Getting Sick? My Acute Self-Care Ritual

We all have supplements & vitamins we take on a daily basis for our individual needs… products we swear by and use daily for our health & beauty regimes, but what about when you are dealing with a sudden onset cold, or when you wake up with a golf ball-sized sore throat? At the VERY first signs I may be coming down with something acute - I start a very purposeful, emergency wellness ritual that I have refined over the years. There are so many useful tools for treating a cold or easing acute allergies or ear infections, so as Fräulein Maria would say - these are a few of my favorite things!

Hydrogen Peroxide / I trust using Hydrogen Peroxide almost 100% of the time when I notice an acute cold coming on. I gargle with it, and I also put a few drops down each ear for 5-10 min, then drain onto a towel. You can dilute it by 50%, but I just use it straight and rinse with water after gargling. This is just one of those measures I swear by. It will kill many bacterial microbes and pathogenic viruses that have entered the ear canal. H2O2 is always best to use right away when you notice symptoms in the first 12-24 hours. 

Elderberry, Echinacea, C, Zinc / You can take all these individually, but man that sounds like a lot of pills & I don’t do that very well. So I get these lozenges and have them in the house at all times. They are a powerful blend of healing agents - echinacea, zinc, elderberry & Vitamin C to help reduce the duration of disease and prevent illness from taking hold if you catch it early enough. 

Yin Qiao San herbs / Best Chinese herbs for warding off illness in the initial stages - I take it at the first signs of a sore throat, especially one that feels swollen, hot, raw, or burning. I take 3 capsules 3x/day. 

Raw Garlic Paste / aka my Warrior Wellness Paste. This stuff probably deserves its own post. I mix together 2 cloves of mashed raw garlic, 1 inch of raw grated ginger, 1 big Tbsp raw honey, & ½ tsp turmeric powder into a paste. I use 1 tsp of this paste in a mug of 1 C hot water (I actually put it inside a teaball and pour the water over it like making tea - that way it is pre-strained and you don’t have bits of garlic floating in your mug) and add the juice of ½ lemon to it. I drink this 2x day until the paste is gone. 

What are your self-care rituals? Would love to hear your tried & true remedies! 

Summer Bummers? Best natural tips to prepare for the season.

Summertime… and the livin’ is easy… and a little bit brutal, especially in Texas! Try to stock your home with some of my favorite herbal products and tips to have a stress-free season.

1. Best Sunscreen: Badger Sunscreen (Adult or Baby): Badger consistently gets the best ratings for sunscreens from the EWG and is completely natural & organic certified. Badger products are NEVER made with nanoparticles or parabens, ever. I love the lavender scented sunscreen, but they also have fragrance free adult and baby versions. Since Badger is made with Zinc oxide it will tend to be more white in color than mainstream chemical sunscreens - this is a good thing and just takes a little longer to rub in, but is well worth it for your skin.

2. Best Sunburn Remedy: Ching Wan Hung & Egg White Mask: Ching Wan Hung is an all-time favorite medicine cabinet product at my house. It is a Chinese herbal balm for burns of all sorts - rug burns, sun burns, steam burns, even severe burns in hospitals! - it is amazing. Keep this at home all summer and see how handy it can be. If you are really in a pickle - whisk some egg whites and brush on a mask to your burned skin and let sit until it dries. You can repeat this remedy for several days until your skin looks healed and the redness has gone down. It’s truly remarkable!

3. Best Bug Bite Remedy: White Flower Oil & Cedarwood Oil: The mosquitoes. Thorns in our sides. I like to have these oils on hand for when the bites get too itchy or painful to handle. Dap 1-2 drops of oil into a cotton ball and apply it to irritated skin. With little ones, you might want to keep a vial of diluted cedarwood oil on hand for applications, as using the pure essential oil can be too strong for them, although the white flower oil is ready to go!

4. Best Ear Ache Remedy: Onion steam & Grapefruit Seed Extract: Long ago, I posted my favorite home remedy for ear aches - the onion steam. You can read all the details of that right here. If feels so good, and releases so much pressure on the inner ear. In addition to the steam, for swimmer’s ear or bacterial ear infections you can easily use hydrogen peroxide drops in each ear, or Grapefruit Seed Extract ear drops. These have always worked so well for me - tea tree oil & grapefruit seed oil are both anti-bacterial, anti-biotic, and anti-microbial, and the combination of the two really cuts out any pain-causing junk. Put a couple drops in each ear and wait for the liquid to penetrate deeply inside the ear canal before shaking it out.

