Laureen Macintosh R.Ac. - Calgary Acupuncturist

World Introvert Day serves as an opportunity for people around the world to better understand and appreciate introverts.
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Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introverts often have some of the following characteristics:

* may feel exhausted after spending time with people
* re-energize with some alone time
* often have a small group of close friends
* may be described as quiet and hard to get to know
* may become distracted when overly stimulated
* may prefer jobs where they work independently, rather than with other people
* many introverts are good listeners, they think before they speak, they are very observant, and they make loving romantic partners
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Happy New Year! Wishing you all a healthy and happy New Year.

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season. Don't forget to take time to look after yourself during this busy time. One of the small (or not so small) joys that can make us feel re-charged is a little self-care. Whether that's going for a massage or acunap or taking a nap at home.
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Do you take time to look after yourself? Share your favourite self-care routine below.

🎄 Merry Christmas 🎄
Wishing everyone a lovely holiday season filled with friends, family and happy times.
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Yesterday was the winter solstice - the shortest day/ longest night of the year. Today's small joy is celebrating the return of the sun. The days are finally going to start getting longer as we march toward spring and then summer.

Holiday hours are slightly different. I do have a few openings left before the new year. To book call 403-259-2000 or use the link in my bio.

My Mom and I have a tradition of getting together in early December to bake Christmas cookies together. We light her tree and play Christmas tunes while baking.
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Spending time with people you care about is one of the small joys. Great memories and experiences can come from simple things.
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What could be more joyful and self-indulgent than curling up with a hot beverage and a great book. This simple activity never fails to bring me some peace and happiness.
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Do you have a favourite book that you re-read periodically? It's nice to go back and visit old "friends" on a cold winter day.
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One of my favourite Christmas songs is "Winter Wonderland".
🎶 ... walking in a winter wonderland ... 🎶
I love walking my dog on those crisp winter mornings when the air is still and gentle flakes of snow drift down from the sky.
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This holiday time of year can become very hectic for some. Looking at the neighbors decorations it seems that people think bigger is better. There is often a lot of pressure to "go big" with everything - decorating, cooking, parties, and presents.
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This month my posts will be about celebrating the small joys. Stay present in the moment and enjoy the simple things that make you happy. I have the Julie Andrews "Favourite Things" song stuck in my brain right now.
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Today's small joy is cat naps in the sun. I love the feeling of the sun on my face. Especially if I'm curled up in a cozy chair. It's nice to close my eyes for a brief moment and just relax in the warmth.

Appointments are booking up fast. Give us a call to reserve yours today.
403-259-2000 or book online (link in bio).

When Too Much is Just Too Much

Feeling overwhelmed? Here are a few quick tips to ease the load

When Too Much is Just Too Much Have you become sucked into the "too much syndrome"? Follow these tips to simplify your life, calm your mind, and find your center once again.

Interested in learning more about your digestion? Check out my blog post (link in bio) for some information on how to optimize your digestive health.
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Acupuncture helps with digestive complaints. If you or a loved one is suffering from upset stomach or other digestive issues come on in for a visit.
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This acupuncture point on the leg is a great one for digestive issues. In the WHO naming system it is called ST36 and it's English name is "Three Leg Mile".
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Stimulating this point by pressing or rubbing it can be useful for the following conditions:
* gastric/stomach pain
* vomiting
* hiccups
* diarrhea or constipation
* indigestion
* bloating
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You can find the point by bending your knee, finding the bottom of the knee cap and measuring 4 fingers below the bottom of the knee cap and 1 finger width lateral (toward the outside) of the edge of the shin bone.

Ginger is awesome for digestive issues. This sweet, spicy rhizome is cultivated in tropical countries throughout the world and is prescribed in a wide variety of herbal medicine traditions.
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Clinical trials indicate that ginger can reduce nausea and vomiting resulting from motion sickness, pregnancy, indigestion, and some chemotherapies. It can even provide relief for women who deal with painful cramps during and before menstruation.
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The effects of ginger:
* it is a carminative, which means it relieves flatulence
* it inhibits neural receptors that signal vomiting, thereby reducing nausea
* it increases the digestive enzymes trypsin and pancreatic lipase
* it is linked to elevated saliva flow and improved gastric motility
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Ginger can be eaten fresh, dried, pickled, preserved, crystallized, candied, and in powder and liquid forms. A super easy way to prepare a ginger tea is to slice some fresh ginger into a mug, pour boiled water over it and let steep for 5 minutes.

