As a new mom, Karen Chester is dealing with many new experiences. She will begin drinking this chinese soup, prepared by her mother/ She says it's a pork hock type of soup, which mothers are supposed to drink after they've just given birth. There's pork in it, hard-bolied eggs and sweet vinegar. It has lots of ginger in it as well.

In chinese medicine, this recipe is believed to help nourish the mother and increase her milk production.

DR. XIAOLAN ZHAO, TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE PRACTIONER SAYS: "PORK WHICH IS NOURISHMENT, GINGERS HELP WARM BODY, VINEGAR HELPS WITH CIRCULATION."

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE, PUBERTY, MOTHERHOOD, AND MENOPAUSE ARE VIEWED AS ONE CONTINUOUS JOURNEY. TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF EARLY HELPS PREVENT PROBLEMS LATER ON IN LIFE.

According to Dr. Zhao, by taking the right steps, mothers can avoid post partum depression and other chronic illnesses.

DR. ZHAO SAYS, "CHINESE MEDICINE IS PREVENTATIVE, IT'S NOT ONLY JUST TREATING THE ILLNESS, IT'S CONNECTED WITH YOUR VITAL ENERGY TO WORK ON YOUR WELL-BEING SPIRITUALLY."

Apart from herbs and acupuncture, Dr. Zhao says women can use self-massage to help restore balance in their bodies...

In her book, Dr. Zhao also shows other accupressure points that will help with sleep. Sleep is something Karen isn't getting a lot of these days. But even though it's hard for mothers to juggle the demands of daily life, Dr. Zhao says it's really important for women to make time for themselves.

Dr. Zhao says exercises like tai chi or qi gong can help build up a person's vital energy to ward of illnesses. If you're wondering, Dr. Zhao runs a practice in Toronto with 7-thousand patients, mostly women. For more information, you can consult a traditional chinese medicine practioner in youre area or read her book, Reflections of the Moon and Water.

Wednesday January 18, 2006