To the Point Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Coffee aka Anxiety Juice

Coffee is well loved for its ability to “super charge” us, to give us a buzz throughout our day. It is also well recognised in its ability to take our anxiety and ratchet it up a notch, often without our recognising it is happening.
Coffee is often one of the first items to be reduced or eliminated from the diet during “detox” programs. Headaches are a common withdrawal from coffee. The question is often raised in practice, “Do I have to give up coffee? How do I give it up?” The answer is that a life with little to no coffee in it will be a healthier life, and that moderation in all things is a good thing.
Start firstly by noting your coffee intake. When are you most commonly having a coffee, and why? What habits and associations do you have with your daily dose? Start to change up the habit/association. Go for a walk instead, do some exercise, some meditation or … anything different! Then, cut out any coffee post 12 noon, gradually bringing that time earlier in the day. Substitute your coffee with Gen Mai Cha. This is a green tea which has puffed brown rice in it – it is sometimes known as Sencha tea. It is a calmative and actually really good for you. It will also help calm the anxiety beast a little. Next up is to ditch the milk. Once you are down to one coffee per day, then swap the latte out for a single shot espresso. There is actually less caffeine in it than in a long black. You are almost there, now. Then start to “miss” every other day and substitute with your Gen Mai Cha or a herbal tea. In this way you’ll avoid the worst of the headaches and other withdrawals and the anxiety / edginess will be notably down in your day.

Let’s talk about breakfast!

The old adage “breakfast like a king” … could never be truer. Breakfast is literally that – the breaking of the fast. Your stomach has not received food or fluid for (hopefully) 8 hours. As such, it requires warm and wet food to turn the stomach on for the day. Porridge is one of the most perfect breakfast foods. Made on oats, soaked overnight and rinsed before cooking, they provide the perfect balance of soluble and insoluble fibre. Oats strip fats from our arteries and are beneficial for heart tissue, as well as providing the perfect material for great bowel function. In addition to this, oats also provide a long slow burn of energy, allowing for a more sustained start to our days.

It’s time! Crack out the oats this evening and soak in some water overnight. Tomorrow morning give them a good rinse in a sieve before cooking on the stovetop. Ideally you would not cook them in milk (of any kind) and eat them topped with 2 tablespoons of cooked fruit compote, and perhaps some toasted slivered almonds. Delicious!

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger.

This is the year of the Water Tiger; a year characterised by a confident and authoritative energy to all. It is a year to be marked by resilience, and strength and a year of challenges to be met. This is a year for us to show courage, to step out of our comfort zones and pursue goals with courage and conviction. This is a year for making big changes, risk taking and adventures. It is a year for finding enthusiasm for ourselves and for others. Water years bring out our emotions, more than other years of other elements. Life is short so this is the time to grab it with both hands!

For those born under the Tiger element, this is your birth year. Traditionally, according to Chinese Astrology the year of your birth sign is believed to be one of the unluckiest years of your life, certainly one of big challenges as you move through the year. Those born in Tiger years are said to be impulsive, ambitious and hasty. These folks dislike rules – unless they are the ones making the rules. Their judgment is not always perfect and are known to be move in a rather liquid manner. They need change and movement. The Tiger fancies himself as a trend setter and an innovator and succeeds best when surrounded by good advisors. Tigers love challenges and competition, hunger for excitement and they crave attention. When life does not flow their way, they can be out spoken, ill-tempered and fractious.