Thanksgivings

Hello All out In Blog-land:

Celebrating Thanksgiving this year felt a little different to me than from previous years and as I took a casual poll from patients, friends and people out in the work force, it seems that indeed, there was more of a sense of “getting through it”, more dread,  and an extremely low quotient of gratitude (save for the fact that it would be soon enough over).  I’m not going to attempt to figure out if this was an actual national trend or not, but I am wondering if part of this holiday remorse  was not due to the slow killing off the old fashioned feast of the harvest and its pagan origins by the onslaught of the “holiday season” especially “Black Friday”.

I must have deleted at least 20 emails today alone from aggressive merchandisers who want to make sure I won’t forget their huge sale, best deals ever, the sun-moon & stars of shopping nirvana taking place right now at the malls or online with just a click….

When I theorized to my bank teller Wednesday about how Black Friday might be responsible for adding to the malaise of Turkey Day she agreed and mentioned that her roommate who works in retail had to go to work Thanksgiving at midnight which prevented her from attending her regular family celebration.  I am sure she is far from the only one with this scenario.

Along with the hounding of retailers to get us out there pounding the concrete with fists full of dollars or using our credit cards on incredible online deals, there is also the annoying and consistent trend that has increasingly menaced our thankfulness of the encroaching Christmas season.  Halloween is now when we receive the earliest warnings of early Christmas, although the message is out even before the pumpkins have been carved.

The late John O’Donahue, one of my most cherished Teachers speaks about the spiritual hunger of our (American) culture.  ”There is a fierce hunger for spirit at the heart of an American culture that has lost all belief in the old language about God. That language no longer resonates for most Americans, nor leads them to wells of nourishment.” It is perhaps more than a little ironic that our founding
holiday of Thanksgiving is seemingly on the verge of dissolving into a precursor day to Black Friday, an eating binge of empty calories and credit debt.

Still 29 more shopping days till Christmas…..

Namaste!

Kay

Spring Time Flowers Brings on Sneezes…..

Welcome to Spring time in the rainy NorthWest!  The old adage “April showers brings May flowers” takes on a slightly worrisome tone for allergy sufferers.  This year, why not toss out the old boxes of liver/kidney toxic allergy pills: they don’t work anyways, or else you wouldn’t be sneezing with eyes watering, nose running etc.  Why not try a new approach that really does work holistically and without negative side effects?!  Chinese Medicine has the answers!  We use acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition to effectively support what we call the “lung system”, and in so doing, we increase immunity and thereby strengthen your body’s natural response system by cleaning out the old dirty filter (the liver) and unblocking previously blocked “Qi” (life force) so it can regain health and balance.  The most effective way of getting rid of seasonal allergies is to treat it the season just before it is at it’s worst.  For instance, for grass allergies, NOW is the optimum time to get treated.  Receiving weekly acupuncture  during the pre-season is the recommended way to start, along with taking herbs which are safe, easy to swallow, effective and inexpensive.  There are also nutritional guidelines that I work with as we customize a program which brings great results so you can enjoy your life and feel greater energy without needing so much kleenex!   Call or check out our on-line schedule at www.kayfields.com.  We take all insurance and are now offering a $5 off coupon for continuing patients and $20 off for new patient visits for the month of May!  Take advantage and feel better!

Life After the 10 day detox….

This is just a brief post to note some of the positive aspects of having done a short and sweet 10-dayer….

As I have already noted, this was not the ultimate cleanse experience.  Having done a longer and more difficult detox a year ago, I feel as though this was icing on the cake.  However, this version has merit.  One, it was easy to do.  The protein smoothies were good and satisfying and since I could have all the veggies I could eat (green variety) with an avocado,  a yam and a cup of quinoa a day, I had no problem finding things to eat and again, was satisfied and didn’t feel restricted, the bane of existence for any dieter/detoxer.  Two, I am sure that for people who regularly eat in a less than healthy manner (too much, too sweet/fried/too fast etc), that even this short 10 day period would provide them with positive results.  The Ka Formula website has cardiologists, other medical doctors and patients all presenting the benefits from lowered cholesterol and/or blood pressure, weight loss, improved digestion and/or sleep, and all around feeling better.  My results were ok: I felt lighter,  which is good, but one of the most surprising aspects for me was that the detox in creating a lightness also I feel helped open up my pineal gland/ 3rd eye.

