Jennifer Jellis RAc.

Spring! Such an amazing time of year for shaking off winter's slumber and looking forward to a new season of growth and expansion. Days start to get longer and warmer, new buds and blooms burst forth into the world, one can not help feel a renewed energy! In Chinese Medicine, the Liver is the organ system associated with Spring. When this energy is unbalanced you can experience symptoms such as: allergies, headaches/migraines, eye issues, irritability, digestive problems, etc... so you want to be kind to your liver with a few healthy tips. 1) DECLUTTER!- get your spring clean on- open the windows and clean out that closet- figuratively and physically! 2) MOVE! - a time to take advantage of the sun and Vitamin D. Get outside and get moving. Nothing better to get that stagnated liver energy moving than vigorous exercise! 3) EAT your GREENS ! The liver works to detoxify the body and works really well with incorporating pungent flavoured greens into one's diet. This inc...

Winter tends to be the time for cold and flu season. With colder temperatures and more rain-- our bodies are more susceptible 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 techniqu...

Lest we forget... Lest we forget what all of our soldiers have endured to give us the freedom we enjoy today. With Remembrance Day approaching, it is important to remember that peace and liberty do not come without a price. Often it is our heroes that are left paying that price in the form of physical and mental injuries brought on from battle. One such debilitating disorder is; Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe, long lasting psychological reaction to trauma which can result in anxiety, insomnia, and anger management issues; that lead to an inability to function and preform daily tasks. This is often caused from; a severe traumatic event, forced aggression/assault, a violent accident, or military combat. With PTSD , there is a variety of treatment options. Usually anti-psychotic meds or anti-depressants are prescribed which have lasting side-effects and can result in addiction. Talk therapy is also utilized but forces the victi...

Hello West Vancouverites! As of this month, I am practicing out of Complement Healthcare located in the West Vancouver Community Centre at 2121 Marine Drive. I'm working Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Please pop in and say hi!!

Ginger root -- Zingiber officinale --also known as Sheng jiang (in Chinese Medicine) or Galanga (if you happen to be in Thailand) is such a great herb for so many reasons; it is a natural, cost-effective way to stay healthy and keep warm this Autumn season! 1. Ginger is used as an AntiViral:  there's nothing better to fight the cold and flu season than with a steaming cup of ginger root tea. Boiling a small pot of water with grated ginger is excellent to help ease a sore throat and sweat out toxins. 2. Ginger is great for lowering Blood Pressure and improves Circulation!  Ginger works to thin the blood which ultimately lowers blood pressure and reduces the chance of blood clots. Ginger also dilates the blood vessels and prevents platelets from sticking to blood vessels. 3. Ginger is a natural antispasmodic  which helps ease menstrual cramps or abdominal cramping with IBS. 4. Ginger is the best thing out there for Nausea!  Any kind of nausea, whether it be motio...

Menopause  is a naturally  occurring  phenomenon that will affect all women at some stage in life (typically around 45-63), and is a natural part of aging. But the transition doesn't have to be a dreaded process, symptoms of menopause can be managed with acupuncture and traditional chinese herbal medicine. Hormone imbalances can be maintained often with as little as a few treatments. Menopause occurs when there is a decrease in the amounts of estrogen and/or progesterone being produced in the body. This can result in symptoms as varied as; hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, memory loss, headaches, joint aches/pain, insomnia, decreased libido, increased urination, and weight gain. Physicians usually prescribe hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) to aid in the symptoms, however there are often serious side-effects that go along with this.  HRT  can increase the risk of breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Wo...

Many people seeking out acupuncture treatments may find it extremely confusing when trying to decide on a practitioner. There are many health care practitioners who offer 'acupuncture treatments' or 'needling' and in B.C., this list includes; medical doctors, naturopaths, physiotherapists, etc. The problem that often arises, is most of the training programs offered to other practitioners are often condensed in theory and practice where occasionally only a few acupuncture points are learned and knowledge of TCM diagnosis and treatment protocols are limited. Some treatments may utilize needling practices such as; intra-muscular stimulation (IMS or iSTOP) or 'dry needling' which are loosely based on acupuncture and TCM principles but in practice-- very different. These techniques may target hyper-sensitive areas in the muscle or 'trigger points' for chronic pain. While eliciting a 'twitch' response in the muscle-- may help to release soft tissue,...

It seems like this is the time of year when muscles are more prone to contract, pain in the upper back and neck region sets in. Whether it's due to colder temperatures causing us to bring our shoulders up around our ears, or forgetting to close windows at night allowing muscles to contract when the body temperature lowers as we sleep, or stress that compounds in that area-- neck and shoulder tension sets in! Acupuncture is a great tool along with a lot of different modalities for easing musculo-skeletal pain in the upper body. * Acupuncture  itself helps to release local Qi (energy) and blood stagnation which can manifest as neck rigidity and tension, compromising movement. *Cupping techniques allow for more oxygen to flow through the area and improve circulation of the tissues to release tension. *Moxabustion aids by warming the needle and bringing more energy into the tissues to also help release tight muscles. *"Tuina" is a form of massage that manipulates...