with it.

It is not clear why, in some women, this might implant and lead to endometriosis. It may have something to do with the particular woman's immune response and ability to fight off and remove these cells.

Another theory suggests that endometrial tissue is distributed from the uterus to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or through the blood system.

Another theory suggests that embryonic cells outside the uterus may get activated by an unknown stimulus and are converted into endometrial cells.

It is known, however, that a woman whose mother or sister has endometriosis, is six times more likely than other women to experience endometriosis.

How is endometriosis treated in western medicine?

Laparoscopic surgery is the main means, with vaginal ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI to confirm the extent of the condition. In laparoscopic surgery a lighted optical tube is inserted through a small incision in the navel. It is often referred to as "bellybutton surgery." Laparotomy is a more extensive procedure where there is a full incision and a longer recovery period. Radical surgery, which may be necessary in severe cases, involves hysterectomy, removal of all growths, and removal of ovaries.

Laparoscopy is often combined with Lupron therapy. This drug artificially induces menopause as it seeks to shut off the hormonal dance of reproductive life. This strategy is meant to starve the endometrial tissue of fuel. Unfortunately, both laparoscopic surgery and Lupron therapy typically have short lived success. The condition recurs.

Natural Treatment of Endometriosis

The Oriens Approach: Success with Acupuncture, Herbs, Nutrition and Maya Abdominal Massage Combination Strategy

The Oriens approach helps interrupt and resolve the mechanisms of endometriosis – 1) help the uterine lining to be properly released; 2) rectify uterine position so that the menstrual blood may flow with ease; 3) stop the inflammatory reaction that keeps a woman’s body in a toxic state; 4) prevent recurrence.

Western diagnosis is a helpful starting point. Many women will have already had surgery one or more times by the time they arrive at Oriens. However, until the root causes, or underlying mechanisms are interrupted, endometriosis will recur.

Some women will see a reduction in their symptoms right away while others may take a longer period of time. Anticipate three menstrual cycles of treatment for significant progress in effectively treating the root causes of your endometriosis. We see good success using this combined approach, with 1-2 treatments per week during this time (acupuncture and Maya abdominal massage). Stress levels, lifestyle, and general health are important factors involved in response time.

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine

Acupuncture

In a study published in the December 2002 issue of The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine researchers selected 67 women diagnosed with dysmenorrhea (painful periods) due to endometriosis. It was reported that 81% of these women had less painful periods after receiving the acupuncture treatments. Research shows that acupuncture promotes blood circulation, regulates the endocrine system and suggests that acupuncture could act as an analgesic by elevating levels of endorphins in the blood. Although more research needs to be done, acupuncture can be a safe and effective treatment for painful menstrual period and endometriosis.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

“Increasingly, Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is being put to the test by Western scientists -- and the results are sometimes not only successful but downright astounding. A case in point: a new review of CHM research by British scientists just published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews shows treating endometriosis with Chinese herbs may not only relieve symptoms of the disease, CHM appears to have comparable benefits to drugs and even laparoscopic surgery with fewer adverse effects.” To read more of this article, please click here.

Nutrition Counseling

Nutrition is a cornerstone therapy in endometriosis. Research on nutrition’s role in inflammation, hormone modulation, digestive function, immune regulation and more help us understand how food and supplements can address all the symptoms and drivers of endometriosis. Kathryn, the Oriens nutrition counselor will give you menus, recipes, meal plans, snacks, dining out and take-out tips that match your lifestyle, advise you on supplements and more. She will stay with you as you follow her guidelines, through email exchange.

Maya Abdominal Massage

This technique is significant in endometriosis. It helps with positioning for those with retroverted uterus and other cervical or uterine position issues contributing to retrograde menstruation (see causes of endometriosis above). It also helps prevent and heal adhesions and the inflamed, scarred tissue of the womb and other pelvic organs. MAM is an external non-invasive manipulation that repositions internal organs that have shifted and restricted the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and qi. The technique relieves congestion and blockages. Toxins are flushed and circulation enhanced, allowing nutrients to reach their targets to tone tissue and balance hormones. Simone will teach you how to care for your womb.

Find Your Chinese Medicine Pattern below

The Oriens approach begins with careful diagnosis from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) point of view. TCM will further detail the woman’s experience into patterns, or symptom clusters, that reveal primary mechanisms. Don’t let the poetic language of TCM fool you, but do allow the common sense of the poetry to speak to you!

