Reverse New Years Resolutions

3 Ways to REVERSE Resolutions and get what you want more easily

I want to thank you for the privilege and your trust in working together towards your health needs. Wishing you a happy new year filled with health, vibrancy, a sense of peace, prosperity and a renewed zest in life. Photo Credit: Jernej Furman

The new year is a time we all like to make resolutions, but regular life happens and then somehow it is another year again! What has not worked, probably wont' work. It is probably a waste of your precious efforts to try to do the same thing that didn't work and get disappointed. So how about we shake things up and REVERSE things. Let's flip it upside down. There is a high chance it will be easier. And it will work. 

1. REMOVE ONE THING. If you are someone who on your ideal day, you can think of 6 good things to do for your health but none of them get done, because they are all good, but too overwhelming...how about you not add more. You may be already overwhelmed with life. Adding more things to do is just more stressful. Let's do the opposite. REMOVE one thing that can benefit your health. Choose just one thing to keep it simple. You can pick one thing to REMOVE for one week, or one month, then change to something else. Here are some ideas for you, remember, be nice to yourself and just pick one. 
-Remove sugary drinks, soda, or coffee
-Stop staying up late at night
-Take out one snack during the day
-Stop fearful thoughts
-Turn off the TV half our before bed
-Take out carbs in 1 of your meals

2. ADD ONE THING. If you are someone who is tired of people telling you not to do something, this one is for you. All the restrictions makes you feel like doing it more. It feels like a reward to have what you cannot have. Instead of doing the "do nots" for health, how about just add something that is beneficial for you. You can make progress this way too. Remember, be nice to yourself and just pick one. Here are some ideas:
-Eat 2 cups of vegetables daily (instead of focusing on restricting foods, just get in 2 cups of good stuff)
-Drink 2 glasses of lemon water daily, then 6 cups of regular water. 
-Meditate for 10 minutes
-Tell each person in your household one thing you are grateful about them
-Before you sleep, praise yourself for 2 things
-take your vitamins consistently

3. WHY. "Because my doctor said", "because I should", "I better..." just makes me feel like it is all a burden. Who really wants to do something for these reasons? Why do you want to get healthy? Why is health important to you? What will change in your life if you had your health back? What can you have that you don't have now because of your health? Ask yourself these questions. A deeper purpose that may be even bigger than yourself, can be a beautiful motivator for you to take the steps towards what you want. When you have the "fire" and the inspiration, you'll love to do it. It will be easier. It will be more successful. 

And if you need some guidance and specific direction on how to get there with your health, I am honored to be there for you. Happy New Year! 

Natural Remedies and Energy Medicine for Dopamine Related Disorders

Dopamine is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter). Did you know that there can be some types of depression that is related to low levels of dopamine? Usually we think of the neurotransmitter serotonin for mood, but understanding your specific brain chemistry can make a big difference in the success of therapies.

Serotonin deficient depression presents more with:

-sadness, crying

-poor emotional regulation

-mood swings

-fatigue

Dopamine deficient depression presents more with:

-lack of motivation

-apathy

-loss of joy in activities that were fun

-feeling helpless

Low levels of dopamine associated with:

-Depression

-Lack of motivation

-Lack of pleasure

-Parkinson’s disease

High levels of dopamine associated with:

-addiction

-schizophrenia

-hallucinations

-mania

-nausea/vomiting

-restless leg syndrome

There are 5 receptors for dopamine. D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5. They function differently. D1 and D5. D1 and D5 dopamine receptors are linked to G proteins that activate adenylate cyclase. D2, D3, D4 are linked to G proteins that inhibit adenylate cyclase. Different receptors are associated with different functions or conditions if function is out of balance.

Studies show D2 receptor activity is important for a process called apoptosis and important to keep certain neurological tumors at bay. Some people have developed anti-bodies against D2 receptors in dopaminergic neurons in the brain, and this can lead to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease.

Depending on the condition, it is important to understand if you have high or low levels of dopamine. There is a test that we can run for this. It may also be helpful to know if certain receptors or under or over active. And lastly it may be helpful to know if the immune system is creating any auto-immunity against certain dopamine receptors or dopaminergic neurons. Certain supplements may be helpful in addressing early imbalances with the above.

Energy work such as Pranic healing has also been extremely effective for neurological issues. For example in Parkinson’s disease the basic chakra and the body is very depleted because the spine is clogged with diseased energy and cannot transmit energy and nerve conductivity properly. The ajna and back head chakras are overactivated and depleted at the same time to compensate for lack of energy from the basic chakra moving up to nourish the rest of the body and head. Malfunction in the back head chakra leads to degeneration of certain nerve cells that produce dopamine. In early stages, Pranic healing can be very helpful for this condition.

