It seems lately there is a “day” for everything.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a National Log Cabin Interior Designers Day or a National Poodle Owners Born in the Month of June Day.  Well, in case you didn’t know, today is National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day (National AOM Day).

AOM Day is a “day” that I think actually deserves to be recognized. Why?  Well, the point of these “days” is usually to raise awareness, usually about something that will benefit people.  Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine definitely fits into that category.  According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a federal office that conducts research on medicine outside of the allopathic realm, visits to acupuncturists almost tripled in the years from 1997 to 2007.  See a an article about the study here.

People are definitely using this medicine, and there is definitely a reason why.  It works!  Here are a few tidbits about Oriental Medicine:

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I have a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin ginger bread that I want to write up, but as school ramps up I wanted to share what I know about how Chinese Medicine and lifestyle choices can help with stress management.

You see, I am a person who gets stressed out fairly easily and when my to-do list piles up, I start to feel the pressure.  So what does that look like for me?  Well, I begin to feel irritable.  I start hating whatever it is that is making me busy, even if it is something that I would otherwise like.  I feel exhausted and foggy during the day, and then ramped up at night and can’t sleep when I desperately need to.  I start eating more to deal with the stress, and I usually exercise less since I have no time–a bad combo!  In general, I feel anxious and on-edge.

As we head into cold and flu season, an important reason to keep your stress under control is to keep your immune system strong.  If you are feeling weak and tired you are much more likely to catch whatever bug is coming around.  So let’s all work on staying stress free and healthy!

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