Most women will find themselves in more than one category below.

The most common patters of endometriosis are below. There are others. All patterns of endometriosis include an element of hyper-coagulation, known in Chinese medicine as blood stasis. Blood stagnation can be caused by emotional disturbance, chronic illness, exposure to cold temperatures, surgery, and genital infections.

Spleen qi deficiency and blood stasis: The cause of this pattern is chronic illness or constitutional weakness. Some of the signs and symptoms of this pattern include lower abdominal pain, fatigue, abdominal tenderness that may feel better with pressure, pain during or after periods, preference for warmth, prolapsed bearing down feeling in the uterus, a feeling of anxiousness and worry, loose or soft bowel movements, bruising easily, pale complexion, menstrual periods that are either heavy or scanty and contain blood clots, thick-pale tongue body with tooth-marks on the sides and visible red dots, and a thin-wiry or weak pulse.

Kidney deficiency and blood stasis: The cause of this pattern is either a constitutional weakness, or a history of surgical procedures. Some of the signs and symptoms of this pattern include lower abdominal pain, lower back weakness and aches, sore knees, fearfulness, ringing in the ears, a feeling of pressure and pain during or after menstrual periods, dizziness, irregular periods, scanty periods or spotting that include blood clots, a history of infertility or habitual miscarriage, a pale tongue color that has red spots, and a deep-thin-choppy pulse.

Liver qi stagnation and blood stasis: The cause of this pattern lies in emotional stress and anxiety. Some of the signs and symptoms include severe lower abdominal pain, abdominal tenderness with an aversion to pressure, breast distention and tenderness before periods, feeling of frustration, distending pain under the rib cage, aversion to pressure on the abdomen, bitter taste in the mouth, menstrual periods that contain a lot of blood clots, menstrual pain relieved after the periods, a dark purple tongue with red spots, and a wiry-choppy pulse.

Cold stagnation and blood stasis: The cause of this pattern is a history of exposure to cold - either cold temperatures (externally), or the chronic consumption of cold foods (internally), especially during menstruation. Some of the signs and symptoms of this pattern include lower abdominal pain and tenderness, pressure and pain before or during periods with a preference for warmth, an aversion to cold, watery menstrual period with blood clots, menstrual pain relieved after the periods, nausea, loose stools, pale complexion, a pale, bluish/purplish tongue with red spots, and a wiry-tight pulse.

Heat obstruction and blood stasis: The cause of this pattern is a history of genital infections (in TCM this is considered to be an accumulation of heat toxins in the body). Some of the signs and symptoms of this pattern are, lower abdominal pain and tenderness that are worse with pressure, a fever before, during, or after periods, preference for cold temperatures and foods, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, feeling of frustration, constipation, pain during intercourse, a red tongue with red or purple spots, and wiry-rapid pulse.

If you have questions, or would like to schedule with Sharon, Simone, Kathryn or Elizabeth please simply call 212.213.5785 or email. We also invite you to work with them through their Oriens Online Services.

Massage for Women with Simone Burgos, LMT

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:01:00 GMT

What was your calling to women's health?

My calling was my own pregnancy and the lack of information that I had at the time! I received a few massages after giving birth and realized how much it benefitted me, so I decided to go to massage school to help others. There is so much fear and misunderstanding . . . I felt a need to inform myself of issues of health and awareness for women.

I have typical degrees and license in massage, and I have also done many other trainings. I am grateful to have learned the Maya Abdominal Massage directly from the source, and to be part of the lineage through my instructor, Dr. Rosita Arvigo.

Why did you choose Massage?

I became a massage therapist because I have always believed in the power of touch as a healing tool for the body and consequently the mind. In my native Brazil I grew up in a family were they also believed in massage, herbs and prayers as way of healing. My experiences with local "sages of the healing arts" gave me an intrinsic knowledge of the connection of all things.

What drew you to Oriens Healing Sanctuary?

It was love at first sight. When I was interviewed by Elizabeth, and realized Oriens was really a support system for women, especially those trying to conceive, thru all the modalities of treatment here at Oriens, I realized that it was my perfect place for me. I had the feeling that my work here would really be part of the Oriens mission.

