Ways To Ring In The Chinese New Year

Ways To Ring In The Chinese New Year

Cleaning

Part of celebrating the Chinese New Year (February 19) involves cleaning. Traditionally, homes are cleaned before the New Year, but sweeping and dusting isn't done until the third day after New Year out of fear that good fortune will be swept away. The floors can be swept, starting by brushing the dust and dirt towards the middle of the house or building. Once the debris is piled into the center, it's moved to the corners where it remains until the fifth day, at which point it can be thrown out.

Decorating

Whether you intend on hosting an extravagant New Year's Eve party with dozens of friends, or you plan on having a low-key evening with your family, you should decorate your home to reflect this ceremonial event. Some traditional decorative practices for the Chinese New Year include the use of red lanterns, couplets, door god designs, and images of the upcoming year's Chinese astrology animal (hint: 2015 is Year of The Goat).

Fireworks

We can't talk about ways to ring in the Chinese New Year without mentioning fireworks. This joyful practice is said to expunge the old year while welcoming the new one. Traditional belief is that all doors and windows should be left open on midnight New Year's Eve so the old year can go out. Just remember to close them back once the celebration is over!

Don't Wash Your Hair

If there's one day you shouldn't wash your hair, it's on February 19. Traditional Chinese belief states that washing your hair on New Year's will wash away your good fortune. So lay off on washing your hair until the second arrives.

Wear Red

When you're choosing an outfit to wear on New Year's, look for something red. Red is symbolic of happiness and longevity, and wearing it is believed to bring a similar future to the individual. This is the reason why you see so many people dressed in red during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Don't Use Knives

Lastly, avoid using knives on New Year's Day. You may find it difficult to prepare food, but traditional Chinese superstition states that using knives on February 19 “cuts” off a person's good fortune. Whether or not there's any truth to these superstitions is debatable. But given the fact that people have followed these traditions for centuries, it's probably a good idea to follow them.

Food for Body, Mind, Spirit

The Gift of Sharing
As you may already know, word of mouth is the best form of advertising. My practice does not rely on advertising alone in order to grow. It relies upon something that is more important and priceless-–You! Without you, and people like you, this practice would not exist. When people talk, others listen. A recommendation from You is more powerful than ANY form of advertising.

By sharing your experience with your family and friends, you are spreading the gift of health!

One great way to do this is by staying alert.

How often do you hear people complain about their health when you are out in the world?

When you hear this, you can share your story with them. Mention how you have been helped thorough acupuncture care, and if you wish, give a brief explanation of how it works. Then you can let them know that they can contact us if they want a consultation. You can even take a few extra business cards to hand out.

Rest assured that by sharing your success with acupuncture care, you can help change the life of another in a positive and healthful way. We will certainly treat your friends and family members with the utmost respect and provide them with superior care.

As Dr. B.J. Palmer once said, “you never know how far reaching something you may say, think or do today may affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”

Thanks for sharing and offering the gift of health to others!

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

Chinese Lunar New Year

Chinese Lunar New Year:

It’s about a month into the New Year. Do you already wish you had a do-over for your New Year’s Resolutions?

If so, you’re in luck.  You do.

February 19th is the Chinese lunar New Year.  The celebration of the New Year, the Spring Festival, is China’s longest and most important holiday.  Because it is based on a different calendar, it falls on a different date between January 21 and February 20 every year.  You can think of Spring Festival as Christmas and New Year all rolled into one.  Just like our holiday season, it’s a time of celebration, visiting family and friends, giving gifts and preparing for the next year.

Chinese Lunar New Year:   Spring Festival

In China, there are many New Year’s traditions during the 15-day Spring Festival.  Many people clean their homes to sweep away the past year and usher in the next.  Oftentimes family members travel home for a visit.  Children receive red envelopes, called hóngbāo in Mandarin, filled with money from their relatives. People hang red lanterns outside their homes to bring happiness and good luck.  On Chinese New Year’s Eve families gather for a huge meal and enjoy “lucky” foods together.  And, of course, there are fireworks.

