Workout at a Glance
What you need: Open wall space (4 to 6 feet) and a mat. Resistance band is optional.

How to do it: Perform the routine barefoot 4 or 5 times a week. Do 10 slow, controlled reps of each move. Start with the Main Move. If that’s too difficult, do the Make it Easier variation. Not challenging enough? Try the Make it Harder version.

For faster results: Do 2 sets of each exercise and add 30 minutes or more of cardio most days of the week.

Main Move: Wall Bridge: (tones back, butt)

Lie on back with butt against wall, arms at sides, knees bent, and feet planted 3 to 4 feet up wall. Exhale and peel lower and mid back off floor, keeping shoulder blades down, so body forms a nearly straight line from chest to knees. Hold for a deep inhale, then exhale and slowly roll back down.

MAKE IT HARDER
Cross right ankle over left knee so only left foot is on wall, then roll up, pause, and lower. Do the full number of reps, then switch feet.

MAKE IT EASIER
Don’t use the wall. Keep feet flat on floor as you lift into a bridge; pause and slowly lower.

Main Move: Windshield Wipers: (tones inner and outer thighs)

From Wall Bridge starting position, extend legs straight up against wall so body forms an L. Inhale and slowly lower left leg down wall like a clock arm toward 9 o’clock; exhale and return to start. Repeat with right leg, sweeping toward 3 o’clock. Continue to alternate legs until you’ve completed all reps.

MAKE IT HARDER
Wrap an exercise band around left foot and hold both ends beside opposite hip for added resistance as you sweep left foot down wall. Do all reps, then switch legs and repeat.

MAKE IT EASIER
Move 3 to 6 inches away from wall so torso and legs form a wider angle.

Main Moves: Toe Reaches: (tones abs)

Return to Windshield Wipers starting position, hands on belly. Keeping abs tight and chin tucked slightly toward chest, lift head, shoulders, and upper back, reaching right hand toward left foot. Lower and repeat reaching left hand to right foot. Continue to alternate until you’ve completed all reps.

MAKE IT HARDER
Stack feet, left heel against right toes. Reach right hand to left side of feet, then left hand to right side. Do the full number of reps on each side.

MAKE IT EASIER
Lift only head and shoulders off floor as you reach toward knees.

Main Move: Wall Scissor: (tones butt, backs of thighs)

From Toe Reaches start position, bend knees to plant feet on wall. Peel back off floor, keeping shoulder blades down, and step feet up wall so body forms a diagonal line from feet to chest. Bend elbows and support lower back with hands; keep shoulder blades, upper arms, and head on floor. Lower left leg toward head as far as you can, keeping both legs straight and abs tight. Return to wall and lower right leg. Continue to alternate until you’ve completed all reps.

MAKE IT HARDER
As you lower leg, pause and pulse 2 or 3 times, moving it up and down an inch or two, before returning it back to wall. Repeat with opposite leg.

MAKE IT EASIER
Scoot body 3 to 6 inches away from wall so wall supports more weight.

Main Move: Knee Press: (tones butt, fronts and backs of thighs)

Lie on back, butt against wall, knees bent, and feet planted 3 to 4 feet up wall. Peel lower and mid back off floor and cross left ankle over right knee. Squeeze butt and front of thigh to press left knee toward wall. Do 20 pulses, then lower body and repeat on opposite side.

MAKE IT HARDER
As you press knee, engage abs to lift and lower hips a couple of inches with each rep.

MAKE IT EASIER
Do the move with feet and back on floor.

~Good Luck!!!

So how does FICO come up with its widely used score?

While the inner workings of the FICO scoring system are a closely guarded secret, the company is open about the general components of a FICO credit score. Using the information in a borrower’s credit report, FICO breaks that information into categories. Those five components each get different weights. “FICO scores give the most attention to how you have paid back lenders in the past and how much you are using of the credit available to you, as shown on your credit report. Those two factors contribute roughly two-thirds of a typical person’s FICO score,” says FICO spokesman Craig Watts.

Here’s a breakdown of the five elements of the FICO score:

1. Payment History: 35 Percent of the Total Credit Score

Based on a borrower’s payment history, making the repayment of past debt the most important factor in calculating credit scores. According to FICO, past long-term behavior is used to forecast future long-term behavior.

