CranioSacral Therapy for Relaxation and Regulation

When was the last time you felt relaxed and regulated? With a calm mind, steady heart rate, regular digestion, easy breathing….

Has it been a while? The idea of being fully relaxed can seem like a tall order these days, where experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress appears to be normal. Over time, the nervous system may forget how to feel relaxed and regulated. If this sounds familiar, practicing self-care can be a way to feel regulated, to remind our nervous systems that relaxation is not only possible, but it can be normal again.  

Our bodies are amazing. Within our eleven organ systems, we have a central nervous system, which further branches into the autonomic and somatic nervous systems. Somatic governs our conscious voluntary movements, while autonomic manages vital functions that are mostly involuntary. Vital processes like heart rate, digestion, hormone regulation, and breathing. The autonomic nervous system divides further into the sympathetic (aka fight-or-flight, or stress response) and parasympathetic (aka rest-and digest) systems.  

(Don’t worry about the fact that most of these systems appear to have more than one name, many structures in our body have been given more than one name too. But that’s not likely on your exams, it’s on mine.)

The sympathetic nervous system, or stress response, evolved to mobilize our body functions for survival from threats, whether the threats are real or perceived. When activated, the stress response increases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, elevating the heart rate, increasing respiration, slowing digestion. After the threat is neutralized or removed, the stress response deactivates, allowing the parasympathetic (or rest and digest) system to come online. The parasympathetic nervous system activates to perform restorative healing functions and promote digestion. Both are necessary for our well-being and survival.

Can we have both systems active together? No, our autonomic nervous system is not designed for both to be fully active simultaneously. When the stress response is active, rest-and-digest response is inhibited. For short periods of time, this is ok. However, if the stress response is active too long and too consistently, the nervous system can start to favor the stress response staying active. This makes the stress response faster and easier to trigger, while taking longer to deactivate. This can leave one feeling ‘stuck’ feeling stressed or unable to relax. Another way this can show up, is feeling like one is not resilient, that it’s difficult to bounce back from mental or physical challenges.

If this situation resonates with you, consider adding some balance to your life, regulating your nervous system, and reminding your body and nervous system that relaxation is not only possible, it can become normal again.

An effective modality for supporting autonomic nervous system regulation is CranioSacral Therapy (CST). This gentle modality releases physical tension from connective tissue like muscle and fascia, allowing soft tissue to relax. CST also decompresses the bones of the skull, allowing for improved cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow around the brain and spinal cord. This often shows up in sessions as a feeling of increased space in the mind, like there is more room for the brain to relax.

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) also addresses the pathway of the vagus nerve as it travels through the body, to offer regulation to the nerve and the organs that it supplies. Vagus nerve is also known as Cranial Nerve 10 (abbreviated as CNX in anatomy) and is responsible for regulation of digestion, breathing, and heart rate.

If you have read this and find yourself contemplating the last time you felt relaxed, I encourage you to consider trying at least one CST session. This modality may allow your mind and body to achieve a more peaceful, balanced, and relaxed state. After a few CST sessions, clients normally report reduced reactivity, improved sleep quality, regulated digestion, and easier breathing along with reduced body pain. Simply an overall sense of feeling better, in the body, regularly. I believe everyone deserves this, including you.

Wishing you continued wellness and health.
With gratitude and love,
Emily Klik

Ling Zhi: the mushroom of immortality

Ling Zhi: Reishi Mushrooms

Reishi mushrooms, also known as the mushroom of immortality, are an edible fungus that has been used and revered in Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years. Studies have been conducted in Japan, China, the US, and the UK revealing that Reishi mushrooms offer potent protection against numerous diseases and illnesses, and are often the first line of defense against auto-immune diseases like cancer and AIDS. The adaptogenic properties mean that they respond to what your body needs most, and can be taken daily. Reishi can be enjoyed with coffee using the recipe below, added to a smoothie, enjoyed as a tea or soup, or flavorless in a capsule.

