5 Yina Spring Beauty Oil
I had a great timing meeting with the one of the co-founder of 5 YINA Dr Ervina in June. That time she was working on a new breast cream which is going to be out soon! Facial oil has been around for a long time and I’ve always wanted to try it. Then, just last week, she was so kind to send me some of her beauty products and this beauty oil is the one that I’ve wanted to try.
5YINA is a TCM formulated brand and this Enlighten Beauty Oil is infused with 24 herbal bio-actives to protect and soothe skin for daily use. Here are some of the featured bioactives such as Astragalus, Peony Root, Tremella and Camellia Seed oil.
I’ve been using it for day and night for a few days now, and it’s very light on the skin. Living in a hot and humid Singapore, I’d have to say it’s very easy to use after my toner and I put sunscreenafter. Love it ❤️
Highway to Well podcast with Paige Bourassa
I love podcasts, I listen to them on the way to work and on the way home. Sometimes I listen to TCM related ones like the one on the left, sometimes I listen to Mindbodygreen, Goop, HealthCMi, Everyday Acupuncture, Doctor’s Farmacy or Keto Talk.
Here, one of my favorite acupuncturist, Dr Paige Bourassa @theacuchick breaks down TCM for a Western audience about what Qi is, women’s health and her dinner with Jesus, Dali and Oprah. She is the funniest! You can listen to it here.
My 2 Scoops-Snack
I don’t usually snack. But when I do, I want to have something packed with nutrients… well most of the time. This snack is a throw-everything-in type of snack. You can bake it if you want it to be a lil crispy.
Get a medium bowl, throw in all the dry ingredients:
- 2 cups of oats (steel cut, rolled, instant whichever you have)
- 2 teaspoons matcha powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds & linseed mix
- 2 tablespoons collagen (I use Vital Protein Marine)
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconuts
Then, add the wet ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- Slowly add in water and mix them well as you go. Add just enough so that the bits stick together.
When all the ingredients are stuck together, portion them out and roll them into small balls.
Pop them in the oven for 20 mins at 200 degrees Celsius. Cool them and store in tupperware. Done!
I always cook everything by feel, so this is a rough proportion. I’ll try to measure out properly next time.
Should Christians use TCM?
I attended this event at the beautiful Ming Yi Guan also known as House of Tan Yeok Nee for a book launch event with Dr Lai Pak Wah and Dr Diarra Boubacar, who is the first Mali African to complete PhD in TCM in China. He speaks fluent Mandarin! Apparently, this question is commonly debated between Christians, especially in Asia. In Singapore (and even in other countries), they object TCM because they regard it as not evidence based and “medically proven”. Other reject it because it is based on Taoism and Buddhism.
Well, many Western doctors are Buddhist. If you talk to most TCM practitioners in China or even in Singapore if TCM is linked to Taoism or Buddhism, you’ll probably get a blank face. TCM is a way of treatment of the human body and not a religion. TCM sees everyone as a unique being and testing out a single chemical component of a herb is not how it works. The complexity in a formula of herbs have a synergistic effect and affect every being in a different way depending on one’s constitution. TCM herbs and acupuncture points are based on more than 2,000 years of empirical evidence on real life humans. It’s millions, billions and trillion times of human trials and errors. Shouldn’t we weigh this more than evidence based data?
Dr Lai Pak Wah summed it up nicely – “Love your neighbors…we need to be able to dialogue with them on the basis of mutual respect and understanding”. Sometimes I feel that we have lost sight of the main goal. As doctors, the main goal is to treat and teach patients how to self-care, regardless of what method. Be it Western, Eastern, Functional, Ayurveda, Korean, Japanese or Indonesian medicine, it’s Human Medicine.
Creating your space with leaves
I love flowers but nowadays I’m so intrigued by leaves. 🍃Living in a garden city Singapore, you can spot many types of tropical foliage everywhere you go. Surrounding your house with plants is not only good for the air but by creating a space with the leaves (or things) that you love can calm your mind and be more productive.
You don’t need to KonMari everything but cleaning out and throwing out things that you haven’t used for years or even just cleaning out your bag/wallet can help you to be more mindful and minimize the sense of overwhelm.