FICO keeps an eye on both revolving loans — like credit cards — and installment loans, such as mortgages or student loans. Although the weight of each loan varies between individuals, FICO indicates that defaulting on a larger installment loan like a mortgage will damage a credit score more severely than defaulting on a smaller revolving loan. One of the best ways for borrowers to improve their credit score as a whole is by making consistent, timely payments.

2. Debt Amounts — 30 Percent

Based on a borrower’s total outstanding debt. Revolving lines of credit, which allow a consumer to borrow as much or as little as desired up to a limit (versus installment loans where a set amount — say, $20,000 plus interest for a car — is determined at the outset), are more heavily weighted. Credit cards are a type of revolving account.

Since FICO views borrowers who habitually max out credit cards — or who get very close to their credit limits — as people who cannot handle debt responsibly, a borrower should maintain low credit card balances. Experts recommend that the amount owed should not exceed 30 percent of the individual’s credit limits. That 30 percent rule of thumb applies to each individual credit card as well as the overall level of debt.

The final components of a FICO credit score get less weight in the score’s calculation. “The remaining one-third of your score is determined by how long you have managed credit, to what degree you have pursued new credit recently and the variety of credit types you have successfully handled,” Watts says.

3. Length of Credit History — 15 Percent

Based on the length of time each account has been open and the length of time since the account’s most recent action.

As a result, it is impossible for a person who is new to credit to have a perfect credit score. A longer credit history provides more information and offers a better picture of long-term financial behavior. Therefore, to improve their credit scores, individuals without a history should begin using credit, and those with credit should maintain longstanding accounts.

4 and 5. New Credit and Credit Mix — Each Comprise 10 Percent

Borrowers, even those new to credit, should avoid opening too many credit lines at the same time, since such behavior could suggest they are in financial trouble and need significant access to lots of credit. FICO suggests that borrowers only take on additional credit when they must have it or when it makes sense financially.

Credit mix, meanwhile, is somewhat of a vague category, but experts say that repaying a variety of debt indicates the borrower can handle all sorts of credit. According to FICO, historical data indicates that borrowers with a good mix of revolving credit and installment loans generally represent less risk for lenders.

Knowing the various weights given to components of a FICO credit score give borrowers a better idea where to focus their attention. “So to get a good score you mostly need a credit history with no reported late payments, as well as low reported balances currently on any credit cards,” Watts says.

~Good Credit Score is good for lot of things!!!

Although there are some brands that I hugely advocate for, there are many more that border on outright unhealthy and “scary.”  Many packaged foods that seem healthy often contain fillers, preservatives and other ingredients you don’t want in your diet. It is always preferable to choose products that have only a handful of ingredients, all of which should be recognizable.  One test to know whether an ingredient is healthy is to ask yourself whether your grandmother would recognize it.  If not, there is a good chance the ingredient is less natural food and more man-made chemical.  Another good test is whether or not you can easily pronounce the ingredient.  If you feel like you need a science degree to pronounce it properly, chances are the ingredient is worth avoiding.

If you do have to resort to a processed food for a snack or dinner (anything canned, packaged, etc.), try to avoid those that contain the ingredients listed in the following chart.  Although this isn’t an exhaustive list, these ingredients are some of the most highly processed and least healthy of all:

#1 Shadowboxing
Grab light weights (he gave me 3lbs) and enjoy taking out your aggression on your imaginary opponent. Crossovers engage shoulders and triceps. Uppercuts work biceps. Instead of counting reps, start with 30 seconds of crossovers on both sides, then 30 seconds of uppercuts. Build up to one minute each. You’ll be sweating.

#2 Tricep Kickbacks
This is the area of the arm that often looks the flabbiest because, honestly, we use it the least. Everyone’s probably tried kickbacks at some point, but David’s version has you rotating your arm inward on the extension and twisting the weight parallel to the floor to really work the inner tricep pad.

#3 Bicep Curls
Another classic— with a twist. Instead of holding the weights out in front of you, angle your arms to the side as you raise them to shape the bicep’s outer edge.

