Finding It Difficult to Feel Gratitude? Here's How Working With the Nine Palaces Can Help: Part 2 - Stone Medicine

December 18, 2019

By Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

The Nine Palaces relate to areas that we all seek to find a sense of peace and completion in our lives. The ancient system of Stone Medicine can help you have support in any of these areas you find challenging to cultivate peace and gratitude.

The Nine Palaces and Five Elements

The Nine Palaces of life are:

Health
Wealth (also called the Abundance Palace)
Prosperity (also called the Fame Palace)
Relationship (Love)
Children/Creativity
Career
Global (Travel & Adventure)
Knowledge (Wisdom)
Home

Each of the Nine Palaces correspond to a particular Five Element energy. To learn more about each palace and its Five Element correspondence, you can read Part 1 of this series.

My Personal Journey With Stone Medicine

When I first heard about Stone Medicine I thought it was rather ridiculous and not practical for my life or clinical practice as an Acupuncturist and Herbalist.

My interest and openness grew however when I was introduced to the history and clinical applications of this ancient form of Chinese Medicine by our teacher and 88th generation Daoist Master, Dr. Jeffrey Yuen. Following this introduction, I started to play around with the knowledge I gathered in the use of stones for some health challenges my family and I had.

I became amazed by the miraculous healing experiences I witnessed.

Needless to say, from that time on, my curiosity on the use of stones for healing grew and I began to submerge myself in learning about this esoteric yet potent form of medicine.

Historically, in Classical Chinese Medicine, stones were considered the most powerful form of herbal medicine as they have the most permanent effect on one’s healing.

With this said, I’ve gained not only a tremendous amount of respect for stone medicine, but a high level of reverence for the healing Spirit of these amazing pieces of nature.

Below I discuss how some common healing stones have been used historically to enhance these different areas we call the Nine Palaces to help you find a sense of peace and gratitude where you may be now struggling in your life.

Stone Talismans to Support You to Find Completion in the Nine Palaces

Use green stones that relate to the Wood element to increase a sense of well-being and give you support in the First Palace of Health. Green Jade and Green Aventurine can be held during meditation (15 minutes 3-4x/day) or worn daily as jewelry such as a necklace or bracelet (men wear on left wrist, women on right wrist) to support your health and well-being.

Sunstone is another important stone to support your Health Palace and although it isn’t green, its glistening orange color brings the power of the sun to brighten your day and help lift you out of the doldrums of negativity. It’s also a stone high in iron so it can help increase your Qi and immunity. So if you tend to feel fatigued or have a sullen and somber mood, keep a piece of Sunstone nearby or in your pocket!

Second is the Palace of Wealth & Abundance. The main stone to help you feel a sense of completion in your Wealth Palace is Lapis. Lapis strengthens your Liver blood to support your Wood energy and help you feel financially abundant. It’s a common stone used in jewelry and small specimens can be held or placed in your home to attract resources into your life as well. This can especially be supportive for women during their menstrual cycles when losing blood can leave them feeling empty with a sense of lack in their lives.

A beautiful blue-green Chrysocolla sphere

Another blood building stone is Chrysocolla, which is especially useful if you’re feeling irritable or angry about your circumstances related to this palace. Chrysocolla is a beautiful blue-green stone that can be held for emotional support, worn as jewelry or placed in your home to spread its energy throughout your environment.

The Third Palace is about Prosperity and Fame. Fame is about feeling recognized and acknowledged in your life while Prosperity is about feeling you have enough to share with others. Relating to the element of Fire, both of these attributes can be supported by the beautiful Amethyst crystal. Amethyst can be placed in any area of your home to accentuate the 9 Palaces and is also a common jewelry stone worn as earrings, pendants, rings, and bracelets. Another stone that is popular as jewelry to help activate this Fire based palace is Labradorite. Labradorite is a powerful talisman to gather your Yang Qi so it can vibrantly shine outward and help you attract attention and recognition. Labradorite is easily found as large specimens which can be used to help radiate vibrant energy into your work space or home.

The Fourth Palace is about Relationships and Love. If you feel challenged in terms of relationships and having enough love in your life, then supporting your Fire element with a stone talisman can support you to find peace and completion in these areas. Morganite is a very powerful stone used to attract love into your life in terms of a partnership. Rose Quartz is another popular stone that is used.

Morganite is commonly worn as jewelry so if you’re trying to establish a healthy, loving relationship, you might try wearing a bracelet, ring or necklace that contains Morganite. A small sphere of Rose Quartz on the other hand will help spread the vibration of love throughout your home. I recommend keeping a Rose Quartz crystal in your bedroom if you’re looking to attract a romantic relationship.

The Fifth Palace of Children and Creativity is also supported by Rose Quartz which is said to enhance fertility. Rose Quartz supports creativity by warming your Yang Qi to act on those creative impulses held within your heart. Another popular stone that makes beautiful jewelry to support fertility is Fire Opal. Wear it daily if you are trying to conceive a child.

Other stones that can be placed in your home to help activate the Metal element and help birth those creative ideas you’ve long held inside are Fluorite, Celestite and Gold or Silver Sheen Obsidian which can be found as lovely specimens that act as powerful intentional talismans. A system of Temple Feng Shui suggests placing these stones in the Northwest part of your home to support you in the palace of Creativity.

The Sixth Palace is your Palace of Career. Career relates to the Water Element and the colors blue and black. Dark Grey Moonstone is a lovely stone that can be worn as jewelry to support you if you’re having career challenges. Black Onyx is another common jewelry stone that can strengthen your Water energy and support you in your career.

Sugilite is one of the most powerful of all stones and is said to support the healing of all diseases. Sugilite is a beautiful dark purple stone that is said to help connect your Heart and Kidneys so you can realize the career path that fits your destiny. Wear Sugilite as a necklace or pendant so it can touch the center of your chest to resonate with your heart center. You can also keep a piece close to you such as in your pocket and place a small specimen on your nightstand to help you find clarity if you are unsure about the path to take in terms of your career.

Turquoise is a popular stone that can be worn for protection during travel.

The Seventh Palace relates to Travel, Adventure and Global Awareness. The popular stone used to help you safely navigate the globe in search of adventurous experiences is Turquoise, a very common stone used in jewelry.

The Eighth Palace of Knowledge and Wisdom relates to both the Water and Earth Elements. Black Obsidian is the stone that helps you go within yourself and bring out your inner wisdom. Obsidian is essentially volcanic glass so it can help your inner wisdom erupt and come to the forefront of your awareness.

Knowledge on the other hand is about attracting information from outside yourself, and White Jade was the stone used historically to support education and worn by the ancient scholars.

And finally, we come to supporting the Ninth Palace of Home. Home is about reconnecting with the Divine. Meteorites which come from the outer realms of space (Heaven) are used for supporting this purpose. Moldavite is one such stone that is becoming a popular jewelry stone used to help connect with the realm of Spirit so you can find peace within yourself wherever you are in this moment of time.

In Summary

Using the power of stones to support the Elemental energies related to each of the Nine Palaces is a simple way to help you move through the challenges in any of these areas of your life.

Though you may at first find the idea of using stones as talismen a bit too esoteric and unfounded on scientific “truth”, if you open your mind and give it a try, you may awaken to the magical mystery of this ancient healing system as it supports you to find gratitude in all areas of your life.

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is the Founder and Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine & Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare non-insertion form of Acupuncture. Salvador also teaches Qi Gong at the Dharma Studio within A Center for Natural Healing.

3 Simple Shifts to Reduce Stress & Stay Healthy through the Holidays

December 11, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

The busy holiday season comes upon us during the most Yin time of year when what the body needs most is to slow down and rest. Nonetheless, there are things you can do to offset the Yang energy of this often stressful time of year by simplifying your habits and self-care to keep yourself from getting rundown.

Below are three simple changes you can make to keep your energy and immunity strong — without adding to your shopping or to-do lists.

3 Shifts to Optimize Your Health During the Holidays

Eat warm, cooked foods
By this I mean try to eat only warm, cooked foods.
Avoid salads, smoothies and too much fruit, all of which can create Cold and even Dampness in your Stomach and create a fungal terrain that can compromise your gut health, which is foundation for your immune system.
According to Chinese Medicine, the nature of foods is essential to how each food is assimilated in the body, and this has seasonal implications. For example, cucumbers and watermelon are considered more cooling, which is why they’re more readily available during the summertime, while meats such as lamb are more warming and therefore more common in colder climates. So meat stew would be an appropriate wintertime stew and watermelon juice is more appropriate during the hot Summer.
Spices are also considered more warming according to Chinese Medicine, so adding more spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and cardamom to your diet during the colder months will not only keep your body warmer, but it’ll also support your gut health and optimize your immune function.
Do less by saying no more
The more Yin seasons of Fall and Winter are great for laying down the foundation for harvesting your goals and dreams, but the very Yin nature of these times of the year make it essential to take more time to rest. It’s no wonder many animals go into hibernation during the wintertime.
Sometimes more rest starts simply with doing less by saying no — in saying no to others, you say yes to more of your own personal needs, which in and of itself initiates the process of slowing down.
You don’t have to go to every holiday party or get your workout in every day.
According to Chinese Medicine, boundaries fall in the domain of the Earth element, which must be upheld during all seasonal transitions and throughout the year to keep your immune function strong. That’s because the Earth element is comprised of your Spleen and Stomach, the main organ systems in charge of digestion and gut health. Healthy boundaries come out of having a healthy Earth energy and having the ability to say no. (You can read more about why boundaries are essential to your health in this article.)
The Yin months of the year are a time to slow down and build your energy, not expend it.
To prevent yourself from overdoing it, it’s essential to listen to your body and say no when you can.
Go to bed earlier
The more rest you get during the Yin months, the more energy you’re conserving and consolidating so you can brings your dreams to fruition during the more Yang months. The less rest, and especially sleep you get during the Fall and Winter, the more you’re going to tax your Lungs (Fall) and Kidneys (Winter), which will leave you feeling exhausted as the Yang energy starts to rise during the warmer seasons.
Lack of rest also compromises your immune function making you more prone to colds and allergies during the Spring and Summer months.
Since the rest you get at night helps you consolidate more of your Yin resources, over time when you go to bed earlier you’ll find yourself more focused and energized during the day.
According to Chinese Medicine, the most essential time to be asleep is from 11pm to 1am during which the Liver and Gallbladder start to build blood and regulate Qi to support emotional processing, hormone balancing and detoxification.
You can definitely rest and sleep more during the day (and if you can, you should!) but it’s difficult to generate the blood that gets lost by staying up late at night and this is especially true for women because of monthly menstruation.
If it’s hard for you to think about getting more sleep or getting to bed before 11pm, start with going to bed 5 minutes earlier than you normally do every night for one week — at the end of the week you’ll have gained over 30 minutes of extra nightly sleep (or at least rest).
It’s also important to do something relaxing and turn off cell phones, tablets and TVs at least one to two hours before bedtime to calm your nervous system and allow your melatonin levels to rise so you can sleep more restfully. (You can read more about the importance of sleep and how it affects your health in this article).

Remember that small, incremental shifts lead to big transformations. But these transformations take time. It’s important that you nourish and be gentle with yourself, focusing on what you have to enjoy during this beautifull holiday season.

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course.

I want to learn more

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic she runs with her husband, Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac., that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational courses that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. Learn more at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Finding It Difficult to Feel Gratitude? Here's How Working With the Nine Palaces Can Help: Part 1 of 2

December 4, 2019

by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

You may have noticed a lot of discussion lately about how gratitude supports healing in both your body and mind. As you go through your life journey, however, you may experience emotional or physical traumas that can negatively impact your brain’s neuroplasticity and reduce your ability to think positively. These challenges can thankfully be understood (and overcome) with tools from Classical Chinese Medicine.

Challenges to Thinking Positively

For some, the practice of gratitude comes easily whereas for others who are experiencing a lot of pain and suffering, it can be quite a task to feel or express gratitude.

Since it’s well established how your thoughts impact your health, changing your brain to think more positively can have powerful repercussions throughout all areas of your life.

The practice of keeping a gratitude journal essentially works with your brain’s neuroplasticity to optimize the function of its neural network. Though the brain is more malleable to change in its early years of development, your brain has the capacity to improve its function at any age.

According to Classical Chinese Medicine, which is based on Daoist philosophy, life challenges fall into nine different categories called the Nine Palaces.

The Nine Palaces are essentially categories of life to achieve a sense of completion in order to feel whole and at peace with yourself in this lifetime. If at the end of your life, any of these palaces remain incomplete, this creates the agenda for your next incarnation.

When challenged, any of these Nine Palaces feel lacking or incomplete and thereby inhibit you from experiencing gratitude.

The Nine Palaces and Five Elements

The Nine Palaces of life are:

Health
Wealth (also called the Abundance or Fame Palace)
Prosperity
Relationship (Love)
Children/Creativity
Career
Global (Travel)
Knowledge (Wisdom)
Home

Each of the Nine Palaces corresponds to a particular Five Element energy.

The Wood element corresponds with the Health and Wealth Palaces.

If you’re challenged by health issues or focus a lot on your health, then you likely are incomplete in the Health Palace. Similarly, if you feel a lack in your finances, then there are still lessons to be learned within your Wealth Palace. You don’t have to be rich to feel complete in the Wealth Palace since you can be poor without actually feeling poor. Contrarily, you might be financially stable and well off yet never feel you have enough money and therefore have issues around feeling at peace within the Wealth Palace.

Your perception ultimately sets the energy for feeling complete in any one area of life.

The next palace, Prosperity, is the idea of having a sense of enough abundance that you can freely share it with others.

Since the Fire element corresponds with the expression of the heart, it corresponds to both the Prosperity and Relationship Palaces.

Prosperity is a sense of abundance that’s not necessarily related to money, so it can be any kind of resource that you’re willing to share with others. As described in the example above, a person can be financially very wealthy yet feel a lack of abundance and hence find it difficult to share with others.

Challenges or a sense of incompletion in the Prosperity Palace requires Fire energy to be either fortified or cleansed. The same goes with the Relationship Palace, which needs attention if you’re struggling with any relationships in your life. This may require working with your Fire energy in terms of warming up your Fire so you can open your heart and express more love or cooling the Fire down to calm your mind, ‘let go’ and relax into having a healthy relationship.

