Kitchen Medicine Cooking Medicine

Moxabustion in Winter

2012-01-18T23:09:00.000-08:00

In Chinese Medicine moxa-bustion is especially popular in fall and winter, when it is used to warm the channels and strengthen the organ complexes, especially the Adrenal-Digestive axis (Kidney-Spleen).
In fact, it is so much a part of our work, that in Chinese, Acupuncturists are actually called Acupuncture-Moxabustionists.

There are hundreds of varieties of moxa. One is the stick type you can get at any Chinese Herb shop. What you do is light a moxabustion stick and hold it close enough to your skin so as to feel heat without burning. Do this at the locations Zu San Li, San Yin Jiao, Qi Hai and Zhong Wan. Have someone else do it at the space between your physical Kidneys around the 2nd Lumbar vertabrae. What I do in my acupuncture practice here in San Diego is show people the locations, so they can do it at home, first thing in the morning, once or twice a weak.

Acupuncture "points" are actually caves. They are depressions in the surface of the body where the Qi of the channels is easily influenced. The idea is to warm these spaces gradually and deeply; moxa-bustion should feel pleasant, even wonderful. Regular moxabustion (once a fortnight) before and during the winter season will prevent colds and remedy arthritic and other types of pains. In most circumstances application of moxa is beneficial anywhere there is pain. If it feels good, do it!

Moxa sticks are cheap--a dollar for a large cigar sized stick of compressed "moxa" (common name mugwort, latin artemesia vulgaris, Mandarin Chinese ai ye ). To extinguish your moxa stick dip the burning end into some water or sand. Break this carbonized part off next use. Moxa is one of the best self-help tools in Chinese medicine.

Here is a link to a great FB page with everything you ever wanted to know about classical usage and current research on the topic

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moxibustion-The-Power-of-Mugwort-Fire/127985768455

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

2012-01-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

Once again, a reason to exercise. Once again, research that shows that a daily walk might be just as good, and with a lot less stress on the joints, than a daily jog.

"But a cautiously encouraging new study from The Archives of Neurology suggests that for some people, a daily walk or jog could alter the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or change the course of the disease if it begins."

from the NY Times, today,

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/how-exercise-may-keep-alzheimers-at-bay/?src=me&ref=general

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Yoga for Narcissists?

2012-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Interesting dialogue on Yoga in the NY Times today. Its kind of harsh to refer to current American yoga that way, but its not entirely untrue; after all its a rather narcissistic society.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/12/is-yoga-for-narcissists/when-high-achievers-do-yoga

live in downtown New York City, where yoga studios are as common as espresso bars. Now we read that people driven into those studios by the stress of their lives often emerge with physical injuries from the stress of the contortions they are asked to perform there. What did you expect? When you gather a group of high-achieving residents of a city whose motto might as well be, "Other people are working harder than you!", and command them to perform in a room full of mirrors, people are going to hurt themselves trying to be the best in class. The word "yoga" means "to yoke": your mind to your body, not your instructor’s. The Hippocratic Oath should also apply to yoga: first, do no harm.

The greatest teacher of yoga is not Iyengar or Bikram, but Gandhi.

Yoga was never meant to be a competitive sport, like ice hockey. But when it spread to this robustly competitive nation, where it got turbocharged by money -- the U.S. yoga market is worth $6 billion a year -- its original meaning got dispersed. What is now called for is a broader understanding of the meaning of yoga.
The yoga that most Americans are aware of is hatha yoga, only one (and perhaps the least important) of the various types of yoga. Krishna in the Bhagvad-Gita defines them: karma yoga (the yoga of action), bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion) and jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge). Volunteering at a soup kitchen is yoga; raising your voice in praise in a gospel choir is yoga; trying to understand how the galaxies shift and why the poor lack shoes is also yoga.
Hatha yoga is not for everyone. The other forms are. Not everyone can -- or should -- stand on their heads, but everyone can use their heads to make the world a better place; yoke their emotions to their intelligence and feel more centered.
In this sense, the greatest teacher of yoga is not Iyengar or Bikram, but Gandhi. “The yogi is not one who sits down to practise breathing exercises,” he wrote in his interpretation of the Gita. “He is one who looks upon all with an equal eye, sees other creatures in himself.” That's one pose that will truly reduce your stress

Celery Root, Burdock, Brocolli, and Sea Food Miso Soup for Dinner

2011-12-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

Chick Pea Miso Soup with Celery Root and Scallops

Ingredients

1 cup scallops or other sea food

1 cup chopped celery root

1 cup chopped burdock root

1/2 cup white, brown, or fresh shitake mushrooms

1 cup small broccoli florets

4″ piece of kombu sea veggie, cut into pieces with a scissor

4″ piece of wakame sea veggie, ditto

1-2 slices ginger root

2-3 chopped scallion

2 quarts water

1 tbsp chick pea miso paste or mellow white if unavailable

1 tbsp sweet white miso paste or more to taste

a dash of white pepper if desired

Directions

1) Bring water to boil and add the root and sea veggies. Cook on a medium high boil until the roots are soft and the wakame has dissolved into beautiful dark pieces. 2) Add the sea food and mushrooms and cook on a low boil for around 10 minutes depending on the sea food. Cook until almost all done and turn flame down to simmer.

3) Stir the miso paste into 4 oz. of water in a cup or small bowl and make a thick liquid. Add this miso liquid with the broccoli florets and scallion, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with Buckwheat Soba noodles or just by itself for a low carb alternative.

Comments

Miso is like wine. Or more closely like beer or yoghurt. It is a fermented product with lots of health attributes, that originates in Japan, the land of longevity, and is made from rice or other grains or beans. It is only as good as the producer who makes it.

Artisanal miso, which is not that expensive relative to other things, can be had at the health food coop or Whole Foods Market. Oddly, its hard to find good miso at the Japanese market in San Diego.

Simply think of miso as a vegetarian soup base. Different types of miso, depending on the artisan and the grains or legumes used in production produce varying tastes. Someday, try them all!

The easiest miso soup? Boil water; add miso. Life should be so simple.

Happy Winter!

7 Steps for a Healthy Winter from the Yellow Emperor

2011-12-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

Practical Advice for Winter from the Yellow Emperor’s Classic

1)In winter, get plenty of rest, more than your normal amount. Cast away Puritan guilt and Cowboy pride about getting by on lack of sleep. Leave martyrdom to the religious fanatics.

2)In Winter cultivate meditative lifestyles, do Tai Qi or Yoga in a warm sunny room, meditate every morning for 15 minutes or more, be kind to your friends and loving to your family. Winter is dominated by the water element, and water is soft.

3)Conserve your sexual energy a little more in winter, depending on your age and constitution. Sexual energy is a deep energy of the kidneys; semen in men and menstrual fluids and breast milk in women are pure essences manufactured from the energy of the kidneys and blood.

If you have excessive monthly bleeding, this is treated with herbals and acupuncture. If you breast feed, make sure you nourish yourself well. If you are male, conserve your semen by transforming sexual energy into love energy, moving the energy from the lower body to the heart. The books by Mantak Chia give more information about that.

4)Stay warm. Don’t go out into the cold after bathing, and don’t go outside with wet hair. Stay in a little after bathing. So rushing out the door right after a morning shower is a really bad idea. I had one asthma patient report great improvement in her symptoms after stopping going out with wet long hair, which her grandmother had always advised against.

5)Generate heat with thermogenic foods and spices. Slightly heavier foods, like more lentils and oils if you are a vegetarian, and a little more flesh if you eat meat. All the warming spices are good, according to your constitution. Ayush brand Pro Kapha and Pro Vata Spice and Pro Kapha and Pro Vata tea are delicious and appropriate for this time of year. I like to start my day in winter with hot black tea, mixed with milk boiled with saffron, ginger, clove, cinnamon, and cardamom.

6) Avoid cold foods, especially in winter, like iced beverages, cold fluids from the frig, salads, raw foods in excess, ice cream, frozen yogurt. Forget the protein shakes and smoothies, but if you have to have them make them room temp, or figure out a hot version. How about hot soy milk, protein powder and banana with flax and a dash of honey or agave nectar?

7) Hot cereals are great, and hot soups greater–they warm you up and stimulate secretions in the nasal passages and lungs. It is very smart in winter to make soups using sea vegetables, which provide minerals like potassium, calcium, and iron, and iodine, as well as carotene and fiber. Foods from the sea are said to strengthen kidney Qi. Seafood soups in moderation are great, as fish and shellfish have the strong energy of the sea, which re-enforces the kidney energy.

Winter in the "Nei Jing", the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Chinese Medicine

2011-12-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

To stop for a moment and meditate on the passage of time, to feel time moving inside you, is to practice the value of the winter season, when movements appear underground, when earth’s energy has gone downward and inward. The sun too is on holiday low in the horizon, and cool Venus appears triumphant in a dazzling triangle alongside Jupiter and the waxing and waning Moon in mid-winter. To stop for a moment and meditate on the passage of time, to feel time moving inside you, is to practice the value of the winter season, when nature’s

In the Yellow Emperor’s Classic or Nei Jing Su Wen, http://www.amazon.com/Huang-Nei-Jing-Wen-Knowledge/dp/0520233220/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324613928&sr=1-1the oldest surviving classic of the Chinese medical literature, (around 200 B.C.E.),the three months of winter are called “closing and storing.” Here closing refers to the “closing” of plant life, in which the sap, or life force of plants goes deep underground. In fact, clinically, we see that in the transition from late autumn to winter, Americans, people ever-on-the-go, complain of being tired, less ambitious than usual. By the end of December many have become internalized, and start to think in terms of reform, of New Year’s resolutions.

After winter solstice the break that began in autumn is fully realized. The land turns barren. The trees and bushes, but skeletons of their former selves serve as stark reminders of the greens and yellows and reds that once were. So don’t be surprised if you have a little melancholy during this transition. But it is a transition, a movement of forces that passes, and as we reach the longest darkest nights of late December we celebrate festive holidays full of fire and light and gift giving. In fact, this cold dark time is exactly when love between people passes most freely in our society with family visits, gift giving, and acts of charity to the less advantaged.

The Nei Jing goes on to recommend going to bed early in winter, and getting up late. “Everything must be done according to the light of the sun.” Just as nights are longer, so commands our own biorhythms.

The text speaks of “exerting the will, as if buried….” This a reference to the Neolithic practice in China of living inside earthen rooms, like the sod huts of the American north mid-west, and restricting bodily movement, by necessity, as if buried, due to cold, due to enclosure, and due to the swaddling in warm clothes and blankets. We even have a phrase in English, about being buried in one’s blankets.

Winter was not a time to travel, or even to be outside that much, which is still true in places more North than San Diego, but a time to “store,” when everything that was grown in spring and summer and had been collected was used, but wisely and judiciously.

Another idea of “winter storage” is to store our Qi, especially the Qi that is lost by sweating. Contrary to the practice in summer, when our Qi likes to escape outside, when we sweat to cool ourselves, and can do so safely, in winter our Qi is stored beneath the skin, allowing it to be as concentrated as possible, acting as a barrier against infectious attack. There is a reference here to the “Wei Qi” the aspect of the immune system that protects against common cold, bronchitis, and flu.

We mustn’t deplete that Qi with excessive sweating, or do so and allow a chill. Once spring returns, the Qi that is controlled tightly within the body will be able, with assistance from loosening practices like Tai Qi and aerobic exercise, to surge out strongly again.

So paying heed to the “correspondences with the winter Qi” ensures we maintain “the storing of life.” For, “to go against this will injure the Kidney Qi causing, in spring, impotence and weakness, through insufficient supply for the production of life.”

If we live in winter as if it were summer, acting as if surrounded by hot centrifugal Yang energies, rather than cold centripetal Yin energies, our Kidney Qi will weaken, year after year, weakening our immune systems and lungs.

In Chinese medicine the Kidney energy is the root of all energies. It is the energy of development, growth, structure and reproduction. The kidneys supply the energy for the bones and teeth, for the hair of the head, for healthy sexual function, for fertility, for the immune system, for the lungs, and for wisdom. And the Kidney energy is associated with the energies of the Water Element, which is dominant in winter.

So if in Winter the Kidney energy loses its support by “counter-current” living, there will be injury and a cascade of effects. As the Lungs and immune system are taxed already in winter, there the effect will most quickly be seen, especially in folk with a tendency to Asthma, Bronchitis, Allergies, Colds, and Flu. And once you become ill, the body cant store Qi well, and in spring there will be a feeble supply for opening and growth.

In fact the cycle of the four seasons in Chinese medicine is really a metaphor for the circadian rhythms we experience on a daily basis. Winter is night, morning is spring, noon summer and evening autumn.

Practical Advice for Winter from the Yellow Emperor’s Classic

1)In winter, get plenty of rest, more than your normal amount. Cast away Puritan guilt and Cowboy pride about getting by on lack of sleep. Leave martyrdom to the religious fanatics.

Here is a recipe from my kitchen to yours.

Chick Pea Miso Soup with Celery Root and Scallops

Ingredients

1 cup scallops or other sea food

1 cup chopped celery root

1 cup chopped burdock root

1/2 cup white, brown, or fresh shitake mushrooms

1 cup small broccoli florets

4″ piece of kombu sea veggie, cut into pieces with a scissor

4″ piece of wakame sea veggie, ditto

1-2 slices ginger root

2-3 chopped scallion

2 quarts water

1 tbsp chick pea miso paste or mellow white if unavailable

1 tbsp sweet white miso paste or more to taste

a dash of white pepper if desired

Directions

3) Stir the miso paste into 4 oz. of water in a cup or small bowl and make a thick liquid. Add this miso liquid with the broccoli florets and scallion, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with Buckwheat Soba noodles or just by itself for a low carb alternative.

Comments

Artisanal miso, which is not that expensive relative to other things, can be had at the health food coop or Whole Foods Market. Oddly, its hard to find good miso at the Japanese market in San Diego.

Simply think of miso as a vegetarian soup base. Different types of miso, depending on the artisan and the grains or legumes used in production produce varying tastes. Someday, try them all!

The easiest miso soup? Boil water; add miso. Life should be so simple.

Happy Winter!

Hormonal Acne Treatment with Acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine

2011-12-21T23:57:00.000-08:00

In a certain sense most acne is hormonal-- teenaged acne is associated with increased levels of testosterone and progesterone, and even much adult acne is associated with some kind of hormonal fluctuation, in both men and women.

The most common adult hormonal fluctuation associated with acne is the menstrual cycle. But that begs the question of why Sally gets acne with her cycle and Louisia does not. One factor is simple predisposition; some of us have oilier skin and higher testosterone levels, but a big factor, too, is stress and your reaction to it.

Role of Stress

Stress increases nervous system activity and adrenalin, which set in motion cascades of hormonal and neurotransmitter repercussions, not the least of which involve the adrenal glands and ovaries. When the adrenal glands get overstimulated, this in turn sends messages that suppress ovarian function. Progesterone and estrogen levels become unstable.

This is mother nature's way of protecting women. She does not want you getting pregnant during times of great stress. This is a huge issue with fertility, too. Women that allow themselves to become stressed out about getting pregnant, have a much harder time getting pregnant. Not to mention the stress they already have from modern life. This is one reason why acupuncture works so well with fertility and acne; it takes you out of the stress response and into the relaxation response.

What the Face Tells You--The Geographic Distribution of Acne

What is interesting, is that when you see acne that is due to stress alone, with elevated adrenalin, but stable menstrual hormones, it typically presents on the forehead, at the temples, and on the cheeks in front of the ears.

But in young females, when you see dramatic flare-ups in acne the week or so before the period, especially that improves after bleeding, you know there is a relationship to the menstrual hormones, with or without stress as a main factor. In these cases the acne is often alongside the mouth from the cheeks to the chin.

Menstural Hormones vs. Stress Hormones

When we see this pattern of acne, and when we see acne anywhere on the face or back that is dramatically worse premenstrualy, or occurs only premenstrualy, then this points us towards a particular pattern of acupuncture treatment to regulate the Chong and Ren extraordinary channels and herbal therapy that restores balance to the hormones, as well choosing a treatment that clears damp-heat and nourishes the blood in the skin.

On the other hand, when you see acne along the side of the face, in front of the ears up to the temples, especially if it is unchanged through the cycle, it is generally stress induced. %his is a completely different pattern, requiring a different acupuncture and herbal treatment one that clears "damp-heat from the liver and gall bladder channel," using the Dai vessel and points like San Yin Jiao.

Different Pattern, Different Treatment

In my treatment of acne with acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Chinese herbal medicine, I have been very successful tailoring the treatment according to the geographical and temporal patterns of the skin disruption.

I have also found that in all cases it is very important to correct errors in the diet, such as the consumption of ice cold beverages that lead to hot stagnation in the stomach, (the stomach's normal function is interfered with by cold things, and it overheats in response to compensate, or just fails to work properly at all, --to know if this is a factor look at your tongue and see if there is a thick greasy coat, especially a dark one).

So each pattern will require different acupuncture point locations, and in the case of pre-menstrual acne, you must treat twice a month, just before ovulation and a week to 10 days before menstruation. If there are cramps and other problems with the bleeding we may do acupuncture treatment or cupping with the bleeding.

Herbal Therapies

Herbal prescriptions are tailored in the same way. For severe cases of cystic acne on the face and or back, unrelated to the cycle, and/or in men, I always use Neem Plus, a product that contains Neem extract (not the whole leaf, but the leaf that has been cook with triphala, the tradtional and correct way, to reduce toxicity and maximize absorption and make it safe for long term use, otherwise Neem will aggravate Vata and Kapha due to its very strong cold energy).

If the bowels are not moving, you must address that, which I typically do with diet and Triphala. Good Triphala should taste bitter, astringent, salty, spicy, sour and sweet all at once. But more astringent than anything else.

If there is Liver/Gall Bladder toxicity, I like to address this with Chinese Herb prescriptions, such as Long Dan Xie Gan Tang. I only use Blue Poppy brand herbs in this case, because they are tested for heavy metal and pesticide residue and I can see those reports.

For young women with menstrual irregularity and acne I often use Young Fem, by Ayush, and may combine that with Neem or a Chinese herb formula, depending on the pattern.

The beauty and brilliance of Asian medicine, practiced in the classical way, is that we never treat a disease, we always treat a person.