#4 Tricep Pushups on the Stability Ball
I love exercises that multitask. This one forces you to engage your core like crazy, so you don’t roll off the ball.

#5 Pike Pushups on the Stability Ball
A killer, in a good way. Holding the pike position means you’re “pushing up” even more of your body weight and struggling even harder to balance (more core, more cardio). This one also brings shoulders back into the equation.

It only took about ten minutes, but I was certainly hurting after that routine. I’m going to try and keep it up, perhaps with a nice summery strapless dress as motivation.

~Good Luck!!!

1. Take stock. Before you start reducing your credit card debt, know where you stand, says Cate Williams, vice president of financial literacy for Money Management International, a large, national credit counseling firm. “A lot of people will say they’ve got a certain amount of debt — $9,000, let’s say — when in reality, it’s $11,000 or $14,000.” You’ll never hit your target if you don’t know where it is, so be brutally honest with yourself.

Action plan: Write down the debt — and the interest rate — on every card you have.

2. Improve your rates. The quickest way to save big on your credit card bills is to negotiate a lower interest rate. If you can shave off even a percentage point or two, you can save hundreds as you pay off your debt. A simple phone call and a polite request may be all it takes. While your credit score will play a large role in whether or not you get a rate cut, it’s not the only factor. “Every lender has their own approach to this issue,” says Weston. “It never hurts to give it a shot.”

Action plan: Call up each credit card company and request lower interest rates. Want to try? We have tips. If you’re successful, write down your new interest rates.

3. Track your costs. Write down all your regular, committed expenses (mortgage, utilities, insurance, car payments, minimum credit card payments, phone, gym, cable, etc.), and track other variable expenses such as restaurant meals, entertainment and travel. This will serve as the foundation to your budget.

Action plan: Study up to a year’s worth of credit card bills and bank statements to get an accurate sense of your monthly spending, and keep tracking your expenses with a notebook or financial software.

4. Create a budget. It’s time to take an ax to some of those expenses. The key is to be realistic: You’ll have to make some sacrifices, but you don’t need to live on bread and water. “Cutting back can be more effective than cutting out,” says Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, a leading accrediting agency for credit counseling firms. “It’s hard to adjust your lifestyle too dramatically, and often, little adjustments can add up to big savings.” Cutting out a single pizza dinner each week, ratcheting down your gold-plated cable plan and changing your thermostat by a few degrees can give you the jump start you need. Be sure to give yourself a bit of breathing room in your budget in case an unexpected expense pops up.

Action plan: Write down three ways you can cut back immediately, and cancel or downgrade some services. Divide your monthly discretionary budget into weekly allotments so you’ll have a better handle on whether you’re staying on track.

5. Choose your payoff strategy. There are two common credit card payoff strategies. The first is to plow all your extra cash into the highest-interest card while paying the minimums on the others — which is the fastest way, overall, to lower your debt. Once the first card is paid off, you have even more extra cash, and should apply it to the card with the next-highest rate, and so on, creating a debt payoff snowball effect. A second strategy is to pay off your card with the lowest balance first while continuing to pay the minimums on the others. Though this is not the most cost-effective way to banish your debt, it’s the fastest way to eliminate debt on a single card, and it can be a psychological boost to eliminate a bill for good.

Action Plan: Choose your strategy, then rank cards in the order you’ll pay them off.

6. Stash your plastic. In 2000, MIT researchers took two groups of students and dangled scarce Boston Celtic tickets in front of them. One group was required to pay cash; the other was asked to pay by credit card. The credit card crowd was willing to pay more than twice as much, their research found. “I’ve seen people save 20 percent when they begin paying with cash,” Cunningham says. “They become more contemplative of their purchases.”

Action plan: Store your credit cards where you won’t have easy access to them — but don’t cancel them. Plan to pay in cash whenever possible.

7. Find your motivation and support. Create concrete goals to stay focused. Maybe getting rid of debt will allow you to save for a down payment on a house, go on a dream vacation or stop worrying about every bill that hits your mailbox. Weston recommends finding a community to swap stories, successes, and challenges. “A forum where you can feel supported — where you can say ‘I’m so tired of trying to save money’ can be really helpful,” she says. “Sometimes it can feel really dumb, but it’s nice to be with people who are trying to do that same thing you are.” There are hundreds of personal finance bloggers and forums where you pull up a virtual chair.

