If your new years resolution was to quit smoking or has been for awhile here are some great reasons to stick with it. Its never too late to quit!
Benefits to your body after your last cigarette
Within 20 minutes
* blood pressure normalizes
* pulse rate returns to normal
* body temperature of hands and feet returns to normal
Within 8 hours
* Carbon monoxide level in blood drops
* Oxygen level in blood increases
* Smoker's breath disappears
Within 24 Hours
*Your chance of a heart attack decreases already
Within 48 Hours
*Nerve endings start to regrow
*Your ability to smell and taste is enhanced
Within 72 Hours
*Bronchial tubes relax making it easier to breathe
*Lung capacity increases maing it easier to do physical activities
Within 2 Weeks to 3 Months
*Circulation improves
*Walking becomes easier
*Lung function increases up to 30%
Within 1 Month to 9 Months
*Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease
*Your body's overall energy level increases, cilia regrow in lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean lungs and reduce infection
Within 1 Year
*Coronary heart disease risk is half that of a smoker
Within 2 Years
*Heart attack risk drops to near normal
Within 5 Years
*Lung cancer death rate for average pack-a-day smoker decreases by almost half
*Stroke risk is reduced
*Risk of mouth, throat and esophageal cancer is half that of a smoker
Within 10 Years
*Lung cancer death rate is simiilar to that of a person who does not smoke
*Pre-cancerous cells are replaced
Within 15 Years
*Risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a person who has never smoked
Come to NAP to quit smoking and take advantage of our smoking cessation program 6 treatments for $60.
Visit our website for more details www.clnap.com
Showing posts with label new years resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new years resolutions. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
12 Reasons to Get Acupuncture in 2012
If you aren't big on new years resolutions this blog might be for you. Thanks AcuTake for writing this week's blog.
12 Reasons to Get Acupuncture in 2012
There has never been a better time to get acupuncture. The reasons are infinite (in our humble, unbiased opinion), but here are 12 of the most compelling motivations for making acupuncture a priority this year.
12 Reasons to Get Acupuncture in 2012
There has never been a better time to get acupuncture. The reasons are infinite (in our humble, unbiased opinion), but here are 12 of the most compelling motivations for making acupuncture a priority this year.1. It’s not about “stuff.” The driving idea behind acupuncture is that we’re already in possession of everything we need to be well. The holidays, while meaningful, are often a time of excess—too many presents, too much food and alcohol. The new year is an ideal time to embrace what we have rather than what we want. Acupuncture teaches us to do this.
2. Gratitude becomes evident. In teaching us to behold rather than crave, acupuncture inspires gratitude. Our healthcare system, so heavily reliant on externally manufactured diagnostic tools and therapies, sends a message that we are not enough. Acupuncture reminds us of how much potential we inherently possess.
3. There’s no technology required. We live in an over-digitized world—and it’s not just about the iPads, Pods and Phones under our Christmas trees. Mainstream medicine is obsessed with technology, too. MRIs, CT scans, and lab tests are ordered before laying a hand on the patient; antibiotics and antidepressants are recommended as easily as cough drops. This emphasis on quick fixes prevents people from distinguishing how they actually feel from what a machine tells them they feel. The simplicity of acupuncture helps us remain present in the process of achieving health.
4. Patience is a virtue. Not only does the low-tech nature of acupuncture keep us connected to how we feel, but it also makes us more patient. Technology has birthed and bred an “I want it now” society. With some exceptions, acupuncture does not work overnight, especially for chronic conditions. It is an ongoing process that requires an investment of time and a willingness to let go of the assumption that medicine must provide instant gratification.
5. Context matters. Occupy Wall Street taught us the dangers of looking at things in isolation. Whether a protester’s personal beef was with fuel, foreclosures or food, the fundamental issue raised by the movement is a failure to think holistically. Acupuncture looks at how root imbalances affect the whole system, a much needed perspective in these imbalanced financial times.
6. One size does not fit all. Part of seeing things contextually is understanding that every person and situation is different. Unlike biomedicine, which links textbook symptoms to pre-defined treatment strategies, acupuncture works with each person’s unique constitution and circumstances to arrive at his or her own definition of health. Acupuncture assists people in discovering what health means to them.
