Happy year of the Yang Water Dragon!!!

The energy of the Yang Water Dragon year: it's likely to be a good one!

The Yang Water Dragon year is here! I am so excited about this year's energy that I started to feel it even before today.

Dragons are associated with power and good fortune. When we examine Chinese lore, we see that Dragon years can be dramatic. Why? In Chinese astrology, the Dragon is the mightiest of the signs. Dragons symbolize character traits such as passion, dominance, and raw ambition. They are unafraid of challenges or change and do everything on a grand scale.

What does a Yang Water Dragon year have in store for you? If you enjoy Chinese astrology, then this could be an exciting year, providing you read the landscape with attention. You would do well to complete unfinished business from 2011 as quickly as possible. When Dragon begins its procession through 2012, you want his route unimpeded and smooth, even though it may climb and twist.

The Dragon is a sign of good fortune and the Year of the Dragon is considered an auspicious time for new beginnings. Be watchful for opportunities that present in late January. Entrepreneurs and new ventures are particularly favored to experience success this year – business, marriages, projects, children born in 2012 or in previous Dragon years all benefit from the outstanding luck often associated with this zodiac sign. 2012 can also be an auspicious year to plan a celebration or throw a big party. Those compatible with the Dragon — Rat and Snake in particular — will also find 2012's circumstances inspiring them to greater personal happiness and professional success. But, the Dragon, perhaps because of its passion, may also bring a rougher style of communication - less diplomacy and more directness, so be prepared

The energy of the year will move grandly and quickly right away, and you want to be ready for it. The Dragon is associated with Spring, and the energetic high point of the year is the Dragon Moon, from May 20^th (New Moon) to June 18^th. Dragon energy favors the bold. The grand scale of Dragon energy encourages you to reach for the proverbial brass ring or to act on your dream. If you want to succeed at something major, according to Suzanne White, author of THE NEW ASTROLOGY, start early in the year and persist. Don’t give up; express yourself openly. She writes, "Any and all events will be dramatic and charged with a rare intensity. In short, 2012 will be a year of derring-do, hell-raising and exorbitant fun.

What of the Yang and Water aspect of 2012? Water has a calming effect on Dragon’s fearless temperament. Yang Water is like a flowing river rather than a still lake. Things move, ideas flow, creativity abounds, business booms, and love blossoms in this environment. It is likely to be an exciting year. Because this year is the Year of the Water Dragon, affairs maybe tempered because water helps calm the Dragon’s fire. That’s why Water Dragons tend to be less stubborn than your regular old Dragons. But just as the ceremonial dragon is put away after the festival, the dragon “effect” can be fleeting. A project or relationship or romance may be more transitory than long-term. This year can point to either spectacular successes or epic fails. Your luck can be good or bad, and your actions may enhance your fortune or derail it. While this is, of course, true in any circumstance, it’s the extreme nature of the outcome that is attributed to Dragon. Remember that Dragon is mythic and larger than life; so are Dragon-based experiences. Be mindful and try to understand your circumstances deeply and with insight. Consider risk carefully, for an extravagant gesture can leave you at risk when the moment passes.

Summer will present as a relatively quiet period in 2012, but one should not relax during this period since all activities of the unfolding year have acquired a certain momentum and intensity. Therefore vigilant management of your affairs is needed. Fall is a good time for wrapping up loose ends, reflecting, taking stock. At the end of the year, it is beneficial to engage in self-education and planning for the next year.

Three lovely words that a person in my field loves to hear: Martha, I'm pregnant!

That's right. Another success using Chinese medicine for fertility issues. This is the energy of the Yang Water Dragon year coming in! This couple had been "trying" for 8 years, had 2 failed IUIs, at least one miscarriage. Many of these couples come for acupuncture after they've been told that their follicle count won't increase, their FSH won't go down, even that some of the measures will NEVER change. Not true in some cases. We are energetic bodies and balancing our energy can lead to many positive outcomes. I'm smiling!

Let's learn about how to use herbs during the cold/flu season: Don't use most "immune boosting" formulas while you have a cold

Many so-called "immune boosting" formulas have an herb called Huang Qi (astragalus) in them. No. Do not take a formula containing Huang Qi during a cold; it may drive the bug deeper and extend the length of time it takes you to get well. This is one of the most frequent misunderstandings that I hear people talk about. They think that it is good to take an immune booster during a cold. Remember: it depends upon the ingredients! Wu Wei zi (schisandra) is another such ingredient; okay to take when you are not experiencing cold symptoms.

The good news is that there are herbs that will help fight a cold and you can get these from your licensed Chinese medicine practitioner or Acupuncturist. Ban lan gen (isatis root) has antibiotic properties, jin yin hua (lonicera - honeysuckle) has anti-inflammatory properties so it can help with some symptoms. Gan cao (licorice root) is another individual herb can help break a cold right at the beginning.

Here's a good place to clarify that Chinese herbs are prescriptions and should be prescribed by a knowledgeable practitioner. In my most humble professional opinion, they should not be sold over the counter. One of the most frequent stories I hear is that a person bought a Chinese medicine formula in a grocery store and then didn't understand why it didn't work. Well, if you take a formula that is designed to deal with the beginning energetics of a cold midway through your cold, you're right, it's not going to work! Or, if you have a runny nose kind of cold but you take a formula designed for a phlemy, sore throat kind of cold, it's not going to work and might even extend the length of your cold or flu. Please talk with a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner before purchasing Chinese herbal formulas. Taking herbal formulas, especially those containing herbs used in Chinese herbal prescriptions is one case where checking the training and credentials of your alternative medicine practitioner is important.

Remember, this information is based on my training, clinical experience, and licensure as a practitioner of TCM and is not something with which the FDA would necessarily agree or suggest.

Acupuncture fertility case study - the proof is in the W medical test results

Acupuncture fertility case study - the proof is in the W medical test results

Follicle count up 30%, FSH down 30%, FSH/LH ratio closer to normal!! Wow! Twenty nine yr old patient told she has the hormonal system of a 40 yr old ... literally, that she could start menopause at any time, has 6 months to get pregnant. The young woman and her husband decided that they (she) did not want to take hormones so they came to me for TCM/Acupuncture treatment. Less than 4 months later, spectacular test results! Periods better, less cramping, no PMS, better quality of blood (remember, that's your uterine lining so the "little pink period" or clotting, cramping, etc. aren't conducive to conception. Call 303-947-6224 for a couples' consult if you are having fertility challenges.

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More evidence that Acupuncture/Chinese Medicine helps those with fertility challenges

I keep reading study results like this one and don't understand why more couples don't consider a natural medicine either before they start on hormonal and physical procedures or in conjunction with them. All hormonal and physical procedures cause more qi and blood stagnation so why not combat that using acupuncture?! Additionally, research has demonstrated that women who undergo hormonal procedures are at a higher risk for certain gynecological cancers. I've said this for years: our hormonal systems are BASIC to our existence, they don't tolerate hormonal intervention very well. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-traditional-chinese-medicine-fertility-treatments.html

Using our language for a happy, healthy 2012+

Did you know that there are over 3000 words in the English language that relate to our emotions and that over 2000 of them (2/3) are negative?!? The beginning of another year is a perfect time to start using the 900+ positive words in our daily lives. This could be quite a task considering that 2/3 of the words are negative .... just seems like those words might be more "accessible". But they don't have to be! Why not have a word for each day - a positive word. That way, it will take you about 3 years to use all of the positive words and then you can start over. My word for today: Gratitude.

I wish you and your circle of loved ones a happy, healthy 2012+.