Action plan: Write down your goals and keep them in your wallet or purse. If you get tempted to overspend, take a look at them to remind yourself of the bigger picture.

8. Track your progress. While you don’t want to spend every day fretting over your bills, keep an eye on your spending. “Revisit your progress every few months,” recommends Williams. “You don’t want this to consume your life. It took you awhile to get into debt, and it’s going to take you awhile to get out of it.”

Action plan: Put reminders in your calendar to check up on your finances. Keep the page with your starting balances, and compare them to check your progress.

~Good Luck!

Now new research proves what you’ve probably suspected ever since your first pop-up announcing that your password has expired and you need to create a new one. This presumed security measure is little more than a big waste of time, the Boston Globe reports.

Microsoft undertook the study to gauge how effectively frequent password changes thwart cyberattacks, and found that the advice generally doesn’t make much sense, since, as the study notes, someone who obtains your password will use it immediately, not sit on it for weeks until you have a chance to change it. “That’s about as likely as a crook lifting a house key and then waiting until the lock is changed before sticking it in the door,” the Globe says.

On the bright side, changing your password isn’t harmful, either, unless you use overly short or obvious passwords or you’re sloppy about how you remember them. (Many users forced to change their password too frequently resort to writing them on sticky notes attached to their monitor, about the worst possible computer security behavior you can undertake.)

Rather, frequent password changes are simply a waste of time and, therefore, money. According to the Microsoft researcher’s very rough calculations: To be economically justifiable, each minute per day that computer users spend on changing passwords (or on any security measure) should yield $16 billion in annual savings from averted harm. No one can cite a real statistic on password changes’ averted losses, but few would estimate it’s anywhere approaching $16 billion a year.

Bottom line, IT departments: Drop the password-change mandates. You’re only creating extra work for yourselves and making the rest of us hate you.

~Good to know!!!

1. Salmon (wild-caught, Alaska)
To give you an idea of how well managed Alaska’s salmon fishery is, consider this: biologists are posted at river mouths to count how many wild fish return to spawn. If the numbers begin to dwindle, the fishery is closed before it reaches its limits, as was done recently with some Chinook fisheries. This close monitoring, along with strict quotas and careful management of water quality, means Alaska’s wild-caught salmon are both healthier (they pack 950 mg of omega-3s and carry few contaminants) and more sustainable than just about any other salmon fishery.

2. Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, Oregon) & Spot Prawns (wild-caught, British Columbia)
Most shrimp are plentiful and reproduce quickly. But whether they are sustainably farmed and harvested is the big question. In an effort to reduce the by-catch caused by netting and prevent ocean floors from being scraped clean by dragging, the U.S. has strict regulations on farming and trawling. The best choices are wild-caught MSC-certified pink shrimp (aka cocktail shrimp) from Oregon or their larger sisters, spot prawns, also from the Pacific Northwest, which are caught by traps. Avoid: imported shrimp, farmed or wild.

3. Mussels & Oysters (farmed)
Farmed mussels and oysters are good for you (a 3-oz. serving of mussels contains 700 mg of omega-3s and oysters pack 44 percent of the recommended daily values of iron). Better yet, they are actually good for the environment. Both feed off the natural nutrients and algae in the water, which improves water quality. They can also act as natural reefs, attracting and providing food for other fish. One health caveat: Raw shellfish, especially those from warm waters, may contain bacteria that can cause illnesses.

4. Sardines, Pacific (wild-caught)
The tiny, inexpensive sardine is making it onto many lists of superfoods and for good reason. It packs more omega-3s (1,950 mg!) per 3-oz. serving than salmon, tuna or just about any other food; it’s also one of the very, very few foods that’s naturally high in vitamin D. Many fish in the herring family are commonly called sardines. Quick to reproduce, Pacific sardines have rebounded from both overfishing and a natural collapse in the 1940s.

5. Rainbow Trout (farmed)
Though lake trout are high in contaminants, nearly all the trout you will find in the market is rainbow trout. In the U.S., rainbow trout are farmed primarily in freshwater ponds and “raceways” where they are more protected from contaminants and fed a fishmeal diet that has been fine-tuned to conserve resources.

