The Chinese characters 針灸 (transcription zhēnjiǔ) stand for acupuncture and moxibustion. The term acupuncture comes from the latin "acus pungere" which indeed means "needle prick". Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, filiform needles through the skin at specific points on the body with the intention of manipulating Qi. It is one component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The other Chinese character, moxibustion, already got lost in the translation. Moxibustion is a ...
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Our top 20 family hikes around Poway and what my boys have to say about them
Hiking is a fun thing to do as a family. My boys are 8 and 10 years old and have tons of energy. So taking them outdoors is a great way for them to get it all out, while my husband and I get to enjoy some time on the trail and admire the amazing views. The perfect way to spend time as a family! Start small, work your way up, and be safe! Exploring with the kids is really fun! For us, it has been an amazing journey for the past two years. We started exploring around our neighborhood to ...
10 ways to reduce screen time during the summer
Never before have our students been so dependent on computers. Last year, many schools were closed for several months and a large part of the school kids were learning online. Modern technology has been a huge help and has offered many solutions we could never have imagined even a few decades ago. However, as much as the virtual world has been a great help for everyone these past months, we all know there are negative effects of too much screen time. The good and bad about virtual ...
How we ended up with Jesus and Santa for Christmas
Did you ever wonder where our tradition of celebrating Christmas comes from? How did Santa and Jesus end up sharing Christmas? I definitely enjoy questioning some of the things we do as a society, including our traditions. Traditions are usually passed on to us by our parents, and many of us never really ask ourselves where they come from or why we are celebrating certain events the way we do. But maybe we should! Christmas is one of these traditions. I have already posted about ...
How an attitude of gratitude affects our health
Emotions turn into molecules, chemical messengers, in our bodies. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), emotions are primordial in evaluating a person’s health. They are considered a normal, internal, physiological response to stimuli from the external environment. And of course, both, positive and negative emotions influence our wellbeing and health. Gratitude Gratitude is one of many positive emotions, and it has measurable effects on: mood regulating neurotransmitters like ...
Some drink it hot!
Drink hot water! In the Chinese culture, this advice is given to anyone who is feeling unwell. Yes, a glass of cold water sounds heavenly and refreshing at times, however, the benefits of drinking hot water can't be ignored. And, there is no cheaper and healthier drink than a cup of hot water. Drinking water keeps our body hydrated and healthy Water keeps the systems in our body functioning properly by doing the following jobs: it regulates blood pressureit carries nutrients ...
How to keep germs, vampires, and humans away
Eat garlic! Garlic has been used by humans for thousand of years for cooking purposes and for its medicinal benefits. It has also been known for a long time that garlic keeps vampires away. Today, we can take advantage of yet another powerful effect of garlic: it helps keep fellow humans 6 feet away! Medicinal benefits of garlic Garlic (Allium sativum), is closely related to onions, scallions, chives, leeks and shallots. The allium family plants all contain sulfur compounds, the most ...
What we need to know about sleep
Sleep is essential for survival and good health. There are several explanations for why we need to sleep, including conserving energy, restoring cellular and brain function, maintaining emotional well-being, as well as a healthy weight, proper organ function, and a strong immune system. (1) What happens while we sleep? the body rests, digests, and restores energythe body repairs and regenerates cellsthe brain stores new information, memory is builtproteins and hormones are released, ...
A parent’s challenge beyond homeschooling
Kids are sitting there, isolated in a room, talking to their friends, their world, through electronic devices. You can call it homeschooling, distant learning, virtual learning or whatever you want, fact is kids are learning from home instead of from school. Parents have become educators, coaches, entertainers, schedulers, planners, supervisors, and play mates over night, and no one signed up for this! But here we are, doing it anyways. So, of course, it comes with a few challenges. ...
When planning becomes nearly impossible…
...it's time to plan for change. Planning helps to keep peace of mind. The mind wants to be in control, it wants to know what's going on, what's going to happen next (see my blog Minding the Mind). But during the present times of constant change, planning with confidence is more challenging than ever. And of course, this causes anxiety and stress. So if you can trick your mind by including change into your plans, it will help you keep your peace of mind. You know, create plan A, plan B, ...