Medicinal Benefits

Calms Shen, tonifies Wei Qi, and blood, nourishes the Heart, supports Shen, removes toxicity, disperses accumulations, immune boosting, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, diuretic, laxative, sedative, anti-allergic. Reishi can be taken orally as a tincture, in capsules, or powdered. Bitter and tough, this mushroom is not recommended as a side dish, and the boiling of the fruit is necessary to activate the healing properties.

● Rich in polysaccharides and triterpenes, which promotes autophagy, or cellular eating.

● Anti aging properties that work from within to reduce dermal oxidation, keeping the skin young and wrinkle free

● Adaptogenic- helps reduce negative side effects of stress, like inflammation, low energy levels, and hormone imbalances

● Physical and cognitive reversal of aging

● Treats insomnia, reduces anxiety, calms restlessness, promotes emotional and spiritual well being, lowers blood pressure, relieves nausea, treats allergies, asthma, tumors, cold sores, diabetes, and cancer, protects against viruses, bacteria, and parasites

● Regulate various cellular functions and systems, such as the endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, central nervous, and digestive systems.

● Helps with weight control by altering the ratios of bacteria in the gut, reducing inflammation and slowing the growth of fatty tissue

● Achieves hormone balance due to specific triterpene compounds. A well functioning endocrine system reduces stress and relaxes the body so other systems can function their best too.

Folklore

Reishi mushrooms were first discovered around 396 BC in the Changbai Mountains of Ancient China, but are also native to tropical and temperate climates of Asia, the United States, and Europe. The first written record of Reishi’s health benefits dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220), and Shennong, who wrote the original textbook on Traditional Chinese Medicine, ranked them highest among the top 365 plants and fungi. They were favored by Chinese emperors for their anti-aging effects, and quickly gained popularity as a tool to achieve immortality. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners throughout history have enjoyed the benefits of Reishi by drying and boiling slices in water to enjoy as a tea or soup. Modern processing has evolved a technique of boiling so that the active ingredient can be turned into a tincture or powder.

This mushroom belongs to a genus of mushrooms called Ganoderma, the Greek and Latin word for brightness or sheen, in reference to the mushroom’s shiny, plastic-like fruiting body. Reishi is the Japanese word, and the Chinese call them Ling Zhi, meaning mushroom of immortality. Ling means spirit, soul, sacred, or divine, and Zhi means plant of longevity, fungus, mushroom, or seed. These mushrooms grow mostly on dead or dying Eastern Hemlock trees, and are becoming increasingly rare. They range in color from reddish orange to purple to black, with the red mushrooms being the most desirable for consumption. Their coloration and shiny, plastic-like appearance gained them another nickname, “the varnished conk”, with conk referring to the fruiting body of other types of fungus.

The adaptogenic properties of Reishi when mixed with coffee lessen the negative effects, like the jitters, that coffee can have on the body, while also supporting your hormonal and digestive systems. The effects are longer lasting and more sustainable than the quick hit that coffee typically provides.

Reishi Cappuccino
½ cup hot coffee
1 teaspoon coconut butter
½ teaspoon reishi extract
½ cup rice or nut milk
Unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
Coconut palm sugar (optional)

Add coconut butter and Reishi extract to hot coffee and stir. In a saucepan, warm the milk until hot and whisk until frothy. Pour the warm, foamy milk over your coffee and sweeten to taste.

Whether you are experiencing negative effects of stress, need your hormones balanced, or are fighting off a cold, Reishi mushrooms are a powerfully nutritious supplementation to your diet. Whether added to a smoothie, stirred into coffee, or taken in a capsule, this mushroom will help
balance your body mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Resources

● https://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/blogs/ppj/reishi-101srsltid=AfmBOorymASMkyv_1HkyvlSegVA8lvK-ioA1gkamvSzw23LHrzohd18y

● https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/reishi/

● https://animamundiherbals.com/blogs/blog/the-incredible-reishi-the-mushroom-of-immortality?srsltid=AfmBOoqkyxOGf9KPegA-Gvm_GLJ7V3I3NzFdDk4V0IOgL0OH_OkI1qIY

● https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-reishi-mushrooms

● Healing Mushrooms: A Practical and CUlinary Guide to using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health, Tero Isokauppila

6 Evils of Disease

Traditional Chinese Medicine : The 6 Evils of Disease

Disease, or dis-ease, is the manifestation of symptoms in living organisms that impair proper functioning of the body. Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that these symptoms affect the balance of Qi, caused by external environmental factors, internal emotions, or lifestyle factors, like diet. The Six Evils, Wind, Cold, Dampness, Heat, Summer Heat, and Dryness, are external factors used to describe various types of dis-ease in the body caused by over exposure.

