Acupuncture in Wilmington
(910) 202-4248
(910) 202-4248

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Spring: The Light and Dark of this Season

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Spring in Chinese medicine is associated with the Element of Wood and the Organ of the Liver. Spring is a great time to blossom out of our winter stagnation and get our bodies moving more. Spring is a perfect time to start that exercise routine we put off and start walking more in order to support our bodies ability to detox. Food therapy, herbs and acupuncture along with exercise and movement in general will aid your graceful transition into Spring and soothe the liver during this time of year.

The Liver in Chinese medicine is responsible for the smooth flow of energy in the body. The liver is the organ that stores the blood. The liver supports the functioning of our organs, limbs and all the tissues due to its influence over the blood. During the day the liver helps to supply blood to the muscles. During the night, the blood returns to the liver to be cleansed. Supporting the liver cleansing process helps the functioning of our whole body.

Foods to support the liver are sour in nature. Adding lemon to a glass of water in the morning starts your day off on the right foot. Drinking ginger tea can help increase blood circulation and therefore help to cleanse toxins. Some other helpful foods include, artichokes, black beans, bamboo, broccoli, and cooked dark leafy greens.

You may find yourself more easily irritated and angry in the Spring. The Liver is responsible for the emotion of anger, so, if your Liver energies are blocked or depleted, you may be more quick to anger and harder to please. An acupuncture treatment can help balance this out but you can also get creative to help funnel that frustration into something fun and productive.

Another thing to watch out for in the Spring is excessive Wind. Wind can be wonderful, but can also cause illness according to Chinese medicine. Keep your neck covered and protect yourself from excessive Wind, especially when walking on the beach while reaching your goal of moving your body more!

Not sure if you have Liver Qi Stagnation? Call our office and talk to JJ about getting in for a consultation and treatment. 910-262-1122

Acupuncture, Anxiety, Health, Massages, Natural, Organic, Relaxation, Sleep, Spa, Stress, Therapy

8 Dimensions Of Wellness: #8 Mental & Emotional Health

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We are a product of our environment.  We are inextricably connected to the world around us and are deeply impacted and influenced by our surroundings. This 7th dimension expands across the environment we create in our homes, our community, and our work environment, to the quality of our air, water and soil.  Environmental health focuses on the “natural and built environments” that influence and impact our lives.  Are there little tweaks and shifts you can make in your life to offer yourself a boost?

Recycling, using non-toxic products, minimizing excessive transportation and getting curious about renewable energy and resources are ways that we can collectively be a part of living on this planet more sustainably and collaboratively.  These little steps, if taken by many, create massive waves of change. We encourage you to explore the ways that feel right for you and to find your action steps to implement changes in your life.

What environment have you created for yourself to come home to?  Ponder the energetic and physical environment that surrounds you.  Our homes are very personal, hold our belongings, our families, our joys and our sorrows.  Have you ever cleaned out a closet that you have been ignoring for a while and felt a sudden burst of energy and clarity?  How does it feel when you walk into your front door and your space is clean and serene?  Each of us have our preferences as to what our space feels like, so for some, “clean” is not the goal.  Our team at Relax encourages you to get curious about what your goals are and what your space needs for the boost you seek?

Our team at Relax would love to share some of our tips on how to give any space a coziness boost:

  1. Notice the lighting.  Emphasize any natural light with soft sheer curtains, incorporate salt lamps, candles or lamps that strike your fancy.
  2. Invite sensory items into your space like soft blankets, weighted items, and big pillows.
  3. Bring more life into your space with freshly cut flowers, opened windows for fresh air, live plants and pet friends to cuddle and adore.
  4. Notice the sounds in your space by simply listening to it.  Get curious about what your space needs, if anything.  Playing nature sounds, waves, gongs or chimes can be a great place to start to consciously encourage your space to feel more inviting, cozy and warm.

What is your personal relationship with the environment around you?  What aspects of environmental health feel most resonant to you?  Notice the tugs, and follow them!  We as humans have the opportunity to tend to the environments around us, and the options to do so are endless!  Whether you choose to clean out a junk drawer, carpool, incorporate natural lighting or research new music that soothes your soul… may we all create spaces that hold us and remind us of our innate connection to the world around us, and each other.

Acupuncture, Anxiety, Health, Massages, Natural, Organic, Relaxation, Therapy

8 Dimensions Of Wellness: #7 Environmental Health

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We are a product of our environment.  We are inextricably connected to the world around us and are deeply impacted and influenced by our surroundings.  This 7th dimension expands across the environment we create in our homes, our community, and our work environment, to the quality of our air, water and soil.  Environmental health focuses on the “natural and built environments” that influence and impact our lives.  Are there little tweaks and shifts you can make in your life to offer yourself a boost?

Recycling, using non-toxic products, minimizing excessive transportation and getting curious about renewable energy and resources are ways that we can collectively be a part of living on this planet more sustainably and collaboratively.  These little steps, if taken by many, create massive waves of change.  We encourage you to explore the ways that feel right for you and to find your action steps to implement changes in your life.

