Wellness

Art of Wellness

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Years ago, in the mountains of central China, a man carried his young son on his back to the hospital with him, teaching the boy everything he knew about healing. The boy watched his father with rapt attention, knowing that he, like seven generations of his family before him, would one day grow up to be a doctor. But the boy’s apprenticeship and training went far beyond the study of medicine. Every day, hours before sunrise, he rose to practice Qigong and martial arts. For in ancient Chinese philosophy it was held that “”Only one who is healthy and strong himself can heal. After years of training at his father’s side, the boy left his hometown for the city, where he attended a prestigious medical school and deepened his Qigong and Tai Chi practice with several masters of great renown. At the university, he met a girl who shared his passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as Qigong and martial arts.

The girl’s father was a self-taught herbalist who doctored the family and the people of their town. When she was a child, he would take her with him into the forest or along the riverbank in search of the right plant, grass or root to cure a sick person’s ailment. This folk wisdom, spirit of service and concern for others inspired her to become a doctor and instilled in her a deep appreciation for the power of traditional medicine. The girl grew up during a time of political chaos in China, a turbulent period when the culture’s ancient wisdom and traditions were scorned. Despite this, her parents taught their daughter about traditional Chinese philosophy and culture and took her on secret pilgrimages to sacred Buddhist and Taoist temples and shrines. These ideas and values influenced her decision as an adult to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Throughout their years of medical schooling, the pair found strength and calm in the midst of their rigorous studies by sparring and practicing martial arts together. Each won medals: he earned a gold medal, and she a silver in national martial arts competitions among students from Traditional Chinese Medical schools across China. When they completed their studies, both had obtained medical degrees not only in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but also received the same training that a Western doctor would obtain from an American medical school. After years of practicing medicine and teaching at prestigious university hospitals in China, the young man who had grown up watching his father heal patients moved to America with his wife and daughters, where for more than 10 years, they have shared their deep knowledge of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Qineng Tan – LAc. Ph.D. OMD (China)

A CLASSICAL TRAINING IN CHINA’S MEDICAL & MARTIAL ARTS TRADITIONS

Dr. Tan comes from a long line of doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine. An eighth-generation acupuncturist, Dr. Tan’s training started at age five, when he began studying martial arts and Qigong, practices that awaken one’s inner chi or subtle energy. Throughout the many thousand year history of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it has been believed that only a doctor with inner cultivation is truly able to heal patients. Dr. Tan’s rare background combines a mastery of China’s ancient healing and martial arts along with in-depth training in modern Western medicine. A gold medal winner in martial arts competitions among students from TCM schools across China, Dr. Tan is a Kung Fu master known for his compassionate care and exceptional skills.

MEETING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF HIS PROFESSION

Dr. Tan earned his medical degree at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, one of China’s top-ranked Chinese medical schools.
A commitment to offer the highest quality of care led Dr. Tan to also study Western medicine. He completed advanced training as an orthopedic surgeon at People’s Hospital of Sichuan Province. Dr. Tan worked as a full-time associate professor and senior orthopedic surgeon for 10 years at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is known for its pioneering work integrating Eastern and Western medicine, and as director and chief physician at a major orthopedic center in the city of Dachuan. His writings and academic papers were used as textbooks in Traditional Chinese Medical schools in China. Dr. Tan’s publications address Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of various conditions, from pain management to neurological, internal, adrenal, and immunological disorders, cancer patient support, men and women’s health, anti-aging as well as wellbeing. During his more than 25 years of practice, Dr. Tan has trained hundreds of doctors of TCM. He is a member of the American Academy of Pain Management and a fellow of the American Society of Acupuncturists.

AN EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT TO HIS PATIENTS

Dr. Tan was invited to the U.S. to teach and practice the philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1996. He has been practicing as a licensed acupuncturist in Santa Monica, where he has enriched the lives of thousands of patients. Dr. Tan has a holistic approach to wellness and a unique ability to advise and treat patients, drawing upon the merits of both Eastern and Western medicine.