Understanding the nature and characteristics of experienced symptoms can help identify the issue and lead to proper treatment.

Wind
Liver, Wood, Spring, Yang.
Wind ailments are associated with the most diseases, and these types of ailments behave like wind; symptoms come and go quickly, change location and intensity, and periodically disappear. Affecting mostly the head, face, neck, shoulders, skin, and muscles, symptoms include headaches, dizziness, muscle spasms or rigidity, colds, stuffy nose, congestion, chills, and fevers. This evil can combine with other evils as well. In winter, wind can combine with cold evil to cause a wind-cold, characterized by chills, stiffness, congestion, headaches, and sneezing. In the spring, wind can combine with Heat Evil to create a wind-heat cold, causing a fever, headache, sore throat, and chills. While there are shared symptoms, each type of cold requires different types of treatment to restore balance.

Food Remedy:
Lightly cooked scallions, ginger, and garlic (e.g., in broth)
Avoid raw, cold foods

Tea Remedy:
Ginger-Scallion Tea
3 slices fresh ginger
1 chopped scallion (white part)
Simmer 10 mins, drink warm
This helps release exterior wind and cold.

Acupressure Point:
LI4 (Hegu) – Located between thumb and index finger
Use for headaches, congestion, and wind invasion
Press firmly for 1-2 mins per side

Cold
Kidney, Winter, Water, Yin.
Cold, in excess, inhibits the body’s ability to regulate temperature, leading to Qi and blood stagnation, pain, stiffness, chills, shivering, cold limbs, pallor, and painful cramps. Affecting the knees, lower back, joints, stomach, spleen, kidneys, and liver, cold within the body constricts and contracts, which is painful without proper lubrication from blood. Proper Yang flow warms the body and keeps blood flowing. Like the weather, food that is cold, like smoothies, sushi, or ice water can reduce the Yang Qi of the body. To restore balance, eat warming foods like ginger, cinnamon, clove, garlic, cardamom, and cayenne, and avoid raw fruits or vegetables.

Food Remedy:
Lamb stew, bone broth, cinnamon, clove, garlic, ginger
Avoid cold drinks, raw foods, smoothies

Tea Remedy:
Cinnamon-Ginger Tea
3 slices fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
Simmer 10 mins
Promotes Yang and circulation.

Acupressure Point:
ST36 (Zusanli) – Four finger-widths below kneecap, one finger-width lateral to shinbone
Strengthens digestion, warms interior
Massage 2-3 mins per leg

Dampness
Spleen, late summer, Earth, Yin.
Characterized by greasy hair and face, greasy skin, acne, bad breath, body odor, nasal discharge, edema, arthritis, swollen joints, candida, and yeast infections, damp ailments affect the lower body. Wet, heavy, and slow, dampness causes feelings of heaviness, and can be the result of external factors like damp weather. Those affected by dampness may feel heavy, sluggish, or dull. These symptoms impair the spleen’s ability to process fluids, leading to fluid retention. Dietary treatment requires the removal of high fat foods, oils, sugar, dairy, and flour products, with the inclusion of whole grains, beans, vegetables, and spicy food. Conditions such as exposure to fog or mist, immersion in water or rain, or living in high humidity can contribute to these symptoms.

Food Remedy:
Barley, aduki beans, lentils, leeks, radish, mustard greens
Avoid: dairy, sugar, greasy foods

Tea Remedy:
Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren) Tea
2 tbsp Job’s Tears (coix seeds)
Boil in 3 cups water, simmer 30 mins
Helps drain damp and support spleen.

