Health Holidays! By Dave Lynn Ironically, much of what we enjoy about the holiday season also sometimes prevents us from being at our best during this busy time of year. Distractions from normal, healthy routines like eating right, exercising and getting plenty of rest put many of us under the weather at a time when we had planned to be enjoying the company of family and friends sharing in traditional celebrations and gatherings. The fact that flu season and the holiday season overlap is no help either. Fortunately Jackson County offers a number of resources that can help you enjoy this time of year to the fullest and maintain a healthy lifestyle year-round. The holiday season begins with a celebration of the harvest. The bounty of that harvest in Jackson County can help to keep us healthy during the holiday season and indeed throughout the year. Dr. James Liang (who frequently goes by the English translation of his last name: cool) is a master of using herbs to prevent illness and remedy health problems. Though retired after a long medical career in China, Dr. Cool is called to continue helping people and sharing his wisdom from his shop in Hoschton. Healthy patients and word of mouth keep him busy. Dr. Cool loves Jackson County: the friendly people, the fresh air, the comfortable climate, and the fresh herbs that can be grown on local farms and in backyard gardens. According to Dr. Cool, a good garden can double as a pharmacy, growing kudzu (which as you know needs NO encouragement), sweetgum, mushrooms and a variety of other fresh herbs that help to keep our bodies well nourished and in a healthy balance. He likes to point out the irony that many practitioners of herbal medicine too quickly resort to exotic dried herbs from the other side of the planet, like his native China, when better, fresh and frequently free sources are often available just out your own backdoor. In case you think that the doctor blindly follows traditional practice you would be quite mistaken. Before practicing at one of China’s foremost hospitals he studied medicine at Emory University, and armed with that education he studied the traditional cures and preventive techniques from a scientific perspective. Dr. Cool keeps things simple with a focus on prevention, balance and harmony. Always open-minded, he pairs traditional Chinese medicine with modern science. Indeed, in addition to his use of nutrition and herbal medicine he also practices magnetpuncture. This is a fascinating discipline which combines the techniques of classical acupuncture with the technology of modern magnets. Many of you will be relieved to know that there are no needles involved! A Day At the Spa Just the thought of needles makes some people extremely tense. That anxiety also sometimes accompanies the busy social calendar of the holidays. With so much to do, so many people to see and so much to enjoy we can become overwhelmed, unbalanced and drained of the energy we need. How about a day at the spa to relax and rejuvenate? Chateau Élan Winery & Resort in Braselton happens to be the home of one of the best spas in the region and offers a number of services and amenities to keep you healthy now and throughout the year. A staff of fitness “gurus” will help point you in the right direction. In addition to the expected massage therapies, skin and nail care, the spa offers fitness classes, hydrotherapies and its own Fleur-De-Lis restaurant with a menu full of delicious and healthy dining choices. Booking an appointment affords you access to all the amenities of the spa for the entire day of your appointment, including the fitness classes. The holidays are a busy time at the spa according to Spa Group Coordinator Jacqueline Samples with half of the spa patrons from the Jackson County area while the other half are out-of-town guests of the Resort. Of course, if you have seen Chateau Élan at this time of year you know it is a wonderfully festive atmosphere. In addition to revitalizing after holiday excesses, be it food or shopping, the spa is particularly popular this time of year because of the number of gift certificates that are redeemed. Take a Jackson County WalkStaying healthy for the holiday season means focusing on prevention. One very healthy and enjoyable activity is walking. We all seem to get too much of this when we are frantically shopping, but adding, or substituting, some exercise in the great outdoors is a great habit to maintain or start during the holiday season. The winter has a beauty all its own that too often we overlook, spoiled by the flowers of the spring, the lush greens of summer and the spectacular colors of the fall. Jackson County has a number of parks that are great for walking and other sorts of exercise throughout the year. In the winter there is a peace on the trails and a poetry to the trees in silhouette against a crisp winter sky. Jefferson has Lamar Murphy Park. Hoschton is home to both West Jackson Park and Sell’s Mill Park. The biggest county park is Hurricane Shoals near Maysville. Thompson Mills Forest, the State Arboretum of Georgia, in Braselton has over 300 acres of natural beauty to enjoy including a number of walking trails. It won’t help you boost your immune system this year, but East Jackson Park is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008 in Nicholson. It’s not nearly as fun as a walk in the woods, a day at the spa, or even a spot of specially blended herbal tea (may I get a dash of kudzu root in mine?) and it probably involves a needle, but flu shots and other appropriate immunizations are also part of being healthy for the holidays. So is enjoying the holiday treats in moderation and not burning your festive candle at both ends. If all the prevention and moderation still fails to keep you the picture of health this season there are always the usual facilities to bring you back up to speed. Banks Jackson Commerce Medical Center in Commerce has a staff of over 20 doctors ready to provide care. There is the County Health Department with clinics in Commerce and Jefferson and of course there is the family doctor. Be healthy in mind and body and enjoy this and every season to the fullest! Dave Lynn is an industrial designer and freelance journalist who has written on diverse topics for Living Jackson. Visit Dave on-line at www.laughing-dog.us. For More Information Dr. Cool The Spa at Chateau Élan Winery & Resort
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