Stagnation of qi (energy) is one of the most basic causes for disease in Chinese medicine--and a lot of us have it, especially if there is chronic stress in our lives.

Stagnation can manifest as pain in the body, digestive upset, tightness in the shoulders, chest or other parts of the body, a lump in the throat or stomach, depression of the spirit, sighing, mood swings and anger, hormonal imbalances (especially PMS) and more.

In Chinese medicine there must be smooth flow of energy in order to be healthy and happy.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can greatly improve qi stagnation. However, it is equally important for you to help yourself. If you start noticing behaviors, thoughts, patterns and activities that lead to stagnation and actively interrupt them, it will help alleviate the stagnation.

Ways to help yourself relieve stagnation:

• Notice when your shoulders are tense or you are holding/tightening any part of your body and actively let it relax. Common places for holding tension are the shoulders, neck and jaw. Some people will even notice their arms or legs may tighten. Start paying attention to where and when you tighten. Tightening in the body in response to certain people or situations can be a good clue that we need to remove ourselves from the interaction.
  

• Notice when you are thinking thoughts or having emotions that lead to anger, resentment or frustration. When you are having these emotions, just notice them and try not to get too bogged down in them. Try to figure out how to release them. Often forgiveness and acceptance of yourself and others is a good place to start. There is a Chinese medicine saying that "the qi follows the mind and the mind follows the qi." This means that our thoughts and emotions impact the smooth flow of qi throughout the body, and can lead to disease in the body as well as the mind. Please don't repress your emotions, as this can lead to even more stagnation. Instead, notice the emotion and experiment with accepting and releasing the emotion.
  

• If you are very inactive or sit for long periods of time, get moving. Exercise relieves qi stagnation. Just getting up to stretch and mobilize your joints can help quite a bit.

• Start noticing what is going on with your breath. The breath moves qi and is also qi itself. If you hold your breath, qi cannot flow. In stressful situations, we often hold our breath and some of us get into this pattern even when not under stress. Start paying attention to the breath and breathing deep into the belly when possible.
• Try to look at your lifestyle and see if you need to modify it. If your schedule is driving you crazy and leading to stagnation, it will be hard to fully regain your health and relieve your stress. Our modern world is demanding, and sometimes we have to learn to say no to one more commitment, project or dinner party. Having some unstructured time each day (or at least a few days a week) is helpful to allow the qi to flow.
  

Do you have any tips you would like to add?

The paleo diet, sometimes called the caveman diet, was devised by nutrition researcher Loren Cordain based on his work looking for what our paleolithic ancestors ate. The first edition of the paleo diet book came out in 2001, but it didn't receive broad popularity until around 2011-2012. There have been many other books published based on paleo diet principles since that original book in 2001, one popular one is Practical Paleo, which I've even seen sold at Costco.

So why is this diet so popular? For one, many health practitioners have found this diet and slight variations of this diet very helpful for resolving chronic health conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune issues and of course, obesity. The diet has also gotten popular at Crossfit gyms, which has help it spread. I was told once that because many men work-out at crossfit gyms (of course women do too), the diet has enjoyed more popularity that many other diets, since traditionally mostly women are more likely to adopt different diets for weight loss. It is also a diet that can appeal to many well-educated people, because it is a whole foods diet based on mostly sound nutritional components. However, like all diets it comes under fire often from people holding different dietary beliefs.

So what can you eat ON the paleo diet? The basics are that you are to eat like our hunter and gatherer ancestors: meat (preferably wild and/or organic and free-range), nuts and seeds, fruits, eggs and lots of veggies. Grains, beans, corn, dairy, sugar, bread and all processed foods don't make the paleo cut.

So, is this diet a "good" and healthy diet? There are a lot of reasons I like the paleo diet, and some reasons I think twice about it.

Reasons to like paleo:

• The paleo diet is a whole foods/real foods diet, meaning it isn't processed.
• It paleo diet is lower in simple carbohydrates than the standard American diet, thus much better on blood sugar, and also a diet that promotes weight loss.
• The paleo diet removes common allergens like gluten, wheat, soy, and milk/cheese/dairy, making many people feel a lot better eating "paleo." These foods in Chinese medicine are said to promote "dampness" in the body, which can create symptoms such and indigestion, headaches and obesity.
  
• The diet is much higher in vegetables than a standard diet.
  

Reasons to think twice about paleo:

• Sometimes paleo dieters can swing a little out of balance. For so long we were told by the "nutrition authorities" that fat and meat was bad for us, bad for our hearts and bad for our waistlines. Luckily, research is starting to catch up with the simple fact that fat isn't bad (at least the right kinds of fat). However, some people who adopt a paleo diet swing perhaps too far in the opposite direction, maybe eating too much meat and fat than their bodies can handle. I believe nutrition is about balance, and that we should strive for that.
• While eggs and meats can be healthy, quality matters. Eating organic, pastured and grass-fed is important for your health, and while most paleo dieters know this, it can be hard to practice because of monetary and convenience issues.
  
• There are other healthy diets out there. I like what are called "ancestral diets" or "traditional diets," of which the paleo diet falls under. Ancestral diets seek to emulate how our ancestors ate before food was industrially processed. There are many good ancestral-style diets to check out: a Mediterranean style diet (allows beans and grains), a Weston A. Price style diet (allows beans, grains and dairy, the emphasis is on preparing them as our ancestors did), a Primal style diet (like a paleo diet, but with dairy and more saturated fat), and the Perfect Health Diet (allows more carbohydrates than the paleo diet, as long as they are certain types of carbohydrates) are some. Since the paleo diet can be rather restrictive, if you don't need to be on the diet for a certain reason, you might be able to find another style of healthy diet for you.
• There is a lot of controversy about eating meat and environmental sustainability. The common paradigm is that eating meat is bad for the planet, but there are others that challenge this notion. So, this is something to consider when choosing ANY diet.
  

I always say that you are the best judge of what type of diet you should eat. However, choosing a proper diet for you does take body awareness, some education on the basics of good nutrition and of course the patience to experiment and revise when necessary. I believe "paleo" can be healthy for many people, but it may not be a long-term diet solution for everyone.

This salad is yummy, easy and was inspired by Mark Sisson's Greek salad in his book Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals.

Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn or chopped
Kalamata Olives
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber, sliced
Ground turkey (you could use lamb for a more authentic Greek feel, but I had turkey on-hand)
Dried Oregano
Red Onion, chopped
Coconut Oil or Butter or Another healthy fat of choice
Garlic, crushed

Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Tahini
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Lemons, juiced
1/2 Tbl Dried Dill or 1 heaping Tbl Fresh Dill
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
1/2 Tsp Coconut Sugar or Honey
1-2 Tbl Water (to thin dressing if needed)
Dash of Ume Plum Vinegar (optional)

Instructions:

• Saute chopped onions in cooking fat of choice, add garlic and cook until both are tender and fragrant
• Add turkey meat and oregano and cook until done, add salt to taste
• Blend all dressing ingredients together except for water. Thin with water if necessary. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  
• Assemble veggies, olives and warm meat into a large salad bowl. Top with dressing and nom, nom, nom!