Another example: We address the basic chakra in depression. When someone does not have the will to live, or is suicidal, their basic chakra is extremely depleted. Cleansing and energizing the basic chakra is key to both physically caused depression as well as more emotionally caused depression. For depression that is more of a physical issue, addressing the navel, solar plexus and spleen chakras are important.

For depression that is more due to psychological factors, addressing the upper chakras help cleanse negative thoughts and provide energy to integrate positive truths. Some patients who have gone to therapy often know, “I should let go” “This doesn’t need to stress me out” etc. But physically they still feel the anxiety or feel uneasy. It’s not that easy to “think” it away. Pranic healing can help integrate the nervous system so the new truths feel real. It’s like the brain getting married to the heart.

Usually both physical and emotional factors need to be addressed in depression. Utilizing both natural supplements and proper energy healing can be very beneficial for these patients to feel functional, happy and themselves again.

Is Cold Therapy Good or Bad for the Immune System?

I remember when I was a kid, our family would go to Carmel Beach often to visit. If you haven’t been there, the water is always ice cold! One Christmas on college break, we decided to go back there and I wanted to challenge myself to immerse into the ice-cold ocean. Well most Asian parents don’t want their kids to get cold, because you could get sick. But my parents were pretty open minded. So my sister and I ran up and down the beach till we were warm, then polar plunged into the Dec 25^th cold ocean. It was cold. Photo Credit James Petts

To my surprise the shock of the cold made me laugh. When I got out of the water, the feeling of the blood rushing was invigorating. And then there was a sense of bliss, accomplishment, self-resolve and confidence that flooded over me. That was unexpected.

Cryotherapy, the “Ice Man”, and contrast hydrotherapy seem to be hot therapies lately. How does it work? A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10444630) showed an increase in WBCs (white blood cells) and NK cells (a particular type of T cell, the fights viruses and cancer) when subjects were exposed to cold, after having been preheated with exercise.

But a different study published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17705968/) concluded that exposure to cold is associated with an increase in respiratory disease. And that the longer the duration of exposure to cold, the higher the risk of infection. This study seems to be in line with the Chinese old wives tales of “don’t get cold, or you’ll get sick.”

In-fact in Chinese medicine TCM certain conditions are associated with “cold” such as arthritis being worse in cold, or poor digestion with “cold” in the middle Jiao. Hives are often associated with “internal wind” imbalances. Sometimes “wind” imbalance in the head can cause brain fog, or dizziness. Usually patients with these conditions do not have enough qi (or prana) to expel these external influences trapped inside the body such as cold, damp, or wind and physical disease occurs. And here’s where herbs, and energy work come into play to help.

Back to cold exposure, there is a lot of evidence and people reporting improved immunity, improved circulation, decreased depression, improved mood, improved focus, decrease fatigue, decreased pain etc. that comes with practicing cold exposure. It looks like there is conflicting data. My personal opinion is that it depends on body type and also one’s current health in time. Someone who is constitutionally “depleted” may not do well with cold therapy. Cold therapy also should be done gradually and trained. It is also important that the body is warm (such as after exercise, a hot shower/bath, sauna etc) before exposing to cold. Do not let yourself feel internally chilled, because in my experience that can increase susceptibility to getting sick. But an invigorating shock of cool/cold to a warm body for a short period of time can sometimes be beneficial.

You can easily start by taking a hot shower, then doing a couple rounds of 2 min hot and (10-30 seconds of cold). Initially just turn the water cooler, so you feel a difference. This will alert the autonomic nervous system (often improving mood, decreasing anxiety, waking up the immune system etc). As you are more accustomed, you can slowly turn the water colder and increase the time for your cold blast.

“To expose to cold, or to not expose to cold…this is the question.” Let me know what you think and what your experiences are.

What is the key to happiness?

Why are you doing what you are doing? Ultimately, you want a good life. Do you have a good life? Is it working?

If not, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different result. So how do you get the result you want?

It’s 2021, a new year. Yes we have a pandemic and a lot has changed. But I want to encourage you not to blame what you can’t have on the pandemic, the mitigation efforts that did or did not happen, other people and so forth. Remember that there is always an infinite number of opportunities. There are opportunities in good times and bad times. So don’t settle with the world events as a reason for your life to not be the way you would like it to be.

Not everything is always going to go your way. It is life. Pain happens, circumstances happens but suffering is a choice. Suffering is our response to something happening outside in our environment. Good news is suffering can end. 