6. Albacore Tuna (troll-or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
Many tuna are high in mercury but albacore tuna—the kind of white tuna that’s commonly canned—gets a Super Green rating as long as (and this is the clincher) it is “troll- or pole-caught” in the U.S. or British Columbia. The reason: smaller (usually less than 20 pounds), younger fish are typically caught this way (as opposed to the larger fish caught on longlines). These fish have much lower mercury and contaminant ratings and those caught in colder northern waters often have higher omega-3 counts. The challenge: you need to do your homework to know how your fish was caught or look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue eco label. Pregnant women and young children should consider chunk light tuna instead; it’s lower in mercury.

~Stay healthy, Live Well!!!

At the bottom were three regional carriers: American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast and Comair. Atlantic Southeast and Comair are owned by mainline carrier Delta, which was ranked fourth from last.

Hawaiian has been number one for three out of the last four years in the ratings, which are compiled by private researchers based on a combination of airlines’ records in four categories: on-time performance, mishandled baggage, denied boardings due mostly to overbookings, and consumer complaints to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

AirTran has been battling Hawaiian for the top spot. It was number one three years ago and finished second last year as well.

Overall, fewer passengers boarded planes last year, but those who did were generally treated better than in the past. Planes were more likely to land on time and bags were less likely to get lost.

As a result, passengers reported fewer complaints even while cash-strapped airlines reduced flight schedules and charged for everything from bags and pillows to prime spots in boarding lines.

U.S. air travel surged to about 770 million passengers in 2007, when airline performance suffered a near meltdown. Performance began improving two years ago as the economy took a toll on air travel. Passengers dropped to about 750 million in 2008 and fell to 704 million last year.

“We kind of turned a little bit of a corner in ’08 and we’re glad to say they’re continuing that generally positive (trend) for the consumer,” said Dean Headley, a Wichita State University professor and co-author of an annual analysis of airline quality.

One cloud in the otherwise friendly skies was a slight increase in denied boardings, mostly due to overbooking. The increase was the natural result of fuller planes caused by a decrease in the number of scheduled flights, Headley said.

American Eagle had the highest rate of involuntary denied boardings at 3.76 per 100,000 passengers. Low-cost carrier JetBlue had so few denied boardings that its rate showed up as zero.

The improved service “does not mean we have fixed the system,” cautioned the report’s other co-author, Purdue University professor Brent Bowen.

Regional airlines, which are a growing share of flights and now account for half of all departures, have generally ranked at the bottom of the list, he noted. The rankings have been compiled for two decades.

Hawaiian — which flies to ten U.S. mainland cities along with the Hawaiian Islands and to the Philippines, Australia, Samoa and Tahiti — has some advantages over other airlines. Many of its flights are short hops between islands in a climate generally favorable for flying, Headley noted.

Passengers didn’t check as many bags last year, perhaps in part due to baggage fees. That may be one reason why fewer than 4 bags per every 1,000 travelers were lost or damaged. The rate for lost bags last year was second best in the last 20 years and about half what it was in 2007.

AirTran fared best last year, with a mishandled bag rate of 1.67. The worst: Atlantic Southeast, at 7.87.

The recession hit airlines hard, and they have scrambled for ways to generate income other than by raising fares. U.S. airlines collectively lost $8 billion in 2009, although regional carriers as a group were profitable, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

More than 79 percent of airline flights arrived on time in 2009, 3.4 percent better than a year earlier. Fourteen of the 18 airlines included in the analysis improved their on-time performance from the year before. At the bottom was Comair, with only 69 percent of flights on time. Only slightly better was Atlantic Southeast, 71.2 percent.

Fewer than one in every 100,000 passengers filed complaints with the Department of Transportation, down slightly from the previous year. Southwest again had the lowest complaint rate — 0.21 complaints per 100,000 passengers. Delta, whose regional partners had the worst baggage and on-time performance, had the highest complaint rate, 1.96.

The ratings are based on statistics for airlines that carry at least 1 percent of the passengers who flew domestically last year. The research is sponsored by Purdue University in Indiana, and by Wichita State University in Kansas.