Oriens is very excited to have Women’s Health, Pre-Natal and Fertility Enhancement massage! Please tell us about your specialty, Maya Abdominal Massage. Could you describe what it's like?

Maya abdominal massage is a very therapeutic and nurturing treatment that not only helps with the health and alignment of the organs in the abdomen and pelvic floor, but it also helps the woman to be in touch with her own body.

The Maya tradition is ancient. Since the beginning and still today midwives and medicine shamans note that “when the uterus is in the center of the body so is the woman's mind.” It’s good to emphasize that this is our (female) center of creation! This energy center is the source of creation…in this work, in yoga and ayurveda (2nd chakra), in Chinese medicine (dan tien), in Japanese shiatsu (hara), and in the West we know it as pregnancy and birthing. But even if the woman is not looking to conceive it is smart that she get this massage to clear any blockages that may cause then menstrual issues, constipation, leg pain, and sometimes depression, and to keep the reproductive area healthy in menopause…so many reasons!

How does it help fertility?

Once the uterus is in proper position, there is improved blood flow to the area which will enhance and improve the fertility. All of the reproductive organs need this. And also it can help release adhesions, scar tissue and other blockages. MAM together with diet and lifestyle modification has helped many women conceive.

If I am trying to conceive, when would I have Maya Abdominal Massage?

5 days after your period, and as much as you can have before ovulation. If you are trying to conceive its important to know how to chart your cycle. And depending on some other factors, before your next period.

If I'm already pregnant, how often do you recommend pre-natal massage? And what are the benefits to the mother and the baby? Can I have massage all the way through my pregnancy?

Yes, pre-natal massage is very helpful to the mother and baby, again working on the circulatory system. Improving the flow of blood in the body it consequently helps the baby. MAM can be applied after the first trimester of pregnancy.

I heard Maya Abdominal Massage is partly based on ancient Mayan Spiritual Wisdom. Is that true? What does that mean?

MAM is founded on the ancient technique of Mayan abdominal massage, not really Spiritual Wisdom...Every ancient wisdom had a strong connection with Spirit. My teacher, Dr. Rosita Arvigo, learned this from her experience of 12 years with a Maya Shaman Don Elijio from Belize in Central America. She also studied with midwives in Mexico. The Mayas believed that spirit was/is present in everything.

Maya massage also helps IBS and digestive problems, is that right?

Yes, it releases tight muscles of the stomach and abdomen and soothes inflammation...good for men and women.

You do all kinds of other massage. What other techniques do you offer at Oriens?

Lymphatic Drainage is a light rhythmical massage which encourages the lymphatic system to eliminate metabolic waste products, excess fluid and bacteria. It is a real immune booster and reduces swelling and edema. It is very good to promote circulation. I also offer Relaxation massage and Reflexology. And I am a Reiki practitioner.

We invite you to ask Simone a question or make an appointment! 212.213.5785

Oriens ~ Is That a Made up Word? by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:09:00 GMT

Oriens ~ Is That a Made up Word?

Welcome to Oriens! When searching for the name of the sanctuary I wanted to create for myself, my friends and my patients . . . and especially for women . . . I wanted the name to express what I was up to. But it also needed to look beautiful on the page and feel beautiful in the mouth. Here’s the story behind the name and an invitation to be part of what we are doing . . .

One evening I was taking the train upstate and perusing a professional journal on Chinese medicine. There was an article discussing the word, “Oriental.” The author noted the Latin root for the word was “oriens,” meaning from the east or toward the rising sun. Eureka.

This little Latin root encapsulates what we are doing here at Oriens — bringing you healing therapies and wisdom traditions from the East, but offering them in a way you will immediately find useful. Oriens is about the reframe for the modern western person. Raised Christian and coming from a family medical lineage, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, eastern philosophy . . . these tools have helped me care for my health, know myself more deeply, honor where I come from more authentically, use western medicine more skillfully.

With a commitment to science, evidence and research, we acknowledge also that Life is the ultimate laboratory. Stories hold our truths and Oriens is about yours, ours, and those we learn from.

Our motto is, “more of who you truly are.” Oriens is about helping you bring your best health and your best self forward, increasing your joy. We call that a fertile life . . . one that is rich, fruitful, well tended, enjoyed. We specialize in helping couples conceive, but really all our patients and clients are reclaiming their potential in some way.