The Chinese zodiac has 12 years in its cycle, each one represented by an animal; 2015 is the Year of the Goat.  Astrologers say that people born in the Year of the Goat are gentle mild-mannered, shy, stable, sympathetic with a strong sense of kindheartedness.

They are creative, have perseverance and acquire professional skills very well. They are strong on the inside and with a sense of resilience and defensive instincts.

They are often quiet and reserved and prefer to be in groups rather than being the center of attention. They enjoy spending times in their own thoughts.

Recommit to Your New Year’s Resolutions

The Chinese do not traditionally make New Year’s Resolutions like we do in the west, however this is a good time to reflect on the goals you set a month ago. Are you keeping your New Year’s resolutions?

If you’re having trouble, maybe it’s time to take a lesson from the Goats.  Take a quiet moment and reflect on what is stopping you.  Do you need to get serious?  Do you need additional support?  Are your goals genuine—do you want to do them or do you think you should do them? Why haven’t you kept your New Year’s Resolutions?

If your resolutions include improving your health in 2015, I can help you with that.  Give me a call and we can arrange an appointment for anything from a tune-up to weight control to mood balancing.

If you need to make a deeper commitment to your resolutions, take a moment and think about what you need to do to keep them.  Write down 3 easy action steps.

…and do them.  Now.

Use the Chinese lunar New Year as a do-over.  Commit to your New Year’s resolutions.

Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái.  Happy New Year.

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA.

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

The Dangers of Hydraulic Fracturing aka "Fracking" and natural Methods to Rebalance the Body

            It was discovered over 150 years ago that natural gas was an unwanted product that flowed from “oil sands” being tapped for their oil supply.  Soon after this discovery, natural gas was used to fuel gas lights and then also as heat source.

Today natural gas is a fuel that has widespread use including heating homes and fuel for electric generating plants as an alternative to coal and nuclear sources. 

Drilling for natural gas is not a new phenomenon.  What is new is the combination of horizontal drilling technology for natural gas combined with hydraulic fracturing also known as “fracking” from subsurface sandstone and deep from shale rock.

Natural gas flows freely from oil sandstone, but shale rock must be broken or fractured to provide pathway for the gas to migrate to the well.  During the process of fracking, high pressure is used to pump water, sandand or ceramic pellets, and chemicals down a bored hole into the gas bearing shale rock.  The sand or ceramic pellets prop open the fractures in the rock.   Oil, gas and the pumped water flows to the well and is recovered on the surface.

The bored hole used for fracking goes down 6-10,000 feet ( 1-2 miles) to the oil and gas bearing reservoir.  Naturally occurring toxicants that are from deep in the earth, ie. heavy metals, volatile organics and radioactive compounds are also mobilized during gas extraction and return to the surface. 

Some of the naturally occurring toxins and radioactive compounds include- arsenic, lead, strontium, barium, benzene, chromium, radium-226, radon-222, uranium-238 amongst others.

Even though these materials are all toxic, the current standards state, “drilling fluids, produced wastes and other wastes associated with the exploration, development and production of natural gas…. are considered solid wastes which are not hazardous wastes.”

This allows the water waste solutions to be spread on roads as deicing solutions and as solutions to minimize dust.  The wastewater is often stored in open well pads which can readily spill into nearby well water, soil and animal grazing pastures.  Volatile compounds like benzene arsine become airborne and effect air quality and health of adjacent communities.  

The fracking process takes place over 2-5 days, but one well may be used multiple times over the 25-40 year lifespan of a well.

There are almost 1,000 products used in natural gas production.  Of these, about 650 are chemicals.  About 90% of these chemicals have at least one known potential health effect on the body.  Almost half are known to disrupt the endocrine system, affecting development and reproduction.

The endocrine system is the bodily system of glands and hormones that regulate body growth, response to stress, sexual development and behavior, production and use of insulin, rate of metabolism, intelligence and behavior and ability to reproduce.  The endocrine system operates at very low concentration of hormones, making it very susceptible to damage at very low exposure to harmful chemicals.

 

Affects of exposure on the endocrine system include reduced sperm production, infertility, hormone imbalances and other effects on the glands (pineal, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals, ovaries, testes).  These affects may not show up for years after exposure.

