Lowering stress boosts immunity. Stress reduction can involve getting relief from a stressful situation. It can also be taking quiet time for yourself, like a walk in the woods, noticing everything around you. Activity can also release pent-up emotions in a healthy way, like a vigorous walk, swimming, or similar activities that get you breathing deeply.

 Many people have sinus issues. Sinuses are cavities in the face made of bone, lined with mucous membranes. The job of mucous membranes is to make mucous, so that anything foreign can be wrapped in mucous and escorted out through the nose or down the throat into the stomach. When all is working well, mucous is thin and does its job efficiently. Any intruding virus, allergen or irritant ( like smoke) is quickly dispatched.

 Problems happen when the secretions are thick. The process is slowed and the mucous becomes like a stagnant pond where bacteria can grow.

 Treatments aim to thin secretions and encourage the flow of mucous. Primary treatments include drinking water to stay hydrated, eating garlic, pepper and onions, which also thin secretions.

 Rinsing with saline (salt water) also aid to wash the sinuses like tears wash the eyes.

Saline is best when made fresh every day to avoid growing germs in the solution. Put the cup up to your nose, close one nostril and breathe in the saline. Do each side as much as desired, then blow gently.

A simple recipe is:

¼ teaspoon salt (preferably without iodine)

1 cup warm water

pinch baking soda (for pH balancing)

 Movement of the secretions is encouraged by simple massage or acupuncture to points on the forehead and/or cheeks and near the nose. Distant points like in the web between the thumb and forefinger may also be used with acupuncture or acupressure. Tuning forks also can help the process.

 Herb formulas are designed to help at different stages. One helps when the secretions are clear and another when they have turned yellow.

 Homeopathic remedies like Sinusalia by Borion provides relief from the symptoms.

 It is optimum to have several options to treat sinus conditions so that you can have relief!

In the not-so-distant past people probably slept when the sun went down and rose at sunrise. That means that we would have slept considerably more during the Winter than the Summer. Our current lifestyle usually does not accommodate that type of behavior. We are expected to do many things at night and rise, with the help of a trusty alarm clock, well before the sun does.

Lunar changes may also affect us in ways we don’t often associate. People often have more energy around the full moon and less at new moon. Circadian rhythms blend with the earth’s natural ebb and flow.

Poor sleep can mean trouble getting to sleep, waking easily, trouble falling back to sleep, or waking without feeling rested. Many causes include:

• Forcing ourselves to work or participate in other activities during times our body needs rest
• Too much caffeine or stimulants
• Overeating, especially at night
• Lack of exercise during the day
• Worry, fears or anxious thoughts
• Changes (new bed, loss of sleeping partner, staying in a motel or different environment)
• Pain
• Bladder or bowel needs during sleep hours
• Coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing
• Medication
• Alcohol may induce sleep, but it is often not restorative because of not getting to deep sleep.

Treatment options without sleeping pills include:

• Getting in touch with your own rhythms and honoring them as much as you choose.
• Treating whatever is keeping you awake, like pain.
• Get your bedroom to be as “yin” as possible: dark, quiet, cool and soothing.
• Avoid doing anything “yang” in your bedroom, such as paying bills or watching TV, especially exciting or violent shows. The news can keep you awake with worry. Consider taking a break from the news.
• At the end of the day, spend a few minutes evaluating the day. Congratulate yourself on the ways you showed love, even to yourself. Review any changes you want to make. Journaling sometimes helps.
• Create a routine at bedtime, which could include a warm bath, quiet music, gentle Qi Gong or other movement and prayer or inner reflection. Rubbing the bottoms of your feet can be very relaxing before bed.
• Keep paper by your bed in case your grocery list or “to do” list keeps you awake. Simply write them down, so you’ll have it tomorrow.
• Be grateful in advance for a good night’s sleep. Worry about getting enough sleep is enough to keep you up.
• If you wake at 3 a.m. try gently rubbing acupuncture points near your shoulders about an inch under your collar bones.
• Try breathing through your left nostril for a little while. A type of yoga suggests that breathing through the right nostril promotes alertness and the left nostril promotes sleep.
• Make friends with your dreams. They are a key to your unconscious. In the morning write at least a brief note of your dream. Spend time allowing a meaning to come to you by quieting your mind.
• You can experiment with any of these that you choose and see what works best for you.
• When you think of people having to sleep on the ground or a bed of straw, give thanks for your soft pillow and comfortable bed. Crawl between the sheets and drift gently into a pleasant slumber.

Sweet dreams!