I did this detox intentionally so it would end before the fall equinox (9/22/10) which is when I had planned a little personal retreat to Mt. Shasta.  I must say, that I experienced a certain ease in everything and that my meditations were more peaceful and my intuition seemed to guide me better!

Mt Shasta was a great experience, by the way, and I whole heartedly recommend this oasis as a great point of destination for an individual, couple or group.  I will write more about that trip soon, but I would love to hear about any of your detox experiences, positive and negative.   Each springtime I always do a presentation on detoxing and I like to offer tips to my patients and to the people who come to hear these talks.  A big factor is how to make it EASY and effective, and with these goals in mind, I think that my 10er receives good marks in both areas.  But everything is relative, so I would like to know YOUR experience.  What worked, what didn’t, and what do YOU want  as far as result?  Please I would love to hear about it!

Hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful weather!

Sign in and let me know about your detox!

Love and Light,

Kay

Day 9 of 10 Day Detox

I was really hoping that I’d have all these inspiring and life changing reactions to this cleanse that I’ve now been on for 9 official days, and about 2 weeks total in terms of laying off all of my most cherished addictions. But I must fess up that I did a fairly limiting cleanse about 1 year ago which was equally restrictive and not so much fun for a lot longer time. Now on THAT one, I will say that I did have major changes in how I felt, looked and mostly how my body reacted in a very, shall we say, biological way. So since I did that cleanse for almost 2 months, I think that it did the major work and this is just a tune up. Like when you take your car to get a full detail: that is WOW!…it’s so clean. Then, a few weeks later it gets dirty again and you wash it: it still looks so much better after the detail then if you had only kept on washing it. You get my point.

So I know that there is value to doing the detox, or I wouldn’t have done it. After all, I’m not a masochist! But, in actuality, although you can improve many issues with such a cleanse/detox (I use these terms synonymously), I actually think that the anti-inflammatory diet might be better for your health, food combining better for loosing weight, Glycemic Index diet better for lowering insulin resistance which can help loose weight, although a good liver or gallbladder cleanse can certainly help flush these two important organs and give them a well needed rest. So there is certainly benefits. And, admittedly, I didn’t do any base line measurements before this cleanse, so it is possible that I could have lowered my cholesterol, my blood pressure doesn’t need lowering, I might have lost some weight (not perceptibly) , and maybe my liver is whistling dixie that I gave it the equivalent of a ticket to Maui….

So far I had no crashes, cravings, skin brake outs, elimination issues, fatigue or any of the other nefarious reactions associated with liver cleansing. I can say that my hand/wrist pain was reduced to almost zero during the almost completed 10 days. So I can’t complain….

or can I?

That’s maybe one of the worst aspects of doing this type of voluntary cleanse: no one has any sympathy for you! You are good company however since you are a cheap date, one less person to share the bottle with, and one less spoon for that dessert plate…..

Well maybe all the incredible benefits will make themselves known POST the 10 day period. You will have to tune in here to find out….

Walking the Walk: Day 4 of my Detox!

Thank You For Checking In To My Blog:

As a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, balance is my pervasive goal for my patients, but it is also MY personal goal, and since I try to take my own advice, I am doing a cleansing detox to transition for the equinox as summer ends and fall begins.

Why am I detoxing and how am i doing it are the most common questions I am asked. Why detox? Let me count the ways…

There are the physical reasons, like the fact that I am lowering my intake of toxins so my digestive organs can take a break, including my overtaxed liver.  In so doing, i am also cleansing my intestines, moving my lymph (as the body’s processing is accelerated, more things move including the blood as the body flushes out, and I also do dry brushing to specifically help circulate and move the lymph).

That is one level of the physical part, but as it turns out the cleanse has also all but eliminated the pain from my recent wrist/hand injury.  I have been receiving treatment (acupuncture, chiropractic and therapeutic massage), which all aided to reduce the pain down to a dull roar, but virtually ended with the detoxing).

