Warming Up to Moxibustion
By Jackie Christensen, BS, HHP, NC, MH
Faculty Member of GCNM

Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese therapy that has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years, involves burning mugwort to facilitate healing. The term moxibustion is derived from the Japanese word "mogusa" meaning herb (mugwort) and the Latin word "bustion" meaning burning. It is also interesting that the actual Chinese character for acupuncture, translated literally means "acupuncture-moxibustion." Moxibustion is done to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi, and maintain general health. In traditional Chinese medicine moxibustion is used on people who have a cold or stagnant condition. The burning of mugwort or moxa is believed to expel cold and warm the meridians, which leads to smoother flow of blood and qi.

Mugwort, also known as ai ye in Chinese, has a long history of use. Research has shown that it acts as an emmenagogue, which is an herb that increases blood circulation in the pelvic region and stimulates menstruation; therefore mugwort has been used in treating breech births and menstrual cramps. A landmark study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998 found that up to 75% of women successfully corrected the breech position by stimulating the bladder meridian with moxibustion.

When moxibustion is preformed there are two types, indirect and direct. Indirect moxibustion is currently the more popular form of care because there is a much lower risk of pain or burning. It involves a mugwort or moxa stick, which is comparable to the shape and size of a cigar. The practitioner lights one end of the stick and holds it close to the area being treated for several minutes until the area turns red. Another form of indirect moxibustion uses both acupuncture needles and mugwort. A needle is inserted into an acupoint; the tip of the needle is wrapped in mugwort and lit, generating heat to the point and the surrounding area. After the treatment is completed, the mugwort is extinguished and the needle is removed.

In direct moxibustion, a small, cone-shaped amount of mugwort is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. This type of moxibustion is further categorized into two types: scarring and non-scarring. With scarring moxibustion, the mugwort is placed on a point, ignited, and allowed to remain on the point until it burns out completely. This is the traditional technique and is considered to be very therapeutic. Dr. Shimetaro Hara, at the Kyushu University in Japan, has reported the effectiveness of direct moxibustion on immune function as early as 1927. However, presently direct moxibustion is not performed routinely outside of Japan, because it may lead to blisters and localized scaring. In an attempt to prevent skin damage, some acupuncturists practice non-scarring moxibustion. Placing a slice of ginger or topical paste between the skin and the burning mugwort can do this. The effect from this type of moxibustion should not be considered the same as the scarring direct moxibustion since the main effect of direct moxibustion is caused by the actual damage to the skin, which is believed to stimulate the healing reaction. Another form of non-scarring moxibustion involves placing the mugwort on the acupuncture point and lighting it, but the mugwort is extinguished or removed before it burns the skin. With non-scarring moxibustion the patient will experience a pleasant warm sensation that is felt deep within the skin, but should not experience any pain, blistering or scarring unless the mugwort is left in place for too long.

Moxibustion is used specifically for patients suffering from cold or stagnant constitutions; therefore it should not be used on anyone who has been diagnosed with too much heat. Burning mugwort can also produce a large amount of smoke and an intense odor therefore patients with respiratory problems may request that their practitioner use smokeless moxa sticks as an alternative.

Book Review
Thyroid Power 10 Steps to Total Health
By Richard L. Shames, M.D. and Karilee Halo Hames, R.N., PhD

Richard Shames is a graduate of Harvard, and the University of the Pennsylvania Medical School, and founder of the American Holistic Medical Association. His wife Karliee Halo Shames is a certified holistic nurse with a specialty in psychiatric nursing, and an assistant professor of nursing at Florida Atlantic University. Together they have produced what I believe to be the best sourcebook I’ve ever read for helping low thyroid individuals live healthy productive lives despite the many challenges, the ever-changing symptoms and presentations of low thyroid conditions, and associated health conditions. Low thyroid is probably one of the most frequently undiagnosed and misdiagnosed metabolic disorders worldwide. This is a condition that primarily affects women and the symptoms are often confused with other conditions and hormone imbalances.

Karilee’s long personal journey to wellness through her relentless quest for an understanding of how to manage her own low thyroid condition with all the varied symptoms, combined with her husband’s knowledge and support have resulted in a sourcebook suitable for the average person to examine their own symptoms, determine whether they may be experiencing low thyroid, find an appropriate medical practitioner, understand both natural and pharmaceutical treatment options, and to manage and diminish symptoms through holistic approaches using nutrition, herbal remedies, spiritual and personal development, support groups, energy work and mind/body medicine techniques.

