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Family Acupuncture Log
with Kay Madsen, Licensed Acupuncturist
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Many of my patients have expressed curiosity about my rather odd career change from attorney to acupuncturist. I was very fortunate to have my story told in the current edition of Bethesda Magazine.
Bethesda Magazine - September/October 2013 Getting to the Point: A one-time lawyer's career takes a sharp turn
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Q & A With Kay
Several questions have come in regarding the herbal supplement Allerease by Blue Poppy. Back in the spring, I recommended this herbal formula to effectively treat allergies. Some folks have ordered Allerease to find a disturbing label claiming that an ingredient causes cancer. I have never seen this labeling, but given the fact that I also use it for myself and my family, I wanted to get to the bottom of this. Here is what I found.
A:
It's kind of complicated, but it seems that the labeling in question is triggered by a California law called Proposition 65. Prop 65 requires the warning label regarding lead levels. The problem is that the Prop 65 lead threshold is set FAR below other national and international standards. Because there is some lead in the soil, basically you get more lead from the food you eat than from these herbal products. Many of the times the Prop 65 warning label is used simply because the herb company cannot practicably test for the presence of lead so far below the national standard. The absence of the label on other herbal products only means that it either isn't being distributed through California or perhaps the company is exempt (such as having fewer than 10 employees).
It's a scary sounding label for sure. But now that I know what it's about, I still feel totally comfortable taking these herbs. It isn't like some herbal ingredient in the product has been shown to cause cancer or even has raised issues of legitimate medical concern.
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Greetings!
Ah, yes! We've cleared Labor Day. My daughter is back to school and I had my first morning of solitude on the deck. As I enjoyed my tea, I reflected on the good vibes from the summer and the peaceful deep breath I can now take. The summer was indeed fun and joyous for us. We had a wonderful vacation to Yellowstone and then to North Idaho to visit family and hold a memorial service for my father, who passed away last autumn. That was bittersweet. It was hard to say a final good-bye, but so wonderful to see my entire extended family. When we returned, I played camp counselor to my daughter and two of her best buds. We laughed, swam, played, painted, threw water balloons. I listened to more "pop" music than I care to admit. It was a great summer, but now it's time to get back to work!
I always look forward to autumn - the golden light and vibrant leaves. It's a time to return to a more rhythmic schedule. A time to clean house a bit, taking stock of what to keep and what to toss. The featured article this month is a reminder of the necessity of some internal housecleaning.
Enjoy and be well!
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Fall Cleaning for the Body, the Mind, and the Soul
There are two times of the year our thoughts turn to a big clean up effort: spring and fall. These are the transitional seasons. In spring, the Earth is rising up from the depths of yin of the winter toward the ultimate yang of summer. In autumn, the descending journey is made.
During the transitions of these two seasons, it is wise to prepare for the summer or winter that lies ahead. The preparations include a rigorous clean up. The nature of the cleaning effort of the two different seasons has subtle distinctions. Spring evokes a need to shake off the cobwebs and clear the accumulated debris from the winter, making room for new growth. In autumn, the clearing is more about harvesting and pruning back. Because we are a reflection of the greater world around us, autumn becomes for us too a time to internally harvest and prune.
Cleaning the Body
Cleaning the body largely translates into, what in new age medicine has been coined, detoxing. On a physical level, we are getting rid of the toxic accumulations that are acquired just by living in our environment. Sort of like how your closets get full of possessions you don't want or need, even though you don't remember putting them there! In the body, the liver is our closet and a good detox program assists it in removing the toxins from storage, processing them and sending them out for trash pick up. Detoxing is a perfect time to remind ourselves which foods nourish and which foods poison the body. Harvest and prune your diet. The medical benefits in routinely detoxing include better sleep, lessened allergies, weight loss, improved thyroid function, and more energy.
I've previously written about the how to's of the detox process. See the March 2013 edition of the Family Acupuncture Log for a complete rundown on healthy and easy detoxing.
Clearing The Mind
Oh, but the closet cleaning doesn't end with the physical body! To really match the energy of the season, we also need to take stock of our emotions and behaviors. In Chinese medicine, we refer to the "seven emotions" as being a primary cause of internal disease.
These are: joy, anger, anxiety, pensiveness, grief, fear, and fright. These emotions are neither good nor bad in an absolute sense. They are simply meant to come and go in proper response to the dynamics of life. Any of these emotions held for too long or under the wrong circumstances become toxic. Toxic emotions will also drive behaviors that will negatively affect your well being.
The task of clearing the mind of toxic emotions is a lot harder than the physical detox program. Start by asking yourself whether you are habitually experiencing emotions that have a negative impact on your life? Do you frustrate easily and then take it out on others? Are you a chronic worrier? Are you jealous of others' good fortune? Do you find humor in hurting others' feelings? Are you so judgmental that you have a hard time making and keeping friends? The propensity to react to the world from a particular emotional vantage point shapes our lives and, ultimately, our health. A well trained acupuncturist or other therapist can help you find a more positive expression of your emotions.
Cleansing The Soul
So now we come to the deepest level of our being, the soul. Beyond emotions and behaviors, the soul is where we cultivate personal virtues. The other side of that coin is that the soul can also be the place we harbor our worst vices. This idea certainly has religious connotations. And every major religion has chimed in on this point, laying out prescriptions for what basically makes us either good or bad people. There are many versions of this story, whether referring to sins, vices, virtues, or karma.
Spiritual purification resonates strongly with the autumn energy. Whatever your religious affiliation, or even lack thereof, it is a ripe time to reflect upon the status of the soul. It's a time to ask ourselves whether we are compassionate, honest, selfless, respectful, wise. If you find that you still have some room for growth, ask yourself what you have to let go of to get there. To be compassionate, we must let go of judgment; to be honest, let go of blame; to be selfless, let go of greed; to be respectful, let go of hatred; to be wise, let go of ignorance. Gain by letting go. Prune and harvest.
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ABOUT ME
After leaving behind a decade of practicing as an attorney, I received my Masters of Acupuncture in 2002 from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, Maryland. It certainly was an interesting career shift! Every day I am increasingly grateful to do this amazing work. I guess I still use some of my old attorney skills to piece together every patient's experiences to create a new picture of their health concerns from a Chinese medical perspective. From there we fashion a strategy toward healing together. It never gets old to watch a person's sufferings unravel. Sure beats interpreting government regulations for a living!
I keep balance in my own life by sharing my love of outdoor experiences with my husband and daughter. Camping, hiking and critter watching are much loved family activities. It's important to me to see that my daughter learns to attune herself to the movement of the seasons and the many lessons they offer, so that she can appreciate balance from an early age.
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Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906
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Kay Madsen, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)
Licensed Acupuncturist
13415 Connecticut Ave.
Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906
(240) 393-5420
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Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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