Lemon Water from A Dentist’s Perspective

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So after waiting too long (as per normal), I made a check up appointment with my dentist last week. While she was going through the results of all her findings, she asked me if I drank lemon water. I mentioned I did most mornings. She then gave me some valuable information which I was unaware of and which in some way I have been contributing to so I thought I would share it with you.

Dentists are seeing increasing problems with tooth enamel since the return of lemon water consumption. The acidity in lemon water can be corroding for your teeth enamel resulting in more breakages. Whilst drinking lemon water is undeniably healthy, there are a few things to consider while caring for your teeth at the same time.

Guidelines for drinking lemon water to look after your teeth:

  1. Drink your lemon water through a straw – it won’t touch your teeth
  2. Don’t have lemon wedges in your water bottle or jug to drink all day
  3. Make sure you either eat straight after your lemon water or brush your teeth to change the pH in your mouth
  4. Replace lemon water with chicken broth for a warmth nutritional tonic first thing in the morning (especially great as the weather cools down)

Straws are on the shopping list this week ;-)

Teeth

Moxibustion…what, why, how?

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It’s a really common question in clinic…what is moxa, closely followed by ‘what does it do?’

Moxa is a herb and moxibustion is an ancient technique which involves the burning of mugwort to promote healing and wellbeing. It is found underneath the leaves of the mugwort plant. In its natural form it is a small spongy herb. Like all other herbs, moxa has specific healing properties which include blood moving, warming, removal of cold stagnation, pain reduction and strengthening the energy of your internal organs.

The Chinese symbol for acupuncture literally translates as ‘acupuncture and moxibustion’, identifying the importance of these two therapies used together. They are a Yin and Yang pair. Acupuncture can only redirect energy which already exists in your body. It can move excess energy, remove heat, redistribute fluid, relax muscle, alleviate pain and settle ‘hyperactive’ energy. However, it can’t build energy. Building energy requires adding something extra to the system. Similar to food and breath, moxibustion adds energy but in the form of warmth to stimulate digestion, build blood and endometrium lining, build organ energy, eliminate cold and warm meridians. Used together, they both build energy and redistribute it to heal and promote wellbeing.

The best thing about moxibustion is how incredibly relaxing you feel. It warms your body and dilates blood vessels to help you feel an overall calmness.

Woman's back with burning moxa on acupuncture needles, close-up

Energetics of Autumn

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Autumn in Chinese Medicine
Autumn seems like the left out season in the year. We all love summer for the sun and surf, winter for the hot chocolates and snow and spring for new beginnings and young love. But we don’t give too much thought to Autumn. However, it is in fact a really important time of the year for your health.

In Chinese medicine, Autumn is the lung and large intestine time of the year. These organs are strongest in energy at this time. So this is the time when you need to look after your Lung energy to prevent colds and flus in Winter. This means starting back on your bone broth (let me know if you’d like a recipe) and building your immune system with warm, nutritious foods. The other key is dressing appropriately in the changing weather. It takes us a while to realise it’s getting cooler and the cold wind is what enters the channels in your neck causing the start of a cold. Start carrying a ‘cardy’ or a scarf and keep your feet warm to prevent this from happening.

In terms of your large intestine, it’s function is to remove waste from your body, but it also has an energetic role in removing ’emotional waste’. This is the time to ‘let things go’ whether that be a relationship that isn’t working, a job this which is unfulfilling or an issue that is unresolved, like a dead leaf hanging on a tree, let it go.

Now is the best time to boost your immune system with food, herbs and acupuncture.
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Social Egg Freezing

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This conversation has come up a bit over the last couple of weeks so I thought I’d just do a quick post regarding Chinese medicine concepts of fertility and this idea.

The main argument for social egg freezing is to keep the quality of your eggs as high as it was when you’re younger so you have the ability to fall pregnant easier later in life. It is suggested by fertility clinics specifically for women who are young and career focused, single or just not ready to have children but know they will in the future and would like eliminate any ‘age-related’ problems with falling pregnant.

