Marti

Summer of Joy

6/19/2017

This season your heart energy will expand and fill with joy. It’s Summer! Full and bright the Spring rains have brought about all the lush vegetation around us. Now is the time to stroll the farmer’s market and fill your baskets of all that is in season. Because this is the season of the heart, it’s also a good time to heal old wounds and open its chambers for new energy. Summer is a time of expansion, movement and activity. The days are at their longest and with more daylight we can all spend more time enjoying the company of those we love more. Life energies are at their peak so absorb all it has to offer.

If you are enjoying the abundance of the season and feeling energized and happy, your heart energy is balanced. Continue to feel this balance by keeping hydrated, waking early, resting at midday, adding pungent foods to your diet and refraining from anger. Because of the sweltering weather we are already predisposed to heat. Anger will only exacerbate it and take you off balance. Stay calm and cool as best you can. Eating a cooling meal of fresh raw foods and drinking lots of water will help with this.

Foods in season are apricots, strawberries, watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, snow peas, bitter gourd, cilantro, mint, and mung beans are a few of the foods this season to help keep you cool. Try to avoid oily foods and meats such as beef or chicken which can encourage heat. Food is medicine and by keeping a diet in harmony with the season will be beneficial for your health and spirit.

News Around the Clinic

After 9 1/2 years Dr. Elizabeth Korza will be moving on to other ventures in her healthcare practice. The Berkeley Integrative Medical Group will be missed. We are looking for another group of practitioners to occupy that lovely space upstairs at The Ashby Center of Complementary Medicine. If you know anyone who is seeking a new place to practice, please have them contact me about the details.

This past week I attended a memorial service for one of my Teachers Dr.Chiang Yun Chung. I am in deep gratitude for all the teachings I received from him over the past 20 years. He was a superb Chinese painter and calligrapher as well as practitioner of Chinese medicine and Tai chi master.

There is a tribute and art exhibit of his life works at the Chinese art gallery in Santa Clara through the end of this month. I highly recommend that you take the time to visit the gallery to absorb his magnificence.

I look forward to enjoying each beautiful day of this summer and hope to see you soon!

Best Wishes,

Marti

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Happy First Day of Spring!

3/20/2017

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Welcome today is the Vernal Equinox, better known as the First Day of Spring. Finally the sun is out more and the flowers are blooming. Spring is here. It’s the perfect time to take a walk in the beautiful Bay Area neighborhoods and hiking trails. Moderate exercise is key this season to better overall health. Spring is the ideal time to balance the Liver. The Liver is the body’s largest organ and its key function includes making, cleansing and filtering blood to eliminate toxins. In Chinese Medicine, the Liver’s energetic qualities are responsible for the easy flow of blood, energy and emotions throughout the body, mind and spirit.

Eating foods in season are always beneficial since it is Nature that provides us with these nutrients to keep us healthy. Green spring veggies and pungent foods like cabbage, spring onions, ginger, mint, horseradish and black pepper are recommended. When the Liver heat is present symptoms include anger, impatience, headaches, dizziness and high blood pressure. Eating sour and bitter foods which is yin and cooling will also greatly benefit the Liver by contracting, firming and drying the organ. This will strengthen tendons, improve bladder control, hemorrhoids and prolapsed conditions. Try grapefruit, lemon and dandelion greens.

Staying healthy this season include moderate exercise, eating fresh and pungent foods, letting go of the old (Spring cleaning spiritually) and drinking lots of water.

If you are feeling out of balance, it may also help to get a Spring Rejuvenation Acupuncture Treatment. There are 14 acupuncture points in the body that directly affect the Liver and a treatment can help to release blockages of Qi and blood in order to restore our balance with the season.

To your good health and happiness,

Best Wishes,

Marti

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Happy Year of the Fire Rooster!

1/27/2017

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2016 has finally passed. And as for the Tricky Monkey, the Proud Rooster will take its place on January 28th, 2017. The Rooster is the epitome of fidelity and punctuality. Its crowing is a time for us to wake up and become aware. The intense year of 2016 has shocked us enough to help us make some realizations. Rooster years are known to be filled with integrity and efficiency so hard work is the key to achieving success in this Chinese New Year. They say that the year of the Fire Rooster is a time when everyone receives what they deserve.

Because the Rooster is proud by nature, let's remember to strive harder to instill compassion and prevent polarizing across racial, philosophical, gender and class lines. The next four years will be a test of our ability to uphold the rights and freedoms that we all value.

In Health, keeping yourself well will also require hard work. A vitamin-rich clean diet, regular exercise and preventative medicine like acupuncture and massage is the smartest prescription in 2017.