Out of relationships come children, so Children and the Creativity Palace share a common theme and that is to be able to create and birth that which you hold in your heart.

The Children/Creativity Palace relates to the Metal Element and therefore supporting or clearing blockages of this energy will help you get through challenges relating to this palace.

Once you establish your creativity, you can develop your Career Palace.

Career relates to the energy of Water.

Thus if you feel blocked in your career or uninspired in the work that you’re doing, invigorating your Water energy can help you move into the career of your dreams.

The next palace, known as the Global or Travel Palace, also corresponds to the Metal element.

While this palace relates to a need to explore and see the world, these days you don’t necessarily need to leave your home to nurture this palace because the internet and television can give you the experience of travel and learning about other cultures. A common understanding that comes out of travel is that people across the globe share similar core values.

Experiences that come out of a more global worldview support the Knowledge/Wisdom Palace, which relates to both the Water and Earth elements.

The difference between knowledge and wisdom is that knowledge requires going outside of yourself and connecting with society (Earth) to seek information and the answers to your questions. Wisdom on the other hand relates to the Water element as it is about going within yourself to seek the answers.

The final palace is the Home Palace which also relates to the Earth element and reflects returning home to your spiritual roots.

Self-cultivation practices such as Qi Gong, Yoga and Meditation allow you to find inner peace so you can feel at home within yourself.

Conclusion

Self-cultivation supports you to achieve a sense of completion in each of these areas of life. Ultimately, the ability to feel a sense of completion in each of the palaces is reflected in your ability to ‘let go’ of the struggle or resistance you may be feeling in each area. Though this is easier said than done, Classical Chinese Medicine provides tools to assist when you’re stuck or struggling in a particular area of life.

Once we achieve a feeling of completion, the experience of gratitude comes naturally and we’re able to live all aspects of life with a positive outlook.

In Part 2, we’ll discuss at-home protocols that can support you when you feel stuck and help you cultivate a sense of completion in each of the Nine Palaces.

The 3 Most Important Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Two Decades of Practicing (& Teaching) Yoga

November 13, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

I realized this past week that yoga has been a part of my life for just about twenty years now. While that’s hard for me to believe, at this point I can’t imagine my life without it.

When I first started practicing yoga during my first year of college at UC Berkeley (after much resistance to get started), it changed my life. I went from an anxiety-ridden teen to a clear, focused and mindful young woman in what felt like no time at all. I became obsessed with the practice and even in the midst of a busy schedule with school and work, I somehow managed to fit in at least an hour of practice every day. (You can find the full story of how I found yoga in this article).

Nowadays, my practice takes on a different shape. On days that I have the luxury of practicing an hour or more, I feel blessed and sometimes even a little guilty. The days of practicing more active styles of yoga have shifted to focusing my practice on loosening my joints, relishing several minutes in one Yin Yoga posture and doing some Qi Gong and Tai Ji.

But one thing has stayed consistent for me over the past two decades — the days I practice are much better days than the ones I tell myself I don’t have time or distract myself with something else instead.

The days I show up on the mat, even when I’m exhausted or distracted or busy, help me connect to Source and deepen my relationship with myself. Honoring my practice is a way of honoring my body as the temple it is, and staying true to the commitments I make to myself, both on and off the mat.

Practicing and teaching yoga have taught me a myriad of important lessons. Here are just three of them:

Prioritize Your Self-Care
When you learn to really take care of and honor yourself, everything evolves from that space. We’ve created cliches on this topic for a reason — put the oxygen mask on yourself first before placing it on someone else. You can’t fill from an empty cup.
The only way you’re going to thrive as a practitioner, a healer, a friend, a parent, a teacher, or really anyone in any kind of relationship, is by taking care of yourself first.
No one wants to take food from a person who’s starving. Feed yourself, fill yourself. And you’ll be amazed at not only the quantity but more importantly the quality you’ll have available to share with others.
Self-care has probably been the hardest lesson for me to learn. Coming from a culture and family history of caretakers and role models who self-sacrificed, I learned that prioritizing yourself is selfish. Over time, I’ve come to realize that in some ways, selfishness is a virtue. Because all of the things we want to create are born out of the care we give ourselves.
Self-care involves daily practices to move your body and still your mind, proper nutrition and perhaps most importantly, setting clear boundaries (more on that here). And to me, self-care starts with how you start your day. A healthy morning ritual is essential to set the rhythm for your day and how you care for yourself throughout your life.

Be Consistent
Many of us struggle with a block called perfection. I’m definitely one of those people. When we start something new we think that we have to do it “right” or we just can’t do it.
We often demand so much of ourselves, forgetting that progress trumps perfection and starting something imperfectly is always better than waiting to do it right.
I used to think for example that daily practice meant waking up at 5am, practicing for 60-90 minutes, writing and meditating before going into the rest of my day. And to be honest, in my early 20s when I first started practicing yoga, I actually made time on most days to do all that. It sounds crazy now, but back then I simply didn’t have the responsibilities and distractions I have now.
So, for a long time, relenting to the fact that life is different now, I spent many days skipping practice thinking I simply didn’t have time. But when my body started aching and my sleep suffered, I realized that not practicing was not an option; that even if I could squeeze in 10 minutes every morning I felt dramatically better. And ironically, when I did practice, I felt less busy and overwhelmed.
Practicing gives my day a slower, more manageable pace and a sense of order. And by practice, I mean writing Morning Pages (3 long-hand pages of uncensored, unfiltered writing) and moving my body. Nowadays if I don’t complete the full 3 pages some days, I can forgive myself. And if I only get on my mat to warmup my body for 10 minutes, rather than beat myself up, I’ve learned to thank myself. Because something is better than nothing and skipping morning practice is no longer an option.
Ultimately the lesson I’ve learned is that consistency matters—it creates a rhythm that brings clarity and holds you accountable to yourself.
The more you honor the promises you make to yourself, the more you cultivate self-confidence and therefore self-love.
Like I emphasized to the students at this year’s Yin Yoga Integration teacher training — practice daily, the Kaizen Way. In other words, take small, incremental steps to create big, lasting change.
Rather than set unrealistic expectations you won’t meet that make you feel like you don’t even want to try, be gentle with yourself.
Set the intention to practice for 5 minutes instead of 20 or even 15, and you’ll actually end up on your mat rather than scrolling on Instagram. Because overwhelming goals over-activate your nervous system and set you up for failure. But small, incremental steps feel tangible and therefore become achievable.
Build Your Community
While it’s important to take time alone when developing a spiritual practice, it’s just as important not to isolate yourself. Stay connected. Find people who share your interests and build your tribe. Not only will you feel more motivated to stay the course with your path, but you’ll also find more meaning in the process.
We thrive in community.
The French sociologist Emile Durkheim in 1897 conducted one of the earliest studies on the importance of the role that community social forces play in the health of the individual (Durkheim, 1951). Durkheim’s research led him to conclude that the major factor affecting suicide rates was the degree of social integration of groups.
Beyond that, community creates a sense of belonging which has been shown to improve health and well-being, and to elevate intellectual achievement and immune function. Research shows that even a single instance of exclusion can undermine well-being, IQ test performance and self-control.
We don’t just need each other to feel a sense of belonging, but we also need each other to thrive and feel a sense of connection.

Many of the students from the Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training Class of 2019 continue to help build our growing community.

My primary motivation for starting a yoga studio when I was just 22 years old was to build a community around what I loved most. I wanted a platform to bring my love of yoga to as many people as possible.

Years later in our wellness center, we’re blessed with an incredible community. Neither Salvador nor I take for granted the value of being surrounded by so many like-minded people — both in person and virtually — on a journey to wellness.

No matter what you do for personal development, it’s essential to find people who share your interests and can support your growth. These relationships can develop through in-person contact and even online communities, trainings and groups. Many of the communities are built already — you just have to seek them out to find a greater sense of belonging.

After two decades of yoga practice, I suppose the lessons I’ve learned are not so much about practice, but rather about the deeper significance of life itself.

And the lessons are quite simple — take care of yourself first, be consistent (and gentle) with whatever you commit to, and connect with your community. We need to take care of ourselves and each other because our potential to rise is greater when we’re there to support one another.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

How to Bring Clarity & Order to Your Life

November 6, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

According to Chinese Medicine, order and organization are ruled by the Metal element, which is associated with the Lungs, Large Intestine and skin.

In the same way that a smooth, deep breath helps you feel more relaxed and even safe, a balanced Metal element helps maintain order in your life.

The Significance of the Metal Element

Life begins with the first breath and therefore the meridian sequence begins with the Lungs.

The Lungs, Large Intestine and skin are all Metal organs. Each of these organs connect us to the external world and help us to let go—through our breath (Lungs), bowels (Large Intestine) and sweat (skin).

The internal branch of the Lungs travels down and attaches to the Large Intestine. One of the main virtues of the Lungs and the Metal element is letting go—through the exhalation of the Lungs, and through the bowels in the movement of the colon/Large Intestine.

Inhalation is about drawing in Qi and exhalation is about letting go and detoxifying the body. When we are faced with a challenging situation, often our first response is to hold our breath. Self-cultivation practices including Yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Ji teach us to instead observe and control our breathing.

Breath awareness helps strengthen your Lungs and draws you out of your mind and into your body so you can be more present. It is in this space that you can find acceptance of where you are rather than trying to make it something else so as to create resistance and stress.

Resistance builds the foundation for disease development. Resistance manifests as Wind, which according to Chinese Medicine is considered to be one of the Six Evils and is responsible. Wind manifests when your body-mind is unable to accommodate to change and can show up in a myriad of ways including acute illnesses like colds, flus and allergic reactions, as well as chronic degenerative health disorders. (You can read more about Wind here).

The virtue of Metal is letting go and forgiveness, both of which anchor us in the present moment. This virtue leads us to acceptance, which is the opposite of resistance.

So while imbalances in your Metal organs also impedes your ability to think clearly as a result of accumulation of toxicity in the body via the Lungs, colon and skin, balancing your Metal organs help you to let go and to create a sense of clarity and order in your life.

The Significance of Metal Energy in Your Life

Metal energy relates to elimination, purity and respiration. The emotion that’s associated with imbalanced Metal is grief. Balancing your Metal energy therefore empowers you to transform grief into acceptance.

Metal energy creates order, which is why Metal type personalities are highly methodical, efficient and organized.

When the Metal organs, in particular the Lungs and Large Intestine, are out of balance, you’ll be prone to immune and respiratory issues, as well as constipation. Metal relates to the season of Autumn, which means that these organs, including the skin, are particularly sensitive to dryness—the predominant environmental factor during this time of year. The Lungs, colon and skin all benefit from a more moist environment and proper hydration. Clearing these organ systems not only benefits your body, but it also helps develop greater clarity in your mind.

If life feels chaotic, balancing your Metal energy will help you make the shift to transform chaos into clarity.

Especially during the Metal season of Autumn, it’s important to harmonize your Metal energy to optimize the strength of your immune system and gut health. While there are a number of foods that can support this process, one of the key tools to rebalance Metal is to bring order and organization to your life. And the ways to do this may not all be so obvious.

How to Cultivate Clarity by Balancing Your Metal Energy

Here are 5 keys to balance your Metal energy so you can feel a sense of order and clarity in your life:

Breathe deeply. Remember that the Lungs are the primary organ associated with the Metal element. The deeper you breathe, the more connected you’ll feel to your body and to the present moment, which in and of itself brings a sense of clarity and peace. Deep breathing also helps strengthen the Lungs to protect your immune system and reduce feelings of sadness and melancholy which are especially common during the Autumn months. Ujjayi breathing is a simple breathing practice you can practice daily. Since we run through a lot of our day breathing unconsciously, I often tell my patients and students to set a timer to remind them to pause and breathe consciously every hour.
Practice more mind-body-breath movement practices such as Yoga, Tai Ji and Qi Gong. When you coordinate breath with movement, Qi, or energy, travels more fluidly throughout your entire body. The circulation of Qi is governed by the Lungs.
Declutter your work and home spaces. You can begin by simply cleaning out a few drawers or taking things out of your closet and cabinets that you don’t like or need and donating them to your local charity. If you want to go all-in and do a full house declutter, you can implement the KonMari Method, by letting go of anything and everything that no longer ‘sparks joy.’
Develop a daily writing practice. I always recommend starting your day by writing Morning Pages — 3 longhand pages of a sort of uncensored ‘brain dump’ to clear your mind. I was first introduced to this practice in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and it’s been a daily practice for me for well over a decade. But really any kind of writing will help clear your mind so you can better organize your thoughts and time. Even making lists helps to bring the clutter out of your mind and onto paper. The idea is to make yourself more aware of your worries, fears, tasks, challenges, and accomplishments. Only then can you let them all go.
Spend more time in nature. The essential oils of most trees, including Eucalyptus, Pine and Cypress support the Lung system in Chinese Medicine. Getting out into nature among the trees in the same way helps support this system and the Metal energy in general. One of the best ways to slow down and heal is to spend more time in nature.

All of these tools share the common theme of bringing you into a state of presence with how you feel and therefore helping you deepen your self-awareness.

Only when you’re calm inside will the world feel more clear and calm.

Decluttering and cultivating order in these small ways will support you to improve your health and bring a greater sense of clarity to every aspect of your life.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga.

Umeboshi: The Five Element Superfood

October 9, 2019

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

A powerful nutritious condiment that’s a staple in Japanese culture, Prunus Mume, is a sour plum commonly known as Umeboshi. Umeboshi, or “salted plum,” is a pickled fruit that sits in salt brine for a year or more and though called a plum it’s actually more closely related to the apricot fruit.

Though acidic by nature with its concentration of citric and phosphoric acids, the effect Umeboshi has on the body is highly alkalizing, which is why it’s so important in the Macrobiotic diet.

The benefits of Umeboshi, however, go far beyond alkalization to bring nutritional and medicinal support for all Five Elemental energies of your body.

It’s no wonder in Japan they have a saying similar to our ‘apple a day’ idea, that ‘an Ume a day’ can keep the doctor away.