How about instead, we look after our eggs in the best storage facility naturally available…your ovaries. In Chinese medicine, your Kidneys are responsible for your egg quality. The Kidney’s are most affected by daily stresses like poor sleep, poor diet, anxiety, chronic stress, working in cold environments, lack of exercise or lack of fulfillment in life in general. To maintain egg quality, you need to maintain Kidney health, which means addressing all of these concerns.

When your body is working at it’s most ideal, it is the best place to keep your eggs save and warm. But this involves some work and a change in habits on your side. Getting your health sorted and then maintaining a balanced lifestyle with a healthy diet and regular exercise will ensure that your body will take care of your eggs in the same way it will look after every other cell in your body.

I wouldn’t be trusting anyone else with this job but me.

Egg freezing

Treating Headaches with Acupuncture

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There aren’t many people I’ve treated who have never experienced headaches at some point in their lives. A headache is a non specific symptom, which means on it’s own, it provides little diagnostic information. The interesting thing is that you can experience them as a response to almost an change in energy in the body.

You can experience a headache if you’re dehydrated, after detoxing from coffee, when you have a fever, when you’re stressed, when you’re tired, just before ovulation, just before your period, when you eat too much bread, when you hurt your neck or you back…and many more. Why is this?

In Chinese medicine, there are two very simple explanations for why headaches are so commonly experienced;

  1. All internal organs have a direct or indirect connection to the head.

Your internal organs have energy meridians which connect to your muscles and skin (this is where acupuncture points are located). Every one of these meridians, connects to the head in some way. Therefore, any imbalance in any organ system can ultimately present as a symptom at the head, most commonly being a headache.

2. Heat rises

In the environment around us and also in our bodies. When you have internal heat, caused by digestive inflammation, stress, dehydration or pain, it rises towards and results in a headache.

The key to correctly diagnosing and treating a headache is in the detail. I need to know; the location of your headache (frontal is usually related to digestion, vertex is generally more Liver), type of pain (stabbing, aching, heavy, empty etc), associated symptoms like vomiting, tiredness, vision changes or appetite changes and what alleviates them (cold, heat, water, movement, lying down). The more specific the explanation, the better. For example, the type of headache that is described by the feeling of having a damp cloth wrapped around your head squeezing inwards is a very specific type of disharmony in the body which acupuncture treats very well.

So next time you experience a headache, be observant around what it feels like, where it is and what improves it or even aggravates it. You can then avoid these triggers in the future. It’s also of course great information for your acupuncturist to help get you targeted relief as soon as possible.

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Are You Getting the Most out of Your Acupuncture Treatment?

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There’s a reason I spend so much time talking to you about diet and lifestyle factors as a part of your acupuncture treatment. It is to let you know that you are solely responsible for looking after your body. Whilst acupuncture can make immediate improvements in energy and blood flow, what you do to maintain these changes is up to you. Even if you had acupuncture every day, you will still not get the maximum benefits unless you change some diet and lifestyle habits.

An acupuncturist is to humans, what a mechanic is to a car. You bring yourself in for a ‘service’ but once you leave, if you put in poor quality petrol, don’t maintain the oil or leave it too long between services, you could be up for a huge repair bill and days without your car.

To get the most out of your treatments you need to:

  • exercise – include a mixture of stretching, strength, cardio
  • eat a balanced, healthy diet – warm, nutrient dense foods
  • reduce stress – manage your days in a way that reduces stress, say no more, start mindfulness
  • drink fluids – water, mineral water, herbal teas all improve water metabolism
  • get outside – 20-30 min per day
  • breathe – seems obvious but not many of us breathe correctly, try to take deep long breaths when you can

In saying this, if there is a physiological reason for your health complaint, it’s ideal to see to this as soon as possible. In the car example, it makes no difference filling up your car with good quality petrol if your tyre needs replacing.

What could you do, to get the best results out of your acupuncture treatments?

car service