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​I recently watched the movie "Air," the story behind Air Jordans and was drawn to the line "A shoe is always just a shoe until someone steps in it."

Our bodies are like that.  For the most part, we share the same organs, muscles, tendons and body parts.  These tend to work in similar ways.  Our hearts beat, our lungs fill with air, our stomach and intestines digest food.  We all have this in common.

But the container that we live in is just that, a container.  A group of living organs.  I've been exploring for most of my life what it means to step into this container.    What does it mean to become embodied?

As I’ve explored this, I’ve found that listening to what my body is saying is an incredibly powerful thing.  Stretching my spine every morning has gotten rid feelings of neuropathy in my legs.  Strengthening the muscles in my legs has meant no more knee pain.  Lifting weights at home has kept my bones strong. Eating foods that have a high nutritional content and taste good, has meant a healthier GI tract.

Working with patients, I find that the same thing is true. As they gain an awareness of how to stand and move properly, their pain is reduced and their lives are filled with more ease.  When they eat healthier, things like brain fog and acid reflux go away.

This isn’t about rocket science, rather it’s small, steady changes that over time allow us to be more embodied, more conscious of our experience in our physical being.

I continue to help people have this experience of living healthier by offering Japanese Acupuncture, Craniosacral Therapy and Wellness Counseling.
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If you are interested in improving your health, here are 2 ways to get started.

1. Schedule a free online consultation.  I’ll review your health history and let you know how I can help you be free of pain.  I’ll talk to you about the benefits of acupuncture.

 

1. Schedule a half hour Craniosacral Sacral treatment.  This will get rid of stress you may be carrying and give you the opportunity to be relaxed and in your body.

 

1. Make one small change today – eat an extra vegetable, walk for an extra 5-10 minutes, breathe deeply.  Notice how you feel.

 
Here’s to your good health and happiness!

This is a follow-up to last week's blog.  Here’s why something as simple as walking outdoors for 20 minutes each morning can radically improve your health.
 

• Walking briskly for one hour increases your life expectancy by two hours. Twenty minutes outdoors gives most people the adequate amount of vitamin D they need each day.
• Walking gets the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin. Melatonin is released when it is dark out and causes you to fall asleep.  Reduced levels of melatonin help you wake up.
• Walking is good for the heart, keeps muscles strong, keeps tendons and ligaments flexible, and supports your joints.
• Walking increases blood flow throughout the body.  It gets your heart rate up, lowering blood pressure and reducing your risk of stroke.
• Walking helps regulate your mood by telling the body to release dopamine, which causes decreased stress and depression.  It also causes increased levels of serotonin which helps you sleep and boosts your mood.
• Walking boosts the immune system, limiting the number of days you’ll be sick and minimizing symptoms if you do catch a cold or flu.

 
If you’ve tried to start walking or exercising and haven’t been able to continue with a steady practice there are some tricks to keep you motivated.  Take a look at my blog, "Creating One New Habit." .
 
If you aren’t able to walk because it causes pain, consider scheduling a free ½ hour consultation with me.  We can talk about ways that treatments can help reduce inflammation, lower pain levels and get you more relaxed and on track to achieve your treatment goals.

Know that I’m here to support and guide you on your journey to health!
​
Sending healing energy…
 
Bonnie
 

A patient of mine inspired me to send you write this blog.  She agreed to allow me to share some of her story.
 
We’ve been working together for just under 6 months focusing on stress management and better sleep. 
 
In addition to treatments, this patient decided to make 2 simple lifestyle changes.  She began walking outdoors for 20 minutes each morning and gave up caffeine.
 
She reported feeling better overall and experiencing less stress.  She particularly noticed this on her drive to work in the morning.
 
Wondering why this is?  In this email I’ll talk about the role caffeine plays in the body.  Next week I’ll send an email describing the benefits of walking.
 
Caffeine is a stimulant.  Some people can drink it without any ill effects and studies show that it has health benefits.  However, for other people caffeine Interferes with sleep and  can cause high blood pressure. 
 
For people who have sleep issues, anxiety, heart problems adrenal fatigue, or diabetes; coffee can be problematic.  It triggers the release of adrenaline and may impact hormones and disrupt neurotransmitters.
 
