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"Arts For Healing" showed great Port Moody community spirit!

3/24/2013

Tanya and her sister Elaine

Thank you everyone who came together to help raise funds for the Crossroads Hospice Society, which provides great care to those with terminal illness. The Port Moody community came together for the event and contributed to an amazing fundraiser: you raised over $600!

Tanya Bayley would be proud of this amazing community who came together and raised money for the Crossroads Hospice Society, where she was cared for towards the end of her life. "Arts For Healing" was a fun & successful event. We know Tanya would be so proud of all the people who came to show their support in her honour.

Soko Tea House

Chomp Vegan Eatery

What a night! Over 120 people came through the doors at Healing Cedar Wellness, from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. After paying $5 and entering the draw for the many donated prizes, visitors were served delicious tea by Julie & Ron, from Soko Tea House. Some of them chose to have a glass of wine instead, and picked up a vegan wrap from Chomp Vegan Eatery, as they started their way down the hall. In the first room, Jenna Knight offered to take pictures in her photo booth, and displayed her photography art work.

Photo by Jenna Knight. Nicole Horn, Healing Cedar Wellness Customer Service

Photo by Jenna Knight. Clara & Shannon, Healing Cedar Wellness Owners.

Then some visitors bought scarves weaved by Beryl Hickinbottom, and drawings by Sarah Ronald. Moving along, others bought paintings from Paula Ledenko, hand made jewelry from Michelle Sigismund, and a dragon fly from Joy Kirkwood. These diverse local artists were amazing and contributed to a fun night. Thank you all for participating, we hope to have you come in again!

Beryl Hickinbottom & Sarah Ronald

Michelle Sigismund

Joy A. Kirkwood

Paula Ledenko

After all this hard work, guests needed more food, so they walked in to where Patrick & Noel, from Tri-Cities Tasters, offered a taste of their olive oils & balsamic vinegars. Finally, visitors talked to Alfred from Vigour about detoxifying their bodies.

Patrick from Tri-Cities Tasters

Alfred from Vigour Health & Beauty

The most surprising part of the night was the constant line up outside Lisa Van Reeuwyk's door for Tarot Card Reading. Lisa worked tirelessly all night by donation, and gave 100% of her proceeds to the Crossroads Hospice Society. Thank you so much Lisa! Here's her blog post recounting the evening: BloomLisa

Lisa: Tarot Card Reading

Many prizes were won throughout the night. Draws were done every 20 minutes!
We wanted to thank all of you who donated prizes: Pillars Salon, Inprotect Systems, Charles Crouch (RHN), Soko Tea House, Vigour Health & Beauty, Tri-Cities Tasters, Lisa Lawrie (RMT at Healing Cedar Wellness), Dr. Meghan Stobbs (Naturopathic Doctor at Healing Cedar Wellness), JJ Bean in Port Moody, Joy A. Kirkwood, Beryl Hickinbottom, Michelle Sigismund.

Thank you to all who participated in this event.
You gave your time and showed great community spirit. Thank you all so much!
Snap Coquitlam came around and took lots of pictures
for their April edition! Be on the look out!

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Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine for Menopause?

3/14/2013

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Many women consider the symptoms of menopause to be an unavoidable reality of life. The discomforts associated with menopause are in no way obligatory women’s burdens, they are important signs of imbalances in the body that can be addressed and treated. Traditional Chinese Medicine has been successfully treating the symptoms of menopause, both in management and prevention, for thousands of years. As with any medicine in modern times, it is a constantly growing and evolving therapy; but its roots remain firm in time-tested philosophies, and provide the strong foundation for its basic healing principles.

How Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Views Menopause.
When working at its best, the body is a delicate balance of many working systems that all flow and interact in harmony. The most basic categorical distinction between the forces at work in the body, according to TCM principles, is Yin and Yang. Yin represents the cooling, nourishing, and fluid substances of the body, and Yang is the warming energy that drives movement and function.

The traditional thoughts of menopause were that, upon entering this period of life, the yin elements of a woman’s body became deficient, and unable to hold control of the yang elements. This disruption of the balance showed itself by producing the common symptoms of menopause. Feelings like heat and agitation were results of overacting yang, and feelings like dryness and fatigue were signs of the underling deficiency and lack of yin. Treatment focus was centred on nourishing the heart, calming the mind, clearing the heat, and nourishing yin (Your cooling system) to provide comfort in coolness and moisture.

Of course, with modern laboratory abilities, we can now attribute the symptoms of menopause to measurable changes in hormone sensitivity and production. Regardless, syndrome treatment based on the ancient theories and philosophies of TCM, with its individual-based approach to therapy, have been proven for millennia to work.