What environment have you created for yourself to come home to?  Ponder the energetic and physical environment that surrounds you.  Our homes are very personal, hold our belongings, our families, our joys and our sorrows.  Have you ever cleaned out a closet that you have been ignoring for a while and felt a sudden burst of energy and clarity?  How does it feel when you walk into your front door and your space is clean and serene?  Each of us have our preferences as to what our space feels like, so for some, “clean” is not the goal.  Our team at Relax encourages you to get curious about what your goals are and what your space needs for the boost you seek?

Our team at Relax would love to share some of our tips on how to give any space a coziness boost:

  1. Notice the lighting.  Emphasize any natural light with soft sheer curtains, incorporate salt lamps, candles or lamps that strike your fancy.
  2. Invite sensory items into your space like soft blankets, weighted items, and big pillows.
  3. Bring more life into your space with freshly cut flowers, opened windows for fresh air, live plants and pet friends to cuddle and adore.
  4. Notice the sounds in your space by simply listening to it.  Get curious about what your space needs, if anything.  Playing nature sounds, waves, gongs or chimes can be a great place to start to consciously encourage your space to feel more inviting, cozy and warm.

What is your personal relationship with the environment around you?  What aspects of environmental health feel most resonant to you?  Notice the tugs, and follow them!  We as humans have the opportunity to tend to the environments around us, and the options to do so are endless!  Whether you choose to clean out a junk drawer, carpool, incorporate natural lighting or research new music that soothes your soul… may we all create spaces that hold us and remind us of our innate connection to the world around us, and each other.

Acupuncture, Anxiety, Health, Massages, Natural, Organic, Relaxation, Therapy

8 Dimensions of Wellness: # 4 Financial Health

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The fourth dimension of wellness is financial health which invites us to explore:

  1. Our relationship with money
  2. Our ability to manage resources
  3. Our capacity to plan ahead and put those plans into action in our lives

For some, making investments, using financial spreadsheets and 5 year financial plans are second nature, while for others, there is a learning curve.  Regardless where you stand, today we invite you to identify your unique relationship with finances and get clear on ways you want to improve it!

 Do you have a budget?  Are you aware of the financial situation of your home?  This is a very simple place to start, if you have not already.  Carve out an hour or two to devote to your financial health where you can step away from all distractions to fully focus.  Here are a few steps to help you:

  1. Calculate your total monthly income while also making note of any debts or savings.
  2. From here you are ready to make a list of estimated average monthly expenses like gas, utilities, self care and money for coffee dates.  Refer to receipts if you have them or your bank statement for accountability.
  3. Notice how much you are making monthly, what your monthly expenses are as well as considering your debt, your savings and any goals that you have for your future.
  4. Look for where you are unconsciously overspending. This is a goldmine to discover in regards to future savings, if you choose to rework your habits and approach.
  5. Another way to see this is to write down every penny you spend. In the old days we did this on index cards, but there is probably an app for this now. Often our money disappears in ways we can’t see until we track it to the penny. Then you can mine that Gold Mine of Savings by not wasting pennies on things that you don’t need. Those pennies add up to take you away from your dreams.

It is quite common for people to initially find budget creation quite stressful and overwhelming as people often quickly discover that they are spending beyond their means.  Meanwhile, taking an honest look at your financial situation offers the opportunity to plan and move forward in a conscious way rather than flinging your way through life.  Over time, implementing a budget relieves stress, creates consistency and allows the room to implement plans to pay off debt, create savings and plan for future trips, dreams and more.  

Everyone’s financial situation is different and unique according to their family of origin, their upbringing, their life choices and beyond.  It is important to acknowledge that resources are not equally distributed across communities and that some people are born into privilege that others have to fight for.  If you feel that you need further support with your finances, research resources available in your local community for help with planning, taxes, budgeting and more.  Many banks also offer free services to account holders, as well.

 What is one way that you would like to implement a deeper sense of financial wellness in your life?  The options are endless… open a savings account, hire an accountant, create a budget or simply stash away $5 a day.  Remember, the other option is to spend less: make coffee at home instead of getting it from a coffee shop, cook at home one more night a week rather than going out, eat less meat and more vegetarian style dinners, etc. Take those savings and stash them away!  Take the next month to zoom in on your goal and begin to notice any changes that happen as you invite more awareness around financial wellness into your life!

Acupuncture, Health, Massages, Natural, Organic, Relaxation, Stress, Therapy

8 Dimensions of Wellness: # 3 Social Health

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The 3rd Dimension of Health: Social Health, It Can Save Your Life!

As part of our exploration of the 8 Dimensions of Health, today we are going to explore Social Health, which can be defined as our capacity to create and maintain meaningful and fulfilling relationships with others.  In what ways are we willing to expand our capacity to do so?

We are not islands.  We need each other!  Humans are innately social beings who need connection and community to truly thrive.  We are meant to collaborate with others, to connect, to care for, to be cared for, to celebrate, to mourn and to bounce ideas off of each other.  It is through our connections that community is built.

