Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Sweet Potatoes and yams are a big part of Western holiday traditions.  However, in China, sweet potatoes are a daily part of one’s diet. Sweet potatoes are believed to be warming to the stomach and can aid in relieving indigestion. When buying sweet potatoes, look for ones that are firm and without soft spots, cracks, or bruises.  Cold temperatures will alter their taste so do not refrigerate your sweet potatoes.  When stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated area, sweet potatoes will stay firm for 7 to 10 days.
 
According to Chinese Medicine, sweet potatoes strengthen the spleen and stomach, nourishes your Qi (also known as the body’s energy system), help to clear heat from your body, detoxifies, and helps alleviate constipation.  In terms of Western nutrition, sweet potatoes contain vitamin B6, which soothes your mind as well as strengthens your immune system. Sweet potatoes and yams also happen to be a rich source of DHEA.  As one ages, the body’s levels of DHEA drops.  Thus, eat sweet potatoes year-round and look forward to celebrating a long life!
 
Check out this great roasted sweet potatoes recipe from Dinner Made Easy:
http://www.makedinnereasy.com/roasted-sweet-potatoes.html
 
 
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! 
 
Remember to practice mindful eating and to enjoy every bite that enters your mouth.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Winter is coming!

 
Winter marks a time of short days and long nights.  To live in accordance with this time of year, we should slow down, go to bed early, and rise earlier in the morning.  As a society that is constantly on the go, we live completely opposite of nature.  We are ruled by our calendars and our latest devices.  We get up early and go to bed late causing the proverbial candle to burn at both ends.  This constant go heightens are susceptibility to colds and illness during this time of the year.
 
Chinese medicine says winter is governed by Kidney energy and Water.  Energy is called Qi and is the basis for all the energies in the body.  Winter is a time to rest and restore your vital energies.  You want to reserve your Qi for when you are stressed or sick.  Additionally, if you have good Qi, you will age gracefully (e.g., less graying) and have less health issues.  Acupuncture is a good way to reinforce your Kidney Qi.
 
Winter is a time when many people tend to reduce their activity levels.  So, if you reduce your activity level, you should also reduce the amount of food you eat.  Avoid raw foods, which cool the body, during the winter as much as possible. Consume warming foods, such as soups, stews, root vegetables, beans, roasted nuts, garlic, and ginger.  Soups and stews can be made with foods with a lot of nutrients.  Eating foods that will strengthen Kidney energy, such as walnuts (just eat a few every day), will help to keep you healthy and strong throughout the winter months.
 
Now, if you’ve already caught that cold, acupuncture and herbal medicine can help with the chills, sniffles, sore throat, or fever in a safe and non-toxic way.  Acupuncture does not interfere with Western medical treatment. In other words, if you are taking over-the-counter cold medicine or antibiotics, acupuncture would be a nice complement to any medication you are taking.  The addition of Chinese Medicine could also aid in a shorter recovery time.
 
In particular, Gua Sha, which means to “scrape away fever”, is a great way to treat a cold.  Gua Sha is a healing technique used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Gua (gwa), meaning to scrape or extract, and Sha (shaw), meaning sand or toxins, involves the layering of oil onto the skin. This oil is enhanced either with healing herbs or essential oils, such as eucalyptus oil, chosen to aid in the extraction of toxic waste from the body.  Pressure is applied to the skin in strokes using a round-edged instrument.  The result is the appearance of small red petechiae, or spots on your skin, called ‘sha’.  These spots will fade in 2 to 3 days.
 
Gua Sha treatments are not painful according to most people.  Raising Sha promotes circulation and removes blood stagnation, which is when the flow of blood is blocked and can lead to an imbalanced body, which leads to health issues.  Gua Sha can help to immediately relieve such symptoms as pain, stiffness, fever, chills, cough, and nausea.  The red spots or Sha are an indication that toxins are being released from the body.  After Gua Sha, areas of the body may be deep purple, indicating that the blood was old and stagnant in that area.  Releasing the toxins from those areas by exposing the Sha removes pathogens from deep within the bodily system, allowing the blood to flow again and for the body to heal.
 
So, in closing, to stay healthy this winter season, remember to eat plenty of warm and nutritious foods, visit your local acupuncturist, and always, keep warm!