And each individual person has their own unique pattern that is manifesting at this point in time.
The disease is the unhealthy plant growing in the soil. The soil is the person.
To cure the disease in a plant, the first thing you do is check the soil. Then you cut off the diseased branches and spray what medicines you will. But the foundation of a garden is the soil. And my idea of being a physician is that I am a gardener and my patients are the garden.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Sea Vegetables for Health- Cleanse Lymph and Build Kidney Qi in Winter

2011-12-21T23:45:00.000-08:00

Sea Vegetables for Health

Wild vegetables grow all over the earth and in the water. Dandelion greens, nettles, burdock are a few of the valuable and highly nutritious land vegetables that are easy to grow most anywhere.

Sea vegetables also grow both North and South. I do not know about the tropics, but all over the far north from Scotland to Nova Scotia to Siberia and Japan people have been harvesting plants from the sea since ancient times.

Lots of us are familiar now with the seaweed salad at the sushi bar. Sadly, most of the time what you are getting is sea vegetable with really bad artificial coloring. I also like to get sea veggies from suppliers, like Main Coast Sea Veggie and Eden Foods, that test for heavy metals and pesticide. What you don't want is sea weed harvested around a nuclear power plant or in a bay of the coast of an industrial zone.

An excellent vegetable for beginners to use at home is called Kombu in Japanese. The botanical name is Laminaria japonica. Laminaria is the species, japonica is a variety. You can get other kinds of Laminaria, too.

Japanese Kombu is harvested in the cold waters off of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, where it grows wild. It is harvested by hand and dried in the sun.

Kombu is rich in natural MSG, not the kind that makes you ill. As such, it enhances the flavor of mild foods like beans, rice, soup, and even oatmeal. Claims are made that it makes beans more tender. Boiled, it is served as an appetizer in Japan, with ume plum vinegar or paste. It is very beautiful served this way alongside a slice of backed Kabocha squash.

My acupuncture patient in San Diego who is a sushi chef from Kyoto taught me that make short grain rice with a piece of Kombu in it. That also provides a bit of salt. I don't otherwise salt my rice. Too much salt. I took that notion and started putting Kombu in my Oatmeal and really like eat.

Kombu is also an essential ingredient in "dashi", the basic broth Japanese use for noodle and other soups. Kombu check this
It can be stewed in vegetables, deep fried as tempura, pickled, roasted in the oven and ground into powder to be added as a flavoring on noodles or rice or soup with roasted sesame seeds (gomasio). Try it on popcorn or sushi!
Chinese Medicine

In China sea vegetables are part of the cuisine, and in Chinese Medicine Kombu and Wakame sea veggies are used medicinally in decoctions for phlegm in the lungs caused or aggravated by the heat of febrile illness, especially when there is a feeling of fullness and obstruction in the chest caused by phlegm.

Because of their ability to soften hardness and reduce swelling, Kombu and Wakame are also excellent in cases of chronic lymphatic swelling such as you see with colds/flus/bronchitis, especially in which the person remains sick long after the initial illness, and has a swollen, painful throat, hard to swallow, and/or swollen lymph nodes. In Asia they are still used to treat scrofula and goiter; of course they are also high in iodine.

In my opinion Sea Veggies are excellent as food for those hot damp types that are prone to lipomas and various skin growths; as they decongest the lymphatic system, reduce swelling, and clear heat, they are excellent for people with chronic acne, eczema, or psoriasis.

While Sea Vegetables are very good year round (see my earlier entry on Arame Summer Salad) they are an excellent late autumn/winter food. They are said in Chinese Medicine to help strengthen the Kidney energy. Our body's Qi has a seasonal bio-rhythm--that makes it circulates in the Kidneys during Winter. We also tend to eat more heavy and warming food in the winter, so sea veggies are one of the ways to prevent congestion of the tissues and channels.

Ayurveda

Ayuvedically it is an excellent food for removing Ama/Digestive Toxins from the body, and for decongesting the lymphatic system and pacifying all three doshas--Vatta by its smooth, salty, softening quality, Kapha by its light decongesting quality, and Pitta by its soft, cooling nature. To be sure, this depends on moderate use within the context of a dosha appropriate diet.

Western Nutrition:

3.3 gms contains

potassium 170 mg
sodium 90 mg (that is only 4% of the DV)
fiber 1 gm
carb 1 gm
iodine 100% of DV
magnesium 6% of DV
calcium 2% of DV

How to Use:

Beans, Stews, Soups, Grains--Just put a small piece in with the other dry ingredient and boil away. Start small and get bigger with experience. I find I use about a 6x3" piece for a pound beans or a large soup, half that for a small pot of rice or oatmeal.

Dashi -- Japanese Soup Stock for Noodles or Miso

Salad

to be continued.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Ayuvedic Guidlines for Avoiding Colds and Flu in Winter

2011-12-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

Ayurvedic Guidelines to Prevent Colds

Cold Foods/Warm Foods. Avoid cold foods like ice cream and yogurt. Some yogurt is fine at noon, but not at night. Follow the general Ayurvedic advice to drink liquids room temperature or warm/hot. If you drink milk, drink it hot, simmered with ginger root, cardamom, or clove. Mediterranean Sage Tea is excellent for warming up after being out in the cold. Get it at Greek, Persian, or Arab markets.

Fruit: Stick to apples, pears, and other seasonal or dried fruits like dates. Stewed fruits like cranberry sauce and apple sauce are good. Again, try using spices. Avoid bananas, as these are quite cooling. (They are good in Summer though!)

Veggies: Avoid cold veggies like cucumber, raw tomato, salads. These are "cold" foods that dampen Agni. In Summer they are fine, because Agni is naturally strong then. There are regional exceptions. A long hike in the desert sun in San Diego might lead to a small amount of cucumber with lunch, for example.

Favor warming veggies like baked hard squash, root veggies like daikon and parsnip, and as always, green leafy veggies, lightly cooked. Drink lots of soup! Soups are easy to digest and moisten and lubricate the mucosa in the nose and throat, making it harder for Rhino viruses to penetrate. This is a good time for warming fish or meat soups with veggies in them like bouillabaisse made with salmon, or chicken soup with garlic and onion and dill.

Spices: Keep your insides warm with thermogenic spices. Cumin is an excellent burner of Ama. So are ginger, black pepper, coriander, oregano, thyme, sage, fenugreek, fennel. If you drink milk, drink it hot simmered with ginger, cardamom, clove, cinnamon. Add tea and you have Masala Chai!

Tumeric is an excellent spice that builds immunity and reduces Ama. So is fresh ginger. Use them in lentils, beans, meats and veggies. Any Indian cookbook or cook website will have great recipes. Substitute black pepper for chili pepper unless you are very Kapha dominant.

Desserts: Sweet foods are naturally dampening to Agni. Have them in moderation, especially in early Winter, but take them separate from a meal, in small amounts at the end of a meal, and have them with something that stimulates the digestive fire, such as green or black tea, or herb tea made from ginger, fennel, or chai spices. Make your homemade cookies and cakes with less sugar and with spices like cardamom or cinnamon. Stewed fruits are a better choice than cakes. Stew with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or clove. No ice cream or frozen yogurt in Winter, please.

Honey is the most warming and least Ama-building sweetener so it is a good choice in tea and beverages. But don't cook with it; it transforms this wonderful medicine into what Ayurveda considers a poison.

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Statin Drugs vs. Red Rice Yeast (Monascus purpureus)

2011-12-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned that I see a lot of patients with high cholesterol and triglycerides whose doctors want to or have already put them on Statin drugs. Some of them are even taking two or more at once.

But statin drugs are not without a frightening array of risks-- pain, inflammation, liver damage, Lou Gehrig's disease ALS, and memory loss. And according to the Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/statin-side-effects/MY00205

the risks are greater under the following conditions:

• Taking multiple medications to lower your cholesterol
• Being female
• Having a smaller body frame
• Being age 65 or older
• Having kidney or liver disease
• Having type 1 or 2 diabetes

What is crazy is many of my patients on multiple meds to lower cholesterol are female and over 65....

Given that once you are on statins you have to stay on them for the rest of your life, it would seem prudent to at first try conservative measures like diet and exercise before jumping into a lifelong relationship with a dangerous drug.

My last post discussed diet.

Exercise is a no-brainer: you have to do it and there are no excuses. Being overweight and not exercising is a double whammy-- excess weight boosts harmful bad cholesterol, while inactivity depresses protective good cholesterol. Eating too many carbs and sugar, which often goes hand in hand raises deadly triglycerides.

Losing weight if needed and exercising more reverse these trends. At a minimum you need 30 minutes 6 days a week. That could be walking the dog 15 minutes 2x a day. Just do it, as the slogan goes.

Role of Genetics in High Cholesterol

There are people who have such a high genetic factor that even with a perfect diet and lifestyle they still have high cholesterol. Even in those cases, it seems much more reasonable to try Red Yeast extract first.

Red Yeast (Monascus purpureus)

Red yeast rice or red rice yeast is the dried version of a red yeast ( Monascus purpureus ) that is grown on rice. Originally from China, known as Zhi Tai in Mandarin, it has been used in Chinese Medicine as a "blood vitalizer" since the Tang dynasty (800 C.E.) Many of the class of medicinals known as blood vitalizers have cholestoral fighting properties.

According to the Mayo clinic website,

"It contains several compounds collectively known as monacolins, substances known to inhibit cholesterol synthesis. One of these, "monacolin K," is a potent inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, and is also known as mevinolin or lovastatin (Mevacor®, a drug produced by Merck & Co., Inc). "

Red rice yeast is a natural source of statins, but unlike pharmaceutical products, it provides a mix of these compounds rather than a single one. The complex mixture interacts with the body more smoothly and is less likely to cause toxicity.

According to the Mayo Clinic

"Since the 1970s, human studies have reported that red yeast lowers blood levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein/LDL ("bad cholesterol"), and triglyceride levels. "

The Mayo site then goes on to give Red Yeast an A for this function, which means "strong scientific evidence for this use."

And Red Yeast may have additional benefits according to the Mayo Clinic site.

Coronary heart disease

Preliminary evidence shows that taking Monascus purpureus by mouth may result in cardiovascular benefits and improve blood flow. Additional study is needed before a firm recommendation can be made.

Diabetes

Early human evidence suggests the potential for benefits in diabetics. Additional study is needed before a firm recommendation can be made.

Issue of Standardization and Quality Control

Mayo then discusses the very real issue, which also occurs with generic drugs made in India and China, of standardization. That is why I always recommend Solaray Brand red yeast. http://www.amazon.com/Solaray-Red-Yeast-Rice-capsules/dp/B0001QNH5S

This is the brand I have had success with my nutrition patients here in San Diego. One patient who then switched to a cheaper version from a large discount chain, saw her cholesterol go back up.

Does Red Rice Yeast have any risks?

Red Rice Yeast is a natural source for monacolin K, the active ingredient in one of the big statin drugs. But, like other whole plant medicines, it contains a far smaller amount (in this case 1/5th the amount) plus other buffers and co-factors. This may explain why in recent studies mentioned by Anderw Weil, M.D., only 7% of the patients had muscle stiffness

It should also be noted that, like anyone taking pharmaceutical statins, red yeast users should be on daily supplements of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Statins inhibit the body's production of this coenzyme along with lowering cholesterol. CoQ10 is necessary for optimum function of muscles, including heart muscle.

Red Rice Yeast, or Diet and Exercise?

Obviously, with even a small risk, wouldn't it be a much better choice to try lowering your cholesterol with diet and exercise first, and then try red yeast if unsuccessful?

I had an elderly heart patient here in San Diego who went to the Scripps Clinic heart disease program ready for heart surgery, and opted into the diet and exercise program. His diet was radical--no red meat at all; but he reversed his heart disease, avoided open heart surgery, and I still run in to him at Whole Foods Market 15 years later!

As always, please discuss these issues with your M.D. before going off any meds. Also, please refer to the Mayo clinic website for information on who should potentially not take Red rice yeast, like people with liver disease and on blood thinners.

.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Top Ten Foods to Lower Cholesterol

2011-12-20T22:15:00.000-08:00

In my San Diego acupuncture and Ayurveda practice I see a lot of patients with high cholesterol whose doctors want to or have put them on Statin drugs. Some of them are even on multiple versions.

But statin drugs are not without a frightening array of risks-- pain, inflammation, liver damage, ALS, and memory loss are a few. And according to the world famous Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/statin-side-effects/MY00205

the risks are greater under the following conditions:

• Taking multiple medications to lower your cholesterol
• Being female
• Having a smaller body frame
• Being age 65 or older
• Having kidney or liver disease
• Having type 1 or 2 diabetes

Given that once you are on statins you are expected to stay on them for the rest of your life, it would seem prudent to at first try conservative measures like diet and exercise before jumping into a lifelong relationship with a dangerous drug.

Let's Talk Diet

Changing what you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the quality of the fats floating through your bloodstream.

Definitions:

Good Cholesterol: HDL
Lousy or Bad Cholesterol: LDL

Different foods lower cholesterol in different ways.

*Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation.

*Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL.

*Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds contain plant sterols and stanols, which block the body from absorbing cholesterol. Of course they all have numerous other nutrients that are part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Top 10 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

1. Oats. An easy first step to improving your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. (See my oatmeal with kombu sea vegetable recipe) It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Adding apples, pear, banana, blueberry, dried fruit or Kombu add more, on avg. about a half-gram.

But Kombu does not add sugar, and berries have less sugar than banana or apple. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber. (The average American gets about half that amount.)

2. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and all the other whole grains can help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, perhaps via the soluble fiber they deliver. Do you read the ingredients of the packaged foods you buy? If it says wheat, that means white, non whole grain. It has to say Whole wheat to be whole grain..(See my whole grain pancake recipe)

3. Beans. Beans--kidney, pinto, navy, garbanzo, and all the various lentils, brown, yellow, pink, french green, beluga, mung, toor are especially rich in soluble fiber. They take more time than grains to digest, which helps blood sugar levels.

That’s one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. Try adding Azuki beans or Black Eyed peas to your oatmeal like they do in Asia, and lower the glycemic index of your morning cereal. http://blog.bodymindwellnesscenter.com/2011/01/azuki-beans-in-your-oatmeal.html

4. Brassicas family vegetables, from Cauliflower to Collard greens. These low-calorie vegetables are excellent sources of soluble fiber while providing an array of phyto-nutrients that fight disease. They should be #1, really, not 4.

5. Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc. are good for the heart. Eating nuts helps lower LDL, and nuts have other nutrients that protect the heart in other ways. High in fiber, but also fat, so be careful if you are getting a lot of fat elsewhere. In Ayurveda nuts benefit the nervous system, too.

6. Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as sesame or olive in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.

7. Fresh fruits. Fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.

8. Soy. Eating cultured foods made from soy, like tofu and tempeh, as well as soy milk, helps lower LDL .

9. Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which elevates bad cholesterol, and by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s also reduce triglycerides and protect the heart by helping prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.

10. Fiber supplements. Supplements offer the least desirable way to get soluble fiber, since they have no other phyto-chemicals, but they do provide it. Wouldn't you rather eat delicious food?

Two teaspoons a day of psyllium, which is found in Metamucil and other bulk-forming laxatives, provide about 4 grams of soluble fiber. But you must drink a lot of water with psyllium or it actually causes constipation.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Safe Neti Pot Use

2011-12-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Below is an article from NPR about a recent death in Louisiana suspected to be from Neti Pot use with tap water. Before anyone gets too freaked out, let's look at the facts.

1. There is no proof; it is a suspected case of one.
2. The people live in Louisiana, a state with a particularly dismal health record, perhaps in a rural area. City water has nasty things like chlorine you don't want up your nose either, but less likely to have amoeba
3. What was the health of the deceased; how was their immune system.

Of course this is something to take seriously, but efore you stop using your neti pot here is all you have to do to be safe.

1. Use distilled, purified, or boiled water. I really do not drink the tap water anywhere unless I absolutely have no choice.
2. Make sure you clean your neti pot between use; the end of that thing was in your nose, and allow it to dry completely between use. As the Dr. in the article points out, "if you let them dry completely, the amoeba won't live long...."

That's all you have to do to get all the wonderful benefits the Neti pot imparts.

Here is the NPR article:

Washing noses with neti pots or squeeze bottles has become increasingly popular as a home remedy for colds, allergies and sinus trouble. But it's not such a great remedy if it kills you.

Now that two people have died from infection with brain-eating amoebas after using neti pots, doctors are warning: do not put tap water up your nose.

"Drinking water is good to drink, very safe to drink, but not to push up your nose," says Raoult Ratard, state epidemiologist for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Two residents of his state have died after using neti pots this year, the first known deaths associated with neti pots. "The first one could have been a fluke," Ratard told Shots. But now that we have a second one, the only explanation is the use of the neti pot."

The first death came in June, when a 20-year-old man died of encephalitis caused by infection with Naegleria fowleri. That amoeba is common in rivers and lakes, but only very rarely causes brain infections. Back in August, we reported on several deaths in children who had been jumping or diving in fresh water. But since adults are less likely to be doing cannonballs, they're also less likely to be infected.

Then in October, a 51-year-old Louisiana woman died of encephalitis. The doctor thought to ask if she used a neti pot. Both her brain tissue and her home's tap water tested positive for the microbe. Ratard says: "They found the amoeba, the lady was using a neti pot, and had no contact whatsoever with surface water."

Thus the new warning from Louisiana: If using a neti pot or other nasal irrigation device, use distilled or filtered water. Keeping the device clean is crucial, too, Ratard says. A neti pot, which looks like a small genie lamp, can be safely washed in a dishwasher, but squeeze bottles and other devices need to be scrubbed. All need to dry between uses. "If you let them dry completely, the amoebas are not going to survive long," Ratard says.

A quick survey of neti pots and squeeze bottles finds that the instructions recommend using boiled, distilled or filtered water. But like so many simple hygiene instructions, it's one that's easy to let slide. The prospect of death by brain-eating amoeba, rare though it is, should provide enough motivation to follow the rules.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Kale with Pomegranate Molasses and Cumin

2011-12-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Kale with Pomegranate Molasses and Cumin

One of my favorite ways to cook Kale is inspired by the classic Linguine with Broccoli that you find at Southern Italian restaurants.

Their method is really simple--olive oil, garlic, lemon, parmesan.

I take the olive oil and garlic and add to it cumin and pomegranate molasses.

