Active Parents Raise Active Children
ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2007) — Parents who are active during pregnancy and early in their child's life tend to raise more active children, finds a study published on bmj.com.
Some risk factors for adult diseases are associated with lower levels of physical activity in children. Associations have also been reported between early life factors (from birth to around five years) and childhood obesity. Read the rest of this Science Daily article here.
I am 21 weeks pregnant and active. NYC dwelling enables me to walk where ever I can and I go to yoga classes 2-3 times per week. Plus, I try to strength train at home as often as possible.
Before the pregnancy I practiced a Brazilian martial art called Capoeira. Because this art is extremely strenuous, acrobatic and potentially dangerous if I get kicked in the stomach, I had to stop during the pregnancy. A few months after I give birth I will resume my studies with my teacher Mestra Foca at Raizes do Brazil Capoeira Brooklyn. My yoga classes are at East-West Yoga in Manhattan. My son's daddy is very active as well training and teaching mixed martial arts 3-4 times a week. So we don't really need the BMJ report to know that we will raise a very active child.
Inside my belly, our baby is already active! He loves to join me in the movements of yoga during class by moving all around, stretching and kicking and even moves like that when I am resting. Oh-oh looks like no rest for his parents after he pops out!
Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.
Blog by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Herbalist, Author, Educator
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Comparing Apples to Stem Cells.
Two interesting articles today in The New York Times discuss genetics and origin. One is regarding the ancestors of apples, and the other is about how scientists can now generate stem cells from skin!
Enjoy and have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Michael Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.
Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs
Enjoy and have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Michael Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.
Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Quit Smoking with Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs!
How to Stop Smoking
For many patients smoking cessation is difficult. The first step is getting through the initial withdrawal symptoms. Acupuncture, herbs and the creation of a support system through friends and family are effective means to success.Once you have succeeded, you must maintain your success. The long term quit rate is just above 50%. That is why this program requires 4-6 months follow-up treatment.
According to the director of The Institute for Traditional Medicine, the patient should consider the following:
Patients who volunteer to stop smoking because they desire to quit are more likely to succeed than patients who are assigned, forced or persuaded to enter a program with little or no desire to quit.
Short term smoking cessation, that is, stopping smoking at the end of a stop smoking program, is easier to attain than long-term smoking cessation. Regardless of the type of treatment, once the stop smoking treatment is successfully finished a variety of factors can affect the patient so as to induce re-initiation of smoking. Generally, if a person has stopped smoking for a full six months the chances of smoking again are very low.
Short term smoking cessation success may depend on the extent to which the intervention provides regular reinforcement of the stop smoking effort. A person left to his or her own is more likely to resume smoking than a person who daily encounters someone who reinforces the stop smoking attempt.
Acupuncture stimulates production of endorphins and enkaphalins, which are hormones that reduce pain and cravings and have a soothing effect on the body. In a Chinese study of 28 smokers treated with acupuncture, 26 reported that the taste of cigarettes changed, becoming undesirable or even objectionable. Some smokers even become nauseous if they attempt to smoke.
It is recommended that the patient take their herbs daily to calm the mind, increase the nutritional value to the foods they eat, drink plenty of water and take a multivitamin daily.The following outline is for you to help in your stop smoking program.
Support Person: The decision to stop smoking can elicit uncomfortable emotions. Ask someone who is available to you in the next few weeks to act as a sounding board and provide encouragement when needed.
Affirmation: An affirmation is a positive statement repeated often to create desired changes in your life. Repeating the affirmation helps not only to remind you why you are no longer smoking but imprints a new image of health so that the body can produce health. Example: "I am a non-smoker. I make healthy choices in my life."
Setting Boundaries: Set up contracts with other smokers to refrain from smoking in your presence. This includes spouses. When possible, stay away from smokers until you feel more confident with your non-smoking health status.
Drink Water: Research shows that dryness causes cravings. Sip water frequently throughout the day.
Refrain from Drinking Coffee and other caffeine drinks: Research shows these cause cravings and dehydrate the body.
Food Choices: Eat lots of sweet natured foods that are not sugary but naturally sweet such as carrots, honey, sweet potatoes, etc. Candies upset the blood sugar level, which can aggravate smoking-withdrawal. Sugar substitutes such as NutraSweet are sweeter than sugar and cause further aggravation to the body.
Managing Cravings: Cravings feel like they will last forever but actually fade in two minutes. Plan what you will do during a craving. Examples: Take your herbs, repeat your affirmation, breathe deeply, walk to another place, sing a song, dance, call your support person.
