The sun is finally shining on the North Shore!
Welcome to Movéo’s April newsletter. We hope that you’re now enjoying the longer evenings, and getting outside on the weekends enjoying running, cycling, playing in the water or in the trails.
As people get back into the swing of summer it’s common to experience a twinge as the body limbers up again. Maybe your pitching arm isn’t quite what it was?
What sets Movéo apart is our team approach to rehabilitation. Book an appointment with any of our practitioners and they will diagnose and refer you to the right person in the team to treat your condition. Movéo’s Kiniseologists are absolutely unique on the North Shore – Kim and Mae compliment our other therapists with advice and coaching onstretching and strengthening weak spots.
New patients are welcome!
We are always accepting new patients to the clinic, and enjoy the process of meeting new clients, treating their condition and sending them on their way. Please think of Movéo when friends or family mention that they have an injury of some kind. We’d love to help them back to full strength.
Read on for lots of great information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, and an amazing offer to try a new recovery tool for free!
Movéo is offering FREE NormaTec recovery sessions next week only!
NormaTec is an innovative tool for enhancing recovery from a wide range of athletic endeavors. Initially used by elite athletes in endurance sports, NormaTec is quickly spreading among all fitness levels as a clean, simple, yet very effective recovery tool.
Moveo Sport and Rehabilitation Center has recently acquired this innovative treatment tool. The patient wears two full-legged boots, which are pumped with air in a given pattern. The generated compression massages the lower limbs to increase circulation, reducing inflammation and edema. This speeds up the repairing of microtrauma to tissue, which occurs during workouts.
Book a FREE 30 minute NormaTec recovery treatment next week, April 29th – May 3rd, to see how NormaTec can accelerate your recovery.
Meet Movéo TCM practitioner Dr. Kim Graham
Kim graduated from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Vancouver (ICTCM) in 2002 at the top of her class, completing 4 of her total 8 years of study in both Eastern and Western medicine. Upon her graduation from ICTCM in 2002, she furthered her studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine to include the treatment of Addiction and Mental Illness. Since then, she has continued to work with a wide variety of clientele from addicted and mentally ill populations to endurance athletes throughout the lower mainland.
This extensive training in both Eastern & Western medicine has given Kim an exceptional understanding of the human body, and a unique holistic perspective of how it works. ”Balance in all things”, she believes, is the key to leading a healthy, happy life. Since moving to the North Shore in 2002, Kim has taken advantage of all the athletic opportunities that it offers. It is not unusual for her to ski, bike, swim and run all in the same day!
The cheat sheet on Kim:
1. What makes your eyes light up in your job?
Watching people become ‘believers’ of TCM
2. What’s your favourite activity on the weekend?
Ocean swimming….until November, then it’s pools and snowshoes
3. Guilty pleasure?
No guilt, all pleasure! I’m a fan of appetizers for dinner, usually in the form of brie, crackers and grapes with a nice glass of wine.
4. If you didn’t work at Movéo where would you be today?
Probably working on the DTES. I spent 10 years of my career working in Addictions & Mental Health, and I miss it sometimes.
5. What types of clients would you most like the opportunity to work with at Movéo?
I LOVE skeptics and those fearful of acupuncture – there’s nothing like watching people transform, enjoy the experience, and feel better after treatments 🙂
If you are suffering from allergies, or are interested in knowing more about Traditional Chinese Medicine book an appointment with Kim today. You can also connect with her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.KimTCM.
Treating Allergies with TCM
Here on the west coast, sunshine, melting snow and blossoming flowers puts a smile on most of our faces. But for many, this change also signals the beginning of a most unwelcome time of year. Allergy season. For those that suffer, it means itchy watery eyes, scratchy throat, sneezing, sinus congestion, fatigue, eczema, and (worsening) asthma.
Spring allergy symptoms according to TCM are seen as a response to ‘wind’ (the elemental factor associated with Spring) and other environmental factors in the same way as a cold or flu is a response to a viral infection. This ‘Spring Wind’ affects those who are said to have a weak defensive layer called Wei Qi.
Both acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been used for thousands of years to help boost the body’s defensive layer to prevent colds and flu in winter, and allergies in the spring/summer.
Acupuncture helps to:
- Alleviate symptoms such as itchy eyes, stuffiness, headaches and fatigue
- Strengthen the immune system to create long term health benefits
- Bring the body back into balance by helping to regulate the various mechanisms responsible for homeostasis
Commonly used Chinese Herbs:
1. Jing Jie (Japanese Catnip) is used widely for allergies, normally in conjunction with other herbs to treat allergic symptoms.
2. Huang Qi (Astragalus): A classic tonic used in many formulas to treat chronic weakness and/or deficiency of Qi. It is included in a ‘famous’ formula called Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Wind Screen Formula) to strengthen the body’s defense against invasion of ‘wind’ in the spring and winter. (People who have autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’ s disease should not take astragalus without consulting with their doctor. People who take lithium or drugs that suppress the immune system should not take Astragalus)
Foods: East meets West
1. Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Pro-biotics – have shown to have some beneficial effect in the treatment of allergies (especially food related).
2. Quercetin — Quercetin is a flavonoid, a plant pigment that gives fruits and vegetables their colour. It has been shown to help in the release of histamine.
3. Spirulina — a type of blue-green algae, may help protect against harmful allergic reactions. Spirulina stops the release of histamine, which contributes to symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
4. Vitamin C (2,000 mg per day) — Vitamin C is mother-nature’s antihistamine, and can help reduce allergy symptoms.
Acupressure/Self-Help:
For temporary relief of nasal congestion and itching, press or massage these few points for a few minutes several times a day.
1. Yin Tang located right between the eyebrows
2. LI 20 (Ying Xiang) located on either side of each nostril
3. LI4 (He Gu) located on the back of the hand in the fleshy part between the thumb and first finger
The aim of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in treatment is to address the causes of disease (allergies), treat the whole person, and focus on balancing the immune system to create long-term health benefits.
Don’t wait! Book an appointment today and feel better faster!
Dr.Kim Graham, Dr.TCM, R.Ac
Want to learn more about TCM?
If you’re interested in TCM and would like to find out more then you can visit www.acupuncture.com, a reliable source for more information. The regulatory body for TCM practitioners in BC is http://www.ctcma.bc.ca.
Ontario has also just passed legislation to regulate TCM, and a National Certification exam will be in place October 2013 for all acupuncture and herbology creating a National Standard of Practice. BC has led the way in this exciting development for the discipline.
Events in May
The race season is really heating up in May. Whether you’re a runner, cyclist, triathlete or just enjoy getting into the outdoors, there are loads of events to sign up for and mark in your calendar. Here’s a few for May:
Apr 29th to May 3rd – Free NormaTec treatments at Movéo
May 4th – North Shore Enduro
May 11th – Golden Ears Trail Race (5 Peaks Series)
May 18th – Buckin Hell (Coast Mountain Race Series)
May 20th – North Shore Triathlon
And finally…
Dr Jenn was a nominee for the 2012 Business Person of the Year Awards. We just received a copy of the video that was played at the awards dinner.
Thanks for reading. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can help you in any way.
The Movéo Team.
Leave A Comment