Pomegranate Molasses in Cooking and in Ayurveda

I used to use a little bit of balsamic vinegar or lemon when cooking kale this way, but then I discovered pomegranate molasses and have never turned back. Cooking your green leafies with something sour is said to make the minerals in the greens like calcium more absorbable.

Vinegar, even mild balsamic, can be a little too sour for my taste. In Ayurvedic food therapy sour pacifies Vatta, but aggravates Pitta, that may be the problem, as I am a Vatta Pitta whose Pitta gets aggravated more easily than his Vatta.

Pomegranate molasses, which is used in Ottoman, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Iranian and Lebanese cooking is wonderful, because it is sour and astringent, but also sweet and imparts a lovely complex aroma to vegetable or meat dishes. And it puts a lovely glaze on things.

So, in Ayurveda, pomegranate molasses, because it is sweet and sour, pacifies Vatta, while its sour and astringent properties pacify Pitta. Its astringency pacifies Kapha, but Kapha types have to use a bit less than the other two doshas.

Where to Buy Pomegranate Molasses

The best quality is Cortas, from Lebanon. It can be had at any Middle Eastern market. Don't pay more than $4.00 a bottle and you can find it for 2.50 sometimes. Here is Cortas' retail website on the pomegranate molasses page
http://www.shamra.com/food/foodsearch.asp?desc=pomegranate+molasses&cat=&submit1=Find+Food

Kale in Western Nutrition, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine

Kale and the entire Brassica family of vegetables, which includes broccoli, cabbage, collards, cauliflower, turnip, Chinese cabbage, and many others are true super foods.

Forget about spending your hard earned pay on super expensive super foods imported from afar on giant greenhouse gas ships, Actually, have your Goji berries and Acai, sure, but don't think they or a multi-vitamin pill are a substitute for eating fresh green cruciferous vegetables. (Brassica are also known as cruciferous, from the Latin, caulis, meaning stem)

The Science: Paraphrased from and courtesy of a footnoted Wiki article.
Because when you eat your kale and cabbage, besides their high levels of vitamin C and water soluble fiber (also a great treatment for constipation), veggies from this family contain multiple nutrients with potent anticancer properties such as 3,3'-diindolylmethane, sulforaphane and selenium.
Brassica vegetables are also rich in indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells. They are also a good source of carotenoids, with broccoli having especially high levels.[6] Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have recently discovered that 3,3'-diindolylmethane in Brassica vegetables is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with potent antiviral, antibacterial and anticancer activity.

Key Point: And here is a nice key point, while boiling reduces the level of anticancer compounds, steaming and stir frying do not result in significant loss.

Kale in Ayurveda: Great for Kapha and Pitta, potentially aggravating to Vatta.

Some people do not eat brassica veggies because they give them too much gas. This means it is elevating their Vatta too much. Cabbages, kale, collards, can really aggravate Vatta, and excess gas is one symptom. It is worse when they are eaten raw, as all raw veggies elevate Vatta.

But you can make them much less aggravating to Vatta by countering their bitter, dry nature with warming spices, moistening oil, and the salty, sweet and sour tastes. Even just garlic, cumin, olive oil and pomegranate molasses. Or Chinese style with ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce. In miso soup. In chicken soup. etc. And also don't eat them with beans, but with things like rice or pasta or flesh foods that also pacify Vatta.

P.S. The book, The Chinese Study, http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660 goes into great detail about the value of a diet rich in plants.

In Chinese Medicine we say, "Eat rice for energy, meat for strength, and vegetables to keep your body clean."

All you have to do is go to a Chinese restaurant and see that even the fried pork is served with bok choy. The key point this book, which is large epidemiological study, makes is about the link between low meat/high vegetable consumption and low rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. And, by the way, these are people who eat white rice, not brown.

Kale with Pomegranate Molasses and Cumin

Ingredients

1 small head of Kale, washed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed, more or less to taste
3/4 tsp cumin powder
A dash of salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil, less if you want
3/4 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Directions

1) Place the kale in a bowl of water, shake a bit, and pull out. This way the dirt falls off into the water. Drain and chop.

2) Crush the garlic and keep the spices handy.

3) In a wok or heavy pan, heat the oil to medium high. That means it is pretty hot, but well before smoking.

4) Drop in the garlic and stir for about 20 seconds, until the garlic smell rises off the pan, but you are not about to burn it. Add the cumin, pepper and salt and stir for 15 seconds. Add the molasses, stir 10 seconds.

5) Add the kale and stir well till the leaves are well coated. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or a little more; keep checking. You want the kale cooked, starting to shrivel, but still bright green, and well coated with the spices and molasses.

6) Serve over whole wheat pasta, soba, or rice.

Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine

This dish is warming, moist, but not damp producing, has all 6 tastes in it with an excellent amount of bitter, and is slightly heavy, but not very heavy at all.

The vegetable part is essentially Tri-Doshic and very good for all three doshas, but

especially noteworthy is how you can take a Vatta increasing vegetable and make it less so by your preparation method--warming it, softening it, moistening it, and balancing bitter with sweet and sour.

Also, as most Vattas will be either Vatta Pitta or Vatta Kapha, this dish is excellent for the other two doshas. Use less molasses for an unbalanced Kapha, drop the pepper for an unbalanced Pitta.

Having it with wheat pasta is good for Vatta and Pitta, but not Kapha. Kapha might choose a more bitter less glutinous grain if they are to be good, like Quinoa.

In Chinese medicine this is a cleansing balanced dish that nourishes the blood and builds the Qi. It is aromatic and strengthens the Spleen Qi.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Common Cold in Ayurveda

2011-12-17T01:16:00.000-08:00

Common Colds in Ayurveda

Elevated Kapha
In Ayurveda the common cold is called Pratishyaya and is seen in most cases as an aggravation of the Kapha dosha. Colds infect the respiratory tract; the sinuses and throat are governed by the Lungs, and the Lungs are the seat of Kapha.

The first thing that happens with colds is increased secretion of mucus and phlegm, which are both the result of elevated Kapha. That is why people who are Kapha dominant, and in an unbalanced state due to diet or lifestyle errors, are more prone to colds and sinus infections. But when Kaphas are healthy and balanced, they can have the strongest immune system. It's a question of balance.

Elevated Pitta and Vatta
Some people's colds involve the tendency to red inflamed sore throat and other heat symptoms involving redness and high temperature. This shows the influence of Pitta and has to be treated with more Pitta pacifying medicines and less of the hot herbs mentioned below; however if there is mucus and phlegm we still use the below remedies.

Some people start out hot and or phlegmatic, as above, but end up with dry throat and dry cough. This is fire stimulating wind, or Pitta aggravating Vatta. These people will, for example, need to use more hot milk and honey with the below herbs, and more moistening foods, like pear juice.

The Role of Ama/Digestive Toxins

The other very important factor, especially for people that get repeated colds, or more than the average amount, that are very susceptible is the role of Ama or digestive toxins.

When the food we eat is not fully digested, what should be a clear extraction supplying the organs and tissues with high quality nutrition (Ojas) becomes instead toxic sludge that clogs the channels and tissues. This toxic sludge is called Ama.

People with this disease factor have what Chinese Medicine calls dampness and chronic food stagnation. In my San Diego Acupuncture and Ayurveda practice, I see this alot: pasty puffy skin, constipation, digestive disorders, allergies, chronic fatigue, susceptibility to lung and sinus infection, and above all frequent colds that drag on and on.

Do I Have Ama Accumulation

People with an Ama accumulation may have

*a thick coating on the tongue
*bad breath
*chronic sinus issues, allergies, chronic colds or bronchitis
*fatigue, lethargy, weakness, non-situational depression
*constipation and or digestive issues like gastritis
*foggy and hard to get up in the a.m.
*pasty, puffy skin

One of first organ systems to be affected by Ama accumulation is the respiratory system, and that makes these people more susceptible to colds and creates the conditions favorable to phlegm and mucus in the lungs and sinuses. It is as if the soil in a potted plant cannot drain well and starts to develop mold and smell badly.

How Do I Develop Ama?

The enemy of Ama is Agni--digestive fire. When Agni is burning bright, it is harder for Ama to collect. But Kapha and Vatta types tend to have weaker Agni, especially Kapha types. Both Kapha-Vatta or Vatta-Kapha have a hard time, as both doshas are cold. Whereas Pitta has naturally strong Agni, so much so that Pitta can be troubled by excessive fire in the body. Obviously, then, its hot weather that aggravates Pitta, and cold weather that aggravates Kapha and Vatta. Dry cold raises Vatta more and wet cold Kapha more.

Why We Are More Prone to Ama in Winter?

Midwinter and on is dominated by Kapha, because the weather is itself Kaphic--cold and wet. This makes us more vulnerable, especially if our Kapha is already elevated. And Kapha, being naturally cold and wet, has a more difficult time keeping strong Agni. That is why Kapha needs a diet that is light, lean, and high in vegetables and spices and low in damp producing foods like wheat, dairy, and fatty meat.

The problem, too is that the average American diet, heavy in Ama engendering Kapha building wheat, dairy, and meat, and light in cleansing green leafy vegetable and warming Agni engendering digestive spices gets even worse around holidays, with lots of sugar and heavy feasts that further weaken Agni and build Ama.

The key then is to eat a diet in winter that engenders Agni that keeps the body fires burning bright. This is easy, once you understand the common sense logic of Ayurveda

But Aren't Colds Caused by the Rhino Virus?

Yes, of course. But that begs the question of why some people never catch them and some people always do and others do occasionally. The ability to withstand exposure to a virus is a function of your immune system. Ayurveda describes this in terms of Ojas/Vigor.

Ojas is the end result of an Agni engendering healthy diet, healthy living, a calm mind, and the blessing of a strong inherited constitution, too. You see Ojas in sparkling eyes, beautiful skin and hair, and healthy energy levels. It governs immunity, and when weak makes us susceptible to disease.

So the issue of susceptibility is key. Yes, colds are the result of an infection by a rhinovirus. And though colds are not "caused" by exposure to cold in the sense of cold being itself an infectious pathogen; it is true that if your immune system is already weakened, and you are over exposed to cold, wet, windy weather, that may be the last straw that makes you unable to fight off the bugs that are going around.

So, one thing to do when you are exposed to cold wet weather, or when you have symptoms that are in and of themselves an excess of wet and cold in your body (phlegm and mucus, feeling cold, chills, sneezing) is to warm and dry the soil of your inner garden.

Ayurvedic Guidelines to Prevent Colds

1. Cold Foods/Warm Foods. Avoid cold foods like ice-cream and yogurt. Some yogurt is fine at noon, but not at night. Follow the general Ayurvedic advice to drink liquids room temp or warm/hot. If you drink milk, drink it hot, simmered with ginger root, cardamom, or clove. Mediterranean sage tea is excellent for warming up after being out in the cold. Get it at Greek, Persian, or Arab markets.

2. Fruit: Stick to apples, pears and other seasonal or dried fruits like dates. Stewed fruits like cranberry sauce and apple sauce are good. Again try using spices. Avoid bananas, these are quite cooling. Good in summer!

3. Veggies: Avoid cold veggies like cucumber, raw tomato, salads--these are "cold" foods that dampen Agni. In summer they are fine, because Agni is naturally strong then. There are regional exceptions. A long hike in the desert sun in San Diego might lead to a small amount of cucumber with lunch, for example.

Favor warming veggies like baked hard squash, root veggies like daikon and parsnip, and as always, green leafy veggies, lightly cooked.

Drink lots of soup! Soups are easy to digest and moisten and lubricate the mucosa in the nose and throat, making it harder for rhinoviruses to penetrate. Good time for warming fish or meat soups with veggies in them like bouillabaisse made with salmon, or chicken soup with garlic and onion and dill.

4. Spices: Keep your insides warm with thermogenic spices -- cumin is an excellent burner of Ama. So are ginger, black pepper, coriander, oregano, thyme, sage, fenugreek, fennel. If you drink milk, drink it hot simmered with ginger, cardamom, clove, cinnamon. Add tea and you have masala chai!

Turmeric is an excellent spice that builds immunity and reduces Ama. So is fresh ginger. Use them in lentils, beans, meats and veggies. Any Indian cookbook or cook website will have great recipes. Substitute black pepper for chili pepper unless you are very Kapha dominant.

5. Deserts: Sweet foods are naturally dampening to Agni. Have them, in moderation, especially in early winter, but take them separate from a meal, or in small amounts at the end of a meal, and have them with something that stimulates the digestive fire, like green or black tea, or herb tea made from ginger or fennel or chai spices.

Make your homemade cookies and cakes with less sugar and with spices like cardamom or cinnamon. Stewed fruits are a better choice than cakes. Stew with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or clove.

No ice cream or frozen yogurt in winter, please.

Honey is the most warming and least Ama building sweetener. Good choice in tea and beverages. But don't cook with it; it transforms this wonderful medicine into what Ayurveda considers a poison.

Ayurveda Treatment of Cold

When I studied Ayurveda in Sri Lanka, my teacher Vaidhya Wickeramasinghe taught me how to make a tea out of kitchen spices that is a powerful remedy for Kapha-type common colds with any combination of chills, subjective feeling of cold, aversion to wind, mild cough, stuffed nose, runny nose, easy to expel mucus, low fever, mild sore throat, fatigue. But it can also be used with the flu, though in that case I would combine it with other anti-viral, heat-clearing herbs from Chinese Medicine.

In Sri Lanka it is used especially during the rainy season, when colds are more predominant. It is an excellent balance for the very bitter cold herbs like Echinacea and goldenseal that are popular in USA and Europe for colds.

Dr. W's Ayurvedic Tea for Colds and Flu

Ingredients

6 cups water
Coriander Seed 3 tbsp
Fresh Sliced Ginger Root 5 medium slices
Dried Ginger Powder 1-2 tsp
Green Cardamom Seed or Pods 1 tbsp
Fenugreek Seed 1-2 tbsp
Cumin Seed 2 tsp
Black Cumin 2 tsp (get at Indian market or Amazon)
Fennel Seed 2 tsp
Black Peppercorns, 1-2 tbsp,
more for Kapha type or if lots of runny nose, less for Pitta type.
Cinnamon Stick or Cassia, 1-2 4" pieces
Clove 1 tsp
Long Pepper,(Pippili) if available, 4 pieces (I have seen for sale at the Chinese market in the Indonesian spice section...also Amazon.com and Indian grocer)
Holy Basil 2 tbsp (grow in your garden and dry for winter, Indian grocers in the health section as a powder, also at health food stores in tea bags, also Amazon.)

Directions

Bring spices and water to a boil. Simmer for around 40 minutes. If desired, and I do recommend this for Pitta-Vatta and Vatta-Pitta types, add about 1 cup of goat's, cow, soy, or nut milk and simmer another 5 minutes.

Sweeten to taste with Honey for Vatta or Kapha dominant and raw sugar for Pitta. But if a Pitta feels cold and averse to wind, I give them honey. Do not cook the honey, only add at the end.

Drink a lot of this through the day, up to a quart, as soon as you start to feel sick. If you sweat, change clothes so you don't get a chill. Stay indoors. Eat light food like toast or rice soup. Rest, rest, rest!

Try to use whole spice rather than powder. It's just that if you use who you get a clear liquid, if you use powder you can get a muddy broth.

Samahan

If you are too busy to make the above, there is a product that is very popular in Sri Lanka that is now available on line. http://www.samahan.info/index.html
It is very similar to the above recipe, but I warn you, it is very hot. If you are a Pitta dominant you must mix it with milk. You might still get some burning sensations in the lower GI, and use with care if you have a tendency to hemorrhoids.

Anu Thailam

One other product I like is Anu Thailam. I get it from http://www.trihealthayurveda.com/thailams.htm
It is especially useful for allergies and sinusitis, but if you are catching a cold, and you have runny nose as a chief symptom, a drop of this oil in each nostril is very helpful. Read about it on the above website.

Chinese Medicine Herbals

For colds with marked heat signs, like strong, rapid onset, painful sore throat, laryngitis, dark phlegm, I like to use a Chinese formula called Yin Qiao San, which I combine with the above herbal decoction, and take at a high dose for a couple of days. If the person is very run down, I like to use Source Naturals Wellness formula at a high dose for a couple of days. If there is sinus infection or bronchitis I use other formulas like Tong Bi or Qing Fei Tang.

Why I use these and not Ayurveda in these cases is twofold: one, I think Chinese Medicine excels at the differential diagnosis and treatment of hot type febrile illness in a way I have not found Ayurveda to. There is a 2,000 year written tradition on the treatment of infectious disease with hundreds of formulas based on symptom pattern. Ayurvedic treatment is more generalized in this particular case.

Second, I will not use or sell Ayurvedic or Chinese herbal formulas unless I know they are free of heavy metal contamination. The company I use, Ayush, is the only company I know of that can supply test results from independent labs. There are some very popular companies whose products have been found to contain lead, mercury, and cadmium.

This may be the natural result of high levels in the soil, or it may be a result of the deliberate use of heavy metal in the processing of herbs, which was part of Ayurvedic and Western herbal practice until recently when heavy metal toxicity began to be understood.

Sadly, Ayush does not have the same kind of anti-viral herbal formulas that my Chinese herb companies do. And my Chinese herb companies, Blue Poppy and Kan, are able to furnish independent lab reports. The first dictum in the Hippocratic Oath is "do no harm!"

Happy Holidays!

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copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Natural Cranberry Sauce with Dates and Saffron, Low Sugar

2011-12-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

It seems silly to buy canned cranberry sauce with a ton of sugar and the bonus of toxic Phtalates, when it is so easy to make it homemade. Takes literally minutes. Boil water, add cranberries and sweetener. Simmer 15 minutes. Voila!

Ingredients

1 bag cranberries.
Water, enough to cover the berries
1/2 cup raw sugar, I like coconut palm sugar--avail at Whole Foods
4 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped a bit, but any dates will do.
5-6 strands saffron...again, Whole Foods has a pretty cheap good brand
3-4 cardamom pods, crushed.

You could use orange juice in place of the water if you like.

Recipe

Place it all in a saucepan, bring to the boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. That's it!

Ayurveda:

This is sour, astringent, sweet, and even bitter (the saffron), so it pacifies all three doshas in small amounts. Excellent to help you digest heavy winter food like baked meat.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Late Autumn/Early Winter Whole Grain n' Flax Blueberry Pancakes

2011-12-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

Rainy Winter Morning Whole Grain Wild Blueberry Pancakes.

