Sinus Steam

Happy New Year! First post of the new year, let’s get down to business. 

Soooooo many folks sick right now. It’s really the hardest time to maintain your health when it’s freezing and windy, people are traveling, not eating well, stressed out, allergies are high, and pathogens are being passed around like crazy. We had a little bug passed around over Christmas, and I ended up with what seemed like a sinus infection. First one as an adult! Deep congestion, hard to get it out, face & sinus pain, toothache, green snot… not fun. If anyone is having similar symptoms, try this home remedy to help get rid of bacterial infection, open your sinuses, and relieve pain. It got rid of my sinus pain and toothache almost completely after 2 days, and no more green snot, either. I’d say that’s pretty effective!! Eucalyptus and Tea tree oils are very inexpensive, and great to have on hand - both anti-microbial and anti-bacterial. Oregano oil is pricier but extremely effective in fighting stubborn infection. 

Sinus Steam Cure:

Eucalyptus essential oil

Tea Tree essential oil 

Oregano essential oil, optional

LIght weight towel or large linen/cheesecloth towel

Large pot filled with 3 inches of water

Tissues

Add 3-5 drops of all oils into water in a large broad pot on the stove. Bring water to about boiling and then turn off the heat. Stand over the pot, drape the towel over your head and the pot and breathe in the steam for 10 minutes, pausing to blow your nose with the tissues every so often when it starts to run & careful not to get your skin too hot. Get that crud out! Repeat 2x per day until symptoms improve. You can actually just leave this same pot of water on the stove and re-heat it several times to save oil. Put a few drops of these oils in your shower too for additional help! 

Ridiculously Easy Raw Chocolate Bars

Some of you might think making your own chocolate sounds like a chore, one which you would be more than happy to simply leave to the professionals. I’m here to tell you this: making your own chocolate could not be ANY easier than this recipe I’m about to share. It’s only 3 basic ingredients. No cooking involved. Just mixing & freezing. Making raw chocolate - without cooking or heat involved - is actually wonderfully healthy for you as well. It is completely, 100% guilt-free dessert! I’ve been mixing up some batches lately and here are my favorites picks for superfood-infused raw chocolates that will make your heart sing: 

Homemade Raw Dark Chocolate:

3 Tbsp organic, unrefined coconut oil

3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tsp raw honey (you can adjust more for taste)

Mix coconut oil and cacao powder in a small bowl and set that bowl inside a larger bowl filled somewhat with warm water - leave the cacao mixture here until the coconut oil softens. Mix well. Stir in honey and any other liquid or powder ingredients you might add (see my variations below), pour into a small dish lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid - just an hour or so. EAT! 

Raw Maca - Goji - Chocolate (pictured above): Mix in 1 tsp maca root powder to cacao mixture and stir. Sprinkle with goji berries before freezing. I call this the Yin/Yang chocolate. Maca root is a yang tonic, goji berry is a yin tonic - so together they build the yin (substance) and yang (function) energies of our body. A great chocolate to activate your kidneys, which help with our most primal functions of reproduction/fertility and stress recovery. 

Raw Orange Peel - Almond Chocolate: Sprinkle orange zest and flaked almond slivers atop raw chocolate mixture before freezing. This one’s not really on the therapeutic side, unless tasting really good is enough therapy in itself?

Raw Ginger - Turmeric Chocolate: Add ¼ tsp ginger powder & ¼ tsp turmeric powder to cacao mixture and stir. Freeze as is, or top with more fresh grated ginger before freezing. Ginger and turmeric are both invigorating, anti-inflammatory herbs that can help with arthritis and bursitis conditions. If you have pain or poor circulation, go ahead and pump up your chocolate with these. 

yum. 

Fennel Tea "Cure-All"

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Fennel teas are plentiful and easy to find in tea bags in many grocery stores, but making your own straight from the seeds is so much more effective and therapeutic if you are really looking for the health benefits it has to offer. And what are those, you might say?? Well, personally, I like to think of fennel tea being a digestive “cure-all” for many stomach & GI issues. I think that is its biggest strength. Upset stomach, heartburn, gas, bloating, nausea, IBS symptoms, even pain from stomach ulcers can be relieved by fennel tea. You can also modify fennel tea with a few other herbs to customize it to your own taste and need, although it’s already pretty delicious on its own. Another benefit of fennel - the naturally sweet & cool flavor makes a great breath freshener. It would be wonderful to serve a large glass pitcher of this herbal tea alongside lunch for friends or family- they will never suspect you are looking out for their health as well as relishing their company. :) Here is my recipe for basic fennel tea, with some additional variations you might find work best for your tummy:

Fennel Tea:

3 tsp crushed, whole fennel seeds (crushed with a mortar and pestle works just fine to release the oils)

3 C water

Bring water and fennel seeds to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Strain and drink up to 3 C daily for health benefits. 