Oriens offers you personalized attention and meaningful community.

We provide you with exceptional expert care in private sessions. And for those who select Surround & Support programming, our practitioner community becomes yours as we work as a team to serve you.

We like to have fun. Oriens has parties where you can gather with people you would like to know. We develop workshops and host experts to speak on topics vital to your health and personal growth — things that matter to you. We have yoga and dance classes for you to exercise safely, passionately and joyfully. And make friends.

For Oriens community also means service. We are grateful for our relationship with you and for the bounty in our lives. Your choice to invest in your own health and well-being through Oriens allows us to partner with charities serving children and women in need.

The full name is Oriens Healing Sanctuary. I chose to call it a sanctuary because it is place to feel apart and yet at home. A respite from your daily life, where you can access more of yourself . . . more health, a new perspective, an “aha” to improve your Life.

Blessings to you,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac.

Founder and owner

Psychoneuroimmunology ~ or The Three Treasures by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:09:00 GMT

Nothing quite says Chinese Medicine like psychoneuroimmunology — and now, psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology.

I love it when science and western medicine explain Chinese medicine back to me in a fresh way, a more modern, causally investigated, deconstructed analytic way. Chinese medicine might have the edge on western medicine in terms of sheer volume of evidence and success data in humans. It most certainly has the more of user-friendly vocabulary. But the two play together so well and fill each other’s gaps marvelously.

Fresh from a very exciting conference on the brain and neurotransmitters, I’m still a-flutter thinking about neuron cascades, the blood-brain barrier and ... the 3 Treasures, that is to say the psychoneuroimmunoendocrine perspective on the essential components of a healthy happy life and that uber-control center, the Mind.

Looking at functional MRI’s while listening to a review of the literature on research detailing how everything we do, eat and think either enhances brain function or causes neurodegeneration is very excitiing — or devastating, depending how you view the control you potentially have over your health and the risk factors you are engaging.

We all know that the regulation of just about every one of our biologic functions ultimately tracks back to the brain. But how much do we think about it, say, when we experience digestive problems? Or immune challenges? Or hormone imbalances? Most of us typically associate brain chemistry issues with anxiety, depression, sleep and cognitive disorders related to aging or mental illness. And that is true. Yet are you aware that it is all completely connected? When you experience difficulty in these other areas, your brain is most likely unhappy as well. Pepsid and laxatives will not rescue your brain.

But good habits, skilled use of herbs and food, and a commitment to lofty but attainable goals such as self-understanding and contentment will. The brain loves it when you give it oxygen and food and decide that you are in agreement with what is happening in your life.

Our colloquialism for that is “peace of mind.” We commonly refer to its opposite as “stress.” Stress is a physics term for forces brought to bear. It’s normal and unavoidable. How we perceive stress and label it in our minds is ours to decide and the key determinant of what happens next – physically and emotionally. See this newsletter’s other features on Detoxing the Mind and Fertility Corner for more on this subject.

From your exercise habits to your food habits, your sugar habits to your sleep habits, your thought habits to your relaxation habits – you are constantly building or degenerating your brain and influencing the expression of your genetic potential. And therefore, you are either enhancing or destroying your immune function, your hormone health, your gut function and your long term mental capacity.

You are co-creating your life. One of my favorite sayings is, “your biography becomes your biology.” (Carolyn Myss)

This is Chinese medicine. But we call it The 3 Treasures: Jing-Qi-Shen.

By Jing we mean that through our parents, our ancestors have passed on to us the potential for many variations on the life we have. One concept of Jing is genes. Some things are determined, like eye or hair color. Others are plastic, or in an interdependent relationship with other variables like environmental exposure, nurturing, food, exercise, etc.

That potential meets up with Qi – the bioelectric current of our bodies and the way we live our lives.

When we live well —rest, play, contemplate, sleep, eat real food (at regular intervals and amounts), laugh, cry, express, relax, spend time alone with our selves, socialize, love — we enhance our Jing. We add to the reserve and increase the likelihood that our potential for health and a sense of fulfillment is expressed.

In contrast when don’t care for ourselves — overwork (especially for extended periods), choose fake foods over real foods (IF we remember to eat at all), select coffee and soda over water, obsess, let go of exercise, don’t get outdoors, live in resentment, don’t schedule time for ourselves, isolate — we drain our Jing and throw off our central nervous system and neurotransmitter interactions, potentially leading to less pleasure and lower health performance in the short term, and serious illness in the longer term.

