Heart Health: Nutritional Tips For Improved Circulation, Energy, and Stress

Heart disease is prevalent in North America being one of the top 2 leading causes of death in Canada and the USA. Whether you are in Toronto, or the surrounding GTA, there is a general hustle mentality, or this need to prove your value to the world. As a result, you might have decided to increase caffeine intake, work extra long hours, all on top of your 6 day workout routine.  By being in a constant state of fight-or-flight, this can raise your blood pressure, exhaust your heart, and cause circulation issues which lead to heart disease. “So, what do I do?” you wonder… Here I’m going to share my top health tips on how to improve your heart health naturally.

One of the first tell-tale signs I notice with my patients that are experiencing poor heart health, is chronic fatigue. Feeling like, no matter how little they do, or how many breaks they take they still feel exhausted. Slowing down is a great place to start, in addition to including relaxation exercises like yoga, tai chi, or going for a walk. However, sometimes you might find that your body still feels tired regardless of how little you do. This could be due to your circulation being poor.

So, you decide to work out instead. However, everytime you workout, you feel like you can’t catch your breath. These symptoms result from the heart becoming overheated due to high blood pressure, chronic stress, and not eating a balanced diet. Speaking of diet, here is my first tip:

1. Cut Down Coffee

Coffee can significantly increase your blood pressure temporarily. During this time, you feel good, with more mental clarity, but your heart is also having to work harder. If this goes on all day, without a time for rest, it can exhaust the heart. So my first tip is take a break from coffee for at least 3 days.

2. Green tea, Watermelon, Strawberries & Tomatoes

Basically all the foods you think of when it’s summer - Caprese salad to start, and watermelon and strawberries for dessert. Let’s find out why.  

Watermelon and tomatoes are cooling and refreshing on the heart, while strawberries help nourish fluids in the heart. These fruits/vegetables help keep your system cooled down and functioning optimally. This can help with trouble staying asleep at night (insomnia), night sweats, heart palpitations, plus the fatigue/shortness of breath.

Although green tea has caffeine, it’s also cooling, and can help cool your body down when you feel overheated/overwhelmed. Coffee is much more acidic, which can cause a lot of heat in the body to build up. So if you find you still need a bump of caffeine in the mornings, try green tea instead. Its cooling properties can help balance you out when you’ve been having coffee for too long.

3. Vasodillators: Spinach & Bacon

There is much out there about nitrates being bad for you. However, did you know that your saliva converts nitrates into nitric oxide? This chemical is a natural vasodillator. In other words, it helps open your vessels to improve your circulation. What a great idea for those who suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease, or chronic stress. Two foods I would recommend for increasing your nitric oxide is spinach and bacon. Careful not to have too much bacon as it can lead to heart burn. You should instantly notice that your breathing is lighter and easier. Try this before your next workout.

4. Light Exercise

Switch from the heavy weights to something a little lighter. If you have difficulty catching your breath while doing cardio, start with something even lighter like tai chi, yoga, or going for a brisk walk. If you feel your fatigue lifting, you can start to include things like jogging, biking, or swimming.

You sometimes can’t feel it when you’re under immense stress, as some people just begin to normalize it. If you notice you feel lighter after trying these tips, this is a sign that you likely needed these foods/tips in order to feel more balanced. Another thing that can help greatly is coming in for acupuncture. Acupuncture is known for regulating stress hormones, improving circulation, and working on specific issues in your health - insomnia, heart palpitations, chronic fatigue, or shortness of breath. Book your tune up today with one of our practitioners:

Cancer, Chemo & Acupuncture

Going through cancer can feel like a very stressful, exhausting, and physically painful experience. It may not be the cure, but acupuncture can make your cancer journey a whole lot better. From managing fatigue, reducing inflammation, and alleviating pain, acupuncture can be a great resource for those going through chemotherapy treatments. How, you might wonder?

Acupuncture works by stimulating the body's nervous system to respond to the acupuncture needles depending on where they are placed. Each point elicits a different response, thereby allowing your practitioner to guide the body in reducing your pain, promoting circulation, or reducing inflammation. In addition, acupuncture may help regulate dopamine production allowing the body to relax, and help your mood[1]. When your body’s less stressed, your immune system may be able to respond better[2,3].

Does it matter what type of cancer you have?

Yes, and no. Regardless of what type of cancer you have, acupuncture may help alleviate your symptoms. However, knowing what type of cancer you have can allow the practitioner to also focus the treatment on treating the cancer as well. Also, knowing what stage of cancer you are in, whether that is stage 1, 2, 3, or 4, will be helpful in determining how gentle or strong of a treatment your body can handle. Usually we perform a gentler treatment for more advanced stages of cancer.

