At some point in life everyone deals with major upheavals or emotional distress. These events can trigger a host of unexpected feelings and behaviors from depression and panic attacks to major disruptions in sleep and eating. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can alleviate symptoms associated with mental health issues in treating the root cause of the problem by helping to rebalance the body’s internal environment.

Acupuncture can bring calm

Mental health disorders are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning which result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. The good news about mental disorders is that recovery is often possible. Affecting persons of any age, race, religion, or income mental health disorders have been found to be common and experts estimate almost a third of the population report sufficient qualifying criteria at some point in their life. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.

From an Oriental medicine perspective mental health disorders can cause a disruption in the flow of vital energy, or qi, through the body. These energetic imbalances can throw off the immune system or cause symptoms of pain, sleep disturbances, abnormal digestion, headaches, and menstrual irregularities, and, over time, more serious illnesses can develop. Acupuncture treatments can correct these imbalances and directly affect the way your body manages your mental health.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Disorders

Oriental Medicine does not recognize any mental disorder as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques including acupuncture, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 100 patients are treated with acupuncture and Oriental medicine for anxiety, each of these 100 people will receive a unique, customized treatment with different acupuncture points, and different lifestyle and diet recommendations.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine have the ability to detect energetic changes that occur in the body and relieve symptoms by restoring equilibrium. The physical and emotional symptoms that you are experiencing will help create a clear picture on which a treatment plan can be created specifically for you.

Here are just a few acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help with:

Depressive Disorders - Common symptoms of depressive disorders include: a decreased interest in most activities, insomnia, fatigue, and feeling empty and worthless. Even when depression is sub-clinical, the body’s immune system is compromised and the symptoms reduce functioning and impair work performance and social relationships. Acupuncture treatments can correct these imbalances, support the immune system, and directly affect the way your body manages stress and your mental health.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) – a condition of the brain that makes it difficult to concentrate or control impulsive behavior ADD/ADHD does not just occur during childhood. Acupuncture can help enhance concentration, reduce fidgeting, augment mood management techniques, reduce hyperactivity and enhance concentration.

Anxiety and Stress Disorders - Anxiety comes in a wide range of manifestations, from mild worrying to more physical responses such as nausea, insomnia, shortness of breath and panic attacks. Some anxiety is a healthy response to the stress of daily life and new situations; however, anxiety that occurs randomly or excessively is a sign to take notice. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help balance both the mental and physical symptoms of anxiety and help to create harmony and spaciousness.

Mental health issues are best managed when health professionals work together to meet the unique needs of each individual. Acupuncture is an excellent addition to any treatment plan as it is used to help the body restore balance, treating the root of the disorder, while also diminishing symptoms.

If you or someone you know struggles with a mental health disorder or if you would like to know how to optimize your mental health, please call to find out more about how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be integrated into your mental and emotional wellness plan today!

Acupuncture for Irritability and Moodiness

Everyone suffers from irritability and moodiness from time to time, but if you find that a short temper and frustration are becoming a constant issue for you, then acupuncture may be able to help.

Often irritability and moodiness are the consequence of chronic stress in your life. Over time these emotions can progress into more serious emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression as well as other health conditions such as digestive problems, trouble sleeping and the tendency to get sick more frequently.

Liver Qi Stagnation and Emotions

Emotional disorders can be associated with a number of different patterns of disharmony within Oriental medicine however, anger, irritability, and frustration are all signs that our qi (life force) is not flowing smoothly. The liver is responsible for the smooth flowing of qi (life force) throughout the body and for smoothing our emotions. When the liver’s function of moving qi is disrupted, qi can become stuck. This is referred to as liver qi stagnation.

Liver qi stagnation is one of the most common patterns of disharmony seen in today’s patients. In addition to irritability and moodiness, signs and symptoms may include: distending pain in the area below the ribs, stuffiness of the chest, sighing, abdominal distention, nausea, sour regurgitation, belching, diarrhea or constipation, feeling of a lump in the throat, irregular periods, painful periods and distention of the breasts prior to periods. Liver qi stagnation is commonly associated with PMS.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is excellent at relieving liver qi stagnation. Treatment for irritability and moodiness associated with liver qi stagnation focuses on moving qi and supporting the liver and spleen organ systems with acupuncture, lifestyle and dietary recommendations.