Last of the benefits from a physical perspective is that I have received so many compliments about my skin glowing and how it has reduced puffiness below my eyes,  and  I have already lost weight, which of course are all desirable results!

On the mental level the detox has provided me with extra energy, increased concentration although I must admit that on the negative side, I do feel a bit more easily irritated, probably due to the extreme restriction of the diet, but hey, no one said a detox is easy.

On that note, let’s discuss what type of detox I am doing.  I looked into several of the naturopathic-quality protein supplements and detox programs and decided, on the recommendation of a friend, to try Ka Formula’s 10 day program. Theirs was a little more expensive but I liked their ingredients,  it was quick, simple, and my friend had good results and found it easy to stick with, as did many of her clients. They also include fiber and greens supplemental capsules to take with the twice daily smoothies you make with their protein powder.  But like most cleanses, it is what you AVOID more than what you take in that matters, although I find the protein powder smoothies helps me so I’m never hungry and feel good.

So, here’s the fun part: what I can and can’t eat/drink.  All the usual suspects to avoid are on the short list: dairy, alcohol, caffeine (except green tea 3 times max/day) sugar, processed anything, fats (with the exception of a little olive oil and 1 avocado/day), night shades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers), breads, crackers, pastas, meats/poultry/fish, sodas, and all canned or processed foods.  And THAT’s the SHORT list!  This diet goes beyond and for the first 5 days allows none of the above nor the following: nuts, soy, eggs, corn, bananas (high sugar content), citrus except lemon, dried fruits, grains (wheat, oat, barley, white rice).

What is left from this list to consume may be a logical question.  On the “Do” list is: organic vegetables and fruits at a 2 to 1 ratio of veggies to fruit per meal. The first 5 days are restricted to veggies and fruits, 1 cup of quinoa/day (a grain that happens to be a protein),  limit of 1 per day avocado and yam. Since they are so nice, they allow you a treat of 1 square of dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao) daily.  You start your day with warm lemon water (which has an alkalizing effect) , a fruit smoothie for breakfast with the green/fiber caps, all the veggies you can eat for lunch (preferably steamed and you can go wild and add olive oil, lemon and sea salt and pepper to spice things up (-: ). Late afternoon smoothie  w/ supplementary caps (I take mine at 3), green tea and a square of chocolate around 4:30, and again, go wild with veggies and quinoa for dinner and voila!

So I have now completed day 4., and I must admit, I feel pretty good!  Surprisingly I do not crave anything and since I am working and having to cook for my kids when I come home, I feel maybe a little tired and bored with the food limitations, but otherwise, I’m not feeling restricted like a diet.  If I had more time to follow some of the “chef’s recipes that come in the accompanying brochure, like “Risotto-style Quinoa with mushroom and Truffle Oil”, maybe I could stay on this all year, but then again, I doubt it….

To Note: I have lost 2 lbs so far, have had no “withdrawl” symptoms or headaches and no cravings.  Tomorrow is day 5 and I don’t work so maybe I will have time to make something yummy. Friday, day 6, I can start eating non-farmed, coldwater fish (the least toxic varieties like  wild salmon, anchovies, sardines, sole and scallops.) I look forward to consuming the smoothies since they are tasty and filling.  I drink tons of water since it helps things move, and I do a dry brushing daily to move the lymph.

I will write again after I complete the 10day period, but the diet doesn’t necessarily “end” there since it is beneficial to add things slowly back to see if any of them trigger allergic reactions or sensitivities.  If they don’t  and you can manage them in moderation, then you have a good base-line from which to plan your diet for the winter months that come.  If you do notice adverse reactions when you add back certain food triggers, then it’s a good idea to banish them forever, for these are often the culprits which create inflammation and ultimately can lead to chronic disease.

More on the benefits of my detox later, so stay tuned!