~Surprising!!!

“Bad” carbs score high on the “glycemic index,” which assigns each food with a numerical value based on how quickly it raises a person’s blood sugar levels. (To develop this index, researchers spent years assessing the potential of various carbohydrates to raise blood sugar.) High-glycemic carbs include white starches and candy, but also surprising foods like baked potatoes, watermelon, and brown rice. “Good” carbs, which include most fruits and vegetables, grainy breads, and pasta, cause a more gradual rise in blood sugar leading to a slower release in the hormone insulin, which moves glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells where it’s used as fuel or stored as fat. Slowing this digestive process appears to limit wreckage to cells triggered by elevated blood sugar, possibly protecting against heart disease, diabetes, and other ills. The new study adds to previous research showing that following a low-glycemic diet enabled those with type 2 diabetes to have better control over their blood sugar and rely less on medications than those who ate high-glycemic carbohydrates like white bread and potatoes. Other research suggests that switching to low-glycemic carbs aids in weight loss efforts and might even stave off acne and age-related blindness.

“It’s a good idea for people to choose foods with a lower glycemic index over higher ones,” recommends Sieri. A sensible rule of thumb is to choose mainly carbs that have a glycemic-index value of 55 or less; those 56 to 69 are considered moderate, and those 70 and above are considered high. Remember that serving sizes still count. Eating super-sized portions of any carbohydrate can cause blood sugar levels to soar, and excess calories usually spells trouble for your waistline. The key is to substitute good carbs for the bad ones without eating more of them. Here are some ideas:

1. Switch to darker breads. The best choices are coarse breads sprinkled with seeds and whole grains like cracked or sprouted whole-wheat breads; rye, sourdough or whole-wheat pita bread. (Stick with a slice, not half a loaf.) Worst choices? Bagels, croissants, French bread, kaiser rolls, and, of course, white bread.

2. Choose high-bran or whole-grain cereals. This can be a little confusing since some of the nutritious cereals, like Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, and Cream of Wheat have a higher-glycemic index than the more-processed Honey Smacks or Special K. The best cereal choices include compact, noodle-like, high-bran cereals like All-Bran and Fiber One and coarse whole-grain cereal like Kashi; other good breakfast choices include slow-cooked, steel-cut oatmeal and cereal mixed with psyllium, a soluble fiber that slows digestion of carbs.

3. Elect pasta over rice. While pasta is packed with carbohydrates, a 2-ounce serving cooked al dente raises blood sugar levels less than a baked potato or a serving of brown rice. Other good side dishes include boiled barley, bulgur, kasha, beans, and sweet potatoes.

4. Swap your snacks. Instead of pretzels, have light microwave popcorn; instead of corn chips, have peanuts. Need a sugar fix? Have half a Snicker’s bar or an oatmeal cookie instead of graham crackers. And, consider peanut butter on a whole-grain rye cracker (like Wasa crispbread) instead of a rice cake.

5. Embrace fruits and vegetables with just a few exceptions. With vegetables, it’s okay to overdo the serving sizes, since most are low in calories and carbohydrates. Potatoes, though, are the one exception and score a 65 on the index chart. Fruits, sweet as they are, also score low on the index with a few exceptions like watermelon, pineapple, plums, cantaloupe, and raisins.

~Eat Well…stay Healthy!!!

Your immune system is designed to identify and combat things that are foreign to the body. For the most part, this is to your benefit, protecting you from bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful substances. But in the case of allergies, your immune system overreacts to a pathogen or particle, mobilizing with full force and producing severe inflammation and allergic symptoms.

The Chinese Medical View of Allergies
In Chinese medicine the lungs are responsible for managing the defensive energies of your body, which protect you against foreign invaders. If the lung network is not nourished properly, or if its energy is weak, the immune system becomes debilitated. Nourishment for the lung network comes from the spleen or digestive system. So, it makes sense that an appropriate diet is crucial for allergy treatment. When I treat allergies, I focus on getting the immune system to work properly by restoring balance in the digestive and the respiratory systems through acupuncture, herbal therapy, and specially tailored diets.