What symptoms can acupuncture help with?

When treating symptoms related to cancer or effects of chemo, some individuals can show up with heightened levels of inflammation. This can be burning eyes, dry mouth, or even mouth ulcers. Acupuncture can be done to reduce inflammatory effects of the chemotherapy, and have you feeling better and more balanced as you go through chemotherapy treatments.

Some individuals may experience fatigue, or tightness in the neck and shoulders. In fact, these symptoms can be related, in that when our circulation is poor, we feel fatigue and tightness. By improving circulation in the body, acupuncture can help you feel more energetic, and less tense.

Nausea, vomiting, & diarrhea

These symptoms are a result of a heightened level of inflammation in the body. Often times by clearing away the heat from the body, or reducing inflammatory levels internally, these symptoms tend to subside as well.

How can treatments address cancer?

In addition to alleviating symptoms, there may be days where the majority of symptoms are at bay, and under control.

In those situations there is an opportunity to treat the actual cancer with a slightly different therapy called moxibustion. Moxibustion is where we would apply a herb to the acupoints and burn it. In doing so, this adds an element of heat to promote blood circulation in the organs. For example if you have colon cancer, we could target points that relate to the large intestine. Alternatively, for liver tumors, we would target acupoints that affect the liver.

You can think of it like we are trying to accelerate the immune response, and removal of cancer cells from the organ. Don’t worry, the burning herb is extinguished before it makes direct contact with the skin, thereby preventing burns & scalds. This type of therapy, if practiced correctly, can be very gentle and soothing.

So if you're struggling with chemo, or just want to overall feel better through your cancer journey, consider adding acupuncture & moxibustion to your regimen.

1. Szmelskyj, Irina. https://cam-therapies.co.uk/acupuncture/how-does-acupuncture-work/

2. Mustafa, Zainab. (Apr 14, 2022) How does stress affect your immune system. https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-does-Stress-Affect-Your-Immune-System.aspx#:~:text=Prolonged%20periods%20of%20stress%20can,a%20statistically%20significant%20health%20risk.

3. Peck, Molly. (April 22, 2022) Is there a connection between chronic stress and cancer. https://www.cityofhope.org/living-well/is-there-a-connection-between-chronic-stress-and-cancer#:~:text=Stress%20can%20speed%20up%20the,released%2C%20which%20stimulate%20cancer%20cells.

3 Foods That Will Warm You Up

Do you feel cold easily? Or find that your hands and feet get cold after sitting at the desk all day? Here, I’ll be sharing 3 unconventional foods that will warm you right up.

Most Canadians feel the guilt of having had a “cheat meal” anytime they eat fried food. But guess what? You could be doing something healthy.

Fried Food

Your body craves different inputs depending on what it’s going through; seasonal, or emotional. If you're feeling cold, and you seem to gravitate towards fried food, that could be your body telling you it needs warmth and heat. Your body absorbs not just the food you’re eating, but the qualities of how it’s cooked. So, in order to stay warm and energized, the occasional fried chicken might actually be helpful. With that being said, I always recommend - everything in moderation.

BBQ

Another unconventional way to warm up is having a barbecue. This goes back to how things are cooked. When you grill a steak until it is slightly charred, this can add an intense heating effect to the food. Compare that to if that same steak was boiled, or steamed, your body wouldn’t feel the same warmth from eating it. I notice for myself personally, after eating barbecue on a cold day, I feel warm from head to toe, and my circulation feels great. Of course, you may have a concern around carcinogens, and I’m not downplaying that in anyway. However, this is to address the concern of feeling COLD.

CURRY

Lastly, if you have the time, making curry is another great way to warm the body. The pungent spices that go into curry help your circulation improve. Curries tend to also be in the form of a sauce, which is digested slowly, allowing the heat to be absorbed over a longer period of time. This will have a longer lasting effect on keeping the body warm.

I hope these tips help to keep your body balanced. If you’re interested in coming in for an acupuncture session in the Toronto or Vaughan area, you can book online below.

Neurological Pain & Acupuncture

You feel a tingling, electrical, sometimes sharp, and overall very uncomfortable feeling. Nerve pain can be a concern to live with. Did you know this condition may improve with acupuncture treatment?

This type of pain is usually deeply rooted, and can be brought on by acute stress, bell’s palsy, and shingles, or a chronic medical condition like diabetes. With that said, nerve pain can be resolved with frequent acupuncture treatments.

