The Spring Cleanse

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It might not feel like it just yet, but Spring is just about ready to explode.  After a record-breaking winter, most of us are eager with anticipation for the green months ahead. 

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The winter months can be a stagnant time for many aspects of our lives.  When spring finally arrives most of us celebrate by doing our spring cleaning.  Okay, celebrate might be a little bit of a stretch!

What many of us don’t realize is that spring is also a great time to do some cleansing within our bodies.  Not just the regular soapy bath sort of cleansing, but a dietary cleanse. 

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The word “cleanse” can be intimidating for many people.  At first it might seem like a daunting task, but the rewards are well worth it.  If you have never cleansed before, you will likely have a large build-up of unwanted toxins in the body.  Cleansing will leave you feeling lighter, and more energized. 

Cleansing can be simple and easy if you have the right tools.  Cleansing consists of two parts:  supplementation and diet.  The supplementation part is easy, most products on the market today come in packages that include all of the products you need. 

The diet part can be a bit trickier.  There are some food limitations during a cleanse, which is a great opportunity to try out some new recipes!    

To help get your body on the right track this spring, Lumina is offering a special Herbal D-Tox Package.  The package includes 4 cleansing supplements along with a Cleansing Cookbook! 

This two week “Detox In A Box” is the perfect cleanse for beginners and veterans alike.  And the cleanse-friendly cookbook will help you to prepare delicious meals that will support your cleanse and help you achieve optimal results.  This package is available for $39.95 while quantities last.**

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If you’re serious about cleansing this spring, you can achieve even better results when you combine this gentle herbal cleanse with acupuncture therapy.  Acupuncture promotes circulation and blood flow to remove any blockages or stagnation within the body. 

Your body is the vehicle that you ride around in for your entire life.  Just like any car, maintenance is the key to longevity.  Take care of your body, and your body will take care of you!

Keep the Vampires Away this Christmas

Italy’s Favorite Herb and Transylvania’s Least….GARLIC

By: Dr. Roxanne Chabidon

 

Like all natural medicine, garlic’s strength is in preventing illness from occurring. So instead of lining up at your doctor’s office this fall waiting for your annual flu shot, try stocking up on garlic from your local farmer’s market. Garlic has been proven to have strong antibiotic properties. It has direct influence on the lungs, making it a key expectorant in all formulas used to treat coughs, colds and nasty lung infections.

 

Not only will its hot and pungent nature keep you warm during cooler weather, but it’s also great at improving circulation. Its therapeutic range includes prevention of heart disease, cancer, and lowering high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It helps prevent heart disease in several different ways: reducing plaque buildup in the arteries and veins, reducing blood cholesterol levels, inhibiting vascular calcification and reducing free radical stress.

 

Worried about your breath? Excess consumption of garlic can show up not only on your breath but through the skin as well, which is great if you’re trying to repel mosquitoes and vampires, but not so great for your social life. My suggestion is to take some parsley with or directly after your garlic intake. You can also take a high potency enteric-coated capsule that releases its contents strictly in the digestive tract. If you’re using garlic to enhance your circulation, try adding cayenne and parsley to your formula for an excellent full-spectrum blood cleansing formula.

Don’t forget though, that no matter how great your diet and supplement program is, it’s always a good idea to get an acupuncture seasonal tune-up at least 4 times a year.  Even if you are completely healthy, acupuncture will keep you that way!  If you haven’t been in in a while, or feel like you could use a boost, call us to book your appointment.  At 613-216-2135.  WE’RE OPEN DURING THE HOLIDAYS.  Check out our hours here. 

The Power of Pears

By: Dr. Blaise Ryan

 

Pears are the best fruit to eat in the fall. In Chinese medicine, autumn is the dry season, and it’s associated with the lungs, your skin, hair and large intestine. And when the humidity drops and the air becomes drier, your lungs, skin, hair and large intestine are the first to be negatively affected. That’s why it’s common for people to experience dry throats, coughing , allergies, dry lips, constipation, dandruff, and dry skin during the fall.

 

Pears are incredibly moistening and rehydrating, and according to Chinese medicine, they moisten and nourish your lungs primarily. They are also cooling in nature, which means they are good at reducing inflammation. And as you may or may not know, inflammation is one of the main causes of aging and wrinkles, not to mention 95% of all health problems.

 

So eat a lot of pears. The juicier the better. If you’re feeling dry – dry skin, throat, eyes, nose–then eat 3-5 pears per day. This is especially the case if you get a dry cough – just keep eating them! You can eat them raw or even steam them. When they’re raw, they’re better for reducing inflammation, and when they’re steamed, they’re better at hydrating your body.

 

A few more moistening and hydrating autumn foods are:

· Rice or oat gruel, sesame seeds, carrots, soy milk, weak green tea, and sweet potatoes. Also, ask one of your Lumina doctors for a special fall herbal tonic to help you prepare for the approaching winter.

Watermelon is the Queen of Hydration

The reason that Chinese medicine is so effective in skin health is because is two-fold:

1. It hydrates the skin

2. It Reduces inflammation

 

Chinese medicine is based on the theory of yin and yang. Which is based on the principle that we live in a dualistic universe. Examples of this are: up & down, night & day, hot & cold, East and West, summer and winter. Each can only exist because of the other. We can’t have a right if there is no left.

 

Yin represents water and hydration. An excess of yang results in inflammation, which is technically referred to as ‘excessive heat’ in Chinese medicine. Balancing yin and yang is what leads to being powerfully healthy.

 

Although the humidity that comes with our summers does help the skin. If you’re not careful you can further dehydrate yourself and the heat can increase inflammation. I’m not just talking about superficial inflammation caused by sunburns. Think of an engine that runs out of coolant and overheats. The same thing can happen to your body. And it does your skin will suffer.

 

One of the best ways to beat the heat this summer is not through ice cream, cold beer or extra ice in your water. Foods that are too cold can actually “freeze” your digestive system. The cure? Watermelon! Water-melon is incredibly hydrating. According to findings from USDA scientists, watermelon contains powerful antioxidants that have shown to: Reduce the risk of asthma, diabetes, colon cancer and arthritis. It’s rich in Vitamin C, A and Bs, fiber, magnesium potassium, and Lycopene.

 

Lycopene not only disarms harmful free radicals, but studies have shown it to reduce inflammation, reduce the risk of a wide variety of cancers, and benefit the digestive system.

 

Watermelon will offset the heat this summer. And your skin will thank you.