In collaboration with Focus News Weekly, the Xiaolan Health Centre contributed articles written by our staff for publication in the paper. Reproduced here, the Xiaolan Health Centre will be running the articles over the next couple of months for our patients and website visitors.

The first article we will present here is the benefits of TCM herbs can have for healthy and nourished skin:

The skin is the body’s largest organ and as such, there is much attention in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focused on the health of the skin. Acupuncture and herbs are the most common methods of treatment for skin disorders, which include but are not limited to acne, eczema, psoriasis, and dry and flaky skin. In TCM, it is believed that skin disorders originate from heat, related to emotions, stress, and over-active hormones; and dampness, related to not adequately flushing toxins and waste from the body. As a general rule, herbs in TCM have differing functions based on their taste: sweet tasting herbs nourish skin, bitter tasting herbs clear heat and toxins from the body, and sour tasting herbs stops excessive excretions, such as sweat and oil.

Some herbs that aid in the treatment of skin disorders include some common and not-so-common herbs. A few of these include:

Shavegrass promotes collagen production. It is a plant which provides the most abundant source of silica on the planet, used in everything from food additives to pharmaceutical products. It acts as a drying agent.

Bupleurum is one of the most commonly used herbs in TCM and aids in a clear complexion. It disperses heat from the liver, helps with increased ease of flow of Qi and blood, and acts as a detoxifier.

Rehmannia, also called Disui, or Earth Marrow, eliminates blood congestion and disperses heat and cold. It has anti-aging benefits and is used to treat hormone imbalances and to resolve swelling and inflammation.

Gotu Kola has restorative benefits and also acts as a preventative measure for cancer.

Schisandra is a berry which is used to make teas and berry wine. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in TCM and acts as an astringent for the Qi of the lungs and kidneys, as well as assists in the stoppage of excessive sweating.

Aloe vera is a plant which most people in the western world are familiar with. In fact, it has been used for thousands of years and the ancient Egyptians referred to it as the “Plant of Immortality”. It has been used for a variety of ailments but is specifically good for the skin due to its moisturizing, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is used to treat flaky and dry skin, hair and scalp. It contains two hormones, Auxin and Gibberellins, which help to eliminate hormone imbalances and inflammation. It can be taken externally or internally.

Of course it would be simplistic to believe that skin disorders are only related to one aspect of health, as such factors as diet, exercise, and sun exposure also contribute to the state of your skins health, but utilizing TCM herbs, you can prevent and even eliminate skin disorders by correcting the congestion or deficiencies that are at the root cause of most skin ailments. For more information visit the Xiaolan Health Centre.

We would just like to take this opportunity to wish all of our patients and friends a Happy New Year from the Xiaolan Health Centre! We hope that 2015 brings you and your friends and families the best of health!

All the best for a prosperous 2015!

The Xiaolan Health Centre will be open regular business hours over the Holiday season, with the following exceptions:

December 24th - 8:00am - 3:00pm
December 25th - Closed
December 26th - Closed

December 31st - 8:00am - 3:00pm
January 1st - Closed

We at the Xiaolan Health Centre wish you and yours the very best in health and happiness over this coming Holiday Season!

We would like to announce a very special opportunity for continuing education at the Xiaolan Health Centre. Master TCM practitioner Chengfu Cai, with over 40 years of clinical practice and teacher to Dr. Xiaolan Zhao, will be teaching a 2-day seminar on understanding the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This workshop will be over the weekend of October 4th and 5th at the Xiaolan Health Centre at 88 Prince Arthur Avenue in Toronto. This workshop is approved by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturists of Ontario for 16 continuing education credits.

If you are a practitioner, the workshop will increase your understanding and knowledge of classical formulas, as well as deepen your clinical application skills for the optimum healing of your patients. If you are simply interested in TCM, you will develop an understanding of this millennia old approach and how it supports our bodies, well-being and healing.

You are invited to take part in this exciting opportunity! To register, please contact the Xiaolan Health Centre at 416 538 8262 or email [email protected]

The Xiaolan Health Centre is pleased to announce a new partnership with Focus News weekly, which will see the Xiaolan Health Centre featured in a weekly column on health issues and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The issues come out weekly on Fridays and can be picked up from the Xiaolan Health Centre, as well as other locations throughout the GTA.

Focus News is a new, free community newspaper which can be found at multiple locations across the GTA. For more information on Focus News and to view back issues, visit:

www.focusnews.ca

As we now know, the proliferation of toxic pesticides, combined with erratic weather patterns, disappearing habitats, and infectious viruses had contributed to the decline of bee colonies all over North America. We can do our bit by doing what we can to encourage the health of bee colonies. Around 30% of the food we eat requires pollination and reduced bee numbers results in reduced yields in everything from apples, cherries, berries, amongst many other foods that we take for granted as abundant. These could disappear from grocery store shelves if bee numbers continue to decline. The following plants are among some of the plants that you can plant to help bring back our pollinating friends.

You don't even need a yard! Window boxes, containers, pots, all make excellent vessels for plants. Get on some gloves and get planting!

The summer hours for the Xiaolan Health Centre have been posted in the Contents section of the Xiaolan Health Centre website. Please note that we will be closed every other Friday for the months of July and August. For specific dates, please check the Contact section of the website.

Happy Summer from the Xiaolan Health Centre!

Question: What does this say?

The answer is Volcano!

The idea of trying to learn the Chinese language can be very daunting for people unfamiliar with the structure and composition of the language. There are of course regional differences in dialects, but that is the subject of a longer more involved post. For now we will consider the structure of the language and how easy it can actually be to understand Chinese.

London-based Chinese-language teacher Shao Lan (coincidentally!) invented Chinese character graphics called Chineasy that make learning Chinese more visual and intuitive. Visit the link below to see more examples, learn about Shao Lan, and even watch a video on how her system works.

www.demilked.com

As the prominence of China on the world stage increases, the motivation to learn Chinese becomes even more appealing. Grab some flash cards and start studying!

Spring is an excellent time to re-focus on your health after the hibernation of winter and to start eating right. The green of spring once again brings us the energy and freshness that we have been lacking through the last few difficult winter months and reminds us of the importance of fresh, green, healthy foods.

Taking inspiration from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the blog Healthy Green Kitchen has some tips for eating right in the spring. With a focus on TCM, Healthy Green Kitchen has put together some tips, recipes, and some background info on spring eating. Follow the link below for more:

www.healthygreenkitchen.com/spring-eating-tips

Happy Spring from the Xiaolan Health Centre!