7. It’ll open your mind. Acupuncture requires us to think about health in entirely new ways. Despite noble efforts by many to find one, there is no biomedical equivalent for qi. Acupuncture turns mainstream medical tenets on their head. It reminds us that there are multiple ways of seeing the world, an especially useful viewpoint as we enter an election year.
8. It’s a solid investment in the future. Speaking of elections, something we’re sure to hear a lot about this year is healthcare costs. Not only is acupuncture an effective way to trim current spending on prescriptions and medical testing, but as preventive medicine it decreases long-term spending on the chronic conditions that become more prevalent and expensive as we age. Widespread adoption of acupuncture would drastically reduce overall healthcare costs.
9. Affordable options are increasing. Last year, the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture, or POCA, was born. This is a multi-stakeholder cooperative that welcomes anyone with an interest in affordable acupuncture, including patients, acupuncturists, local businesses, etc. This means more money and manpower behind the community movement, which potentiates more affordable acupuncture clinics in neighborhoods near you.
10. Change is good. They say the only constant is change. This adage gets proven again and again, day after day, everywhere from publicized international conflicts to private battles with illness. From an acupuncture perspective, change is the primary ingredient for becoming a healthier person. While conventional medicine requires us to think in absolutes, acupuncture considers even the most subtle changes to be significant.
11. Aren’t you curious? Surveys conducted last year revealed that more hospitals than ever are offering acupuncture. The media couldn’t get enough of the military’s use of it. Critics’ rants became increasingly inaccurate and desperate. Something so worthy of attention must be pretty powerful.
12. The road less traveled is the one worth taking. It’s not always easy to embrace acupuncture. Most doctors, as well as some family, friends and colleagues, regard mainstream medicine as the only acceptable form of healthcare. The constant barrage of pharmaceutical advertising is hard to ignore. It takes courage to go against the grain. Acupuncture, although becoming more popular, is still not the norm. It requires a conscious commitment to understanding ourselves in a way that the majority shuns. This is the harder path toward health but ultimately the most rewarding.
Happy New Year from AcuTake.
12 Reasons to Get Acupuncture in 2012
If you aren't big on new years resolutions this blog might be for you. Thanks AcuTake for writing this week's blog.
12 Reasons to Get Acupuncture in 2012
There has never been a better time to get acupuncture. The reasons are infinite (in our humble, unbiased opinion), but here are 12 of the most compelling motivations for making acupuncture a priority this year.
12 Reasons to Get Acupuncture in 2012
There has never been a better time to get acupuncture. The reasons are infinite (in our humble, unbiased opinion), but here are 12 of the most compelling motivations for making acupuncture a priority this year.1. It’s not about “stuff.” The driving idea behind acupuncture is that we’re already in possession of everything we need to be well. The holidays, while meaningful, are often a time of excess—too many presents, too much food and alcohol. The new year is an ideal time to embrace what we have rather than what we want. Acupuncture teaches us to do this.
2. Gratitude becomes evident. In teaching us to behold rather than crave, acupuncture inspires gratitude. Our healthcare system, so heavily reliant on externally manufactured diagnostic tools and therapies, sends a message that we are not enough. Acupuncture reminds us of how much potential we inherently possess.
3. There’s no technology required. We live in an over-digitized world—and it’s not just about the iPads, Pods and Phones under our Christmas trees. Mainstream medicine is obsessed with technology, too. MRIs, CT scans, and lab tests are ordered before laying a hand on the patient; antibiotics and antidepressants are recommended as easily as cough drops. This emphasis on quick fixes prevents people from distinguishing how they actually feel from what a machine tells them they feel. The simplicity of acupuncture helps us remain present in the process of achieving health.
4. Patience is a virtue. Not only does the low-tech nature of acupuncture keep us connected to how we feel, but it also makes us more patient. Technology has birthed and bred an “I want it now” society. With some exceptions, acupuncture does not work overnight, especially for chronic conditions. It is an ongoing process that requires an investment of time and a willingness to let go of the assumption that medicine must provide instant gratification.