5. Best Acne/Skin Products: Wake up and smell the Rose! Rose is sort of a cure-all for redness problems. In homeopathy, like treats like, so rose (being red) can treat a multitude of red skin issues while promoting a healthier, softer, smoother looking complexion. My favorite rose-infused products are Weleda Wild Rose Facial lotion, Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater, and Thayer’s Rose Petal Witch Hazel (alcohol-free). I use these simple products daily on my face - especially during the hot and harsh months - and have never had less skin issues in my life.

Do you have any favorite remedies to combat summer bummers? I’d love to hear them. Now, let’s go swimming!

Fall: Season of the Lungs

In traditional Chinese medicine, during fall we are most susceptible to dryness which can affect the lungs, skin (what we call the “outer lung”), and digestion. Common signs of disharmony in the fall are thirst, dry nose and skin, itching, and sore throat or cough. There are a number of things we can do to combat dryness and fortify our bodies for the coming winter months. These tips will help you stay balanced during the fall season, and prepare you for a healthy winter! 

1. Drink. More. Water. Sounds easy, but we often forget this simple act. Hydrating yourself well will prevent your body from getting too dry and help your organs stay healthy and happy. Your lungs especially like to stay “moist” and freak out when they get too dry - coughing, burning, bronchitis, etc can occur. So drink up! 

2. Incorporate moistening foods into your meals. Pears, apples, persimmons, figs, spinach, pumpkin and squash are all moistening foods. Eat these fall foods in abundance and you will set your body up for a healthy winter. Soups and steamed foods are helpful, as well as other “yin” foods like tofu, white fish, yams, & edamame. 

3. Sleep more. As the days grow shorter, allow your body to rest more. We are moving out of the highly active period of summer. Fall is the time to store up our energy for the harsher winter months ahead & going to bed earlier or practicing restorative exercise can benefit our health during this time. 

4. Organize, Cleanse, & Let go. Fall and Spring are both great seasons for organizing your life and letting go of what you don’t need. Try a gentle cleanse, clean out the kitchen or closets, and let go of old grudges or emotional grief. It’s a good time to gather yourself together and start a clean slate in preparation for winter. 

5. Cover up. Especially if you are one to get sick easily or catch colds in the cooler months, don’t leave home without your scarf or hat. Although it may still feel like summer to us now, windy and cooler days are ahead and cold fronts may sweep in suddenly. Our neck and head are most vulnerable to wind and pathogenic illnesses, so cover up and protect your qi from exposure to the elements. 

And…  get acupuncture, of course! Acupuncture will strengthen your resilience and help you make a healthy transition from fall to winter. 

(Thanks to AOMA and The Web That has No Weaver for content inspiration)

MK Herbal Med Kit is here!

       

Just in time for the holidays, the MK Herbal Med Kit has arrived! This is a kit of the Top 10 most commonly used herbal remedies and first aid products available - complete with a how-to-use insert. It really is a total package. Herbs and natural medicines need to be used promptly when symptoms arise, so having these things on hand will give you maximum success in treating your family’s health naturally. This is also a great way to start building your home herbal medicine cabinet - it’s all the essentials you need to get started and turn your home into a true, all natural Medicine Kitchen - just like mine. Pretty soon you’ll be saying “Who needs Tums?!” Here’s a breakdown of what’s inside:

-Ching Wan Hun (topical ointment): The best burn cream in the universe. Also for scrapes, scratches, mild and severe burns. 

-Arnica Cream (topical ointment): For deep bruising, swelling, sprains and strains. 

-Zheng gu Shui (liquid topical rub): For trauma, pain, joint problems, sprains, and tendonitis. Combine this rub with Arnica cream for best results. 

-Yin Chiao San (tablets): Sore throat remedy. The best. 