But to get to the gym, choose dark chocolate over Snickers, give ourselves permission to take the night off in favor of that overdue date with our friends, and choose 5 minutes of self-reflection over checking email ... we need Shen.

Shen is spirit-mind. It is the highest expression of who we are, our spiritual nature peeking through our rational mind. It’s happy brain chemistry where we make great decisions that favor our health and our deeper satisfaction. These in turn cycle back to strengthen our qi and jing.

The 3 Treasures are interesting – and here we come back to psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology again – because they are interdependent. You can’t have great qi and bad shen. There is a principle in Chinese medicine called mutual transformation, which states that forms of energy morph into other forms energy. (For example, food breaks down to reassemble as fuel for our cellular requirements).

Our mental/emotional energy is the strongest driver we have of both how we behave and what happens for us physically ...which in turn affects our deeper programming ... which then cycles back into creating our mental/emotional state and the quality of our day-to-day lives. Jing-qi-shen are interwoven and constantly creating one another. Psycho-neuro-immuno-endocrinology. It’s all interconnected.

In the space program as well as in training for Olympic competition, there is a process used by some called “visual rehearsal.” Seated, the subject visualizes what s/he expects to do (launch into space, run the 100m, etc.). When the subject is monitored, it is clear the brain and all systems are responding as if the event were really taking place. Ponder that for a moment. What you are thinking is what your body believes is happening. Take it in deeper. Studies and life experience both remind us this is true. What we expect, often occurs. What we believe, is what we tell our bodies to enact cellularly, chemically! Our thoughts are indeed powerful. What do you expect in your life? In your health? In your relationships?

We cannot choose our parents and genetic blueprint. And sometimes the many factors converging to spell out our health and life experience are indeed beyond manipulation or control. But to varying extents, we all can leverage the script toward health and happiness.

3 Treasures. Treasures are things of immense value.

What are you doing with yours?

Here are some suggestions. For more, visit Sandra’s article on Detoxing the Mind!

Play
Eat regularly.
80/20 –80% of the time choose foods and drinks that build your health.
Drink water – divide the number of pounds you weigh in two; that’s the minimum number of ounces of pure water your body wants every day.
Spend at least 5 minutes without anything to do at the beginning and end of each day, and appreciate all you have.
Move your body! Dance, gym, yoga, walking, martial arts...just get moving.
Put your rants down on paper, where they can be seen and addressed instead of running the toxic mental tape loop of resentment, blame and anger that hurts only you.
Make time for people and activities you love.
Set boundaries around work.
Get to know yourself, you’re worth it.
Use Oriens as the resource it is, to help you build your health, treasure your treasures, learn from experts and experience community around issues important to you.

Fertility Corner ~ Lessons from Metal, by Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:09:00 GMT

Autumn is the season of metal. The performance brags of the summer quietly die away in preparation for hibernation. It is a season of taking stock and feeling losses. There is a nostalgia and sadness to autumn.

Metal is an energetic concept in Chinese medicine. Its core and unique properties are used as metaphor to describe and explain phenomena in nature, including human biology and experience. Metal is the energy of discretion, adaptation and values. It is how we flow with Life or seek to control it, how we allow or block our potential – for health, fertility, abundance, joy.

Alice was at Oriens yesterday. She came in for stress. Her boss just got let go and now she’s needing to take on his role and do her own, all while interviewing for other work since her division will eventually fold. While putting in her acupuncture points, we talked about negotiating – a metal activity – and mid-discussion we segued into a wonderful dialogue on chaos v. control (not Get Smart).

Alice the banker is highly organized and methodical and in awe of her artist cousin who can make an impromptu party out of a couple straggling items in the fridge! Alice was at her cousin’s recently for a clothes closet 911 emergency. The poor woman still had ex-boyfriend reminders and items from who knows when simply everywhere, making getting dressed a daily frightmare. Thank goodness this left-brained creative type has a right-brained Metal energy dominant cousin! Metal energy in balance is brilliant at assessing value, taking control and making decisions.