Umeboshi or ‘salted plum’ is a staple of Japanese culture and an important part of the Macrobiotic diet due to its alkalizing effect on the body.

How Umeboshi Benefits Each of the Five Elements

Fire Element

Umeboshi becomes a red plum after pickling with iron rich Shiso (Perilla) leaves, so by law of signature, these pickled balls of energy support the Fire Element for Heart health, and provide a tonic for the blood.

In fact, Umeboshi has been found helpful for anemia and to regulate heart rhythm problems such as palpitations. This may be due due their high concentration of potassium which helps regulate heartbeat. In Chinese Medicine, since the Heart controls the mind and Spirit, it may be through this effect on the heart that Umeboshi is also used to help calm and relax the mind.

Water Element

The body’s structure, i.e. the bones, are under the domain of the Kidneys and the Water Element. By supporting calcium absorption, Umeboshi is considered an important food for bone health in Japanese culture. Calcium absorption is likely a benefit that comes from their high concentration of citric acid as well as the trace mineral manganese.

Furthermore, phytochemicals in Umeboshi have been found to increase osteoblast activity and the production of collagen to build bone. So these plums are a real boon for bone health and one of the reasons they are considered a longevity food. A 2014 study showed Umeboshi to have anti-osteoporosis benefits.

According to Chinese Medicine, the teeth are also an extension of the bone and therefore relate to the Kidneys. In regards to dental health, Umeboshi has been found to have anti-bacterial properties against Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria involved with dental caries and gum disease and help reduce bleeding gums (which relates to the function of the Spleen and Earth Element).

Earth Element

The trace mineral manganese also helps regulate blood sugar and traditionally in Japan Umeboshi is known to help stabilize blood sugar. In terms of western physiology, the pancreas plays a primary role in blood sugar regulation and in Chinese Medicine we correlate the pancreas with the organ of the Spleen which is an Earth Element organ.

Manganese also helps produce digestive enzymes and metabolize fats, proteins and carbohydrates. These are all aspects of the Earth Element which relates to digestion through the function of the Spleen (Pancreas) and Stomach. So Umeboshi tea is useful to take before and after meals to help strengthen your Earth’s digestive power.

Umeboshi is also known to reduce fatigue and was used historically by the Samurai for this purpose. In Chinese Herbal Medicine it’s also considered a Stomach Yin tonic as these plums generate fluids to help hydrate the body and reduce thirst. Umeboshi is known to increase salivation and stimulate a weak appetite as well so in this way these pickled plums strengthen the Spleen and Stomach functions to enhance digestion. Umeboshi is also commonly used to benefit mild cases of acute stomach and intestinal pain and known to effectively reduce H-pylori, the bacteria found to cause gastritis and stomach ulcers.

Metal Element

In terms of the Metal Element and the health of the Lung Qi, which controls both respiration and the skin’s sweating action, the astringent nature of Umeboshi helps reduce excessive sweating. Chinese herbal medicine uses these plums specifically for this purpose as well as to reduce chronic coughing when the Lung Qi is weak or when the Lungs are dry from deficient Yin.

The Large Intestine is also part of the Metal Element energetics and Umeboshi can help expel roundworm parasite infestation which is on the rise with the increase in sushi and sashimi (raw fish) consumption. Keep in mind that in Chinese Medicine, herbal remedies are normally a combination of herbs so taking Umeboshi alone may not be an effective cure for a case of roundworms.

These plums also have dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble) to help improve elimination as well. In fact, in herbal medicine, they are used medicinally for both diarrhea and constipation. There is special preparation, however, to activate the different effects of Umeboshi. For example, in the treatment of diarrhea, the pickled plums are charred before consumption to achieve this medicinal benefit.

Wood Element

Last but not least is the powerful impact of Umeboshi on the body’s Wood Element energetics which involves the Liver and Gallbladder organs. Known to accelerate the clearance of alcohol toxicity from the Liver, Umeboshi is also considered a food to help detoxify the liver and, in general, protect liver health.

In Chinese Medicine, the Liver Blood nourishes vision, and perhaps it’s from vitamin A that Umeboshi supports vision health. These plums are also high in antioxidants to reduce free-radical damage which can also impair vision over time.

Umeboshi also supports the Gallbladder by aiding fat digestion.

Tips for Consuming Umeboshi

You can simply eat an Umeboshi daily as a snack or with meals. In Japan, Umeboshi is often placed inside the center of rice balls as a dried plum or plum paste. This makes a convenient way to eat rice and get your Umeboshi fix.

In Macrobiotics, it’s recommended to boil a salted plum in one quart of water for 30 minutes then drink the water 30 minutes after exercise to restore electrolytes.

My personal preference is to take Umeboshi in paste form. I use about a 1/4-1/3 tsp in a medium to large glass of warm water. I’ve been drinking this during the day since the beginning of Fall when the weather began to get drier and I immediately started to notice my body rehydrate much better.

Umeboshi plum paste also makes a very soothing tea to drink in the evening that calms my mind before bed. I recommend you give it a try. It’s a bit on the sour side, but I personally like the salty, sour combination and the benefits make me want to keep coming back for more!

Want to know how to
heal yourself with food?

Learn to use Classical Chinese Dietetics to create your custom nutrition plan so you can let go of overwhelm with food for good. Join the waitlist to get free insights & be the first to know when enrollment opens for our one-of-a-kind course.

Learn more

Why You Need More than Exercise to Strengthen Your Lungs

October 2, 2019

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. & Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Supporting the strength and health of your Lungs during the Fall season goes beyond simply staying in shape with exercise.

While practices that focus on breathing, including Yoga and Qi Gong, are essential, there are other factors that are also important to support your Lungs and fortify your immune system throughout this season.

Foods to Support Your Lung Health

Since dryness is the predominant factor during Autumn, it’s essential to stay hydrated during this time of the year. And while drinking water is important, it’s also essential to be mindful of your diet, focusing on eating more moistening foods and avoiding foods that can increase dryness in your body.

In terms of grains, rice, millet and oats are the moistening grains whereas wheat, quinoa and buckwheat are more drying and should be avoided if you tend to feel more dry during this time. You may experience dryness most commonly in your mouth, lips, skin, nails, and hair.

Fruits are also very hydrating but should be consumed in moderation as the sweet nature of fruit can create phlegm and congest the Lungs. Citrus for example in the form of orange juice is overly concentrated in sugar and can cause phlegm or mucus to develop, weakening your Lung's Qi.

Compact fruits such as pears, apples, Asian pears, and persimmons are most beneficial to nourish your Lungs. These fruits moisten the Lungs’ Yin to stop a dry cough and increase hydration during the dry season. In fact, drinking a little pear juice before going to bed can help you fall asleep since the Lungs must be nourished to anchor the Wei Qi, or defensive Qi, of the body, to help you fall asleep.

Pears and other compact fruits help nourish your Lung Yin.

We often recommend preparing an apple-pear stew before bedtime to nourish the Lungs, which helps clear your throat, reduce coughing and support you to fall asleep.

All you have to do is cut up an apple and a pear and place covered in a small pot on low heat. No water is necessary. The fruit will cook in its own juice. You can also add some cardamon, which helps reduce phlegm, and some cinnamon, which is warming, for a healthy evening treat!

Dairy is another food type that’s hydrating for the lungs. However, the excessively hydrating properties of dairy products give them the tendency to create dampness in the form of mucous, which can stress the Lungs and cause sinus and even ear congestion. So be cautious with dairy foods such as yogurt, cheese or kefir if you tend to have sinus problems.

In Chinese Medicine, dampness relates to excessive fluid congestion and in terms of Western medicine, excessive dampness is equivalent to a fungal condition. Fungus feeds on sugar so if you have chronic sinus congestion or tend to have "sinus drip" it's important to focus on drying up this damp terrain by avoiding damp foods such as dairy as well as foods with high sugar content, including fruit.

How Foods Are Cooked Matters

Food preparation is also critical in how food is processed in your body. For example, steamed foods and soups are more hydrating and moistening whereas barbecued, baked and fried foods are more drying.

Baked goods and toasted nuts and cereals are in general very drying to the body. In contrast, soups and stews hydrate the Stomach and Lungs. You may notice that your lips and skin are less dry if you consume more of these liquid-based foods during the Fall.

Conclusion

What you eat matters for your health, and paying attention to the prominent factors during each season is essential to make proper dietary adjustments. In addition, remember to keep up with your exercise (including Yoga to strengthen your lungs) and read our other Fall tips to support your immune health so you can fully enjoy this beautiful season.

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course.

I want to learn more

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, CA, a wellness clinic he runs with his wife, Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac., that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine & Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare non-insertion form of Acupuncture using Gold and Silver needles. Learn more at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic she runs with her husband, Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac., that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational courses that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. Learn more at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Stone Medicine to Settle Your Heart During the Autumn Transition

September 18, 2019

by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. & Setareh Moafi, Ph.D, L.Ac.

Just as the sun seems to flare and brighten as it sets during the transition into evening, the Fire energy within the body can also flare as we transition from the hot energy of Summer into the cooler season of Fall.

Since Fire energy is the energy of the Heart, which is the seat of the mind and our emotions, it’s important to pay attention to your heart, your mental health and your emotional well being during this particular seasonal transition.

As we move away from Summer, the Heart and its related systems can become overactive and create a number of physical, mental and emotional symptoms, which may include chest pain, palpitations, tachycardia or arrhythmia, and even heart attacks.

Since the Fire energy is the mother of Earth energy, if Fire energy is flaring and disrupting your body, then digestive symptoms can become more acute as well. Problems such as gastritis, GERD, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) are all inflammatory related conditions that can be resulting from excessive Fire energy disrupting your ability to digest and eliminate properly. Excessive Fire may therefore drive a stress response that disrupts your autonomic nervous system and thus your gastrointestinal function.

Flaring up of Fire energy during this period of seasonal transition can also disrupt your mental state, causing acute nervousness, anxiety, insomnia and emotional disturbances including phobias.

Fire Archetypes are in general more prone to these types of physical, mental and emotional imbalances at this time. Fire types are generally excitable individuals who love attention and thrive on connecting with people. They have an open heart, and are both expressive and entertaining. Fire types are intimate, compassionate and spontaneous, with a strong curiosity for all that life has to offer.

Fire energy is all about the present moment, so Fire types can only be understood in the here and now through feeling.

Fire type people live in the moment and use both personal magnetism and their gift of expression to draw people close to them. When in balance, Fire types are jovial, affectionate and optimistic. Their charm makes it easy for people to feel close to them, and get involved in their exhilarating and often dramatic world. However, when a Fire type becomes imbalanced they can easily burn those who are close to them, often leaving a trail of exhausted, wounded people in their wake.

The Fire element is also about control. The ability to have a good sense of control in one’s life is healthy. However, when Fire energy is overbearing in one’s life one tends to be over-controlling with others or simply has no control in his or her own life and this can lead to addictive behavior. This type of Fire energy needs to be regulated in order for the person to live a life that is calm and peaceful.

Generally, the excessive Fire personality tends to be addicted to the excitement, passion and drama that this fire generates in his or her life and it’s not until they get burned by this fire that they will look for help and be open to changing their firey ways.

Amethyst is a cooling, calming quartz crystal that helps reduce Heart Fire. Its high lithium content helps relax your mind and calm your nerves. — **Amethyst** is a cooling, calming quartz crystal that helps reduce Heart Fire. Its high lithium content helps relax your mind and calm your nerves.

Stones To Temper Your Fire Energy

The therapeutic use of specific stones can be very useful to help calm the heart of an overly Fire type person.

One way to select stones is according to the associated Five Element colors — pink, red and purple.

Purple is associated with the Fire-Water relationship (red with black) or Heart-Kidney connection. When there is too much heat in the Heart it is very important to support the Water of the Kidneys to cool and ground the excessive Fire in the heart system. Purple stones with their resonance to both the Heart and Kidneys can generally be important to use in this case.

Some purple/lavender, red and pink stones to balance the Fire element are:

Amethyst is a cooling, calming quartz crystal that helps reduce Heart Fire. Its high lithium content helps relax the mind and nerves. I've seen Amethyst (placed on the head) used in combination with Labradorite (held in the hand) quickly reduce a migraine headache.
Charoite is a purple stone that helps open the communication between the Heart and Kidneys and is an important stone for someone who is trying to find his or her purpose in life. Charoite is a very anchoring stone that treats dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus and high blood pressure. Charoite can also be used to calm a hyper nervous system to help with ADHD and support deeper sleep.
Lavender Jade is an important stone to wear as jewelry to help you discover spiritually your current lesson in life. It’s also a stone to support deeper and more unconditional self-love.
Pink or Lavender Kunzite is a powerful stone to relax the nervous system and is a key stone to hold and place over the center of the chest when too much heat in the Heart is causing anxiety. Amethyst with Kunzite is a powerful combination for nervousness and anxiety.
Lepidolite is a lovely lavender stone that’s one of my personal favorites. When I first held Lepidolite it quickly released a stiff neck I’d woken up with that day. This experience was profound and affirmed for me the power of stone medicine. Lepidolite releases tension in layers, so if your condition is chronic give it time to slowly melt your body armor away. This is also a good stone to do Gua Sha scraping massage to break up tight muscular knots. Lepidolite is known to clear heat that’s irritating the nerves so it’s quite calming to the nervous system.
Rhodochrosite is a pink and white stone which holds a special place in my heart as it introduced me to the power of stone medicine. I once had a family member hold rhodochrosite while having anxiety and insomnia following heart surgery. Within an hour of resting with this stone in his hand his anxiety was greatly reduced. He used this stone for a few more days to help reduce his insomnia as well.
Rhodonite is a pink to red stone with black inclusions. This color combination indicates that it supports the Heart (pink/red) and Kidney (black) communication. The black inclusions are traces of manganese which helps cleanse the heart. Rhodonite is energetically warming and a good stone to strengthen a weak heart, with general fatigue and symptoms such as panting after climbing stairs. It’s an important stone for an over or under active immune systems so it’s good to help clear acute allergic reactions such as frequent colds, asthma, hives and autoimmune diseases. Rhodonite is also good for digestive weakness with food sensitivities and conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and it’s an important stone for general anxiety disorders and conditions related to emotional trauma and phobias.
Sugilite is a dark purple stone so it has a powerful Heart-Kidney resonance. Sugilite helps purify the body and can be used to drain excessive energy from the Heart. It can bring Yang Qi up to the head to help clear the brain and bring excessive energy trapped in the head back down into the Kidneys to help with rejuvenation of this system. Through this anchoring effect, Sugilite can clear Wind-Phlegm out of the brain and help with a number of neurological problems including learning disorders. Sugilite resonates with the Curious Organs: the Brain, the Blood Vessels, the Spine, the Marrow and the Uterus (Genitalia). It therefore cleanses and fortifies the body at the deepest levels. Sugilite has traces of lithium, manganese and aluminum to clear internal heat to help relax the nervous system and calm an overactive mind.
Rubellite (Red or Pink Tourmaline) is one of the most important stones in stone medicine to connect the Heart and Kidneys. Because Rubellite can draw out old emotional wounds it is especially used in stone medicine to help clear childhood trauma. Through this Heart-Kidney connection Rubellite has both a calming and strengthening action on the body. The way this works is that Rubellite has the ability to drain emotionally trapped energy in the chest or Heart center back into the lower burner which is the domain of the Kidneys. Through this action it both cools the Heart from excess heat generated by emotional stress and trauma and as it recycles this energy back into the Kidneys it can warm up and energize the Life Gate Fire (also called Ming Men) energy of the Lower Burner. As the Lower Burner energy center gets revitalized, it serves to strengthen a person’s Willpower to overcome their emotional wounds.