Wishing you a healthy, happy and auspicious Chinese New Year!

Marti

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Happy Holidays!

12/26/2016

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As we find joy this holiday season surrounded by the warmth of our loved ones, let’s also send out that energy to all those who aren’t as fortunate and privileged as we are! This year has not been without its challenges but we can ‘blame’ it on the year of the Fire Monkey. Since the dark winter solstice is now behind us, days start to become longer and we can start looking ahead with slightly more optimism.

Nature is a reflection of our own bodies. As the energy and growth of the warm months fall away in Autumn, Winter is a time when everything returns to the earth to quietly nourish it. As for us, this colder season is a time for us to slow down and let go of our accumulated energies experienced through the past two seasons so that we can rest and restore our bodies and spirits. We celebrate, sharing warm nourishing food with those closest to us, acknowledging the efforts we made and the people we love. It’s also a good time to turn inward to reflect, pause and feel gratitude for all we have in our lives.

Winter is the perfect time to tonify the kidneys. Resting our bodies, relaxing the mind and eating foods that are in season are beneficial. Soups such as bone broths, dark colored foods such as beans and sea vegetables, and whole grains such as wild rice can strengthen this fundamental organ. The Kidneys are not only responsible for regulating urination, they also govern memory, metabolism, reproduction, development and longevity. Kidney energy is known to store our deepest essence which can determine our health, life span and aging process. Through meditation, Qi Gong and yoga and eating certain tonic foods high in essential fatty acids can enhance this energy. Stress, worry, overworking and too much sugar can deplete it.

Let us not forget about all the things that give us joy and continue to practice peace in our own lives. By acting locally, supporting organizations which are inclusive and compassionate, there is hope the energy we create will manifest nationally and globally. Reaching out and creating community in our lives, no matter what holiday we are celebrating can help us feel more able to move forward in these times. Love always prevails. Happy Holidays!

Best Wishes,

Marti

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Breathing in Autumn

9/23/2016

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Don’t be fooled by the sweltering weather we’ve been getting in the Bay Area the past few weeks. Autumn is here! This time of year brings a cooler breeze as well as the cold and flu season and helping your body defend from such ailments is one of the functions of the Lungs.

Because the climate is dry, your lungs have to work extra hard to make sure you stay healthy - which is why this is the optimal time to strengthen and treat imbalances in this organ. One of the easiest ways to nurture this delicate organ is by consciously breathing.

Too often we get caught up in our activities and only take shallow breaths throughout the day. Take time to be aware of your breath. This is easy to say but also easy to forget. Make a habit of remembering and create space for deep breathing wherever and whenever that may be.

Remind yourself to take at least one nourishing deep breath and maybe more will follow. If you have a hard time doing so, there is always an app to remind you. (Type in ‘deep breathing reminder’ in your App Store) Or, going to a yoga class will definitely remind you to breathe. Down below is a short video by Dr. Weil demonstrating the 4-7-8 relaxing yogic breath. Take a moment to follow his demo.

The food we eat is also a great way to strengthen the Lungs. Pungent and mildly spicy foods stimulate the lungs and move excessive mucus. Onions, garlic, cabbage radishes, turnips, mustard are considered pungent foods. Eating these foods regularly this season will encourage better lung function. Foods that moisten dry air passages that cause a dry cough include yams, cabbage, peppermint, Asian pear, lemon, carrots and persimmons. The color of the season and the Lungs is white, so as a general rule any white food eaten is beneficial. Take a look at the Burdock and Hijiki recipe on this blog. Click HERE!

Come and get a treatment to help strengthen your lungs this season!

Blessings and Best Wishes,

Marti

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Gobo (Burdock) Root and Hijiki Saute

9/23/2016

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Ingredients:

One burdock root scrubbedd and shaved like you shave a pencil
1/4 cup dried Hijiki soaked for 30 minutes in 1 cup of water
6 shitake mushrooms sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 carrots sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 stalks celery sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 quarter slices of ginger minced
Braggs amino acid 1T.
1 T. Mirin (Sweetened Sake)
!/4 cup olive oil or sesame oil

Steps:

1. Begin by sauteing garlic and ginger in oil of choice. Next add shitake mushrooms and saute until glistening.
2. Add shaved burdock root ,carrot,celery and soaked Hijiki and continue to cookt vegetables with oil and spices.
3. Next add Braggs, and Mirin and continue to slowly simmer for about 30 minutes or until Burdock root is done.

Enjoy :-]

Marti

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Late Summer: The Fifth Season

8/21/2016

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Late August is a lovely time of year. There is a lull in activity after the excitement and energy of the summer. School resumes and routines refocused . Fruits are almost at their sweetest and ripest. Everyone has come home from family vacations and it’s a time of rest before the fall breeze blows through.

