Enter the Wood (Green) Dragon: 2024
Happy Lunar New Year! Bonne Année Lunaire! Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! 新年快乐La version française est ci-dessousThe Wood Dragon officially landed on February 10th, 2024.What does this mean, and how might it affect your life?Each year of the Chinese Lunar Zodiac is comprised of three parts:One of the twelve animals (this year is Dragon) One of the five elements (this year is Wood) The colour of Wood is green Yin or yang (this year is Yang)These…
Welcome to the Year of the Yang Water Tiger!
Below are five tips to make the year of the Water Tiger a success! Each year of the Chinese Lunar Zodiac is comprised of three parts: One of the twelve animals (Tiger) One of the five elements (Water) Yin or yang (Yang)
Happy Lunar New Year of the Silver Ox!
The Year of the Metal Ox begins on Friday, February 12th, 2021, in celebration of the new moon. Following such a tumultuous year, this year's mantra is all about perseverance & letting go. Special attention should be paid to getting rid of clutter: not just material clutter, but emotional, relational, ideological & digital clutter. You are the Ox this year, working hard to slowly & steadily laying a foundation for future plans to blossom &…
The three pillars of immune health
Balancing your Immune System with Chinese Medicine By: Blaise T. Ryan, R.TCMP, R.Ac Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist If you want to improve your immunity to protect yourself from getting sick, here are some tips from Chinese medicine to boost your immune system. First, you have to understand that according to classical Chinese medicine, your body’s immune system is determined by the health of three main organ systems in the body: the Lungs,…
Five Healthy Winter Breakfast Ideas
5 Healthy Breakfasts Perfect for Winter By: Blaise T. Ryan, R.TCMP, R.Ac Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ancestral Nutrition. 1. 10-Min Oatmeal with Chia Seeds, Hemp Hearts & Maple Syrup This quick and easy breakfast is as simple as it sounds. All you need are the following ingredients, keeping in mind that the quantities vary according to preference: – Organic Oats (not quick oats, the ones you have…
6 Tips to Nourish the Spleen in the Long-Summer
“The Long-Summer corresponds to the Spleen & Stomach and the element of Earth” – Traditional Chinese Medicine Fundamentals The Spleen builds the Qi and the Blood. It supports the Immune System. The 5 Element System includes a fifth season that we know in the West as ‘Indian Summer’. The Chinese call this season the “Long Summer”, and it corresponds to the element of Earth and the Spleen and Stomach. Just around the corner we have…
5 Chinese Medicine Tips to Keep Cool in a Heat Wave
Excessive heat in the summer months can cause rashes, heatstroke, dehydration and even death. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long recognized the negative health effects of excessive heat in the body. Heat not only comes from outside, but inside too. Internal heat can be generated by certain foods, emotions and organ dysfunction. If you already have some internal heat in your body, then when it gets hot out, you suffer more. If you’ve visited my…
3 Steps to Treating Environmental and Seasonal Allergies with Traditional Chinese Medicine
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the body is always engaged in a battle between “True Energy” and Evil Energy.” It may sound biblical, but it has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do the healthy balance within the body. “True Energy”, known as Zheng Qi in Chinese Medicine, is inseparable from the immune system. It’s what empowers the body to heal itself and ward off bacterias, viruses or allergens. Evil Energy, known…
14 Habits for Good Health, Longevity & Happiness
Health is a journey of continual balance and adjustment. The ancient Chinese realized this through the yin and yang theory. Yin and yang represent the dualistic nature of reality: Night and day, up and down, dark and light, positive and negative, hot and cold, active and passive, etc. Chinese medicine is about maintaining your balance while these opposing energies are pulling you this way and pushing you that way. In today’s modern world, our days…
How does Acupuncture Work?
Watch this BBC documentary about the science of acupuncture As part of the documentary, you will see an young women having an open heart surgery without any anaesthetics, using just acupuncture, a 3,000 years old medical procedure. You will also see how it helps to treat migraines and many other conditions. Millions people have started believing that acupuncture works better than conventional medicine. This documentary explains about astonishing healing power of acupuncture and its booming…
6 Natural Ways to Protect Yourself Against Colds, Coughs & The Flu using Chinese Medicine.
6 Ways to Help Your Immune System Fend Off Colds, Coughs and Flu Symptoms By: Blaise T. Ryan, R.TCMP, R.Ac Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist Colds, coughs and the flu virus can affect us at any time of year. Some of us are more prone to catching them than others. Sometimes minor colds or stubborn coughs can linger for weeks, or escalate into a full-blown infection and knock us out of commission. Sometimes they come…
Acupuncture for Seasonal Transitions
(FRANÇAIS ci-dessous) … Seasonal transitions are not always easy for even the healthiest of people. Especially this time of year when the days are getting shorter, Vitamin D is in short supply and our bodies shirk away from the cold winds of winter. Traditional Chinese medicine understands how these seasonal changes affect the mind and body through the 5 element and yin-yang theory. Each season correlates to a different element, different organs and correspond to different…