Integrative Acupuncture’s 2nd Annual Congee Cookoff 9/29/2023

Integrative Acupuncture’s 2nd Annual Congee Cookoff!

Friday 9/29 3-6 PM at Wellness In Vermont 200 Elm St Montpelier, VT

Please join us in celebrating National Acupuncture Day and our 14th year in Montpelier with our annual celebration!

What Is Congee?

A staple of a healing breakfast in Asian countries is congee, or jook. It is a rice porridge cooked slowly with 8 parts water and 1 part rice. It serves as a vessel for adding healing foods and herbs that infuse the porridge for specific health purposes. The earliest written mention of congee can be found in the  Book of Zhou, written during the Tang dynasty, which states that the Yellow Emperor made this healing porridge out of grain.

Eating warm food in the morning, especially in the winter, boosts vitality and health. This breakfast is easy to digest, and because of the way it is prepared, the nutrients are easily absorbed. It is especially appropriate for people with weak digestion, small children, those who are chronically ill or recovering from serious disease, and the elderly. It supplements the middle burner (digestive organs such as the pancreas, stomach, spleen, and small intestine) and boosts the body’s qi (energy).

What is Floatation Therapy?

Floatation Therapy or Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (R.E.S.T.) has been around since the 1950’s. Developed by Dr. John C Lilly, a physician and neuroscientist, R.E.S.T. has relaxation for decades. Floatation or R.E.S.T. is a treatment for deep relaxation, where a person is contained in a stimuli-restricted environment and floats in water with high salt content.

The benefits are numerous and researched:

• Lowers cortisol levels
• Improves sleep
• Reduces pain
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Improves concentration and focus
• Boost creativity
• Benefits meditation
• Preventative medicine

What is Wellness in Vermont?

Wellness In Vermont is our building at 200 Elm Street, in downtown Montpelier. It houses a few businesses that we’ve been working on during the last few years. Including Chi Chi Wellness. Based on the Five Elements of Chinese medicine, Chi Chi Wellness presents 7 chocolate bars with healing Chinese herbs traditionally used for sleep, immunity, energy, stress, longevity, meditation and movement. We hand make and offer these organic chocolate bars wholesale to acupuncture clinics around the country and locally to stores like Hunger Mountain Coop, City Market Onion River Coop, Roots Farm Market and Woodstock Market. 

You’ll also find our new Floatation business, Float In Vermont within this building. After trying floatation therapy at float facilities around the country, Kerry and Jonathan decided to bring this healing therapy to central Vermont. In addition to our state-of-the-art, open float tank, we’ve installed an infrared sauna too! 

Join us Friday, 9/27/23 from 3-6 pm and check out the new space and enjoy Chef Jean-Luc’s delicious dumplings along with Chi Chi herbal Chocolates and other treats!