Soothe and Refresh yourself!

What You Can Do!

When your Qi (life force) functions smoothly, physical and emotional activity throughout the body also runs smoothly. So, for optimum health, move your Qi!

Stretch
According to Oriental medicine, the liver stores blood during periods of rest and then releases it to the tendons in times of activity, maintaining tendon health and flexibility. Incorporate a morning stretch into your routine.

Eye Exercises
Although all organs have some connection to eye health the liver is connected to proper eye function. Take breaks when looking at a monitor for extended periods of time and do eye exercises.

Eat Green
Eating young plants – fresh, leafy greens, sprouts, and immature cereal grasses can improve the liver’s overall functions and aid in the movement of qi.

Do More Outdoor Activities
Outside air helps liver qi flow. If you have been feeling irritable, find an outdoor activity to smooth out that liver qi stagnation.

Acupressure Points for Moving Qi.

Four Gates
A popular treatment for stress, anger, sadness, and frustration these four acupuncture points are thought to enhance the circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body and have a calming and analgesic effect.

LI 4 is located on the padded area of your hand between the thumb and index finger, between the first and second metacarpal bones. Massage this point with your thumb on both hands for approximately 30 seconds.

LV 3 is located in a hollow on the top of your foot below the gap between your big toe and the next toe, between the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones. To stimulate this point, place your right heel in the juncture between the bones that attach to the large and second toes and gently knead the point for approximately thirty seconds. Then switch sides to stimulate the point on your other foot.

Baihui for Clarity
Massage acupuncture point, Baihui for mental clarity. Located on the top of the head midway between the ears Baihui is used to clear the mind, calm the spirit, and improve focus. Stimulate the point with your index finger for 30-45 seconds for a quick “brain boost”.

Yintang for Calmness
Yintang, a point located midway between the eyebrows is sometimes referred to as “the third eye”. Stimulation of Yintang is known to calm the mind, enhance one’s ability to focus, soothe emotions, promote sleep, and relieve depression.

If you are concerned that your emotions may be interfering with your health and wellness, please call today to see how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help you!

- Qi Mail by Acufinder

What does your financial health have to do with your physical health?

In general, people who are financially healthy, tend also to be physically healthy.

This is because these folks generally have:

• Less stress over money
• More vacation time available
• Better options for nutrition
• Ability to afford good healthcare
• Ability to visit a gym or exercise regularly.

However, one of the biggest factors in being healthy and reducing stress is reducing mental debt.  Having to be constantly vigilant and worried about payments, income and savings causes your mind to continually be wrapped up in your financial future.  Letting go of these things, while also knowing they are well taken care of can bring a sense of well-being and happiness, even if your budget is small and your income limited.

Budgeting can be the answer to this dilemma. Many of us aren’t that into budgeting and it’s not that enjoyable. I completely understand and used to be in that crowd.  However, about four years ago, I decided to change that.  I’ve been working to educate myself on the best personal finance methods available, and recently I’ve found one that I think is AMAZING and have moved from using QuickBooks and many excel spreadsheets to keep track of my payments, budgets and other sorts of information to YNAB Pro as my personal finance system.

YNAB Pro [YNAB = You Need A Budget] has some really great features and it makes managing your money so easy.  After the initial set up, which only takes about 45 minutes, you’ll spend much less time with your finances each week and your mind will be less occupied with worrying about where you stand with your money.

YNAB is designed in a unique way in that it has a set of rules that you use in order to make the most of your money.  The idea is that you are able to function more efficiently and determine your financial goals to make your money work for you so your goals are achieved as soon as possible.

YNAB has four rules that make money saving easy

In the beginning, I found it difficult to wrap my head around this new way of thinking about money.  The rules are simple, but they require changing your relationship with money from a spending mentality to a saving mentality.  The good news is, using these rules allows you to make that change simply.