Rainy winter mornings after long hikes in the San Diego desert make me want pancakes. Good, solid, whole grain ones. The kind that make you feel like you ate food, not syrupy junk.

One of my favorite ways to make home-made pancakes is to use yogurt, instead of milk. How can I put it; it gives the pancakes "body"; it makes them thicker and more substantial, more like food.

At Trader Joe's the other day they had Wild Blueberries from Canada, frozen. I don't generally recommend frozen stuff, but I think berries hold up pretty well to the freezing process for winter use. Having said that I would not really eat them in winter unless they are cooked somehow, like in pancakes or as a sauce. Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine are totally against smoothies, especially in cold weather/winter.

So this morning I ground in my "spice grinder" (a.k.a coffee grinder)

Ingredients

2 tbsp brown basmati rice
1 tbsp white basmati rice
2 tbsp steel cut oats
1 tbsp quinoa
1 tbsp buckwheat kasha
1 tsp flax seed

to which I added

1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp Pavel's brand plain yogurt
2 tbsp water or more to make a batter.

2-3 tbsp blueberries, to be added at the stove.

That's it. No salt or sweetener or oil needed. When you grind whole grains in the spice grinder you won't get flour, its more like a sandy texture, which works fine for cereal or pancakes. Like cream of rice cereal, for example. The batter looks like Indian dosai batter

What I like about pancakes made with basmati rice is they are easy to digest and have a lovely aroma. Plus I like the texture. But rice alone has no gluten so alone it won't stick together, but the oats and wheat flour give it what it needs.. I love sourdough, and I love South Indian dosai, so I like the ever-so-slightly sour taste the yogurt imparts to the mixture.

Recipe

Add the water and yogurt to all the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spoon. Let it sit for 5 minutes while your cast iron skillet heats up.
When it does, ladle the desired amount onto the pan, let it cook until ready to turn, add the blueberries onto the pancakes, flip, and let it cook a minute or two till done.

Pancakes are delicious with some jam or date syrup, but its easy to over do and end up with a whole bunch of unneeded carbs. Moreover, pancakes are heavy, no escaping that fact. One way to balance the heaviness of the cake is with some kind of spice that stimulates Agni/digestive fire. Sometimes I put ginger or cardamom in. Today, I had this chutney from Kerala, India in the fridge. I thought, why not? We use this kind of chutney with dosai (rice and lentil pancake eaten at breakfast or dinner in India). It was really excellent!

Ayurveda

Pacifies Vatta and Pitta. Ok for Kapha in small amounts, as follows:

Late autumn and early winter are dominated by Vatta, with cold and dry weather predominating. Today it rained, which made the climate more Kaphic, but as of late our bodies in San Diego have been affected by Vatta raising conditions. In either case warming food is desired.

These pancakes are fundamentally warming, moistening, heavy, sweet, and ever so slightly sour, all qualities perfect for Vatta which is cold, arid, rough, light, dry. I coated my pan with sesame oil which pacifies Vatta, too.

The quinoa and flax seed are slightly bitter, which helps Pitta and Kapha. Oats, rice, and quinoa are excellent for Pitta. These cakes are heavy, but not oily, in fact they have no oil except what's on the pan and in the flax seeds, which makes them more suitable for Pitta and Kapha. Even for Kapha, these are low fat and full of fiber, and berries are a low sugar fruit. So a balanced Kapha can have small amounts of something like this, and might want to add ginger or even black pepper to her version.

I served my cakes with both the hot tomato chutney (pacifies Kapha, stimulates Agni) and a little yogurt (pacifies Vatta)drizzled with Date Syrup, a wonderful natural sweetner I get at the Arabian market.

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Eden Foods Bisphenol-A (BPH) -free cans

2011-11-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

I am not an advocate for canned foods. However, sometimes you might just want to use canned kidney beans for something quick. The only brand I know of that has BPh free cans is Eden, a company that has been operating out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, since the 60's.

Still, I always recommend if you use any canned beans, always wash them really well. You don't know what is in the liquid they are in, what fell in during cooking, and also I believe it reduces gas if you clear off the cooking water.

I really would not recommend can cooked rice. But, personally, I will use canned beans on occasion. Canned veggies? Never. That has to be a super emergency.

http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=178

From their website:

"All Eden Organic Beans, Refried Beans, Chilies and Rice & Beans are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a non-toxic mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir. These cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans that do contain BPA. The Ball Corporation tells us that Eden is the only U.S. food maker to date to use these BPA free cans and we have been since April 1999."

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

BPA : the Poison in Canned Food and Plastic Bottles

2011-11-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

BPA Lurks in Canned Soups and Drinks

from the New York Times...

A new study by Harvard researchers may provide another reason to skip the canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving. People who ate one serving of canned food daily over the course of five days, the study found, had significantly elevated levels — more than a tenfold increase — of bisphenol-A, or BPA, a substance that lines most food and drink cans.

Most of the research on BPA, a so-called endocrine disruptor that can mimic the body’s hormones, has focused on its use in plastic bottles. It has been linked in some studies to a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and health officials in the United States have come under increasing pressure to regulate it. Some researchers, though, counter that its reputation as a health threat to people is exaggerated.

The new study, which was published Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to measure the amounts that are ingested when people eat food that comes directly out of a can, in this case soup. The spike in BPA levels that the researchers recorded is one of the highest seen in any study.

“We cannot say from our research what the consequences are,” said Karin Michels, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and an author of the study. “But the very high levels that we found are very surprising. We would have never expected a thousand-percent increase in their levels of BPA.”

As part of the study, Dr. Michels and her colleagues recruited a group of 75 staff members and students at the Harvard School of Public Health, split them into two groups, and then followed them for two weeks. During the first week, one group ate a 12-ounce serving of vegetarian soup from a common brand of canned soup every day for five days; the other group, meanwhile, ate 12 ounces of vegetarian soup made from fresh ingredients each day. Then, after a two-day soup-free “wash out” period, the groups switched roles and were followed for five more days. At the end of each five-day period, the subjects provided urine samples.

Dr. Michels noted that all the participants were fed amounts of soup that were smaller than what people probably would consume on their own. “One serving of soup is a not a lot,” she said. “They were actually telling us that that wasn’t even enough for their lunch.”

In general, most studies have found that urinary BPA levels in typical adults average somewhere around 2 micrograms per liter. That was roughly the levels the Harvard researchers found in the subjects after a week of eating the soup made from fresh ingredients. After eating the canned soup, though, their levels rose above 20 micrograms per liter, a 1,221 percent increase.

Dr. Michels said that her co-authors, including one researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who regularly analyzes BPA levels in studies, were stunned when the results came back. “She called me and said something’s funny with these levels,” she said. “She didn’t know what she was looking at.”

Dr. Michels said that the increases in BPA were most likely temporary and would go down after hours or days. “We don’t know what health effects these transient increases in BPA may have,” she added

But she also pointed out that the findings were probably applicable to other canned goods, including soda and juices. “The sodas are concerning, because some people have a habit of consuming a lot of them throughout the day,” she said. “My guess is that with other canned foods, you would see similar increases in bisphenol-A. But we only tested soups, so we wouldn’t be able to predict the absolute size of the increase.”

Many companies began phasing out BPA in baby bottles and other plastic food containers in recent years to ease public anxieties, but it is still widely used in the linings of metal cans because it helps prevent corrosion and is resistant to high heat during the sterilization process.

“I don’t know how important bisphenol-A is to the lining of these metal cans,” Dr. Michels said. “Can you make the lining to protect the contents of the can without bisphenol-A? If this is the case, then we would suggest taking it out, because then you would eliminate the problem.”

Mind-Body Links

2011-11-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

For anyone who thinks the Mind and Body are not part of a single system. And, its a two way street. just as your Thyroid can influence your Mental State, so, too, do your Mental States influence your internal organ function, endocrine system, blood pressure, muscle tension levels, etc.

For example, you are terrified of doing poorly on your LSAT, and you get diarrhea. You are constantly in fear, and you end up with chronic constipation. One example of gazillions, it really should be obvious that pills are not any kind of long term answer.

Meditation is, though, at least in the case of the autonomic nervous system...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/health/for-some-psychiatric-troubles-may-begin-with-the-thyroid.html?src=me&ref=general

Baked Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup

2011-11-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

One of the aspects of cooking that Chinese Medicine pays attention to is method. Each method of cooking adds relative values of heat to the dish being prepared.
Steaming and boiling are the mildest. Then, in degree of warming-ness comes stir frying, followed by croc-pot slow cooking/stewing, baking, and finally, the hottest form, deep frying.

That may explain in part why baked and deep fried goods are so satisfying; life is a process of warm biochemical or energetic transformations; qi and blood are warm--baked and deep fried goods reinforce that warmth, although with the latter method there is a negative side affect of pathological damp production.

If you are not convinced, as an experiment just steam or boil a potato and compare how warm that makes you feel, vs. a baked potato, vs. french fries. You probably only have to think about it.

There is a logic here. Water is inherently cooling--anyone who hikes in the desert knows what it feels like when you hit an oasis; the difference is the moisture.
Water is inherently cooling, so that when you boil, although you heat, that heat is balanced by the cool nature of water. But when you bake, you add dry heat.

This is nearly in the realm of alchemy, but, especially for cold Vata or Kapha types, in the cold weather baked hard squash is just so much more appealing than boiled. I should add that on the other hand, in summer, boiled hard squash and tofu are so nice with buckwheat soba, which is also cooling in energy.

And then when you deep fry, not only are you adding very high heat, you are adding the concentrated caloric intensity of fat that coats the vegetable or meat keeping all its energy intact. That is why deep fried food is not recommended, as it contributes to the build up of pathological damp heat in the body. Terrible for acne and chronic yeast issues. If you are a dry cold type, its not bad once in a while, but even there, oil heated to that level goes rancid very quickly. And restaurants reheat and reuse the oil forever. Personally, I have vegetable tempura once a year in the winter, and maybe french fries, made at home, once a year.

Hard squashes are mild, sweet, slightly warm, easy to digest, a little bland. They are a perfect foil for beans, which are denser and have chewy texture. This is an especially fortuitous marriage for people on gluten free diets, who miss the chewy quality of wheat and gluten.

As we move into the cold weather of late autumn we crave warming grounding baked foods, like root vegetables (turnip, parsnip, rutabaga, carrot, yam, potato) and hard squashes, also known as winter squash (vs. zucchinis which are known as summer squash).

Here is a recipe perfect for early Winter--grounding, warming, a little heavy, sweet, sour, slightly pungent. Cumin and coriander are two of the spices that do are well tolerated by Vata or Pitta. And this dish is light enough for Kapha.
See below for modifications for each dosha.

You can use any hard squash, each has its own qualities. Butternut squash has lovely golden color and a beautiful almost floral aroma, whereas Kabocha squash is much denser, darker, and meaty.

Baked Butternut Squash and Black bean soup

Ingredients

Baked butternut squash
Black beans 1-2 cups, cooked
Bay leaf 3-4
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Garlic 1 tsp crushed
Cilantro 1.5 tbsp chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper 3/4 tsp
Cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp
Wine Vinegar 2 tsp
1 tbsp olive oil

1) Scrub squash well, slice in half legnth-wise, scrape out seeds, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, cool, and remove from skin and mash with a fork roughly, or puree in blender finely, your choice. Boil black beans with turmeric, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, till soft.

2) Heat olive on a low flame with coriander and cumin. Brown lightly for a few minutes, as the color changes and aroma rises, add garlic and stir without stopping for a minute or two. Do not allow to burn. When the garlic starts to change color and become more aromatic, add 1 tbsp cilantro, turn off heat, and stir a minute as the cilantro turns bright green.

3) Add the cooked spices and squash to the beans, adding water to your desired soup consistency. Simmer for 10 minutes, adding the balance of freshly chopped cilantro at the end as a garnish.

Kapha: Delete vinegar, add more cayenne
Pitta: Reduce pepper, increase cilantro
Vata Delete cayenne, puree beans, reduce amount of beans

Copyright Eyton Shalom, San Diego, CA Oct 2011, All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Yaz Birth Control Pill Dangers

2011-10-25T00:57:00.000-07:00

Birth control "pills" are not candy, they are dangerous drugs, that according to San Diego neurologist Frederic Martin, M.D., at best, dramatically increase the risk for stroke. DDS. Doctor denial syndrome. Doctors seem to routinely ignore the additional, or side, affects for drugs. Or are they just afraid to inform their patients?

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/yaz-birth-control-investigation-14742773

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/studies-find-yaz-risky-leading-birth-control-pills/story?id=14741760

In the case of Carissa, who had a massive double embolism after taking "Yaz" to clear up her hormonal acne, and is now blind, the deep tragedy is that she could have pretty easily cleared up her acne with herbs and acupuncture, and gotten healthier in the process. In my San Diego acupuncture practice I have a wide variety of treatments for the various kinds of acne, including hormonal acne, that I have had excellent results with over the past 20 years. Please see my next article.

"No one can say for sure whether Yaz caused Carissa's blindness, but Yaz contains a unique hormone called drospirenone that some experts say may trigger more blood clots than other birth control pills. Clots can cause serious breathing problems, a stroke or even death."

And on the deregulation that has led to the proliferation of marketing driven drugs,

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/10/2011102183428585240.html

And of course, no deregulation horror story would be complete unless a big pharmaceutical company was poisoning people due to the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA's) lack of a will or a way. For that we have Bayer, the makers of birth-control pill Yaz, to thank.

This past week Nightline ran a scathing report on the company's over-marketed, under-tested (which is to say, not much at all) birth-control product, which increases a woman's chance of getting an embolism by a healthy 630 per cent. In the past, only listening to Rush Limbaugh could accomplish that.

"[Yaz spent] 10 times the amount marketing this pill than they did testing whether it would kill people."

- Mike Papantonio, plaintiff's lawyer

Preeminent plaintiff's lawyer Mike Papantonio (of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor), who is fighting for many of the victims of this corporation (or person or whatever status we're granting them this week) pointed out to me that Yaz spent "10 times the amount marketing this pill than they did testing whether it would kill people, and even committed such marketing fraud in the process that the toothless FDA ordered them to stop lying in their ads."

The problem is that massive deregulation has turned the project of letting the FDA regulate pharmaceuticals into something that is pretty much akin to paying Alex Rodriguez to hit a ball in the playoffs, or electing Rick Santorum the mayor of Fire Island.

Until 1997, the FDA did not even allow broadcast advertisements for prescription drugs, and the US is one of only two countries in the world (New Zealand being the other) that even allows this type of advertising. It seems that other developed nations have this crazy idea that you should decide what prescriptions you need based on a doctor's advice, and not that of a talking bee on television.

As of 2003, over $3bn per year was being spent on mass media pharmaceutical advertising. It is almost enough to make you puke - if one of their pills is not already causing you to do that.

copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With PermissionAyurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

India: Killer spray - 101 East - Al Jazeera English

2011-10-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

India: Killer spray - 101 East - Al Jazeera English

Good piece on the perils of pesticides in India...

"The Green Revolution swept across India in the 1960s and 1970s, changing it from a nation begging for food aid to a top cotton and grain producer. But 'Green' did not refer to organic farming. Instead, politicians, scientists and philanthropists argued that by switching from traditional to Western farming methods - using pesticides and fertilisers - India could fight hunger.

Today, India's pesticide industry is worth billions of dollars but there appears to be a high price - devastating health problems for communities where pesticides like endosulfan are intensively used.

With pesticide companies claiming their products are safe..."

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

The Price of Pesticide Use: India

2011-10-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Link to good piece in Al Jazeera,

"The Green Revolution swept across India in the 1960s and 1970s, changing it from a nation begging for food aid to a top cotton and grain producer. But 'Green' did not refer to organic farming. Instead, politicians, scientists and philanthropists argued that by switching from traditional to Western farming methods - using pesticides and fertilisers - India could fight hunger.

Today, India's pesticide industry is worth billions of dollars but there appears to be a high price - devastating health problems for communities where pesticides like endosulfan are intensively used."

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/101east/2011/10/2011101874059235387.html

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Cancer Testing: How Often

2011-10-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

"Annual cancer tests are becoming a thing of the past. New guidelines out Wednesday for cervical cancer screening have experts at odds over some things, but they are united in the view that the common practice of getting a Pap test every year is too often and probably doing more harm than good.

A Pap smear once every three years is the best way to detect cervical cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says. Last week, it recommended against prostate cancer screening with PSA tests, which many men get every year.

Two years ago, it said mammograms to check for breast cancer are only needed every other year starting at age 50, although the American Cancer Society still advises annual tests starting at age 40. Earlier this week, a large study found more false alarms for women getting mammograms every year instead of every other year..."

http://news.yahoo.com/annual-cancer-screening-tests-urged-less-less-040419914.html

Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia: Treatment with Myofascial Acupuncture and Integrated Medicine

2011-10-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Definition and Brief History

The alleviation of pain in the body that originates from a focus or foci of neural hyperactivity in one or another of the different structures which together form the musculoskeletal system has its origin in England in the late 1930's. It was there, at University College Medical School, that researchers discovered that referred pain from a focus of irritation in muscle and or other connective tissues or fascia may be felt in broad, diffuse, and specific areas, such as muscles, joints and even teeth.

This was significant, as pain from these foci of irritation did not and do not follow the dermatomal or nerve root distribution of neurological pain common to actual nerve injury. In fact, it was demonstrated by Drs. Good, Kelly, and Travel, in England, Australia, and the U.S., that each individual muscle in the body, when affected by these "irritant foci", has its own unique and specific pattern of pain referral that is predictable and mapable.These foci of irritation came to be called, over time, "myofascial trigger points." It was discovered that the common characteristic of the various trigger points, regardless of the tissue, was electrical hyperactivity. It was also discovered that it is possible to "de-activate" these acutely tender points through the insertion of a needle, and in the process relieve the pain and inflammation that is common to sports injuries, degenerative pain like arthritis, or painful conditions such as headache or TMJ.

This method of pain relief is now called "Trigger Point" or "Myo-fascial" acupuncture. I prefer the latter nomenclature, as the technique I have developed over the past twenty years involves deactivation of trigger points, stimulation of motor points, needling into fascia, tendons, ligamentous tissue, and even just below the skin or the skin itself. It also involves the use of therapeutic "cupping", electrical stimulation, and application of counter-irritants and heat. The system of trigger points mapped out by Travell and Simons dovetails, somewhat, with the Chinese system of acupuncture points specific to pain, called "Ah Shi."