Often times nerve pain can manifest itself in various areas of the body – from facial nerve pain with bell’s palsy, to the bottom of the soles in the case of diabetes or the rib area with shingles. However, these three conditions all have a commonality – the Liver organ. By performing acupuncture treatments to correct the Liver function, this may result in significant improvements in alleviating nerve pain.

We usually recommend 8-12 treatments depending on the condition. At each session we check the body (abdomen, back, pulse, and tongue) using our diagnostic techniques to gauge how the body is doing, and where the acupuncture treatment needs to take place to provide effective relief.

Palpation of the back

You may notice even during the first session that your condition begins to improve. It is very important that treatments are kept close together (usually spaced apart every 3 days). This amount of time gives the body a chance to respond after the treatment, and after 3 days that is usually when the body is ready for the next treatment.

Acupuncture needles are always brand new, sterilized, disposable, and single use.

 As you begin to feel back to your 100% self, we will do a follow up at 3 weeks to 1 month to ensure you are doing well. If you have any questions or would like to book a session you can contact our clinic at 647-985-3838 or book online below. We are located in downtown Toronto, and Vaughan.

What Gluten Intolerance And Stress Have In Common

From bloating, to diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain - gluten intolerance can be a pain to live with. Trying to avoid gluten can be a mission in itself. But did you know that gluten intolerance, and stress have a common link? And that by controlling one you may be able to control the other?

Gluten intolerance is essentially a form of inflammation – the body’s hyperactive response to a protein(gluten) found in wheat[1]. What if I told you that stress also creates an environment in your body, which makes you more prone to inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, and celiac disease[2]? And what if that minor clue, was in itself, the solution and cure.

Here I’m going to discuss how you can get gluten intolerance under control by managing your stress levels and inflammation with acupuncture & food therapy.

Many clients of ACUSOUL who suffer from IBS, celiac disease, or gluten intolerance – have noticed that it gets worse in times of stress. More importantly, the illness itself may have began during a time of high stress.

For example, when you entered the workforce your stress levels may have been more elevated than when you were in school[3]. That may also be the time when you noticed the gluten intolerance began. It may not have been flaring up consistently everyday, but that’s because your stress levels also vary day by day. Paying attention to the environment, your lifestyle, and emotionally how you felt when the illness began is critical to addressing it.

What stress does is increase blood pressure, cortisol levels, and your body’s inflammatory response[4]. This increase in cortisol, and blood pressure has an obvious impact on your heart health. At the same time the inflammation being increased makes the gluten intolerance and IBS more pronounced in the intestinal organs.

Thus, with acupuncture we would target the Heart to bring down stress levels and the intestinal organs to control diarrhea and constipation. As a result you may notice better sleep, feeling more relaxed, and less tension in the upper back and jaw, as well as less bouts of diarrhea or constipation, and less bloating. If you’re not familiar, feel free to read our article on "How acupuncture works”.

From a food standpoint, here are some foods that help reduce inflammation, regulate the heart, and may help with symptoms of gluten intolerance:

1. Turmeric – with high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, digestive regulating properties, this spice is great for inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, or celiac disease.

2. Beets - Calm the heart, lubricates the intestines to help with constipation.

3. Watermelon – Clears heat from the heart, stomach, and bladder. Alleviates thirst, and induces diuresis. Essentially promoting the body’s ability to clear inflammation, and rehydrate.

 If you’re interested in seeing what acupuncture & food therapy can do for you – book a session here. We’re an acupuncture clinic located in the heart of downtown Toronto, and Vaughan. We’ll discuss your health concerns in detail, come up with a treatment plan, and provide food recommendations customized to your body’s intricate needs.

1. https://nyulangone.org/conditions/celiac-disease-gluten-sensitivity-in-adults/diagnosis

2. https://www.rn.com/featured-stories/stress-inflammation-immunity/

3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlynborysenko/2018/11/01/generation-z-is-coming-to-work-and-their-stress-is-already-high/#40e00704273b

4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/signs-you-are-gluten-intolerant

5. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/1999/06/04/27924.htm 

3 Tips To Boost Your Immunity This Fall

It can be EXHAUSTING keeping up with yourself sometimes. Your body knows it, but do you?

As we enter fall, temperatures begin to drop, trees begin to lose their leaves, marking a time when things slow down in nature. We too ought to slow down in life. Most of us, however, are still working harder than ever in a competitive workplace, trying to keep up with our demanding lifestyles, and still trying to cram in more into our already busy schedules. 

