January 16, 2012
What is healing, really?
My definition of healing is coming to terms with things as they are, so that you can do whatever you can to optimize your potential, whether you are living with chronic pain or having a baby. You can’t control the universe, so mindfulness involves learning to cultivate wisdom and equanimity— not passive resignation—in the face of what Zorba the Greek called the full catastrophe of the human condition.
Read more at Time Magazine Healthland
Image ©Margi Macdonald
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April 5, 2011
Body, mind and nose
Recently I was invited to write a newsletter article about Ayurveda and Aromatherapy for Rose Heart’s Organic Infusions.
I’m sure many readers know something about Aromatherapy, yet I’m guessing fewer have a basic understanding of Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life.
Just as Traditional Chinese Medicine has its counterparts in tai chi, acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet and lifestlye therapies, Ayurveda is the yogic way of understanding and moderating life and health.
Go here, and discover for yourselves…and after that, please visit this page here at Some Energy Thing.
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Image: Plant with blue-violet flowers Maker: CE Wheelock c1915. George Eastman House Collection. Source: flickr
January 22, 2011
Fresh New and Blue: it’s sing-along-time
Round about this time of year, I change the blog’s visual theme.
I have no idea why I hadn’t found this theme in the past, as it sits nicely with my business card, and is so fresh and clean.
In Brisbane this morning it’s fresh, sunny and cool, and there’s a song for that!
Now play the video and sing along. Singing is very, very good for our Lung qi – a vital energy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine understands our Lungs are like a bellows which pumps qi through our bodies. Lung qi also oversees our immunity and assists with fluid metabolism. Grief and loss cause Lung qi to dissipate. So really, truly sing out loud!
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January 3, 2011
2010 in review
Well, the numbers are in! WordPress Bloggers all over have reviewed our blogging success for 2010.
Thank-you everyone who visited and re-visited, and to each of you who provided insightful and interesting comments.
Without doubt, articles about breasts, chocolate, cancer and pain are popular here at Some Energy Thing.
The big story of 2009 - Medical Negligence and the Meaning of Life – continues to receive many visitors. Most readers come from medical and emergency medicine blogs, and this is a good thing. This powerful, compelling account of my Mum’s near-death encounter with the health system drew the attention of medical and nursing staff at the hospitals involved, and Mum has subsequently been invited to speak at ER conferences and staff training sessions. From horror and despair, came hope and change.
I was surprised – and kind of relieved – to see that two stories about men’s health, one starring Billy Connolly and his prostate, the other featuring crabs were quite popular. We health professionals love it when men and their generally neglected health needs get some exposure, so to speak!
Roses, asparagus, cauliflowers and images of modern feminine beauty also gathered readers and some insightful comments.
I enjoy creating this little blog, and love that you continue to visit. Without readers, a blog really is just a lot of hot air!
I keep it meaningful, varied, challenging and entertaining. Sign up to receive updates by email or by RSS feed, and you’ll be part of the creative energy here.
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 32 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 51 posts. There were 32 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 3mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.
The busiest day of the year was March 8th with 85 views. The most popular post that day was Banis bilong susu- baskets of milk.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, mysticmedusa.com, mail.yahoo.com, networkedblogs.com, and en.wordpress.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for cauliflower fractal, sun simiao, rose window chartres cathedral, bosch, and roses.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Banis bilong susu- baskets of milk March 2010
15 comments
Welcome April 2009
Medical negligence, and the meaning of life May 2009
4 comments
Sensual life: simple healing April 2009
About April 2009
November 25, 2010
Do you really need your over-the-counter pain-reliever today?
Exercise
If we simply think of it as ‘getting up and doing something’, we inevitably want to do it more and more often.
It’s free, it can make us laugh out loud, it’s entertaining, and it doesn’t come with a long list of potential medication-induced, life-threatening side-effects.
What are you doing after you read this?
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Cautions & Care: This article and video do not replace medical assessment and care. If you have a health concern, or have persisiting pain, visit an appropriately qualified health professional. The activities shown in this video may not be suitable for everybody. Please use your commonsense, or seek the guidance of a specialist exercise professional.
October 19, 2010
You belong here
Thank-you for visiting.
Visitors and readers are the lifeblood of spaces like this, and are part of the warp and weft of a good blog.
In our stories and conversations, we weave a tapestry of shared experience, knowledge and wisdom.
These pages are for you… tell us…. what would you like to see, hear and discover?
What interests you?
Which health and well-being topics would you like to explore?
Put the kettle on, make a cup of tea, sit a while, and spend some time exploring the archives.
Never miss a new article; be sure to sign up to receive updates by email, or by RSS.
You belong here.
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Image: A Mon Seul Desir – from The Lady and The Unicorn Series of Medieval Tapestries.
October 12, 2010
“Sugar is good for you!” – and for the people who sell sugar (via The Ethical Nag)
Do we imagine things are different here in Australia?
I think not.
Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you chew your food quickly, eat while watching TV or checking your emails, or constantly snack while on-the-run?
Many foods, including a number of vegetables and most meats, are naturally sweet. We don’t appreciate their naturally sweet appeal unless we take a bit of time to chew thoroughly, mindfully paying attention to our food and the pleasurable ritual of eating.
