Wishing you a healthy and prosperous Year of the Dragon

January 23rd marks the start of the Chinese New Year. It is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as the “Spring Festival” and it marks the end of the Winter season. Since the Chinese follow a Lunisolar calendar, the festival begins on the first day of the first Chinese lunar month. A long holiday, spanning 15 days, the celebration ends on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival.

While traditions may vary by culture, typically households will thoroughly clean their homes to sweep away negative qi in hopes of making way for good incoming luck. They gather together and celebrate the onset of the New Year with an elaborate feast. Traditional food will include such items as whole fish, pigs, ducks, chicken, dumplings and sweet delicacies. At the end of the night, the family will assemble to light firecrackers and many parents gift their children with money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. Homes and businesses are decorated with red paper cut-outs using popular themes of “good fortune,” “happiness,” “wealth,” and “longevity.”

The Year of the Dragon.

Often the symbol of Emperors, Dragons are the most noble and desirable sign in the Chinese Zodiac. They stand for power, strength, and good luck. Those born under the influence of Dragon are considered luckiest of all. Examples of some famous Dragons include: John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Al Pacino, Marlene Dietrich, Isabella Rossellini, Sandra Bullock and Matt Dillon. Do you know if you’re a Dragon? You are if you were born after the lunar new year in 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 or 2012.

The Year of good fortune, the Dragon year is believed to be good for business and finances. And since it’s known to leave wealth & prosperity in its way, the Dragon always leads street processions during Chinese New Year.  Furthermore, under the influence of the Dragon it is considered a Yang, as opposed to a Yin, year.  This is also a water year in the 5 element system and Yang Water is like a flowing river rather than a stagnant lake. Things will move, ideas will flow, economies will boom (let’s hope so!), and love will blossom. It’s likely to be an exciting year indeed!

So, as they say in Cantonese:

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Have a happy and prosperous New Year!

As any regular reader of our blog knows, Jill & I cook with tomatoes a lot. We grow our own during the summer and continue exploring recipes with them when winter comes – often with fresh and canned tomatoes we pick up at the supermarket. Well last night our eyes were opened and we may have to reconsider the way we buy our winter tomatoes. Award winning film maker and environmental health advocate Penelope Jagessar Chaffer gave a talk at The YinOva Center on how to be a non-toxic New Yorker and to our surprise, our beloved red fruits did not escape her gaze.

We already knew that getting our tomatoes delivered from Florida in December create a sizable carbon footprint. What we didn’t entirely understand was the ways they are treated and packaged to preserve their seeming freshness can involve potentially toxic chemicals. From pesticides and stabilizers, to the estrogen-mimicking liners of metal cans that leach into the foods, this was not something we liked hearing.

The bottom line: living in New York Penelope says, we are regularly marketed better looking, fresher smelling, quicker acting products, from food to cosmetics and household cleaners, that are, quite frankly toxic. In amongst the eye opening statistics though, she had good news: tangible ways to recognize and make healthy choices about the products we use in and on our bodies.

Penelope’s talk The Ultimate Guide to Being a Non-Toxic New Yorker was a revealing discussion about how to transform our lives with some really simple steps. By reading labels and finding out what an unpronounceable ingredient really is, and asking questions like “What does green dry cleaning actually mean?”, we can become what Penelope calls “internal environmentalists”.

Of course awareness is just the beginning. Penelope also had lots of information on ways to take action, including the power of voting with your wallet and how to talk to kids about healthy choices. She also talked about the importance of supporting legislative initiatives such as NYS Senators’ Schumer and Gillibrand’s call for product labeling transparency, such as with sunscreens (which Jill also wrote about here).

Penelope’s film Toxic Baby is a blend of music, animation and hard science about the increasing exposure that our children face to thousands of harmful chemicals in everyday products. The film’s website features more information, resources and ways to detoxify your world.

Gung Hay Fat Choy. A very happy and prosperous Year of the Tiger to all of you.

The Chinese have followed a lunar calendar since 2600 B.C.E. which means that the first day of the year can be anywhere between late January and mid February. This year New Year’s Day happens to fall on Valentine’s Day making this a particularly auspicious occasion for those of us who live in the West.

