I am having an unusual opportunity this week.  The opportunity is to use what I have been preaching for the past 25 months on myself.  
Yes I have contracted the mild omicron version of the corona virus. 

Many in my community preceded me with this variant and I dolled out diet therapy advice, sent videos of which acupoints to apply essential oils to, suggested what doses of which vitamins or supplements to support recovery , and even delivered herbs to door steps when needed.  
For the past 30 or so years, I have used the insurance policy approach of taking a variety of supplements for my genetic dispositions needs, the bugs circulating each season, and my varying stress or exertion levels taken into account.  I even had a health food store for about 4 years and did a 10 year science project with the Alberta Government on essential oils and Aromatherapy,  to develop this repertoire further. 

My essential oil stash is collected from 5 continents, and includes over 150 oils I know and love, and teach about.  From proactively using these insurance policy tools I had sincerely hoped that my immune system would take a pass to the widely publicized corona virus.  I also choose to receive 2 doses of the MRNA serum as a calculated reduction in transmissibility to my elderly parents or clients. For now I am taking an unplanned seasonal break for this week, to isolate &  will return to my beloved work when the much appreciated rapid tests, now available, show that I’m no longer contagious, and my energy has returned.  
Despite all these factors,  I am now nursing a sore throat and achy body on day 3 of the  journey through it.  I am using daily doses of home made soup, acupuncture points and essential oil blends, as well as  large doses of Vitamin d, c, and zinc (and a handful of those other genetic disposition herbs and supplements mentioned above). 

I want someone to pet my hair and tell me stories, yet Netflix and weird fevered dreams in my frequent naps are doing their part to keep my spirits up. My increased empathy to all the clients, friends or family that reached out with these or other symptoms of this wacky virus.  
I will dredge up the needed energy to finish this little blog post with gratitude that I live in this time of so much knowledge of the human body and medicine with advances or  new findings being made constantly.  Gratitude also to the increasing acceptance of  Traditional Chinese Medicine and the herbal medicines of my French and German Grandmothers that I learned from. Plant medicines that can support and relieve in gentle yet profound ways.   

Gratitude to this little resilient body of mine, that she is getting through this virus,  and that I can laugh at the weird fever dreams, knowing I will survive to continue to support my own, as well as others’ health, in the best ways I know how! Using nutrition first, quality sleep, positive state of mind, depth of relationships, fresh air and exercise, herbal allies to lean on and of course acupuncture combined with  massage to smooth out the rough patches:  health will prevail. 

Healthy regards, Heather

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For the remainder of March we are available to serve your health care needs with massage and acupuncture 4 days and evenings per week.  Beginning in April, Mondays  from 4-7pm will be Acupuncture only appointments. Initial Assessments,  Combo or massage appointment will continue to be available all the other shifts in the week, yet  in these Monday acu only time slots, I’d like to encourage families or friends to experience the community acupuncture model for a budget conscious price. 

This is a great option if multiple family members all want to support their health with acu and simplify their schedule by all getting treated simultaneously.  This time is also open to friends or individuals who will all be in the shared quiet room that will have 3 treatment spaces being used, with a simple room divider giving you enough privacy to relax , yet the group energy of  a shared healing intention.  Patients are encouraged to come wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts to access the many powerful  acupuncture points on the arms and legs, and head.  It looks like the picture below of a comfy clinic one of my classmates operates in Ontario. 
Laura MacKinnon, a familiar Invermere yoga teacher, herbalist, with a  warm and welcoming  presence will be helping me out on these Monday evenings.   

We hope  that this will be a nice addition to our communities health supporting options and invite you to give it a try.  
We will also begin offering direct billing to insurance plans such as Pacific Blue cross and encourage all who have these benefits  for acupuncture to use them to benefit your health with these supportive treatments.  More insurance plans will be added to this list in the coming months.  

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As the temperatures rise we breathe deeper and have our tastebuds tingling for green spring tonic foods.  Bring on the sprouts of broccoli, alfalfa, peas or sunflowers, piled high on a spinach & strawberry salad with some fresh squeezed lemon juice to add the important pungent sour flavour that will act like a tonic to tone up you liver.  In TCM spring is associated with the wood element, with the organs of  liver and gall bladder needing the pungent and sour flavour of these green foods and lemon juice to revitalize them after a winter of eating heavier foods. We have also brought in the all important liver cleansing  herbs of dandelion and milk thistle for those that need more support. This  diet and herbal allies will have you feeling energized to get out and enjoy the warming weather in what ever  activities appeals to your age and health.  

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In TCM we are taught how emotions affect various body parts. This may come as news to you, yet our language has many references to it such as: “they were so afraid they peed their pants” which translates to fear weakening the kidneys so much that urine could not be held.  