If you already caught a cold, have a bit of runny nose, or a sore throat, this is your body signalling that you need to SLOW DOWN. 

It's a clear sign you're operating on overdrive as you lack the resources to manage your body's immune system. To prevent things from getting worse HERE ARE SOME TIPS:

1. Hit Pause

Ever feel that "stress-mode" come on, as if you're in a panic, as if you don't have enough time to get through the amount of work that needs to be done? Once we get into this mode, our minds get ahead of ourselves, thinking about the next 10 possible scenarios that could happen. We begin to lose track of what we need - TIME, SPACE, FOOD, and REST.

The next time you catch yourself feeling the pressure of stress, give yourself 1-2 minutes to just sit down, breathe deep and slow, and allow your mind to pause for a moment so your body can catch up with you. You'll feel your energy come back again, and your stress levels drop significantly, which will make you more effective to the people you're trying to serve.

2. Chai Tea

With warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom this tea can help boost the body's immune system, and balance off fall's cooler climate. The next time you feel cold in the office, or at home after a long day, warm up with a nice cup of chai.

3. Let Go Of The Unnecessary

Trees let go of their leaves during fall. Fall is also a time when the large intestine is more active, the main organ for elimination of waste from your body. A problem in this department can be a sign that you have a hard time letting go of things.

Some of you have a tendency to hang on to your busy schedules. Not realising that many of the things you do, you either don't really want, or need to. Let's practice letting them go.

Take a look at your schedule, and ask yourself which things do you actually want to do, or absolutely HAVE to do. Then eliminate everything else. This will clear your schedule, clear your stress, and give yourself the time and rest you need to slow things down in your life. Then you can hopefully schedule in some self-care, like acupuncture.

You can also apply this to "Things" in your home. Clothes, electronics, books, paperwork. If you haven't used or looked at it in the past 3 years, chances are you can let it go now.

Have a wonderful fall season, and enjoy the cooler climates by going for walks in the park, and breathing in the fresh crisp air. Don't forget to wear a scarf.

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If you're interested in booking some self-care acupuncture time, feel free to book online. We focus on creating the change your body needs to heal through pain, chronic conditions, or mental emotional blockages using acupuncture & food therapy. Our acupuncture clinics are located downtown Toronto, and Vaughan. Our practitioners are registered acupuncturists, and we provide a receipt for insurance purposes.

How To Clear Plantar Fascitis With Acupuncture

It’s your New Year’s resolution to get fit this year. You’ve made the decision to hit the gym or train for a marathon so you can get the body you want. There’s only one thing holding you back. That annoying pain in the bottom of your foot that acts up even just during your warm up! Argh! How are you EVER going to achieve your fitness goals this year?! Every time it feels like you’re just getting started, the pain tells you you’ve got to slow down, stop for a moment, and give your foot a rest.

Let’s face it, heel pain sucks. You start to think “Is this what getting old feels like?” and “Am I going to be stuck with this heel pain for the rest of my life?” You may have been told before that you have "plantar fascitis", which worries you because you're not sure if there's a cure for that!

Relax. Take a deep breath. Heel pain ISN’T something you need to live with for the rest of your life. And guess what? It’s NOT a sign that you’re getting old.  It can be corrected, and you can get your active, healthy lifestyle back again!

In Chinese Medicine, pain is usually a result of a blockage in the body. These blockages are often created by stress and tension, or over-exhaustion. Here’s how:

Stress causes your body to tense up and your blood vessels constrict. This leads to decreased circulation and blood flow to various parts of your body, depending on where you hold your stress. Then out-of-nowhere you’re hit with pain.

Over-exhaustion, on the other hand, causes a different type of blockage. This drains the body’s energy. Your body is taking care of a lot of things all day, every day. Your over-used heel is likely last on the list of your body’s priorities. Which means, it never fully heals. (Pun unintended.)  

With many of my clients, after removing such blockages and improving circulation to the bottom of their foot through acupuncture - the pain disappears! The best part of it all is after a few sessions you can finally go ALL-OUT again in your workouts, sports, or other activities you love to experience without heel pain holding you back.

I also recommend a foot soak you can do at home. Simply fill a tub with hot water, pour in some epsom salts (half a cup), and soak your feet for 10-15 minutes. Not only does the warmth improve circulation, but epsom salts have minerals like magnesium that lower blood pressure and help the body to relax.

