Have you ever had one of these experiences where you know it can't just be a coincidence? In late winter-early Spring of this year, I was lying on a sofa in a holiday rental in the South of France, with flu-like symptoms and fatigue for about 3 days. It had been a busy Autumn for us at ICM, as we had moved our practice back to our original location. Just a few days before landing on the sofa, I had travelled with my family from Basel to Luxembourg to Avignon, partly to support one of our sons in his tennis tournaments and to visit places which we had never visited before. Before leaving for this vacation, I had begun many projects, most especially our Women's Health and Life Phases project. I had planned to do some writing-reading, while on my travels, as the everyday activities like therapeutic work, household chores and family took priority till then. But none of this was to be, as I laid there on the sofa in a state of immobility from fatigue. 
 
What I could do in between my deep rest was listen. I listened to an interview of a Maya Abdominal Therapy practitioner, Hilary Lewin. It was about what can cause prolapse of abdominal organs, whether bladder or uterus or even intestines. She also explained the anatomy and physiology of the uterus, how our choices early in life affect our bodies later in life, how Abdominal Therapy, which includes a therapeutic massage from a practitioner, self-care massage and deep breathing, can help prevent and treat prolapse, among other things. Something just clicked inside me, like finding the right piece for a jigsaw puzzle; I realized I needed to find out more about this form of therapy, even if it wasn't Chinese Medicine. I also realized then that if you set an intention for something, it often times manifests; I had wanted to create awareness about Women's Health for this year and there it was, my body was giving me the chance to become aware of my own female body by providing me with quiet, restful moments to do exactly just that.
 
I got healthy again after those days of deep rest, deep listening and something within me grew. Self-care was one of the seeds planted in this "incubation" phase; taking time to rest, abdominal self-massage and doing less as often as I can. I also knew I had to expand my knowledge of the abdomen, its organs as well as structures that hold the organs in place, and the Abdominal Therapy. Within weeks of listening to this interview, I had researched and signed-up up for a practitioner course for Abdominal Therapy or Maya Abdominal Massage, as it is sometimes called. I traveled to Ireland for the course as there were none at that point in time closer to me that I could attend. Since this course, I have been on a mission to pass on the Abdominal Therapy to as many of my patients as I can and to promote stronger care of self to everyone I treat. It seems at this current moment, there are only 2 of us who practice this form of therapy and are members of the Abdominal Therapy Collective in Switzerland. 
 
I believe we can all benefit from more connection to our bodies, our bellies, our organs, our selves - physical, emotional, spiritual, and what better way to do this than a massage of our most delicate place in our bodies. We store so much in our bodies, more so our bellies without even realizing; all those moments we held back a laugh because it wasn't the appropriate time to laugh out loud, or the anger that we swallowed down because our views were not allowed to be outwardly expressed in that situation. Where did these emotions, which is also energy, go? Probably down to our bellies, the place where we digest stuff. If we learn to let go of the tension we store there, maybe the organs within can then do a better job of digesting and transforming this stuff into nourishment and expel that which is not needed and do not serve us.
 
I have observed in recent times that many wellness spas have begun to use the word - "selfness" to market their services. I don't agree with this as it implies to me an egotistical manner of being. As I have mentioned before in another blogpost, words are magical and create our reality. I believe the word "self-care" is more appropriate, which is not selfish. I am often reminded of this when I fly on a plane and as the flight attendant explains the emergency procedures. I hear life's teacher speaking to me: "Please put your own oxygen mask on before you help another passenger put theirs on." How will I be able to help anyone else, if I myself do not get enough care and nourishment for myself. Hence, the more sustainable and logical message is "Take care of yourself first, then you will have enough resources to take care of others."   
 
 
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Image by Petr Ganaj on pexels.com

​​We just passed the phase of the Autumnal Equinox, around the 21st of September here in the Northern hemisphere. The "change" from Late Summer to Autumn has reared its severe head. Here, we have been presented with 20-degree temperature difference overnight; warm and sunny in the day hitting mid-20s, then down to 5 degrees in the night. Our bodies, with pores wide open like windows of our houses in Summer, were shocked into closure. If not, we got sick with a cold or digestive distress, forcing us to stay in bed under warm covers, which in a way is a form of drastic closure. 
 
After the Autumnal Equinox passes, the light of the sun diminishes every day; over a minute at sunrise and over 2 minutes at sunset. What does this do to living beings on this hemisphere? It makes us, animals and plants, focus more inward; our energies begin to be more Yin concentrated. It is then not surprising that we modern humans stay more indoors, as it is colder, darker and we feel less active, possibly even tired. If you have been feeling this way these past few weeks, there is nothing wrong with you. Nature and the weather affects us because we are a part of nature. What we can do is to honor this connection by taking time to do quiet things, to rest and sleep more. Also, to eat certain foods that will help the process of moving inward, such as with root vegetables. There is this idea in Chinese Medicine and other forms of Complementary Medicine that "like treats like"; if we want to feel more rooted, we should ingest roots, as they will guide our energetic body to create more "rooted connections."
 