How to Use Stones Therapeutically

Cleanse Stones Before Use

The easiest way is to soak them in carbonated water overnight. In addition, it’s important to drip water over your stones for at least 30 minutes to discharge negative energy at the end of each day you use them. You can place them in a water fountain as well to allow water to flow over them.

Placing stones in the sun or on a bed of hematite is another way to cleanse and recharge stones. Be cautious with opals and moonstone however as the sun can damage these stones. Placing stones on a bed of sea salt for a couple of hours can also draw out negativity but again avoid using salt with opals and moonstone since these stones have a high water content and the salt will dry them up.

Basic Stone Therapy Technique

The simplest approach to incorporate into your healing regimens involves holding stones for 15-20 minutes three or four times each day to induce vibrational healing.

For men, hold the primary stone in the left hand and in the right hand use an enhancer stone which would be some type of quartz crystal. For matters of the heart such as anxiety and nervousness, consider purple Amethyst quartz. For the digestive system or patterns of excessive worry or OCD, consider yellow Citrine quartz, and for the Liver to reduce patterns of excessive anger or irritability, use blue or green quartz. For the Kidney system (including anything related to the genitourinary and reproductive systems) or emotions of fear and phobias, use Smoky quartz.

Women would hold the primary stone in their right hand and the enhancing quartz crystal in their left hand. And remember, hold the stones for 15-20 minutes, three to four times each day.

Keep in mind more acute conditions will respond more quickly than chronic conditions which may take days, weeks or months of regular use to notice the benefits.

Salvador Cefalu, L.Ac. is the Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic run by he and his wife, Setareh Moafi, L.Ac. that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine. Salvador is a leading U.S. practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare form of non-insertion Acupuncture using Gold & Silver needles. More information at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Setareh Moafi, L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Dr. Setareh & Salvador are also co-host The Natural Healing Podcast.

Healthy Transitions: 6 Keys to Support your Earth During Times of Change

September 11, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

The one universal constant for all of us in life is the presence of change.

During various points in our lives, we all go through periods of transition — from birth to graduation, to marriage, and finally death. Throughout our journey, we see the evolution of our bodies and minds, hormonal changes including menarche and menopause for women and andropause for men.

Because transition can be challenging and throw off your rhythm, it’s easy to end up sick or so tired that it takes weeks to recover and feel like yourself again.

While the only constant in life is change, it doesn’t have to be so hard — but it is essential that we equip ourselves with better self-care and be mindful of the potential effects of these changes on our health.

According to the Five Element system of Chinese Medicine, transitions are orchestrated by the Earth element which is associated with the primary organs systems that are in charge of digestion, the Spleen and Stomach.

These organs are responsible for the transportation and transformation of food and thought, and they’re therefore the organs that are most needed, and thus most vulnerable, when something in your life is changing.

Any kind of change affects the Earth element, which is why it’s important to pay close attention to this element during times of transition.

Especially during transitions, it’s essential to harmonize the Earth element and ensure that it’s kept strong and balanced.

Cultivating a Healthy Earth

The health of your Earth element relates to your digestion, as well as your ability to take care of yourself and others.

An out of balance Earth type can present itself most often in one of two ways.

First, a person with an Earth imbalance may over-care for people. In other words, he or she will lack boundaries, meddle and offer advice to people who don’t ask, and be overly concerned with other people’s needs. This person may also tend to accumulate a lot of extra weight and present with a pattern of over-indulgence, whether food or relationships.

In contrast, another person with an Earth imbalance may lack the ability to provide care for herself and others. This presents as poor self-care, as well as a lack of awareness of her own needs. This imbalanced Earth type may complain that she doesn’t like to cook or is always drained from doing too much as a result of her internal disharmony.

In both cases, when Earth is out of balance, the individual will most often have accompanying digestive symptoms including diarrhea or constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or simply an excessive or poor appetite depending on the type of imbalance.

The best way to prevent an Earth imbalance is to make sure you’re doing proper self-care, especially during times of transition.

Times of transition include all seasonal changes, weddings, graduations, menarche, menopause, andropause, back-to-school, moving to a different home or business, and the loss of a loved one, including a pet.

Since Earth is the element that transforms and supports change, it is important that this element be kept strong and vital during any transition or life change. Since the Spleen and Stomach are the primary organs associated with the Earth element, it’s imperative to strengthen and support your digestive system during these times.

6 Ways to Support Your Earth Element During and After a Transition

Eat More Nourishing, Hydrating Foods such as yams, sweet potatoes, and soups. The easier foods are to digest, and the more cooked they are, the easier these foods will be on your digestive system.
Commit to a Daily Relaxation Practice. Your digestive system is closely linked to your parasympathetic nervous system, which when activated helps you rest and digest. If you’re under a lot of stress, the sympathetic nervous system— our fight or flight response—will become active, and over time will result in physical and mental tension and focus that keeps you in survival mode thus inhibiting your ability to properly slow down. To protect and optimize our digestive system, and thus the Earth element, you must learn to relax. Yoga, Qi Gong and even a simple 10 minute mindfulness meditation can be immensely powerful to foster this sense of relaxation throughout each day.
Optimize Your Self-Care. This involves taking time to slow down and relax, but beyond that, it also means you maintain boundaries with your time and energy. One very important aspect of self-care that’s related to a healthy Earth is cooking for yourself and making sure to take time to eat without distractions.
Create a More Regular Daily Rhythm or Schedule. Whether or not you work a 9-5 job, it’s important that you create some sort of regularity with your sleep, eating and exercise. Earth thrives on rituals and predictable rhythms and your digestive system will thank you for knowing when you’ll get your next meal. Changing this rhythm during weekends and vacations is natural and of course acceptable.
Manage Your Finances. Earth has to do with all the things that nourish and keep us feeling a sense of safety. In the material world, money is one of those elements. That’s why it’s important to keep track of where your money is going, to balance your checkbooks and reduce debts in order to prevent the worry that is characteristic of an Earth imbalance.
Clean and Organize Your Home and Office. Earth types who are balanced keep a clean and very organized home and workplace, whereas those who are out of balance, misplace things and tend to accumulate a lot of clutter. Try to maintain a sense of order with whatever system most resonates with you in the places where you spend your time.

When we go through times of change, maintenance of our rhythm and order is what usually falls off our radar first. So the next time you find yourself entering a transition of any kind, try being more mindful of maintaining the simple things including your regimen, a good diet, and a clean home. These simple things can provide a sense of harmony as you move through the uncertainty and constant changes of life.

Start Every Day on the Right Foot: 5 Steps to Creating a Healthy Morning Ritual

August 29, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

“Don’t prioritize your schedule. Schedule your priorities.” - Steven Covey

How you start your day is an expression of what you’re cultivating in your life.

If you wake up to a loud alarm, rushing to get ready and make it to work on time, you’ll likely spend the rest of your day feeling rushed.

If you jump straight to email and social media, you’re choosing to allow your day to begin with the needs and lives of others instead of your own.

If, on the other hand, you begin the day slowly, mindfully and with regard for your well-being, the centered state you cultivate is more likely to follow you throughout the day.

Taking care of your own needs at the start of your day will allow you to be more available to the needs of others without becoming drained or feeling resentful.

When you fly, you're told to put on your own oxygen mask before you help others put on theirs. By starting your day with a focus on yourself, you’ll be better equipped to contribute at a greater capacity to others throughout the day…and still come home feeling charged.

The moment you open your eyes in the morning, you invite a new day of possibilities.

In that moment each morning you have the opportunity to set the rhythm for the rest of your day. As the days cultivating self-care accumulate and that rhythm flows, your life is vitalized on the path of healing and wellness.

When you first awake, your brain operates at around 10.5 waves per second. The range from 8 to 13 Hz, or cycles per second, is the alpha stage, which is often referred to as the gateway to the subconscious mind.

Since your subconscious mind is most active right when you wake up, mornings are the ideal time to train your brain to use this subconscious activity to think positively and accomplish more throughout your day.

When you’re positive, intentional and focused with your mornings, you create the foundation for greater dreams to blossom and come to fruition.

To have time for a ritual in the morning will mean that you create that time by waking up earlier—even just 10 extra minutes in the morning can make a tremendous difference in the pace of your day.

Your morning ritual sets the tone for the rest of your day—and life.

In Chinese Medicine, the Earth element, which is comprised of the Spleen and Stomach, must be harmonized in order for us to move through life's challenges with ease as well as to maintain a consistent level of energy throughout the day.

The Earth element thrives on regularity - with meals, exercise, sleep and activities.

A regular morning ritual helps to strengthen the Earth element energy within us. This, in turn, will increase our ability to digest and assimilate the important nutrients we consume, as well as enhance our ability to process and assimilate our life experiences in a more healthy way. This is one way to support being more grounded in your daily life.

Ritual provides order and order harmonizes and calms the nervous system.

Starting your morning early allows more time for you to set the foundation you want to create for your day and to be more intentional about what you want that foundation to look like.

When building a house, the foundation is the structure that ensures stability for the entire project development.

Think of your morning ritual as your foundation for the project development of your goals and dreams.

5 Simple Steps for a Healthy Morning Ritual

Move Your Body
In the morning, your body is stiff from inactivity. When left untreated, this stiffness can create latency in your body — areas that hold onto emotional and mental tension. Simply moving your body can help release these tense areas so you can feel more freedom not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.
It’s especially important to do exercises that connect the body and mind, like Yoga and Qi Gong. The early morning hours are also the optimal time for aerobic exercise to stimulate your metabolism and activate your brain.
Hydrate
Since the body is comprised of about 65% water, hydration is essential for optimal functioning. This is especially true in the morning after a night of sleep and inactivity, which can cause dehydration. Drinking water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning supports cleansing the colon and flushing toxins out of the body.
While in general hydration is important (try to drink 1/2 of your weight in ounces of water daily, i.e. 75 ounces for a 150 pound body), it’s best to drink more water earlier in the day.
Some suggest that drinking 50% of your daily water intake by mid-morning will not only keep you hydrated throughout the day, but can also prevent headaches and fatigue.
Center Your Mind
This can be done through a quiet meditation or relaxation practice, and even journaling to help you release negative thoughts, worries and also to help plan out your day.
I love waking up to the practice of Morning Pages, which I was first introduced to in 2005 by the wonderful Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. Morning Pages are three longhand pages of pure, uncensored writing about anything and everything as a way to clear the clutter from your mind. This has been an integral part of my morning routine for over a decade now and I swear by it, but really any type of journaling can be helpful as long as you do it regularly.
Practice Gratitude
You may feel grateful, but expressing this gratitude itself could be a daily ritual.
Remember, when you take time to acknowledge and give gratitude for all that is working, you create space for greater positivity and joy to flow into your life.
Gratitude is most powerful when it’s written, so start by writing 5-10 things you’re grateful for every morning.
Eat a Warm, Nourishing Breakfast
Taking time to eat without rushing is equally important to eating something healthy and nourishing. I always recommend cooking non-gluten whole grains such as buckwheat, millet or amaranth for breakfast. Grains in general nourish the Spleen Qi to support healthy digestion.
Allowing time for your meals also nourishes the Earth element and digestive system, which leads to a faster, healthier metabolism.

Most importantly, I recommend doing these practices before you check your phone or email and avoiding external distractions for as long as possible when you first wake up.

Over time, you’ll notice that taking just 15-30 minutes each morning to center yourself will fill the remaining hours of your day with greater awareness, productivity and ease.

Essential Oils for Five Element Personality Types - Balancing the Fire Archetype

August 21, 2019

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. & Setareh Moafi, PhD, L.Ac.

The Fire element relates to Summer and is the most Yang energy of all the elements in Chinese Medicine, so managing heat is key to keeping the associated organs healthy and functioning optimally.

Fire is associated with the Heart and Small Intestine organ systems. Fire energy is about control, both in terms of its relationship to the Heart as emperor of all the organs via its function of controlling blood circulation, as well as metaphorically in terms of the need to have control.

This is why Heart Fire with accompanying symptoms of anxiety and insomnia can result when we feel the need to control or feel out of control in some aspect of our lives.

Since the Heart system in Chinese Medicine is most closely related to the Shen, or spirit, Fire type personalities can be very animated.

Each of the Five Elements have associated personality types which can be broken up into Yin and Yang archetypes.

The Yang Fire Archetype

Yang Fire types tend to have an extremely unpredictable personality and can be the most manic-depressive of all elemental types. One moment they can be the life of the party, filled with joy and excitement, and the next moment they can find themselves in deep despair as they explore the full spectrum and drama of human emotion.

