New in the Office: Michelle Schrader Photography Canvas Art and 5×5 Prints

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“Most people have a positive response to something – whether it’s music, painting, poetry, trees, animals, the sea, mountains or whatever. So sometimes it may be necessary to turn your attention deliberately to something you enjoy, something you have a good response to, and that will introduce another element into your experience. A more energetic, exuberant element that will help you to take a more creative approach to life’s ups and downs.” —Ratnaghosa

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Featured Artist: Michelle Schrader Photography

If you haven’t been in the office recently, you’ve been missing out! Reflecting on beauty is a heart-opening exercise; and I’m delighted to share with you that local artist, Michelle Schrader, has been offering her visual healing to folks coming through the space. Currently we have four prints hanging and a number of 5×5 inch prints for sale. Her work celebrates the natural beauty of the West Coast and plays with the warmth of light cast in oft-overlooked spaces.

To see and/or purchase her work online, visit her Square Market store, Michelle Schrader Photography. You can also view and purchase the canvas prints “Carved Head,” “escape,” “Ghost Town 12×12″,” and “blue door” at the office, as well as many of her 5×5 prints.

Follow Michelle on Instagram or Pinterest; or contact her directly by phone (206.639.7326) or email, moonsongmichelle@gmail.com.

Reflect on Nature for Stress and Anxiety Relief

Did you know looking on nature isn’t just a nicety? It directly impacts our body’s stress response. Recent research out of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and University of Hong Kong found that even just watching videos of trees was enough to reduce stress and anxiety in subjects. The greater tree coverage there was in the imagery, the stronger the calming effect. This is so powerful for folks living in an urban environment, or unable to leave their homes or bed due to illness!

Remember, we don’t always have to be with what we love to cultivate the mood of love in our lives. The brain is amazing this way! We can start with simply imagining it – bringing what we love to mind through recollection.

What might you surround yourself with at work or at home to help you stay in the mood of ease and love? To what might you turn your attention to lift your spirits and remind you of greater possibilities in life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

 

Breathing Techniques for Stress Reduction and Energy Work

“Breathing is massively practical,” says Belisa Vranich, a psychologist and author of the book ‘Breathe,’ …It’s meditation for people who can’t meditate.” –Source: NYTimes.com

[wproto_divider style=”gap”]What I’m Reading: Breathing Techniques for Stress Reduction

NYT article, “Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing”

Author’s Key Points

• Controlled breathing has been shown to “reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system.”
• Symptoms in such conditions as anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder have all shown to decrease with conscious breathing techniques.
• Coherent breathing, stress relief (“rock and roll breathing“), and energizing HA breath are three types of techniques you can try right now

Breath: An Essential of Energy Work

Did you know controlled breathing is also an important part of energy work? In qi gong, breath is considered the second of three essentials to energy work practice. As far back as 168 BCE the Chinese had already been documenting breathing techniques for health (see: 卻穀食氣, Que Gu Shi Qi). Of course, it’s not just breathing for breathing’s sake that makes the practice essential. It’s about integrating the body-mind-spirit through breath, intention and movement/posture. I love this quote from a pupil’s Qi Gong Master on the subject, “movement without breath integration has limited health benefits and practice without mind is a waste of time.”

Energy Work Breathing Techniques

Countless ‘schools’ of energy work also employ mindful breathing techniques to facilitate the shift into altered states of consciousness. Coupled with intention, the breath can also direct different energies into the body (such as Heavenly energy, Earth energy, or the Rays, etc). In Reiki, we regularly use the breath to move Reiki energy through more powerfully. We can blow Reiki symbols into the auric bodies and/or chakras; and/or we can channel Reiki through the breath when we ‘beam’ Reiki into the aura. If you’re interested in exploring the world of energy work and breathing techniques, here are some starting places for you:

• Huna breathing techniques
• Shamanism breathing technique
• Pranic healing techniques

Set Your Compass, then Breathe

You can learn to breathe and to breathe mindfully; but to what end? Without a compass setting for your practice, meaningful progress won’t be far in my experience. This is where studying with a teacher or within a system can be helpful if not essential. This is also why I like to teach energy work as a hybrid course with Reiki. In my opinion, it is not enough to know we can effect change with intention and practice. We also need to know why we want to do so. What are we hoping to co-create in this world through our words, actions, and exchanges? It’s this rectification of paradigm, I believe, that facilitates the necessary internal shift(s) that move us towards a more meaningful and peace-filled life.