5. Context matters. Occupy Wall Street taught us the dangers of looking at things in isolation. Whether a protester’s personal beef was with fuel, foreclosures or food, the fundamental issue raised by the movement is a failure to think holistically. Acupuncture looks at how root imbalances affect the whole system, a much needed perspective in these imbalanced financial times.
6. One size does not fit all. Part of seeing things contextually is understanding that every person and situation is different. Unlike biomedicine, which links textbook symptoms to pre-defined treatment strategies, acupuncture works with each person’s unique constitution and circumstances to arrive at his or her own definition of health. Acupuncture assists people in discovering what health means to them.
7. It’ll open your mind. Acupuncture requires us to think about health in entirely new ways. Despite noble efforts by many to find one, there is no biomedical equivalent for qi. Acupuncture turns mainstream medical tenets on their head. It reminds us that there are multiple ways of seeing the world, an especially useful viewpoint as we enter an election year.
8. It’s a solid investment in the future. Speaking of elections, something we’re sure to hear a lot about this year is healthcare costs. Not only is acupuncture an effective way to trim current spending on prescriptions and medical testing, but as preventive medicine it decreases long-term spending on the chronic conditions that become more prevalent and expensive as we age. Widespread adoption of acupuncture would drastically reduce overall healthcare costs.
9. Affordable options are increasing. Last year, the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture, or POCA, was born. This is a multi-stakeholder cooperative that welcomes anyone with an interest in affordable acupuncture, including patients, acupuncturists, local businesses, etc. This means more money and manpower behind the community movement, which potentiates more affordable acupuncture clinics in neighborhoods near you.
10. Change is good. They say the only constant is change. This adage gets proven again and again, day after day, everywhere from publicized international conflicts to private battles with illness. From an acupuncture perspective, change is the primary ingredient for becoming a healthier person. While conventional medicine requires us to think in absolutes, acupuncture considers even the most subtle changes to be significant.
11. Aren’t you curious? Surveys conducted last year revealed that more hospitals than ever are offering acupuncture. The media couldn’t get enough of the military’s use of it. Critics’ rants became increasingly inaccurate and desperate. Something so worthy of attention must be pretty powerful.
12. The road less traveled is the one worth taking. It’s not always easy to embrace acupuncture. Most doctors, as well as some family, friends and colleagues, regard mainstream medicine as the only acceptable form of healthcare. The constant barrage of pharmaceutical advertising is hard to ignore. It takes courage to go against the grain. Acupuncture, although becoming more popular, is still not the norm. It requires a conscious commitment to understanding ourselves in a way that the majority shuns. This is the harder path toward health but ultimately the most rewarding.
Happy New Year from AcuTake.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Acupuncture of Weight Loss (part 1)
Acupuncture for Weight Loss
Acupuncture for Weight Loss:
The function of the spleen and stomach system in Chinese Medical theory is to transform and transport the food that we eat. The spleen specifically can become imbalanced from dampness either from the environment (rain, snow) or the foods that we eat (dairy products, greasy foods etc). Dampness is a pathogen that weighs the body down literally through extra weight and energetically through fatigue. Chinese Medicine sees excess weight as an imbalance in the body. Think about it, if your body is overweight you have a higher chance of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and so on. From this point of view the goal of acupuncture is not necessarily weight loss, it is harmony. When the body is in balance it knows how to process the foods that are consumed properly so that instead of storing food that is not needed it is eliminated. According to research from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine acupuncture is particularly useful for weight loss especially when the weight is carried around the abdomen and organs in middle aged people. Commonly people who are overweight have other imbalances such as hypertension, fatty liver, high cholesterol, menstrual or menopausal problems, stomach inflammation, constipation, or depression. Often times these other issues that may or may not seem related are actually the root cause of the weight gain. As we look at the body as a complete system the goal is to harmonize all organ systems so that the body can function most optimally. In this way the body naturally lets go of the excess weight it does not need and the effects of treatment positively impact the entire body. It is important to remember that balance is a process and being committed and consistent are key to lasting success. Weight gain does not happen over night and it is not reasonable to expect it to be lost over night either.
What you can do:
Eat breakfast and make it your largest meal of the day. The energy of the large intestine, spleen and stomach are most active in the morning. When you eat breakfast you stoke the fire of your metabolism so that your body has energy to get through the day.
