You Have Been Poked!

We are all familiar with the symbol of Yin and Yang representing balance, where opposites attract to complete a whole picture. It is my belief that anything in the universe can be explained by the theory of yin and yang, which makes the concept difficult to explain in words. Yin can be the moon, earth, female, cold or stillness. Yang respectively is the sun, heavens, male, heat or activity. Take any pair and it has a yin nature and a yang nature. This is because one cannot exist without the other. Everything is relative and interdependency becomes the basis of Chinese Medicine. As the seasons change and the days pass, yin (midnight) transforms into yang (early morning), reaches the utmost yang (noon), and becomes yin again (evening). Like the cycle of life, they are continually changing; as one decreases, the other increases, and too much of one can eventually weaken the other. When we realize that we are not made of parts, and we are the whole, harmony can be attained. A lot of the work involved in Eastern medicine relies on adjusting the scales of health to become balanced and harmonized.

Qi ("chee") is the universal life energy. It flows through everything, sustaining the life of our cells, tissues, organs and blood. Qi is not visible to the human eye but it is responsible for moving, warming, nourishing and protecting the body and other living things. The roots of our heavenly connection are in the breath. Many cultures across the world identify this powerful energy with names like prana (Hindu), pneuma (Greek), or ki (Japanese). Indeed, most religious practices place a high value on correct breathing. From the kahuna in Hawaii, to the early Christian mystics in the deserts of Arabia, the strength of the breath has long been recognized as the most important indicator of one's connection to the divine. Learning to control one's energy by breathing properly (through the belly, one inch below the navel) may result in lower blood pressure, reduced anxiety, and increased focus and concentration. The gift of breath can be realized when you think about the world's largest animal, the whale. Unlike humans, they breathe voluntarily, and since they cannot breathe underwater they must decide when to come up for air. Their controlled breathing may help explain why some blue whales live to be 80 years old. Many healing practitioners work with the energy through breathing exercises and meditation, such as Yoga, Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong.

Acupuncture can manipulate Qi, by tapping into channels, or meridians of our body. By inserting very fine needles into specific points, acupuncture adjusts the flow of Qi, Blood and Body Fluids. The body releases endorphins (natural painkillers) and toxins to heal and cleanse your overall system. This in turn allows the body's immune defenses to deal with stress and illness immediately, and reverses the the threat that stress puts on your health. In a country where people are overworked and the disease rate is on the rise, Chinese Medicine can provide an approach with minimal side effects and lasting results. In my opinion, healthcare should not be about managing your illness, but maintaining your health. That is why Chinese doctors for the past 5,000 years have believed that prevention is the best cure.

Although it is typically known and proven that acupuncture can treat acute and chronic pain, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help a variety of issues since its theory is fundamentally holistic. The symptom is only a manifestation of a deeper condition, therefore focus is on the root and not the branch. This is what sets it apart from allopathic, or Western medicine, which generally masks the symptoms for temporary relief. Results from using TCM may differ from person to person, some treatments taking weeks or months to correct, and others relieved in fewer sessions. It is important to note that one's lifestyle factors are crucial to recovery. During a visit with your acupuncturist, S/he may ask you questions about your appetite, habits, exercise, sleep patterns, and bodily functions, while recommending nutritional advice or specific exercises.

During my four years of training, I had experience treating a plethora of pain, Sciatica, Gout, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Hepatitis, Depression, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Anxiety, Stress, Hiccups, GI (Gastrointestinal) Disorders, Acne, Eczema, Insomnia, Smoking Cessation, Palpitations, Cold/Flus, Health Maintenance and many other conditions during my clinic internship at ACTCM (The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine). I worked at St. James Infirmary, a peer-led occupational health and safety clinic for sex workers since 1999. From this experience in San Francisco, I realized that few things could truly surprise me and I respected the non-judgmental approach to health as I gained more compassion for others. I also worked at the ACTCM Auricular Community Clinic where I learned to treat all diseases by needling the ear, a contribution of acupuncturists from the Western hemisphere. My experience at Dr. Lifang Liang's Infertility and Gynecology Clinic for 3 years gave me a conduit to learn more about Herbology. TCM has so much to offer the world and that has made me committed to its awareness. I hope I will be able to help thousands of people in my lifetime as I continue to study everything it has to offer.

Please visit my website if you would like more information or feel free to email me. I am always interested in talking about Chinese Medicine with those who are curious to learn more.

