Turning Point Acupuncture Newsletter
Vol. 1 Number 4
 
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Patients,
 
SEASON'S GREETINGS!
 
The holiday season is in full swing and we are all busy juggling our shopping, planning visits with family, attending parties, as well as carrying on with the demands of our daily lives. This newsletter will briefly look at the Season from the perspective of Chinese Medicine, and offer some tips for getting through the holidays with your Health intact. Remember that acupuncture is very helpful for maintaining one's balance through it all!
 
Newsletter Contents:
1. Holiday Mirth: The Chinese Medicine Perspective
2. How to Survive Holiday Parties
3. Turning Point Acupuncture Holiday Hours
 
1. Holiday Mirth: The Chinese Medicine Perspective
 
The holiday season is a time of expressing love for the people in our lives. We show our love by entertaining friends and family, cooking (or dialing-up catering), presenting gifts, showing up at the holiday fetes of others and finally, traveling to destinations near and far. And all in five short weeks! Sounds great ...and simply exhausting. All this activity, piled on top of the life of even the tamest New Yorker, is a recipe for woe.
 
Visualize Walter Mitty trying to plod through these machinations of mirth as you read...
The onset of what we'll dub "holiday syndrome" begins shortly after Thanksgiving. Amidst tryptophan induced post-turkey-daze it begins: The media assaults us with ads to buy, buy, buy! Ideas start to blaze: What gift to get for whom? Cards this year? Whom to invite for which day? Shall I travel or host? How many people? What shall I serve? Are the in-laws coming; again? Quickly this delightful little daydream can become worry. Soon worry progresses to frustration, exasperation, anger, resentment and potentially, depression.
 
In Chinese Medicine the function of "processing", either of food or thoughts, is done by the organ system called the "Spleen" (not to be confused with the anatomical organ). Overworked by the scenario described above, the Spleen gets bogged down. Thus, too much worry and/or too much food can lead to stagnation. We experience this as fatigue, bloating, heaviness and feeling foggy or "stuck."
 
But the picture gets worse when you consider that most of our relatives are not "Ward & June Cleaver" type folks, and that many of our family interactions are anxiety provoking. As busy, over-worked and over-indulged urbanites, we already live with the constant challenge of taming stress. Managing stress in Chinese Medicine is part of the harmonizing function of the "Liver" (again, not the anatomical organ). Stress compromises the Liver's ability to keep the muscles smooth and relaxed. An unhappy Liver gives rise to that tension at the base of the neck and shoulders, and can even lead to headaches. Add stress to the worry evoked by our little holiday daydream, and "Houston, we have a problem." The Liver and Spleen have lost their ability to support each other's normal functions. Thus compromised, how can we, the resultant fatigued and wired individuals, be expected to digest the delicious cakes we've bought from Zabar's or Balducci's?
 
Thankfully, as sentient beings we are granted the ability to make choices. The wisdom of Chinese Medicine offers some support. To cope we can deliberately choose to guarantee our organs good nights of seven or eight hours of sleep. We can take a walk thus getting the blood moving to help prevent stagnation. When our taste buds are enjoying the delight of the first one of those Belgian truffles, we can try to remember the fogginess we have experienced in the past after indulging in six! And, of course, we can support our bodies with acupuncture treatment and herbal medicine to minimize the holiday detriments.
 
Reduce the stress of shopping by donating to a charity in the names of those for whom you would otherwise be trekking down Fifth Avenue fighting the tide of tourists in search of the perfect bauble.
Charity holiday cards are available at http://www.cardsforcharity.com .
Some charities even take your mailing list and will write, address and mail cards for you. AmFar is one of them at http://www.amfar.org/pages/holidaycard.html .
Or donate on the web to the New York Times neediest cases fund at http://www.charitywave.com/neediest_edit.htm . Get directly involved in good works. Volunteer in a soup kitchen or stop by the main United States Post Office at W. 34th Street. The Postmaster sifts out sincere and needy letters addressed to the folks at the North Pole and gives the letters to people who are willing to respond.
 
In any case, allow the joyful spirit of the holidays to eclipse the human-created mayhem and be well.
 
2. How to Survive Holiday Buffets & Beverages
 
Nutritional tips:
*Recipe substitutions in cooking --
Use non-stick cookware instead of greasy pans.
Eggs: use one egg white plus 2 tsp. vegetable oil per egg, or three egg whites for every two eggs. Sugar: reduce the amount in any cookie or cake recipe by one-fourth.
Butter: substitute an equal amount of applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter called for.
Cream cheese: use low-fat instead of regular.
Heavy cream: use evaporated skim milk.
Sour cream: use low-fat sour cream or yogurt, especially if preparing dips and sauces.
 
*Eat slowly. Savor each bite. You will feel full sooner and can avoid the urge for seconds. Drink lots of water, especially at parties.
 
*Skip the dip. Why waste your calories on chips and dips?
 
*Watch the alcohol intake:
A few glasses of wine or beer can mean hundreds of extra calories. Egg Nog, which is full of saturated fat and high proof alcohol, aggravates that issue. Try to find (or bring to a party) "Silk Nog" --a non alcoholic, low fat, lactose and cholesterol-free alternative to Egg Nog .
Never drink on an empty stomach. Have your glass with dinner rather than before or after. Dilute wine with club soda. Drink flavored seltzer.
 
*Eat Veggies:
Filling up on high fiber, high water content vegetables will help you avoid the fat laden snacks.
 
*Don't go to a party with an empty stomach. You will make better choices if you don't face party snacks hungry.
 
*Relax. Don't criticize yourself for indulging in occasional Holiday treats. Try instead to pick judiciously. You are not obliged to taste every cookie, sweet, etc. that passes your way. Pick the best treat.
 
Other tips: Try to maintain regular exercise. Even an abbreviated work-out is better than none.
Even in a hotel or stranded in an airport you can get some aerobic exercise in. Stash your bags and walk briskly through the terminals or up the hotel steps. Call ahead when visiting relatives. There may be a gym or health club you can use while away.
 
3. Turning Point Acupuncture Holiday Hours
 
We will be open our usual hours six days a week during the Holiday season with the following exceptions:
Saturday, December 23rd
Monday, December 25th (Christmas Day)
Monday, January 1st (New Year's Day)
 
In addition, Shane Hoffman will be out of the office the morning of December 26, 27 and 29. He will see patients on Thursday morning, December 28th.
 
To review our usual hours and staffing click here:
http://www.nycacupuncture.com/patientinfo.html
 
We all at Turning Point Acupuncture wish you ...
A Happy and Healthy New Year
 
Naomi Rabinowitz, MD, Hong Su, CMD and E. Shane Hoffman, LAC
17 December 2000
Turning Point Acupuncture
1841 Broadway, Suite 509
New York City, NY 10023
212 489-5038
http://www.nycacupucture.com
 
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