Going on vacation this month? Stay healthy and relaxed during your travels with these five natural wellness suggestions based on the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine.
1. Try acupuncture for a drug-free solution to neck and back pain.
Sitting in a cramped pain seat without proper back or neck support can lead to cramping and muscle soreness, especially on those long flights. Fortunately, acupuncture is an excellent treatment for pain management. Plus, it can help boost your immune system and relieve stress and tension, helping you stay well and relaxed during your trip.
2. Promote sleep and relaxation with Chinese herbal therapy.
While being on vacation can be a wonderful break from the stresses of everyday life, the travel to your getaway can be stressful and draining—and if you’re crossing multiple time zones, the jet lag on top of that can leave you exhausted. To help ease your sleep, try some of the herbs used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to promote healthy sleep. A qualified herbalist can help create a custom herbal formula tailored to your needs.
3. Add some Qi Gong practice to your mornings to stretch and rebalance your body.
Qi Gong exercises combine special movements and controlled breathing to specifically target and eliminate blockages in qi that could be causing health problems. When you’ve been sitting in a long flight, it’s important to take some time to stretch your body and allow the qi that has stagnated to become unblocked and flow throughout your body. Qi Gong is an excellent way to get some exercise and protect your health, while also helping with immune boosting and stress relief.
4. Monitor and adjust your internal clock.
Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes the importance of good quality sleep. To help reset your body’s natural rhythms, change your clocks and electronic devices to the time zone of your destination before leaving for travel, so that you can use your flight or travel time to adjust to the new time zone. Try to sleep and eat at the times you would after arriving at your destination to reduce the effects of jet lag.
5. Eat smart and stay balanced.
Nutrition is one of the most important factors in wellness in traditional Chinese medicine. While it may be tempting to overindulge while you travel, moderation and balance are key to making sure your mealtime satisfaction doesn’t turn into regret afterwards. Another important piece is paying attention to eating with the season. Summers are both hot in temperature and “hot” in TCM terms, which means that you should be eating yin foods that TCM considers “cooling” to keep your body balanced.
For more information about the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine, talk to your licensed acupuncturist. If you are a new patient, you can book an appointment by clicking here.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-daniel-hsu/asian-medicine_b_5360036.html