Chinese New Year marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is a time when families get together, put aside disagreements, honor their ancestors and thank the gods for their blessings. People rush to pay off debts before the old year ends and wear new clothes to signify a new beginning. The color red features prominently in decorations and clothing because it is thought to bring good luck and happiness.

It is traditional to prepare for New Year by cleaning your home and here at the YinOva Center we have spent the month of January cleaning house in a variety of ways. Many of you joined me on our annual YinOva cleanse as a way of renewing your commitment to your health for the the year ahead. Mark, our YinOva manager, has been busy cleaning out cupboards and rearranging our office and we are marking the passage of time and the changing of seasons by saying goodbye to some of our lovely YinOva acupuncturists and welcome new members of the team into our office. We wish Marie and Liz well as they start out in private practice and welcome Anne and Kymberly to the YinOva Center. Both of them bring experience and considerable new skills and talents to our team and we are thrilled to have them on board and I know they are looking forward to taking care of you as we embark on the Year of the Tiger.

In Chinese astrology each year is assigned an animal and an element. There are 12 animals and 5 elements and that means that a specific sign only comes round once every 60 years. In days gone by this used to be considered the life cycle of a person although with modern medicine combined with the traditional wisdom of Chinese medicine most of us will be fortunate to live well into the next 60-year cycle.

This upcoming year will be a Metal Tiger year and according to the Chinese horoscope it will be tumultuous. Tiger years are said to start with a roar and end with a whimper so we can expect the year to get off to an unpredictable and tempestuous start. It is said that everything, both good and bad, is magnified during a Tiger year so we can expect great highs accompanied by great lows along with big changes.  People can act dramatically and impulsively so a Chinese astrologer would see it as no accident that Watergate happened in a Tiger year. This rashness can threaten friendships and partnerships and lead to discord in our personal lives.  Those of us who follow the Chinese zodiac are preparing our selves for large swings in the financial markets, political unrest domestically and international conflict.

If all this sounds a little scary you should know that Metal Tiger years are considered forceful but not necessarily unlucky. In fact the strength of the metal tiger can be used to get difficult tasks completed and make the impossible happen. Financial markets although volatile should trend upwards and the world’s economies will start to recover. On a personal level this is a good year to finally face up to your most challenging issues and resolve them once and for all. The heat of the Tiger can have a cleansing effect and we could end this year in a way better position than when we started out. This will be particularly true if we are vigilant about this year’s tendency to rash behavior and are careful to keep our own impulses in check.

So what is the key to getting the best out of the Metal Tiger Year? Here is the advice we are giving our YinOva patients.

• Given that this year can lead to arguments and the severing of relationships as well as impulsive behavior, make a conscious effort to think before acting, to pause and breathe before speaking and to cultivate calmness and clarity through meditation and contemplation.
• Use the forceful energy of a Tiger year to make changes in your own life and confront your most difficult issues.
• The power of a Tiger year can be used to turn around any situation or aspect of your life that is no longer working for you.
• Make balance a priority by eating well and getting enough sleep.
• Focus on activities that are yin to balance up the yang energy this year. Take walks in nature, create a water feature in your home or garden, grow food, read books and spend time in peace and solitude.

Throughout the month of February the YinOva Center will donate a percentage of each acupuncture or massage treatment to the relief efforts in Haiti. Patients can direct their money to one of the following charities.

Doctors without Borders
Care
Friends of the Orphans

We encourage all current patients to come on in and what’s more we’ll be waving Jill’s waiting list to accommodate new patients straight away. Jill will be working extra hours to make sure we get everyone in.

Come and join us and tell your friends as we pass healing energy from us to you to those in need.

When we decided to have a party at the YinOva Center, Mark our trusty manager was charged with the task of creating the perfect cocktail. We, the YinOva team, chipped in our suggestions…. healthy but not too healthy…light but intoxicating…fruity but not too sweet and someone (who shall be nameless) requested that it act as a blood tonic and be full of antioxidants. Poor Mark was faced with the unenviable task of meeting all our requirements and miracle of miracles he succeeded with the YinTini.