-Ban Lan Gen (packets): Anti-viral, anti-microbial herb tea packets that help combat flu, sore throat, tonsillitis, and colds. Use with Yin Chiao tablets for best results. 

-Bi Yan Pian (teapills): Sinus congestion, Sinus pressure/pain, Sinus infection remedy. 

-Suan Zao Ren Wan (teapills): Trouble sleeping? Try this before your Melatonin or ZZZquil. 

-Curin Wan (vials): Best indigestion, reflux, and over-eating remedy. No need to feel miserable! 

-Shuangliao Houfeng San (powder): The best mouth ulcer, cold sore, sore throat, boil, abscess, or ear infection powder spray. Make a poultice for sores or spray directly down throat or into ear for infections. 

-SteviaClear Liquid (herbal sweetener): Trial size of nature’s sweetest herb. Use this liquid as a food and beverage sweetener that has no impact on your blood sugar levels. 

The MK Herbal Med Kit makes a great holiday gift and a great beginning for anyone looking to transition their home to a natural environment. Call to order/ship or purchase one at your next appointment ($75). 

Nourishing Breakfast: Congee

Congee, at its most basic, is a lot like oatmeal: warm, porridge-like grain soup served in bowls. But cooked over long periods of time and garnished with additional healing foods (made savory or sweet), congee can be the spark that leads to weight loss, increased metabolic function, healthier digestion, and stronger immunity. It is the standard Asian healing food for the sick or malnourished. Congee is also generally gluten-free, classically made with rice. You will notice that congee is very easily digested, you will feel hungry again about 1-2 hours after eating it! This meal is a great way to kickstart your digestion and metabolism and allow your body to fully absorb nutrients upon waking. Adding in meats, nuts, egg, fish stock etc will add protein for a fuller meal. 

Today I made a sweet & simple congee, although I do like the savory versions as well - even for breakfast - so I’ll describe a few alternatives to this recipe you may want to experiment with. Made this way, it’s enough for the whole family to enjoy in the morning - with no prep work for you! 

Brown Rice Congee:

1 C short or long grain brown rice

6 C water

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 large handful dried goji berries (gou qi zi)

Place all ingredients into a slow-cooker or crock pot and set on low. Cook overnight, or for about 8-9 hours on the low setting. Serve with garnishes of your choice (see below).

Variations:

- for this congee I made a topping of walnuts, sliced almonds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds & goji berries, mixed with a drizzle of olive oil, honey, and sea salt. Stir this nut mixture up and use as a garnish for congee, plain yogurt, or smoothies. Keeps in the fridge for about 10 days. 

- for creamier sweet congee, sub 1 C coconut milk for 1 C water and cook as directed. 

- for savory congee, instead of goji berries, add bamboo shoots, diced carrots or sweet potato, or ½ C dried mung beans and cook as directed. Also try cooking in half chicken or fish broth, half water. Or garnish with diced boiled egg, pickled veggies, sea salt, pepper, & olive oil. 

Samurai Soba Salad

This minimalist dish has robust Asian flavor and lots of kick. I find it the perfect summer salad for a light dinner, or as a side dish to tamari-brushed salmon or grilled jumbo prawns. 

Food Facts:

Black Sesame Seed: Sesame seeds are thought to be one of the world’s first spices. Black sesame seed is a genuine Chinese tonic herb (known as Hei Zhi Ma) that is used to strengthen the Kidney and Liver organs, build up the quality of one’s blood cells, remedy constipation, prevent hair loss and turn prematurely gray hair black - just like a samurai. Hence my name for the dish. :) Use liberally! 

Samurai Soba Salad:

1 pkg buckwheat soba noodles (I prefer the 100% gluten-free from Eden Foods)

2 Tbsp toasted/dark sesame oil 

3 Tbsp peanut or walnut oil

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

¼ C each fresh chopped herbs: choose 2-3 from basil, cilantro, chives, or mint

2 ½ Tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted 

few shakes red chili flakes

Boil soba in water for about 8 minutes until done, drain and flush with cold water to cool. Place cool noodles in a large serving bowl. Mix oils and vinegar into noodles and toss to fully coat. Add in herbs, sesame seeds, chili flakes and toss again before serving to delighted guests or family! Sometimes I’ll add some leftover shredded chicken into the mix or serve it over a bed of chopped cucumber, carrots, and cabbage. 