We all desire a productive, fruitful, meaningful life. Our metal energy helps us define what that is -- individually and collectively. As a nation we are still undergoing full metal review as our money and every process around it is reconsidered. If your personal money matters need a make-over, I urge you attend our upcoming workshop, "It's Your Money So Take It Personally," coming up November 18.

Our metal energy is the evaluation process behind our decisions. The word decision comes from decidere, to cut off. When we decide something, we wield the [metal] knife and cut off other possibilities.

Eleanor was also at Oriens yesterday. A highly accomplished doctor, she struggles with IBS, anxiety and sciatica. This brilliant, insightful, self-aware mother of a teenager is the primary breadwinner. She sighed her tears, “I just feel so out of control!” Just last week she was feeling so proud and happy that she was now completely off prescription meds and these health issues that had been dominating her life for decades were all well-managed. Then, 2 mornings ago she rolled over in bed and POOF!...the sciatica reappears, she needs painkillers and she knows her IBS will flare in response, and it’s next to impossible to be a great doctor if your brain is sloshing through medication to focus. So how will she see patients? Not to mention the time, expense and hope she had put into her healing process.

The mind can run wild. What if it starts all over again? What if she can’t earn enough for her family? Feeling out of control can be so frightening and Life can feel so unfair.

Metal: chemistry, bonds, values, discretion, malleability, adaptation.

In the body metal relates to the lungs (breathing), immune system, the colon (excretion), and the skin (protection, temperature regulation, detoxification). These organs and systems discern and execute our safety through complicated biochemical reactions and other mechanics. They make physical value judgments for us: what we will allow in, how it gets filtered, what we will keep, what we will discard, how we will adapt to “news” from other systems and the environment. When something dangerous happens, these players rework the scenario to make it safe and keep operations going. They find value in refuse and supercharge our health when we treat them with respect.

On the Shen, or mental-emotional-spiritual level, metal energy is expressed in our ability to balance our survival instinct for control with our highest human desire for creative fulfillment.

Metal in balance:

Sets goals and takes action – knowing the outcome is not certain
Makes decisions and executes them creatively – without micromanaging
Creates order through harmonious interaction with the other elemental energies: wisdom, creativity, spiritual joy, compassion
Self-worth not tied to circumstance, accomplishment, possessions, family or other outside sources
Attaches and lets go in response to changing circumstance – ideas about self, relationships, goals

Healthy metal energy inspires us toward appropriate action for the circumstance. Our lungs, gut, skin and our immune system, guard our safety and adapt to change constantly.

Everyday cells are dying; others are born. Trillions of chemical reactions take place in the body moment to moment, all in response to shifting circumstance. Death brings life.

In Chinese medicine we understand that Life is movement and pain results from stuckness. Lack of flow (bioelectric current or qi, blood, fluids, mental energy, emotions) creates pain and disease.

The same is true with our Spiritual-emotional life. Resistance and insistence are a health risk.

A couple years ago I was privileged to sit instruction with the well-known Tibetan Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron. I’ll never forget this sly grandmotherly type translating from the text, “There are only two causes of emotional pain: getting what you do not want, and not getting what you do want.” That stopped the room.

Oriens is blessed to help many women and couples conceive and have healthy babies. And if you will listen, you will read in this composite picture of almost every fertility-challenged woman I have been privileged to work with, you will see a part, or perhaps a great deal, of yourself somewhere in her story, and learn the lessons of metal with her.

The fertility struggle is often a heartbreaking and wrenching journey in which the patient has deep, deep yearning for a biologic child yet despite doing everything “right,” the child has not yet appeared. There are few circumstances in Life that will drop you to your knees in emotional pain this great.

Commonly fertility patients do their homework. They are fastidious record keepers. They manage their spouses, their doctors, their appointments. They research everything. Their stories include months and years of managing, trying, learning, changing doctors, trying new approaches. And if it were a Ph.D. or a promotion they were after, surely they would have attained it.

The more resolute and determined she is the more elusive pregnancy becomes as the immune system, the endocrine system, the circulatory system and the nervous system are insensitive to insistence, moving further out of balance the more she seeks to control the situation.

As this is going on, everyone around her from sisters to co-workers to friends are pregnant and starting families. A kind of shame often sets in, both at her body’s resistance and at her feelings of resentment toward the pregnant women everywhere. In addition to resentment, if she is over 35, she is often reproaching herself -- for waiting for the right partner, for not freezing her eggs, for smoking, for birth control . . . the list of self-recriminations can be long. The information in circulation about "old eggs" and "advanced maternal age" can up-end her identity as a woman altogether.