They Call Me Auntie Kim

What a joyous week-first Obama, & now this! I would like to express how happy I am that I am not 3,000 miles away.
My sister gave the gift of life to my darling little nephew today. She did it au naturale (us Nguyens are hardcore) and out he came-the cool, calm and collected newborn that I met an hour after birth. The joy of having a new person in our family, the first to continue a lineage of Vietnamese/Italian/English/German heritage, the first grandson on either side, the first great-grandchild for Ba Ngoai...what a special being he is, without any clue of it. Undoubtedly, with four aunties and three uncles he will gain lots of attention, but I think his mother and father are completely enamored by his presence and I cannot imagine the emotions or thoughts running through their body and mind.
Looking into his eyes, hearing his sounds while he sleeps, no picture could ever do justice to life and how precious it is (although I will be taking plenty of pics)!

Flying Faster than Time

We are on a race with the clock...Do you know where the finish line is?

Life is going to pass you by if you rush through it. No matter your age, you probably feel younger, even if you have an old soul. It's all the counting that bothers you. It's those aches and pains that are telling us to "slow down, take it easy," which makes you feel like your body has betrayed you. But have you been treating it with the love and respect it deserves? Just like a woman, if you do, it might stop nagging you.

In terms of diet, everybody has a say. There is no right way to eat for everyone. The only tip I can give you is to not consume too much of one thing. Whatever you choose to indulge-beer, sweets, junk food, meat, etc. make it a treat for yourself. With this attitude, you may start to see certain eating habits as controllable rather than a reflex.

When you exercise, remember that pushing your body to its limits is rewarding, but it can also penalize you. It's just as important to pay attention to your breath during rest as it is during a workout. Try stretching those muscles you forgot about, so they don't go into shock when you're trying to lift an object and something goes wrong. (Here's a common injury that I treat in my clinic) That's what I love about yoga. After a new routine, I'll feel soreness the following day because I'm elongating muscles that are severely shortened by hunching over a desk and detoxifying my entire body in the process using breathing exercises. When my body begins to adapt to the flow, I switch it up. In this way, I'm not focusing on one section of the physical body, but I can pay attention to the flexibility of my breath and mind during the challenging postures of the entire body, from Bubbling Spring to Hundred Meetings, which connect man to earth and heaven. Starting or ending the day this way is a gift to my life and practice. It reminds me that in times of difficulties I need only will to move on, that everything passes and this moment is precious.

My patients ask me what type of yoga they should practice. I say do one that you enjoy. I'm not a yogi, but I think a lot of people could benefit their lives by becoming centered. If I am without peace, then it must be within.

What you see is what you get? What you get is what you got.

Here it is people, my workplace. It's a humble building (and beginning) but I have imagined working here as a "doctor" since I was a little girl. I remember when is was Frames By You and my parents bought it. I would wait in the filing room to go to PM kindergarten. I'd sing on the front steps and watch the cars drive by, I mowed the lawn and when I got older, I worked as a receptionist. Becoming a sole proprietor is intimidating but I understand that everything in life is a learning experience. No regrets. Just do it. And don't look back.

Speaking of doctors, I was on Hotmail's 'Spaces' and came upon a blog that quoted Sun Simiao, one of the most admirable physicians of Chinese Medicine. I felt lucky to find it by chance in the week my doors opened to the public, and want to share the oath he wrote 1500 years ago:

The Oath of Sun Si Miao for Physicians of Traditional Chinese Medicine

As a Physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine:

• I shall look upon those who are in grief, as if I myself have been struck and I shall sympathize with them deep in my heart.
• I will not give way to wishes and desires but develop first a marked attitude of compassion.
• I shall not ponder over my own fortune or misfortune and thus preserve life and have compassion for it.
• Whoever suffers from disease and illness will be looked upon with contempt by people. I shall maintain an attitude of compassion, of sympathy and of care. In no way shall arise an attitude of rejection.
• I shall treat all patients alike, whether powerful or humble, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, resentful relatives or kind friends, Chinese nationals or foreigners, fools or wise men.
• I shall not emphasize my own reputation and belittle the rest of physicians while praising my own virtue.
• Neither dangerous mountain passes, nor time of day, neither weather conditions nor hunger, thirst nor fatigue shall keep me from helping wholeheartedly.

With this oath, I shall fulfill my responsibilities and my destiny as a physician to each and every patient who seeks help from me, until I am no longer capable of fulfilling my obligations, or until the end of this lifetime.

I sit here thinking of all the overwhelming possibilities I could encounter as patients walk into my office. I want to make it better, relieve their pain, make them smile...but this is not a simple task. I'm already facing differences by practicing on this coast, and number one is providing a conversation about what acupuncture is. I also have to look the part-whereas I could wear casual outfits covered by a labcoat in San Francisco and my age was rarely an issue because I was a student, now I must buy a new wardrobe, wear makeup, get manicures etc. Business is your image. The only problem I have with this prejudice is that this is a fairly recent profession in the US. I attended school with people that were decades older than me and in their third career. That doesn't mean either of us are more knowledgeable based upon age, but you see a man like my father who has been practicing medicine for 30+ years and you trust his experience. You hear a woman on the phone that sounds young and people try to negotiate prices. But, who said life was fair? I knew going into Eastern Medicine that my Asian genes couldn't hurt my passion, my roots, my blood (my great-grandfather was an herbalist). Except those genes, combined with my desire for a youthful spirit, is why people are so curious to know just how old I am.