Why and when do you breathe mindfully?

Has mindful breathing helped you in your life? How? I’d love to hear about it the comments. (PS there’s an excellent version of the Mindfulness of Breathing practice on the Insight Timer for anyone with that iPhone/iPad app, “Anapanasati Breathing Meditation,” by the Samahita Thera Forest Sangha.)

Treating PTSD with Acupuncture

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What is PTSD?

After experiencing a life-threatening event or trauma, an individual may develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. This disorder is not just something that affects our veterans, but can arise in various populations affected by different kinds of trauma. The National Center of PTSD emphasizes that trauma can be something you hear, witness, or personally experience (as happening to you), and can include:

• Combat exposure
• Child sexual or physical abuse
• Terrorist attack
• Sexual or physical assault
• Serious accidents, like a car wreck
• Natural disasters (i.e. fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, etc)

Not mentioned in this list is chronic emotional abuse; however, I believe it would be appropriate to add it (see: Complex PTSD). To this end, if saying “no” is not a part of your vocabulary, you might consider reading this short piece, Codependency, Trauma and the Fawn Response, by therapist Pete Walker and/or Alice Miller’s Drama of the Gifted Child.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

The four key symptoms of this disorder include (1) Reliving the event; (2) Avoidance; (3) Hyperarousal; and (4) Negative changes in emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Beyond these, individuals with PTSD might also experience difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and chronic pain among other symptoms.

PTSD and Acupuncture

According to a 2012 systematic review on the effectiveness of acupuncture for trauma, associated symptoms that may improve with care include:

• anxiety
• chronic pain
• depression
• headaches
• sleep disturbances

Acupuncture’s popularity as an adjunctive therapy for PTSD (alongside counseling and medication) continues to grow. I’m continually amazed at how specific we can get with auricular acupuncture treatment — see the areas affected in the fight or flight response to the right? We have acupoints that specifically target the amygdala, hypothalamus, cortisol, and ACTH. Pretty amazing!

Seeking Care

There is a long list of acupuncture clinics nationwide that offer no-cost or low-cost care to Veterans in particular. For everyone else, one-on-one treatments are becoming more affordable as many insurance carriers now reimburse for acupuncture; and there are also community clinics that offer low cost treatment held in group settings.

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Post-Heart Attack, Reiki Decreases Anxiety

Post-Heart Attack, Reiki Decreases Anxiety | Reiki Energy Work for Everyday People.

Heart Attack (aka Myocardial Infarction)

20-Minutes of Reiki: A whole lot of good

In a small 2008 study, researchers compared the effects of Reiki (light-touch energy work they call “relaxation therapy”) to those of classical music on post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) inpatients. In the study, patients had to have had an ACS episode within 72 hours before receiving 20-minutes of treatment (either Reiki or classical music), or simply participating in a control group of minimal distraction.

How Reiki relaxes the body

So, what did the researchers conclude? “Reiki increases vagal activity and decreases anxiety in patients after ACS.” In specific, they found Reiki significantly:

• increased high frequency (HF) component of HRV
• increased respiration rate interval
• reduced reported anxiety
• increased sense of relaxation

What is the HF component of HRV?

The HF component will decrease during periods of time pressure or emotional strain; so seeing Reiki’s ability to increase this is consistent with the participants’ experiencing less anxiety and more relaxation.

What is ACS?

Acute coronary syndrome  is an umbrella term for conditions in which the blood supplied to the heart is suddenly blocked, such as is the case in heart attack or unstable angina.

Energy work and the Heart

Energy center, Lao Gong, in the hand is a point along the Pericardium (heart protector) channel.

