Andre Lalonde Sante Holistic Clinic

10/06/2024

Hoarder is a very mental issue that more than 3 million suffer from in America.

Hoarding disorder (HD) is associated with substantial distress, impairment, and individual and societal costs. Many clinical studies have been performed to test acupuncture’s affect on mental health, and Liu claims that by the end of one such study, more than half the patients no longer met the criteria for clinical depression.

Traditional Chinese medicine can offer an entirely new method of healing for patients suffering from mental health issues. Depression is most commonly discussed, but ailments like anxiety, mania, various phobias, stress, and even schizophrenia can be alleviated by traditional Chinese medical methods like acupuncture, herbal treatment, massage, and qi gong exercises. Above all, patients may find it refreshing that the very process of diagnosis in TCM is different than in Western medicine. The TCM process is thought to be more personal, taking an increased amount of history and examination into account to design a unique treatment tailored to the patient, one that addresses both symptoms and the pattern of disturbance in the energetic equilibrium of the body.

TCM views mental illness as a dysharmony of the heart.

Heart
The heart pumps blood throughout the body. In TCM, this organ is linked with joy, but the imbalance of joy is expressed as either too much (agitation or restlessness) or too little (depression). Below are the mental and physical ailments linked with the heart:

Emotions: Lack of enthusiasm and vitality, mental restlessness, depression, insomnia, and despair
Heart function: regulates the blood circulation and blood vessels; responsible for even and regular pulse and influences vitality and spirit; connected with the tongue, complexion, and arteries
Symptoms of heart imbalance: insomnia, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, excessive dreaming, poor long-term memory, and psychological disorders

There are many avenues, so never hesitate to seek help.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3870484/

10/05/2024

Connection between your feet and your body alignment

Foot posture is the shape of the arch of your foot (medial longitudinal arch). Anyone of any age can have challenges with their foot posture. There are three categories of foot posture described as:

Normal (or neutral)
Low-arched (or flat feet or fallen arches)
Highly-arched (or high arches)
Your specific arch shape can affect walking and running mechanics as well as balance. Those in athletics may notice more changes in their feet due to overuse or injury.

As you age, your feet will likely change in width and shape. Generally, this happens as muscles and tendons loosen, causing your arch to flatten out. Many people live with flat feet without trouble (but not everyone). In contrast, an extra high arch is usually a genetic trait but can also be caused by a neurological disorder.

Foot posture and overall alignment
The way your feet are positioned changes the weight distribution, which can impact other joints in your body. The main areas of impact include your knees and hips. For example, flat feet can lead to your shinbone and femur rotating inward. This would mean that your alignment of the entire leg would be off.

In addition to your joints, poor foot structure can cause different muscle activation patterns. Your body may then overuse specific muscles to compensate and maintain balance. Improper alignment and overuse of larger muscles can lead to back, neck, knee, hip, and foot pain, as well as sprains and strains.

High Arches vs. . Fallen Arches: Postural Stability & Fatigue
Research suggests a link exists between foot posture and your ability to maintain your balance (postural stability). Having high arches may help with your balance when your eyes are open, but limited research does not confirm the same results when your eyes are closed.

Fallen arches are known to increase fatigue and may cause other conditions, such as plantar fasciitis. With the right exercises, footwear, and podiatrist advice, your feet can be happy no matter your foot posture.
Myofascial release therapy is a massage technique that focuses on relieving pain in your myofascial tissues. These are the thick connective tissues that support your muscles.

About Myofascial Tissue
Your myofascial tissue is a network of tissue that spreads throughout your entire body. It connects your muscles, joints, and bones. It also provides support to your organs, helping to keep them in place.

If you could see it, your fascia would look like a single sheet of tissue. However, there are multiple layers that work together. In between these layers is a liquid called hyaluronan that provides stretch and encourages free range of movement. When this liquid becomes thick, sticky, or dries up, it can impact the surrounding body parts.

When you feel stiffness or pain in your body, it can originate from different tissues in your body. Myofascial pain is different from other types of pain because it occurs in places where your myofascial tissue meets or crosses. Myofascial pain may be difficult to identify because it can radiate from the area and spread.

Usually this tissue feels more elastic and movable. Tight myofascial tissue can restrict movement in your muscles and joints. As you move differently to make up for the loss in movement, you can cause additional tightness without realizing it. This can lead to widespread pain and discomfort.

Consult a professional health therapist for improvement in your foot treatment.

