As Solstice approaches, the acupuncture points that strengthen the Kidneys and Bladder are at their peak. December 21st is just a few weeks away, so NOW is a great time to come in for a Winter Seasonal Alignment Treatment.

The Kidneys and the Bladder are associated with energy reserves and energy management. According to Chinese Medical principles, the Kidneys regulate reproduction, growth and development. They are are also responsible for the health of the bones, the head hair, the nervous system, as well as the strength of the knees and the back.

Receiving an acupuncture treatment in the few weeks pre or post Solstice will give a powerful boost to these organ systems. Call us now if you would like to book a treatment in the next few weeks.

To learn more about the role of the kidneys in Chinese Medicine, click the link below:

Chinese Medicine Function of Kidneys

At ACA, our mission is to empower people to take charge of their own health. It is our opinion the the current media coverage of the Swine Flu has served to create anxiety and fear while competely missing the opportunity to teach people what they can actually do to stay healthy and actually prevent illness.

While we do not want to underestimate the seriousness of a flu epidemic, there are always other options for how to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, and NO ONE should feel compelled to take any action out of fear, misunderstanding or misinformation.

So, we would like to offer some ideas and resources so you can be fully informed and "armed" with your own anti-flu arsenal this season.

1. If you do nothing else, read our article on Cold and Flu prevention. We offer tons of tips and tricks to help you strengthen your immune system and ward off colds and flu. Click below for the article:

ACA Cold and Flu Article

2. To the above article we'd like to add a few recent helpful remedies that have been useful for us. One is Thieves Oil from Young Living. When we travel, a couple of drops in a cup of tea is all it takes to ramp up the immune system. A drop of Grapefruit Seed extract added to this is also fantastic.

3. Visit your alternative healthcare practitioner on a regular basis. For prevention, and overall wellness, we highly recommend acupuncture treatment at least monthly.

For people under high amounts of stress or suffering from chronic illness, treatment should be more frequent. But the standard is that you should be feeling good when you come in. Don't wait until things are off.

And, having said that, we do have powerful treatments and herbs to help the body kick out a cold or flu, so give us a call if you are starting to get sick.

Otherwise, you should be thinking about your visits to the acupuncturist,chiropractor, rolfer, naturopath, massage therapist etc. as part of your overall stress management approach to wellness.

Stress is the main cause of illness in our culture and your alternative healthcare practitioners have literally tons of information to offer in this arena. If they see you on a regular basis, they will also be able to give you honest and immediate feedback on how you are actually doing.

4. Diet is THE most important piece in stess management puzzle. Take out the fast food, caffiene, alcohol, sodas, white flours, food additives and preservatives for 6 weeks and you will have a radically different body. Click below for our Anti- Inflammatory/Whole Foods Diet. Our challenge to you: Follow this diet completely, no cheating for 6 weeks. You will have a different body, lose weight and feel more healthy and vibrant than ever before.

Anti- Inflammatory/Whole Foods Diet

5. Exercise - again, research shows that exercise is one of the most powerful tools for managing stress and staying healthy and vibrant. But you don't have to be running up Lazy Mountain 5x's per week to be in shape. You just need to get your body moving everyday.

There are 3 different yoga studios in the valley (links on our website) and there are Tai Qi and Qi Gong teachers as well. We also recommend exercise DVD's (see our healthy living store). Our bodies were designed to for movement - so get out there and do something - go for a walk, chop some wood, get moving! Check out the links below for ideas:

Exercise Resources

Healthy Living Store

6. Other resources on the web. Since the announcment of the Swine Flu Virus back in April, there have been some fantastic articles written about Swine Flu, Swine Flu Vaccinations and what the virus is and what it isn't. Here are two of the best websites for up to date vaccine information:

Mercola.com - The World's Most Popular Natural Health Newsletter

The National Vaccine Information Center

ACA is on Facebook. Please click the URL below to become of fan of our page.

ACA on Facebook

Almost daily we find articles that we'd like to share with everyone, but it would be impossible (and overwhelming to your inbox!) to email everyone each time we find a great story. Instead, we have posted some fantastic articles on this site that you may have missed over the past few months.

Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with us because we will be updating our page in real time as information comes our way.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Here's an example of compelling articles that came out earlier in the Fall that are posted on our Facebook page:

How American Healthcare Killed My Father

Big Food Vs. Big Insurance by Michael Pollan

Don't miss the PBS Special airing on December 8th called "Between the Folds". Here is an article and a YouTube preview. It looks fantastic!

The Most Exciting New Art Medium: Paper

Between the Folds - YouTube Video

1.Wolf Lake Wellnes.

In addition to their organic produce buying club, Azure Standard buying club and Frontier buying club, Wolf Lake Wellness now features produce from three local growers. Check them out at:

Wolf Lake Wellness

2. Holiday Open House. Leah Rachocki, Certified Rolfer, is holding a Hooliday Open House at her new space at 808 South Bailey St in Palmer on Saturday, December 12th starting at 1pm. RSVP to 355-5820 if you plan to go

3. Home for Rent. We just moved into a new house and our old home is for rent. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath on 10 acres. Very quiet and private. We lived there for 5 years and loved it. Contact Diane Rose for more information at 745-8604. Check out the listing here:

Home for Rent

4. Community Calendar. We now feature a community calendar function on our website - so you don't have to wait for a newsletter to announce your event. Email us via the website and we'll post your even on our calendar. Check out the link here:

ACA Community Calendar

info@alaskaacupuncture.com

907-745-8688

http://www.AlaskaAcupuncture.com