If people could remind themselves not to judge every so often, perhaps the boxes and pigeon-holes we build to fit an image for ourselves could go away and be gone! I am constantly asked whether I am full-Vietnamese (Yes), and I am proud of it. But I often wonder why people ask--what compels them, and if they are satisfied with the answer or just surprised that their assumptions are pointless. I don't look Vietnamese? I have my father's eyes and my mother's skin, my grandmother's love for poetry and horoscopes, my sisters' mix of pragmatism and rebelliousness, but everything else is mine. Maybe I don't look 100% because we can't trace history and bloodlines, or because I am very Americanized (and proud of that too).

No matter where you come from, don't forget those that came before you. I may not speak the language but it is singing within my soul. SAT NAM.

My Fourth Noble Truth

Nobu: [to Sayuri, during the sumo match] Three things matter in life: sumo, business, and war. Understand one, you know them all.But why should a geisha care? You spend your time plucking strings and dancing.
Sayuri Nitta: [to Nobu] What is sumo but a dance between giants? What is business but a dance between companies? I would like to know about every kind of dance.
~Memoirs of a Geisha

Sumo, business and war are not just about winning and losing. The dance occurs to manipulate the opponent and employ offense and defense when deemed necessary. It is not so much about physical force, the size of the army, or the weight of the wrestler than it is about how one uses his/her mind. The former are merely instruments for intimidation. The body and mind work together to create something that takes a life of its own, adjusting so quickly and in sync that the consequences you see are the culmination of practices and determination. Just as Nobu assumed she had no interest in the matter, Sayuri remarked that no one should be judged by appearances alone.

I'm not an expert on any of the three topics, but I will be starting my business soon, with the help of my parents. I've danced with them my entire life, sometimes yielding, other times pushing, stepping on each other's toes, but somehow it seems like we end up on the same side and we're not opponents at all. We go in circles and draw lines that are difficult to stay inside of, but the next step is always exciting.

This book/movie reminded me of people that spend a lifetime wishing on their own destiny, and if granted enough patience with time, your dreams are powerful enough to become a reality. Patience takes practice everyday. Listening to Thich Nhat Hanh on youtube recently, he spoke about mindfulness. I liked his reminder to take a deep inhale and exhale when you hear the phone ring, or use signals like red lights to engage yourself in breathing, not to wish upon a green light so you could travel faster. My favorite passage of his has to do with the act of washing dishes...his words are so simple yet profound in "Bathing a Newborn Buddha".

My two main tasks today were swiffering and constructing a file cabinet. Not things I enjoy doing, but I tried to remind myself to find joy in what I am doing right at that moment. With other things trickling into my mind, I can easily get frustrated when the pieces don't fit correctly, or my schedule is behind. When I breathe or do a few stretches, I can calm myself much faster than before. I believe theses little challenges add balance to our lives because when life is too easy, it becomes boring. The more challenges I face, the more time I have to practice patience.

My Third Noble Truth

If you find yourself in the Washington, DC area one day, you should stop by the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park located near the Woodley Park metro stop. With the recent earthquake in China, hundreds of pandas had to be rescued at the Wolong Nature Reserve and the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. It made me wonder whether or not animals could sense the disaster approaching, and how they choose to communicate with each other in times of panic and fright.

The other night I dreamt of a talking panda holding a group of people hostage, myself included. He chased me but eventually I got away. After looking it up in a dream dictionary, I discovered that giant pandas are a "sure sign" I'm worrying too much and my troubles are in my head. I believe this is true. Not only have I been studying for the last year, but I've been taking board exams for the past six months and I'm scheduled to take the final one in two weeks. I have stressors I never knew existed, I'm not as "chill" as I once was, and student loans are hanging over my head. I start the day with yoga and it helps to ease some constraint, but in the end I still worry about the future. I don't know when it all began, or why I can't train myself to live in this moment without a reminder. ("Don't worry, be happy") I worry that I worry too much. How terrible is that?

My Second Noble Truth

I used to be afraid of butterflies when I was a kid. Their large wings and captivating beauty intimidated me. I could admire them from a distance, but if they wanted to flutter around me, my heart raced nearly as fast and I ran. Until one day my sister sent me a magnet that said, "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."~Anonymous

This picture was taken in Mendocino, CA on a windy day while walking to a gray pebble beach. I didn't think that the butterfly would rest for my picture, but her true love came along to pose as well, assuring her that everything would be okay. Appreciating the cycle of life and the idea of metamorphosis, I knew I had nothing to fear. One day I would become my own butterfly, face adulthood and find true love. I was reminded that no matter what suffering I may be experiencing, things happen for a reason that may be unknown for many years to come. This too shall pass; I suffer because I'm human and I'm alive. To be capable and aware of your emotions prepares you with the tools for happiness. When you are finally happy, you know it because you also know what it feels like to think the world is over. In a similar way, many take their health for granted up until the moment they begin to feel sick.