Through the last 2 ½ years, due to the pandemic, many of our social connections have been altered, lost, fragmented or made stronger. We found out who was most important to us and who was not. Maybe you realized certain people were not necessarily a good fit for you after all. Maybe you created newer, stronger relationships. Maybe you felt very isolated and alone and have since realized the importance of social connection. Whatever you experienced during the shutdowns, as cases begin to fall and the world reopens once again, now is the time to explore what type of social connections are most important to you and how you want to create space in your life for them.

There is the phrase, “where intention goes, energy flows”. Begin to ponder the connections and relationships in your life that you wish to foster, nourish and grow.  By shining the light of your awareness on these specific people in your world, notice how you feel in your body. This is a great time to journal or even chat with a close friend about what makes these relationships so valuable to you.  What are 3 specific ways that you can foster the 3 most important relationships in your life?  Get specific and write it down so that you can come back to it later.

Turn up the volume of your own social health by actively listening when people are speaking to you, find a new network group or social outlet, plan a community dinner, ask for help when you need it or explore a specific need within your community and brainstorm solutions.  It is through our connections that our communities and our families grow stronger.  

We are blessed at Relax! Massage Therapy and Skin Care to have one of the most phenomenal teams on the planet that is overflowing with talent, passion and a collective desire to create positive change in the world.  Each team member is wildly inspiring in their own way.  Regularly we hear that our team creates a sense of connection and community that can be sensed and felt by our clients as well as over social media.  We are grateful to be a part of the Wilmington community and to offer a place to return for rest, recovery and deep relaxation!

Our team at Relax encourages you to get curious around how you can create more space in your life for social health and connection.  Return to the 3 ways that you wish to foster 3 important relationships in your life, and ponder if this perhaps is a good place to start.  Just by turning your awareness towards social health, opportunities for more connection and collaboration will become available. We look forward to helping you feel connected.

If you’re interested in the research, it shows that social connections are good for your overall health and longevity. From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150158/ come these interesting facts. “Many types of scientific evidence show that involvement in social relationships benefits health. The most striking evidence comes from prospective studies of mortality across industrialized nations. These studies consistently show that individuals with the lowest level of involvement in social relationships are more likely to die than those with greater involvement (House, Landis, and Umberson 1988). For example, Berkman and Syme (1979) showed that the risk of death among men and women with the fewest social ties was more than twice as high as the risk for adults with the most social ties. Moreover, this finding held even when socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and other variables that might influence mortality, were taken into account. Social ties also reduce mortality risk among adults with documented medical conditions. For instance, Brummett and colleagues (2001) found that, among adults with coronary artery disease, the socially isolated had a risk of subsequent cardiac death 2.4 times greater than their more socially connected peers.“

Acupuncture, Health, Massages, Natural, Organic, Relaxation, Therapy

8 Dimensions of Wellness: # 2 Physical Health

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As part of our exploration of the 8 Dimensions of Health, today we are going to discuss Physical Health and ways you can be in your body comfortably.

 Physical health by far receives the most publicity and emphasis in our modern world.  The body is an intersection point for all of the dimensions of wellness to come together.  The importance of physical health cannot be emphasized enough, and equally important is that it cannot be isolated from the other 7 dimesions.  The body is where all aspects of who we are come together, and it is through physicality that we are able to locate and live in the present moment through sensation and feeling.

 In what ways do you take care of your body?  The invitation to come into closer relationship with the physical aspect of who we are holds the doors open wide!  Daily movement is profoundly important to physical health in regards to maintaining mobility, flexibility and endurance and can look a million different ways.  From walking around the block, to a yoga class, to the gym, to moving through the stretches and movements that your massage therapist or acupuncturist recommended for you… each day is an opportunity to take care of our bodies in a new way.

Remember, you can improve your caretaking of your body at ANY age!

 Nutrition plays a huge role in physical health.  Get curious about what foods you choose to fuel your body and how much water you drink.  There is no one perfect diet for all people, although moving away from highly processed, artificially flavored and chemically altered foods would assist immensely in overall health and wellness, and is a great start.  Many dieticians point to the rainbow for inspiration when it comes to our plates.  The wide array of colors available through fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, legumes, grains and beyond is incredible!  The inclination for “quick and easy” is strong, so be gentle with yourself as you transition and train your tastebuds to appreciate and enjoy the flavors of a diet more prominent in whole, nutrient-dense foods.

An additional way to be gentle with yourself is to watch how you talk to yourself about your physical body. So often we say things to ourselves we would NEVER say to a friend. “I’m too fat, look at those hips, this belly is awful, I hate my ____, I wish I was more_____, etc.” Think again before you talk in a derogatory tone to yourself. When you catch yourself, you can ask, “Would I say that to my friend at work?” If the answer is NO, then you deserve as much if not more love, consideration and kindness as your friend. Be loving to this body you’re in, it’s the only one you have. How do you want to feel in it?

 So, whether you wish to spice up an already existing movement routine, want to drink an extra glass of water a day, ditch sodas or wish to lean towards healthier, more nutrient dense meals, we invite you to join us in our quest for a more fulfilling and collaborative relationship with our bodies and our physical health! 

And, as always, we are here to help you feel better in your body through massage, facials and acupuncture. Call us to find out how we can help you! 910.262.1122

Health, Massages, Natural, Organic, Stress, Therapy
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