Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want – and Getting It

by Henriette Anne Klauser, PhD
I think this is an excellent book to help to figure out what you want out of life. It is simple to do and can be changed anytime. It is short and can be ready chapter by chapter. Too many times we think about what we want out of life in terms of what we think we can achieve or what is possible. This book starts from the place of just writing down what you want (the sky is the limit) and going from there. It helps put your life in perspective.

Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Long Life

by Nora T. Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT
As the title suggests it is about the Paleo diet and more. A Paleo diet tries to emulate a diet humans were before agriculture. Our bodies have not changed much in the last 10,000 years since the invention of agriculture and thus our bodies are not accustomed to the starchy carbohydrates that agriculture brought to the human diet. This book is packed with resources and references. Everything is referenced, but it is not an easy read because of the density of the material.

Here are Gedgaudas' ideas on “Where to Start?”

1. Become conscious of food and beverage choices.
2. The closer you can come to eliminating all forms of sugar and starch (including grains, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, desserts, juices, alcohol, honey, maple syrup, and so on), by far the better.
3. Eliminate margarine and vegetable shortening as weefoll as any commercial brands of cooking oil immediately, if not yesterday. (Use: organic extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, grass-fed or organic butter, or ghee. )
4. Substitute Celtic or Himalayan sea salt for refined table salt.
5. Get rid of all the sodas, sports beverages, and juices and focus on drinking pure, clean water.
6. Avoid fast-food restaurants.
7. Begin shopping in more natural, organic, bio-dynamic oriented stores and especially farmers markets.
8. Begin supplementing with omega-3 oils. (fish oil is better than flax oil)
9. Include 1 or 2 teaspoons for children and at least 1 or 2 tablespoons for adults of high-quality cod-liver oil a day for a superior and reliable source of vitamins A and some D.
10. Begin supplementing with a high-quality vitamin or mineral complex or a multi-mineral complex.
11. Become physically active, preferably doing something that you really enjoy.
12. Start exploring references and websites in order to further educate yourself and inspire your progress.
13. If food allergies or sensitivities are suspected, then spending no less than two weeks to a few months eliminating a suspected food from the diet can a good way to find out whether it is to blame or not.
14. Become aware of the pervasive influence of EMF pollution.
15. Be sure to get a minimum of seven to eight hours of quality sleep every night. Be consistent!
16. Be sure to hydrate with purified, micro-structured (if possible) and contaminant-free water.
17. Practice stress reduction and detoxification regularly, if not daily.
18. Create or find a health or nutritional support group.
19. Try (ideally) to incorporate at least 50 percent of your diet as combined animal-source (yes, animal) and vegetable-source foods that are raw or minimally cooked and cultured.

How much protein should I eat? 

It is recommended that a 140 pound individual eat about 50-80 grams per day or 2-3 servings of protein-rich food per day.   48 grams of protein translates to 7 ounces of salmon or 7 eggs. 

3 oz. of meat = 21 grams of protein                    8 oz. of yogurt = 11 grams

8 oz. of meat = 50 grams                                           8 oz. of milk = 11 grams 

                                                                                                 8 oz. of dried beans = 16 grams 

Books on Chinese Health Practices
There are many books in Chinese language about health and longevity written by doctors, experts in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. Longevity is a major preoccupation with Chinese people. These books touch on ideas and practices on philosophy, diet, rest and relaxation, self-massage, exercise/stretching, qigong, herbal medicine, and even sexual practices. Of course, the Chinese diet is not a Paleo diet!

Imperial Secrets of Health and Longevity by Bob Flaws
Flaws, B. (2002). Imperial secrets of health and longevity. Boulder, CO: Blue Poppy Press.

The Mystery of Longevity by Liu, Z.
Liu, Z. (1990). The mystery of longevity. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.

Traditional Chinese Health Secrets: the Essential Guide to Harmonious Living by Xu, X.
Xu, X. (2001). Traditional Chinese health secrets: The essential guide to harmonious living. YMAA Publication Center: Boston.

China's Traditional Way of Health Preservation by Zeng, Q. and Liu, D.
Zeng, Q. & Liu, D. (2002). China’s traditional way of health preservation. Foreign Languages Press: Beijing.

The Tao of Health and Longevity by Liu, Da.

Here are some exercises that I have my patients do to relax and to improve their posture. 

1.  Slumping over the thighs

2.  Stretching the low back in the 6 directions

3.  Stretching the neck in the 6 directions

4.  Posture and gait of the legs 

5.  Standing posture from Taiji 

Sources and References

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1. A good attitude & philosophy
2. Good work 
   
3. Good sleep and rest 
4. A healthful diet 
   
5. Good exercise
   

GOOD HEALTH PRACTICES

Rose City Park Acupuncture 

Robert Kaneko, DAOM, LAc