The New Year, New Beginnings &          Bach Flower Essences                   by Sue Denton Many people take the New Year as a time of opportunity for new beginnings, to set goals and intentions for making changes in their life.  This may look like choosing to stop smoking, changing eating habits, establishing a regular exercise program, or perhaps taking daily quiet time for themselves.  Whatever the intended change, just setting the intention may bring up a myriad of feelings, such as fear, doubt, feeling overwhelmed,  general anxiety, and other similar feelings.  Bach Flower Essences can be a great support in transforming those negative moods and emotions that might occur into a more positive energy that can support your success in meeting your intention.  The Flower Essences are a type of vibrational healing, similar to homeopathics that are chosen on the basis on one's mental attitudes, thoughts and emotional outlook or moods.  Therefore, essences can be selected on an individual basis to specifically address those attitudes and moods related to making the lifestyle change.  Recently I worked with a client who wanted to lose a large amount of weight.  This was a decision she had been avoiding for some time, but due to increased health risks, she knew she couldn't put it off any longer.  She was aware that she often ate to avoid her feelings, and was fearful of how she was going to deal with the feelings without eating.  To address her fears, I suggested the flower essence Mimulus to help in transforming her fears into quiet courage.  She also admitted having feelings of doubt around her ability to follow through on her desire to lose weight.  For her feeling of doubt and lack of confidence, I suggested Larch to restore her sense of capability and perserverence.  For the changes she would be going through with her eating habits and to support her from being influenced by others, I included Walnut, which would help her carry through on her intention. Since she tended to be a  rather impatient type, I suggested Impatiens to support acceptance of the timeliness of the weight-loss process.  She also expressed that she often had feelings of self-disgust and dislike for her body.  For those feeling and thoughts, the flower essence Crabapple was suggested to bring about a greater sense of self-respect and self-love.  Crabapple would also help to cleanse the body.  And lastly, I included the flower essence Chestnut Bud as it is useful anytime you are trying to change a habit pattern.  Chestnut Bud supports one in staying present to learn from their experiences and the releasing of old habit patterns.  My client continues to use the Bach Flower Essences as a part of her lifestyle, experiencing success with letting go of her excess weight and having increased feeling of self- esteem.  Other considerations for setting intention and goals to make life changes are: 1) Be clear about your intended change 2) Write out what steps and minor changes you can do along the way that will        support your success 3) Be willing to be gentle with yourself, giving up self-judgement 4) Allow yourself to get support from others 5) Have fun with it!                                    Sue Denton is a Bach Flower and Reiki Practitioner                                          who supports and facilitates healing through personal                                    consultation, group work and classes.  She can be                                     reached at (208) 772-6432 for further information. Author's Biography

CHINESE KITCHEN CORNER by Barbara Boss Ph.D.,L.Ac (208) 659-9697 As we enter a new year and our concern about our eating habits seems to be heightened, an appropriate topic would seem to be the traditional Asian diet.  What we eat in typical Chinese-American restaurants is not at all representitive of the food eaten in mainland China/Asia.  The rural areas of China are forced by economic conditions to adhere to a diet that is largely plant based.  Animal products make up only 10% of the daily protein eaten by these people.  The remainder of their protein intake comes from rice, other whole grains and soy products.  Some food are fried, but only about 15% of their total calories come from fat (Americans eat 40% on average).  Dietary fiber consumption is 3 times higher that that of the average American-Chinese diet.  Interestingly, the rate of osteoporosis among rural Chinese women is much lower than in this country.  Countries such as China and Japan also have reduced incidences of heart disease, obesity, certain cancers, diabetes and other chronic diseases.  Meal design for the traditional Asian household is based on the principle of fan ts'ai. "Fan" refers to the substance of the meal, and is usually rice or noodles. "Ts'ai" is the flavoring and usually consists of rather small portions of vegetables and sometimes meat or fish.  However, just as the exotic cuisines of Thailand, India, Burma and Japan are creating standard business establishments in our larger cities, so too are American fast-food franchises moving into the larger Asian communities and are changing their eating habits.  It should be interesting to record the incidence of disease in these areas and note any alteration produced by this Westernization of the dietary practices. Author's Biography