The book provides a very comprehensive list of resources including medical terminology, articles on Fluoride-Thyroid research, recommended books and other articles on thyroid disorders, information on finding practitioners, thyroid organizations, informative thyroid websites and related organizations, special laboratories for testing, and water filtration devices. They have included a listing of the many commonly available medications, the tests for evaluating low thyroid function, adrenal testing and reproductive hormone testing to educate the individual and ensure you can intelligently discuss your symptoms and request thorough testing of the related hormone systems which may also be affected or affecting your thyroid function.

In their "Ten Steps" approach they cover thyroid conditions as a hidden factor in overall health, and educate us on how to boost the effectiveness of treatment protocols with natural therapies, improve underlying autoimmune conditions and achieve optimal recovery through living an empowered lifestyle. Let’s take a brief look at each of the ten steps based on the Shames’ summary of each:

1. Step One – This chapter provides an understanding of exactly what low thyroid function is on a biochemical level, understanding of the metabolic function, how the immune system is involved and why autoimmune thyroid disease is becoming more common today, how low thyroid masquerades as other conditions, why low thyroid is so often undiagnosed, how the "ten step" approach given in this book can help you develop your own plan for total health and a helpful self-assessment questionnaire.
2. Step Two – Explains how low thyroid function can make other illnesses worsen and how other illnesses can worsen thyroid function, how to find a doctor who understands this condition, low energy conditions that may be thyroid related such as anemia, malnutrition, toxicity, exhaustion due to lack of exercise, allergies, inflammatory responses and parasitic infestations, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome and even hyperthyroidism. This chapter also includes a self- assessment questionnaire.
3. Step Three – Explains how to recognize low thyroid signs, symptoms and examine family genetics and history to support your diagnosis. Symptoms include fatigue that does not improve with rest, visual problems, eczema, high cholesterol, migraines, cold hands and feet, low libido, arthritis-like aches and pains, depression, IBS and poor digestion. The basal temperature method of determining low thyroid and low metabolic function by noting consistently lower temperatures is explored. This chapter also includes a self- assessment questionnaire.
4. Step Four – Is about realizing you may be low thyroid despite normal blood tests, how to know which tests to ask for, why one test alone is insufficient, the physicians attitudinal challenges, the economic challenges of testing, the lack of scientific accuracy of available testing methods, and the problem with the range of results that are considered to be normal. Several blood tests are discussed here and this is very helpful information.
5. Step Five – Explains all the options for medications, the benefits and drawbacks of each and the need to sometimes vary or mix the medications to discover which works most effectively for each individual, the treatment protocol for starting a low dose and gradually increasing until optimum function has been reached, the brands of natural supplements that may be more helpful for some than the synthetic brands, and the possibility for low thyroid individuals to not necessarily need to take medication for life.
6. Step Six – This chapter helps us understand how to reestablish hormonal balance in our reproductive system to reduce or eliminate complications such as symptoms of PMS and menopause, and conditions such as infertility, fibroids, ovarian cysts, cervical polyps, and endometriosis in women, and interestingly, the effect of low thyroid function on men that includes reduced libido and sexual performance, low energy, depression, low sperm count and imbalances of testosterone metabolism. This chapter also includes a self- assessment questionnaire.
7. Step Seven – The Thyroid-Adrenal connection and relationship of low thyroid function to adrenal function is discussed here. The effects of acute and chronic stress and the ways in which different individuals respond to stressors, and the effects of stress on thyroid function are explained. Supplementing with natural adrenal hormones is also described to clarify any concerns with these in contrast to the effects of using synthetics. This chapter also includes a self- assessment questionnaire to help you determine if low adrenal function is an issue.
8. Step Eight – This was my favorite chapter in which the Shames’ provide common sense nutritional information and discuss natural glandular supplements, vitamins, minerals, good fats and bad fats, and herbal supplements known to improve thyroid conditions when used as a support to your medication or treatment protocols. Important information on which foods support healthy thyroid function and which foods diminish healthy function clears up many common questions on this issue. This is very helpful to ensure you are not consuming foods or substances that are working against your overall plan to recover your health and stamina. Here you will find an informative discussion on the dangers of fluoridation in your water, and toxins in your food and personal care products.
9. Step Nine – This is an important chapter that discusses improving the underlying autoimmune condition, what an autoimmune attack is, what the possible triggers are such as environmental toxins in our air, water, environment and home, and the processed foods we eat. There are steps to take such as using a water filtration system, not using plastics, the hazards of chlorine in swimming pools, and information on allergens that trigger most autoimmune responses, including inhalant allergens, food allergens, parasites, stress and how to deal with it through imagery techniques. Taking action against things that trouble you, such as relationships, or the current state of health care, through political activism as a means of feeling more empowered and less stressed about your life, as well as holistic therapies will help with stress reduction.
10. Step Ten – This is all about reaching optimal recovery through living an empowered lifestyle, changing thoughts, behaviors, all of our habitual thought patterns that create feelings of helplessness about our lives. Healing as individuals and as groups is discussed and the positive results from joining a thyroid support group with all the very creative and positive ways in which these individuals developed and implemented their coping strategies were very inspiring.