Acupressure Point:
SP9 (Yinlingquan) – Just below the knee on the inner leg, depression under tibia
Resolves damp, helps fluid metabolism
Apply steady pressure 2 mins per side

Heat
Heart, Summer, Fire, Yang.
Heat Evil refers to diseases caused by external factors like environment, or internal factors like
emotions or diet, with similar symptoms like thirst, sweating, and flushed cheeks affecting mostly the upper body. When Heat Evil becomes too extreme or mental health becomes affected, symptoms manifest as high blood pressure, stress, insomnia, and short temper. Stress, anger, frustration, and repressed emotions can cause internal heat. Avoid eating warming foods like ginger, chilis, and alcohol, and opt for cooling foods like celery, apple, cucumber, and asparagus.

Food Remedy:
Cucumber, mint, celery, lettuce, mung beans
Avoid: spicy food, alcohol, coffee

Tea Remedy:
Chrysanthemum-Goji Tea
1 tbsp dried chrysanthemum
1 tbsp goji berries
Steep in hot water 10 mins

Cools heat and clears eyes/head.

Acupressure Point:
LI11 (Quchi) – At the end of the elbow crease when arm is bent
Cools internal heat
Press 1-2 mins per side

Summer Heat
Heart, Summer, Fire, Yang.
Summer Heat diseases are especially common in the summer months, and only occurs after prolonged exposure to heat. Symptoms, caused by the sun and high temperatures, include raised body temperature, excessive sweating, dehydration, constipation, vertigo, migraines, blurred vision, restlessness, nausea, and heart palpitations. The thought is that sweating causes the pores to open, which then allows Qi to leak out. Lack of Qi in the body can cause fatigue, and can also allow other Evils to enter the body. To combat this, drink plenty of water and electrolytes to stay hydrated, eat foods like watermelon that have a high water content, and seek shade. These symptoms are similar to heat stroke, and if symptoms persist, seek medical attention.

 

Food Remedy:
Watermelon, cucumber, mint, mung bean soup
Drink water with pinch of salt or lemon

Tea Remedy:
Mint-Mung Bean Tea
2 tbsp mung beans
Handful of fresh mint
Boil mung beans until soft, add mint last few minutes

Acupressure Point:
PC6 (Neiguan) – 3 finger-widths up from inner wrist crease between two tendons
Calms heart, nausea, heat exhaustion
Press 1-2 mins per wrist

Dryness
Lung, Autumn, Metal, Yang.
When the lungs can not properly regulate Qi, Dry Evil invades through the nose and mouth, with
symptoms manifesting as dry skin, hair, eyes, lips, throat, and stool, constant thirst, coughing,
and shortness of breath. This can be caused by dryness in climate or smoking. To combat
symptoms with food, eat hydrating fruits like pears and apples to protect the lungs and throat.
Avoid pungent or bitter foods like coffee, lemon, and tobacco, as well as activities like hot
tubbing.

Food Remedy:
Pears, apples, honey, almonds, white fungus, lotus root
Avoid: tobacco, dry snacks, coffee, alcohol

Tea Remedy:
Pear-Almond Tea
1 sliced pear
10 almonds
Simmer 15 mins in 2 cups water
Moistens lungs and throat

Acupressure Point:
LU9 (Taiyuan) – At the wrist crease under the thumb
Tonifies Lung Qi and Yin
Massage gently for dryness symptoms

The Six Evils categorize diseases and their effects on the body in a way that makes determining

and treating said diseases clear and concise. By recognizing your symptoms, you can make

environmental, emotional, or lifestyle changes to help relieve symptoms and recover from the

dis-ease and disharmony within your body.

Resources

● https://www.lilychoinaturalhealing.com/journal/2016/11/26/six-evils-to-health-according-to-tcm

● https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/treatment/traditional-chinese-medicine#:~:text=How%20does%20TCM%20work%3F,lifestyle%20factors%2C%20such%20as%20diet.

● https://www.meandqi.com/tcm-education-center/diagnosing-diseases/the-six-pernicious-influences-or-six-evils

● https://www.hk-cityguide.com/expat-guide/4461iwryzc7789ims5r7hztv2cnf7j

● https://www.worldtreeherbals.com/blog/2020/12/24/tcm-evils