The party was a huge success. 150 people turned out on a cold and rainy night to mix, mingle, celebrate, eat good food and drink the YinOva YinTini. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Charles Ferri of Star Vodka who provided the alcohol that made our party swing. Distilled in the Cascade Mountains, Star Vodka is filtered five times through natural lava rock making it almost….healthy. Enjoy the pictures of our celebration and here by popular request is the recipe for our YinTini.

1 Part Gluten Free Star Vodka
2 Parts Pom Pomegrante Juice
Agave Nectar to taste
Fresh Lime Juice
Garnish with Lemon Twist

Our non alcoholic version replaced the Star Vodka with seltzer and was called the YinOva Elixyr.

Recently I blogged about how we at The YinOva Center help couples going through IVF. Some of you emailed or called and asked if we would offer a discount for people who are scheduling an assisted reproductive technique and need to book a series of appointments. We hadn’t thought of this and are grateful for the suggestion. The answer is YES! We are happy to support you in this way. So if you are doing an IVF cycle or IVF with donor egg here are our suggested treatment schedules which you can purchase ahead of time as a package.

Although you will buy your treatments ahead of time you don’t have to schedule all your appointments up front because timing will vary according to your cycle. Also we want to reassure you that should your procedure be canceled we will be happy to give you a refund for the treatments that are outstanding.

We are happy to offer you a discount on the following packages of treatments with YinOva Acupuncturists Margaret Sikowitz, Liz Carlson and Marie Amato. Because timing your treatments is important you may see any or all of our practitioners depending on who is available at the time that fits your ART schedule. To schedule some or all your appointments with Jill Blakeway please talk to our manager Mark Radoncic who will be delighted to help you.

The YinOva IVF Support Package

1 Initial intake prior to start of IVF
1 Acupuncture treatment during menstrual phase, if applicable
2 Acupuncture treatments during stimulation phase
2 Treatments (1 prior to retrieval and 1 prior to transfer; these should be scheduled about 24-48 before retrieval and transfer)
1 Treatment after transfer (24-48 hours after transfer, not the same day)
1 Treatment during luteal phase (usually around cycle day 20-28)

Package Value – $955 YinOva Discounted Price – $850

The YinOva Donor Egg IVF Support Package

1 Initial intake prior to start of IVF
1 Acupuncture treatment during menstrual phase, if applicable
1 Acupuncture treatment to enhance uterine lining (more if necessary)
1 Treatment after transfer
1 Luteal phase treatment

Package Value – $610 YinOva Discounted price – $550

All of these treatment packages are also offered to current patients without the initial consult fee.

ART Packages for Current Patients without the Initial Consult Fee

IVF Package – Package Value – $805 YinOva Discounted price – $725

Donor Egg Package – Package Value – $460 YinOva Discounted price – $415

So thank you YinOva patients for a great suggestion. It is our pleasure to offer you these discounts and as always we appreciate your faith in us. We are happy to support you through your IVF cycle.

Due to popular demand the YinOva Center is offering a FREE “Ladies Who Lunch” workshop on Wednesday, September 16 from 12:30 to 1:15pm at the Center.

We invite you to bring your lunch and we’ll provide the drinks while you learn from our newest staff member Nicole Kruck, LMT on how to use massage to enhance your fertility and reproductive care naturally. And for “dessert” – if you bring a friend you will be entered into a drawing to win a free 30 minute massage.

We look forward to seeing you!

RSVP to Nicole at  nkruck@YinOvaCenter.com

“To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage ” – Lao Tzu

Yesterday we closed the office early and headed off to Westchester for the wedding of one of our own – our lovely YinOva acupuncturist Marie Amato. Marie has worked here at YinOva for 6 years and is a much loved and valued member of our team. Known for her unflappable calm and seemingly endless reserves of patience, Marie is a fabulous acupuncturist with a special talent for treating children.

Margaret, Liz and I sat together in the church and sobbed when we saw her in her wedding dress. She looked stunning and so happy as she walked, with her father, towards a beaming Dennis.

Congratulations, Marie and Dennis, from all your friends and colleagues at the YinOva Center and a special thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Amato for a wonderful wedding.

In the words of an old Irish blessing…

“… may you see your children’s children… may you know nothing but happiness,
from this day forward.”

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