They say many healthcare providers die from complications to the heart because they tax the organ’s energy so extensively, in caring for others and especially in channeling its energy through the hands as is the case for many bodyworkers including massage therapists. While I can appreciate the sentiment, I think it’s notable to also reference Louise Hay’s work in which she references coronary thrombosis as a condition of “feeling alone and scared,” a manifestation of feeling, “I’m not good enough. I don’t do enough. I’ll never make it.” In the same book, You Can Heal Your Life, she also lists heart attack as a condition of “squeezing all the joy out of the heart in favor of money or position, etc.” Unfortunately, these sentiments are not uncommon to many individuals, especially those working such demanding jobs/hours as do healthcare providers.

Anxiety and the Heart

In Chinese medicine, we believe when the heart is balanced, one experiences joy. When the heart is unbalanced, one experiences anxiety about big-picture concerns. It’s not surprising then, to hear Louise Hay’s mapping of these conditions to thoughts like, “I’m not good enough. I don’t do enough. I’ll never make it.” More importantly, understanding Reiki’s effect to quell anxiety is an important finding when it comes to caring for folks post-heart attack (or other ACS episode). It means supporting the heart energetically, and reducing overall stress on the body. This is no small detail, as stress can affect heart beat regularity and, indirectly, this population’s risk of arrhythmic sudden death after myocardial infarction.

Your practice

Consider treating yourself to care. What would deeply nourish your heart’s sense of joy, connection and love? How does it feel to allow yourself to fully receive support? Some of my favorite things to recommend for body-based heart support include Reiki, Watsu or floating. What are some of yours? Share in the comments!

Psychobiotics: How gut bacteria mess with your mind (Article, New Scientist)

In the latest New Scientist, professor of anatomy and neuroscience, John Cryan, and Timothy Dinan, professor of psychiatry (University College Cork, Ireland) discuss “Psychobiotics: How gut bacteria mess with your mind.”

Probiotics today are becoming more and more understood and appreciated for their ability not just to normalize a body’s balance after antibiotic use, but as a treatment in their own right. As discussed in my earlier piece, “Just Who Do You Think You Are,” medical professionals have been turning to probiotics to assist in treating everything from stress to anxiety, depression, eczema, allergy, and more.

It would be easy to lump “probiotics” into one category; but it’s true there are many different strains, and some have been studied for their specific benefits while others have not. New Scientist highlights the following promising strains for their health benefits:

• Bacteroides fragilis, autism
• Bifidobacterium infantis, depression
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus, anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

As well as the following combination of strains:

• Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum, anxiety and depression

To know if your probiotic has been studied in humans, call the company directly; it’s amazing what you can find out! Remember, more doesn’t always mean better — so don’t assume because a product has 80 billion cells of probiotics that it has what you need. Strains point more to the condition being treated, while the number of cells speak more to degree of imbalance. A product that offers 6 billion cells may be all that’s needed for one, while someone else may need significantly more than that!

Another thing to be aware of is something called “prebiotic.” The prebiotic is a fiber that you can think of is like food for the probiotic. Well, guess what? Good bacteria and bad bacteria both like to eat! So if you have a gut imbalance, you might find taking a high initial dose of probiotic results in a lot of gas and discomfort; this is the byproduct of bad bacteria’s healthy eating habits. Once the good bacteria is replenished (keeping the bad bacteria in check), this will no longer be an issue. For this reason, I recommend folks start low and build up. This is easy to do if you buy capsules or a powder — you can start with one cap per dose (or tip out half a capsule, etc) and gradually work up to your target dose.

Think you might benefit from probiotics, but not sure where to go from here? Contact me for an appointment today.

Studies Show Electroacupuncture Stops Pain

MRI and biochemistry show electroacupuncture stops pain

In their latest Acupuncture News, Healthcare Medicine Institute (Health CMI) reports, “MRI and Biochemistry Confirm Acupuncture Stops Pain.” In the article, they cite a number of studies that examine the use of new imaging techniques that elucidate acupoints and electroacupuncture, the stimulation of those points with weak electrical current.

Cited in the article is a study just published in Anesthesiology – The Journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, in which researchers conclude:

“Electroacupuncture blocks pain by activating a variety of bioactive chemicals through peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms. These include opioids, which desensitize peripheral nociceptors and reduce proinflammatory cytokines peripherally and in the spinal cord, and serotonin and norepinephrine, which decrease spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 phosphorylation.”