Also, coffee is often used as a substitute for a good night’s sleep and can be addictive.
 
The best way to know if coffee is having an adverse effect on you is to take a three week break from drinking it.  You may want to take five days to do this to avoid withdrawal symptoms.  Each day drink 25% less caffeinated coffee than you did before.  Then spend three weeks drinking only decaf and herbal teas.  During this time, track your sleep, level of anxiety and energy.
 
If your feeling sluggish, stressed out or generally unhappy, I offer treatments that help you relax in addition to recommending simple lifestyle hacks that will have you feeling better, more confident and empowered.
 
Feel free to schedule a free half hour consultation or check out my website for information on insomnia and suggestions on how to get a better night’s sleep.
 
Here’s to your good health and happiness!!
 
Bonnie
 

​We are approaching our national holiday of love. It's a whirlwind of buying flowers and chocolate. I happen to be a card person, and I'm having trouble resisting getting yet one more each time I walk into a store.
 
Lately I've been thinking about an aspect of love that often gets overlooked. This is self-care -- the act of putting time and attention to make sure that YOU are living a healthy and happy life. Self-care is one of the highest forms of love.
 
It took a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for me to wake up to the fact that I was not taking care of myself -- body or spirit. I was working long hours at a job that didn't fulfill me. I was in default mode, doing what I was told to do, not what I really wanted to do.
 
The illness was my body speaking to me, saying that the life I was living wasn't right for me. Because I had limited energy, I had to make choices about what was most important. I had to slow down and listen. In this process, I discovered acupuncture and the idea of living a life in balance. I changed what I was eating, who my friends were and my profession. I got out of a relationship that wasn't right for me.
 
But most of all I started a journey to become and stay healthy. The limited resources that I had went to doctor's visits, acupuncture treatments, psychotherapy and studying acupuncture -- one of the oldest and most widely used health modalities in the world.
 
I learned about these five aspects of health that correspond to the Five Element/Five Organ system that is part of the practice of acupuncture.

• Nourishment -- principles for healthy eating (Spleen/Earth Element)
• Immunity -- using the breath; protection (Lung/Metal Element)
• Resilience -- rootedness; core energy; meditation (Kidney/Water Element)
• Direction -- movement; ability to plan and follow through (Liver/Wood Element)
• Connection -- gratitude, joy, relationships, celebration (Heart/Fire Element)

 
Using these principles my life changed in ways that I could only imagine.

• I found work that I loved.
• I met the man of my dreams.
• I stopped dieting, stopped weighing myself and started eating nutritiously.
• I found a spiritual community that supported me and fed my soul.
• I started spending more time outdoors, cooking, reading and connecting with friends.

 
All these things were acts of self-care. They are things that I continue to practice to this day. Even when I get off course, when things get busy and life gets stressful, these are things that I return to time and time again.
 
Out of this experience came a desire to help other people, possibly you, live healthier and happier lives. If this journey interests you, consider signing up for my Roadmap to Health 6 Week class. This is for you if:

• You want to get healthier, but are not sure where to begin.
• You have tried various diet and exercise programs, but none has stuck.
• You are interested in learning more about Chinese & Japanese medicine.
• You experience pain & are looking for natural solutions.
• You are looking for a group to offer support and encouragement.

 
This class begins on February 19th -- it's been postponed one week due to snow.
 
For more information and to sign-up at a special rate, simply visit me at www.bonniediamond.com/roadmaptohealthspecial
 
This Valentine's Day do something nice for yourself!

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​If you’re part of the over 60% of people who make New Years resolutions with good intentions but are unable to keep them, this newsletter is for you.
 
You mean well, you try hard, but life gets in the way.
 
Think of a resolution as a seed that gets planted.  We have an idea. We want to make a change in our life. We’re excited. We set goals, make promises, tell ourselves this year we’ll eat our vegetables, exercise more, be kinder. We truly mean these things. Yet for many of us by April we’re back to our same old habits. What has happened?
 
I think that we have forgotten to nurture the seed. No one expects a seed to grow without water and sun. And no one expects the seed we plant today to turn into a full grown tree tomorrow. Growth and change take time.
 