Limit your intake of dairy and sweets. Dairy and empty sweet foods contribute to dampness and phlegm in the body. When the spleen is out of balance it will crave empty sweets like candy and ice cream (sweet and damp and just about the worst thing for your spleen). Yellow foods like grains and squash as well as full sweet foods such as sweet potatoes nourish the spleen.
Don’t eat after 8:00pm. Your stomach should be finished with digestion when you go to sleep at night. In this way your body can use this time of rest to repair and rejuvenate instead of multitasking. Also, your stomach will be empty in the morning and ready for breakfast, making it easier to wake up.
Move your body everyday. For many people exercise is a dirty word, so change your language! Move your body a little bit every day in whatever way gives you joy. Talk a walk or a yoga class, dance while you’re cooking dinner, skip from your parking spot to the entrance of the grocery store, hula hoop. The more you move your body the more your body will want to move.
Testimony:
"Just to let you know, I had acupuncture for six weeks for knee pain and low thyroid and noticed when I stepped on the scale I had lost 5 pounds without even trying or realizing it! That was an awesome benefit especially since I watch what I eat and workout 3 times a week and go to yoga 2 times a week and can never seem to tip the scale in my favor. I see acupuncture helping so many people. Thank you for the work you are doing to help people live a healthier life."
Joyce Hodnett
The function of the spleen and stomach system in Chinese Medical theory is to transform and transport the food that we eat. The spleen specifically can become imbalanced from dampness either from the environment (rain, snow) or the foods that we eat (dairy products, greasy foods etc). Dampness is a pathogen that weighs the body down literally through extra weight and energetically through fatigue. Chinese Medicine sees excess weight as an imbalance in the body. Think about it, if your body is overweight you have a higher chance of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and so on. From this point of view the goal of acupuncture is not necessarily weight loss, it is harmony. When the body is in balance it knows how to process the foods that are consumed properly so that instead of storing food that is not needed it is eliminated. According to research from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine acupuncture is particularly useful for weight loss especially when the weight is carried around the abdomen and organs in middle aged people. Commonly people who are overweight have other imbalances such as hypertension, fatty liver, high cholesterol, menstrual or menopausal problems, stomach inflammation, constipation, or depression. Often times these other issues that may or may not seem related are actually the root cause of the weight gain. As we look at the body as a complete system the goal is to harmonize all organ systems so that the body can function most optimally. In this way the body naturally lets go of the excess weight it does not need and the effects of treatment positively impact the entire body. It is important to remember that balance is a process and being committed and consistent are key to lasting success. Weight gain does not happen over night and it is not reasonable to expect it to be lost over night either.
What you can do:
Eat breakfast and make it your largest meal of the day. The energy of the large intestine, spleen and stomach are most active in the morning. When you eat breakfast you stoke the fire of your metabolism so that your body has energy to get through the day.
Limit your intake of dairy and sweets. Dairy and empty sweet foods contribute to dampness and phlegm in the body. When the spleen is out of balance it will crave empty sweets like candy and ice cream (sweet and damp and just about the worst thing for your spleen). Yellow foods like grains and squash as well as full sweet foods such as sweet potatoes nourish the spleen.
Don’t eat after 8:00pm. Your stomach should be finished with digestion when you go to sleep at night. In this way your body can use this time of rest to repair and rejuvenate instead of multitasking. Also, your stomach will be empty in the morning and ready for breakfast, making it easier to wake up.
Move your body everyday. For many people exercise is a dirty word, so change your language! Move your body a little bit every day in whatever way gives you joy. Talk a walk or a yoga class, dance while you’re cooking dinner, skip from your parking spot to the entrance of the grocery store, hula hoop. The more you move your body the more your body will want to move.
Testimony:
"Just to let you know, I had acupuncture for six weeks for knee pain and low thyroid and noticed when I stepped on the scale I had lost 5 pounds without even trying or realizing it! That was an awesome benefit especially since I watch what I eat and workout 3 times a week and go to yoga 2 times a week and can never seem to tip the scale in my favor. I see acupuncture helping so many people. Thank you for the work you are doing to help people live a healthier life."
Joyce Hodnett
Sarah Zender LAc
Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com
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