I stumbled across this lovely quotation from Virginia Woolf. How true it is - we do everything so much better if we've had a good meal to fuel us. Good food is both physical and psychological fuel.
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Want to learn more about your digestive system? This book is an older one, but a super interesting read. It does an excellent job of describing the functions of each of the organs in the digestive system.
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The book also discusses dietary ideas and what we should be putting into our bodies. The author is a Naturopathic Doctor and strongly believes that many of our modern diseases can be managed with good nutrition.
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Self-help for Healthy Digestion

New blog post! November is Digestive Health Month. Read the new blog post with 3 tips for healthier digestion.

Self-help for Healthy Digestion Healthy digestion is an important factor in overall health. Keep it running smoothly with these tips from your acupuncturist.

Plenty of studies have been done, on both humans and animals, assessing the effects of acupuncture on digestion. While the exact mechanism is still not completely understood, research is finding that acupuncture has great benefits in regulating the digestive system. Both slowing down overactive and speeding up underactive digestion.
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Do you or someone you love experience digestive difficulties? Call us to find out how acupuncture might be able to help you out.
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Read the full study: Li, H., He, T., Xu, Q., Li, Z., Liu, Y., Li, F., Yang, F., & Liu, Z. (2015). Acupuncture and regulation of gastrointestinal function. World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG, 21(27), 8304-8313. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v21.i27.8304

November is Digestive Health awareness month. It's a good time for it; squeezed in between the feasts and candy night of October and the feasts and goodies of December.
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Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture is preventative medicine. Looking after digestion is a big part of staying healthy. If you would like to learn more about good digestion and how acupuncture can help follow me and stay tuned this month. You can also come in for a visit to learn more.
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📆 The end of the year is approaching and extended health benefits are almost up. At this time of year, many clients return to the clinic to use up their benefits.
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Be sure to book your appointments in advance to ensure you get an appointment at a time that works for you.

Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday of the year. So much to love: crisp fall air, falling leaves, Mom's homemade pumpkin pie, dressing up, candy.... even the odd scare can be fun.
Are you a fan?
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For everyone handing out cany and taking kids trick-or-treating I hope you have a lovely evening. Enjoy the fun spookiness.
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Happy International Cat day. For all my fellow feline guardians - give you cat a cuddle today.
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Did you know that cats purr at a frequency that helps heal the body? Currently it is thought that a cat's purr is the result of vibrations in the larynx during both inhalation and exhalation. Cats purr at frequencies between 25 - 150 Hz.
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Frequencies in this range are used in electroacupuncture to promote healing. Bone responds well to frequencies in the 25-50 Hz range and soft tissue to the 100 Hz range. Next time you are injured, spend some time with your cat and let their purrs help you heal. If you're allergic, come in a let us help you with some electroacupuncture.
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https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180724-the-complicated-truth-about-a-cats-purr

Did a poor night's sleep leave you feeling all kinked up? Did you know that acupuncture can help release tight muscles as well as relieve pain? It can also help you sleep better.
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If you need some help unwinding give us a call. We're here to help.

Pumping Iron Improves Longevity in Older Adults

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/982033?src=WNL_trdalrt_pos1_ous_221011&uac=225405HZ&impID=4736516
"What's ... noteworthy — is that weightlifting in combination with aerobic exercise provides the lowest...risk for mortality in older adults."
The risk of mortality was lowered by 40% for people who did both aerobic activity and weight lifting and only 32% less risk for those who only did aerobic activity.
Physical activity guidelines suggest we should be aiming for 150-300 minutes of moderate activity per week. That's 40-50 minutes for 6 days.

Pumping Iron Improves Longevity in Older Adults Those who report weightlifting show reductions in all-cause and cardiovascular disease-related mortality.