TCM Treatment of Menopause with Acupuncture and Herbal Therapy

The two main tools of TCM in the treatment of Menopausal symptoms are acupuncture and herbal therapy. Acupuncture has been proven in countless studies to offer side-effect free relief in a large variety of symptoms, and is often covered by extended health insurance plans. Regular acupuncture can normalize the ups-and-downs of your cycle, and effectively smooth the uncomfortable effects associated with the hormonal shift. Patients leave the treatment room feeling relaxed, and this calm state can provide for more restful sleeps, and take the edge off the ordeals of the day.

Herbal Therapy works on a deeper level, being individually formulated to address the “root imbalances” as well as provide symptom relief. The herbal formulas used in TCM for menopause have been used effectively for at least 2000 years- there are not too many other pharmaceuticals in history who can boast as much human testing. The herbs used have a high degree of acceptance by the body, are government-regulated for safety and purity, and can effectively relieve such symptoms as hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, mental fogginess, fatigue, etc. Thanks again to modern laboratory facilities, recent studies have proven and are continuing to prove these herbs have significant effect on balancing hormones, protecting the heart and liver, and increasing and preserving bone mass.

Here are foods that may help during menopause: Diet & Menopause

If you are interested in hearing more about how Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Herbal Therapy can help with your menopausal symptoms, please contact our clinic, Healing Cedar Wellness.

Rebecca Stephens, B.Sc., R.Ac., R.TCM.P.,
Registered Acupuncturist and Herbalist at Healing Cedar Wellness

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The other side of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) by Rebecca Stephens, B.Sc., R.Ac., R.TCM.P

3/6/2013

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As of a 2009 CDC survey, Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) births represented 1.4%of total US births, or 60,190 infants. It is now estimated that over 5 million births worldwide have been the result of medical reproductive intervention, a long way to come after the birth of the very first “test tube baby” in 1978. However, these advances have not come without their own concerns.In the same 2009 survey, it was also stated that 33.4% of ART births were born preterm, compared to a 12.2% rate found in natural births, and 47% were multiple births, compared to a general rate of 3%.

In two recent reviews published in Fertility and Sterility Journal (a publication of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine), the relationships between the use of ART and certain perinatal risks were examined. The observed increased rates of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and the prevalence and severity of preeclampsia were discussed. The authors referenced the effects of ovarian stimulation, embryo culture in vitro, and something called an “underlying infertility factor” as possible mechanisms. Interestingly, it was hinted that this underlying infertility may be the factor with the greatest influence. Although somewhat vague in description, this factor could be summed up as what the contributions of sub-fertile, and therefore perhaps sub-healthy parents, could be lacking.

What should hopeful ART parents-to-be glean from these findings? Probably what a lot of them already know, and the reason why they are increasingly turning to holistic therapies to help them maximize their health potentials in preparation for parenthood. For while it may seem that you do not have much control over the many intricate workings of an IVF or IUI procedure, you do have some control over this very thing which may be the greatest factor – your health. Indeed, the very last line in one of these articles was: “Reproduction effects health, health effects reproduction”.

The focus of ART is egg production and fertilization, but the preparation and readiness of the woman’s body, which includes all facets of her overall health and well-being, are largely left out of the equation. It is not surprising that we should start to see this side of the equation become more apparent as a possible causative factor in the risks associated with ART. Building a human is no small job, and unaddressed disharmonies in the body should not be underestimated for being able to distract vital energy from the task. The analogy of attempting to sow seeds in poor soil is easy to understand. One cannot expect the best yield if there are not the proper conditions to nourish and support the seed.

It has been pointed out that one of the drawbacks to using Traditional Chinese Medicine in fertility is the time it takes, but this is really its strength. By taking the time to acknowledge, address, and nurture the aspects of your health that may be holding you back, you provide for the much more efficient possibility of creating a stable and sustainable environment for success. Perhaps we can influence these risks and factors more than we know. Studies such as these take a long time to show results, but with a proactive approach, hopefully we will enjoy a positive shift in the research findings of the future.

Rebecca Stephens
B.Sc., R.Ac., R.TCM.P
Healing Cedar Wellness

Barnhart, K.T. 2012. Assisted reproductive technologies and perinatal morbidity: interrogating the association. Fertility and Sterility 99(2): 299-302.

Kondapalli, L.A., and Perales-Puchalt, A. 2012. Low birth weight: is it related to assisted reproductive technology or underlying infertility. Fertility and Sterility 99(2): 303-10.

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Our fantastic team of practitioners contribute to our blog articles. Together we aim to restore balance within the body, educate each patient and guide them on their journey to optimum health. Our clinic offers natural health for the entire family, from babies to older adults and everyone in between.

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"Arts For Healing" showed great Port Moody community spirit!

Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine for Menopause?

The other side of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) by Rebecca Stephens, B.Sc., R.Ac., R.TCM.P

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