What is electroacupuncture?

While acupuncture, the needling of acupoints, has been around for thousands of years, electroacupuncture is a relatively new phenomenon; some folks date the treatment as early as the 1800s, while others place it as late as 1958. Today, we can send a weak current through two acupuncture points using a device and two alligator clip wires. Alternatively, we can use a device that will stimulate a point without the use of needles.

The treatment is comfortable and typically lasts a few minutes up to 45 minutes, depending on what’s being treated with which device. (Most folks report feeling a tingling sensation at the local site that can sometimes radiate down the channel.) Not only is electroacupuncture helpful for treating pain, but also for treating anxiety and depression.

‘Proof’ of Acupuncture Points

The imaging findings cited in the article are quite exciting as science has been struggling to confirm empirically what acupuncturists and their patients have known for millennia: acupuncture points are real. Now by way of CT scan, researchers have found higher densities of micro-vessels at acupoint locations. In their study published December 2013 in the Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena, they concluded, “there were large numbers of involutedly microvascular structure in the acupoint areas. Nevertheless, in non-acupoints area, the microvascular structure was relatively simple and flat.”

The adjacent image is from another imaging technology, an amperometric oxygen microsensor, that detects partial oxygen pressure variations at various locations. (I recommend reading Health CMI’s article in full to learn more.) Researchers found acupuncture points showed statistically-significant, relatively higher pO₂ levels as compared to other regions.

Feel you might be a good candidate for electroacupuncture treatment? Contact Melissa for an appointment today.

Meditation has ‘some benefit against anxiety, depression and pain’ (Systematic Review)

Medical News Today reports on JAMA’s systematic review of 47 randomized clinical trials involving 3515 participants, finding: Meditation has ‘some benefit against anxiety, depression and pain.’ Interestingly enough, they cite, “The positive response to depression was similar to that achieved by antidepressants, the researchers say, with the size of the effect through meditation being up to 52% greater compared with controls.”

There is a lot one could say on the subject of meditation; but I’ll start with simply saying there are a lot of varying approaches! Over the years in my own practice, I’ve encountered plenty of people (including myself) who thought meditation was the practice of emptying the mind. They would feel frustrated or defeated when a thought came up, their mind drifted, or they felt sleepy during the practice. However, in my opinion, this is not really the case.

If I could offer a suggestion, it would be not to see meditation as the practice of pushing away an experience, but to become aware of what is arising in your sense experience. This can be particularly important when working with depression, which may be arising due to suppressed grief, fear, anger or shame. Learning to stay with what’s happening can even help those during panic attacks, in understanding what’s occurring, listening to what’s needed, and acting accordingly.

Additionally, Chinese medicine has a number of great aids for treating anxiety, depression and pain–including acupuncture, estim, and Chinese herbal medicine (to read more on herbs and pain, see my earlier post: Chinese Poppy Plant, Corydalis, Works For Chronic Pain). Equally important is working with a good nutritionist and therapist you can trust and whose work you find helpful (there are so many different types!). Need guidance or care? Drop me an email!

The Case for Probiotics: Just Who Do You Think You Are?

How “human” is human?

In all our experience, there is what we see and what we don’t see; what we know, and what we don’t know. And how often do we let what we know be directly informed by what we see? Even in language what is actually said is worth less in communication than looks and tone. Most everyone has probably had opportunity to feel sarcasm and judgment in simple language. (I absolutely love a bit by Eddie Izzard talking about just this – the 70% is how you look, 20% how you sound and 10% what you say.)

So, with the body – there is what we see, which we call a human; but if you looked at what comprised that “human,” you would see we harbor 100 trillion microbes and that, in fact, 9 out of 10 “human” cells don’t even contain the human genome. In the gut alone there are 5600 known unique strains of bacteria just hanging out and loving life. Well, until you flush them down the drain, of course….

The benefit of probiotics

Probiotics are a great way to support the beneficial bacteria in your gut. You can find them in fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi. Alternatively, one can purchase them as a supplement in powdered or pill form. These supplements can range in quantity, some providing 1 billion to over 100 billion cells per serving. A number of companies now source dairy-free options as well.