Do you suffer from back pain? It is estimated that as much as 84% of the adult population will deal with low back pain at some point in their life.
The good news is there are things you can do to reduce your risk and heal faster if you do suffer. Ask us how we can help you deal with the pain without the side effects of medication.
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More Than Just a Hill of Beans: The Health Effects of Coffee

Good news for coffee fans. Moderate coffee consumption can be protective against a variety of health conditions. So long as you don't load it up with sugar 😉

More Than Just a Hill of Beans: The Health Effects of Coffee As the evidence on coffee consumption has increased in quality, so too has its positive associations in cancer, CVD, diabetes, depression, and other conditions.

Would You Like to Live to a 'Ripe Old Age'?

Some great "common sense" advice on living a longer and healthier life. To sum it up: eat healthy, exercise and stay engaged in life.

Would You Like to Live to a 'Ripe Old Age'? We can control much about our quality of life, our length of life, and parameters of dying, by our volitional actions. Here's my advice.

Vitamins or Cocoa: Which Preserves Cognition?

I was really hoping it was the cocoa that helped reduce cognitive decline.

Vitamins or Cocoa: Which Preserves Cognition? Unexpected results from a phase 3 trial exploring the effect of multivitamins and cognition have now been published.

My favourite season is starting.

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AHA Guidance Provides 10 Evidence-Based Diet Recommendations

10 easy guidelines for a heart healthy diet.

AHA Guidance Provides 10 Evidence-Based Diet Recommendations In a scientific statement on diet and lifestyle recommendations, the American Heart Association highlights, for the first time, structural challenges that impede the adoption of heart-healthy dietary patterns.

Drink up! 🍶

Reminder to stay hydrated. 💧

Don’t ‘take it easy’ as you get older: Longer lives are tied to physical activity - Massage Therapy Canada

Studies are finding that you will live longer, with a better quality of life, if you remain active as you get older.

Don’t ‘take it easy’ as you get older: Longer lives are tied to physical activity - Massage Therapy Canada A team of evolutionary biologists and biomedical researchers from Harvard are taking a run at it (sometimes literally) in a new study published in PNAS. The

Playing too hard this summer? We can help.

Do you suffer from migraines? Which symptom do you hate the most? Share in the comments below.

More British wisdom - Keep Calm and Carry On.
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Maintaining a calm mind in the face of stressful situations is definitely a sign of strength.
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Following with the author of the quotation - Rome wasn't built in a day. Calmness, like all skills, isn't learned in a day. Be patient with yourself and keep practicing. One day you'll notice you are staying calm in situations that used to rile you up or throw you off your equilibrium.
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The Brits had it right - a warm cup of tea can fix anything. Need to relax or de-stress? Fix yourself a mug of one of these caffeine-free, herbal teas.
* chamomile
* lavender
* peppermint
* oat flower
* lemon balm
All of these are celebrated for their powers of relaxation and calming the nervous system.
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The acupuncture point between the eyebrows is also called "Hall of Impressions". It is a great point for maintaining good mental health. It functions to calm the mind and helps with anxiety, depression, and stress. It is also good for dizziness, and nasal issues.
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Alpine Sport Therapy Centre

What's the latest on what running can do for my health? | The Dose | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

Do you run? Or want to? I'm a "wanna be" runner. I just listened to Dr. Goldman on "The Dose" discuss some of the benefits of running. A quick summary: maintain bone health, improve heart & vascular health, improve mood, and improve mental focus.
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https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/410-the-dose/episode/15911964-whats-the-latest-on-what-running-can-do-for-my-health

What's the latest on what running can do for my health? | The Dose | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen Running or jogging is said to be one of the best cardio exercises you can do to stay in shape. But it’s not for everyone. This week we spoke with Dr. Jane Thornton, sports medicine physician and Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health at Western University, abou...

Maintaining good mental health requires self-care. Take some time each day to do something to look after your own well being.
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One of my favourite ways to recharge is to take a walk in a park or green space. I try to get out of my own head and worries by listening to the birds and looking for flowers. The other day I was excited to see my first crocus of the season up on Nose Hill.
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Share your favourite self-care tips below so that we can compile a list of things to try.
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