Her frustration leads to deep sadness, questions about self-worth and whether God is punishing her. The sadness is so profound she fears its expression, and tries to “stay positive” because she has heard a “bad attitude” may put the baby farther out of reach.

Yet, tears are the most human of expressions, how we know we have been touched. Tears are honest. They teach us what we really believe, especially when we may have been telling ourselves some other story. Holding back our tears we block our energy. To cry is to free our qi to serve us, exercising the lungs, cleansing our emotions. If we do not acknowledge and vent our sadness, it transforms into a weapon against us. Along with deep breathing, crying exercises the lungs. Dr. Christiane Northrup once said to me, "Crying is lancing an emotional abscess that might otherwise poison us."

The lungs must breathe deeply to pick up oxygen for delivery. Deep breathing, movement and emotional freedom improve our circulation and chemistry, which all the players in conception depend upon -- the brain, the ovaries, uterus and testes. When we block emotions, we block Life. See Sharon’s Art of Breathing article for the fertility enhancing exercise: Microcosmic Breath. The lungs also energetically pair with the colon through metal. The more imbalanced her metal energy in unexpressed grief--the emotion of metal--the more blocked her bowel function is. Most fertility patients struggle with constipation or IBS.

How we care for ourselves and having experts on our team makes a great difference. Mechanical and chemical conditions must be met for conception to occur and pregnancy to carry. Still, fertility is an expression of abundance, creativity, Life, flow. It resides in aligning oneself with the creative potential within – the Tao calls it the Mysterious Mother. How do we access that part of ourselves? If fertility were about the right doctor, drug or procedure, then IVF clinics would have success rates more than 5 times the statistical average! These are only tools to be used with discretion. If fertility were about age, then why would women the world over be having unplanned babies in their 40's?

Life (and the ability to bring it forth) is impartial. Life comes through when circumstances are met. And, often, when we get out of our own way.

From the same place in the brain, we control response to danger and reproduction. It will always prioritize survival. When it senses danger, blood flow to reproductive organs is redirected. The fear we will not be able to reproduce is not distinguished from other survival threats. Further, our chemistry shifts to prioritize stress hormones over reproductive hormones. Blood work might come out normal, but can the hormones land? Some share receptor sites with our stress hormones.

The frustration of thwarted efforts, perfectionism, blaming ourselves and others, grudging others their successes, children and good luck -- these translate into a kind of "lock down" that further block us from our goal. Imbalanced metal thwarts our health and our bounty.

See Sandra’s article on Detoxing the Mind.

Our fertility, health and greatest potential are brought forward by playing along with Life.

When we take the "yin" position and yield and yet show up, when we let go yet do all we can, accepting there are no guarantees, then we live the virtue of metal.

The sacred text of the Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita, instructs us to be the warrior that takes action letting go of the result. The Tao tells us when we accept what is, the universe lies before us. Contraction - pain; flexibility - possibility.

The most beautiful and hard-won epiphany for fertility patient is this: that she is not in charge, Life is. Her job is to nurture her potential and use metal effectively: understand her own values to decide on her course and her team. This aha often gives way to an alchemy in which pain and struggle transform into wisdom and new life. What was once fingernails-on-a-chalkboard (“Just relax and it will happen." "If you adopt you’ll get pregnant.”) takes on the power of a deep truth. Opening, not controlling, is the big fertility secret. Open to face the fear. Open the body through feeding and caring for it. Open the mind to the truth that a child is a miracle and that miracles cannot be forced. Open to motherhood by mothering self first. Open to hope. She knows how to "do." She has the discipline of metal. When she learns malleability the rewards of metal are often hers.

Her pain shifts as, like carbon to diamonds, it is compressed into the gems of wisdom and compassion for herself and her spouse. Her sorrow becomes freedom allowing physical expression. Her relaxation becomes creativity and receptivity. Her alignment gives way to fertility. The alchemy is complete as she accepts the miraculous gift of a new life — literally, a child in her womb, or figuratively — health, joy, abundance.

Life comes through when we play on Life's terms and stop insisting on our own. Life begets Life.