Since Fire radiates and is Yang by nature, it’s no wonder that Yang Fire types can fill an entire room with their lightness and joy when feeling great and in the same way drain all the energy out of a room when they’re feeling down.

Yang Fire types are artistic, passionate, seductive, and easily attract attention. They can be wonderfully successful in the performing arts. These archetypes feel best when they can enthusiastically pursue their passions in life and often prefer to work for a cause they deeply care about.

Yang Fire personalities tend to have a sharp intellect, incredible memory and will work tirelessly often until burnout. These individuals tend to easily develop addictions to coffee, drugs and alcohol, and are prone to heart rhythm disturbances, hypertension, angina, heart attacks, insomnia, manic depression, and anxiety. Their intense nature also makes them prone to intestinal problems such as Irritable Bowel and Crohn’s disease, which relate to the Small Intestine aspect of the Fire Element.

Essential Oils to Balance the Yang Fire Archetype

The focus to balance the Yang Fire archetype is to cool the blood in order to calm the heart and nervous system.

This can be supported with essential oils such as Lemon Verbena, Sweet Marjoram, Neroli, Melissa (Lemon Balm), Spikenard and Valerian.

The Yin Fire Archetype

In contrast to the expressive, extroverted Yang Fire personality, the Yin Fire type personality tends to be more introverted and may even be quite shy.

Though the Yin Fire archetype is more prone to a negative and pessimistic outlook on life, she can nonetheless be very committed, passionate and often quite patient in striving toward her life aspirations.

Physically, the Yin Fire type tends to have a weak heart and slow blood circulation.

Since according to Chinese Medicine the Heart relates to mental and emotional vitality, the Yin Fire archetype tends to have a restless mind and emotional fragility, and this unsettled state of mind can easily lead to insomnia and anxiety.

Essential Oils to Balance the Yin Fire Archetype

Sandalwood and Frankincense are excellent essential oils to counter the health imbalances that tend to develop for Yin Fire archetypes. Sandalwood and Frankincense calm the mind and relax the diaphragm to improve deep breathing and strengthen the heart for improved blood circulation. Both of these oils are excellent for anxiety, insomnia and invigorating blood circulation throughout the entire body.

Sage and Ylang Ylang are nourishing essential oils for what is called Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire. This pattern translates as a hormonal weakness that creates the common symptoms of menopausal hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia and night sweating. Ylang Ylang is especially good for those anxiety patterns that also exhibit depression concurrently.

Ylang Ylang essential oil is distilled from the flowers and we all know how flowers can brighten up your day! Same idea applies to other flower essential oils such as Rose and Geranium which can also be used for Yin deficiency Fire patterns causing anxiety and depression as well. In fact, Ylang Ylang, Rose and Geranium essential oils are each appropriate for helping balance both Yin and Yang Fire archetype patterns.

It is important to note that Sage is an estrogenic oil and contains a chemical called thujone which can be irritating to the nervous system so it requires caution in its use and best with professional guidance. Sage is however relatively safe when diluted as a topical agent and a very important and unique oil with two contrasting actions as it is nourishing to the hormonal system while supporting detoxification of phlegm stasis in the body. In general, Clary Sage is a safer alternative in terms of Sage oils if there is a history of neurological problems.

Clary Sage also helps reduce Yin deficiency heat patterns which may involve menopausal symptoms as well. Symptoms such as feeling overly nervous and anxious have been found to improve as Clary Sage can help reduce cortisol levels through inhalation. Since it calms and relaxes the nervous system, Clary Sage can also reduce blood pressure so it is beneficial for hypertension, but may be too strong if someone has low blood pressure. For these reasons, it is always best to blend essential oils into a formula to balance out qualities and actions of each essential oil so your specific needs are properly supported.

Clary Sage is also an important oil to reduce depression, especially if it is related to a Yin deficiency heat problem that has exhausted the Qi which can occur with over-exercising, over-work, general burn-out syndrome and postpartum situations as well.

Remember, essential oils are chemical agents that resonate with the body’s deepest energetic level of Jing Essence and therefore can impact the body and mind in powerful ways to alter the most serious of conditions. When used wisely they can be a wonderful aide for your healing in body, mind and spirit.

*Please note these recommendations are for educational purposes only and we suggest consulting a professional healthcare clinician trained in essential oil therapy for your specific needs.

You Are Divine and Miracles Happen

July 31, 2019

By Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

You are divine because you have a potential we attribute to the Divine—the ability of miraculous transformation.

You have an innate miraculous potential within your body-mind to spontaneously or slowly transmute your current state of health.

An example of the miraculous potential within each of us can be seen in the phenomenon of disease transmutation in patients with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). A person who exhibits multiple personalities can present completely different disease states with each of his or her personalities.

The variations in illness presentation among the various personalities can even be observed through blood analysis, indicating that the changes occur on a cellular and biochemical level.

For example, a person who is diabetic when he exhibits the personality of Bob may not have diabetes or any of its symptoms when he’s living through the personality of John.

How is this possible?

It’s truly a mystery in terms of science, but in terms of the power of the body and mind, it’s more in line with a miracle or more specifically a ‘miraculous transformation.’

How Classical Chinese Medicine Understands the Process of Miracles

According to Chinese Medicine, this phenomenon of disease transmutation (i.e. changing from one form to another) in a patient with MPD occurs through the transformation of his Jing, or Essence, that’s facilitated through a shift in his Shen, or consciousness, when he exhibits a different personality.

Since the Jing corresponds to the Kidneys and the Shen to the Heart, this radical transmutation of disease states is achieved through the power of the Heart-Kidney communication, and this affirms why maintaining a strong Heart-Kidney connection is key to transforming your life.

Your Jing as it’s stored within the Kidneys relates to your body’s deepest constitutional energy, which relates to the level of cellular activity. Therefore, in scientific terms, Jing equates to your DNA and its genetic expression.

The Shen on the other hand is stored in the Heart. Shen is loosely translated as “Spirit” but it is better understood as one’s “conscious state of mind.”

So when there is a shift in your Shen, there will be a shift in your consciousness and through the power of the Heart bringing its Yang (warmth) down into the Kidneys, the Jing can transform into a different state. Not necessarily a healthier state, but a different state. So when a person who has multiple personalities shifts into a different personality, his health or disease status can shift as well.

Miracles occur when your Shen, or state of consciousness, shifts enough to allow for the restoration of health.

This miraculous process is described as the Heart “vaporizing phlegm” to cleanse and clear pathology from the body. This vaporization can happen suddenly or slowly over time as you shift your consciousness into a healthier state and essentially “let go” of the pathological state you were experiencing.

So what seems like a miracle is a natural transformation of Jing that allows a disease state at the cellular level to transmute into a healthy state.

With this said, you are the conductor of your life, and the more clear you are about how you conduct your life and in particular your life-force—your Jing—the healthier you will become.

The Metaphors of the Heart-Kidney Relationship

The Kidney is the domain within the body that relates to the Self, so as the Heart Qi moves down into the cold darkness of the Kidney Water, it brings warmth into you so you can feel a deeper sense of self-love.

As the Heart Qi travels down into the Kidneys, also helps shine a light onto your deepest subconscious fears that are held within the Kidneys.

This process of moving the Heart’s energy down into the Kidneys allows you to become conscious of what holds you back in life and to embrace these fears with unconditional love.

In addition, as the Kidney Qi moves up to embrace and activate the Heart, it supports you to open your Heart and express love in your life more freely and to manifest your Heart’s desires and passions.

Perhaps most importantly, the process of activating the Triple Energizer to move your Kidney Essence, or Jing, helps you become conscious of your destiny and supports you to follow the path you were destined to live (read more about this dynamic here).

Triple Energizer Qi Gong Supports Transformation in Your Life

Historically, in the search for the elixir of life, the practice of alchemy developed through the use of toxic herbs that when ingested properly were claimed to induce magical transformations within the body and mind.

Out of this tradition arose the practice of meditation and Qi Gong as a cultivation practice to achieve the same levels of physical and spiritual transformation without the potential of dying from ingesting poisonous substances.

Qi provides the power of transformation and transmutation within the body and mind and this is why Qi Gong is an alchemical exercise in Daoist practices.

Enlightened masters lead austere lives to support their internal transformations through mediation and Qi Gong practices. As you develop your Qi Gong practice it’s necessary to also improve your self-care through diet and lifestyle adjustments that support transforming your health and life.

Since the Heart-Kidney energetic connection is so important in the process of life-transformation, a primary way to maintain a healthy Heart-Kidney communication is through supporting the Triple Energizer system of your body.

The Triple Energizer is a Fire organ that relates to the Heart and facilitates the movement of your Kidney’s Water energy or Jing-Essence.

Triple Energizer Qi Gong is an exercise system designed to strengthen your Heart’s Qi and bring the warmth of the Heart’s Yang into your Kidneys to provide for the transmutation of Qi and Blood into Jing to support slowing the aging process.

In addition, exercise practices like Triple Energizer Qi Gong can help cleanse your Jing-Essence to purify your body, resolve illnesses and prevent disease from developing.

You Are the Master of Your Life

As you begin this self-exploration through practicing Qi Gong, see yourself as a scientist observing and discovering the phenomenon of natural healing through the cultivation of Qi within the laboratory of your own divine body.

Practicing Qi Gong is an evolutionary process with benefits that unfold over months of time and practice slowly restoring your body and expanding your mind. It is through this process of cultivation you can create the miracles in your life to achieve your heart’s desires.

Learn more about Triple Energizer Qi Gong and join Salvador for an upcoming live class at Dharma Studio at A Center for Natural Healing.

Self-Healing & Self-Discovery through Triple Energizer Qi Gong

July 17, 2019

By Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

The term Qi Gong basically means “Qi Cultivation” or “Qi Effort”. The practice of Qi Gong is therefore about applying concentrated effort to support your Qi.

In terms of physiology, Qi is the electro-magnetic energy within the body that provides the power for movement and function on all levels ranging from cellular function to gross mechanical actions.

Every living cell of your body has an electrical charge on its membrane. This is known as the Resting Membrane Potential measured by the voltage between the fluid inside the cell and fluid outside the cell.

The Resting Membrane Potential is a neutral state and information does not actively get transmitted in this state. But as soon as the voltage changes, then the cell can transmit information to trigger different actions throughout the body.

This change in energy potential allows for fluid to pass in and out of cells, so fluid dynamics are to a great extent based on the shifting of cellular membrane voltage.

In terms of Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, this process is supported by activating Qi through special movements and deep focused breathing. In terms of fluid metabolism and organ function, the Triple Energizer system supports the Lungs, Spleen and Kidneys to work synergistically to support fluid metabolism for the purposes of nourishing and cleansing the body.

Although the Triple Energizer (aka Triple Heater) is considered an organ in Chinese Medicine and has a meridian circulation devoted to it like the other primary organs, it’s considered to be a rather mysterious organ because it has “function but no form.”

Two years ago, however, the form of the Triple Energizer system was likely discovered through state-of-the-art electroscopic analysis of living tissue which allowed for the observance of an entirely new system of fluid movement within the body.

This newly discovered fluid highway flows between tissues of living organism (an interstitial system) and therefore had not been able to be observed prior to the development of special electroscope technology.

Some scientists called this discovery a ‘new organ' while others balked at the reference to this system as an organ because it had no defined shape. In my estimation, this new fluid network is the exciting discovery of the Triple Energizer system that has been long established in Chinese Medicine.

Jing is the Qi of Your Constitution

We are each born with a finite amount of life-force according to this tradition and it is called your Essence or Jing that is stored in your Kidneys.

This Jing is like the oil in an old fashion lamp and as you live your life you use up your body’s oil reserves. It is therefore accurate to say if you live a fast, hard life, you will burn yourself and your life out more quickly.

In Chinese Medicine they take this idea literally believing the Kidney system also holds within it a pilot light, called your Ming Men or Life-Gate Fire. It’s considered a “gate” because this flame protects your life. So as you burn out the fire of your Ming-Men, your fundamental life-force declines as well.

Your Kidneys therefore store both the fuel, called your Jing or Essence, and the pilot light, called your Ming-Men Fire, and since Jing relates to your constitution it has a direct resonance with your DNA. With that said, it is clear why Chinese Medicine emphasizes that optimal health and vitality depends on the health of your Kidneys and why the practice of Triple Energizer Qi Gong is concentrated on this achievement.

The Eight Extraordinary Meridians Cleanse Your Constitutional Jing

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, the practice of Triple Energizer Qi Gong is designed to facilitate a healthy flow of Qi in order to regulate and cleanse the Water energy within your body.

Water energy is regulated through the dynamic action of the Triple Heater system and the function of the Lung, Spleen and Kidney organs.

Water energy not only corresponds with the fluid dynamics of the Triple Heater but also to your constitutional Jing-Essence and there is a unique set of energy channels called the Eight Extraordinary Meridians that have direct resonance on this deepest level of your life force.

These Extraordinary Meridians correspond with your constitutional Jing because they develop in utero during gestation.

The organs that correspond to these Extraordinary Meridians are also referred to as extraordinary. In modern Chinese Medicine we call them the Curious Organs which include the brain, the genito-reproductive systems as well as the bones and blood vessels.

These Eight Extraordinary Meridians are considered both ‘ancestral vessels’ and vessels of ‘latency’. Three of the eight meridians are the original ancestral vessels of your creation and contain your hereditary information. These are called prenatal vessels.

The other five meridians are created after birth and therefore called postnatal vessels and act like reservoirs that contain latent toxic factors that would otherwise damage your vital organs. These latent factors can be chemical in nature from exposure to toxic substances or simply a lifetime of overeating or consuming excessive toxins such as alcohol, drugs and medications.

Latent toxic factors can also be emotional in nature and even acquired through physical trauma.

For example, a car accident can induce a lot of external Yang energy into the body that can overwhelm the system. This excess energy can get trapped and become a latent factor that restricts mobility and causes chronic pain.

Most importantly, working with these Eight Extraordinary Meridians can help you cleanse your body of these latent toxic factors that can damage your constitutional Essence and lead to serious states of disease.

And as you optimize the function of your Eight Extraordinary Meridians which can be achieved through acupuncture and Triple Energizer Qi Gong you can greatly enhance the quality of your health and lead an extra-ordinary life.