Fennel + Licorice Root Tea: Licorice has been researched and proven to help with stomach ulcers, heartburn, and as a general digestive aid. You can buy whole licorice root from an herbal pharmacy and use about 3 grams with the recipe above. *

Fennel + Ginger Root Tea: More warming and stimulating, ginger adds another benefit for digestion by helping nausea, bloating, or feeling “stuck” or cold in your gut. Cut up 3-4 slices of fresh ginger root and add to the recipe above. 

Fennel + Dandelion Leaf Tea: Dandelion focuses more on digestive issues related to the liver. Promoting bile flow, helping digest fats, & cleansing from a rich diet. Add 2 tsp of bulk dandelion leaf in a cheesecloth bag or metal tea ball to the recipe above for a great digestive “detox” tea. *

Happy sipping! 

*Always consult with your healthcare practitioner or nutritionist to be sure licorice and dandelion are right for your body type before consuming in large amounts.

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Need to freshen up your cookbook library? I have used all of these books lately for references or ideas or inspiration and they all have great things to offer. I’m very excited to finally read through The Complete Tassajara Cookbook (from the folks at the Tassajara Zen Center in northern CA - which has a renowned vegetarian kitchen for their guests), it’s loaded with information, recipes and simple wisdom. Food Over Medicine and The Tastes of Ayurveda focus on using food for therapeutic results, the former determined to get you off your medication by changing your diet and the latter using ancient Ayurvedic principles and guidelines for different body types - you learn about your body type through her book and can easily follow her visual key for making sure certain recipes are a “good, better, or best” fit for you individually. Fun! And then there’s Gwyneth. It’s All Good actually has some wonderfully tasty and beautiful recipes inside. But it’s also pretty much an editorial photo shoot for the uber-refined actress. So know that going in, or you’ll be, like, “GAWD more photos of the naturally flawless GWYNETH??” But the recipes are winning and Julia Turshen (her co-author) is pretty much adorable and knows what tastes really good. In addition to being very pretty, it is also healthy (it really is!) and has loads of allergy-free recipes. ♡

Immune Boosting Turmeric Ginger Tea

From Amrita Sondhi’s book The Tastes of Ayurveda is a recipe for a hot tea that will bust a cold before it begins. Ginger warms the body and acts as an anti-inflammatory; turmeric is a natural anti-biotic food; lemon clears toxins, stimulates digestive function and purifies the body; while honey will naturally suppress a cough. Try this effective and yummy tea at the onset of very first symptoms of a cold or cough and you may be surprised at the results.

Immune-Boosting Tea:

8-10 slices fresh ginger, cut into rounds

8 C water

1 tsp ground turmeric

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp raw honey, or raw manuka honey

Boil ginger and water in a pot on high, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add turmeric and lemon juice and let cool slightly before pouring into pitcher through a fine mesh sieve. Add honey. Stir well and drink up to 3 C/day for healing benefits. 

Variation: Add a scant 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper to this tea for improved blood circulation - this tea can be drunk as a general anti-inflammatory tea for fertility patients who need improved circulation to reproductive organs - the antioxidants in cayenne & turmeric may help cardiovascular function and improve qualities of sperm and egg cells. Also great for any chronic inflammatory condition. 

Food Facts: 

Raw Honey (or Manuka honey): The benefits of raw honey, or especially raw manuka honey (from bees who feed off the manuka tree native to New Zealand) are plentiful. It has major anti-bacterial effects, anti-biotic effects, and tonic effects. Manuka honey has been proven to kill dangerous gut bacteria and will also soothe skin burns when applied topically. This is a honey to keep in your medicine cabinet - use it for burns, in hot teas for sore throats and colds/coughs, or use 1 tbsp in warm milk for a natural sleep aid. It’s pricey for honey, but super affordable for medicine. :) It will be the best tasting remedy in the house! 

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)

My husband loves when I make what I call “Rainbow Bowls”. Tasting Table made a really great info-graphic on how to create a balanced bowl based on macrobiotic principles with several variations to keep your palate happy. We love making this type of dish for dinner and having heaps of leftovers for lunches during the week. Make a quick bowl of dressing like this Sunflower dip to spoon on the top and you’ll be surprised at just how delicious macrobiotic can be. 