Anger weakens your liver

Grief weakens your lungs

Worry weakens your stomach 

Stress weakens your heart and brain

Fear weakens your kidney

Several times in the past week I have coached patients to stop watching the news as it triggers some of these emotions which in turn weaken their health and ability to heal. 
Check in with your emotions and know that you have choice how and what to allow into your space and another choice to choose or not to be triggered by it.  
I am not advocating being positive at all costs, yet healthy detachment, or choice of  what and volume of stimulus is within your control.  

Send us an email or book an appointment if you’d like to discuss this further.  

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Someone famous once warned “beware the ides of March”. Thanks for the warning William Shakespeare.

Mid March saw me get a bit of a shake up of my status quo. It came with an email notice that I would have to move my office from the lovely spa environment, i had enjoyed the past 2 years. Fortunately, the same week I received an invite to move into a space being redesigned into a health collective, in Invermere’s yoga studio, currently named Mountain Home Yoga. This is located along Invermere’s curvy main street at 503 7 Ave.

I have attended many pleasant yoga classes there, and the move feels like a step in the right direction of growing my business. I aim to continue to optimize my clients, and my communities health. I will be there four days per week, with a range of times available for individual treatments, as well as 1 workshop, zoom or you tube presentation per month. By adding these learning sessions I hope to share some health tips I have picked up on my 40 year career in Wholistic health. The workshops may range from Aromatherapy, herbal wildcrafting, and medicine making to seasonal diet tips. I’m very open to your requests too so please contact me if you have some ideas of topics to explore. The first of these will be announced on my facebook page of Flourishing Health Invermere so hop over to it, and like or follow to find out the details.

Spring buds remind us it is a time to grow, learn and stretch. This move of office space is just another opportunity to do so. I’m excited to see how it unfolds, and am happy to welcome you to the new space for any appointments booked April 1 forward. As always you can book online from website: flourishinghealth.ca or give a text to 250-688-0033. Currently I can usually fit you in the same week requested. I am accepting new clients, and would appreciate your referrals to your family and friends. As always I offer a listening ear, helpful strong hands, an aromatherapy blend or herbal medicines, a diet tip, or the diverse ability of applying Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.

Happy Spring to each and every one of my clients. I hope the seasons change renews and inspires you to live your best life. If your health needs some assistance to do that, give me a call. I am here to help you in that direction.

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What are you doing to optimize your health this season?  Are you living your best life or just surviving?    As a health provider, I’d like to support  you with some seasonal diet adjustments and maintenance for you your body , mind and spirit too. 
As the feast of Thanksgiving draws near let me begin with some tips for diet adjustments for fall to optimize your health for months to come.  In traditional Chinese Medicine vegetables are eaten as a mainstay, along with protein and carbs, yet rarely are vegetables eaten raw.    If they are raw, they are fermented as in sauerkraut or kimchi.  Most vegetables are stir fried or cooked gently and served warm to aid the absorption of the nutrients by the digestive system. 
Some of you, that choose smoothie breakfasts as a staple, I may have even given the pep talk about having warm or room temperature smoothies rather than cold ones!   I am all in favour of having an abundance of colourful nutrient packed fruits and veggies as the bulk of ones diet – just warmed up please!  This is especially important as our weather cools and to warmly  fuel that inner furnace ( stomach) and build up both energy, and resilience to any pathogenic factors also known as flu or cold viruses.  

Another tip in the upcoming feasting season, is aim to stop eating before feeling over full.  Eating to the point of feeling overfull takes a lot of energy for your body to digest and clear.  This  often leaves you feeling like you have a food hang over for numerous hours.  My theory with feasts are they will taste even better as next day left overs.   Therefore stop at 80 or 90% full feeling, and enjoy the flavours of the feast in the next day or two again, and see if you agree.  

The organs that are best to support in the fall are the lung and the large intestine.  The practice of not over eating supports the Large intestine and some specific foods such as beans, leeks, peanuts, and pears support healthy lungs.  Perhaps a stew with  sweet potatoes, leeks and peanuts followed by a pear crisp drizzled with the moistening goodness of a fabulous local honey, to tone the lungs for the cool crisp fall air.  

To nurture our mind and spirits, the holiday of thanksgiving encourages us to dwell on the many good things that are in our days, weeks or year. I am very grateful for health, a beautiful place to live, play and work.   Operating a thriving holistic health clinic is the icing on my thanksgiving cake.  Thanks to many of you for being so committed to  living your optimal health, referring a friend or supporting this local business through an interesting and unusual year.  
I invite you to continue this commitment to your best health in the coming months.  Many insurance plans end at the end of the calendar year, so please use those hard earned benefits,  to optimize your health, with one or more of my services.  