Key to Health: MEDITATION

One of my New Year’s commitments for 2012 was to cultivate a simple meditation practice for myself. I have read, heard, and known of the powers of meditation for several years… dabbling in it here, trying it out there-with absolutely no regularity, of course! Is this an American dilemma or just a human one: Knowing what we should do, but not doing it? I also hear this every week from patients. “I KNOW what I need to do. I just haven’t been doing it!” Follow through is my weakness. That is actually one of the reasons behind why I wanted to get serious about meditation this year. Meditation can help you focus your mind, increase mental clarity & mindfulness, calm the nervous system, replenish lost energy, reduce pain, open up your heart, reduce self-judgement. Perhaps, I continue to think, these benefits will help me have better follow through in other aspects of my life in turn. Research shows it also may just be the single most important self-healing technique available to us. 

I mostly meditate in the afternoons, between clients. Facing our picture window or even outside when it’s not too hot. We have an enchanting backyard - birds sing, a heron builds its nest, flowers bloom, and butterflies swirl around. I can see my acupuncture studio which makes me happy. It’s a good place for finding peace and also allows for curious exploration of nature and myself. I encourage you to find such a place in your life where you can use 5 minutes to your advantage and meditate. I have posted a good audio/video tool above to give you a simple way to get started. If you need more guidance, search YouTube for more meditation videos that don’t make you laugh or roll your eyes, or try a local resource in Austin: http://www.austin.shambhala.org/. 

I’m thrilled to have several Medicine Kitchen products ready to sell, and several more in the works! The Medicine Kitchen line of crafted herbal remedies for health & home is based on the concept of blending herbs from around the world (East & West) into customized formulations that benefit different body types and target certain common health complaints. My herbal tea line is specialized towards symptoms and health concerns and, unlike so many dreadful Chinese herb concoctions, taste great! They are made with 100% pharmacy grade herbs and will also look quite lovely on your kitchen counter. My favorite new product is a wonderful herbal soup stock mix that I can’t wait to tell you about! Until then, have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful spring air. 

The farmer’s market was overwhelmed by spring this weekend. Mounds of artichokes, radishes, sunflower sprouts, flowers, and the first crop of early strawberries! You can get so many items around the time the seasons change, and it’s really fun to witness the progression of the harvests. Seeing as our backyard is bursting with green and morning dew, and all the plants are expanding with growth – it’s the perfect time to nourish ourselves with spring foods. Chinese medicine associates the liver organ with spring, so we want to incorporate foods that help the liver function and naturally cleanse the body so that we may start anew. Dandelion greens (and beet greens) are classic foods for liver function, and are also slightly bitter in nature which is a sign of cleansing plants. 

Food Facts:

Dandelion greens: benefit liver function, gently detox the liver and gall bladder, promote healthy bile flow, reduce inflammation, help with digestion and elimination, and clear heat and toxins from the body. Most slightly bitter greens will act accordingly. 

Radish: Relieves indigestion and helps break up phlegm & mucus accumulations, helps clear sinuses and prevent infections, cleanses toxins from the body, purifies & cools the body, and can also remedy stones in the Gall Bladder or Bladder if taken daily. All types of radish fall into this category, especially the Chinese daikon variety. 

Ultimate Spring Salad:

1 handful dandelion greens, washed and dried and chopped

1-2 handfuls baby arugula

1 small handful broccoli sprouts, or sunflower sprouts

several red radishes, sliced or smaller ones left whole

several ripe organic strawberries, sliced

raw sunflower seeds

balsamic, lemon, or citrus vinaigrette

Place greens and sprouts in a salad bowl, and garnish around with radishes and berries. Sprinkle generously with sunflower seeds. Toss with vinaigrette and devour. 

*You want to mix dandelion greens just as you would any salad greens, they have a texture very similar to lettuce but are rather bitter. Mixing them with something slightly sweet (strawberries in this case, and a nice citrusy-sweet dressing) gives a wonderful flavor! You can also quickly sauté dandelions with some garlic, oil, and sea salt for an easy hot side dish - just as you would kale or collards greens.