When you make a resolution, ask yourself these questions:

• What am I going to do to nurture this dream?
• How often do I have to metaphorically water it?
• What environment will it grow best in?
• How many weeks will it take for my resolution to take root?
• How will I know when the tiny seed grows roots?
• When will my seedling send up shoots through the soil?
• What will my plant (resolution) look like when it’s fully grown?

 
Take time to answer these questions.  It may require many hours.  Pay attention to how easy or difficult  this process is.  Write your answers down.  If you’re not able to do this, you might want to pick a new year’s resolution that is easier to implement.
 
With nurturing and care and love our dreams will take form. Do get in touch with me if you need help in this process.
 
Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Bonnie

"With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown" ~Chinese Proverb

​I traveled to New Orleans a few weeks ago. I knew I had truly arrived when our Lyft driver said "How ya doing, Miss Bonnie?" I had made a lunch reservation and when we arrived I was greeted with "Welcome, Miss Bonnie." On a shuttle bus to Mardi Gras World the driver asked if this was my first time in New Orleans. When I said it was my second, he replied "Welcome Home."
 
New Orleans is a great place to travel to. The food, music, warm weather, welcoming people make it so special. Being there feels like getting a big hug.
 
But I want to tap into something deeper. The importance of social connection. Not just because it makes us feel good -- although this is important.  But because it makes us healthier.
 
Here's what the experts have to say:

• In the personal health section of the New York Times, Jane Brody has been reporting on research that loneliness can have a negative impact on health "by raising levels of stress hormones and inflammation, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and dementia."

 

• Dr. Dhruv Khullar, a physician and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York writes "A wave of new research suggests social separation is bad for us. Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones."

 

• And research presented at the 2017 Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association shows that "Loneliness and social isolation may represent a greater public health hazard than obesity, and their impact has been growing and will continue to grow."

 
Here is "Miss Bonnie's" take on all this:

• Know that no matter what, you are not alone. Just take a minute and breathe that in. Say it to yourself. Write it in your journal. Breathe it in with each breath.

 

• Reach out. I mean this truly. I am here for you. Send me an email. Schedule an appointment. Acupuncture can help you connect more fully with yourself. I do think it can be an antidote to loneliness. And I will be with you, listen to you, open my heart.

 

• If I'm not the right person to help you, reach out to someone who is. I know there is someone out there who will be there for you. In all the ups and downs of my life (and there have been many), there was always someone. Sometimes it was a friend, sometimes a medical professional. Sometimes it was a favorite singer/song writer, a favorite author. A movie that moved me to tears.

 

• Be expansive in your outreach. We don't always know when/where/who what we need will come from. And sometimes it arrives from unexpected quarters. Just trust that it will be there.

 

• Practice making connections when you are out in the world. Take the extra moment to say hello to your mail carrier, the wait staff at your favorite coffee shop or restaurant, the neighbor walking their dog.

 

• Join a community of like-minded folks. Take a yoga or Qi Gong class. If it's your thing, go to a house of worship. Whether you are a believer or not, the spirit is always there for you.

 
One of the reasons that I love Eastern Medicine is because of its emphasis on connection. In the 5 element/5 organ system that we use no one organ/element exists on its own. The energy of the liver feeds the heart, the heart energy feeds the spleen, the spleen energy feeds the lungs, the lung energy feeds the kidneys, the kidney energy feeds the liver. The cycle is completed and begins again.
 
As people we may feel isolated, but we never exist in true isolation.
 
With you in spirit…
 
Bonnie

​Sources:
www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/well/mind/how-loneliness-affects-our-health.html
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/shaking-off-loneliness/
www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/lonely-die.aspx
www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html

​I love this article from my colleague,  Katherine Golub, career / business / leadership coach and consultant in Western Mass. She teaches us how to focus on the postitive! To learn more about her work, visit www.CoreBrillianceAcademy.com  

What are you dreaming of for the new year? Did you make a resolution, set an intention, choose a word?
At the beginning of every year, I like to choose one word to focus my attention for the year. This year, my word is "Foundation." 
 
