General-Lifestyle

There are many ways to fast and reasons for undergoing the ritual.  Many religions have traditional fasting periods and rules - lent, ramadan, yom kippur, etc.  And there are a host of largely positive medical reasons to do occasional light fasting.  Regardless of your reasoning fasting has beneficial aspects for your body, and your mind.

Tai Chi is well known for it's many health benefits.  The majority of these relate to the immune system, cardiovascular system, improving bone density, improving balance and coordination, and lowering stress levels.  The majority of these effects have been well studied in both eastern and western medical circles.

Every patient is looking for a good healer. Even the healthy ones are too. But few realize a healer can do only so much for them. Yes, herbs, pills, surgery, acupuncture... these all help. Sometimes they bring miracles. However, they are considered the lowest level of healing.

It is estimated that ADHD affects 3 to 10% of school-aged children. It was previously called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), but the frequent occurrence of hyperactivity in affected children led to a change in the name. Signs of ADHD include short attention span, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Most children will exhibit such signs from time to time, but for children with ADHD, the persistence and frequency of these behaviors are much greater. The diagnosis is based on the signs, symptoms and questionnaires, and there is no laboratory test for ADHD.

I have attached my "If It Ain't Easy Stretching Book" for users to download. The stretching and qi gong exercises are drawn from Chinese and Japanese theories and are easy to learn and practice. I hope you find this text useful in your pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.

The following article is the result of a research project I did within the religious studies program at the University of Arizona in 2000. As acupuncture and the martial arts come from eastern philosophical viewpoints, many westerners have to learn to assimilate these foreign ideas into our world-view before we can enact them. This can often be a complex process for us.

Well for those of you who do not recognize the name Giovanni Maciocia, he is a world renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor from England. He has written five or six text books that are utilized by almost every single practitioner in North America as well as other parts of the world.

So by chance I found myself in an herb shop that I had never been to before (the one I normally go to went out of business). I was chatting it up with the owner and he tells me he is hosting a Oriental Medicine Symposium the coming weekend and that Giovanni Maciocia is scheduled to lecture in Vancouver BC. He also tells me that I, being from WA state, could have brought him up as he was in Seattle and needed some way to get to Vancouver. They couldn't find him a ride so they were forced to fly him from Seattle to Vancouver. He was going to have to wait for five hours after his lecture in Seattle before the flight took off for Vancouver.

Isn't it dumbfounding where our life's path takes us? If you stop to relish in the present moment are you surprised where you find yourself? How many of you are in a position now that five or ten years ago you would have never even conceived? It seems that our path unfolds for us with each fleeting moment, as if it is already predetermined how our existence will play out. I find that the less I resist to life and it's stresses, the easier things become for me. All I have to do is breathe into my abdomen, relax into my center, and enjoy the ride.