Follow along for a detailed description about how YNAB works.  You can maximize each video for easier watching:

Rule One: Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

Click here to view the embedded video.

This can be difficult to start with, but buffering and saving for that next month is inherent in the system and is easy to do once you get started.

Rule Two: Give Every Dollar a Job

YNAB is based on the envelope budgeting system.  The plan is that your categories in the software act as envelopes for your spending.  When I first set out on my own, I used to do this.  Cash my paycheck and then put each bit of money I “budgeted” into an envelope.  One for rent and utilities, one for food, one for fun, etc.  When the envelope ran dry, I was done.  It was easy then to save up money, because I just hid the money in my savings envelope in a book on my shelf.

Finances are a lot more complicated now than they were then, and YNAB’s budgeting makes it easy to just plop your money down into the categories you create.  Money comes in, you assign it into a fund, and you are done.  You go out, spend money, you put it into the register with your category, and it subtracts the amount leaving you the balance in that category for your month.

Having these categories also helps you to set a correct and ideal budget amount for your spending, rather than under budgeting or over shooting.  Extra funds can be easily diverted into your buffer or your savings.

In terms of the register, it’s very easy to import all of your transactions right from your bank and then approve them into the particular categories!  Easy-Peasy!

Rule Three: Save for a Rainy Day

Here in Portland, it rains a lot.  The economy is looking dreary, jobs are at an all time low, and folks are hurting.  If you are lucky enough to have escaped these problems, you should know it is essential to plan for the future.  It is generally recommended to have 3-6 months of income saved up in case of health problems, job loss or other emergencies.

This program does a great job of allowing you to simply divert funds into the various categories for savings. I use this for my ER fund, my license and association fees which come every year or two, our vacation and travel fund as well as saving for special items such as a new camera.

YNAB accumulates money every month in these categories and carries the balance over from one month to the next.  That way, when I need it and the bill is due or I reach my goal, it can be spent easily and quickly and we can benefit!  Best of all, no guilt because the money was put there to spend in the first place.

How about setting up a “Date Fund” for yourselves and put some money away every month for it.  You can spend it on a nice dinner, or save it up for a special event.  This way you can be spontaneous and romantic without having to spend a bunch of time finding the money first.

Rule Four: Roll with the Punches

One of the best aspects of YNAB is that it recognizes that when you plan and budget out at the first of the month, you don’t always end up in the same place at the end of the month.  Any budget that isn’t flexible is one you’ll quickly abandon, because life happens, and you want your life to be fun and flexible, right?

First off, this program forces you to address the fact that you’ve overspent.  The software itself helps you mitigate any over spending or mistakes you’ve made by making you accountable for it in the next month.  It keeps you honest and doesn’t allow you to continue spending too much money without ever making up for it.

Once you understand how YNAB handles this then it becomes very simple and reassuring.  I know that my budget is consistent, yet flexible.  I don’t stress about it as much as I used to.  I know I can work it out and start each month off with a clean slate!

Making the best of your Finances

The difference between this software and any other software I have come to use is that it actually addresses the mental aspect of controlling your spending and taking full responsibility not just for your mistakes, but also your successes!  YNAB melds both mind and matter together in one easy to use, highly ergonomic software.

The last bit I will tell you about YNAB is that they stand behind their product.  This is a company run by folks trying to make it just like you and me.  The support is phenomenal, there are tutorials, videos, a blog and a forum to help you address any problems you might be having and to discuss your unique ways of using the system.

This is a simple system.  Simple systems work. Their site is heavy with great testimonials from happy customers and I’m not one to push products unless I really love them and think they will help my community of individuals who are working to improve their health and lifestyles in some major way.

Go on over to their site and check it out.  There’s so much information that is easily laid out.  It only took me about five minutes to decide to do it right away.

And the best part is, it doesn’t break your budget, it fixes it!

Give YNAB a try.

Photo of money by borman818

Now our minds and bodies continue their quest for more sunlight, we’ve marked the first day of spring. As I took my morning walk today I contemplated my own personal organization system and what I find appeals most to me about it. I have a schedule that stays on time, a to do list that is up to date and keeps me on top of things and a clean and uncluttered living space.