Several times this week, I thought about the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism; life is suffering and its cause is desire. Every negative has a positive. Within dualism, two opposites cannot exist without the other because they are part of the same. Desire makes us believe we would be better if we had something extra in our lives, but when we receive it, we still have so much that we want and we often spend our entire lives working (to most people this means suffering). But for what? We all want different things, yet all we need is love. Why don't we spend 8 hour days working towards that? Somehow money has tricked us into thinking we can buy love when McDreamy aka Patrick Dempsey surely told me at the ripe age of 5 that we cannot.

I know $ brings opportunity for happiness, but I would rather barter my services (I'm trading a massage for golf lessons), exchange favors for meals, volunteer, live within walking distance of friends and parks, meditate, exercise outside of a gym, borrow library books, use freecycle.org and pick/plant my own food. It's not realistic for society, but I am only beginning to understand the layers of economics so please excuse my ignorance. I wouldn't want to be on a list of the richest people where your worth is described in numbers. I think I would be happier and healthier if I were free from the constant stress of not having it all or comparing myself to others. There is always someone better (or worse) than me, so I learn to take me as I am.

A friend brought it to my attention that I have achieved happiness and that the next 20 years of my life are going to be "Awesome!" which he followed with a high five. The information was startling and profound. I believe it, and from my experience, that's why I feel my life in particular is a lucky consequence of hope and faith. Our enthusiasm showed me that this is what I've been waiting for, that my life will unravel before my very eyes because I've laid the groundwork for it with the help of so many people. Now instead of fearing it, I welcome it with a warm embrace.

My First Noble Truth

It is my hope to create a dialogue about health, nutrition, mindfulness, love, relationships, patience, listening and understanding. Please feel free to contact me by email for any comments or questions you may find along the way.
This poster spoke to me during college, when I was just beginning to "find myself." Each year when I moved, I would hang this print as a reminder that if I practiced moderation and balance I would succeed at life without rushing through it. If I worried less, living for the present moment, I could enjoy myself more. The more I enjoyed myself, & some nights the more I worried, the less I slept, and that in turn led to what we call the freshman 15. It was my desire for balance that I made the commitment to have a healthier lifestyle and I realized that using an hour of sleep could make all the difference. See a related article in the Washington Post.

In a single line it says, "Those who slept the least were the biggest drinkers." This wasn't a shock to me, since I sleep very lightly after a night of drinks, waking dehydrated and sluggish. In the theory of Chinese Medicine these are symptoms of dampness and heat. Out of the six pathogenic factors to invade your body (the other four being wind, cold, dryness and summerheat), the combination of these two is the most difficult to clear from one's system. It may affect digestion, energy, clarity of thought, emotions, and the skin, among other disorders.

I don't believe there are any true benefits to drinking either. I've considered how alcohol enhances my life but at the same time I can't help but feel like it does more harm, especially long term. Not only can excessive consumption lead to addiction, impaired judgement, vomiting, weight gain, cirrhosis, brain damage, cancer and accidental death, but it has been shown to affect menstrual issues and cause infertility-in women and men. Maybe it's the lack of social interaction I've experienced lately but it surprises me that intelligent, respectful, active and beautiful people frequently choose to participate in this self-destructive behavior. It surprises me more that I feel obligated to do it with them to the point of excess.

If you're reading this and thinking about how we drank together before and I seemed to enjoy myself wholeheartedly, it's true that this is somewhat of a new epiphany for me (as recently as this morning). It won't be an easy change but I like the challenge. I believe alcohol plays a different role for everyone and it is of considerable value to explore your own habits and goals to be proactive. I'd like to be someone that can still maintain relationships without having to justify my choice or give an excuse like "I'm driving." I think I'll just start telling people I'm pregnant. I'll enjoy champagne or wine on special occasions like weddings, birthdays and celebrations with loved ones but I won't let it control my weekends anymore.

There is a reason it's called an inTOXICant and another reason we call the largest and heaviest internal organ in our body the LIVEr. Life is truth~why would I lie to myself and spend my free time drunk in a transient reality that has given me one chance to do it right?

Achieving balance is not an easy task. It's about avoiding the extremes and working on your strengths when you encounter weaknesses, or pulling back when you realize something is unnecessary. We are not often in a state of balance but we can strive for it. It is the relationship of yin and yang, which can be found anywhere, as in the thread of life and death that the author of the Tao Te Ching describes.