Written by:Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs
41 Union Square West, Suite 511
New York, NY 10003
(212) 894.0767
For many patients smoking cessation is difficult. The first step is getting through the initial withdrawal symptoms. Acupuncture, herbs and the creation of a support system through friends and family are effective means to success.Once you have succeeded, you must maintain your success. The long term quit rate is just above 50%. That is why this program requires 4-6 months follow-up treatment.
According to the director of The Institute for Traditional Medicine, the patient should consider the following:
Patients who volunteer to stop smoking because they desire to quit are more likely to succeed than patients who are assigned, forced or persuaded to enter a program with little or no desire to quit.
Short term smoking cessation, that is, stopping smoking at the end of a stop smoking program, is easier to attain than long-term smoking cessation. Regardless of the type of treatment, once the stop smoking treatment is successfully finished a variety of factors can affect the patient so as to induce re-initiation of smoking. Generally, if a person has stopped smoking for a full six months the chances of smoking again are very low.
Short term smoking cessation success may depend on the extent to which the intervention provides regular reinforcement of the stop smoking effort. A person left to his or her own is more likely to resume smoking than a person who daily encounters someone who reinforces the stop smoking attempt.
Acupuncture stimulates production of endorphins and enkaphalins, which are hormones that reduce pain and cravings and have a soothing effect on the body. In a Chinese study of 28 smokers treated with acupuncture, 26 reported that the taste of cigarettes changed, becoming undesirable or even objectionable. Some smokers even become nauseous if they attempt to smoke.
It is recommended that the patient take their herbs daily to calm the mind, increase the nutritional value to the foods they eat, drink plenty of water and take a multivitamin daily.The following outline is for you to help in your stop smoking program.
Support Person: The decision to stop smoking can elicit uncomfortable emotions. Ask someone who is available to you in the next few weeks to act as a sounding board and provide encouragement when needed.
Affirmation: An affirmation is a positive statement repeated often to create desired changes in your life. Repeating the affirmation helps not only to remind you why you are no longer smoking but imprints a new image of health so that the body can produce health. Example: "I am a non-smoker. I make healthy choices in my life."
Setting Boundaries: Set up contracts with other smokers to refrain from smoking in your presence. This includes spouses. When possible, stay away from smokers until you feel more confident with your non-smoking health status.
Drink Water: Research shows that dryness causes cravings. Sip water frequently throughout the day.
Refrain from Drinking Coffee and other caffeine drinks: Research shows these cause cravings and dehydrate the body.
Food Choices: Eat lots of sweet natured foods that are not sugary but naturally sweet such as carrots, honey, sweet potatoes, etc. Candies upset the blood sugar level, which can aggravate smoking-withdrawal. Sugar substitutes such as NutraSweet are sweeter than sugar and cause further aggravation to the body.
Managing Cravings: Cravings feel like they will last forever but actually fade in two minutes. Plan what you will do during a craving. Examples: Take your herbs, repeat your affirmation, breathe deeply, walk to another place, sing a song, dance, call your support person.
Written by:Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs
41 Union Square West, Suite 511
New York, NY 10003
(212) 894.0767
Great American Smoke Out
HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL GIVE AWAY FREE NICOTINE PATCHES DURING THE 2007 GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT Annual Smokeout Will be Observed Thursday, November 15, 2007
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NEW YORK CITY - November 14, 2007 - The Health Department is partnering with city hospitals, community organizations and clinics to observe this year's Great American Smokeout by giving away nicotine patches at sites across the five boroughs, the agency announced today. The Smokeout, a national tradition that dates back more than three decades, will take place on Thursday, November 15th, this year. Up to a third of the nation's 46 million smokers typically quit smoking for at least a day during the event. The goal of the local giveaway is to help more of them quit for good. Cigarettes – the city's leading cause of preventable death – kill 8,000 New Yorkers every year.
"If you smoke, quitting is the single most important thing you can do for your health," said Sarah Perl, the Health Department's Assistant Commissioner for Tobacco Control. "Besides helping you live longer, quitting helps you feel better and look better now. If you can't do it alone, try using nicotine patches. They can double your chances of quitting successfully."
"We urge all smokers to take the Great American Smokeout challenge," said Tamara Ehlin, Director of Community Health Initiatives at the American Cancer Society, Brooklyn Region. "Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. Nicotine patches can really make the difference."