A while back I posted about Simplicity and organization and talked about mental debt and keeping the mind free and open.

While having systems such as to do lists and calendars in place to put the things that come to our minds, the reminders, the constant nag that you have something to do, safely away, I realize that doing that is not enough. We need to have a mind that flows and a mind that seamlessly is integrated into our body, keeping it calm and free of stress. A mind that flows with movement, that can be calm but powerful when need be. It occurred to me that we need to have a “Mind Like Water” state.

Letting go - Having a mind like water

A much famous quote from Bruce Lee:

“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”

The common way of thinking about this is that organizational or productivity system is the path or goal and the Mind Like Water is the destination. Having this fluid organizational system becomes something to attain.

The possession of anything begins in the mind
-Bruce Lee

To obtain anything, we need to possess it, own it and begin the process of integrating it into our minds and bodies.

I believe Bruce is right: possession of a mind like water begins in the mind. It’s not productivity first, mind like water second. It’s the other way around.

Find your calm places, find things to do that encourage peace and calm, rather than anxiety and anger. Empty your mind of the thoughts of busy and do not latch onto actions and interactions that cause unrest and turmoil.

A calm and adaptable body and mind are essential for health. Find yours.

Do you live an organized life? Waking up in the morning, are you clear on what your plans for the day are, where you are going and what needs to be done? Do you set goals, evaluate those goals and then seek to accomplish them? If you don’t do these things, do you have a set way of living that allows you to flow from one day to the other without stress, leaving you room for creativity and freedom to find ways of entertaining yourself?

In our society today, many adults, and tragically, kids as well find themselves lost in their lives when it comes to having a simple, straightforward life. I’d like to address two topics that I believe are important when trying to find ways to make stress less of a part of your life and to begin to take control of what your purpose in life really is.

Organization and Simplicity.

Both of these topics have been high on the list of buzz topics in the last few years. Everyone is into life hacks. In fact, one of my favorite blogs is Lifehacker, a website devoted to giving you easier ways to do things, better ways to live and simpler ways of being productive. There’s a reason these types of blogs are gaining in popularity. We’re all working ourselves to the bone, one job, and two jobs; sometimes three, to keep things running, but I often wonder how smoothly they really are running. We’ve complicated our working lives, our social circles and our health to the point of disease.

First of all, what is organization? My friends, family and colleagues often say I am organized, and one recently asked me, “You know, you are so incredibly organized and you talk about simplifying your life, but it’s never been my experience that being organized is simple, it’s always a mess of complicated things you need to do to make your life WORK.”
Organization really IS quite simple.

• Downsize
• The Home principle
• Mental Debt

Downsize

This is often the hardest part. You have to get rid of everything you do not want, need, or use. Those piles of boxes? They take up a lot of room that you “needed” so you got a bigger apartment. That bigger apartment costs more to keep at a stable temperature, takes more time to clean and keep neat and the sheer amount of things in it keep your mental debt high just thinking of them.

Simplifying your life can reap incredible benefits. A few years ago I began following this Simplicity Checklist. I looked at one thing a week and worked to accomplish that item all week if it applied to me. I’m now down to the bottom of the list and I can honestly say that this checklist alone changed my life in incredible ways. Check it out. If you’ve been wanting to clean up and make your life more manageable, this is it. While you are at it, check out the other great suggestions and productivity tips at Zen Habits

The Home principle

The home principle is very simple. Once you only have the things in your home and life that you need, make sure they have a home in your life. Go into each room and make sure every single item in your house has a place it’s supposed to “live” when not in use. This way, you completely eliminate the hard part of cleaning, “Where am I going to put all of this stuff?” Have a home for your Inbox, which is mail, paper items that come into the house that need to be taken care of, have a home for keys, toothpaste and shoes. Have a home for your extra candles, your watering can, your recycling. If you use items in more than one place, have one in each place. For example, I brush my teeth at night at the sink, so I have toothpaste and a brush there, but I like to brush my teeth in the shower in the morning, so I also have a set there. I have lubricating eye drop in no less than three places in my home. Every action has an item, and every item has a home. Cleaning then becomes easy. Just put everything away where it lives.