The Benefits of Triple Energizer Qi Gong

Triple Energizer Qi Gong helps regulate the Eight Extraordinary Meridians to unburden your body of toxic latent factors that can lead to serious diseases and accelerate your aging process.

Triple Energizer Qi Gong also supports all of your vital systems by regulating the three Energizer centers of the body— the organs of digestion and reproduction in the Lower Energizer, the Heart and Lungs in the Middle Energizer, and the Brain within the Upper Energizer.

In this way, Triple Energizer Qi Gong supports the function of the three Energizer centers of the body, thereby improving the health of your organ and glandular systems to balance and regulate your overall metabolism.

With this said, a diaphragmatic breathing exercise system has been scientifically studied in Japan on obese, post-menopausal, depressed women. This Japanese exercise uses a similar form of combined movement and breathing used in Triple Energizer Qi Gong so in my opinion it helps to improve the function of the Triple Heater system as well.

This Japanese form of diaphragmatic breathing has been found to help with weight loss, fatigue, asthma and depression. Physiological observations included improvement in adrenal gland function and sympathetic tone, as well as increased release of growth hormone and estradiol to support cellular regeneration and mood enhancement.

Qi Gong and diaphragmatic breathing in general have been found to reduce cortisol levels and oxidative stress which accelerate cellular damage and aging, reduce symptoms of GERD (heartburn), lower blood sugar, elevated blood pressure and rapid heart beat which are all physiological effects of stress. And let’s not forget about the release of beta-endorphins which help improve one’s outlook on life.

Another Qi Gong study will excite those on the ketosis diet kick to burn fat and lose weight. This study worked with a group of overweight male and female college students and after one month of Qi Gong practice it was found that their morning urine ketone levels increased indicating improvement in their lipid metabolism.

Other studies have shown reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides levels and the increase in HDL after 3 months of Qi Gong practice. Another report regarding a study of 100 Qi Gong participants showed improvement in platelet aggregation tests which indicate a reduction in blood viscosity and improvement in blood circulation. Furthermore, Qi Gong has been shown to initiate an immediate increase in hemoglobin as well which supports enhanced oxygenation throughout the body.

With all of these positive indicators, it is therefore safe to say that practicing Qi Gong daily provides positive physiological benefits to improve health in both body and mind.

Triple Energizer Qi Gong & Your Life Purpose

Your Jing is stored in your Kidneys and therefore it relates to the Water energy of the body.

As the body’s irrigation system, the Triple Energizer is responsible for moving and disseminating your Water’s Essence which stores your life curriculum.

Smooth circulation of the Triple Heater system allows you to be healthy and live out your life’s purpose.

According to Classical Chinese Medicine, your Jing is programmed during gestation with information about the ‘curriculum’ you are to live out and experience in this lifetime.

In other words, your ‘curriculum’ according to Taoist philosophy is ‘the path’ you are to follow in this lifetime in order to free yourself from the cycles of reincarnation.

If you bring your curriculum to completion in this lifetime, you’ll be free to create whatever you want with the rest of your life here on earth and thereafter.

However, if you avoid fulfilling the curriculum you’ve come into this life to experience, then according to this ideology, you’ll return to similar circumstances to try again.

This is why it’s important that you don’t allow your Jing to stagnate and keep the Water moving smoothy in your body. This will not only prevent your body’s fluid system from becoming a stagnant cesspool that leads to disease, but also allows you to fulfill your destiny.

Salvador demonstrates a sample of Triple Energizer Qi Gong.

According to Daoist philosophy, if your Jing is stagnated in this moment, then you likely aren’t living out your Dharma, or purpose, you came into this life to fulfill.

Activating your Triple Heater system through Triple Energizer Qi Gong will support you in this profound life changing experience. And as you awaken to your higher purpose, Triple Energizer Qi Gong can help you heal your body and mind to support graceful aging.

Click here to register for an upcoming Triple Energizer Qi Gong class at Dharma Studio at A Center for Natural Healing.

You can also learn about this unique practice in the Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training with Dr. Setareh Moafi starting in September 2019.

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is the Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic run by he and his wife, Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine. Salvador is a leading U.S. practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare form of non-insertion Acupuncture using Gold & Silver needles. More information at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

5 Ways Yin Yoga Can Transform Your Health & Life

July 10, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

You may have already heard my story about how practicing Yoga changed my life as a stressed out overachiever at Cal (if you haven't read the story, you can find it here). But you may not know that beginning the practice of Yin Yoga awakened my interest in Chinese Medicine, and led me toward the path that I'm on now.

As I prepare to teach the second (and probably last) live round of my one-of-a-kind Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training this Fall, I hope to demystify the practice of Yin Yoga so you can better understand how it can transform the way you feel in your body and move through your life—regardless of your practice level or age.

Yin Yoga isn’t the same as gentle Yoga, nor is it necessarily restorative. Rather, Yin Yoga is a deep and sometimes uncomfortable practice.

Understood through the lens of Chinese Medicine, this practice can access the deeper connective tissue of your body to help you release trapped emotions and free you physically to allow for greater freedom of movement.

What is Yin Yoga?

Yin Yoga is a passive practice primarily comprised of seated and supine postures typically held for 3 to 5 minutes. Practicing in this way allows the stretch to go beyond the muscles to the deeper layers of fascia.

Over the years, Yin Yoga has become a practice I come home to when things are difficult, when I’m exhausted and even when I feel great. It’s a comfort for me to sit in the long-held postures, breathe, take in the moment, and let go of the chatter in my mind.

And because your body sits passively to experience the deeper stretch, your mind naturally settles with time, supporting you to let go of the distractions of the day without forcing anything.

Yin Yoga is the passive balance to a daily active, or Yang, lifestyle that’s typical for so many of us.

And since this practice releases the connective tissue and most importantly the illiopsoas (the muscle group in the pelvic region that’s comprised of the illiacus and psoas muscles) where emotional stress and trauma are stored, as your body releases, your mind becomes more free and you can move through your life with far greater ease.

5 Ways Yin Yoga Can Improve Your Health & Life

Butterfly pose in the Yin style.

Here are five important health benefits that can be cultivated through regular Yin Yoga practice:

Reduced Stress, Anxiety and Depression
In a randomized controlled trial, researchers examined whether participating in a five-week yoga intervention reduces biomarker Adrenomedullin (ADM) and increases psychological health in middle-aged adults who self-report as moderately to highly stressed. ADM is a blood pressure-lowering peptide expressed in cardiovascular tissues including the vascular wall and heart. Plasma levels of ADM are elevated in patients with hypertension, heart failure or arteriosclerosis, as compared with control subjects.
Compared to the control group, the researchers observed significantly greater pre-post reductions in plasma ADM levels, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems.
The study concluded that five-week Yin yoga-based interventions appeared to reduce both the physiological and psychological risk factors known to be associated with non communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.
The study also suggested incorporating Yin yoga as an easy and low-cost method to limit the negative health effects associated with high stress.[1]
Improved Digestion & Sleep
The very experience of Yin Yoga is calming and can reduce your stress levels since the poses are held for extended periods, averaging 3-8 minutes each. This calming effect regulates your nervous system and helps to relax your ‘fight or flight’ response.
Whereas most styles of movement practice emphasize muscular strengthening and stretching, Yin Yoga focuses on stretching the connective tissue that’s more closely associated with the parasympathetic nervous system.
As a result, you walk away from a Yin Yoga practice feeling calmer, stronger and can often notice improvements in your sleep and digestion—the aspects ruled by your parasympathetic nervous system—right away. (For more on the connection between digestion and sleep, you can read this article ).
And when you sleep and digest better, you move with greater clarity and focus throughout your life.
Greater Freedom of Movement
Yin Yoga postures focus primarily on releasing and lengthening the hips, pelvis and lower spine. These areas hold a lot of latency—unresolved physical and emotional trauma that can over time inhibit your range of motion.
Most books describe the practice of Yin Yoga in relation to the Primary Meridians, which are the main channels that are addressed and treated in Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, from the point of view of Classical Chinese Medicine, movement practice would be insufficient to access or treat the Primary Meridians.
The classics of Chinese Medicine describe complement channels, which include the Sinew, Luo, Divergent and Eight Extraordinary Channels. Of these, the Sinew Channels control the movement of the Wei, or defensive Qi, and our movement.
The sinews conduct Wei Qi and are the first to respond to exogenous pathogenic factors, or EPFs, that enter the body from the external environment. As these pathogenic factors internalize, they inhibit movement and therefore the Sinew Channels must be addressed in order to liberate your movement.
Emotions can also be addressed through the Sinew Channels but the primary benefit of freeing the Sinew Channels is to develop freedom of movement and therefore greater flexibility in both the body and mind.
So the emphasis in learning about the Sinew Channels in relationship to Yin Yoga practice is to be able to free these channels so you can find greater freedom of movement in all aspects of your life.
Stronger Bones
Distraction (often called traction) is one of the focuses in Yin Yoga and is the application of a long-held stress that tends to pull bones apart. A study published in Isfahan, Iran found that distraction stimulates both the growth of bones and their associated ligaments.[2]
Greater Mental Clarity & Focus
Practicing Yin Yoga can be challenging because the poses are held for minutes, releasing layers of tension and latent emotions that are held deep within the body’s fascia.
The primary tool that helps ease the challenge is breath awareness, which anchors you into the present moment.
Through breath awareness, you’re guided to ‘play your edge’, or to move to a point that challenges you physically while still taking deep, conscious breaths.
Consistent practice in this way builds mental focus and clarity and will help you move through each day with both a stronger body and calmer mind.

If you’re interested in delving more deeply into this practice, you can apply to participate in my one-of-a-kind Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training or attend any of my live retreats.

References
1. Daiva Daukantaitė, Una Tellhed, Rachel E. Maddux, Thomas Svensson, and Olle Melander. Five-week yin yoga-based interventions decreased plasma adrenomedullin and increased psychological health in stressed adults: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2018; 13(7): e0200518. Published online 2018 Jul 18. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200518

2. Subodh Shankar Natu, Iqbal Ali, Sarwar Alam, Kolli Yada Giri, Anshita Agarwal, and Vrishali Ajit Kulkarni. The biology of distraction osteogenesis for correction of mandibular and craniomaxillofacial defects: A review. Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2014 Jan-Feb; 11(1): 16–26.

3 Must-Dos to Stay Hydrated (and Calm) all Summer

June 18, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

While summertime brings more sunshine and energy, the longer, hotter days can also lead to dehydration, exhaustion and burnout. That’s why it’s essential to take measures to stay cool and hydrated.

Here are some simple tips to help you reduce dehydration, inflammation and anxiety while keeping you energized to enjoy the most Yang season of the year.

3 Ways to Optimize Your Hydration this Summer

Eat hydrating foods including millet, cucumbers and fruits with high water content. Caution with a thick tongue coat or tendency to be very phlegmy (sinuses, throat, eyes). Sweet flavor is hydrating and tonifies the Earth organs (Spleen and Stomach) but excess sugar intake can cause dampness and a fungal terrain to develop in the body.
Summer is the season associated with the Fire element and stone fruits, including apricots, cherries and plums, are considered Fire element fruits. These summertime fruits nourish the blood and support blood circulation. Watermelon, while more of an Earth element fruit, is also good to eat during the Summer because it’s so hydrating.
In general, be cautious with eating fruit with other foods as it can slow down your digestion.
Implement this hydration protocol*:
A rough rule of thumb is to drink ½ ounce of water for every pound of body weight per day. A 200 pound person thus needs 100 ounces of water daily. You can break up the total number of ounces of water you need to drink daily into five or six parts. For example, if you’re 200 pounds and need to drink 100 ounces of water a day, you can break this up to drink 20 ounces five times a day. If you do more physical activity, you’ll want to drink additional water to avoid dehydration from sweating.
In general, you should drink water between meals to avoid interfering with the digestive process. However, you should drink water anytime you’re thirsty, even in the middle of a meal. Water intake in the middle of a meal doesn’t drastically affect the process of digestion, but dehydration during food intake does.
Each time you drink water, place a small amount of unrefined sea salt (such as pink Himalayan salt) in your water or under your tongue.
Drink at least 2 glasses of water first thing in the morning to compensate for the water loss during sleep.
Throughout the day, try to drink water half an hour before each major meal of the day and two to two and a half hours after you eat.
Drinking water 30 minutes before a meal allows the water to be absorbed into the system and secreted into the stomach, preparing it to receive solid foods. When you drink water before food, you avoid many gastrointestinal problems, including bloating, heartburn, constipation, and weight gain.
Drinking water two to two and half hours after you eat will stimulate the satiety hormones and wrap up the digestive processes in the intestinal tract. It’ll also keep you from experiencing a false sensation of hunger when your body is simply craving more water to complete the digestion of already eaten food.
You should try to drink water at regular intervals throughout the day to avoid thirst. In addition, be sure to drink water before physical activity, such as walking, or other more strenuous forms of exercise that cause sweating.
Drink Summer teas including Lemon Verbena, Chamomile, lemon peel, and even green tea. See the full list of teas you can grow in your garden to keep you cool this Summer here.
Iced tea during hot weather is OK but be cautious as excess consumption of cold and iced drinks can damage the Spleen Qi leading to poor digestion and fatigue.

In general, high activity in hot weather can lead to internal heat, which can keep your nervous system amped and cause inflammation.

Hydrating and cooling down your body helps calm down your nervous system and help you feel more relaxed overall.

For more Summer health tips, you can also watch this video and read this article.

If you’re in our area, you can join me live on August 10th for a Yoga Integration Summer Half Day Retreat.

Happy Summer!

*This hydration protocol is based on the Water Cure Protocol

Want to know how to
heal yourself with food?

Learn more

How to Deal with an Energy (Qi) Sucker

May 30, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

When you drive down a road with a dead end, you get to a point where you have to stop and redirect your route. The signs that are often put at a dead end serve as boundaries to protect you from driving further into an area that shouldn't be entered.

Similarly, speed limits on the road create boundaries to limit how fast you can drive on a particular road or highway. These and other signs serve to protect you and other drivers.