"Nicotine patches make quitting easier," said Kerry Gillespie, director of Staten Island University Hospital's smoking cessation program, "but they're not magic bullets. Successful quitting requires changes in thought and behavior. We have helped thousands of Staten Island residents quit smoking through a combination of nicotine patches and behavioral change counseling."
The following sites will offer nicotine patches supplied by the Health Department on Thursday, November 15*, on a first-come, first-served basis. See below for Times and Locations. The city's Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is also handing out free patches at hospitals; please visit www.nyc.gov/hhc for Locations.
Sarah Perl, the Health Department's Assistant Commissioner for Tobacco Control, will be available at the Union Square giveaway Location for interviews between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. To set up an interview, contact the press office. Click here for details/locations.
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NEW YORK CITY - November 14, 2007 - The Health Department is partnering with city hospitals, community organizations and clinics to observe this year's Great American Smokeout by giving away nicotine patches at sites across the five boroughs, the agency announced today. The Smokeout, a national tradition that dates back more than three decades, will take place on Thursday, November 15th, this year. Up to a third of the nation's 46 million smokers typically quit smoking for at least a day during the event. The goal of the local giveaway is to help more of them quit for good. Cigarettes – the city's leading cause of preventable death – kill 8,000 New Yorkers every year.
"If you smoke, quitting is the single most important thing you can do for your health," said Sarah Perl, the Health Department's Assistant Commissioner for Tobacco Control. "Besides helping you live longer, quitting helps you feel better and look better now. If you can't do it alone, try using nicotine patches. They can double your chances of quitting successfully."
"We urge all smokers to take the Great American Smokeout challenge," said Tamara Ehlin, Director of Community Health Initiatives at the American Cancer Society, Brooklyn Region. "Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. Nicotine patches can really make the difference."
"Nicotine patches make quitting easier," said Kerry Gillespie, director of Staten Island University Hospital's smoking cessation program, "but they're not magic bullets. Successful quitting requires changes in thought and behavior. We have helped thousands of Staten Island residents quit smoking through a combination of nicotine patches and behavioral change counseling."
The following sites will offer nicotine patches supplied by the Health Department on Thursday, November 15*, on a first-come, first-served basis. See below for Times and Locations. The city's Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is also handing out free patches at hospitals; please visit www.nyc.gov/hhc for Locations.
Sarah Perl, the Health Department's Assistant Commissioner for Tobacco Control, will be available at the Union Square giveaway Location for interviews between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. To set up an interview, contact the press office. Click here for details/locations.
Career Opportunity
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs
in Union Square, NYC
Seeks Full-Time Front Office Manager
Who We Are:
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs in Union Square, NYC has earned a reputation for providing high quality, professional and compassionate natural healthcare to the citizens of New York City, and we seek applicants who will maintain that reputation through their outstanding patient care and dedication to their work. We focus on taking our time with patients, and providing patient education at every opportunity. We travel out of the office to give free and paid lectures and seminars to laypeople and professionals.
Who We Are Seeking:
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs in Union Square NYC needs a friendly, outgoing, highly organized and self-motivated full-time Front Desk Receptionist/Office Manager. We are looking for someone who enjoys office management and views it as a career, not just a job.
Applicant must have experience with working with the public, answering phones, Microsoft Word, Excel, using database systems, the Internet and e-mail. Medical office experience is a plus. The applicant should strongly posses the following skills; clear, effective communication skills, customer service experience including greeting guests, answering phones and appointment setting, problem solving and organizational skills, ability to multi-task, business writing skills (form letters, faxes, etc.) and be tenacious at follow-up. The office manager will assist us with some of these aspects of patient education especially when patients first call the office and ask questions. You will be trained on how to answer commonly asked questions and how to give directions about self-care treatments. He or she will also assist the founder Juliette Aiyana with travel arrangements, book sales and other projects. Pay is commensurate with experience. We offer a 401K retirement plan, free acupuncture treatments and 50% off all of our herbs and products. All applicants will be subject to a background check and drug testing.
______________________________________________
Instructions to Apply
Please e-mail your resume and a cover letter in a Word document to amazinghealing@gmail.com.
In the subject line of the e-mail write;
Application for Office Manager Position
Do not call the office. We will call you if interested in setting up an interview. Thank you.
in Union Square, NYC
Seeks Full-Time Front Office Manager
Who We Are:
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs in Union Square, NYC has earned a reputation for providing high quality, professional and compassionate natural healthcare to the citizens of New York City, and we seek applicants who will maintain that reputation through their outstanding patient care and dedication to their work. We focus on taking our time with patients, and providing patient education at every opportunity. We travel out of the office to give free and paid lectures and seminars to laypeople and professionals.