However, the practice of trigger point acupuncture requires a thorough knowledge of western anatomy, as well as the precise location and referral pattern of the trigger points found in the various muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, periosteum, and even skin of the body. Trigger points occur, most often, in the thick portion of muscle bellies, particularly in the region of the motor point, but are also found in their origin and insertion.

Cause of Myofascial Trigger Points

Trigger points can form in weak, overused muscles, such as occurs in repetitive stress injuries in keyboard use. But they can also occur in very strong, but overused muscles, such as occurs in runners who rest inadequately, or other athletes. I recently deactivated the forearm and wrist trigger points in a patient that routinely does 1000 pushups at a stretch.

Trigger points may also occur in trauma from direct injury, such as a blow or sprain, as in the patient with sudden onset shoulder pain after being pulled suddenly and unexpectedly by her 110 pound dog Many of us are familiar with the "tension" lumps found in both the shoulders and low back, properly called "fibrositic nodules." These nodules also contain trigger points.

Effect of Trigger Points The problem of trigger points is not just that they are at the source of much myofascial pain; but that a muscle containing active trigger points undergoes shortening, and becomes weaker and less capable of the task at hand. This can then lead to a cascade of compensatory biomechanics, that further increase pain within the affected and allied muscles.

Role of Stress

I have observed a link between the presence of pervasive, active trigger points and the presence of shortened tight muscles, a bowstring pulse, and high levels of stress responses. We know, scientifically, that constant and poorly managed stress places us in the "fight or flight" response that elevates our stress hormones like cortisol. My informal theory is that this mechanism imitates an overuse syndrome in that our muscles are held as if ready to run or fight. This is work, and places our muscles into anaerobic sources of respiration and concomitant lactic acid burn. This creates various chemical cascades that may contribute to both inflammation and the formation of active trigger points.

Treatment of Trigger Points and Stress with Acupuncture One of the great things about acupuncture of any kind is that is places you into the relaxation response, similar to what is achieved by meditation. Acupuncture reduces our body's biochemical responses to stress, lowers blood pressure and reduces inflammation and pain.In terms of hormones and neurotransmitters it does this by increasing the secretion of our body's natural opiates, endorphins; and by increasing secretion of natural cortisone-like anti-inflammation drugs in the adrenal glands.

Myofascial trigger point acupuncture goes one step further. In addition to being profoundly relaxing, as above, when you relieve trigger points, especially the ones in the muscle belly associated with motor points, the muscle responds by actually lengthening; this has a decompressing effect on joints, tendons, and tendon sheaths. It is not unusual after a myofascial acupuncture treatment for the affected joints to "release" as after a chiropractic adjustment, gently, naturally, and safely. This is generally followed by an immediate relief in pain. Nothing releases a tight muscle and trigger points like a carefully placed acupuncture needle. Generally the patient feels an immediate effect while still on the table.

It is also typical that after acupuncture treatment to feel extremely refreshed, as if after a deep sleep. One will often sleep profoundly well the night of a treatment, which has enormous restorative value.I have found myo-fascial acupuncture, along with herbal medicine, stretching, therapeutic exercises such as Function First or Egoscue, massage, exercise, and progressive relaxation practices such as body scanning and mindfulness extremely effective in the treatment of even the most difficult cases of fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and migraine.

To be continuted, the role of Herbal Medicines and Damp Heat in the Muscles

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA October 2011
All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Turkish Yellow Lentils Vegan

2011-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

The lentils I cook most often these days are either the organic red lentils you can get at the health food store, which are closely related to Indian Masoor dal, and the Turkish Yellow lentils which you find at the middle eastern store, I get mine in S.D. at North Park Produce.

Other day i made a very simple lentil soup. You can see a photo on my facebook page Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Natural Living. My soups often have a bit of Indian influence, as in the fact that I frequently use turmeric where an Arab or Turkish cook would not. And I tend to use more spices and herbs.

Here is what I did,

Ingredients

Turkish yellow lentils around a 1.5 cups before cooking
White onion , 1, diced
chopped tomato, roma, 2-3
tomato puree, organic, italian, 1 tbsp,
turmeric, a solid dash
cumin powder, 1 tsp or so
garlic, crushed 1 tsp or so
salt, sea, to taste, start w/1 tsp and see what happens
black pepper, fresh ground tellicherry, naturally. (richer deeper flavor)
mexican squash/zuchinni, choped in half moons, 3/4 of a cup or less
chopped parsley from the garden, a tablespoon or two, to taste
olive oil, from crete or palestine are my favs, a tbsp or two.
lemon, if you want more sour, add at end, fresh

Method

Wash and soak the lentils for an hour or more
Boil till soft
As they boil add everything but the squash, parsley, oil, and lemon.
When the lentils are almost done or done, add the squash.
When all done, turn off and add the olive oil and parsley.
Stir, cover, and after 5 minutes, taste.
Is the parsley the right amount?
Is the sour taste about right? If not, add some lemon.
Serve with fresh lemon for people that want it even more lemony.

Notes

I added the spices and tomato, and then tasted. I wanted more tomato flavor so i added the puree.
Another way to make this is to saute the spices, onion, and then garlic in olive oil and tadd to the boiling lentils halfway through. That brings out the spices, but makes them more intense, and the soup is oilier. I wanted a milder soup this time around.

Ayurveda

Vatta: Great soup for Vatas that tolerate soft cooked lentils. This is a question of degree. Louis, who is a Pitta Vatta, gets a lot of gas from some veggies, but has no problem with well cooked beans and lentils.
Louise, who is a Vatta Pita, gets terrible gas just looking at beans and lentils.
Obviously she cannot have this soup. But Louis can.

For some Vattas this soup is ideal, because it is heavy, warm, unctuous, sweet, salty, and sour. And if ever there were a lentil or bean that a Vatta would tolerate, it would be these or the red lentils. Chick peas are usually pretty Vatta friendly, too.

Pitta

Well tolerated. If an unbalanced Pitta, leave out the pepper, minimize the garlic and onion, or even remove it, careful with the parsley, and add more squash, double the turmeric, and add some carrot or bitter green like kale or dandelion.

Now it is less pungent, more sweet and bitter, and lighter.

Kapha

Minimize the oil, cook with some chili pepper, and make it more hot and less sour.
Use this soup as a way to trick your Kapha into eating more veggies. Add more squash and bitter green veggies, as with Pitta. Both those doshas need the cleansing action of Bitter.

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Vegan Kabocha Squash Soup for Autumn

2011-09-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Vegan Afro-Indian Kabocha Squash Soup for Autumn

This is a wonderful pureed vegetable or pureed veggie soup, depending on how you serve it, that is based on an African ground nut (pea nut) and squash soup I tasted way back in 1984 at The Prophet restaurant in Encinitas, California.

Nuts

In Africa this soup would be made with boiled raw peanut and squash ground to a paste with African palm oil and herbs. I don't prefer peanuts, so I make it with either boiled raw almond or toasted almond butter or tahini. Tahini gives a creamier texture than almond butter, but it is a little bitter and not sweet like almond butter. Roasted almond butter has such a nice fragrance.

Once I made this with cashew butter, which was delicious--sweeter than almond, it gives a lighter color to the soup. You don't have to buy a whole bottle of cashew butter. Just boil a few tablespoons raw cashews with the squash and puree it. Very creamy and sweet.

Spices

I like to use Indian curry powder, or ground cumin, coriander and turmeric to increase the warming properties of this dish. Fenugreek is also excellent, but just a tiny bit, very bitter.

Onion

But one could make it very simple, with just onions, especially if having as a side dish with something else spicy.

Depending on my mood I may choose a spicy red onion or a sweet brown onion. But sauteeing the onion in oil brings out its sweetness, so I usually like the red onion, since the squash itself is already sweet.

Squash

You can also use other hard squashes. Kabocha is a dark and dense hard squash with the strong flavor to measure up to curry powder and almond. You can make a very mild version of this with just butternut squash, which has a more subtle delicate flavor, and sauteed white onion. There is an excellent giant squash you see at the Cuban market on Morena Blvd, and sometimes at the Indian market, almost silver on the outside and bright orange flesh. Banana squash is also very good.

You can also make this kind of dish with root vegetables: sweet potato, yam, carrot, parsnip, turnip all work very well. Sometimes i like to use a little turnip with the other veggies which are all sweet, to spice it up a bit. Or if i want it sweeter, like for kids, i add a sweet potato with the kabocha.

Occasionally I will add a little coconut milk to this dish, especially if my hand got heavy with the curry powder....Ghee is also a possibility. I never use cream or half and half, why would you need to? I have used soy milk, which is ok, but not as delicious as using nuts or coconut milk.

The basic principle is boil squash, saute onions with spices, add nut or seed paste, and voila. The secret to success is balancing the correct amounts of the ingredients.

Ingredients

Three cups of chopped Kabocha squash
One large red or sweet onion
2-3 cloves garlic, optional
2-3 slices raw ginger root
2 tsp curry powder, to taste
2 tbsp your favorite nut or seed or nut butter, as above
Sesame or any nut oil to saute onions. Palm oil gives a more Afrikan taste
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method

Steam the squash, saving the steam water.
Cool and place squash in blender.
Saute onions with ginger till brown, lower the flame, add curry powder, and brown on very low for 3-5 minutes, taking care not to burn the spices.
Place all the ingredients in the blender or food processor and puree until smooth, adding the steam water if necessary to thin.

Enjoy as a soup (thinner), or as a vegetable side dish with wehani red rice, or any rice or cous-cous.

Ayurveda

Perfect for Vata. Warming, sweet, unctuous. Leave out the pepper if unbalanced. Use a mild curry powder.
Good for Pitta if not too hot. Use raw, not roasted nuts. Coconut milk good.
Ok for Kapha if you leave out the nut butter. Make it spicy.

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Indoor Air Pollution

2011-09-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

From the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, from the School of Public Health, June 2000

"For the average person, where does air pollution pose the worst risk?

a) on the freeway?
b) near a power plant?
c) in their own home?

You guessed it, kids! The answer, according to UC Berkeley, is "in your own home."

Here is the red meat:

"By measuring exposures in people, scientists have found, surprisingly (eyton shalom adds, this should be NOT surprisingly) that personal exposure to pollutants in most homes exceeds exposure to outdoor pollutants in both rural and industrial areas.

...culprits: exhaust from improperly vented or unvented kitchen stoves, space heaters, furnaces, fireplaces, room deodorizers and so-called air fresheners."

To which should be added formaldehyde and other carcinogens found in synthetic carpeting, in plywood and sheetrock used in construction of new homes, and all the various toxins in synthetic fragrances used in body care and cleaning products.

Again, from UCB, "The best ways to reduce home pollution, along with your health risks, are ample ventilation, good maintenance of heating equipment...and don't use air fresheners and room deodorizers, which actually pollute the air. "

Now this is from the year 2000. By now I am sure the UCB list would far longer, as the point made about air fresheners and deodorizers applies exactly to all the other carcinogens in the cleaning and body care aisles of the supermarket.

Another very big problem is burning parrafin candles (use soy or beeswax), especially scented ones. Even natural essential oils like lavender are toxic when heated, but what most folk get are cheapo parrafin (comes from petroleum, guys) with lead wicks and synthetic fragrance. Really toxic.

If you want to use essential oils to make the house smell good, you need to use a diffusor, which now you buy on Amazon.com. Nothing smells so good as a clean, well aired out house, though. I like to use cleaning products that smell good, of citrus, parsley, pine.

Key point: OPEN THE WINDOWS AND LET FRESH AIR IN. IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES TO POLLEN, USE A FILTER WITH A FAN.

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Can't figure out where your allergies, fatigue, nausea, or headaches come from?

2011-09-18T20:29:00.001-07:00

During the course of an "average" day in urbanized industrialized societies, people come into contact with thousands of synthetic compounds. Walking thru the supermarket, esp in the cleaning fluids aisles, you are breathing them in. Also when you put on perfume, you are breathing it in and subjecting other people to the same synthetic compounds that disrupt endocrine function.

These compounds are in fake smelling fruity chewing gum, hair gel, deoderant, dishwashing, laundry, and all the other kinds of cleaners.

Buy unscented or scented with essential oil products. If you want to chew gum, chew Xylitol come with natural flavoring, not some synthetic gum full of chemicals you can't pronounce.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Lassi: Indian Summer Yogurt Drink: Several Recipes

2011-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

Lassi is an Indian drink based on yogurt and water, especially drunk in hot dry weather (some people in India do not eat Yogurt much at all during rainy season, as it is considered heavy and building to Kapha, which builds climactic ally during the monsoon. This is controversial, as there are other authorities that say Yogurt is the one dairy product that does not aggravate Kapha. I am in the middle; Yogurt is heavy, but easily digested, so I believe it is fine for well balanced Kapha, but should be avoided, with the rest of dairy, by unbalanced Kapha (excessive fluids like watery eyes runny nose in hay fever season, tendency to bronchitis and phlegm in lungs in winter...these people need drying, or improved fluid processing/strengthened Agni, not moistening or foods that are tougher on Agni. I personally have strong Agni, but still don't eat nearly as much Yogurt in Winter or otherwise cold or rainy weather. And then, I do not eat it at night).

There are many ways to make Lassi. The most basic recipe is just Yogurt, salt and water. Some authorities in Ayurveda believe Yogurt should always be diluted w/water, for the above reasons.

To this mixture may be added any one of a number of spices. Most common is cumin. Another is fennel. Cilantro is often used in Tamil Nadu, as is roasted curry leaf. Mustard seeds can be popped in sesame oil, to which a little fresh ginger root, cumin, hing, and curry leaf are then added (after the mustard has popped) and further roasted. This is called Mohr, translated as buttermilk, and it is pretty fantastic at the end of a midday meal or as a drink on its own.

In Parangipettai, near Chidambaram, where I also lived, a man used to sell it out of a large clay pot kept in the shade. I remember watching him preparing the spices, the sound of the cilantro as he tossed it in the scalding oil at the very end, before adding to the yogurt water. In fact, the tool used to mix the beverage up is nearly identical to the wooden implement that Mexicans use to make hot chocolate!

Salt Lassi

Ingredients

Yogurt or Kefir 1 cup
Salt A dash. More in hot weather if you are out sweating.
Water 1-2 cups, to taste.
If your yogurt is not sour enough, add a dash lemon or lime.

Method

Dilute a little yogurt with water, add salt, stir real well, add rest of water, keep stirring. Or blend it all in a blender.

Add ons

Cumin 1 tsp. Crush in hand, or dry roast a bit and crush in hand or mortar/pestle
Fennel Less than the cumin, 1/4 tsp is good. More if you like. Crush, as above
Cilantro A couple of pinches, straight, or scalded as in above description
Curry Leaf Fresh curry leaves, 4-5 are great crushed a little or torn and put in plain. But if popping mustard, you can scald them for greater intensty of flavor.

Tamil Style Salt Lassi (Mohru or Buttermilk)

Sesame Oil 2 tsp
Black Mustard Seed 3/4tsp
Cumin Seed 1/2 tsp or more
Fresh Ginger Root 2-3 small slices
Asofoetida 1-2 pinches
Curry Leaf a few pinches
Coriander Leaf a few pinches

Heat 2 tsp sesame oil with the mustard seeds in. As the oil scalds the seeds will pop. Let them all pop, as the popping slows down, remove from fire, add the other ingredients, except the corainder, and return to a medium high heat, stirring so nothing burns. This is an art. You want a high enough fire so the curry leaf crispens, but does not burn. Experience is needed here. When done, toss in the coriander leaf, scald a few seconds, and add to the previously mixed yogurt, water, and salt. Stir. Let sit in a cool place for an hour before serving. That way the taste of the spices permeates the whole drink. Store in frig. Even better the next day to some people.

Middle Eastern "Lassi"

Yogurt/Kefir
Salt
Water
Dried Mint

Sweet Lassi

Then there are the sweet Lassis. Most basic is just to add sugar, ice, and blend. Personally, I prefer it with honey, which is not typical. All the Indian restaurants have Mango Lassi, which is usually made from sweetened canned Kesar Mango pulp and yogurt. I also like a sweet Lassi with saffron and cardomom.

Indian yogurt has a very particular bacterial/flavor profile, and the restaurant Lassis are made with whole milk yogurt, so what you are getting is nearly a milkshake; though less fat than actual ice cream, not less sugar. Now you can get Indian style yogurt, even low fat, at the Indian market and North Park produce. It says Indian style yogurt on the container.

Gujaratis have some fabulous Lassi with salt, sugar, and spices, including green chili--very hot and very delicious. Do not know the recipe, but there is a packaged mix at the Indian market called Jal Jeera, or Jeera Jal i forget. You can mix that in to yogurt and water and its pretty good.

I have my own original sweet Lassi I make if I am starving, have no time, and am thirsty, too, but don't want a big meal. I use date syrup, which you can get at any Arab or Iranian market. I use plain Tahini, from the bottle, not the one at Trader Joes to which has been added garlic, salt and lemon; that's to use with falafel or hummus.

Eyton Shalom Original Made-up Middle Eastern Sweet Lassi Emergency Food Beverage

Yogurt/Kefir about 1 cup
Plain Tahini Paste (no salt, garlic, etc) 2 tsp
Date Syrup to taste 1-2 tsp.

Sometimes i might add a little water. But the nice thing about this is you can just stir it up w/a spoon. No blender needed.

Sometimes instead of Tahini I use walnuts, which require the blender.. Now its what the Mexicanos call a Liquado.

Cucumber Lassi

Since I have been experimenting with Mexican Acqua Fresca, today, being quite hot late in the day, I made cucumber acqua fresca, with salt and a little agave syrup.
But I decided to try it with cumin and a little fennel

I used:

1 organic cucumber, seeded and partially peeled
12 oz H20 or more
salt to taste, about 1/2 tsp
agave, about 1 tsp.
cumin powder, 1/4 tsp
fennel seed , a pinch
lemon, a squeeze.

This was quite refreshing and cooling. It was so good, i wanted to try it with some yogurt. I had some homemade Kefir on hand I had made from unhomogenized milk (Trader Joes) using the Trader Joe's brand kefir (which tastes like Russian style) as starter. I just took 1 cup of my Agua Fresca and added 1/2 cup of the Kefir, and re-blended. Call that a Cucumber Lassi.

