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many people wonder how they can stay well this winter, considering the onset of the flu season and the fear of a possible influenza epidemic. Fortunately, acupuncture and Oriental medicine provide proven steps toward preventing illness and maintaining good health in cold weather.

We hear about so many people catching the flu - but in reality it is only a portion of those exposed to a virus that get sick. Why? According to Oriental medicine's teachings, our bodies get sick when we are in a weakened state. It is only when our immune systems are weakened and our bodies are out of balance that we are vulnerable to sickness.

Acupuncture originated in China between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago. It corrects imbalances in the body's energy systems that cause illness. Practitioners of Oriental medicine identify Qi (pronounced "chee") as the life giving energy that needs to flow freely through the body for good health. Integrated with a wise lifestyle, Oriental medicine can help prevent illness.

here are Five Tips for Avoiding Illness This Flu Season:

1. exercise a little bit everyday. exercise moves the lymphatic system, thereby helping to detoxify the poisons in your body.

2. Keep warm. Make sure your neck and chest are protected from wind, drafts and cold. Use a scarf around your neck when going outside and wear turtle neck shirts or sweaters. The neck is an area where wind can invade the body and cause sickness. The Oriental medical perspective is that wind invasions make people more vulnerable to developing colds and flu. Always keep your feet warm and dry.

3. Get adequate sleep and relaxation. Your body is vulnerable to stress without enough rest. Think about doing some deep breathing exercises to help relax and unwind at the end of the day. Use stress-reduction methods like Qi Gong meditation or yoga.

4. Eat smart. Avoid refined sugars (processed food and baked goods, alcohol, etc.). A diet of refined or simple carbohydrates (white sugar, white bread) raises the body's Ph and allows bacteria, mold, yeast and fungi to thrive. Simple carbohydrates suck up the nutrition your body needs to detoxify, nourish and build new cells and antibodies. This makes you MORE susceptible to illness. Vitalize your nutrition by eating more fresh, organic foods and less processed food. This food has more "Qi" in it.

5. Get Acupuncture. When you get regular acupuncture treatments (as little as once per month) it actually boosts your immune system. Acupuncture strengthen the "Wei Qi" or the protective energy that safeguards us against colds and flu.

Use these Five Tips for Avoiding Illness to keep your body strong and healthy this winter. You can resist illness, the flu or the common cold.

For more than 19 years Steven Sonmore helped people transform their health problems into solutions for attaining better health. Steven is a licensed acupuncturist, Oriental bodywork therapist and herbalist. He offers complete health care with acupuncture, Chinese herbs, nutritional counseling, Oriental massage, and facial rejuvenation. He is licensed by the minnesota Board of medical Practice and certified by the national certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. For more information visit http://www.orientalmedcare.com or write to info@orientalmedcare.com or call 612-866-4000. Copyright 2005 by Steven Sonmore. All rights reserved.

Many brands of Golf Clubs are on the market today, in also many different prices. Chossing the right clubs can make the difference between a birdie and a bogie. Let's have a look on some of the most common manufacturers:

The Ping Golf Club

For a golfer, one of the most important things that he should examine is his golf club because according to experts, it is one of the main reasons why they do not hit the ball. this is the exact reason why the Ping golf club was born.

Karsten Solheim was the one who invented the ping golf club with different intentions. The story has it that Karsten was practicing golf but he could not hit the ball so he started to practice up to the time that he began to design and experiment his very own putter so that he could play better through it. He thought of designing his own putter without a figment of a though that it would be known worldwide. By the year 1959, his putter experiments had evolved into 1A design. While deciding for the name, he heard the sound of his putter and declared proudly to his wife that he would name the putter from its sound, hence the name ping. At that same year, sports Illustrated published an article in their August issue regarding the ping golf club dubbing it as a musical putter.

The Callaway Golf Club

The Callaway golf club is one of the most popular and also reliable types of golf club in the market today. There are so many people (like you and me) that are fascinated with golf today and it is no wonder why the Callaway golf club is now in the peak of success in the world of golf clubs.

The Callaway Golf club is headed by Ely Callaway. He bought half of Hickory Stick usa and renamed it Callaway Hickory Stick usa. After purchasing it, he decided to hire the best people that would be an instrument in supporting his dream of Callaway golf club. He hired Richard C. Helmstetter to be the Chief Club designer and this as others would say is the point of no return. The designs for Callaway golf club are truly revolutionary and innovative which is why the Callaway golf club is dubbed as the type of golf club that is unique and also high-performance kind golf equipment. After that, Ely Callaway renamed his company into Callaway Golf and then relocated from Cathedral City, california to a sleepy seaside town called Carlsbad, which is just north of San diego.

The taylor Made Golf Club

taylor Made golf clubs are into leading the combined driver, iron counts and fairway wood at PGA tournaments. The advancement of the metal wood technology employed by taylor Made golf clubs make it possible to each player to have a his own club. This metalwood technology created famous clubs in the form of Pittsburgh Persimmon, tour Preferred, Burner, and Burner Bubble, each is considered a high performance piece of device. With titanium clubheads, taylor Made clubs are very strong but extremely light to use.

taylor Mades metalwood golf clubs boast with features that surely makes each golf club a hit to golfers.

The custom fitting Golf Club

Every golfer's physical capability and swing is distinctive. Many of today's best golf clubs can be custom fit for lie angle, shaft type and length, grip type and size. custom fitting is the process for tailoring a golf club to suit your personal swing and those golf clubs involve several easy measurements and a quick self-assessment of your game. This custom golf club has become more than a temporary fashion so even the non-professional golfer might take a look at it.

Whatever your level, with a custom golf club the aim is to ensure that if you do make a good swing, the club will be square at impact and should produce a straight shot.

Jason Kerr is a professional golf player and runs the Golf Tips Web site GolfPower3.com which also features Golf Club Reviews