One of my favorites is Sweet Potato, 番薯 Fān Shǔ, Ipomoeas batatas in Latin. That's the plant pictured above. For the past few years, we have been planting this wonderful vegetable in our garden as it is a plant that almost all parts - leaf, stem, flower and root, are edible. Its leaves are heart-shaped and they creep and hang off the edge of our veggie-raised-beds, with its blossom so like the Morning Glory. They can propagate by leaf-cuttings but if you had a root that was sprouting, like many root vegetables, you can put this root in a bit of water to allow the sprout to grow leaves and then place them in the Earth. One can boil the roots in water with a little salt, add them to curries, fry/ bake them like Sweet Potato fries or make Sweet Potato pie with walnuts, like they do in the US for Thanksgiving. In East Asia, we make Rice Congee with Sweet Potato roots, deep fry them with a batter to make tempura in Japanese cuisine or in ball-form as a sweet snack in Malaysia (fān shǔ dàn) or served in a sweet soup in China. We also eat the leaves and stems, in the Spring-Summer seasons, as a stir-fry like you can with spinach, with a little garlic and soy sauce. They are beautiful beings that thrive in sunny, warm conditions, but are very sensitive to frost, as they are originally from Central/ South America like the regular potato. As such, it is now soon time to harvest the roots in our garden.
 
In Chinese Medicine, Sweet Potato is sweet in flavor, neutral to cooling in temperature and, affects the Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine and Kidney meridians. When a food or herb is naturally sweet in flavor, it often will tonify Qi. As such Sweet Potato's functions include strengthening Spleen to promote Qi, increase mother's milk production, as well as helps support bowel movements, remove toxins from the body, builds the Yin in the body, which then treats dryness and inflammation. From a Western nutritional perspective, its orange color already suggests that it is high in Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A. Sweet Potato is also high in Vitamin C and E, potassium and fiber. Its natural sweetness and being a root vegetable, versus fruits, has a low-glycemic index and can help stabilize blood-sugar imbalances such as diabetes. Hence, one can eat it as a dessert without having any processed sugar or fructose. I know people who do not tolerate night-shade vegetables, such as potatoes and tomatoes, but Sweet Potatoes are not night-shades, as such very agreeable with those who have these issues. As often the case with most things, too much of a good thing transforms it to a hindrance. Eat it or anything with consciousness, LESS IS MORE.  
 
I find the Sweet Potato plant so versatile and resilient, taking root all over the world; from the Americas to Asia-Pacific, Africa and Europe through the Columbian Exchange, but also it has been found that Polynesia had cultivated this plant before the British came to the islands. We can learn a lot from this plant in being adaptable yet being able to root almost in every continent on the Earth. Best of all to go inward to find our own roots at this time of year.
 
 
 
Image Sweet Potato Plant and Blossom by Elaine
Image Sweet Potato Roots by Suanpa on Pixabay

​​One morning last week, I was sitting eating my breakfast at the dining table, looking at the flower that my son received from his graduation ceremony the evening before. It was a red Gerbera, with a long stem and fine petals. The night before, I had hastily found a container to put it in as we got home. But at that present moment of observing the flower, I realized that the container, rather low and broad, did not hold or support the Gerbera at all. What this flower being needed was a long, slim vessel. So, right after my breakfast I went to look for one and I imagined I found the right one to complement it. This got me wondering about the word "complement." 
 
The noun "complement" in English comes from French, referring to "means of completing; that which completes; what is needed to complete or fill up." As a verb it means to "make complete." If one were to begin an internet search with the word "complementary," we get suggestions like "complementary colors," "complementary angles" and "complementary medicine." 
 
Looking at the picture above, the color wheel, we see a chart for complementary colors used by artists and graphic designers to create contrasts that catch the eye, as well as the attention. In the middle are the 3 primary colors and when we want to find the complementary color for let's say red, we add blue and yellow together and we get green. These 2 colors are complementary to each other. The outer circle shows us the complementary colors in opposition to each other in different shades of the primary and secondary mixes. This color concept is really about how one color enhances the other.

​Then there are complementary angles referring to 2 angles that add up to 90°, which is a right angle. This is basic geometry we learned in math class. For example, if an angle is 30°, then the other will be 60°, adding the sum total to 90°. In this case, the 2 angles complete each other.
 
To have a complement is to be made whole and completed. I like this description to explain Complementary Medicine. This term was created in the 1980s to describe medical and therapeutic practices that did not/were not allowed to be fitted into conventional medicine. Chinese Medicine has landed in this category in the West, as it did not fit into the model created by the dominant allopathic medicine. To be very honest, I find that it is rightfully so. When I understand the word complementary as being "made whole," I am proud to say I practice this form of medicine. Then, my focus is to help a person be/feel whole and well; not cut up into pieces and detached from her/himself. For me the focus of medicine is the person, the individual and what their body-mind needs to be healthy. In feeling healthy and thriving, the individual feels empowered; thus, being able to live well and make healthy life-style choices for her/himself.
 
As I go back to the example of my son's Gerbera, I observe the being as it is and try to understand what it needs to thrive in its environment. I help it by providing the appropriate container and the nourishment, that it may feel safe, nurtured and supported enough to grow for the time that it is with me. As we know, we are not here in our present state or situation forever; life is finite, we should cherish the time we have been given and have gratitude for the experience. As such, I also know that at one point this being will have to go to its next stage of life and I, who have provided this container must learn to let go, to give this being the possibility to move on. In doing so, I am a complement to that being. 


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Image Color Wheel by vector portal-pixel77
Image Angle by bjus