Afghanis, Persians, Lebanese, all have yogurt salt drinks. In fact they exist from the Balkans all the way to Bangladesh. The Lebanese, Afghani and Persian varieties have mint in them, which is also very fine. Most Persian and Afghani restaurants will serve some version. I do believe I have had it with cucumber and mint somewhere, maybe at the original Khyber Pass on Convoy St., which, once upon a time, was quite good.

Persians also make a cucumber yogurt soup in Summer. Cuke, yogurt, salt, raisins, walnuts, ice, drunk out of a bowl! Yum!

Copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. San Diego, CA Aug 2011 All Rights Reserved, Use With Permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Indian Lemonade 2

2011-08-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Years ago when I lived in the small village of Kanadukathan, http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=10.175599&lon=78.7842035&z=16&l=0&m=b in Tamil Nadu, India, I learned from my friend Lakkuman to put Cumin seed in the drinking water. Water is by nature cooling, and there we used to keep the water in an earthenware pot, which had a lovely refrigerating effect. It was so hot in summer.

Whether it was for its antibacterial effect, whether it was just because it tastes good, or whether it was because cumin protects Agni from the cooling effect of the copious amounts of water you must drink in that climate, I do not know, but I can say Cumin water ("Seeragum Tani" in Tamizh or "Jeera Pani" in Hindi is quite refreshing.

(One of the issues in hot weather is that as we drink more and more water, to cool off, as well as cool energy foods like melons and cucumber, we may damage our digestive fire which is already weaker this time of year. So adding cumin to water helps to protect.

The reverse is true in winter. Our digestive fire is stronger, and we eat lots more heavy energy and warming foods, like baked veggies and stews, even a little fried food. So we naturally balance with some cooling foods, as in baked turkey with cranberry sauce. Stewed fruits. Etc.)

I like sometimes to add a little cumin, fennel, and even fenugreek to a jar of drinking water and just let it sit. Fenugreek is bitter, but it also has a lovely fragrant, almost mapley taste.

So I figured, why not try it in Lemonade?

In an earlier entry I discussed Indian Lemonade (see earlier article http://blog.bodymindwellnesscenter.com/2011_07_01_archive.html).
Today I decided to make it with cumin and fennel. Specifically I used black cumin, of which vast health claims are made by Muslim physicians (you can by black cumin oil in any Arab market), and which is used in a lot of Pakistani cooking. Black cumin is a sharper, more intensely pungent taste than ordinary cumin, so be careful, a little bit goes a long way.

I also used a special kind of fennel, called Lucknow Fennel, which they have sometimes at the Indian market. Lucknow Fennel is smaller, finer, and and softer than regular fennel, a bit more fragrant. I prefer it most of the time for my Indian cooking.

Recipe

24 oz water
1/8 tsp black cumin
1/8 tsp lucknow fennel
lime to taste, less than 1/2 of a large lime is how much i used
dash of salt
rose water to taste, i used about 1/2 tsp
sweetener to taste, i used about 2 tsp date syrup

This suited me very well today. I had gone for a 45 minute swim, so I was very thirsty, but on the other hand a bit cooled off from the water.

As Mr. Zia at the Afghan restaurant used to say, "try it, if you don't like it , you don't pay!:

copyright eyton shalom, august 2011 all rights reserved use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Pfizer Suspends Sales of Chicken Drug With Arsenic

2011-08-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

June 8, 2011 NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/business/09arsenic.html?_r=1&ref=health

And republicans and tea partyites want to get rid of the FDA. its not a perfect bureacracy, but if not for it how would this info come out?

of course, to be perfectly frank, it seems pretty dumb at this point to eat non-organic meat.

expensive? eat it once a month then, like in the old days. once a month i get a homegrown chicken from a guy at the farmer's market. it is so fresh there is not fould smell at all.

trader joe's has organic chicken now, too, for a lot less than whole foods. just smell it first, it should smell fresh, not foul.

how expensive are the health problems from arsenic poisoning and the other toxins in non-organic produce and meat?

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Coriander Oil is An Antibacterial Agent

2011-08-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

The problem with the standard American diet is the preponderance of heavy sweet tasting foods: wheat, dairy, meat, potato, sugar, and the absence of pungent, bitter, astringent, and sour tastes, such as is found in condiments, pickles, and spices in other lands.

Part of this is traceable to the Puritan revolution in England, part of it to dominance of the early immigrant groups who all came from bland culinary lands, such as Germany, England, Scandanavia, and Ireland, and, on top of all that, I suspect, from the pioneer experience.

It is spices, and intenser flavors, such as you get even in mustard (bitter, pungent, astringent, sour, salty) that help digest heavier blander foods. Like the way chile is used in Latin America against corn, beans, and squash.

Now comes this report, from today's NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/science/30obcoriander.html?_r=1 on my favorite cooking spice, Coriander, which is found in probably 50% or more of Indian dishes. Coriander is aromatic, pungent, bitter, astringent, but cooling, not hot. The green leaves, Cilantro, even more so. Coriander is also considered sweet. So it is a fine spice for any of the three doshas, and can be used quite liberally. It is the first ingredient in Garam Masala, and typically in "Curry Powder," too.

Years ago when I read "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna," I http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnoted a passage in which Sri R. used as a metaphor the preservative action of Indian spices on curries; something about keeping a goat curry for x # of days. This is of course before refrigeration.

While I am not about to recommend keeping a goat curry out w/out refrigeration, clearly spices have anti-bacterial as well as potent digestive effects.

One reason, I believe, that children who won't eat meat will eat hot dogs, are the spices as well as texture. Guess what a major spice in old fashioned hot dogs (like Hebrew National, or Nathan's, is? Coriander.

Here is the link to an article on the antibacterial properties of coriander.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/science/30obcoriander.html?_r=1

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Mexican Summer Beverages (Aqua Fresca) to Clear Heat

2011-08-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

As I noted in a previous post, Lime is considered cooling in Chinese Medicine. Lime is also used a lot in Mexican cuisine, along with Cilantro/Coriander Leaf, to balance the intense heat of the various Chiles that were used by indigenous peoples in Mexico to stimulate the digestive fire/Agni to process the bland and a bit rough mix of Corn, Beans, and Squashes that were staples for the mass of people.

Rice, by the way, was introduced by the Spanish, along with cooking oil. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, meats were boiled or grilled, as there was not extraction of seed oil, and pigs, like horses, were brought by the conquistadores, so there was no lard.

But this is about natural drinks to quench the thirst in summer without ice.

Mexican Aqua Fresca

Aqua Fresca (literally fresh water, or is it refreshing water?) are so simple to make. All you need is a blender and fresh fruit. Classics are watermelon, or any melon. I like to add a little lime, as it balances the sweetness of the fresh fruit. Mexican cookbooks might have you add sugar, or do fancy things with the rim of the glass, like dip it in Orange juice and then sugar, as you might for margaritas. If you want, but I definitely find adding any sugar to the actual drink unnecessary. Why add sugar to fresh fruit?

And melons are so cooling, there is no need to add ice, especially if the melon has been kept in the frig. But if you have to add ice, don't go Starbucks Frapaccino on your poor body.

Aqua Fresca are different than smoothies, as there is no dairy or thickener, they are watery. They are often ladeled into cups out of large glass barrels. Liquados can be compared to smoothies in the USA, but even they typically have fewer ingredients, and are often, though not always, thinner. They are typically made with milk, not yogurt, and one can even add nuts. Next post. But for summer consumption, on really hot days, when I am thirsty, but not hungry, I prefer Aqua Fresca, simple, without milk or nuts.

The milk and nuts thing makes it heavier and more like food than beverage a mi gusto.

Cantelope Aqua Fresca.

Ingredients

3 cups cantelope (or honeydew)
2-3 tsp lime juice, key lime is ideal
1-2 cups cold water, or more if you want it thinner.
Optional: 2-3 ice cubes

Discard melon seeds, scoop out melon being careful to avoid the peel. Put it all in the blender on high for 2-3 minutes and you should have a delicious and refreshing sweet and sour drink that quenches your thirst, refreshes your spirit, and feeds your soul.

Watermelon Aqua Fresca

Watermelon is very very cooling. In fact, in Chinese medicine, cooked watermelon rind is used for treating Urinary Tract Infections. This drink will definitely pass through your kidneys and bladder quickly.

In fact, if you use organic melon, then try including a bit of the rind. Even better, if you have a juicer, then juice a bunch of the rind, as that will separate out the fiber. I always recommend this when I treat bladder infections, nephritis, urethritis, or interstitial cystitis. In those cases I delete the salt.

Ingredients

3 cups ripe red watermelon, without the seeds.
2-3 cups cold water
a dash of salt
a bit of lime if you like it

Blend till smooth on the highest setting.

Cucumber (Pepino) Aqua Fresca

Cucumber is blended with yogurt as a kind of Lassi in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. More on that later. But cukes, especially the delightful Persian Cucumbers they now have even at Trader Joe's, are excellent Mexican style, as Aqua Fresca.
This is kind of a cucumber limeade.

Ingredients

2 American type cucumbers or about 6 Persian, depending on size
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp sweetener of your choice: I like honey, date syrup, or agave.
5 cups of water
A little bit of ice if you like

Peel, seed, and coarsely chop the cucumbers. Nice thing about the Persian cukes is you don't need to peel or seed them, the peel is so soft. Place in blender. Add water and sweetener and blend at high speed for two minutes.

--------------------------------------

Use any fruit you like: papaya, peaches, apricots, pineapple, mango, banana are all good. Sometimes I add a dash of coconut milk, but that leans the drink towards being a liquado (literally, a blended).

Three of the most famous Aqua Fresca are Horchata, made from rice, Tamarindo, made from tamarind fruit, and Jamaicha, made from Hibiscus flower. If you get them at a typical San Diego taco shop they are usually not home made, but instant, with artificial everything and a diabetic madness of white sugar. They second two are so easy to make. There are recipes all over the web.

copyright eyton shalom, aug 2011 san diego, all rights reserved

Here is a fun article w/more recipes.

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/lifestyle/2003/06/04/2003-06-04__chillin__time__a_latino_mix.html

And here is a good article for making pineapple A.F., with photos of how she strains it.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/PineappleWater.htm

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Tampons, Menstrual Cups, and Free Flowing Qi

2011-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tampons vs. the Menstrual Cup, and Chinese Medicine

One of the foundational concepts in Chinese Medicine is the notion of Free Flowing Qi. Disease has its origin in the obstruction of normal Qi flow.

In Feng Shui, the architectural Qi must flow. One notices that whenever a building is said to have proper Feng Shui, it has a harmonious and beautiful feel.

The same is true of our Body-Minds. The mental equanimity Chinese medicine speaks of is experiencing emotions well, and processing, or moving through them so there is no residue. Excess amounts of any emotion, or repressed emotions, create stagnation of Qi in the organ system associated with that emotion. Grief weakens the lung qi, Anger weakens the liver qi, and so on.

One of the genius observations in Chinese medicine was to describe the directional flow of Qi in the body. Lung qi must move downward. When it is obstructed by phlegm or dry heat, it rebels, and we cough. Cough is Lung qi moving the wrong direction.

Digestive Qi also moves downward. When it is obstructed, whether by an attack of Liver qi (how Chinese medicine describes the effect of stress, fear, and anger on digestion); by eating food that is too dense, sodden and lacking in substances like spices that stimulate digestive fire (think: cheese sandwich, lasagna, ice cream, beer, hamburger and fries);or just by overeating, then it stagnates and overheats (gastritis, gerd, constipation) or even rebels (nausea, vomiting).

On the other hand there is Qi that moves upward. The clear Qi of consciousness arises from the clear essence of foods and air which is moved upward to the brain. The Qi that holds everything in its place, the "Upright Qi", which weakens with age, is upward moving. When it fails, due to overwork or the downward pressure of pathological damp heat, we can develop Hemorrhoids as a result. Hernias and other prolapses such as occur after labor are a failure of this Qi.

What about the Uterus? What is the direction of Uterine Qi?

During menstruation, uterine Qi moves downward. Anything that obstructs that movement is pathological. What about tampons?

It is interesting, when we look at early advertising for tampons, and also the birth control pill, that they fit into an overall European and American ideology of conquering and ignoring nature, that grew out of notions of progress and the fetishization of science and chemistry in the 20th century.

Chinese medicine understood that during the time of the month when a woman's uterine lining is sloughing off, and blood is pouring downwards, this is a time to take it easy and rest, just as you would if you had an open wound elsewhere in your body with blood pouring out.

But looking at tampon ads in old Life magazines, what the manufacturers are selling is the notion that in the modern world we can leave all that behind. Why shouldn't you horseback ride or swim in cold water during your period? Why not ignore your body, ignore undesired side affects, just as we ignore nature and kill all the good insects with the bad when we spray DDT? Just take a pill and keep going.

Why shouldn't you ride horses or swim in cold water when bleeding?

Because jumping up and down is not advisable when there is a strong physiological process involving downward flow of qi and blood. Again, you would not ride a horse or swim in cold water if you had a large wound on your abdomen.

Why shouldn't you swim in cold water?

Because cold water does to your uterus what cold water drunk does to your digestion. It retards Qi flow causing stagnant Qi. Cold inhibits movement of fluid. It freezes ice, right? Well, in our body we use ice to retard blood movement, as in putting an ice pack on a bruise. But with menses, we want to have a good healthy uninhibited blood flow.

What is wrong with tampons?

Toxic shock syndrome and issues of hygeine and detriment to the delicate mucosa of the vaginal lining aside, the problem with tampons is that they obstruct the free flow of qi and blood out of the uterus during bleeding. They hold the blood in the vaginal canal, rather than allow it to flow freely. Its a subtle and energetic distinction, but from our standpoint, quite valid.

Of course, like the birth control drug/pill, tampons are more convenient. So are frozen dinners and paper plates. But over time, you pay a price. (My neurologist friend in San Diego, Frederic Martin, M.D., reports seeing 1-2 young females a year who have had strokes as a result of taking the "Birth Control" drug.) Did anyone warn them?

Chinese practitioners working in the states note that American women seem to think unbearable menstrual cramps are a normal price of being an adult woman. But they are not. In China and in Chinese medicine menstrual cramps and PMS are seen as very pathological, and associated with further development of gynecological pathology like ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. They are the energetic blue print for cancer.

Avoiding PMS and Menstrual Cramps.

1. During your period, stay warm. Never sit on cold concrete. Do not swim in cold water during menstruation. Use a heating pad and mild stretching to alleviate cramps and low back pain. Avoid cold beverages and foods generally, but especially during this time. Drink hot herbal teas.
2. Avoid vigorous exercise and sexual intercourse when bleeding
3. Practice meditation, exercise regularly, and/or use acupuncture to prevent pre-menstrual phase emotional lability. If you need to, see a therapist. The anger and sadness that can appear and seem so "irrational" pre-menstrually are from your own mind and heart. The hormones may exaggerate what is there, but they can only work with what is inside you. They make it impossible to repress the stuff we otherwise ignore so as to keep going. Like the way stuff comes up in dreams.
4. Take Chinese herbs that regulate your menstrual cycle if necessary, for heavy bleeding, irregular cycles, pain, endometriosis etc.
5. Try the menstrual cup instead of tampons. Otherwise use napkins.

I have always wondered about the development of the menstrual blood taboo in India, the Middle East, and Africa. In those warrior societies the woman seem to do the vast majority of the work. I wonder if women might have promulgated the taboo, so as to catch a break and force men to leave them alone during their period? Just a thought.

In any case, the bleeding period is a time of interiority and reflection, and should be treated with the same respect all of nature's cycles deserve. Treat the emotional stuff that comes up seriously. Take it as an opportunity to look at things you are normally too busy to.

If you have a man in your life, this is a good time to ask him to step up to the plate and shoulder more of the childcare or household tasks so you can rest, stretch, read a book, meditate, and take care of yourself. Probably you do that for him other times of the month, right? Teach your mate, male or female, to do acupressure massage on your mid back just below the rib cage along the muscles lateral to the spine during or before bleeding. Gentle massage along the sacrum can be lovely, too.

More info on the menstrual cup

http://www.aselfsufficientlife.com/do-you-use-a-moon-cup-the-menstrual-cup-review.html

http://www.divacup.com/?gclid=CMbYgO2l66oCFSE8gwodB27aNg

http://www.amazon.com/Keeper-Menstrual-Cup-Size/dp/B0006O2MJW

http://www.youtube.com/thedivacup#p/a/f/1/pQ4QOQdnifk

copyright eyton j. shalom, san diego , ca , august 2011 all rights reserved use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Like My Face Book Page

2011-08-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

hi all,

i am posting health articles and other stuff on FB that may not get onto the blog always.

if you are interested,

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ayurveda-Natural-Living-and-Acupuncture-San-Diego/184129368279332

thanks

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Tricolsan: Poison in Anti-bacterial Cleaners

2011-08-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

Overuse of anti-bacterial cleansers in hospitals and homes, and overuse of anti-biotic drugs and steroids, has led to the development of anti-biotic resistant super-bacteria.

Now we find that the antibacterial drugs themselves have their own very dangerous side affects.

Triclosan is so prevalent that a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the chemical present in the urine of 75 percent of Americans over the age of 5.

Several studies have shown that triclosan may alter hormone regulation in laboratory animals or cause antibiotic resistance.

Another issue are the perfumes added to these things. Synthetic perfumes are petroleum by-products, and are also carcinogenic and alter hormone function.

Alternatives?

My favorite brand. I use this product in my clinic. Kills staph and strep and all the major bacteria the chemical boys do.

http://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Generation-Disinfecting-Multi-Surface-Lemongrass/dp/B0033UJ5QO/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313954352&sr=1-3

I use this one for mopping and counters. Really cuts grease. Save on use of plastic. Buy this, instead of the spray bottle, and use with a sponge or scubber. Dilute in water in a bucket or bowl. Use clean rags instead of paper towels

http://www.amazon.com/Citrus-Cleaner-Degreaser-16-Liquid/dp/B0012BVXSO/ref=pd_bxgy_hpc_img_b

Grapefruit seed extract is a potent anti-fungal, antibacterial.
Add to natural spray cleanser to for fungii. Apply directly to kitchen mold, scrub undiluted, let sit.

