What do Barack Obama and the Chinese new year have in common?

They are both oxes!

Today begins the Chinese Year of the Ox. This year is marked by prosperity through fortitude, hard work, and patience.,/span>

Our new president, born August 4, 1961, was born under the influence of an Ox year as well.

This powerful sign is a born leader: dependable, calm, and modest. People born under the influence of the Ox are kind, logical, positive, and have their feet firmly planted on the ground. Oxes posses unswerving patience, are tireless in their work, and endure hardship without complaint. These people enjoy helping others and work methodically, and intelligently.

We all have the spirit of the Ox within us this year. This steadfast endurance, tempered by patience and self reflection, will bring us many blessings and guide us through whatever difficulties may lie ahead.

Embrace your inner Ox this year and may all the delights of the New Year be yours!

The Skeptics are Coming Around: More Doctors Accepting Complimentary Medicine as Useful and Cost Effective

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune addresses the growing trend of doctors in the United States accepting integrative treatments to aid longstanding medical techniques.
Complimentary and Alternative medicine (CAM) is seen as a cost-effective way of improving the overall health of the nation, compared with the estimated $2.5 trillion, and rising, being spent each year on chronic disease (mood disorders, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and high blood pressure). The article mentions that traditionally more skeptic medical practitioners have begun to listen to the public who is growing to expect an integrated and holistic approach to healthcare.

Read the complete article here.

Acupuncture is Better for Headaches than Aspirin

A December 2008 article in the New York Times discussed the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating headaches. The article, which cites a review of studies through 2007, refers to an earlier decision made by the National Institutes of Health that “acupuncture [is a] useful alternative treatment for headaches.” Studies in the report show that over 60% of patients responded to acupuncture (compared to only 45% to medicine), while other studies report significantly more effectiveness with acupuncture than with placebo acupuncture treatments.

Read the complete article here.