Probiotics for the gut after antibiotics

Antibiotics can do a serious number on our good bacteria – washing it out with the bad. We often see symptoms of diarrhea and electrolyte imbalance here. I get a lot of questions about how to replenish what gets lost and whether yogurt is a good idea. I am immediately reminded of when I had strep as a kid. It was so painful, and I felt like I could hardly eat anything. At the time, I don’t think anyone in my family had even heard of probiotics, but we definitely knew about yogurt. And I’ll say – sure, it felt great to have something easy to swallow and cool to the throat – but boy, not 2 minutes later did the awful feeling come over me that I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to breathe… oh, mucus! Truth is, yogurt is pretty low in probiotics, and while it may not actual increase mucus in the body, it may increase the viscosity of mucus. And anyone who’s felt the heavy hand of mucus on their breathing can tell you – increasing its thickness is not ideal! Probiotics? Great idea!

Probiotics for mood

In 2011 they did a study on Lactobacillus rhamnosus in mice and found that the strain was able to actually reduce stress-induced corticosterone and subsequently modulate behaviours associated with anxiety and depression. In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin is in the gut. Want to feel groovy? Think bowels!

For more on mental health and probiotics, consider reading my post, “Psychobiotics: How Gut Bacteria Mess with Your Mind.”

Probiotics for immune support

In 2009 they showed kids who supplemented with probiotics for 6 months had fewer sick days and missed less days due to illness than their peers. And kids have the upper hand in disease prevention – if you want to prevent eczema or allergy, you know it… consider probiotics!

A closing thought

If we are in part what we “aren’t,” consider where our lives might overlap with the lives of others. What do we share in common? How can we treat the lives of others–humans, animals, or other–with the same “humanity” each deserves? May we endeavor to be kind, and always consider that in any situation, there may be more there than meets the eye!

Just Who Do You Think You Are?

In all our experience, there is what we see and what we don’t see; what we know, and what we don’t know. And how often do we let what we know be directly informed by what we see? Even in language what is actually said is worth less in communication than looks and tone. Most everyone has probably had opportunity to feel sarcasm and judgment in simple language. (I absolutely love a bit by Eddie Izzard talking about just this – the 70% is how you look, 20% how you sound and 10% what you say.)

So, with the body – there is what we see, which we call a human; but if you looked at what comprised that “human,” you would see we harbor 100 trillion microbes and that, in fact, 9 out of 10 “human” cells don’t even contain the human genome. In the gut alone there are 5600 known unique strains of bacteria just hanging out and loving life. Well, until you flush them down the drain, of course…

Antibiotics can do a serious number on our good bacteria – washing it out with the bad. We often see symptoms of diarrhea and electrolyte imbalance here. I get a lot of questions about how to replenish what gets lost and whether yogurt is a good idea. I am immediately reminded of when I had strep as a kid. It was so painful, and I felt like I could hardly eat anything. At the time, I don’t think anyone in my family had even heard of probiotics, but we definitely knew about yogurt. And I’ll say – sure, it felt great to have something easy to swallow and cool to the throat – but boy, not 2 minutes later came the awful feeling that I wasn’t sure I was able to breathe… oh, mucus! Truth is, yogurt is pretty low in probiotics, and while it may not actual increase mucus in the body, it may increase the viscosity of mucus. And anyone who’s felt the heavy hand of mucus on their breathing can tell you – increasing its thickness is not ideal!

Probiotics, on the other hand, offer the best of both worlds – ranging in number from 1 billion to over 100 billion cells per serving; and quite a few companies are now sourcing dairy-free options. While someone on antibiotics might take somewhere around 24 billion or more cells per day, folks with skin disorders, stress imbalance and low immune health may also benefit from taking these little critters.

In 2011 they did a study on Lactobacillus rhamnosus in mice and found that the strain was able to actually reduce stress-induced corticosterone and subsequently modulate behaviours associated with anxiety and depression. In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin is in the gut. Want to feel groovy? Think bowels! Want your kids to stay in school? Think bowels!