I have listed a lot more on my FB page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ayurveda-Natural-Living-and-Acupuncture-San-Diego/184129368279332

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/business/triclosan-an-antibacterial-chemical-in-consumer-products-raises-safety-issues.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp&smid=fb-share

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Frittilary Butterflys and Culinary/Medicinal Herb Garden, San Diego, August 2011

2011-08-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

...the latest medical study shows

2011-08-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Great op-ed in the NYT today about "the latest medical study shows..."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/trying-to-live-forever/

and my response:

"The half-life of truth in science is about 3 seconds...." Ted Kaptchuk, author, The Web That Has No Weaver, in Chinese Herbs Class, 1992, San Diego

This is exactly why I mostly stick to tradition, for example, what the Chinese have been doing for 3000 years in an empirical, logical system of medicine. It may not seem logical at first glance, but once you take the time to actually study it, it is quite logical and 100% empirical. Isn't empiricism the basis of science?

And all of these "recommendations" the author cites, like Tara Pope, God Bless her, reporting that celery is "good" for inflammation, are either media driven to sell articles and magazines, or driven by the health food/nutritional supplement/naturopathic industrial complex; as if simply taking a pill or eating a single food could make you healthy. And its a never ending barrage; people take too many things at once. I see patient's come in sometimes with 15 bottles of things; its just too much, overwhelming to your body's internal intelligence. Like overloading input in to the computer.

Good health is a process, not a pill, based on a lifestyle, attitude, genetics, and as the author of the attached study points out, a hell of a lot of luck. Will I still enjoy a healthy lifestyle? Absolutely. Why? Because it makes me feel better; key point.

I feel a hell of a lot better meditating and eating vegetables on a daily basis, green ones, like dandelion and okra, than I do eating wonder bread and bologna with mayonaisse. I have more energy and just feel good.

And not only do I feel better, I am healthier, if we measure by the fact that I so rarely get sick, and that my skin and allergies are 1,000 times better since changing my diet and lifestyle.

I used to have psoriasis, but it cleared up 100%. I used to be terribly allergic to cats; no problem now, as the photo on my facebook page, Ayurveda, Natural Living, and Acupuncture San Diego shows. http://www.facebook.com/people/Eyton-Shalom/519282064#!/pages/Ayurveda-Natural-Living-and-Acupuncture

Do I deceive myself that I am not also lucky to be healthy? No I don't. Do I deceive myself that I won't one day die of something. Of course not. Over that I have far less control than control.

One of my happiest, nicest patients is a scientist with a lovely wife and family, in his prime, slowly wasting away from ALS. What did he do to deserve that? Absolutely nothing. He is unlucky in that way, but lucky to have the supportive family he has, the loving wife and parents. He appears much happier than his wife, in fact, who is healthy. They have had different childhoods; she was a war refugee. She faces the loss of her husband, the burden of being a caregiver.

Life is a gift, man. In the meanwhile, as my mother, of blessed memory, used to say, "you have only 1 set of eyes and teeth, take care of them." I would apply that to the whole of our bodymind.

copyright eyton shalom 2011 august use with permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Korean Summer Rice with Job's Tears, Shitake, and Hijiki

2011-08-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

In Korea, Job's tears "barley" (Coix lacryma-jobi in Latin, YiYiRen in Mandarin Chinese, Hato Mugi in JapaneseUiin in Korean)-- is cooked in with rice during the hot, humid summer months to help alleviate the effects of the hot weather and to remedy the excessive things we sometimes do to cool off from the heat.

In Summer our digestion is actually weaker than in winter.

This seemed counter-intuitive to me, until I studied Ayurveda. Ayuveda explains that in winter, our digestive fire increases, in order to protect us from the cold.

This would explain why the best time to take thick cloying Chinese herbs that reenforce the Kidney Qi is in the early winter. We make heavy stews in Winter because they warm us, but also because we can digest them then.

On the other hand in Summer our body's energy has risen up from its deep Winter/Kidney Qi roots to the more superficial and surface layers of the the Heart, the muscles and the skin--we sweat a lot, we are more athletic, we make friends easily. It is as if our energy has left the "Spleen and Stomach"--shorthand for digestion and assimilation--and been shunted to the muscular, circulatory, and integumental systems. And because it is so hot, and because they are in season, and refreshing, we eat more cooling fruits, sometimes to excess.

Too much Cold and Sweet Weakens the Digestive Fire and Assimilation

Fruit is great in summer--it is refreshing, sour, sweet, cooling, full of anti-oxidants and vitamins, and replenishes the fluids lost by sweating. The problem is, like any other delicious thing, it is easy to overindulge. Too much of a good thing. What happens?

Too much cold food and too much sweet food has the natural effect of weakening the digestive fire (Agni in Ayurveda, Spleen and Stomach Qi in Chinese Medicine)and in summer the digestive fire is already less strong. If you don't believe me try overeating watermelon or figs and see how you feel. Look at your tongue the next day.

Weakened Digestive Fire Leads to Pathological Dampness in the Interior Landscape, A Root of Many Diseases

Back in the 1st century C.E. the Chinese classics warned against the excesses of too much sweet fruit in summer, (as well as the importance of engendering good digestion)and described how the weakening of the digestive fire leads to the accumulation of pathological damp conditions in which the body's ability to separate the "pure from the impure" is impaired.

Now instead of clear extraction we are left with turbidity, manifesting in signs like a greasy tongue coat or swollen enlarged tongue. Symptoms include sluggishness, edema, difficulty losing weight, bad skin, constipation, lymphatic congestion.

The classics also described the direct link between dietary indiscretion in summer and colds, allergies, and asthma in autumn and winter. If you weaken your digestive fire over and over again, come the cold weather, and your furnace cannot fire up as well. And there is toxic sludge everywhere, called Ama in Ayurveda and damp accumulation in Chinese medicine.

Of course nowadays there are far more pernicious evils than too much fruit, like "big gulps" and refrigerated salads consumed year round without any regard to the season. This consistent chilling of the interior landscape of the body is a very significant factor for a wide array of health issues from menstrual pain to sinus problems to acne to autoimmune disorders.

Job's Tears--Cleansing, Strengthening, Cooling

In Chinese medicine Job's tears are considered bland and cool, but not cold. Most bland herbs have a diuretic effect, so they rid the body of excessive dampness directly. But Job's tears also "strengthen the spleen", which is shorthand for improving the process of digestion and assimilation.

The great thing about Job's tears is that in addition to improving digestion and assimilation directly, it also works to eliminate the excess sticky dampness that "gums up the works," and that impairs the function of the furnace of metabolism, called the "triple burner" in Chinese Medicine which includes the lymphatic system, digestion, absorption in the intestines, and intracellular communication itself.

Cold and Food Stagnation

Often, when there is too much cold damp food one develops "food stagnation." Because the stomach is warm it then overheats. Bad breath can be an important symptom here. Job's tears cool bland draining cleansing nature help alleviate this problem.

Other medicinal uses of Job's tears are to reduce inflammation in damp swellings, arthritis and urinary problems; to stabilize blood sugar, and to help control bacterial and fungal infections. It supports radiant skin and is in many herb prescriptions for acne and eczema. All of these indications are a function of Job's tears bland cooling nature, and its unique properties as an individual herb/food.

Chemically speaking in addition to containing amino acids and B-1, job's tears have two unique "active ingredients", coixol and coixenolide.

Job's Tears in East and South East Asian Deserts
Job's tears are used a great deal in South East and East Asian desserts, as well. If you go to the Vietnamese market you will see it in some of the plastic cup deserts with things like grass jelly, mung dal, coconut milk, and other Chinese medicinal/Food herbs like Lotus Seed. Traditional Asian deserts tend to be high in nutritional value, and were eaten according to the season. I bet in the past when sugar was not such a cheap commodity, they were not so sweet, either.

Recipe

To make the Shalom version of Korean style summer rice, (you can just make it plain, which is what I do sometimes).

Ingredients

1 cup short grain brown rice
1/4 cup Mugi/YiYiRen/Uliin/Job's Tears
1 small 2" piece Kombu Sea Vegetable or a handful of Hijiki sea vegetable
2 slices fresh ginger root
4-5 previously soaked dried Shitake Mushroom
2.5 to 3 cups water

Wash the rice and barley well and then soak for an hour or overnight.
Discard soak water.
Combine all the ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil, and cook with a lid on a medium flame till done.

Season with
- a dash or two of Ume plum vinegar
- 1 tsp or more shoyu or wheat free tamari soy sauce
- some white or black pepper
- a tablespoon chopped scallion

Note: I always eyeball the water; depending on your pot and stove you may need more or less. The rice is done when it is well cooked, you can press a grain between your fingers and it does not resist, the inside is creamy. The job's tears will be chewy.

Serve With

Miso Soup
Broiled Salmon or Mackeral, Sashimi, or Broiled Tempeh.
Tofu is also very good cooked in with the Rice.
Steamed Dandelion Greens or any Chinese green
Stir fried bean sprouts

Job's Tears in Soup.

Job's tears is excellent in soups, too. I like using it in place of normal barley in Jewish style Mushroom Barley soup. It is also excellent, for the same reasons it is good in summer, with heavy warming Winter soups involving meat; it helps digest the heavy meaty oily food.

Job's Tears in Porridge or Juk

Shi Fan, or "Rice Water" porridge is called Juk in Cantonese and i believe Jo in Korean, or not. Porridges are served for breakfast in China and have a huge adaptablility for combining with other grains, like Job's tears, and with other herbs and meats and vegetables. Years ago, when I taught Eastern Nutrition at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, everyone in my class had to prepare one Juk dish for the final exam. It was amazing the array of dishes brought in, about half of which were really excellent.

Bob Flaw's Blue Poppy press has a book called The Book of Juk, full of recipes and some of the history of this dish.

It is typically made with rice, but, for example, someone with bad skin could make Rice porridge with pearl barley and oolong tea with ginger for breakfast. For protein you can eat it with some egg, or cook it with soy milk or goat's milk. Much much better than cold cereal with cold milk.

Where to Buy

You can buy non-organic grown in China Job's tears at any Chinese, Japanese or Korean market. You may find an organic version, but even the organic ones seem to be grown in China. If it is a good certification authority, then I would tend to trust it. I would not eat anything non-organic non-tested grown in China these days, due to both pollution and adulteration. I only sell herbs in my clinic that are grown in China if they are tested on this end and I get to see the reports myself.

According to the Eden Foods website http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=89#Jobs (Eden Foods is an excellent food company whose products I generally trust).
"Job's tears is one of the few non hybridized grains available today. It has excellent nutritional composition, high in carbohydrates, potassium, protein and fiber and low in fat. A commercial domestic crop of Job's tears has not yet been developed and as a whole grain it has limited availability in the U.S.

Hopefully one of these days organic farmers will grow this, but there is so little demand of yet.

I have seen Eden organic job's tears at the health food store, and Gold Mine Foods in San Diego also ships online http://shop.goldminenaturalfoods.com/searchprods.asp Organic Job's tears are ridiculously expensive, I think Gold Mine is appropriately named because the owners must own one; it is a great natural foods source but at insane prices. But its still worth getting as you don't need to use that much at a time, and the benefits are great.

I have a feeling that ambitious gardeners could grow their own. Here is an excerpt from a website http://www.monticellocatalog.org/631071.html that seems to suggest Thomas Jefferson and plenty others grew it here in the U.S.A. But were they grown for food or decoration? There is someone in Hawaii growing her own and selling, again, for necklaces. Hmm.

This tropical Asian grass was introduced into Europe by the late 1500s and illustrated in Gerard's Herbal (1633). Job's Tears is listed in Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon's 1806 American Gardener's Calendar and was considered old-fashioned by the end of the nineteenth century. Hard, shiny, bead-like clusters of seeds from at the tips of the stems, which can be strung for necklaces. Prefers full sun or light shade. Plant after last frost in spring.

copyright eyton shalom, san diego ca august 2011 all rights reserved use with permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Ornamental Passionfruit, Frittilary Butterflies, and Heart Health.

2011-08-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has lived with animals can tell you there is nothing, short of gazing into the eyes of a fellow of your own species, that gives the feeling of soft heartedness and repose that looking into the eyes of a cat or dog or horse friend does; that this is good for your heart, a kind of blood pressure lowering meditation, is confirmed by bio-medical research.

Caring for plants is a similar, if quieter experience--trying to get rock rose or lavender to chase after a ball and bring it back is a futile task, after all--but, especially in the mornings and evenings when the light is soft, and at watering time, checking my plants I sometimes feel like one of those chimps grooming his mate, or like Gigi the striped part-Bengal cleaning Hydar the grey cat's tufted ears.

Last year my friend Ken gifted me an array of bushes and trees and herbs and vines, including a tiny creeper that ended up, without expectations, in the worst part of the yard, behind the garbage cans, a hot spot with bad soil.

Come the winter, when said vine begins to flourish, just, suddenly the leaves turn holy. "Darned grasshoppers," someone was overheard saying. But closer examination determined not green pests, but hordes of orange and black caterpillars munching away like workers in a miniature silk factory.

I knew, from their color, they could not be moths, so it seemed like a fair compromise when a few days later out the window during morning tea, a dozen orange and black fritillary butterflies were seen soaring about the garden in the morning sun.

Six months later, this vine, which, it turns out is an "ornamental passion flower" has yielded but one enormous passion flower, but an endless supply of leaves and these little winged beauties. It is such a lift to stand outside in the morning calm when the sun first warms the yard, gazing at these happy little creatures chasing each other from jasmine to bamboo to morning glory to grape. A very butterfly-good way to begin the day.

http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/gulffritillary.php
http://www.plant-care.com/passiflora-passion-vine.html

copyright August 2011 eyton j. shalom, san diego, ca all rights reserved, use with permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Ice in Beverages a United Statesean Industry

2011-08-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

Comic article in NY Times by a child of Russian immigrants about getting to the bottom of why Russians don't use ice in their drinks. Of course the whole world doesn't. In fact, what is great is that, more or less, as you read the comments below her article, you see that all over the world people drink beverages neutral or, in fact, warm or hot, and that people understand it as a health measure. Call it a public health measure if you want!

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/ice-enough-already/?hp

The Chinese and Indians, in particular, tend to hot beverages, and note that cold beverages, and an excess of cold things in general, weaken you and makes you susceptible to colds, sore throats, etc.

Both Chi Med and Ayurveda attribute this to the simple fact, so obvious once you think about it, that life is a warm process, engendered by warmth. One of the centers of this process is the digestive tract. In fact, it seems, the stomach is 101 degrees, not 98.6. Putting iced beverages in the stomach is like putting an ice pack on a bruise; it seems to inhibit the flow of blood to the linking, exactly where it needs to be.

Digestive fire, "Agni" or "Spleen Qi" is, along with the breath, the mind, and genetic inheritance, a key factor in the immune system. Don't damage it with too much cold energy food, (raw food, salad, watermelon, and physically cold things with ice or from the frig/freezer, like smoothies) especially in Summer when its easy to overindulge.

In fact a treatment for asthma, is to heat the lung and kidney Qi in late summer with moxa-bustion.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Syrian Bay Laurel Olive Oil Soap

2011-08-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

Then there is Syrian Bay Laurel olive oil soap; it looks funky, but it is great. Soap was invented in Syria/Palestine. Some of the oldest soap manufacturers are in Palestine, on the West Bank, and in Syria. You get get these overpriced Amazon bars for $2.00 at your local Arab or Persian market....

The gentleness of olives are combined with the strength of the laurel, tens of centuries of experience and a year-long manufacturing process in the warmth of the mesopotamian sun. During the maturation, the soap's color changes from green to turquoise-blue, then becomes edged with yellow before acquiring its final reddish-brown tones.

http://www.amazon.com/Syrian-Soap-200g-Olive-Mesopotamia/dp/B000FPVMC0/ref=sr_1_9?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1312411113&sr=1-9

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Turkish Rose Soap

2011-08-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Roses--This is one of the best all natural olive oil soaps i have found, other than what i bought in Crete last year. The bars are twice the size of what you get at the health food store. The company is reliable. And Rose is such a great scent in the bath.... And their other soaps, History brand, are equally good...

http://www.tulumba.com/storeitem.asp?ic=FB686467CZ878

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego

http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder

2011-08-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

In a recent blog I gave a recipe for a curry made with coconut milk--this is my favorite curry powder for South Indian style curries, it has more of the aromatic spices you see in Malaysian and Sri Lankan Tamil curries, like Cinnamon, Fennel, Clove, and Star Anise. (Although it does not have cardamom, which might also be there.)

It is Sun Brand, Madras Curry Powder, and I found it on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Sun-Brand-Madras-Curry-Powder/dp/B001PFC1A6/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1312255392&sr=1-2

As a general rule, saute curry powder over a low flame before adding to dishes, but you can certainly add this to liquids like soup or cooking rice, without cooking separately.

Enjoy!

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Rose Scented Limeade for Summer

2011-07-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

There are so many lovely beverages to enjoy rather than drinking sodas full of phosphoric acid and high fructose corn syrup, linked in studies to lower bone density and diabetes, respecitively. Here is a very refreshing drink you can enjoy in summer that will cool you off even without ice, which damages digestive fire.

Rose and Lime in Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda

Rose is considered cooling and harmonizing in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine. The heat of summer can sometimes create irritability, so this is a valuable quality.In Chinese Medicine we use dried rose petals , Mu Gua, for cooling and relaxing the "Liver Qi" which is associated with the frustration and irritability, of Liver Qi stagnation.

This describes the sense of rose in Ayurveda, too, where its use is in teas that pacify Pitta, which is also associated with aggression and tension. Rose is also used in Ayurveda as essential oil in massage oils; as rose petals cooked in milk; as a jam marinated in sugar; and finally, as rose water, both topically, as described in the previous post, and in beverages and sweets.

Whereas Lemon is sour, Lime is slightly bitter and astringent as well, so when combined with water, which is by nature cooling, and rose and sweetener, it has all the qualities that pacify Pitta: cool, sweet, bitter, astringent. It is true, lime is sour, which can aggravate pitta in excess, but in small amounts and combined with these other ingredients, the result is a beverage that pacifies pitta.

Of course, if you are very Pitta dominant and or in a current state of unbalance, make this drink more sweet than sour, with more rose, and do not use honey, which is heating. And don't have it every day, but on occasion, if at all.