A typical patient of mine suffered from inflamed sinuses and eczema for over ten years. Though he had received allergy shots, and had used antihistamines, decongestants, and steroid creams, he could not find consistent relief. After undergoing a course of acupuncture, herbal therapy, and dietary changes, he has been free from allergies for the past 6 years. Read on to find the ways to reap the same rewards.

Support your sinuses with self-massage
Like acupuncture, acupressure the art of acupuncture without needles. Use your own fingers to stimulate these acupressure points for sinus relief:

For immediate relief of sinus allergies, locate the acupoint Welcome Fragrance (Li 20) on both sides of your nose, where your nose and cheek meet. Apply moderate pressure with both index fingers, one on each side of the nose. Hold for 3 minutes. Take deep and slow breaths.

Massaging the Wind Pond (Gb 20) point will help harmonize your immune system. To locate the Wind Pond acupoint, find the natural indentation at the base of your skull on both sides of your neck. Press and lift up toward the base of your skull with your thumbs and lean your head back. Use the weight of your head against your thumbs for a steady pressure. Hold for about 5 minutes. Breath deeply and slowly during the acupressure.

Change your diet to alleviate your allergies
My aforementioned patient made big changes to his diet. Eliminating dairy, wheat, and corn made a huge difference to the severity of his allergic symptoms. Clinically, it has been found that by reducing food made from wheat, dairy, and refined sugar, patients will often experience a reduction — sometimes even elimination — of allergies and hay fever symptoms. Chinese medicine is in agreement, as these foods are believed to produce mucous and dampness in the body. Specifically, cut out bleached flour, white pasta, white rice, refined sugar sweets, and soft drinks. Typical high-allergy grains include wheat, rye and barley, so these are best avoided during an allergy flare-up. Consider consulting your physician for any allergy concerns you may have.

What you eat can also help alleviate your allergy symptoms. The enzyme bromelain and the antioxidant quercetin have been found to modulate the release of histamine, which causes the allergic response. You could take 500 mg daily of each of these in supplemental form, but I always prefer to benefit from the whole food source. Bromelain is the anti-inflammatory enzyme found in fruits such as papaya, pineapple, and kiwi. Quercetin is found in green tea and microalgae, such as chlorella, blue-green algae, and spirulina, all available in your local health food store. In addition, cherries and grapes are rich in phytochemicals that fight inflammation. Leafy greens like spinach and kale contain essential nutrients for healthy immunity, as does broccoli.

Herbal help for allergies
Natural Chinese medicine uses many natural herbs to ease allergies.

• Stinging nettle is known to combat inflammation, and can also help with your itchy, red eyes. Seek out stinging nettle leaf capsules or tea in health food stores.

• Magnolia flower is another effective herb for allergies and sinus conditions. You can take a magnolia supplement by itself or in formulations with other herbs, in tea or capsules available at health food stores, online, and from acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists. Allergy Tamer is a traditional Chinese herbal formula that contains magnolia and other traditional herbs to bring about temporary relief of nasal congestion, sneezing, itchiness and watery eyes.

Quick fixes to relieve the symptoms
Now that you have all the acupressure, herbal and dietary advice you need to support your immune system, get relief!

• To clear up a runny nose caused by hay fever, make tea by boiling three slices of ginger, 2 stalks of scallions, and one orange peel. Drink three cups a day until symptoms clear.

• To soothe itchy eyes, use a peppermint tea bag as a warm compress for washing your eyes. Steep the tea bag in hot water for 30 seconds, let it cool to warm and place it gently over your eyelids. Leave on for five to ten minutes.

• Relieve chest congestion by rubbing tonic oil on your chest and upper back. Tonic oil is made from wintergreen, peppermint, fennel, cinnamon, and other essential oils that help to loosen up congestion in chest and promote circulation. Consider trying our tonic oil blend, containing camphor, eucalyptus and wintergreen in a pure sesame oil base. Some of our customers have told us that when they have a stuffy nose, they rub a little on their upper lip and breathe deeply.

• Ease all three symptoms by trying Sinus Formula, a classic Chinese herbal combination used to relieve allergic symptoms, soothe itchy eyes, and unblock nasal and sinus congestion.

~Stay healthy, Live Long!!!