You can book online at https://flourishinghealth.janeapp.com/

Happy Thanksgiving and cheers to the lovely season of Autumn to inspire us to live our best life.    Photo credit Pat Morrow, near Radium BC
Heather 

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I recently completed a life shifting course.  Some of you may guess it was further study in  Aromatherapy, or perhaps TCM tongue  Diagnosis, or Organic Gardening, or the more challenging  topic of how to embrace new normals, what ever they may be.
I am happy to report that I am now certified in Permaculture Design, and it has components of all of my other career paths tucked into its’ very inclusive umbrella.   It is based on working smarter not harder.  It is about working with, or copying nature, not raging against it.  Traditional Chinese Medicine has components of this too with observation ( tongue and pulse), asking lots of questions, diagnosis, and finally treatment which may be some diet changes, meditation, or a few select needles versus a more invasive treatment.

The three guiding principles of Permaculture are: Earth care, people care, and fair share.  I really like those principles and I jokingly quip that it is my new religion and politics. 
By “earth care”, I urge you to get to know where your food comes from, and be able to pronounce all the ingredients of it. Know that farmers need to care for their earth not just mine its minerals.   By “people care”, even though we are this year embracing or nurturing “our bubbles”, so to speak, I encourage you to savour those important times with family and friends, even if they are from 2 meters of via a ph or zoom call.  We can  show our care of people in a myriad of ways, and this year is a prime time to practice building strong ties in families and communities. I care for you as an individual and your unique place of health, and want that to show every time we interact.   And fair share… is a bit deeper concept.  For me it means:  buying local when ever I can, supporting the small businesses that may have had a pretty rough spring, for donating to my community with volunteering or gift certificates, and for having a special treatment rate for seniors or those on a lower income.  Barter also works great for me.  Let me know if you need this option and we can probably figure something out. 

The motivation to take Permaculture was initially to prepare myself to grow more nutrient dense food, in a time of more time available to spend gardening this spring, and to lessen  the inner angst I felt about not working in my career,  for a couple of months.   I did learn how to grow more wonderfully nutritious food and herbs, and the angst was relieved with the deep philosophical shift and optimistic focus, on change being possible and regenerative.   Foraging for wild foods and medicines that grow abundantly in our area, has also very productively filled spring and summer days too.  These Rocky Mountain grown or foraged foods and herbs are potently nutritious!  We are so fortunate here in the Columbia Valley that our market gardeners, and ranchers, and even community gardens are producing these health promoting quality fuel of nutrient dense foods for us!!  Get to the farmers markets for some awesome quality, nutrient rich meats or veggies, to propel your summer and grow your health through earth care, people care and fair shares.    

With all that healthy food you get this summer, I hope you have the energy to hike a few mountains, swim in a few lakes and find more moments of bliss this summer than you can count.  The picture above is a moment of Bliss I recently enjoyed in a refreshingly cool float. 

 I will be filming a herbal medicine making course with College of The Rockies soon and will post it to my website, & facebook when it is ready. I also have a good variety of herbs dried for tea, as well as some made into tinctures or salves ready to be sold.  These are only a ph call or email away if you are interested.  Most popular is the bug off /sun moisturizer with zinc and titanium as sun blocks  and essential oils to minimize mosquitos bites.  

Bliss wishes sent to you.  

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February is often considered Heart month.  Perhaps this association is from marketers promoting gifting your loved ones with a Valentine’s Day cards or trinkets.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, however, the Heart is referred to as the Emperor or King. The other organs will give their energy to maintain the balance of the heart.   

This month I am very grateful for many new clients, and in particular one of them inspired me to do some extra reading on the heart and its health.  Thanks also to the clients who come in with kidney, or liver, or spleen issues too. Each month I will address another organ.   

Many have also shuffled in with what I commonly call the penguin walk with its accompanying sore back or sciatic pain and  I am getting a lot of practice at addressing these seasonal ice balancing muscles! There are so many ways that Acupuncture can aid in the balancing of the body via its organs, muscles, nerves or fascia.  Spread the word, please.  

Today, some info on the heart.

•  Perspiration is the “fluid” of the Heart. Perspiration comes from body fluid, and the Heart controls bodily fluids. If you find you are perspiring excessively, it can signal a Qi or energy deficiency of the Heart. On the other hand, if you engage in activities that make you sweat too much, this can cause an energy deficiency of the Heart.
• The tongue is the sense organ related to the Heart. The condition of the Heart can be seen by observing the tongue. The tongue will be a healthy red colour when this organ is in balance. If there is insufficient blood in the Heart, the tongue may appear pale. If there is blood stagnation, the tongue will reflect this with a dark purple colour. Cracks or lines down the centre of the tongue also indicate a potential Heart function issue.
• The blood vessels are considered the “tissue” of the Heart. Because the face has many blood vessels, the complexion reveals insufficient blood, and an overly red face can signal excessive heat.
• Bitter is the taste associated with the Heart. If you find yourself craving bitter foods your Heart may be asking for support. Foods beneficial for the Heart are coffee, plum tomatoes, broccoli and broccoli rabe.

Use these basic guidelines to listen to the body.  In the case of the Heart, if you constantly crave bitter foods, or have difficulty sleeping it may be a sign that your Heart function needs support. 

Book an appointment online to see how I can support you and your Heart!

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