Is there a doctor in the house

By Jim Callicott
Naturopatic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has an inborn ability to heal its self. Naturopatic physicians principle function is to find and remove the barriers to self healing. For example, by correcting poor diet or unhealthy habits, Naturopatic physicians can allow the body to do its job.
Enter Dr. Matt St. John, a licensed Naturopatic Doctor who has been in the health business for 17 years. Dr. St John can be found weekends at St. John's Herbs and Wellness, 11719 Chapman Highway in Seymour. He can also be heard on 96.3 FM at 6:30 Friday evenings.
Dr. St. John recently spoke about traditional Chinese medicine stating that “We have learned so much from it and it allows us to do what we do.”
West finally met East when Dr. St. John recently attended a performance of Cirque de Chine in Sevierville and had the pleasure of meeting two of the lady acrobats. “I was amazed,” he said, “not only at their performance, which was outstanding, but the physical conditioning they maintain. We've learned a lot from traditional Chinese medicine and I think we can learn from these performers lifestyle.”
Gong Ying Xue and Yuan Ming Yang are both believers in proper nutrition and healthy living. The young ladies have spent the last 13 years as performing acrobats where physical and mental fitness is a must. Their coach has always instructed them to eat right and stay in top physical form.
Both performers say they were a little fat when they began acrobatic training, but everyday acrobatic practice soon had the girls in top shape. Dedication is a strong requirement to become an acrobat. The girls were trained in school for 7 years before they were allowed to perform professionally.
Yuan Ming Yang says she hasn't eaten rice, a staple in the Chinese diet, for two years to keep herself in her proper weight. Both she and Gong Ying Xue rely mainly on vegetables but will buy a little pork or chicken to make a soup.
Physical conditioning has to be maintained by the ladies in order to perform. In the Springboard Act, Yuan Ming Yang is supporting three girls standing on her shoulders. The act itself only last a few seconds but to train for it, she had to stand with the girls mounted on her shoulders for three minutes several times a day.
In the same act, Gong Ying Xue and another acrobat jump from a stand about 10 feet in the air, land on the end of the springboard which catapults an acrobat on the other end of the board into the air. Once in France, someone forgot to put the cloth cushion on the end of the springboard and the girls were thrown to the stage. Thanks to their conditioning the injuries were minor.
“These acrobats are in superb conditioning,” said Dr. St. John, “which speaks volumes about proper nutrition and exercise.”