In 2009 they showed kids who supplemented with probiotics for 6 months had fewer sick days and missed less days due to illness than their peers. And kids have the upper hand in disease prevention – if you want to prevent eczema or allergy, you know it… consider probiotics!

So if we are in part what we “aren’t,” consider where our lives might overlap with the lives of others. What do we share in common? How can we treat the lives of others–humans, animals, or other–with the same “humanity” each deserves? Be kind, and always consider that in any situation, there may be more there than meets the eye!

Does the Mood Strike You?

There can be such clarity in simple expressions. Mood: often we feel overwhelmed by how we are feeling, or how we want to be feeling, that we forget our moods simply come and go. How we feel in a moment is not who we are at heart. Nonetheless, our feelings give us great insight to our needs–and that is something well worth addressing!

Physically, our body is a well-oiled machine of incredible capacity. Caring for it must include an awareness of how we nourish it, what we demand of it, how we treat it, and how we think about it. “What the Bleep Do We Know” is a super cool movie that illustrates this point, that our thoughts can directly affect the function of our bodies. Dr. Masaru Emoto in Japan proved that using words to deliver intention to water can even physically affect the shape of its crystals. So what does that mean for us in how we talk to ourselves, think to ourselves about how we are and how we would like to be?

While moods may wash over us seemingly out of nowhere, there are a few fantastic methods to help get to the bottom of what’s going on. I love the Non-Violent Communication model set up by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. It’s simple enough in its approach–it has four basic parts: (1) Everyone has the same, universal needs. (2) Our feelings indicate whether our needs are or are not being met. (3) We each choose strategies to ensure our needs get met. (4) Everyone can get their respective needs met by choosing cooperative strategies. For those who battle with anger, depression, and anxiety, this can be a very powerful tool. Just to be aware that it’s not being “needy” to have needs can be extremely liberating! It’s also empowering to start recognizing that in each action, we are always striving for the same thing — to get our needs met. So, when we don’t like the outcome our of choices, we can have clarity that it’s not our needs that are the problem, but our strategies. This can create space for the important shift out of pessimism (something internal, i.e. “What’s wrong with me?”) to optimism (something external, i.e. “This didn’t go well for me.”). The more and more we create a separation between what we experience and who we are, the easier it is to respond creatively to our situation, and remain open-hearted.

“The Pathway” is another fantastic resource I recommend to patients. In this book, author Laurel Mellin, MA, RD describes the method of doing what are called “cycles” as a method to move through the mood. The cycle roughly breaks down into asking one’s self: (1) How am I feeling? (2) Are my expectations reasonable? (3) Are my thoughts powerful and positive?  (4) What is the essential pain/earned reward? (5) What do I need? Do I need support? You’d be amazed what can get uncovered in a cycle with simply applying attention! I think about our brains like massive storage houses — with endless drawers for our experiences. We carefully and carelessly place and toss our happiness, our frustration, our being seen, our being forgotten, our hopes and our desperation. Each drawer deepens and widens with each year of our lives. Then we get a new experience — Uh! Goes in the drawer! But guess what? Each time we open it we’re reminded of all the junk and all the joy we’ve known before! That is, of course, unless we regularly empty the drawers…. All the more reason to parse out our feelings and needs daily!

Chemistry is no small part of it, too. Studies have shown vitamin and mineral levels do make a difference. Key players include chromium, phosphorus, zinc and an array of B vitamins among others. B vitamins in particular can be crucial in treating mood disorders; and supplementing with a methylated folic acid (i.e. B9) and B12 can make a significant difference to those inefficient at activating these vitamins. I mention this just as an example to remind everyone that we’re talking about the mind-body-spirit connection. Treating the body, we affect the mind. Working with the mind, we affect the body. The best healing works on all levels.

I personally love Reiki’s ability to listen deeply to the spirit while working with the body-mind. It’s a great avenue for cultivating awareness of what beliefs we hold, what fears we have, what holds us back from being our full, true selves. Honoring the sacred voice in each of us, Reiki can light the path when things have grown dim. I treasure the softness, kindness, and wisdom that come straight from the heart of each person I meet. When things grow dim, come on in!