Who We Are Seeking:
Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs in Union Square NYC needs a friendly, outgoing, highly organized and self-motivated full-time Front Desk Receptionist/Office Manager. We are looking for someone who enjoys office management and views it as a career, not just a job.
Applicant must have experience with working with the public, answering phones, Microsoft Word, Excel, using database systems, the Internet and e-mail. Medical office experience is a plus. The applicant should strongly posses the following skills; clear, effective communication skills, customer service experience including greeting guests, answering phones and appointment setting, problem solving and organizational skills, ability to multi-task, business writing skills (form letters, faxes, etc.) and be tenacious at follow-up. The office manager will assist us with some of these aspects of patient education especially when patients first call the office and ask questions. You will be trained on how to answer commonly asked questions and how to give directions about self-care treatments. He or she will also assist the founder Juliette Aiyana with travel arrangements, book sales and other projects. Pay is commensurate with experience. We offer a 401K retirement plan, free acupuncture treatments and 50% off all of our herbs and products. All applicants will be subject to a background check and drug testing.
______________________________________________
Instructions to Apply
Please e-mail your resume and a cover letter in a Word document to amazinghealing@gmail.com.
In the subject line of the e-mail write;
Application for Office Manager Position
Do not call the office. We will call you if interested in setting up an interview. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Chinese Herbs Help Menstrual Cramps
"HONG KONG (Reuters) - A study involving nearly 3,500 women in several countries suggests that Chinese herbs might be more effective in relieving menstrual cramps than drugs, acupuncture or heat compression.
Australia-based researchers said herbs not only relieved pain, but reduced the recurrence of the condition over three months, according to the Cochrane Library journal.
"All available measures of effectiveness confirmed the overall superiority of Chinese herbal medicine to placebo, no treatment, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), OCPs (oral contraceptive pill), acupuncture and heat compression," said lead author Xiaoshu Zhu from the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney.
Period pain affects as many as 50 percent of women of reproductive age and between 60 percent to 85 percent of teenaged girls, leading to absences from school and work.
While the cause is still under debate, it is believed to be linked to an imbalance in ovarian hormones. Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat the condition for hundreds of years and women are increasingly looking for non-drug treatments.
The survey involved 39 trials -- 36 in China, and one each in Taiwan, Japan and the Netherlands. Participants given herbal concoctions were prescribed herbs that regulated their 'qi' (energy) and blood, warmed their bodies and boosted their kidney and liver functions.
Some of these include Chinese angelica root (danggui),
Read the whole story at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/china_herbs_dc;_ylt=AmWpPipssQ2SvwqPs17jTkPVJRIF
Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.
Australia-based researchers said herbs not only relieved pain, but reduced the recurrence of the condition over three months, according to the Cochrane Library journal.
"All available measures of effectiveness confirmed the overall superiority of Chinese herbal medicine to placebo, no treatment, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), OCPs (oral contraceptive pill), acupuncture and heat compression," said lead author Xiaoshu Zhu from the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney.
Period pain affects as many as 50 percent of women of reproductive age and between 60 percent to 85 percent of teenaged girls, leading to absences from school and work.
While the cause is still under debate, it is believed to be linked to an imbalance in ovarian hormones. Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat the condition for hundreds of years and women are increasingly looking for non-drug treatments.
The survey involved 39 trials -- 36 in China, and one each in Taiwan, Japan and the Netherlands. Participants given herbal concoctions were prescribed herbs that regulated their 'qi' (energy) and blood, warmed their bodies and boosted their kidney and liver functions.
Some of these include Chinese angelica root (danggui),
Read the whole story at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/china_herbs_dc;_ylt=AmWpPipssQ2SvwqPs17jTkPVJRIF
Got Menstrual Cramps? Call us for an appointment 212-894-0767
We can treat with acupuncture and Chinese herbs or just Chinese herbs.
Read more about the Chinese Medicine's view on the Prevention of Menstrual Disease.
Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.
Diet & Lifestyle Changes Can Prevent Infertility
Diet and lifestyle changes could prevent infertility
Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology 2007; 110: 1050-8
Evaluating the influence of diet and other lifestyle factors on the risk for ovulatory disorder infertility.
MedWire News: Women who have a healthier diet and are more active are less likely to develop ovulatory disorder infertility (ODI) than other women, say investigators.