The main herb used to build up the immune system is astragalus. It is available at health food stores and may be taken for months. In fact, people who have a tendency to get colds in the winter, may start a few weeks before the cooler weather and continue through spring. Traditionally, it is not used during a cold, but to prevent one. A Chinese herb formula with astragalus and other herbs that work together is Jade Windscreen, available through your Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner.

It can be helpful to keep cold wind off your neck and back and keep your feet warm and dry. Keeping your mental‐emotional state healthy is very important. Worry and stress can use energy your body needs to keep well. People with happy relationships seem to get colds less frequently.

Treatment begins when you start to get that little tickle in the back of your throat or a sniffle. You can start with Chinese herbs or homeopathic remedies. Cold Calm is a homeopathic remedy for a variety of symptoms and is nice to have on hand. Avoid loud flavors in your mouth like mint around the time you use a homeopathic remedy.

One of the main Chinese herbal formulas for colds and flu is Yin Qiao. Since it is an herbal remedy, there is an unknown potential to interact with Western drugs if you are taking any. Airborne contains some Chinese herbs from Yin Qiao and is readily available at drug stores.

Other remedies include drinking something hot, like cutting up scallions, placing in a cup and pouring boiling water over them. Let this steep for about 5 minutes and drink. You could do the same with fresh ginger, but remove the grated pieces before you drink. Drink as much as you like. Drinking lots of fluids keeps your secretions thin. Water is better than beverages with caffeine or sugar. Garlic, pepper and onions also help to thin the secretions. A bowl of hot soup with those ingredients may help a lot.

You could also take a warm shower or bath, dry off and then get in the bed under blankets and sweat. You may feel better in the morning. Don’t try this if you are pregnant or have any other problems with heat.

Normal saline rinse is made with one cup of warm water, one-quarter teaspoon of salt and a pinch of baking soda. One way to use it is to hold one nostril closed while you snort it up the other side. Continue until you have a little salty taste in the back of your throat. Use on both sides and blow gently. This helps wash away the secretions and clear your nose and sinuses.

When you are sick, it is nice to take time off, relax, stay warm and take care of yourself. Gentle exercise like Qi Gong helps with deep breathing and it tends to build up your energy.

Hopefully you will feel better quickly.

No two people have exactly the same pleasing situations, but there are some general guidelines which fit most of us. Chinese medicine recognizes several important factors, including:

Nutrition

Eating is not just to fill your belly and get you through to the next meal, but to nourish all the cells in your body to metabolize and give you strength and mental clarity. Eating healthy foods means noticing what foods help you feel your best. Fresh foods have more life in them than processed. Ideally, you would pick your produce, come in and prepare it and enjoy the satisfying flavors and aromas from this food that has given its life for you. Eating in pleasant surroundings with people you love, who accept you as you are makes it even more enjoyable.

Sleep

While the number of hours vary from person to person, one should be able to wake rested and refreshed without an alarm clock. The sleeping room is usually best if dark and cool and used for only sleep and sex. Calm is the theme. Rubbing the bottoms of your feet before bed may help. Also, a gentle massage at the top of your neck just below your head may help promote relaxation.

Exercise

Movement is important. When we were children, we ran, hung upside down on the monkey bars, jumped up and down, rolled around on the ground, laughed and wiggled. Now, most of us do the same types of activities over and over, without giving our bodies a wide variety of movement opportunities. This may lead to stiffness and lack of mobility. Gradual stretching in ways that are not our normal movement patterns may help restore mobility. For instance, most of our activity tends to be in front of us. Try doing backstroke swimming motions to loosten the shoulders. Mostly we lean forward. You might want to gently lean backwards and see how that feels.

Emotions

We all have anger, sadness and stress. The main point is to feel it and release it in a healthy manner. While it is not appropriate to take anger out on someone else, it can be released in with brisk walking, deep breathing, yelling (where no one can hear you) and beating a pillow. All of us have times when emotions are overwhelming. If talking with friends is not enough, it may be wise to seek professional help.

Be at peace with yourself. No one can tell you how to live your life successfully. The only one who really knows is you. One way to look at life is to imagine yourself on your deathbed. From that point of view, look back over your life and see which parts you really valued. The perspective from that point of view is often enlightening. Do what you love and love what you do. You are worth it.

The goal of Traditional Chinese medicine is to help you come back into balance. The idea is that your body is like a garden. If it is given the right amount of sunshine and shade, water and nutrients, it will flourish. The tools used by a practitioner include acupuncture, acupressure, massage, herbal formulas, Qi Gong (gentle exercise) and nutrition information.

If I can assist you in meeting any of your goals, I am happy for the opportunity.