My own variations for macro-bowls include some traditional Chinese medicine changes, naturally, like adding chicken/egg/beef/fish for those who are not vegetarian or need extra protein; adding different greens like collards/kale/chard for extra heartiness and iron; religiously garnishing with gomasio or sesame seeds/nuts; and adding a sour flavor for total balance like pickled beets/cabbage or sauerkraut. 

These bowls are always so colorful and vibrant - they never fail to put me in a good mood. They leave me feeling light, satisfied & energetic… Isn’t that what food should do in the first place? 

Put Down That Artificially Sweetened Soda (...Please!) →

New psychological research provides clues as to why consuming such drinks can actually lead to weight gain.

It’s always an interesting conversation to have with someone - why they should stop drinking diet soda when it “has no calories.” Even folks who are otherwise very conscious about their health often use diet drinks as a way to satisfy their soda or sweet cravings… and then wonder why they can’t shed the extra 5 or 10 lbs they always carry around, or why they still have a sweet tooth. This is a good article explaining one reason behind why artificially sweetened drinks still lead to weight gain, and more importantly, lead to the behavior that leads to weight gain. Read the article and find out why! 

Natural Solutions to Gastritis

Millions of folks are dealing with stomach issues in America. This is not new. The commercials and ads for acid reflux medications are not new either. Getting VERY old, in fact, in my opinion. Here is some information that may be new to you, some natural tips on dealing with your heartburn, especially when due to inflammation of the stomach lining, or gastritis.

Many people think acid reflux/heartburn issues are due to too much stomach acid, and that the pills you can take for it will neutralize this acid from causing you pain. That’s not entirely correct. Most of these problems are due to a completely normal & healthy amount of stomach acids just going the wrong way, or irritating a place that is damaged from some other cause. Here are a few natural ideas for reducing stomach inflammation, thereby relieving the symptoms of heartburn from gastritis:

  • Carrot juice or Cabbage juice: Drink about 1 C per day to relieve inflammation in your stomach lining. 
  • Aloe Vera Juice: Use up to 4 oz of aloe juice per day to relieve gut inflammation. This can also be used as a laxative, so be cautious with that. 
  • L-glutamine powder: Try this amino acid supplement as a powder form, and it will soothe gut inflammation and can even heal stomach ulcers. 
  • Pistachio nuts: Eating pistachios is a great way to get fiber and prebiotic action for your gut to encourage healthy bacteria. They are also naturally low in calories so make a great snack. 
  • DGL Licorice root extract: This supplement acts by increasing the mucous coating in your esophagus, stomach & intestines, thereby protecting that tissue from irritation by stomach acids. 

*thanks to posts from Andrew Weil and Leo Galland on the latest info about acid reflux and gastritis*

The Truth About Fat

  

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It’s 2014, & TIME magazine has even touted the benefits if eating more healthy fats, not only to lose weight, but to stay healthier in general. Goodbye 1980s fat-free revolution! They even include a cute little comparison quiz online that will give you a quick glance at good foods to eat more of on a daily basis. Check it out here. 

How to Avoid GMOs?

As the struggle for GMO labeling goes on, some of my clients wonder how they can know if what they are buying is GMO free? What are some guidelines to follow to ensure you avoid as many GMOs as possible? The NYTimes Well blog had a great article about it recently - with some user friendly tips for those of us who want to stay GMO-free. Here’s the nuts and bolts: 

“Shoppers who want to know whether they’re purchasing genetically engineered foods do have a few options.

For starters, there is a good chance that any product with soybeans, corn, sugar beets (often used for sweetening) and canola (or canola oil) has G.M.O.s., since genetically modified versions of these crops are so widely planted in the United States.

On the other hand, certified organic produce carrying the green and white circular “U.S.D.A. organic” seal cannot be genetically modified, and organic livestock must be fed only organic ingredients. But processed foods with multiple ingredients can be labeled organic if at least 95 percent of the content is organic.

And a growing number of food producers that don’t use genetically modified ingredients in their products are seeking certification by the Non-G.M.O. Project. They carry a “Non-G.M.O.” label with a logo of a red butterfly on a blade of grass.”

There is a big difference between natural breeding of types of foods for varietal purposes vs GMOs. DNA from any plant or animal species may be introduced to a food to give it desirable traits for shelf-life or hardiness in a GMO product, rather than naturally breeding seeds from the same species together for different varietals of the same food. Get it? It’s a complicated topic well worth reading up on, if you haven’t, and one that my husband and I have had many discussions about. I stand my ground that GMOs need to be labeled so people have the choice to consume them or not, and I think anyone with a pro-choice mentality will feel the same!