Dr. Xiaomei Cai – LAc. Ph.D. OMD (China) A STRONG AND UNIQUE BACKGROUND

In ancient China, it was said only a doctor with the highest personal cultivation had the chi, or awakened subtle energy, to cure a patient. Dr. Cai felt there was merit to such ideas, and her medical training in Traditional Chinese Medicine included the study and mastery of the ancient Chinese martial arts, including Qigong. Dr. Cai believes deeply in preventative medicine and the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. One of Dr. Cai’s passions is her interest and study of women’s health issues and gynecology, the field of her post graduate training. From 1986 to 1997, Dr. Cai practiced and taught at Chengdu University’s TCM Hospital, a major teaching hospital specializing in integrating Eastern and Western medicine in China. Dr. Cai first worked there as a gynecologist and then as a senior and chief physician overseeing new residents. During a two-year period of specialty training, she had the opportunity to study and work with some of China’s foremost experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1997, Dr. Cai moved to Santa Monica where her strong medical background in China helps inform her acupuncture practice. Her knowledge of both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine gives her a unique ability to understand and educate her patients and help them to make informed medical decisions. This diverse expertise allows Dr. Cai to recommend, when necessary, a mixture of medical modalities, and allows her to advise whatever course of treatment is most beneficial for her patients.

MEETING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF HER PROFESSION

Dr. Xiaomei Cai has more than 25 years medical experience of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Dr. Cai has conducted extensive medical research and published numerous academic papers and books in the field of TCM. One of the herbal remedies that she researched with a former colleague is now a popular remedy used for treating uterine fibroid tumors in Chinese hospitals.
Dr. Cai is an active member of the Pacific Coast Fertility Society, the World Alternative Medicine Organization, and the American Society of Acupuncturists.

USING HER KNOWLEDGE TO TEACH OTHERS

Dr. Cai has taught hundreds of medical students, interns, residents and physicians for their advanced training in TCM. She has lectured on acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine at Chengdu University of TCM, as well as at various conferences, such as the Resolve Fertility Conference on Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
She has extensive experience working in the fields of infertility, women’s health, immunologic, adrenal and endocrine disorders, cancer patient support, emotional disorders, children’s health, internal and skin conditions, and pain management, as well as general well-being.

The Ayurvedic Institute

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Ayurveda, the science of life, has brought true health and wellness to millions of individuals throughout the ages with simple changes in daily living practices. Incorporating just a few of these proven methods into your lifestyle can bring about radical changes in your life. This ancient art of healing has been practiced continuously for over 5,000 years. The principles of many natural healing systems now familiar in the West, such as Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy, have their roots in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic practices restore the balance and harmony of the individual, resulting in self-healing, good health and longevity.

Our Purpose

The Ayurvedic Institute is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that teaches the principles and practices of Ayurveda, the ancient science of life. We provide authentic education in a supportive environment that encourages the integration of Ayurveda by individuals into their daily living and by health care professionals into their clinical practices.

Educational Philosophy

Ayurveda is a healing art and a science. Descending from Charaka, Sushruta, and Vagbhata, it is one of apprenticeship in which the student learns from the teacher, who shares knowledge and experiences to assist the student in developing a conceptual framework and fundamental working knowledge.

The Ayurvedic Institute reflects the teaching traditions of ancient India. This tradition emphasizes the oral transmission of knowledge by being present with the teacher. It is taught, as the Vedic tradition emphasizes, with practical examples and stories, keeping the integral aspects of the body, mind, and spiritual components intact. It requires soul searching, faith, and trust without proof or guarantee. In its traditional form, the student is expected to trust the teacher to present the subjects in the manner the teacher feels are appropriate.

For each of us to develop as practitioners, experiencing this tradition and all its components helps to expand our inner awareness.

Goals

The integration of Ayurveda with modern medicine, yoga, Jyotish (Vedic astrology), other healing disciplines, and the individual Self to bring about total health, awareness, and harmony.
It is the dream of Vasant Lad and the goal of the Ayurvedic Institute to be able to offer a complete program of Ayurvedic study. This program would be similar in content to that taught in the traditional Ayurvedic colleges in India.

Organization

The Ayurvedic Institute was founded in 1984 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a 501(c)(3) educational, non-profit corporation. The Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws and Board meeting minutes are open to inspection by any interested person with sufficient advance notice. The Institute is governed by a Board of Directors and corporate officers, whose directives are carried out by Institute staff members.

The Amazing Power of Meditation

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New Year, New You – The Power of Meditation

Author: Dr. Gail Gross

In today’s busy world of working, networking, and the ongoing assaults of emails, texts, and family problems, we are saturated with the stress of psychological overload. Our minds are rarely at rest and our bodies are paying the price. You finish the end of a normal day and find that stress has become your partner. Meditation is one easy way to combat the effects of daily stress, and take back control of your health. Just 20 minutes a day can reduce stress and help your brain to recharge.