So, if you’re ready to get your workouts back in gear again, you can book a session at one of our acupuncture clinics in Toronto, where we’ll discuss your health concerns, and get to the bottom of that annoying heel pain.

Say goodbye to your NECK PAIN!

We have important news! Neck pain isn’t normal. Neck pain isn’t something that you have to accept.

Unfortunately, too many people think that mysterious neck pain is just a “normal part of getting older.”

It’s not!

Think of all the inconvenience annoying neck pain has caused you.

You just woke up one day, turned your neck one direction, and all of a sudden it hurt like HELL.

Now you have to skip the gym this week. You flinch in pain if you turn your head too fast.  You feel like you’re trying to walk around a mine field of posture positions just to avoid another stab of pain.

This week I want to help you free yourself from this pain.

Let’s get you back to feeling freedom of movement without any mystery pain!

Let’s get you back into the gym. Let’s get you through the workday without a stab of pain from nowhere. Let’s get you back to feeling comfortable, relaxed, and not having to sit or stand in awkward positions just to avoid pain.  

What is the most common culprit for neck pain?

Stress! And here’s how…

When you’re under stress, your body tenses up. The first part of your body that your system wants to protect is your neck – with good reason. Your neck is one of the most vulnerable parts of your body, and in nature, predators, like lions, always attack at the neck.

So when you’re stressed, or feeling anxious, the tension you create actually reduces the circulation of blood that’s supposed to nourish your tendons and ligaments.

….then all it takes is one quick move in the wrong direction, or sleeping in an uncomfortable position, and WHACK! Your neck is strained.

One trick I want to share with you is one of the best acupressure points on the back of your hand for alleviating neck pain:

It’s about 1 inch above your knuckles between your index and middle finger. Found it? Press on it hard, and take a few deep and slow breaths as you try moving your neck again. Now, I hope that this temporary relief gives you … well, some relief!

And if you would like to finally eliminate this pain (and many others), then might I suggest that you look into an acupuncture session. My clients notice a significant change even in the first session. Why is that? Because acupuncture improves circulation, and pain is either the result of constricted circulation or the pain has caused you to take on poor postures which also hinder your body’s circulation. That’s just one way that acupuncture can free yourself of pain. And there is the BONUS that it also nourishes the tendons and ligaments that are out of whack - also due to poor circulation and poor posture. It’s all connected!

If you’re interested in relieving the pain we are available at both the Toronto and Vaughan acupuncture clinic locations.

We’ll discuss the problem in more detail, provide some food therapy recommendations and do some acupuncture to free you from the pain in your neck. 

How Acupuncture Relieves Pain

We tend to perform the same motions day in and day out. The majority of the time this isn't an issue as long as we have the right posture, and are using the right technique. It's when we aren't being mindful of these things that we tend to develop imbalances, which leads to pain, and tension.

POOR POSTURE

The imbalances poor posture creates is endless, from pain in your shoulders, to pain between your scapulas (upper back), to lower back pain. All of these areas become obstructed, and can even lead to tingling sensations running down your leg, or through your arm. Acupuncture can actually help to alleviate pain by improving circulation, and re-activating energy channels that run through the areas of pain. So how does it work? From a western medicine perspective, when your body detects an acupuncture needle, or a foreign object in the body, your immune system naturally sends its immune cells to scope out the area[1]. Indirectly what this does is increase blood flow to the area, and improve circulation[1]. In Chinese Medicine, pain is a sign of stagnation, or a blockage. By examining what area you experience pain, this tells the acupuncturist what energy channels to open using the acupuncture points along the channel. Other signs of stagnation are a tendency to sigh, feeling depressed at times, or pain along the ribs. 

WHEN YOU'RE BURNT OUT...

When your body is feeling tired, you might find yourself getting lazy, having a tendency to slouch, or just using piss-poor technique. And then just like that, you hurt your neck, or your lower back lets out. For the next week, you're spending your spare time rubbing tiger balm, and vaporub, along with ice and heat packs to try and relieve this agonizing pain.

But it's not just the bad technique that leads to injury and pain. It's the fact that your body is tired that leads to injury as well! When you're tired, your body has a more difficult time keeping things together. The first thing we do when we're tired is we slouch. It's like your body is too tired to hold itself up, so it just lets yourself go aloof.

This concept can be used to understand why people get slipped discs or bulging discs leading to sciatic pain. And may also explain why in the elderly their organs prolapse as their bodies are slowly running out or resources to hold everything in place. 

