Stay Healthy this Winter with 5 Easy Tips!

Winter tends to be the time for cold and flu season. With colder temperatures and more rain-- our bodies are more suseptible to lingering pathogens, compounded by busy holiday schedules, unhealthy habits and stress, that can make your body feel worse. Try the following tips for a healthier holiday season and find more time and energy to spend with family and friends instead of sick in bed!

1. Avoid colds and flus by washing hands thoroughly. This alone will combat so many viruses and prevent transmission of unwanted germs.

2. Drink plenty of fluids-- Ginger root tea helps to warm the body and flush out toxins. Grate a thumb's size amount of ginger into 2 cups of boiling water and drink. Not only will this help with colds and flu, it's also great to help nausea.

3. Get plenty of sleep -- adequate and undisturbed rest will help promote a healthy immune system, and help fight off lingering pathogens that much faster.

4. Practice healthy stress prevention techniques --even though the holidays can be a busy time of year, it is important to manage stress properly with regular relaxation techniques. Trying meditation, yoga, or breathing techniques are so much better for your system than reaching for that sugar cookie or the last beer, as refined sugar can weaken the immune system. Regular exercise will also help strengthen the immune system.

5. Visit your Registered Acupuncturist BEFORE symptoms appear. Acupuncture works very well to help boost the immune system and diminish stress even before pathogens have a chance to strike, boosting one's energy to combat germs naturally with no side-effects. Visiting your acupuncturist once the cold or flu has already set in, will help reduce symptoms and speed up recovery time.

*Remember! Colds are caused by viruses, there is no medication available for the 300+ viruses that can cause a cold. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to go to the Doctor to be given a prescription for antibiotics that can cause harmful side-effects. Antibiotics treat bacteria. With adequate rest and liquids, diminished stress, it will eventually go away on it's own. A visit to your acupuncturist will speed this process along so you can get out of bed and enjoy the Winter season!

New to Acupuncture? Why you should choose a Registered Acupuncturist

Acupuncture has been utlitized in Eastern cultures for more than 3000 years, in the West we are just beginning to explore the benefits of this wonderful medicine and apply it to mainstream medical care! This healing modality is gaining in popularity with more medical practitioners practicing acupuncture than ever! In B.C. acupuncture techniques are practiced by physiotherapists, medical doctors, and naturopathic physicians; training hours vary from 50 to 250 hours. Registered Acupuncturists have a minimum of 1900 hours with a mandatory 50 hours of continuing education every two years to keep up with registration standards. A registered acupuncturist must graduate from an accredited three year acupuncture program, pass written and practical provincial exams- based on; diagnosis, point-location, and needling techniques in order to offer safe and effective treatment plans for patients. Are you wanting to maximize your healing potential in a natural, safe, drug-free way? Choose a Registered Acupuncturist!