The benefits are that an enzyme in saliva which breaks down the natural sugars in these foods does its best work when food spends an adequate period of time in our mouths. We can enjoy the sweet flavour without ever needing to ingest added sugars and sweeteners. We simply need to chew thoroughly.
The other benefit of mindfully enjoying naturally sweet foods – indeed all foods – is that we consume less.
Yes, you read it correctly! There’s a satiety centre in our brains which signals to us when we’ve had sufficient. Unfortunately, the distractions of all our screens, and fast-food-gulping ensure that many of us keep wolfing it down, well after the brain has reminded us we need to stop.
Your sweet challenge for the week?
See how many common vegetables are really quite sweet, when cooked simply and eaten slowly.
Yum yum!
via The Ethical Nag
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Image: India – Haridwar 010 – vegetables for sale in Bara Bazaar. McKay Savage on Flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Words: © Margi Macdonald at Some Energy Thing. © Carolyn Thomas at The Ethical Nag
October 1, 2010
Is this what you’ve been waiting for..?
Late 2010 – early 2011
A 21st century multi-media, interactive, self-paced course of ancient wisdom and sensory cultivation will be available by subscription.
This is a very special project, possibly one of the first of its kind, and I’m developing it now.
This course is for you if:
- You’re interested in truly knowing your own mind and creating a life guided by your mind’s unique abilities.
- You’ve struggled to find an exercise program and diet which suits your constitution and lifestyle.
- You have chronic health concerns, or are recovering from major illness or surgery.
- You’d love to plan holidays and adventures which enhance body and mind.
- You’ve never felt comfortable or relaxed in your workspace or at home, despite making it as beautiful and functional as possible.
- You know our ancestors had much to teach us, but you don’t know where to start, or how to weave ancient wisdom into 21st century health and well-being.
Sign up to receive course updates by email.
It’s for you, and it’s for life.
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Image: When I Grow Up (________) Todd Baker on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
August 30, 2010
Asparagus. A cure for road-rage, rampaging and ranting?
Thanksgiving Asparagus. Marilyn M King
Spring is upon us in this great land down-under, and springtime means fresh asparagus. Don’t be fooled into thinking this classy vegetable grows naturally all year round. It doesn’t. It’s one of nature’s sublime springtime treats, best when its hidden, subterranean parts had the pleasure of a good, cold winter.
So what about the road-raging and ranting? Is there a natural sedative in the pert spears of an asparagus bunch?
Well, not that I know of, yet in Chinese herbal medicine its underground tuber is described by Paul Pitchford as able to “improve the feminine principle, especially in the aggressive person, and is used to ease menstrual difficulties, promote fertility, and increase one’s receptive and compassionate nature.” He s not just talking about women, by the way!
The ritual of preparing and cooking fresh asparagus to perfection, enjoyed with a strip of smoked salmon and a soft-boiled egg might at least slow us down, and give cause for gratitude to mother nature for her spring bounty. Perhaps compassion follows such a dainty feast?
Here’s what else we know about fresh asparagus – not that sad, soggy stuff in cans:
- It has a natural diuretic, making it an ideal food to naturally shift a little fluid retention
- When fresh and seasonal, it has good amounts of vitamin C and A, sulphur, folic acid, and potassium, and is naturally low in kilojoules and sodium.
- it also contains an amino acid – a protein building block – called asparagine, which gives urine that unusual smell after we’ve eaten asparagus.
We understand that in Chinese medical terms, asparagus nourishes the cooling, calming, restorative nature of Yin energy. No surprises there, for a food which spent the winter slumbering and gestating underground, away from Yang warmth and light.
Did you know that the little tips of asparagus are actually its flowers, and that aged Parmesan is a great friend to asparagus?
If you live in Brisbane Australia, and would like to learn how to cook slow-roasted Kealford Farm Organic Pork with spring asparagus on a cauliflower and white bean mash, and many other seasonal wonders contact me.
My colleague Jillaine Wheeler – The Pantry Practitioner – is cooking this, and other family friendly fare in a cooking class this September. There’s also an artichoke and aioli starter, a wild salmon rillette, deeply nourishing, creamy green ice cream, and organic, preservative-free rose on the menu. I hope you can join us.
How do you like to serve and enjoy asparagus? Are you lucky enough to live in a place where fat,white asparagus is common? Let us know with a comment.
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Image : Thanksgiving Asparagus Oil on gessoed board.© Marilyn M King. Used with kind permission. This and other similarly beautiful oil paintings available at Small Oil Paintings
Words: Margi Macdonald
Cautions: The information here is not a substitute for face-to-face health care provided by a health professional, nor can it be construed as advice for the management of any physical, mental or emotional disorder. Please see your Doctor is you have a health concern.
![Almost Like Another Planet... Pamukkale Blues (UNESCO World Heritage) [Explore #1, THANK YOU]](http://static.flickr.com/7079/7209710670_f67079c754_t.jpg "Almost Like Another Planet... Pamukkale Blues (UNESCO World Heritage) [Explore #1, THANK YOU]")