No matter how you set your intentions, January is a time of fresh starts and new beginnings for many people. Do you want to learn how to be more confident, more present, or more creative? Perhaps you want to take better care of yourself. Whatever it is, if you’re like most people, I'm guessing that there's probably some new habit that you’d like to develop this year.
 
Most of us aren’t taught how we form habits or how we can change them, and because of that, developing new habits can feel daunting. I'm happy to tell you that, in fact, developing new habits and strengths can be simple.
Instead of working super hard to fight against old behaviors, it can be much more useful to just take in the good.

What do I mean by “taking in the good?”
In Hardwiring Happiness, Rick Hanson writes that the most effective path to developing emotional habits or strengths such as gratitude, presence, and confidence is to notice when you're already engaged in these habits and then to feel how you feel in your body. He calls this process “taking in the good.”
With repeated, intense, and prolonged mental focus on what’s working, you grow new synapses and change how your DNA functions so that you literally experience more of what works. For example, by noticing when you feel confident, you strengthen your ability to feel confident. When you notice yourself feeling focused, you increase your ability to focus. When you allow yourself to feel really good when you practice self-care (even if it’s just for five minutes), you increase the likelihood that you'll practice self-care again soon.

As human beings, we too often focus on what we don’t want to do or to feel.
Unfortunately, focusing on what you don’t want makes it harder to develop the habits you do want. For example, trying to figure out how to be "not stressed" can stress you out, even more.
The brain can't think in negatives. Don't think of a pink elephant. You can't do it, right? Every time you think about what you don't want, your focus goes to the negative, and you're more likely to replicate that. Instead, when you think about what you do want, you send your energy in that new, more generative direction.

So, what are the steps to taking in the good and building new habits?
Your first step to cultivating new habits or strengths is to choose one or two to focus on.
Rather than focusing on the habit you want to let go of, focus on the habit you want to cultivate. Keep in mind that your problem requires a matched solution. For example, if you struggle with the state in the left column, consider focusing on the habit or strength in the right column--
• Exhaustion… Energy
• Stagnation… Movement
• Anxiety… Ease
• Fear… Courage
• Shame… Self-Compassion
• Resistance… Curiosity
• Withdrawal… Engagement
• Scarcity… Gratitude
• Frustration… Fulfillment
• Stuckness… Forward Movement
• Drivenness… Pleasure
• Rejection… Belonging
• Isolation… Connection
• Grief… Love

 Your next step is to notice moments in which you experience the habit or strength you desire.
To develop the habits and strengths we desire—such as trust, humor, and ease—we need to notice when we experience these positive states.  Often, we’re already engaging in the actions or experiencing the states that we want to make habitual, but we’re not paying attention. By paying attention to when we are acting and feeling the ways we want, we strengthen our ability to act or feel this way even more.
If you don’t naturally find yourself experiencing your desired emotions, you can remember past experiences, imagine the future you desire, or celebrate the good in the lives of others.

Once you create a positive experience, allow yourself to really savor the moment and experience it in your body.
Sense the experience fully in your body, taking in as many sensory aspects as possible—sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, feeling, and thinking. Feeling the experience in your body helps it to sink in and create new connections in your brain. 
Like any new strength, your ability to focus your attention is like a muscle. It gets stronger the more you exercise it. Taking in positive experiences makes your brain “stickier” for them, which in turn increases the likelihood that you'll notice more positive experiences. That makes your brain even more sticky so that you notice positive experiences more. It's a feedback loop of positivity. This cycle makes it less and less likely for negative experiences to slip into your mind and affect your brain.

From now on, any time you experience a small win, seize the opportunity to celebrate.
When you receive a compliment, take a deep breath, let it really soak in, and say thank you. Or cross off items off your to-do list as you complete them so that you have a picture of accomplishment. Or, at the beginning or end of each day, think of three things that you’re proud of, that you appreciate about yourself, or that brought you joy. 

Focusing on what brings you joy ten times a day, fifteen seconds at a time only, takes a total of two and a half minutes. But it's one of the most powerful ways to change your brain and your life.
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Whatever your hopes for the new year may be, I encourage you to gift yourself a few moments each day to take in the good. Not only is this a very effective way to cultivate new habits, but it’s also fun. I wish you all the best on your journey to building the habits you want!