The Benefits of Meditation

Throughout my own work as a researcher and educator with a Ph.D. in psychology and a Doctorate of education, I have found that simple meditation techniques can do so much, including:
Lower your blood pressure
Increase your circulation
Throw more blood to the prefrontal cortex
Enhance your executive function, working memory, concentration, and visuospatial processing
Help you hold images longer
Process information better
Allow for contemplation, intuition, and creativity to thrive

The Neuroscience Behind Meditation

Scientists and neuroscientists, through the use of functioning magnetic resonance imaging and cat scans can now demonstrate the effect of meditation on the brain. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can be reduced by simply controlling your breath through the use of mindful meditation. The default network in your brain which is connected to both introspection and concentration slows down activity when meditating. When the mind wanders it tends to concentrate on negative issues thus creating stress but through meditation that function is less active.

In a 7-year study at MIT with the Dalai Lama, several of his monks, and non-meditators, it was established that not only could meditators hold images longer, have more blood sent to the pre-frontal cortex, and have their memory and cognitive function increased, but also non-meditators who were instructed to meditate over several months saw the same benefits. Further, experienced meditators use their brain like an orchestra, connecting various networks whether meditating or not.
There are many neurological advantages to meditation, including:
Calming the amygdala where our fight or flight and emotions live
Strengthening impulse control, which allows you to self-manage stress, pain, depression, and drug and alcohol issues.

Mindfulness Programs at Work and in Healthcare Facilities

Emerging data indicates that by lowering stress and anxiety, meditation can be a beneficial practice in the workplace, as a calming tool for overwhelmed workers. In fact, Google has a very popular program called “Search Inside Yourself,” which teaches mindfulness.

Moreover, some universities, public schools, hospitals, and health care centers have initiated meditation and mindfulness programs. Because stress has been connected with illness over the years, the approach of using meditation in hospitals and healthcare facilities is a particularly important one. As a result, meditation has moved from an outlier position, into the mainstream of American culture.

How to Begin a Meditation Practice

Meditation does not have to be associated with any religious practice. Viewed as secular and scientific, it is easy to get started.

Set your alarm for 20 minutes, twice a day. This is the time you will be meditating. By setting your alarm, you relax and don’t have to worry about how much longer you have to go.

Simply sit or lie down with your eyes shut in a comfortable position.

In the beginning, your mind will wander and bring in outside sounds and thoughts; just invite all of your distractions into your meditation, don’t resist them. What resists persists. Ultimately, all of these distractions will fall away as you learn to focus your mind in meditation.

Some people like using a mantra, some people like using a word. The power of a mantra is that you can’t assign a meaning to it, therefore you can’t associate any thoughts with it as you empty your mind. A simple mantra such as “om” will do.
Before you begin to meditate, relax your body by isometrically tensing and releasing all the muscle groups starting from the tips of your toes and ending at the top of your head. Just squeeze and release and check in with your body, making sure that you are relaxed.

Then, follow your breath. As you breathe in you will notice that the breath is cool, as you breath out you will notice that your breath is warm. Focus on your breath and bring in your mantra while concentrating on the bridge between your eyes.
This is how you meditate.

The Power of Meditation

Through meditation you actually develop consciousness. In fact, by accessing your own unconscious you gather insight into your conflicts, and find the capacity and resources to meet them. Meditation is so powerful, that if I were dying and had only one gift to give to my family, it would be the word meditation.

In my own life, faced with the death of my daughter Dawn, the only solace I could find was the time I spent in meditation. In all major religions, the deepest traditions concentrate on the practice of meditation to access the unconscious — whether Sufism, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity — in the deepest meditations, the practice will lead you inside and connect you back to your central core.

Whether it is a psychological journey or spiritual journey- the model is the same: the path to consciousness. In our secularly materialistic culture, dominated by tabloid journalism, and thriving with celebrity, meditation gives you time out and has the capacity to open you to the wholeness in yourself. In our world of artificial images, meditation can awaken you to your own magnificent source and by doing so transform you.

Myofascial Pain and Trigger Point Therapy

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Myofascial Pain – How Did Trigger Point Therapy Develop?

By: Myofascial Pain Treatment Center

Permissions – link back to http://www.myofascialpaintreatment.com/

Janet G. Travell, MD, a pioneer in the development of myofascial pain treatment, was President John F. Kennedy’s personal White House physician. She relieved his severe and chronic back pain. Dr. Travell’s research demonstrated that each trigger point in a muscle has a specific pattern of referred pain. That is, a myofascial trigger point will produce pain and other symptoms in another part of the body. The work of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists is based on the treatment protocols of Dr. Travell.