Flat foot pain is a common complaint that requires therapeutic intervention. Currently, myofascial release techniques are often used in the therapy of musculoskeletal disorders. A group of 60 people suffering from flat feet with associated pain. Patients were assigned to four groups (15 people each)...

09/26/2024

Feet pain...What can I to help!!!! Focus on the arches

What Are The Foot Arches & Why Do We Need Them?
We have two arches on the bottom of our foot: the transverse arch and the longitudinal arch. These form basically a triangle and a base that is really critical for stability when we move.

To start off, we do active self-myofascial release of the little muscles in your feet. They could be adherent to the bone, or they might be stuck to the fascia. They might even be stuck to one another, so we start by releasing them.

The active self-myofascial release that we perform is going to follow these arches. I use a variety of balls of different sizes. The very smallest is the size of a golf ball or a little bit larger, about the size of a tennis ball. You could use a tennis ball. You could use a golf ball.

I also experiment with some of the balls that are a little squishier. Some are quite hard. The reason I do this is I want to stimulate the muscles and the nervous system with different textures and feelings to try and wake up these sleepy muscles.

Exercise ASMR for Plantar Fascia
What you’re going to do is you’re going to stand on the ball along these arches.

You can go basically metatarsal by metatarsal, following the arch where you’re going to apply high pressure, and we’re going to have you actually moving your foot and rolling the ball along these arches. Moving your toes to try and get these intrinsic muscles awake and released from adjacent tissues. The amount of pressure you apply will depend upon your pain threshold, this is often very unpleasant at the beginning, this should not be torture, so apply as much pressure as you can tolerate, and gradually increase this over time. It becomes less painful with each passing day.

Pick a ball – tennis, lacrosse, or golf
Starting from the ball of your foot, roll the ball toward your heel while pulling your toes up
Move the ball to a different spot, repeat
Do 30 seconds to a minute on each foot.

Seated Short & Skinny Foot
The final exercise in the sequence is now a short and skinny foot. But seated instead of standing. We apply metatarsal pressure, so pressure under each of the metatarsal heads, and we activate the intrinsics pulling the metatarsal head towards our heel, and we hold it for one or two breaths. Then relax.

Sit in a chair
Use the muscles in your foot to pull your metatarsals together (skinny)
Use the muscles in your foot to pull your metatarsals toward your heel (short)
Hold for 1-2 slow breaths
Relax
Do this three or four times per session.

You can do these exercises to strengthen foot arch at least once a day. But more effectively is, when seated at your desk, you can take your shoes off, pull out the ball, roll it a couple of times, do one of the global activations, and then a seated short and skinny foot.

Just to remind your feet how to work, and eventually, they’re going to come on, and they’re going to be ready to do the full-blown standing foot intrinsic exercises.

Never hesitate to consult if you need specific guidances

09/08/2024

Celebrating Harvest Moon Mid Autumn

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival that focuses on the spirit of gratitude. So the ancient story goes, the beautiful Chang’e drank an elixir of immortality and flew to the moon, while the archer Hou Yi later became the God of the Sun. The forlorn couple is reunited once a month when the full moon burns brightly from the force of their love. Today, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season, while giving thanks for the gifts of family unity and togetherness.

Recipes
You’ll see mooncakes for sale in every Chinatown bakery during the days leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Businesspeople dutifully gift tins of high-end mooncakes to clients and families buy their favorites for their own Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. You can make mooncakes and their cousin, the picture pastry, at home with really terrific results.

Ingredients
Wrapper:
1/2 cup Golden Syrup
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1 teaspoon water
1 1/2 cups Sweet Lotus Seed Paste (see below)
10 salted preserved egg yolks (optional)
1 mooncake mold, 2 1/2 inch in diameter
1 egg yolk, beaten

Sweet Lotus Seed Paste:
2 1/2 cups (5 ounces) skinned dried lotus seeds
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon maltose syrup or honey

Directions
1. Prepare the Golden Syrup at least 2 hours before you start making mooncakes.

2. Make the Sweet Lotus Paste. Start by soaking the dried lotus seeds in warm water for 1 hour. Next, boil the lotus seeds over medium heat for another hour. When the lotus seeds are done boiling, drain and grind them into a smooth paste in a blender, adding a little water if necessary. Heat 2 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir until the mixture caramelizes, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the lotus seed paste and mix well. Stir in the remaining sugar and mix until dissolved. Gradually add the remaining oil and stir until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 20-30 minutes. Last, stir in the maltose syrup or honey and remove from the heat. Cool the paste overnight. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of Sweet Lotus Seed Paste.

