The Vernal Equinox will be upon us in a few days marking the beginning of Spring, the season of renewal and rebirth.  While winter is marked by the conservation of energy, reduction of activity, and quiescence, during spring there is a renewed sense of purpose and awakening accompanied by increased activity and renewed vigor.  According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, change in nature, as well as in your body, occurs in a cycle of 5-stages which are linked to the seasons.  Spring is a great time to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit (after all the accumulation that occurs during winter) and the organs associated with this season are the liver and gall bladder.  The liver, in TCM, is in charge of the movement of Qi (energy) in the body.  When the liver is functioning well the flow of Qi is smooth throughout the body, allowing both the emotional and physical functions of the body to operate fluidly – in other words functioning like a Bad Ass!  When the body, mind, and/or spirit are experiencing a lot of stress, the liver no longer functions optimally, and we experience a breakdown in our emotions (anger and frustration are common) and physical functioning (digestive problems and pain are the norm).  How does one tend to their Liver?

1.) Regular exercise.  Regular movement of the body promotes movement of Qi and reduces stress.  Additionally, exercise such as yoga and tai chi are useful in maintaining the flexibility of tendons, which are tissues ruled by the liver.  Something a little more Bad Ass, like Kung Fu, would also be appropriate.

Luckily, I teach Morning Flow Yoga at Blue Sky Yoga at 10 am on Tuesday Mornings in March.
Blue Sky is located at 107 E Charleston inside the Arts Factory and is a pay-what-you-can studio.  Join me and we’ll have lots of fun!

2.) Eat green.  Green is the color of the liver and of spring and the young fresh greens of the season are excellent in assisting in the movement of Qi.

3.) Spend more time outside.  Fresh air is especially good at alleviating stagnation and moving Liver Qi.  Exercising outside is even better.  FYI, water is flowing in Oak Creek and First Creek as you are reading this!  How awesome is that?!

4.) Do a cleanse. Build up in the body can also impede the smooth flow of Qi in the body.  Although there are several commercial liver and colon cleanses available (I like Cleanse Smart and Blessed Herbs), just eating a clean diet of fresh juices, vegetables, and fruits for a few days can do wonders for the liver and your overall health.

5.) Get acupuncture. Not only can acupuncture address the overall health of your liver, it’s hard to beat when dealing with stress, anger and frustration.  (It’s not just hard to beat, it’s Bad Ass!)

Thank you all for visiting me at forwardmend.wordpress.com! Feel free to continue to browse here, but for the most up-to-date information, please find me at heatherbrookman.com – supposedly eliminating the “wordpress” part of my URL is more professional!  ha! whatever.

So herein lies the most pressing problem and is essentially an attack on your access to supplements (which, btw, ARE regulated by DSHEA via the FDA).  According to the Alliance on Natural Health “The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 4173), recently passed in the House of Representatives, includes language going far beyond finance inserted by Congressman HenryWaxman (D-CA). . . language in the Wall St. “reform” bill that gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) important new powers that could be used to circumvent key supplement protections in DSHEA.”  It’s no secret the Rep.Waxman is a big supporter of and is largely supported by the pharmaceutical industry and works toward the end goal of having supplements regulated like pharmaceuticals.  The FTC currently combatscommerical fraud and has full authority to pursue companies making false claims about what their product does or does not do.  However, the language inserted into H.R. 4173 gives the FTC increased regulatory power, which could result in increased requirements for supplement companies that essentially put them out of business.  Congress has already stripped the FTC of these powers in the 1980s because of perceived abuses. . . So, hmmmmm.

To take action or just read more about how this new language might affect your access (or that of  your Oriental Medicine Doctor, Naturopath, Herbalist, etc.) to supplements check out the following:

Congressman Waxman Slips Obscure Anti-Supplement Measure into Wall Street “Reform” Bill Passed by the House; Please Take Action to Prevent Same Thing Happening in the Senate!”

The beginning of the hike

There are many positives to this hike.  1) For little effort there is a sense of being somewhere remote.

2)  The views of Red Rock Canyon  from inside the canyon and atop Fossil Ridge are wonderful, making for some of the best sunrise (or anytime) pictures in the area.

The views of Red Rock from this hike are fantastic!

Mender in Cowboy Canyon

3)  There’s abundant plant life from cacti, to various grasses and shrubs, to yucca and wildflowers (at least in spring).  We were in luck because the wildflowers were in bloom – yucca, indian paintbrushes, and bunch of others in white, purple, and yellow.  It also looked like it was almost time for the cacti to bloom – which prompted me to start calculating when I could return in the next few weeks.

Indian Paintbrushes!

4) There is also plentiful wildlife on this hike – birds, butterflies, squirrels, bats… yes bats!  I’ve done this hike at dusk and the bats are darting about everywhere.  Very cool!  Additionally, there is a Great Horned Owl that calls Cowboy Canyon home – a little spooky when you hear its call, but also SUPER COOL!

5) Scrambling -  love it.  And I love it even more when the possibility of cracking my skull open is minimal.  There’s a good amount of minimal risk scrambling on this hike, so if you’re into it you’ll really enjoy this hike too.

6) Fossils.

7) Did I mention the views?

Amazing!

In my previous post on this hike I rated the difficulty 2/5…….2/5 based on the-crazy-hiker-man Branch Whitney scale.  And I’ve done this hike with friends in 1 hour and 2o minutes – yes, my friends and I are strong(ish) hikers, but I generally hike at a moderate pace so that I can take in the scenery and keep oxygen flowing to my vital organs.  Today I had to reevaluate this rating because a gentleman with lung problems (previously unknown to me) had quite a bit of shortness of breath during the canyon portion of the trek.  This slowed us down a bit (but really, who cares, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL) and my BFF Kyle (also the aforementioned Julie’s brother) ended up finding a short cut up to Fossil Ridge to start the level/down hill portion of the hike sooner rather than later.  SO, I’m extremely grateful to Kyle and that everyone made it out on their own two feet and not by helicopter.  AND I learned a bit about rating difficulty of future hikes. So this one I would bump up to a 3/5 on the difficulty scale.

Thanks Kyle - you cheeseball!

For directions to the trail head and a general description of this hike see my previous post.

Oh well!  See you Friday!