In the same way, you must set boundaries to protect yourself from situations and people that may be harmful to you on the road of life.

What’s a Qi Sucker?

Some people get energized by spending a lot of time around people while others prefer to spend more time alone.

Personally, I love being around people and I get a lot of energy from socializing, but I also need time alone to recharge. I’m always looking for the balance between spending time with people I enjoy and allowing myself the time I need to nurture my inner world.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that to come closer to this balance, I have to set boundaries on both my time with others and the people with whom I spend my time.

This means saying no more often than I might like.

Once a chronic people pleaser, I used to be tormented by how people might react if I say no or do something to disappoint them. Though I still struggle with this at times, I've learned that the stronger and more clear my boundaries, the better I am at spending quality time with others and the more available I can be with my energy for my patients, students, friends, and family members.

Years ago, one of my early mentors taught me the concept of ‘Qi suckers,’ sometimes also referred to as ‘energy vampires.’ In Chinese Medicine, Qi is what’s referred to as energy or life force (like the Sanskrit word prana). We take Qi in through our breath and can feel its presence in everything around and within us when we tune in.

People who are Qi suckers draw from the life force of others as a result of their own imbalances and neediness.

You know you’ve encountered a Qi sucker if after spending time with one you walk away feeling depleted and often guilty, even though you really haven’t done anything wrong.

Qi suckers are master manipulators who are often very charming and attractive.

It’s easy to be drawn in by their warmth and charm, but once you get too close to a Qi sucker—the more you approach the warmth of their Fire—the more easily you get burned.

An interaction with a Qi sucker may go like this:

Qi sucker: “Hey, what are you doing this afternoon? Wanna go shopping with me?”

You: “No, thanks, I have a lot to do this afternoon.”

Qi sucker: “Really? What do you have to do that’s so important?”

You: “Well, I have to finish a work project and clean the house.”

Qi sucker: “Ok, whatever. You never like to do anything with me. Sometimes I feel like we’re not even really friends anymore. I don’t care. Do what you want. It’s your life.”

This is an extreme example, but being around someone like this can give you the sense of guilt and wrong doing even implicitly — without them having to say much.

It’s important also to remember that Qi suckers can be great people and you can really have a great time with them in short interactions. However, conversations have the potential to escalate quickly into heated disagreements or arguments when they’re triggered, and they are very easy to trigger!

You know you’re with a Qi sucker if you feel like you’re walking on eggshells and have to constantly watch what you’re saying in order to not offend them or hurt their feelings in some way.

The only way to protect yourself from a Qi sucker is to set clear boundaries.

You can read about clear boundary setting and its impact on your health in this article.

According to Chinese Medicine, boundaries are associated with the Earth element. Earth provides the fertile soil that allows plants to grow and flourish to provide nourishment and sustenance; it gives protection and shelter as well as stability and substance.

Earth also contains water, creates boundaries to define continents and carries us through space with stability. Earth represents safety, protection and our home base.

Being centered, calm, and balanced, feeling at home, and having a sense of harmony and peacefulness are the essence of a healthy Earth energy. Creating a comfortable home and cooking are essential factors to nourishing the Earth energy in your life.

Cultivating a healthy Earth means understanding and prioritizing your needs.

If you pour all of your energy into helping others or work excessively, you'll have nothing left for yourself.

If you don't discipline yourself around your diet and set boundaries around eating generally healthy foods, your health will fail. If you continuously go to bed late because you don't have the discipline to stop working or watching TV at night, you’ll slowly but surely deplete your blood, your Yin, and your essence, and thus accelerate the aging process.

In other words, strong boundaries around how and with whom you spend your time, what you eat and even when you sleep is fundamental to your health.

In the body, these boundaries are established by the Earth element organs that govern digestion, the Stomach and Spleen. These same systems must be strong for you to set healthy boundaries in your life. Digestive health is therefore essential to creating healthy boundaries that prevent Qi suckers from draining your energy.

Nourishment and the Earth element

Earth energy is about transformation—transformation of food into energy and raw material to rebuild the body, and transformation of our thoughts so we're not stuck obsessing about negative things and can have clarity of mind.

Earth energy is also associated with your relationship with yourself and others, which begins with your relationship to your family, especially your mother. As the archetype for the Earth type personality, the Mother represents unconditional love and the nourishing qualities that exist within each of us.

The way someone affects you is not determined by their behavior, but by how you respond to that person’s behavior.

When you set strong boundaries, you can protect your Qi and respond rather than react. In this way, you can avoid giving away your energy or joy to others, regardless of how they behave or react towards you.

What You Can Learn from Qi Suckers

The gift of having a Qi sucker in your life is that they’re excellent boundary teachers.

In fact, while you may feel guilty and cautious about hurting their feelings, what you’ll find most often about a Qi sucker is that you can clearly change your dynamic with him or her simply by setting a strong boundary.

Boundary setting either pushes the person entirely out of your life or forces him or her to grow in a way that allows for a healthy relationship.

Do you have a Qi sucker in your life? How do you deal with him or her? How could you change the way you interact or set boundaries so that he or she doesn’t steal your joy or energy? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

5 Reasons to Drink Yerba Mate

May 16, 2019

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

There’s nothing like waking up early in the morning and enjoying a hot drink to start the day. And all the better if that hot drink can help you wake up and give you more clarity and focus.

Over the years I’ve grown increasingly sensitive to coffee and even just half a cup is enough to give me heart palpitations and heartburn. Plus, I’m well aware that driving up my cortisol with too much caffeine can have some painstaking long term effects. That’s why I’m grateful for having discovered (and recently rediscovered) the magical Yerba Mate.

Yerba mate is a tea made from the dried leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, and is an excellent substitute for coffee, black tea and other high caffeine drinks. Plus its slightly bitter, smoky flavor makes it less of a compromise than most coffee substitutes.

It’s traditionally consumed in South America from a container called a gourd and sipped with a metal straw with an attached filter at its lower end to strain out the leaf fragments.

The health benefits of Yerba Mate are extraordinary, and its ability to give you a kick of energy without compromising longevity are one-of-a-kind. Here are five key benefits of switching to Mate in the morning.

5 Reasons to Drink Yerba Mate

Strengthens Your Body & Boosts Your Immunity
Yerba mate is rich in nutrients and antioxidants. It contains high concentrations of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, C, and E, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur and zinc.
Unlike coffee, which can interfere with the body’s absorption of minerals, the high mineral content of Yerba Mate protects against bone density loss.
Plus, its metabolic boosters increase energy, and its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties provide excellent immune boosters.
Gives You Energy without Caffeine Jitters
There is currently a debate about the chemical nature of the stimulant in Yerba Mate. While North American chemists say it contains caffeine, South Americans claim it contains a unique molecule known as mateine, which has the same chemical formula but a different molecular shape from caffeine.
Because of this difference, mateine is absorbed and processed differently by the body, providing an adaptogenic effect, which means it increases the body's ability to resist the damaging effects of stress and promote or restore normal physiological functioning.
As an adaptogen, Yerba Mate produces no toxins, creates a non-specific response in the body and works in a bidirectional manner.
Yerba Mate is also a great substitute for coffee and most tea since its adaptogenic properties prevent it from elevating your cortisol levels and creating the ‘fight or flight’ stress response that can lead to adrenal fatigue.
My personal experience with Mate has convinced me that the South Americans are onto something—I’m very sensitive to caffeine in coffee and tea, but I can easily have a restful night of sleep just an hour or two after drinking a cup of Yerba Mate. With that said, I suggest drinking the hot tea rather than canned Yerba Mate because of alterations and loss of benefits that can result from excessive steeping of this tea.
Clears Toxins from Your Body
Yerba Mate contains saponins, which are phytochemicals found in plants and nearly all adaptogenic herbs.[1] Saponins have a unique chemical structure that produces foam when mixed with water, and can bind with water as well as fats and oils. In the digestive tract, saponins bind to bile acids and help eliminate them from the body, preventing cholesterol from being reabsorbed.
In other words, saponins work like a detergent to clear toxins from your body.
Helps Improve Digestion & Elimination
Yerba Mate contains compounds such as xanthines that are known to relax the muscles to aid digestion, especially with cramping, constipation or bloating.
While coffee and tea can cause stomach upset while potentially damaging your stomach lining, Yerba mate aids digestion by stimulating increased production of bile and other gastric acids.
It also helps to effectively and efficiently eliminate waste from your colon by clearing heat in the Stomach, which in excess can cause constipation, bad breath and even ulcers.
Can Help You Get Rid of Stubborn Belly Fat
Research suggests that Yerba Mate can increase the amount of stored fat that's burned for energy [2].
Furthermore, in a 12-week study in overweight people, those given 3 grams of yerba mate powder per day lost an average of 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) and reduced their waist-to-hip ratio by 2%, while the participants given a placebo gained an average of 6.2 pounds (2.8 kg) and increased their waist-to-hip ratio by 1% over the same 12-week period [3].

So if you’re looking for a healthy alternative to coffee or caffeinated tea without compromising the energy and focus, try a fresh brewed cup of Yerba Mate to start your day.

References:

Cornell University. Department of Animal Science - Plants Poisonous to Livestock. Updated 09/10/2015 14:58:48.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190939/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26408319

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course.

I want to learn more

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga.

The Upside to Feeling Down: The Earth Element & Depression (Part 6)

May 2, 2019

by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

This final survey of depression from the perspective of the Five Element Theory will address the Earth element. In Chinese Medicine, Earth energy is about transformation.

The Earth element organs are the Spleen and Stomach and the Spleen also correlates with the pancreas.

Therefore digestion and the conversion of food into energy are the fundamental functions of Earth energy.

This transformation of nutrients into Qi energy equates to the creation of cellular energy or ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule of energy created by every cell of your body for biochemical reactions.

This is why in Chinese Medicine, your Earth energy is considered the center of your being.

And since the centralized organs of digestion create the energy that drives your brain function, weakness of your Earth energy can cause a decline in mental acuity, and become a fundamental reason for the development of depression.

The Earth energy’s powerful influence over mental faculties is a primary reason why according to Chinese Medicine, the Spleen stores the Yi, or the Mind.

The Yi encompasses your mental intelligence, providing the ability to think analytically, have memory retrieval and clarity of focus. All of these functions are thus supported by your Earth energy, specifically, your Spleen’s Qi.

Keeping your digestive system healthy and managing a healthy diet are therefore critical in the support of healthy brain function and the resolution of depression.

The Gut-Brain Connection

When the Spleen and Stomach are not functioning optimally or the diet is creating toxicity, a condition called Dampness will likely develop.

Dampness is a form of gut toxicity rooted in an imbalance of the microbiome wherein bad bacteria, fungus/yeast and parasites or worms overrun the good bacteria.

Dampness is a Chinese Medicine term that describes an internal terrain that is too moist, and pathogens like fungus—most commonly in the form of a yeast known as Candida Albicans—love moist environments.

Having some fungus in the body’s gut microbiome is normal, however, the common occurrence of Candida infestations is likely due to today’s modern diet that’s high in sugar, grains and alcohol, as well as certain medications such as antibiotics and steroids like Prednisone that create a cold, damp terrain in the body.

If you’re suffering from chronic sinus congestion, postnasal drip or recurring ear infections (especially in children), we can surmise there is too much Dampness accumulation in these areas of your body.

As a Chinese Medicine practitioner, we can confirm this supposition by checking your tongue. If it is abnormally swollen or has too much coating, then there is fluid stagnation and dampness has developed.

In cases of chronic depression, there’s usually fatigue, apathy and a lack of motivation, so we generally expect to find some degree of weakness of Spleen Qi (low energy) as well as an internal environment of Dampness which is making the Qi circulation sluggish throughout the body and dampening the functioning of the brain.

Even many incidences of dementia and Alzheimer’s are rooted in conditions of Dampness. In fact, modern medical science often refers to Alzheimer’s as Type III Diabetes because of its association to elevated blood sugar which leads to the overgrowth of yeast and plaque in the brain.

Healing Your Depression

If you’re looking to heal naturally from depression, I suggest working with diet, herbal medicine and acupuncture to reduce your damp terrain and only after you’re feeling better, begin to work with your doctor to reduce the dosage of your depression/anxiety medication.

It’s imperative to reduce foods that increase sugar in the blood, primarily carbohydrates, including concentrated sugar in any form such as fruit and melons. You may need to eliminate all grains for a period of time or eliminate just the gluten grains. This is where a Paleo diet can be useful for a period of time.

Excess fats also create dampness, so fish, avocados, coconut oil, fried foods and nuts may all need to be reduced or eliminated for an extended period to clean up your system if it’s overrun with dampness and a fungal terrain.

As you clear the dampness out of your system, your mental faculties will sharpen, your moods will stabilize and your depression may begin to lighten up.

Be patient if you’ve suffered from depression for a long time.

It may take several months before you start noticing a difference in your brain function and emotional state. As I mentioned in previous articles, sometimes you need to also clear the Blood Stagnation that’s trapping the emotional trauma in your body, or strengthen the Lung and Kidneys or detoxify the Liver.

Considering these factors, you can see why it’s important to find a qualified Acupuncturist to work with to support you in gaining clarity on what specifically needs to be addressed for you to achieve the quality of life you seek on your path to wellness and your journey to fulfilling your every dream.

Schedule Now

The Upside to Feeling Down: The Fire Element & Depression (Part 5)

April 18, 2019

by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

The Fire Element and its related Heart organ system is about maintaining control in your life. Since some level of control is essential, keeping this system in harmony is a key factor to living a life in balance.

The tendency to be over-controlling however can lead to internal disharmony by creating too much heat in your Heart. Excessive heat in the Heart system can lead to a range of physical symptoms, from shortness of breath to high blood pressure and heart disease. And since the Heart stores your Shen (Spirit) which influences your mind, this excessive heat can cause hyperactivity of the mind, which can lead to such conditions as ADHD, OCD, insomnia and anxiety.

The Heart’s Connection to Depression

It’s not uncommon that individuals suffering from anxiety also experience depression. In Chinese Medicine, this is a condition of the Heart and Kidney systems not communicating well or supporting each other properly.

The Heart’s Fire and the Kidneys’ Water energies make up the central axis of our energetic system.