In TCM, this is the Fifth Season. It’s the last few weeks of summer right before the fall equinox. It’s a time of transition from the energizing, active Yang of the Summer to the cool, reflective Yin of Autumn. The weather changes and the amount of sunlight we get begins to dim.

Earth is the element that rules this transitional season. The Stomach and Spleen are the organs that need support and strengthening. Earth guides our ability to think clearly and too much over-thinking and planning can also be adverse for our digestive function and processing center. An imbalance in Earth can lead to worry or obsession, but balance in Earth gives a sense of calm, clarity and adaptability. Now is a good time to start or restart a meditative practice which can include doing yoga, a daily walk, tuning into your breathing a few minutes at a time or just cooking a good nourishing meal.

Luckily there are a variety of fruits and vegetables that are available and abundant at this time of year. When these organs are vital and in balance we are able to nourish ourselves and those around us.

In order to strengthen and stabilize the digestive organs it’s a good idea to start incorporating warming foods that support the Earth element. Be careful not to impair your digestive system with too many cooling and sweet foods like ice cream and refined/processed foods which can leave you foggy-headed and lethargic.

Eating whole grains like millet, a variety of legumes, full sweet foods such as whole fruit and cooked food especially soup will aid in the strengthening. When you’re cooking add in warm and neutral pungents. Warm pungents include: onions, cabbage, brussel sprouts, coriander, mustard leaf, ginger, lavender, oregano, basil, tarragon, rosemary, sage, bell peppers, parsnips, and tea tree. Neutral pungents include: sweet potatoes, turnips, coriander and taro. Using these ingredients regularly this season will help to create a deep overall warmth that tonify and move out phlegm from the Spleen.

Although you can strengthen the Earth element at anytime, the Season of Late Summer is a particularly beneficial time to clear phlegm/damp and create stability in the body.

As a time of change and transition moving from Summer to Fall, this elusive season that doesn’t have an exact time but we all feel, gives us space to reflect on the experiences we’ve had over the Summer, process what we’ve learned and move into the more introspective part of the year. The emotions of Earth are sympathy, compassion and nurturing. Consider offering these feelings to yourself and if you are thinking of offering it to others, volunteering in late summer is a good season to make that intention real.

Offer yourself an acupuncture treatment to help balance your energy before moving into the Fall Season.

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The Year of the Fire Monkey

2/15/2016

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Monday, February 8, 2016 is the second new moon following the winter solstice. This is the Chinese New Year and the start of the spring festival in Asian cultures. In this new year, the stubborn but gentle Wood Sheep steps aside to make room for the lively Fire (Red) Monkey.

Each year of the Chinese calendar corresponds to one of the twelve animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and the pig). Besides the animal, we also cycle through each of the Five elements (fire, earth, mental, water, and wood) to create a full 60 year cycle.

The Monkey is strong metal element, with Yang fire sitting on top of metal. As such, we are moving into the passionate and generous realm of heart-center Fire. Wood feeds Fire in the nurturing cycle of the Five Elements, so any new choices or decisions made in the past two years will ripen and bear their fruits in 2016 and 2017. If we allowed our True Selves to make those choices, the harvest will be delightful to us and the generous nature of Fire will encourage us to share the abundance of whatever we manifest.

Do not forget, Yin and Yang always want to strike a balance. This is a good time to schedule an acupuncture tune-up series to give yourself some extra nurturing and care in the midst of this high energy year.

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Marti Lee Kennedy, L.Ac., O.M.D

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Autumn and Pranayama: Feel clear minded everyday!

10/5/2015

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Since the seasonal change to autumn, we are trying to be more conscious about breath. The focus this time of year is on the lung energy and proper breathing helps to cleanse them and bring more energy to the entire body. Pranayama are breathing exercises which are therapeutic to the body and mind. One exercise known as alternate nostril breathing is dramatically helpful in calming the mind and your healing process. Here are the steps to follow to experience pranayama:

1. Using the thumb of your right hand, close off the right nostril and inhale the air through the left nostril while counting OM four times mentally.

2. Retain the air while counting OM eight times. Release the right nostril, close off the left nostril, close off the left with the ring finger of your right hand and exhale through the right nostril while counting eight times.

3. Now, without stopping inhale through the right nostril for eight counts and as you finish your last count, close off the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril. This is one full round.

Alternate in the same pattern. Practice fifteen to twenty rounds daily. See the difference in how you'll feel in just one session!

Best Wishes,

Marti

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