How long suffering lasts depends on 2 things:

1.     Your Response to it

2.     Your actions or inaction to move on

For example:

Negative Responses that are not helpful: (The following are common feelings that can feel quite real in the moment)

“This politician is horrible, if they don’t do that, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“I’m stuck, I don’t see a way out”

“I don’t have what they have, so it’s not possible for me”

“I’m so anxious and depressed, I’m paralyzed in my own emotions”

“What if I make a mistake”

Positive Responses that are helpful: (These can help reframe your situation)

“I’m grateful for what I have and more blessings will come to me”

“I can love those who don’t “understand me” yet”

“They may be mean to me, it’s not about me, but about their own suffering they are going through”

“There are infinite possibilities and opportunities for me”

“I can learn this lesson and move on”

“Successful people have made many mistakes; mistakes will not stop me”

They key to ending suffering and being happy is:

1.     Having the right viewpoint and mindset

2.     Saying the right words (to yourself and others)

3.     Taking the right actions

4.     Letting go and moving on

Studies show a correlation between happiness, health and longevity. The happiest people live longer. (Effects of happiness on physical health. R. Veenhoven. Journal of happiness studies Feb 28, 2007). Happiness is also associated with lower inflammatory markers before and after acute stress. (Ann behavior medicine April 2019). Immune system cells and the thyroid can cross talk and one study even indicated that thyroid function can be influenced by mood. Mood can affect functions such as histamine responses, immune system, serotonin levels and even blood clotting. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544341/).

Your wellbeing, mood and happiness is very important to physical health as we can see. If you are wanting to take your life and health where you want to be, today is the day not to settle for less. Please feel free to contact me.

Hair Loss?

Hair Loss? Don’t want to Lose Any more Hair?

I really like crystals and rocks.  They are known both for their beauty and healing properties. Hematoid crystals have iron inside of a clear quartz, so it can appear layered with clear and red/orange colors. Hematoid crystals are healing to the root (basic chakra) and the sacral (sex chakra). It can be a nice crystal to have to support healthy hair, alongside other therapies specific for your situation.

A deficiency root chakra can manifest with stress, lack of motivation, fatigue, decreased immune and if very imbalanced, depression and apathy. Sometimes imbalance in this chakra can be related to hair loss. A contaminated root chakra may contribute to anxiety, fear, or feeling ungrounded.

The sacral chakra controls the reproductive organs so an imbalance in this center may contribute to low sex drive, pelvic infections, difficulties clearing cervical dysplasia HPV, PMS, cramps, or yeast infections. Since the sex chakra transmutes the sacral energy into creativity, a healthy sacral chakra along with the throat chakra is very important for creative energy to flow as well as for attracting financial abundance.

Patients who receive a balancing of the 2^nd chakra often say their abdomen feels so much lighter sex drive increases, self-confidence improves as well as an improvement in getting more things done with more ease. They tend to notice these improvements after the fact and didn’t know they needed work prior to feeling better.  Sometimes, certain symptoms come in a package with each other, and are related. Certain of the symptoms mentioned above may sometimes accompany hair loss, so it’s important to address them all.

Hair Loss

There are many factors that can contribute to hair loss:

-hormone imbalance

-elevated DHT (dihydrotestosterone)

-hypothyroidism

-autoimmunity

-iron deficiency

-mineral deficiency

-stress

-crown chakra imbalance

-low qi, blood deficiency

-inadequate circulation

Many of my patients suffering with hair loss seem to have gone through quite a bit of either physical stress, emotional stress, or long periods of overwork. Balancing both the root chakra, crown chakra (top of head), scalp and spine can be very helpful for getting blood flow back to the head to help with hair loss issues. Sometimes there isn’t enough strength in the scalp as if the slightest pressure with brushing of hair or shampooing results in hair loss. It is important to strengthen the energy of the scalp so it can have strength to “hold in the hair” instead of it falling out so easily.

The body prioritizes the internal organs over the skin and hair. Unfortunately, even though the hair may be the most important to some, it is not to the body. The body gives its energy and nutrients to the internal organs first, then to the muscles, then to the skin/hair, so it is important to take care of one’s internal health. Luscious hair and beautiful skin is often a reflection of good health. 

Sometimes an easy fix to hair loss is simply anemia or low iron levels. Besides getting a blood test, symptoms of iron deficiency include, fatigue, feeling cold, heavy periods, and sometimes craving ice chips. This ties back into our discussion of the hematoid crystal, which is full of iron. I don’t think the crystal alone will fix hair loss issues. But along with some proper supplements, and energy work can be promising for those with hair loss. Many patients have tried biotin, but tell me they are still seeing clumps of hair fall out in the shower. When we get to the specific cause of hair loss often within a couple months patients report to me, they are not seeing all the hair falling out in the shower. From there, improvement continues. If you need help with hair loss please feel free to contact me.