Five Seasons Women’s Wellness: Health and Wellness Blog

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Full article: Ten Questions To Ask Your Doctor

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Try this!

Garlicky Grilled Chicken, Portobello, and Radicchio Salad

Chicken is warming, nourishing and promotes blood circulation.  Garlic is also warming and helps to promote circulation and digestion.  Portobello mushrooms are cleansing, and bitter radicchio helps promote digestion.

Perfect for a chilly Fall evening.

A recent Australian study demonstrated that acupuncture can produce significant changes in the brain.

10 study participants were given laser acupuncture at a series of points formulated to treat depression, while undergoing MRI imaging of the brain.  Changes in the “mood regulation” area of the brain were noted with the treatment.

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Women who experience menstrual cramps appear more likely to have abnormal structural changes in the areas of the brain involved in regulating pain and emotion, according to a recent study conducted in Taiwan.

MRI scans showed that these structural changes lasted throughout the cycle, even during pain-free periods.

Dr. Cheng-Hao Tu of the National Yang-Ming University in Taipei and his colleagues enrolled 32 women with severe menstrual cramps and 32 control subjects without cramps for the study.

No significant differences were seen on MRI for total volume of the tissues in the brain known as gray matter between patients and controls, but numerous regional differences in gray matter were detected.

Particularly, changes in brain volume were noted in the hypothalamus, know for its role in regulating the menstrual cycle, and other areas of the brain know for regulating pain.

Similar studies of patients with chronic pain have shown that extended pain can lead to structural and functional alterations throughout the nervous system.

“Our results demonstrated that abnormal [gray matter] changes were present in [primary dysmenorrhea] patients even in the absence of pain. This shows that not only sustained pain but also cyclic occurring menstrual pain can result in longer lasting central changes,” the researchers concluded.

Studies have shown that acupuncture has a direct effect on brain function and structure; results from this new study suggest that acupuncture’s effect on the brain may play a role in its ability to reduce menstrual pain.

Research is showing that regular exercise may not be enough to stave off heart disease; you need to keep moving, even after you visit the gym.

Read the NY Times article.

On a more personal note…Some of my patients may know that beyond being an acupuncturist and herbalist, I am an amateur dog trainer and compete in agility with my border collie Piper.

Last weekend, I competed with Piper at an AKC agility trial in Ridgefield, WA. After our runs, I was a little disappointed. We made a few mistakes and didn’t qualify. I was discouraged that I didn’t have anything to show for all of my hard work. After a long day, I drove home tired and a little deflated.

Piper running with full abandon

The next morning, I loaded the video of our runs onto my computer to see what our problems were. Watching the video of Piper in action overwhelmed me with a deep sense of gratitude. Our runs were beautiful, even with our novice mistakes. I was so grateful that such an amazing and talented dog could find such joy in running with me and playing my game of agility.

I can’t believe that I ever felt even the slightest tinge of disappointment in her and myself. I have always known that agility is about the fun of it, not titles or awards, but for a moment I lost sight of that.

This experience reminded me of how important it is to find joy and gratitude in your life, even when things do not go as you plan. I could have held on to my disappointment, eventually transforming it into bitterness and regret, but instead my heart is filled with thankfulness for life and all of its opportunities.

This morning, I was reading Susan Garrett’s blog, and the entry Lessons in Gratitude struck me. Susan is a world-class agility competitor and a truly marvelous dog trainer, and I think she owes that in part to her ability to focus on the positive. Reading her thoughts inspired me to share my own.

Here are a few quotes she shared:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie

“When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present…. we experience heaven on earth.” ~Sarah Breathnach

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain!” ~Vivian Greene

“At times when our own light goes out, it is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~Albert Schweitzer

Today I am grateful that my life is abundant and my heart found its way back to gratitude.

Be Well!

Ariel Solomon, L.Ac.

Ariel and Piper in Action

Susan Garrett’s Blog: Lessons in Gratitude

This is an interesting Washington Post article about the different types of health care systems around the world.

Once again, wherever you stand in the health care debate, knowledge is power- it’s important to know all the facts.

Happy reading!

Read the Full Article

The proposed healthcare overhaul has caused quite a stir over the last few weeks. Widespread misinformation seems to be fueling growing fear and outrage among many Americans.

In an effort to simplify the picture, NPR’s Scott Hensley put together some resources to help people understand how healthcare reform might affect them: Health Overhaul Boiled Down To A Flowchart.

The Whitehouse has also launched a “Health Insurance Reform Reality Check” to answer people’s question and concerns about health reform: Health Insurance Reform Reality Check.

Wherever you stand in the debate, it is imperative to know and understand the facts before choosing a side.

Happy reading!