Immediate symptoms seen are: 

• burning eyes, rashes, coughs, sore throats, asthma-like effects, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, tremors and convulsions. 
• Cancer, organ damage, and harm to the endocrine system may not appear for months or years.

Many chemicals affect more than one system of the body.

•  Over 75% are associated with skin, eye or sensory organ effects, respiratory effects, gastrointestinal or liver effects
•  Half effects the brain and nervous system
• About 40% effect the immune system and kidneys
• Half effect the cardiovascular system and blood
•  25% are linked to various types of cancer 
• 30% are linked to genetic  mutations
• Approximately 210 chemicals are water soluble
• 131 are volatile (are easily airborne)
• The volatile chemicals produce higher percentage of affects on the organ systems of the body because they can be inhaled, swallowed and also reach the skin

Knowledge is power and we have natural remedies and health regimens to help protect yourself if exposed to the chemicals released during fracking.

The following Herbal Teas are available to offset the effects of fracking on the body:

• Seven Seeds
•  Men’s Formulas
• Women’s Formula
• Lung Builder  
• Heart Care 
• Liver Care
• Kidney Care
• Good Digestion
• Anti-Tumor Formula
• Man Power

Below are lists of other herbs, foods and essential oils to include in your health regimen:

Endocrine Restoring Herbs

• Astragulus
• Ashwanganda
• White ginseng
• Red ginseng
• Siberian ginseng
• Rhodiola
• Gynostemma

Liver Herbs

• Burdock root- cleanse the liver and lymph 
• Dandelion root- detoxifies and nourishes
• Nettle leaf- liver and blood tonic, especially for women
• Seaweed
• Wild Yam- important hormone precursors
• Yellowdock- tonic herb for the liver and cleanser, blood and overall health

Liquid minerals- cellular function, enzyme production

To Encourage Proper Hormone health

• Keep the liver clean
• Consume enzyme rich foods- raw foods
• High fiber diet
•  Avoid processed foods, foods grown with chemicals, body and hair products with chemicals and use of any synthetic chemicals.

Essential Oils for Endocrine Health

• Tea Tree
• Cardamom
• Melissa
• Myrtle
• Niaouli
• Orange

Juicing

• Alfalfa- high in minerals
• Asparagus- kidney health
• Beet juice- anti-cancer
• Brussel sprouts- pancreas health
• Celery juice- for the skin- eczema and psoriasis
• Cucumber- skin health
• Potato juice- heavy metal detoxification
• Radish juice- thyroid balancing
• Tomato juice- liver health
• Wheatgrass, Barley grass- High in chlorophyll, blood building and cleaning

The (Video) Game of Life

     The video games that I like to play are word games, "brain teasers", and puzzles.  I am not into action video games.  They can take a long time to master and I get frustrated with them quickly.  Also, once I start playing, i want to beat the game.  This ends up being way too time consuming for me and I always seem to have a bunch of other stuff that I "should" be doing. 

     Saying all of the above,  i find that video games are a form of meditation for some people.  Have you noticed how focused a person is when they are playing video games?  They are in a whole other world and the present one around them disappears into oblivion. You can walk into the room where they are and go unnoticed!  It is them and the game. 

     Each person should create their own hi-def video "game of life", and play it until they figure out how to win.  The same focus that one has on a game is able to be used at any task at hand when one figures out how to redirect and apply that energy. 

     Think of how proud parents would be if their children (or the parents themselves!) were as focused on their studies and work as they were on "farm heroes saga".  How satisfying would it be if you walked into the room and your children were so deep into a math problem that they didn't even see you.

     What if you were as passionate about your life goals as you were about beating your buddies in "words with friends"? (smh at those that who used cheat apps) 

     How about being as set on reaching that next level for yourself as you were on the next level of "candy crush"?

     No judgement, just something to think about. 

     Take a sec and notice the "zone" that you are in when you are playing games while passing time on train home and see how you are able to take that same zone to other parts of life.

     Next, take a minute to think about what you would do as "work" all day even if you weren't getting paid for it (just like we don't get paid for playing games).  What you would do without getting paid is your "passion".  Figure out how you can get paid for your passion and make this your "game of life" and "game for life". 

     Play to win and win the game.