The researchers found that a low fat and sugar diet, multivitamin use, low body mass index, and increased physical activity were all associated with a reduced risk for ODI.
Indeed, there was a six-fold difference in ovulatory infertility risk between women who followed five or more low-risk dietary or lifestyle habits and those who adhered to none, note Jorge Chavarro (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA) and team.
A total of 17,544 women aged between 25 and 42 years were followed-up for 8 years and assigned a "fertility diet" score of one to five points, based on the number of low-risk dietary or lifestyle habits that they adhered to. The higher the score, the lower the ODI risk.
Women who followed a minimum of five lifestyle or optimal dietary patterns had a 54 percent reduced risk for ODI, compared with just a 30 percent risk reduction in women engaging in only one modified lifestyle or dietary behavior.
"These lifestyle practices... are consistent with an overall healthy lifestyle and may also help women become pregnant," the authors conclude.
=======================================================
Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology 2007; 110: 1050-8
Evaluating the influence of diet and other lifestyle factors on the risk for ovulatory disorder infertility.
MedWire News: Women who have a healthier diet and are more active are less likely to develop ovulatory disorder infertility (ODI) than other women, say investigators.
The researchers found that a low fat and sugar diet, multivitamin use, low body mass index, and increased physical activity were all associated with a reduced risk for ODI.
Indeed, there was a six-fold difference in ovulatory infertility risk between women who followed five or more low-risk dietary or lifestyle habits and those who adhered to none, note Jorge Chavarro (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA) and team.
A total of 17,544 women aged between 25 and 42 years were followed-up for 8 years and assigned a "fertility diet" score of one to five points, based on the number of low-risk dietary or lifestyle habits that they adhered to. The higher the score, the lower the ODI risk.
Women who followed a minimum of five lifestyle or optimal dietary patterns had a 54 percent reduced risk for ODI, compared with just a 30 percent risk reduction in women engaging in only one modified lifestyle or dietary behavior.
"These lifestyle practices... are consistent with an overall healthy lifestyle and may also help women become pregnant," the authors conclude.
=======================================================
Need tips on how to better your diet and lifestyle?
Call Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs to make an appointment with our experts.
212-894-0767
Learn more about our Fertility Treatments, Click Here.
Learn more about Healthy Eating, Click Here.
Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Author
Friday, November 02, 2007
Fall Hiking & Stone Barns
Yesterday was an incredible day. Fall finally arrived, and since it was my day off I went for a 7+ mile hike on the Appalachian Trail in Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park, not too far from the city. I found the hike in a great book called 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of New York City. This book appears to be a great tool to facilitate getting out of the city and not having to drive to far to delve into nature. I only saw 5 people all day on the trail (2 through-hikers, even) and hiked to a peak that provided an overlook of the Hudson river and also revealed a skyline of NYC in the far distance. It was like looking like a cartoon interpretation Gotham. Eerily beautiful.
In Chinese medicine, the spleen is ascribed to earth, is associated with digestion and the formation of new qi & blood (which help our body remain in health and activity day-to-day). Hiking through the woods on the earth is important for the strength of the spleen and can be useful at many times of the year when you need to recharge and step outside of the city. It is important for city folk like ourselves to step back out into the true, real world of nature in many capacities, and this time of the year is a wonderful time for hiking in the Hudson valley.
Another way to charge the spleen is through consumption of seasonal foods which are described in detail here in an article that I wrote. This philosophy is honestly in full swing at Blue Hill at Stone Barns located right near Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. At Stone Barns there is an operating farm, educational center, and a mind-blowing restaurant. They utilize most of the food from the farm in the restaurant, and the preparation is outstanding and sure fills the revitalized spleen that is looking for some tasty food after a day of hard work on the trail.
Remember to hike wearing layers. You will get hot, then cold, then hot, etc. from all the stopping, starting, going uphill, downhill, in the shade, sun...
Get out there!
Posted by: Michael Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Podcast Interview with Author Juliette Aiyana
Hi Everyone,
ChineseMedicineTools.com interviewed me about my book
Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management An Integrated Evidence-Based Approach
You can listen to the Podcasted interview by clicking HERE. Scroll down the page a little and you will see my featured podcast. Then just turn the volume up and hit play.
Thanks!
Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Author
ChineseMedicineTools.com interviewed me about my book
Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management An Integrated Evidence-Based Approach
You can listen to the Podcasted interview by clicking HERE. Scroll down the page a little and you will see my featured podcast. Then just turn the volume up and hit play.
Thanks!
Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Author
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