Mental debt

This is a huge problem for me. I’m a multi-tasker by nature and used to go on and on to my friends about how I enjoyed doing more than one thing at a time, even before the concept was in common usage. However, doing so requires that I keep everything in my head all at once. To do this, I need space in there. The concept is like freeing up RAM in your computer so that it is more capable to process. If your mind is always over loaded with when your next dentist appointment is, how you are going to organize that next work party and whether or not you want to take that new job, its pros and cons, it won’t have space to process the creative impulses it naturally gets. Worry, rumination, remembering, considering, reminding and daydreaming all take up space in your head and are considered mental debt. The key is to find ways to removing these things from your head, and keeping them somewhere safe, that you trust.

Some ways I use to keep mental debt out of my head

Google Calendar – For keeping track of things such as appointments, schedules, menus (what foods we’ll be eating on what day, also reminds me to take things out of the freezer), my monthly cycles and related reproductive information, ritual schedules and the like. I review my calendar weekly to make sure it is up to date and then never worry about when and where again.

Remember The Milk – Now I am a huge fan of this service. It’s not for everyone, but it is so highly customizable that I have been in to do list love with my “Cow” as I call it since these guys were still in beta. It’s a free service that you can use to set reminders of all types, keep lists, birth day reminders, housecleaning reminders and your to do items split up by lists, categories and priorities. My lists include my yearly goals and are things like:

• Health – Goals and reminders for my health.
• Housework – Simple reminder to clean various rooms on various days. I do one room a day, based on Feng Shui.
• Family and Friends – Reminders to schedule lunches with my son, potluck shared dinners with my closest friends and date nights with my honey.
• Esoteric Studies – I set out a curriculum for myself yearly as to what I want to learn and accomplish and this reminds me what topic I am learning today and to stay on track.
• Tensegrity Health To Do list – My work, insurance reminders, birthday reminders, inventory, scheduling, meetings for lunch with doctors to grow my network, everything.
• Event organizing – I volunteer and organize a lot of events as a part of my duties. This reminds me to make announcements, get volunteers and follow up with people on items.
• Wedding – We’re getting married in May and this has the to do items such as buy wedding rings, make dress and send out announcements.
• Personal To Do – Things such as journaling daily, record my cycles etc are here in daily reminders.
• Volunteering – Other miscellaneous items in regards to my volunteer work. I have other lists I use here as well.
• And many others

My cell phone – I use my phone to remember things when I am away from the computer. I have voice notes, but you can also just send yourself a voice mail. “Remember to put that dinner with David on your calendar when you get home.”, “Remember to schedule that lunch with Joseph”. Etc.

Email – Now I use Gmail, and I love it. Threaded conversations make older email clients seem useless. The spam filters alone mean that I never have to spend time in my head wondering/worrying and figuring out how to get Viagra ads out of my personal space. I consider it a huge part of my healthy lifestyle. It also allows me to keep in touch with my family and keep organized.
Chinese Medicine and Organization
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, all things have correspondences and all things must be in balance for health to occur. Each organ relates to each other organ. All of the systems are interwoven to feed, nurture and control each other.

A lifestyle that balances out the various aspects of your life so they too can feed, nurture and control each other is essential. You must eat nutritious, healthy foods. Exercise and move your body. Have fun; enjoy your friends, your family and your loved ones. Work hard and well.

All of these things are much easier to put into place when your basic needs are well taken care of, balanced and organized. Have a clean living environment in which to do your life’s work and you will find that the space you’ve made will then be able to be filled with all of those things you’ve been putting off, but which your heart has been yearning to do.

Start a new career. Learn a musical instrument. Travel around the world. What is stopping you today? What are you using as excuses?

Look around you now and see if your world view is cluttered and messy. Spend just a few minutes today thinking about ways that you can clear your vision, make room for your real purpose and get to work.