The book closes with very helpful chapters entitled How to Tap into the Source of Boundless Energy and How to Jumpstart Your Program Quickly.

As Holistic Health Practitioners this can be an essential reference book for your resource library to help you assess your client’s possible low thyroid condition despite the tests for low thyroid declaring them to be in the normal range. As an individual with autoimmune low thyroid for the last 17 years and one who considers herself very well read on this topic I highly recommend this book as being one of the best ever written on the subject of thyroid conditions.

Reviewed By Moira Khouri NC, MH, HHP, CCP
Faculty Member of GCNM

Exercise of the Month  

Exercise Description: Knee Raise Crunch

Target Muscle: Abdominal Muscles

Instructions:

Begin the exercise by sitting down on a chair or bench. Make sure you are sitting up tall and straight with feet planted on the floor and abdominals tight. As you slowly raise one foot off the ground at a time, simultaneously curl your upper body forward and return to your starting position with both feet on the ground and sitting upright. Repeat on the other leg or alternate legs. **Make sure to NOT strain forward with the neck. To make the exercise more challenging add ankle weights, wrists weights, or both.

Motivational Article

What Is Your Key To Success??
By: Roseanna Leaton

There are many steps to success in life, be it in business success, financial success or relationship success. One factor, which is at the heart of success, is that of perseverance. Most people think of success in terms of their business or acquisition of wealth, although ultimately most will agree that the one thing, which matters above all else, is to find happiness in ones relationships or personal life.

It can be difficult however to live a balanced life when in search of business success. The ease of communication in this day and age provides greater opportunities to achieve success whilst at the same time creating more opportunity for competition. Thus an increasingly high demand is placed upon one's time, abilities and talent. Conflict is often felt whilst in the pursuit of success.

New developments generally mean that one has to find different ways to act so as to adapt and benefit most from a change in circumstances. The ability to get noticed upon the Internet or to make money on line has opened up a whole new way in which it is possible to live. Many more people are working from home, and this has both its plus and minus points. Many people choose to work from home as a way of seeing more of their family only to find that their new form of work becomes more consuming an activity than they had originally expected.

If one considers that the primary aim of humans throughout evolution is to pass on ones genes and procreate, then one can see that the creation of a stable family life is all-important. But the provision of wealth so as to thrive is also a necessary ingredient. Balance has to be achieved. The human race has evolved and thrived more than any other animal; it is thought that the benefit of learning to walk on two feet instead of four is what gave us our competitive advantage. By walking on two feet, arms became free to gather food and bring it home to the family.

Had our ancestors lost sight of the necessity for procreation as a primary goal they would not have been successful in the evolutionary stakes. In modern times the internet provides us with a huge opportunity to adapt our ways, become successful and make life easier, so long as we keep an eye on everything that matters to us and do not fall into a routine of "all work and no play".

As we all know "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" and this is what in modern times leads to relationships fracturing and ultimately failing. The prevalence of broken family units is probably more of a threat to our long-term success as a human race than anything else in the modern world. We have succeeded as a human race by banding together and working together. Success takes perseverance but it also requires balance and togetherness.

To achieve all round success, one needs to know when to work and when to stop. There is an art to learning how to persevere effectively and to learning how to switch off. Hypnosis is a great help in both of these tasks. Hypnosis is a state of relaxation and in learning to use hypnosis you learn how to switch off and change state. But hypnosis also provides access to your inner mind and enables one to make the road to success both smoother and quicker.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is a practitioner of self-improvement. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and learn how to set powerful goals and achieve success.

