Asian Anti-Ageing and Women’s Health: Keith Ashton’s Vitality Workshops

Why do our Asian cousins age more slowly? And what can Eastern health traditions offer women who yearn for optimum wellbeing? If you are free over the May Bank Holiday weekend, come to Keith Ashton’s Traditional Chinese Medicine workshops and find out.

Keith is a long-standing practitioner and tutor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). From 1-3 May he will be conducting three days of Vitality Workshops based on ancient traditional Eastern approaches to health and wellbeing. The workshops are designed both for professional health practitioners and for people who wish to nurture and increase their vitality.

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Workshops

Saturday 1 May 10-5: Vitality and Optimum Health

This is Keith’s core workshop, upon which all the others are based. It is advisable to enrol for this workshop first, unless you have some basic training in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

With determination and a deeper understanding of the natural laws of health we can reverse most of our health problems, healing ourselves on all levels and enjoying the inspiring possibility of reaching optimum health. This workshop shows you how.

Sunday 2 May 10-5: Vitality and Ageing

Ageing can be slowed down, or even reversed in some cases! In this workshop, participants will look at a wide range of corrective actions that can make a significant difference in helping us to stay on top of the ageing process.

Monday 3 May 10-5: Vitality and Wellbeing for Women

Women’s health is defined by the quality of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and birth. This workshop will explore the above and several other issues – including infertility, menopause and more – discovering ways to relieve and overcome these issues by understanding their causes.

Cost/Venues

Vitality Workshops 1 and 2 (Saturday and Sunday)

Cost: €70 for 1 day / €95 for both days

Venue: Leinster Sports Complex, Observatory Lane, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6

Vitality Workshop 3 (Monday)

Cost: €70

Venue: Irish Institute of Nutrition and Health (IINH), 2 Woodlands Office Park, Southern Cross Road, Bray

To Book

Please contact The Hopsack on 01-4960399 or email: info@hopsack.ie

Queries

If you have any queries concerning the workshops, please email Keith at: keithjashton@gmail.com

Please Note

As Vitality and Optimum Health is the primary workshop on which all others are based (it will always appear on the Saturday in any workshop series) it is advisable to enrol for this workshop first unless you have had some basic training in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Workshops on Sunday and Monday will vary each month.

Future Workshops (in case you can’t make this series!)

Dublin:

Saturday 29 May:Â Â Â Â Vitality and Optimum Health
Sunday 30 May:Â Â Â Â Â Â Vitality and Qi Kung

Bray:

Monday 31 May:Â Â Â Â Â Â Vitality and Qi Kung

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While you’re waiting, we thought we’d distract you with a whistle-stop tour of traditional Asian anti-ageing foods.

Before we embark, a word to the wise: soya is not the star! Au contraire: soya beans are rich in anti-nutrients that impair the absorption of nutrients. They need to be fermented to neutralise the nasties, as they are in traditionally prepared miso, natto, tamari and shoyu, and even then they can undermine the thyroid gland and upset hormones.

Let’s travel anticlockwise to Asia!

17:00 hours: Yummy yummy yummy and not a slithery sea slug in sight! From sushi nori to kelp broth, seaweeds overflow with hard-to-find minerals for beauty and smooth body functioning. Your hair will love you if you eat seaweed! Iodine, vital for normal thyroid and brain function, is abundant in sea veggies. Ask our ageless Hopsack beauties for advice on seaweeds and how to use them.

16:00 hours: Fruits and veggies abound in Asian cuisine, eaten raw, stir-fried, stewed, steamed, grilled or pickled to conserve nutrients. Their brilliant colours showcase the nutrients that send Father Time shuffling back to his cave!

15:00 hours: From Japanese umeboshi plums to Korean kimchi, fermented foods play a vital role in traditional Asian fare. They combat intestinal parasites hailing from raw animal foods and encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut. Pickled daikon radish, eaten in Japan with sushi and sashimi, is a digestive good guy par excellence.

14:00 hours: Eating fish – rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and D – promotes healthy skin, hair, joints, brains, eyes, teeth and bones. Freshness is paramount. In Asia, fish and crustaceans are presented to the punter alive. Only then are they killed and prepared. Raw fish dishes, such as sushi and sashimi, contain proteins and fats un-denatured by heat, which contribute to lustrous skin and shiny hair.

13:00 hours: When beans, grains, nuts and seeds are sprouted, their nutrient content increases exponentially; anti-nutrients are reduced; and they become wildly rejuvenating. Think Chinese beansprouts, or grow your own! Ask The Hopsack‘s indoor gardeners for help.

12:00 hours: Wild foods are key to Korean cuisine: roots, mushrooms and ferns, gathered in forests and mountains and tough from their free-wheeling lifestyle, furnish the eater with age-defying nutrients.

11:00 hours: Tea is integral to Chinese, Japanese and Indian cultures. White, green, oolong and black teas send teams of antioxidants to <KAPOW> the free radicals responsible for ageing and disease. Matcha green tea holds the gold star for antioxidant activity.

10:00 hours: Spice World – yummy multi-taskers. Ginger can cure nausea; turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory; cinnamon regulates blood sugar; and cayenne can lower blood pressure … and that’s just for starters: each of the above can do so much more, not to mention all the other spices used in Asian cooking. Scary!

09:00 hours: Coconuts, beloved in Thailand, contain lauric acid. The body converts it to monolaurin, which sends parasites, yeasts, viruses and pathogenic bacteria to the execution wing of the Bangkok Hilton. Coconut oil strengthens the brain and the nervous, immune and skeletal systems. And it promotes the uptake of omega-3 fatty acids into the tissues, which means soft hair, velvety skin and a happy smile 🙂

08:00 hours: Mushrooms: protein, fibre, B vitamins, vitamin C and minerals in tiny nutrient bombs. Three Asian ‘shrooms – maitake, shiitake and reishi – have been shown to boost heart health and immune function; reduce cancer risk and inflammation; combat allergies; ward off viruses, bacteria and fungi; help balance blood sugar; and support detoxification. All of which help time run magically backwards.

07:00 hours: Back home after a rough day sampling the delights of Asian cuisine… 😉 Of course, diet is only one aspect of turning back the clock. If you want to know more about Eastern anti-ageing, sign up for Keith Ashton’s Vitality Workshops. If you are 40 now you may be celebrating your 39th next year…!