In this case, popping needles into where it hurts does little to improve your condition. When acupuncturists do acupuncture, we focus on the internal imbalances. In this case, we need to improve your energy. The best organ for that is the Kidneys. Just think about adrenaline - it's a form of energy, and where it comes from (the adrenal glands), which sit on top of your kidneys! So by using acupuncture to stimulate points that strengthen the kidneys, you should expect to notice an improvement in your condition by the end of that acupuncture treatment.

INFLAMMATION

For some of us, the areas we get pain, also feel hot, and appear red at times. These are signs of "Heat" in Chinese Medicine, or "Inflammation" in western medicine. In Chinese Medicine, some points have the function of "Clearing Heat". This may seem like a foreign concept, but actually western medical studies have been performed to prove acupuncture's effectiveness in reducing inflammation [2]. Other signs of heat in the body are a red face or rosacea, unquenchable thirst, constipation, or dark urine. 

By paying attention to your body, you can become more mindful of what is causing the pain.

If you're looking for relief from pain, ACUSOUL is an acupuncture clinic in Toronto that provides relief to pain, along with many other health issues. If you haven't already done so, book an appointment today at one of our Toronto acupuncture locations.

Not only can we detect what kind of imbalances you have, but also treat them and provide preventative measures to keep your body free from pain using acupuncture and food therapy.

Sign up for our blog to for more health tips on how acupuncture and food therapy can balance your soul!

References

1. http://www.elotus.org/article/mechanisms-acupuncture

2. http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1352-acupuncture-anti-inflammatory-effect-revealed

What's The Right Tea For You?

In Chinese Medicine, the goal is to bring harmony and balance to the body, mind, and soul. We can accomplish this through acupuncture, food therapy, or even choosing the right teas. Your body's imbalances speak loudly in many ways, and if we are attuned to how we feel we can choose the right tea to re-balance ourselves. Green tea has become quite popular nowadays with all the research indicating green tea has high antioxidant qualities. However, green tea is considered cooling in Chinese Medicine and may not be right for everyone.

1. Peppermint Tea

If you feel cold all the time, or generally low in energy, green tea may not be the healthiest choice for you. If, however, you tend to feel hot easily, get nose bleeds, mouth sores, or are suffering from a sore throat, peppermint tea could make you feel better.Peppermint has cooling qualities that clear heat and soothe the liver, an organ which can get quite heated in a high stress environment. This makes peppermint a perfect way to rebalance after a heated discussing, or a stressful day at the office. 

2. Black Tea

On the other hand, black tea's high caffeine content, and energizing properties might be the right choice if you feel sluggish, tired, or just need a boost of energy. In fact, a common tradition which is still carried out today is to drink black tea at Dim Sum. This is because alot of food served at Dim Sum can be quite greasy, and cause some of us to feel tired, and heavy after the meal. Pu-Erh tea, served at Dim Sum, is used to help cut the grease, boost energy, and wake you up again. This tea gets its name from Pu'Er, a city in Yunnan province, China where the tea is fermented, and aged. 

3. Rose Tea & Chai Tea

Feeling cold at the office? this may be due to a lack of circulation, or a lack of warmth in the body. I have two options for you - rose tea and chai tea. More than just a romantic gesture, roses, when consumed as tea are good for gently warming the body, while promoting circulation. Its invigorating qualities help to remove stagnation, which builds up when we're constantly doing something we don't want to do. It also has medicinal properties which nourish the skin, and promote digestion. In Chinese medicine, it is occasionally used for people that have irregular menstruation, blood clots, or painful periods. Chai tea on the other hand, has its origins in India, and blends black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian  spices and herbs. With strong invigorating, and warming properties, this makes it a great choice in the winter time if you're feeling a runny nose, or the beginning stages of a cold. It will not only warm your body up from the inside out, but could potentially cause you to break a sweat, preventing exterior pathogens from invading your body. 

4. Matcha Tea

Feeling anxious, panicky or just not well grounded? Matcha tea is known as an anticancer tea, having 137 times more antioxidants compared to regular green tea. It's interesting to note Matcha tea's cultivation, and production are closely related to the effects it has on the body. Grown in a shaded environment for up to 3 weeks, this makes Matcha tea a more cooling, and calming tea. Once picked, it is stone-ground into a fine powder - having the ability to ground your mind at times of anxiety and fear. In fact, traditionally at Japanese and Chinese ceremonies, matcha tea was prepared and served as a way of embodying a meditative spirit. A great tea to have at the end of a long work week, when you are looking to wind down, quiet the thoughts of the mind, and focus on yourself. 

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