Regards,

Kay Fields, Licensed Acupuncturist

www.kayfields.com

503-295-7600

How We Heal

One of the truly most inspiring and amazing aspects of my work is the opportunity to witness my patients as they share their stories.  Initially, these tales frequently start within the parameters of  strains- pain- trauma muscular-skeletal style.  They are reported as “facts” : “too much sitting”, “went to India and never felt the same since”, “it started after an accident”, “two weeks ago and I’d never had back pain before”.   Chinese medicine trains us to chronicle these onset histories, but since this is a medicine of spirit as much as it is of body and mind, we are apt to follow these mundane lines of questioning beyond the check boxes of where/when/how etc.  It is my experience that the greatest healing for many of my patients comes when we go a little beyond their data to see if there might be a hidden area that added to or sometimes even caused the event in the first place.

With one patient we discuss her difficulty loosing weight, along with other issues of body pain, fatigue, frequent headaches, insomnia, anxiety and digestive problems. As we continue the intake, I gently note a cast of “meek” anger and carefully and respectfully ask my questions and make sure she knows that she doesn’t have to say anything or answer at any time: the ball is in her court.  At a point in the interview she casually throws out that “I know my job is killing me”.  I glance at her and allow her to digest what she has just admitted to.  I repeat her words back to her so she gets it.  She DOES get it too.  Her eyes swell with tears as she accepts several tissues and dabs her panda eyes.  She can’t believe she just said that…

She explains through the tears that she can’t leave her job: that’s impossible: her husband (…….), the paycheck  (…….) There is no other job she is qualified for (……).  She believes her story.  However, she has just let the cat out of the bag: she knows that what she has said is equally true: that she is allowing this job to have a powerful negative effect on her health and well being.

We do acupuncture.  She takes an herbal formula to support her underlying imbalances that show up in her pulses.  We check in each time she comes in for a session and each time she learns to deepen her sense of relaxation and calm.   In time, as she gets progressively more balanced, layers start shifting: pain is cleared, many of the other symptoms also seem to ease.

Seven months later after she has stopped regular treatments, I get an email from her.  She is now living in the east coast with a new job, and pretty much a new life.  I re-read her description of how her life has changed, and it blows me away.

This is not witchcraft.  It’s the real magic of chinese medicine, and it works…..

Welcome to Shamanic Acupuncture!

What in the world was in my oatmeal this morning? Many of you may be wondering this (or worse thoughts of the effects of declining estrogen levels….)????  Shamanic Acupuncture?  What is that?

Worry not fair Patient; The two go together like yin and yang.  Chinese medicine was founded in a shamanic base: the idea of treating the body, mind and spirit and returning the soul of every organ to a place of harmony and balance.  Alchemy is the magic of our medicine in both traditional chinese medicine and in shamanism.  The Tao represents the representation of the object, yet it is NOT the object: it is again, the Soul level: not attainable in a material form.

The reason I am changing my practice to encompass this magical world of Shamanic healing with the equally powerful realm of chinese medicine is that this is where the deep and profound healing takes place that allows us to make the core changes that truly permits dis-ease to dis-integrate, and conversely allow EASE to  Integrate and heal us.

I am committed to working on this soul level now in these challenging times since just healing the body with needles seems insufficient.  I am finding that what serves my patients best is to support them on whatever level they need, but in so many cases, just listening to their unfulfilled dreams, frustrations and sometimes traumas has alerted me to see the parallels in my own healings where a more intrinsic intervention is the only cure.  Indeed, part of the healing starts just as we speak about the areas of our lives where we are feeling prisoners: where we are stuck, angry, hurt and/or all of the above!

Don’t get me wrong, chinese medicine is brilliant to clear up stagnation, pain, and certainly can change our outlook, restore our health as it promotes balance.  But this doesn’t address why we keep choosing those negative patterns, partners, etc.  How can we shift from these negative patterns if we are unconscious about how we continue to choose / attract them to us?  This is where shamanic work comes in.

I will write more about how and why I am incorporating this work into my practice in upcoming blogs.  I also encourage you, if you are interested, to read more about these various practices from my teachers who have written books on subjects as vast as how we can detoxify water through our thoughts (Medicine for the Earth), as well as Healing Toxic Thoughts (both by Sandra Ingerman), or dreaming our life as we want it (John Perkins “The World as you Dream It”.

In the meantime, I send you Blessings of Love and Light.

Kay Fields, Portland, OR