For more on Janet Travell, MD: http://www.myofascialpaintreatment.com/history-of-myofascial-trigger-/

Crossroads Kitchen with Chef Tal Ronnen

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“Crossroads offers diners Mediterranean-themed small dishes, salads, farm-to-glass cocktails, and desserts in a fine-dining dinner style that encourages exploration. With its stylish atmosphere and refreshing sensibility, Crossroads isn’t just a leap forward in refined plant-based cuisine — it’s one of the most innovative culinary destinations in Los Angeles. It’s a decadent and indulgent dining experience approached in a conscious and cohesive manner.

Designed by Los Angeles-based interiors firm Studio Collective, Crossroads combines the elegance of fine dining with the playfulness of a beloved neighborhood spot. The restaurant features a central dining room that is a visual feast of wood crown molding and wing-backed chairs, lit by handcrafted chandeliers. The stylish 11-seat bar is situated adjacent to the Wine Room, which opens to the artisanal cheese shop. The Wine Room, which is available for private functions, lends itself well to exclusive wine, dinner, and tasting events. Its notable features include a retractable roof for open-air dining and a herringbone-patterned wine wall. On the opposing side of the space a Private Dining Room for Ten features an antique glass wall and original Toulouse-Lautrec print. The overall effect is that of a neighborhood gathering place infused with understated luxury.

Tal Ronnen, one of the world’s most celebrated chefs and author of The Conscious Cook, a New York Times bestselling cookbook, has a growing legion of fans including Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Steve Wynn. Ronnen, Steve Bing, founder of the Shangri-La business group and hospitality guru Parnell F. Delcham, CEO of United Culinary Artists, are the driving force behind the new concept.The restaurant features a number of Jim Marshall’s iconic rock and roll photos. More of his work can be found at www.jimmarshallphotographyllc.com

 

The Mind-Body Aspects Of Yoga & Breast Cancer

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The mind-body aspects of yoga specifically could carry benefits for women undergoing breast cancer treatment, according to a small new study.

The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, shows that women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer who were enrolled in a yoga intervention (that included meditation, relaxation and breathing techniques) experienced improved stress hormone regulation, decreased fatigue and improved general health.

“Combining mind and body practices that are part of yoga clearly have tremendous potential to help patients manage the psychosocial and physical difficulties associated with treatment and life after cancer, beyond the benefits of simple stretching,” study researcher Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said in a statement.

The study included 191 women with breast cancer of varying stages, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups as they underwent their radiation treatment for six weeks. One group did simple stretching, the second group did yoga, and the third group did no yoga or stretching. The yoga and stretching groups did their assigned activity for one hour, three times a week.

The participants self-reported their fatigue and depression levels throughout the intervention, and researchers also collected saliva samples and administered echocardiogram tests at the beginning of the study, at the end of the radiation treatment, and then one, three and six months after the radiation treatment had ended.

They found that overall, the participants who were assigned to the yoga group experienced the greatest gains in all measurements of health. Specifically, the yoga group had the greatest decreases in cortisol levels throughout the day. And after radiation treatment, the yoga and stretching groups experienced decreases in fatigue, compared with the control group. Months after the radiation treatment, the yoga group self-reported higher general health, and were also more likely than the other two groups to say that they found some kind of meaning of life from their cancer experience.

Previous research has indicated that yoga could decrease inflammation and fatigue among breast cancer survivors. One study showing this effect, published in the same journal as the new study, posited that the beneficial effects could come from yoga’s ability to improve sleep.

Radiant Life Company: Natural Oils

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Radiant Life (Kathy) 2Radiant Life Company offers a variety of oils including virgin coconut oil, argan oil which is produced from the fruit kernels of the “Argania Spinosa” or Argan Tree and Bariani extra virgin olive oil.

Radiant Life Company’s owners Kathy and Norman have backgrounds in nursing and chemistry. The couple believes in personal responsibility and self-empowerment for health. What began as a family pursuit of health maintenance evolved into a way of life and a desire to share a passion with others who also wanted to chart a new course. Eventually this led to the discovery of the findings of Dr. Weston Price, the evolution of Radiant Life Company and the unveiling of what we refer to as the Keys to Radiant Wellness as incorporated in our Radiant Wellness Pyramid.