When functioning normally, the energy of the Heart descends its Fire to help warm the Kidney’s Yang Qi and to reciprocate, the Kidney offers its Water energy to cool the Heart so it doesn’t overheat. These cooperative efforts counterbalance the body’s core energies to maintain homeostasis within these systems and the body as a whole.

So the challenge lies to keep a balance of function between the Heart and Kidneys. This balance begins with utilizing the power of the Heart’s control function to manage your excessive drives and desires.

A person with a lot of Heart heat generally can’t settle down very easily, so sitting down quietly or meditating can be difficult tasks.

Heart Fire type individuals like a lot of stimulation so they can easily get addicted to stimulants such as coffee which can further create internal heat. They also like to multitask and have many interests going at once, often overextending themselves to the point of exhaustion.

This is a pattern of how excessive Heart Fire leads to elevated cortisol levels which first create a hyper-adrenaline response and over time can lead to adrenal burnout (adrenal exhaustion = Kidney Qi energy depletion).

When your Heart is overstimulated, your Kidney’s Yang (adrenals) get overly activated and this consumes the Kidney’s Yin Water (resources to create your reproductive hormones) that supports your Heart and mind to be cool and calm.

This common condition leads to a Fire and Water imbalance wherein symptoms of anxiety (Fire Excess) and depression (Water Deficiency) can then begin to manifest.

Therefore, balancing your Heart and Kidney energies helps you settle anxiety and the need to be over-controlling in your life, which will help you cultivate a sense of inner peace and trust since trust is a virtue of strong Kidney Qi energy.

The Heart Controls the Lungs

When the Heart becomes overstimulated, it can also suppress the energy of the Lungs.

Since the emotions relating to a Lung imbalance relate to sadness and grief, if the Lung’s energy becomes overwhelmed by the Heart’s Fire energy, the Lung’s Qi will become weakened and depression can develop.

This pattern of excessive Heart Fire along with Lung Qi depletion therefore contributes to the complex dual pattern of anxiety occurring with depression.

My Daoist Classical Chinese Medicine teacher, Dr. Jeffrey Yuen, states that the Lungs “govern Qi” for the purpose of ‘self-rectification’. Self-rectification is about finding redemption in our lives so we can overcome the burdens of guilt and shame that depress our Qi and keep us in a state of depression.

Therefore, in order to move beyond a state of self-loathing and deep sadness, an inner cleansing is essential to cultivate a peaceful heart and mind and lessen the heaviness of a depressed state. This internal cleansing is about cleansing the blood from past emotional traumas.

Heart Blood Stores Your Emotional Traumas

In Chinese Medicine, the blood stores our past emotional traumas and if unresolved, these emotions will stagnate the blood circulation. With that said, a primary issue to work on when a person presents a lot of blood stagnation signs involves helping the person begin releasing the past emotional traumas that may have occurred in his or her life.

Classical Acupuncture has specific protocols designed to release the blood stagnation to support you to release these emotional holding patterns that may be underlying your physical symptoms.

Your Tongue Can Reveal Excess Heart Fire & Blood Stagnation

Symptoms of anxiety, depression and an overactive mind due to excessive Heart Fire can be assessed by looking at the tip of your tongue.

If your tongue tip is more red than the rest of your tongue, then there is too much heat in your Heart. If the entire body of your tongue is a deep red color, then there is too much heat throughout your entire body, including your Heart. In this case, you may tend to overheat easily and even experience night sweats, usually a sign of internal heat that is burning up the body’s Essence.

If you see dark blue veins under your tongue, this is an indication of blood stagnation.

If the dark veins occur in the lower portion of your tongue, the blood stagnation is pooling more in the lower pelvic region. If the dark veins show up all the way toward the tongue’s tip, then blood stagnation has moved into the heart region as well.

Liver Blood Stagnation will also show a purplish hue along the sides of the tongue and sometimes the whole body of the tongue will become bluish. I’ve seen in clinic a patient who had a turquoise blue colored tongue. This patient had severe blood stagnation which was created from being exposed to radiation as a child in Japan during the Hiroshima nuclear bombing. It took about 10 months of Acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment before her tongue color began to normalize and her chronic symptoms started to improve significantly.

Freeing Your Heart Allows For Miracles In Your Life

In summary, according to Five Element Theory, the Heart’s Fire element controls your Lung’s Metal energy and, in contrast, the Heart’s energy is controlled by your Kidney’s Water energy.

Through an imbalance of these two relationships, depression can develop along with anxiety which is a common pattern found clinically with depressed individuals.

As we’ve seen throughout this series on depression, there are multiple issues to be addressed to overcome a chronic pattern of depression. Once a condition has become chronic, we know there is likely a pattern of emotional stagnation that is being held within the blood.

Detoxifying the blood system is therefore essential to release the burden of old emotional wounds and traumas.

Chinese Medicine is designed to specifically address this process of cleansing the blood to free up your Heart which in terms of Chinese philosophy can allow a deeper level of self-love to blossom, a greater sense of unconditional love for others and for miracles to occur in your life through the opening of your powerful, magical Heart Qi.

Schedule Now

The Upside to Feeling Down: The Wood Element & Depression (Part 4)

April 4, 2019

By Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

When evaluating chronic depression, it’s important to assess the status of the Liver system which relates to the Wood element in Five Element Theory.

The Liver is considered “The General” in Chinese Medicine as it’s said to control the “coursing” of Qi throughout the body. I like to call it the “Great Conductor” because a smooth functioning Liver system conducts a smooth flow of Qi throughout the body.

Just as trees grow upward toward the sky, in the body, the Wood energy, or Qi, of the Liver ascends and protects us from feeling vulnerable in our lives.

The ascension of the Liver Qi moves blood into the face and head to support the sensory organs and maintain the health of the brain.

If the Liver does not properly circulate Qi, psychological symptoms including frustration, irritability, anger, anxiety, and depression can arise.

As the General, the Liver organ coordinates many functions within the body including detoxification as well as blood storage. The blood reserve within the Liver provides nourishment specifically to the eyes, brain, nails, hair and the tendons to allow for strength in the lower back and the four limbs.

The Liver’s many responsibilities can easily become disrupted by a multitude of stressors that can lead to stagnation within this organ. Liver toxicity is the main culprit for poor liver function. Toxins can come from chemicals used in the farming of food, as well as in the creation of processed foods and pharmaceutical medications, and simply through the air we breathe and water we drink.

Chinese Medicine also recognizes that endogenous chemicals released within the body during periods of mental-emotional stress can lead to toxicity in the Liver, and stagnate the Liver Qi.

Just as trees grow upward toward the sky, in the body the Wood energy, or Qi, of the Liver also ascends. (From our trip to Sequoia National Park, 2017)

Liver Qi Stagnation Generates Heat

As Qi flow becomes stagnant within the Liver due to any type of stress, conditions of pain and excessive heat begin to develop.

Since the nature of heat is to spread, heat can move anywhere throughout the body and contribute to systemic inflammation.

Through its infinite wisdom, the body will attempt to vent this heat out of the system by transferring it into the more external aspects of the body’s energetic systems—the Stomach, Gall Bladder and Urinary Bladder Meridians—making these systems especially vulnerable to inflammation due to Liver Qi stagnation.

Furthermore, the more inflamed our mental and emotional states become, the more internal heat is generated within the Liver and this heat over time will exhaust the body’s Qi and dry up the Blood.

The resulting exhaustion of Qi and Blood combined with excessive internal heat can impact brain function and become an underlying condition that leads to anxiety and chronic depression.

The Liver Can Insult the Lungs

Stagnant Liver function can burden the Lungs and cause shortness of breath. Since the Lungs relate to sadness, grief and depression, as the Lungs get suppressed with Liver stress, the propensity for depression increases.

Since Qi is an aspect of one’s vitality, if Qi is suppressed and weakened, this will be reflected in one’s emotional state as well.

A person who’s depressed will often reach for substances such as coffee and cigarettes for stimulation, or marijuana, CBD products and alcohol to numb out and avoid feeling so bad inside.

Craving these types of substances can also be a sign that the body is trying to relax the Liver Qi stagnation.

However, while the use of drugs to manage one’s depressed state can offer short-term relief, it contributes to toxic congestion of the liver, which further weakens the Lungs, inducing a greater state of depression in body and mind.

You can read more about how to use Essential Oils for dealing with symptoms of depression relating to the condition of the Liver insulting the function of your Lungs here.

Liver Qi Stagnation Can Lead to Liver Blood Stagnation

Just as warming up blood causes thickening and coagulation, long term Qi stagnation with the accumulation of heat may create blood stagnation within the Liver and make the condition of depression more intractable.

Additionally, as the heat consumes the body’s Qi, internal cold can develop.

Very chronic conditions of depression will commonly present with Liver Blood stagnation with an underlying internal cold pattern, often from the use of pharmaceutical medications.

Medications used to manage anxiety and depression can easily lead to Liver Blood stagnation due to Cold since the nature of these medications tends to be cooling and their side effects often result in stagnation of Liver Qi flow.

Generally, the longer you depend on these types of drugs to manage your depression, the more difficult it will be resolve.

It’s also common for the side effects of long-term substance use, including marijuana, alcohol and other types of prescription medications such as anti-inflammatory and statin drugs to create Liver Blood stagnation.

Statin drugs prescribed for lowering elevated cholesterol levels have a particularly profound impact on brain function.

As these drugs reduce cholesterol production in the liver, they also reduce cholesterol production in the brain, which is necessary for healthy neuron function. It is my suspicion that statin drugs may be a major reason why we see a trend of dementia developing at relatively young ages the past couple of decades.

Cholesterol makes up a large part of the myelin sheath that protects the brain’s nerve cells, called neurons, and it’s the myelin that conducts the electrical activity of the brain. Therefore, reduced levels of brain cholesterol from the use of statins can compromise brain function and contribute to conditions of depression.

What You Can Do to Balance Your Liver Energy

Keeping the Liver function healthy is imperative to prevent and resolve depression.

A major way to support your liver function is to find alternative ways to manage your inflammation, pain and cholesterol levels without the use of harsh pharmaceutical medications. Chinese Medicine offers solutions through the use of Acupuncture and herbal medicine.

From a psychological perspective, Wood energy needs to be balanced for healthy Liver function and since Wood energy ascends, you can support this energy by being more active and adventurous in your life.

Activities such as taking on leadership roles, exercising and especially playing competitive sports will help ascend and support your Wood energy.

For those of you who are overly active and competitive, it may instead be necessary to settle down your Wood energy by calming your nervous system to relax your Liver Qi. If you feel you’re taking on too much in life, try to step back, meditate and make time to go within yourself to quiet your mind and settle your elevated cortisol levels.

Also, create time to have fun and do more creative activities to counter the stress that may be overheating your Wood energy.

Fun is adaptogenic and bio-regulates your body and mind, so it’s good for all conditions.

The Liver also sets the rhythms in your life, so be on time and maintain a regular rhythm with your daily schedule. Getting more organized in general will use the energy of your Metal element to manage and control your Wood energy.

As you begin implementing these ideas you can, day by day, support a healthy flow of Qi through your Liver and throughout your life, thereby reducing patterns of frustration, irritability and depression.

The Nine Palaces and Five Elements

My Personal Journey With Stone Medicine

Stone Talismans to Support You to Find Completion in the Nine Palaces

In Summary

3 Shifts to Optimize Your Health During the Holidays

Eat warm, cooked foods

Do less by saying no more

Go to bed earlier

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Challenges to Thinking Positively

The Nine Palaces and Five Elements

Conclusion

Prioritize Your Self-Care

Be Consistent

Build Your Community

The Significance of the Metal Element

The Significance of Metal Energy in Your Life

How to Cultivate Clarity by Balancing Your Metal Energy

How Umeboshi Benefits Each of the Five Elements

Tips for Consuming Umeboshi

Want to know how to heal yourself with food?

Foods to Support Your Lung Health

How Foods Are Cooked Matters

Conclusion

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Stones To Temper Your Fire Energy

How to Use Stones Therapeutically

Cultivating a Healthy Earth

6 Ways to Support Your Earth Element During and After a Transition

5 Simple Steps for a Healthy Morning Ritual

Move Your Body

Hydrate

Center Your Mind

Practice Gratitude

Eat a Warm, Nourishing Breakfast

The Yang Fire Archetype

Essential Oils to Balance the Yang Fire Archetype

The Yin Fire Archetype

Essential Oils to Balance the Yin Fire Archetype

How Classical Chinese Medicine Understands the Process of Miracles

The Metaphors of the Heart-Kidney Relationship

Triple Energizer Qi Gong Supports Transformation in Your Life

You Are the Master of Your Life

Jing is the Qi of Your Constitution

The Eight Extraordinary Meridians Cleanse Your Constitutional Jing

The Benefits of Triple Energizer Qi Gong

Triple Energizer Qi Gong & Your Life Purpose

What is Yin Yoga?

5 Ways Yin Yoga Can Improve Your Health & Life

Reduced Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Improved Digestion & Sleep

Greater Freedom of Movement

Stronger Bones

Greater Mental Clarity & Focus

3 Ways to Optimize Your Hydration this Summer

Want to know how to heal yourself with food?

What’s a Qi Sucker?

Nourishment and the Earth element

What You Can Learn from Qi Suckers

5 Reasons to Drink Yerba Mate

Strengthens Your Body & Boosts Your Immunity

Gives You Energy without Caffeine Jitters

Clears Toxins from Your Body

Helps Improve Digestion & Elimination

Can Help You Get Rid of Stubborn Belly Fat

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

The Gut-Brain Connection

Healing Your Depression

The Heart’s Connection to Depression

The Heart Controls the Lungs

Heart Blood Stores Your Emotional Traumas

Your Tongue Can Reveal Excess Heart Fire & Blood Stagnation

Freeing Your Heart Allows For Miracles In Your Life

Liver Qi Stagnation Generates Heat

The Liver Can Insult the Lungs

Liver Qi Stagnation Can Lead to Liver Blood Stagnation

What You Can Do to Balance Your Liver Energy

Medical Disclaimer

Want to know how to
heal yourself with food?

Want to know how to
heal yourself with food?