3. The next morning, make the mooncake dough. Combine the flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and stir in the Golden Syrup, oil and baking soda solution, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Flour your hands and knead the mixture into a smooth, spongy dough. Cover and set aside on the counter for 3-4 hours.

4. Once the dough and Sweet Lotus Seed Paste are ready, divide each into 10 equal pieces and roll each portion into a ball between your palms. If you are using preserved egg yolks, make a depression in each lotus seed paste ball, insert the egg yolk, and then press closed. Repeat with all 10 lotus seed paste balls.

5. On a floured surface, roll a piece of dough into a 5 1/2 inch round circle that’s about 1/8 inch thick. Hold the dough circle in your palm, place a lotus seed paste ball in the center and fold the sides of the dough circle around it to completely enclose the lotus seed paste ball. Press the edges together to seal it.

6. Lightly flour the inside of the mooncake mold. Press the combined dough ball with the lotus seed paste filling into the mold, seam side up. Flatten the dough with your palm or fingers, so the mooncake conforms to the shape of the mold.

7. Turn the mold over and tap it on the side of your work surface to dislodge the cake. Place the mooncake on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat steps 5-7 with each piece of dough and lotus seed paste ball.

8. Once all 10 mooncakes are arranged on a baking sheet, place them in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove and brush the top of the mooncakes with the beaten egg. Return the mooncakes to the oven to bake for another 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

9. To allow the mooncakes to mellow and taste better, leave them to rest uncovered in a well ventilated space overnight before eating.

tutotiral video https://youtu.be/Mo3e0DVy71E?si=P9VzraaZmiz96-SP

09/06/2024

Can Traditional chinese Medicine help me to prevent the Gout Crisis

Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness, and tenderness in the joints, often the joint at the base of the big toe. Caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, which can form needle-like crystals in a joint, gout can lead to significant pain and discomfort. The condition can affect anyone, and its flares are unpredictable and may be triggered by diet, alcohol, or other factors.

How does TCM view Gout?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approaches gout as a condition rooted in the accumulation of excess Dampness and Heat within the body, which then crystalize as uric acid in the joints. Unlike Western medicine that focuses on uric acid levels and their management, TCM emphasizes restoring the body's balance by identifying and treating the underlying patterns of disharmony. Recognizing these patterns is critical, as TCM believes that each individual's constitution and imbalance require a unique, tailored approach to treatment.

Causes of Gout According to TCM
TCM recognizes several underlying patterns that may lead to the development of gout. One such pattern is the Stagnation of Blood and the accumulation of Dampness, which can hinder the flow of bodily fluids and result in the build-up of uric acid.

Another pattern involves the combination of Dampness with Heat, which can contribute to the inflammation and intense pain characteristic of a gout attack. These TCM patterns reflect deeper systemic issues, and understanding them is crucial for providing an effective treatment plan tailored to the individual's needs.

Objective. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of acute gouty arthritis. Methods. A literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, CENTRAL, and CNKI was conducted from ...

08/17/2024

I know that people are not ready ...SEPTEMBER is in 2 weeks... just think to prepare yourself for Fall season with the tools of Chinese Medicine
Here are some tips from a Chinese Medicine perspective to help you reactivate your wellness routine and to stay healthy this fall.

Prioritize what is most valuable to you.

In the fall we often become acutely aware that there are never enough hours in the day. Are there tasks that are occupying your time that are preventing you from eating well, exercising regularly and spending quality time with loved ones

Eat with the season.
Fall is the time to transition towards eating warming and cooked food. The warm yang nature of summer helps the body digest raw food and salads. But, as the weather turns cooler, eating raw and cold food puts a strain on the digestive system. This, in turn, takes energy away from the body’s ability to defend itself from illness. Eat warm foods (steamed vegetables, soups, etc.) Build up your reserve of energy to keep your health this winter by incorporating baked root vegetables and winter squashes into your diet.

The minute you feel a cold coming on, add garlic, ginger, fresh green onions to your diet to warm up your system and fight off your cold. Bonus if you put it in bone broth!

Fall is a great time to get back into your prevention routine, especially if you suffer from colds, pneumonia, asthma, depression, fatigue, arthritis, or any conditions that worsen in the coldess months. Cupping, Moxa, Tuina can directly boost your immune system and support your lungs to make you less susceptible to illnesses in the coming months

Be ready...Not Sorry