Detoxing Your Mind by Oriens Counselor, Rev. Sandra Bargman

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:09:00 GMT

Advice for Challenging Times

What is a toxic mind and how do you know if your mind is toxic?

If you feel powerless, hopeless, intimidated, angry, frustrated, ineffective and stuck, these are excellent clues. Everyone feels like this occasionally, but if you spend the majority of your time feeling like this, you’ve definitely got “Mind Toxin Overload”. And certainly given what many of us have been facing in our current economic climate, we can all admit to feeling powerless and full of fear, fear for our future and that of our families.

As with all challenging life situations we may ask ourselves, “Why me?” Some of us have lost our jobs, or our husbands have lost their jobs. Our investments have taken a hit and we are afraid for our future and for the future of our family. And most debilitating is the notion that we’ve done everything “correctly,” and still we are hit over and over again. The sense of unfairness can cut deep. And yet, in a deeper place, we know that we all have collectively created the ecomomic climate we are living in together. We are a part of the political and financial systems as surely as those in high places, those very ones that we want to blame.

All of the major religious traditions offer ways to deal with challenging times.

The Buddhist tradition is perhaps one of the most clear and effective in dealing with “mind toxin overload”. The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths that correspond to the concept of suffering.

Mind Toxin Overload can be described as the first two of these truths:

The First Noble Truth ~ there is suffering in life, and the origen of that suffering is attachment. What does that mean? To live in this world brings suffering, because human nature is never perfect and neither is the world we live in. Over the course of our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological/spiritual suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, grief, depression, lack of faith and trust in the world around us.

The Second Noble Truth ~ the Buddha explained that the origin of suffering is attachment to transient things. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas and beliefs about life and our place in it, and the personal identifications to which we cling. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, and so the suffering is exacerbated and the cycle of “Mind Toxin Overload” begins.

The Buddha’s Fourth Noble Truth states that there is a clear pathway out of suffering and offers the cultivation of 8 factors or qualities (The 8-fold Path) as the map that leads to gradual self-improvement and ultimately greater self awareness.

To deal with Mind Toxin Overload, we’ll focus on one of the 8 ~ Right Mindfulness, or as I like to think of it, Skillful Mindfulness.

The first line of the sacred text called the Dhammapada, the most loved of all the Buddhist texts, is “All we are is the result of what we have thought.” Our culture has been saturated with information on metaphysical laws stating that “As we think, so we create”, that our belief system creates the world around us. Skillful mindfulness is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness.

How can we begin with Skillful Mindfulness?

By getting on board with what is happening! By understanding that the recession or whatever it is you are facing, is not happening to you. What you believe is ultimately your choice. Your belief is not fact; it is perception. Like it or not, the recession and circumstances are not about you and you must not take them personally. Even as you acknowledge your role as creator of your life.

Your every belief and thought is your choice. We must get brutally honest about what we believe. And we must stop seeing the word “acceptance” as a bad word, one that admits weakness and “giving in” to defeat. Rather we must see acceptance as the ability to be see and respect what IS. Only in being truthful about what IS can we begin to see a solution. Life is transient and the quicker we accept that, the quicker we will discover new insights about our selves and life.

You can begin to develop a deeper sense of who you are. If you do not have a strong sense of who you are, you will be a victim in all of life’s challenges, including the recent financial troubles.

By having this larger and deeper sense of who you are, you can begin to understand that life Your Life, is ultimately in complete support of YOU, and you can either see the challenges as punishments or you choose to see them as opportunities for greater self discovery.

Take time each day for self reflection. Here are some ideas to Detox Your Mind and Create a Skillful Mind practice!

Keep a journal that documents your rants as well as your raves and discoveries
Learn to meditate. If you would like help, go to the Oriens Store or come in for simple, gentle, easy instruction with me or Christina in person.
Engage in breathing exercise – breathe deeply and slowly down into the belly and observe how your mind settles. See the article on breathing in this newsletter for more detail.
Stop taking things personally. What others do and say is about them, not you, even if you are the subject. You may want to pick up The Four Agreements, ancient Toltec wisdom on a happy mind and life.
Stop complaining and focus your attention on the best case scenarios. (read the Psychoneuroimmunology article in this newsletter for more on this)
Stop comparing yourself to everyone else.
Take the time to get to know yourself more deeply.