每年的三伏天都是冬病夏治的日子，所謂的三伏天炙(三伏貼)，就是一種運用天炙治病的療法，此法結合了傳統中醫時間醫學、針灸學和中藥外治等知識，是近年來頗流行的一種夏季理療方式，頗受人們的青睞。在台灣，一到貼三伏貼的季節中醫師診所就會大爆滿，因為在台灣由於氣候濕熱、飲食不良、常吹冷氣及過度服用藥物等等原因導致身體容易產生過敏性的體質。例如：氣喘、花粉症、流鼻水、容易感冒、手腳冰冷、免疫下降、皮膚搔癢等。運用三伏貼，可以大大地改善以上的病症。在冬天，中醫師通常還會再實施一次三伏貼，叫做三九貼，來加強療效。 西雅圖氣候偏涼，到了秋冬季節由於在春夏季吸取陽光不足，體內容易產生濕氣，抑制身體陽氣的生成，所以一到了氣溫驟降的節氣就容易引發過敏性體質。過敏性體質在中醫學上是一種陰性的臨床表現，通常伴有陽虛痰濕。最常見的就是流鼻水/鼻涕逆流及上呼吸道的問題如氣喘。許多從亞熱帶地區、中南美洲，甚至是加州德州搬過來的人身體皆易產生不適應的問題。在診所我們常常在治療過敏性的病症，有很多的病人都是從別的地區搬過來的。 以下市民視新聞關於三伏貼的報導，可以參考一下： 三伏天是出現在節氣小暑與立秋之間，是一年中氣溫最高的日子。伏即為潛伏的意思。“三伏天”的“伏”就是指“伏邪”。即所謂的“六邪”（指“風、寒、暑、濕、燥、火”）中的暑邪。所謂的“伏天”，就是指農歷“三伏天”，即一年當中最熱的一段時間。入伏後，地表濕度變大，每天吸收的熱量多，散發的熱量少，地表層的熱量累積下來，所以一天比一天熱，進入三伏，地面積累熱量達到最高峰，天氣就最熱。另外，農曆七八月份副熱帶高壓加強，在副高的控制下，高壓內部的下沉氣流 … [Read more...]
What is Qi: Simple Qigong and Qi Balance Exercises
Qi, or chi as it is commonly pronounced in Western cultures, is within traditional Chinese culture the force that resides within every single living thing. The word is often translated as 'natural energy', 'life force' or 'energy flow'; however, a more literal translation would be 'breath' or 'air'. Qi is considered to provide the very essence of the living thing that it inhabits, and without it, that living thing would die. Similar ideas to qi exercises or qigong exercises can be found in many different ancient cultures, such as in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. It has also been used within film series such as Star Wars to describe something powerful and elemental that resides within … [Read more...]
What is Yin and Yang and How it Affects Everything Around Us?
Chinese philosophy created Yin and Yang, thousands of years ago. It has survived over the centuries because of its ideal way of explaining everything we see around us. Yin and yang are opposite forces, and they need to be balanced for all to be well. In all, they were indeed interconnected, and in some cases, when the balance is wrong, danger and destruction can occur. Most of life 's inherent dichotomies are mostly actual manifestations of it. Some of the paradigms found in life are real embodiments of them. Yet they aren't merely seen as abstract ideals. Light or dark, high/low, hot/cold, fire/water, death/life, male/female, sun/moon, etc. You can probably think of a natural … [Read more...]
What are the Acupuncture Points and Their Health Benefits?
Acupuncture points are all over the human body and number over four hundred. The idea of acupuncture has been developed from traditional Chinese medicine. It aims to return balance to an entity that has become ill due to an imbalance. It is believed that a life force called qi flows through every living thing, including us, and when that goes out of balance or the flow is blocked, sickness can occur. The qi flows in specific patterns within the human body called meridians, and it is these meridians that acupuncture aims to restore if they are out of balance. As well as balancing the flow of qi, practitioners of acupuncture also believe that it is vital to address the … [Read more...]
ORTHODONTICS FOR YOUR HEALTH
One of the biggest myths about acupuncture is that “once you start, you have to go forever.” First of all, it is entirely up to you how long you choose to continue to get treatments. Of course, like any other healthy habit, the longer you maintain it, the better your quality of life. But just to clear up some confusion, let’s look at the process of a comprehensive schedule of acupuncture care in another light. Perhaps the most apt analogy for continuing care for the meridian system is reconstructive orthodontics for your teeth. Both disciplines consist of an initial phase of care that usually involves overcoming a weakness, followed by a reconstructive or rehabilitative phase of care, and … [Read more...]
ARE YOU ON A SLOW SIMMER?
There’s an old metaphor about a frog in boiling water. If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, he will immediately jump out because of the sudden, drastic change in temperature. If, however, you put a frog in a pot of tepid water and slowly bring it to a boil, the temperature change will be so subtle that the frog will never know what hit him as he boils to death. People are very similar to the frog when it comes to identifying underlying health problems and seeking help. Based on the perceived severity of the problem, you are either driven to action, or more prone to let the problem continue as a mere annoyance. Those who have suffered a major trauma such as an auto … [Read more...]
Postpartum Recovery 月子調理
Postpartum Recovery is a very unique tradition in Asian cultures. It can be dated back to 2,000 years ago in ancient China when special herbal formulas were used to help postpartum moms to recover faster. This tradition is still carried on until today, notably in Taiwan, China and Korea. In Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, there are more than thirty standalone postpartum recovery centers covering an area that's a little less than 105 square miles. A study shows more than 97% of women in Taiwan today have had some types of medical recovery during their postpartum period. Another study shows postpartum mom who had support whether a medical or just family support demonstrate better recovery … [Read more...]
Meditation Qigong Exercise
At 1st Choice Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine in Bellevue, we focus not only on the treatment results, but patients' lifestyle and diet and virtually everything relevant to their medical complaints. We constantly make recommendation to change their dietary habits and lifestyle making them feel healthier each day. This is our secret ingredient to our success in helping so many people to thrive in their recovery. One thing we also do is teaching meditation Qigong technique to all our patients.I personally have been trained by the world's renowned Qigong Master Zhao Xue-Zhong (http://www.masterzhao.com) as one of his advanced disciples. I have been teaching patients simple Qigong … [Read more...]
Counting Meditation
This counting exercise is a simple exercise to help you sharpen mental focus, eliminate stray thoughts, and calm the mind especially at the end of the day when you need to unwind and prepare for a good sleep. Before you begin, find a comfortable, quiet place such as a bed. Lie down with your hands on both sides. Make sure there will be no interruptions for the following 10 minutes including the telephone so that total focus can be achieved. This easy exercise involves three simple steps: 1. Count from One to Ten, then from Ten back to One - This is the easiest part, everyone knows how to count. 2. Count upon inhalation OR exhalation – So how do we know which one to pick? Let’s say … [Read more...]
100 Years, And Counting!
Would you like to live to be 100? You would be surprised at how many people would answer “no” to that question. Many people are in such poor health that it is a physical and emotional struggle to get through each day, let alone an entire century. It doesn’t have to be that way. With 1st Choice Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, we offer many ways to improve your health even as you age. Actually, if we are living properly, enjoying the rich quality of life that we are entitled to, we should all be thrilled to live to 100! In fact, the hard part should be figuring out how to squeeze all of our goals and accomplishments into such a relatively short period of time. It’s true … [Read more...]