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Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Bonus Income Opportunity
Exclusively for GCNM Students/Alumni

Would you like to promote GCNM and earn money?
GCNM now has an affiliate program available for students and alumni
who have professional websites with a holistic living focus.
Affiliates will earn 10% on all sales.

If you are interested in promoting GCNM’s Nutritional Consultant, Master Herbalist, and Holistic Health Practitioner programs and earning money at the same time, please contact Heather at heatherjohnstone@gcnm.com for details.

Please join us for GCNM’s next Open House

We are pleased to announce that on February 13th, 2010 Global College of Natural Medicine will be holding an Online Open House event from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM Eastern Time for Alumni, Students, GCNM Candidates, and guests.

FREE presentations will be offered throughout the day but you must reserve a spot to obtain the URL and a password.

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It’s one thing to earn a diploma or a degree in the field of your choice but it’s another to find employment or set up a successful business in your chosen field. GCNM is not your regular college, teaching theory only and leaving graduates to fend for themselves when it comes to setting up a business or finding work. Through our curriculum, additional resources and regular online workshops and seminars, we’ll give you all the tools you’ll need to actually make money in the ever-growing field of Natural Medicine.

Many of GCNM’s graduates have gone on to build successful businesses in the field of alternative medicine. Below we feature just some of their websites. (If you are a GCNM student or graduate and would like your website displayed on this page, please contact student support.

GCNM Study Abroad Opportunity March 2010

The workshops conducted by Jackie Christensen will teach individuals the skills necessary to produce herbal remedies and make their own herbal medicine that will empower them and help address their own health and wellness needs.

Participants will learn how to create their own herbal remedies from plant life that is both indigenous to Roatan and found throughout the world. Participants will learn to treat common ailments with infusions, decoctions, oils, salves, and flower essence remedies. The week will commence with a harvest ceremony where we will express our gratitude and companionship in a communion with the surrounding plant life.

Throughout the week we will partake in hikes into the bush for indigenous plants, meet with a local "witch" doctor, and visit the fascinating Carambola Gardens. Students will also have the opportunity to receive one-to-one assistance with their program’s curriculum.

Jackie Christensen has a passion for education, holistic health care and herbal medicine. Her many achievements include earning a Holistic Health Diploma, Nutritional Consultant Certificate and Master Herbalist Certificate with the Global College of Natural Medicine. She has also received a B.S. from Minnesota State University, and is currently working on a Masters of Science Degree in Holistic Health. Her love for herbs has taken her around the world, where she has studied the Australian rain forest at James Cook University, participated in kava ceremonies in the South Pacific and studied the basis of shamanism and traditional medicine of indigenous cultures in the Amazonian tribes. In an effort to combine her interest in spirituality and herbal health care she came to work at the Global College of Natural Medicine in 2005 where she currently teaches students and GCNM staff about holistic health and herbology.

Upachaya is an all inclusive wellness retreat located on Man O’War Harbor on Roatan. It is just a 2 1/2 hour flight out of Miami, or Houston

Event Schedule

Come join us for this inaugural study abroad program for the Global College of Natural Medicine. We are headed to the tropical island of Roatan, Honduras. It is here that we will have the opportunity to meet with a local island "witch" doctor who practices herbal medicine, hike the "bush" for indigenous medicinal plants, and partake in lectures from a local island woman that has 60 acres of land dedicated to growing and cultivating the local flora. In addition, Jackie will provide 12 hours of workshops, where we will participate in making a variety of medicinal concoctions beginning with a harvest ceremony.

Jackie Christensen, BS, HHP, NC, MH
Instructor Global College of Natural Medicine
Tel: 1-800-804-5512
Jackie@gcnm.com
www.gcnm.com
info@upachaya.com
www.upachaya.com

GCNM Study Abroad Brochure

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Announcements

GCNM Now Offers
Distance-Learning Degrees!

We are pleased to announce
that GCNM is now offering
the following degree programs:

- Bachelor of Science in Holistic Health
- Master of Science in Holistic Health
- Doctor of Philosophy in Holistic Health

Click here to learn more...

For more information, please email Admissions@GCNM.com
or phone us at the numbers below. 

From the U.S. and Canada:
1-800-605-6520
From outside North America:
+1-831-458-4196

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New GCNM
Online Bookstore!

Be sure to check out GCNM’s new online bookstore where you can find holistic health books, CDs, DVDs, and supplies to facilitate your personal and professional development. Show your support for GCNM by purchasing GCNM memorabilia!

Visit the online bookstore today.