Lime vs. Lemon

Besides Lemon being just sour and a tad sweet, and Lime being also bitter and astringent, I find lime even more refreshing than lemon, because it is so aromatic; it has a really fresh taste. This aromatic quality stimulates the digestive energy, which is important in summer, when the digestive qi, or Agni, is naturally weaker, and further weakened, potentially, by too much cool fruit or beverages.

And it is interesting the very hot countries like southeast Asia, India, central America, you find Lime more than Lemon.

A Dash of Salt

In India, where it is so hot and you sweat so much, lemonade is sometimes made with a dash of salt. There are actually really great spice mixes for lemonade, too, with gooseberry, cumin, hing, but let's talk about that another time.

A dash of salt in lemonade does something alchemical; it feels to me as if softens the water, if that makes sense. Perhaps it balances the sour of the lime. And the more tastes that are in a food, the more balancing it is, overall. But if you have high blood pressure, please leave it out.

Rose Scented Limeade

Ingredients

12 oz filtered water
1/2 small lime, more or less
Sweetener of your choice: honey is excellent for Vata and Kapha, Agave syrup fine for all.
Start with 1 tsp.
To use less sugar combine it with stevia. Using a little sugar helps cover up the bitter aftertaste of stevia.
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp Rose water, more or less

Recipe

In India they roll the lime around on the table before cutting in half, with some pressure.This makes it easier to get all the juice out. Squeeze the lime into a glass, and add the sweetener.

If using honey, or raw sugar, you will need a little warm water to dissolve it. Honey gives a lovely taste to this, which will vary of course with the kind of honey you use.

Add the rose water and a pinch of sea salt.

That's it! Stir it up and have a lovely, naturally cooling, summer drink.

Pitta Dosha and Summer

Summer is the season in which Pitta naturally increases. If the hot sun makes you sick, or gives you headaches, you almost certainly have a Pitta imbalance. Pitta is also highest at noon, and aggravated by intense heat, excessive sunlight, hot food with chile, sour food like tamarind or vinegar, and excessive salt, like potato chips.

So if your Pitta is very dominant, or imbalanced, you will need to take more than the ordinary care in avoiding the sun and the hottest part of the day, and avoiding the above kinds of foods, just as a start.

Pitta is, on the other hand, pacified by the sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes, such as you find in fruits and leafy green vegetables and herbs, for example, and by foods and experiences that are cooling and a little dry such as evening walks in the shade, swimming late or early in the day, raw vegetables, and the above limeade which is cooling, sweet, astringent, and bitter.

The astringent taste, which is higher in raw vegetables and lower once they are cooked, is considered drying; taste a lime--it leaves the back of your mouth dry, that is the astringent taste. Whereas when you taste a lemon, the sides and front of your tongue salivates, that is the sour taste.

Variations

I like to make limeade with sparkling water sometimes. Then I don't use the rose, but like to use lemon and orange, kind of in imitation of orangina or something like it. There is a mineral water from Georgia (the country) called Borjemi, that is very strong, even sulfurous. I like to use it sometimes.

Where to get Rose Water

The best and cheapest is Cortas brand, Indo-European and Sadaf are also good. Get them online, or at any Middle Eastern, Arab, Iranian, and sometimes Indo-Pak market.
A 12 oz bottle should be from two to four dollars only.

copyright eyton shalom, july 2011, all rights reserved, use with permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Kitchen Medicine Cooking Medicine: Rose Water for Elevated Pitta

2011-07-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Medicine Cooking Medicine: Rose Water for Elevated Pitta: "An elegantly simple herbal remedy for Pitta excess is Rose. Rose is cooling and relaxing; just think of your feelings when smelling a deep r..."

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Drugs vs. Herbs and the problem of Freud's Cocaine Addiction

2011-07-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Re: Sigmund Freud's addiction to cocaine: The problem with isolating an "effective" or "active" ingredient out of an herb, is you increase the actual dose, and lose all the buffers, not to mention in the case of Coca leaf, the cultural context. The result is an infinitely greater propensity to undesirable effects, a.k.a., the cure worse than the disease, since side effects are a function of, among other factors, dose and lack of buffers.

Now the question also arises, what of Freud's cocaine-fueled private obsessions entered into his theories. His brilliant work on the role of the unconscious in motivation not withstanding.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/books/review/an-anatomy-of-addiction-by-howard-markel-book-review.htm

Provencal Style Lima Bean Summer Soup

2011-07-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

On really hot days we may not feel like hot food. The Spanish make delicious Gazpacho. However, any kind of pureed vegetable or bean soup is great at room temperature or slightly chilled. See below for one of my favorite pureed bean soups.

Lima Bean Summer Soup Provencal

Ingredients

2 Cans Organic Lima Beans
2-3 plum tomatoes , or 2 tbsp tomato paste, more or less to taste
1 medium to large yellow or white onion, sliced
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp Herbs d' Provence, more or less to taste
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, start w/1 tsp each, or less.
1 tsp natural sugar or agave if the tomatos are not sweet
1/2 tsp balsemic or wine vinegar

1. Combine lima beans with tomato, and bring to the boil. What you are looking for with the tomato is a slight reddish color and a slight sweet/sour taste in the final product.
3. Sauté onions and garlic in Spanish or Greek olive oil until translucent.
4. Add some "Herbs d' Provence" to the onion and garlic and sauté on very low another 5 minutes as the herb fragrance deepens. If you have trouble finding Herbs de Provence just use a mix of tarragon, sage, rosemary, parsley and basil
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Now puree the whole thing in the blender.

Garnishes

This is superb served warm or cool topped with croutons. I like, rather, to use the dried out ends of the natural sourdough (meaning made with natural sour, not baker's yeast) multi-grain bread I get at Bread and Cie Bakery in San Diego http://www.yelp.com/biz/bread-and-cie-san-diego. Or any "artisan" bread.

Try diced cucumber, mint, and a little yogurt, a nod in the direction of Afghanistan and Iran.

Alternate Ingredients

You could also boil celery and carrot in with the beans. Try the same concept with root vegetables like turnip, parsnip, and rutabaga. Play with the herb component. Try dill. Dill with Yogurt added in is classic. Bon Appetite!

copyright eyton j. shalom, june 2010, all rights reserved, use with permission
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

The Season of Crickets

2011-07-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It never ceases to amaze me how many modern urban folk don't know this simple fact. Having this compass makes finding your way, even in large cities, so much easier. Obviously then you know which way is north and south, and so ....

Another simple marker, this of time , not space, are the insects and fruits that match the season's phases. Its really quite possible for even city folk, certainly suburban folk, to grow not just vegetables, but fruits, to plant, Johnny Appleseed style, a variety of useful fruit trees in their own backyards. Talk about locally grown. And fruit is always sweetest, and most "Sattvic" (balanced), when ripened on the tree.

San Diego, half city/half suburb, is blessed with the kind of salubrious Mediterranean climate in which nearly anything, including certain species of apples, will grow. What's beautiful is to connect the fruits to the season. Early spring is loquats and citrus, early summer blueberries and apricot. Now the green and purple figs are beginning to fruit; there is an old vacant house down the block, whose owners, residents since 1962, just moved out, so aside from the crows and other scavengers, I have these succulent sweets to myself.

But be careful in the evening, because mid-July is when very polite red spiders start to spin their webs from the top's of phone poles and eaves all the way down to the bottoms of trees, easy to walk into and end up with a mouthful of web. These fascinating creatures grow larger and larger as time goes by, so that by the end of September some will be as large as a four year old's hand.

I say polite because each morning the take their web back into their stomachs before the sun comes up. The crickets are in vogue now, too, and finally with the onset of real heat, will come the flies. But in the spring the grasshoppers were in bloom, and various species of butterfly and moth seem to have their respective times.

And then there are the birds, that sing in the spring and fly away in the fall. But that's another story, except to say how instructive it has been to observe the narcotic night song of the mockingbird from early spring, transform into the obnoxious screech used to protect its young in midsummer....

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Does Cauliflower Aggravate Vatta? Creamy Coconut Cauliflower Curry for Summer

2011-07-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

Does cauliflower aggravate Vatta?

The problem with going for an Ayurvedic consultation and being handed a long list of foods that aggravate one or the other of the doshas is, that first, this is a text book list of foods that tend to aggravate, in most people, but not all; second is that it is really really relevent how you prepare the dish, what season it is, and how balanced your corresponding dosha is at that point in time.

Cauliflower is said to aggravate Vatta, and indeed, it has that potential, and I emphasize the word potential.
Its potential to aggravate Vatta is increased dramatically when
eaten raw
eaten cold from the frig
eaten without any oil or spices
eaten in excess
eaten in cold dry weather
eaten while traveling
eaten in autumn *
eaten when your Vatta dosha is already stressed by travel, cold, dry, circumstances increasing fear (such as a job interview)
eaten when you have Vatta imbalance symptoms already, like gas, dry scaly skin condition, anxiety, insomnia
eaten by Vatta dominent types especially.

Conversely, one can mitigate Cauliflower's effect on Vatta by

cooking it
cooking it with spices and seasonings and oil
blending it into puree
blending it with creamy and or oily things, like coconut milk or tahini
eating it in moderation
eating it with other foods that pacify Vatta
eating it during the hot season, especially the hot moist season
eating it when your Vatta dosha is already balanced

Here is a delicious and easy recipe for a creamy pureed Cauliflower Curry Soup I made yesterday. Eat it by itself, or serve with rice.

Ingredients:

1 medium Cauliflower
1 large Onion of your choice--I like white or sweet onion for this dish
3-5 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2-1 tsp black or white pepper (omit this if your curry powder has chili pepper in it)
3-4 slices fresh ginger root
1 tbsp more or less of curry powder...for this recipe I like the type with aromatic spices like anise, cardomom, clove and cinnamon
2 tbsp more or less of coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1-2 tsp salt

Steam Cauliflower in a large pot in a few inches water with the turmeric powder
Saute onion, ginger, garlic, and salt in the coconut oil until the onion is translucent and browned
Add the curry powder and pepper to the onion, etc., lower the flame very low, and stir for a minute or two without burning.
Add the coconut milk and a little bit of water, and keep stirring for 3 minutes.
Combine the spiced coconut milk with the cauliflower and puree till smooth.
Serve

In this dish, the sweet taste of coconut milk pacifies Vata, the spicy warmth of the curry powder stimulates Agni digestive fire and warms Vata. Using a sweeter curry powder without chili in it means you are also warming Vata without aggravating it the way Chillis do. Sauteeing onion brings out there sweetness, which with the unctuous nature of the oil and coconut milk further pacifies Vata.

Pureeing the Cauliflower, makes it "smooth and regular" which is much easier for Vatta to absorb without aggravation. This is a good summer dish, as many of us over indulge in cooling things during the hot weather which can damage digestive fire Agni (Spleen Qi in Chinese Medicine). Milk curry is a good way to rekindle that.

This dish, high in vegetable content is fine for a balanced Kapha, and with its mix of cooling and warming, quite fine for Pitta in moderation.

*(which fluctuates a bit by climate...so when in doubt go with cold dry weather as Vatta aggravating, and the season in which the transition from the hottest to coldest weather occurs.

copyright eyton j. shalom, san diego, ca july 2011 all rights reserved use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Hormonal Acne: Treatment with Chinese Body-Mind Medicine

2011-07-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hormonal Acne

Many women, especially young women, suffer from what can be termed hormonal acne. Hormonal acne typically, but not exclusively, occurs sometime during the 7 days prior to the onset of bleeding, known as, the pre-menstrual phase of the menstrual cycle.

This is the stage during which both estrogen and progesterone have suddenly, and rather drastically, plummeted. Lutenizing hormone is also at an all-time monthly low, and FSH is slowly climbing out of its monthly trough found around day 21. (Counting begins with the first day of bleed; so day 1 of the menstrual cycle is the first day of bleeding.)

Humans Are Individuals

Despite our ability as scientists to create two dimensional models for physiological processes, it should be noted that the rise and fall of FSH, LH, Estrogen, and Progesterone, that gives birth to a woman's reproductive life in general and menstrual cycle in particular, is not just a rise and fall of some measurable levels of hormone in the blood, but actually a very complex endocrine interaction between the adrenal glands, ovaries, hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, and pineal glands on one hand.

It should then be noted that all of the aforementioned glands, but especially the hypothalamus and adrenals are profoundly affected by what is happening in the nervous system, which is itself affected by a woman's dietary, lifestyle, and psychological responses to being a living, intelligent, and emotional mammal.

The feelings, or if you want, measurable blood chemistry responses, that we all have to living--happiness, sadness, expectations, disappointments, frustrations, grief, loss, anger, terror, fear--combine with the nervous and endocrine systems to create a more-than-three dimensional multi-valent interaction between phsyiology, psychology, and environment that Body-Mind Medicine observes is utterly unique in each individual woman.

And by that I mean that the very same drop in E2 or Progesterone on day 24 of a 28 day cycle that in plump, naturally cheerful, happy, easy going, lots-of-green vegetable eating Lucila, does nothing unpleasant to, might in wiry, driven, anxious, stressed-beyond-her-coping-skills, iced beverage drinking Henrietta cause serious hormonal acne. And not to be so dramatic, sometimes it is simply too many iced beverages in a non-stressed but poor dieted individual.

The Hypothalamus' Role

Looking a little bit deeply into even the mechanistic model of bio medicine, we can understand that reproduction and sexuality are a complex function of the interactions within the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, and that the hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

Really important to understand is that the hypothalamus is affected directly by emotional states and the autonomic nervous system reactions they produce via what is now termed the fight or flight response, by light, smells, pheromones, steroids (both from the ovaries and the adrenals) neural information arising in the stomach, heart, and reproductive tract (again, the fight or flight produces dramatic neural info in the stomach), levels of various chemicals in the blood, such as insulin, glucose, angiotensin, etc., and invading microorganisms; we can see that like some crazy cartoon contraption with a gazillion controls, the smallest malfunction can throw the entire vehicle off its desired course. Add to this, by the way, the disruption of the endocrine system by the chemicals found in plastics and perfumes that has been well-documented of late.

Where I feel bio medicine, due to its received cultural bias towards extrospection and conquering, or ignoring, nature, often goes wrong, is to ignore the role the autonomic inputs and stress hormones play in affecting a wide gamut of diseases, including hormonal acne and gynecological disorders in general.

Because the master gland, the hyothalamus, is so profoundly affected by the corticosteroid stress hormones that are increased by our internally and externally generated stressors, it is painfully simple to understand that developing the skills to bring the body into homeostasis via the relaxation response, and out of the fight or flight stress response, as well as certain deeper philosophical perspectives (e.g. understanding time as circular vs. linear) will be a key piece in hormonal health. This is why there is such a resurgence of interest in eastern wisdom and knowledge in the last half century in the West.

Simply put, we all need to learn how to relax, to take it easy, to enjoy the small and simple things in life, to observe the ways we make small problems larger than they are, etc. etc. Besides restructuring how one lives (taking enough time off from working , for example), on a deeper nervous system level I recommend Mindfulness meditation as a great tool. Even mantra meditation is helpful, but mindfulness is so good because it takes you deep into your inner world and you develop the kind of flexibility that Chinese medicine speaks of as so very desirable, the ability to be "free and easy," to be a "relaxed wanderer" on the journey of living. One needn't stop achieving high goals, but it you create illness in the process, maybe re-asses the method. Its all about balance.

Why acupuncture and Chinese medicine are so valuable, is because with acupuncture we can affect the nervous system and hypothalamus directly. We know for scientific fact that acupuncture elevates endorphins and cortisol, we also know for scientific fact that particular locations of the body, when stimulated by acupuncture needles, cause specific, correlating, areas of the brain to "light up" on real time MRI.

Chinese medicine, reflecting some thousands of years of empiricism, notes exactly how our bodies look when we become imbalanced. It describes what can bee seen, touched, listened to, tasted, or smelled. For this it uses images borrowed from nature; the body-mind, when ill, shows signs and symptoms of too much or too little heat, cold, moisture, wind, strength, weakness, flexibility, rigidity. You can sum Chinese medicine up this way, "disease is due to too much of what you don't want in the wrong place, and/or not enough of what you do want in the right place.

For example: where there is too much heat there will be irritation, as in eczema; irritability, as in PMS or fever; rubor(redness in the skin), as in acne; feeling too hot, as in poison oak, menopausal flushing, fever, infection.

Where there is not enough heat, there will be cold: feeling cold when its not cold; having cold hands and feet; suffering weak digestion (lack of digestive fire) with non-burning diarrhea and poorly digested food; frequent colds or allergies with profuse watery nasal discharge.

Where there is too much water in nature there is flooding. In the body we see excessive moisture/dampness/phlegm in the sinuses or lungs with a cold or other infection; we see discharge as in a yeast infection; we see nausea and/or vomiting as in digestive disorders, emotionally we see a lack of boundaries perhaps, a weak consciousness of where the "I" ends and the "You" begins, on the other hand there may be a sweet,kind,forgiving personality. Really it depends on how the moisture combines with other psychological and energetic/personality factors.

Where there is not enough water we see pathological dryness: dry skin, dry mucus membranes, dry eyes, dry stool, dry emotions even, lack of generosity or sweetness, an inability to share, or simply a brittle hypersensitive nervous system.

Often dampness and heat will accumulate together, as in eczema, as in hormonal acne. It is said that Qi is the locomotive that moves moisture to the correct places in the body. However, when Qi stagnates, when it fails to move adequately, being warm it heats up, and as it is bringing moisture with it, (like the steam that follows the heat waves above a pot of fragrant cooking rice) the result is an accumulation of moisture with heat, termed "damp-heat" in Chinese medicine. Damp heat is at the root of lots more disorders than simply dampness or heat alone.

Hormonal acne is caused by an accumulation of dampness (swelling, pus) with heat (redness, inflammation). Begging the question, though, is, "what causes Qi to stagnate in the first place?"

Affect Damage
or How Chinese Medicine Describes the Role of Emotion in Disease Formation

Qi stagnation is most often, and most powerfully, due to what we call "affect damage." Chinese medicine describes very accurately and exactly, the many ways our emotions and experiences, when unprocessed, like undigested food, cause the Qi to stagnate or move in the wrong direction.

Grief and sadness, for example, depresses the qi, causing it to move down, rather than up. It especially affects the lung qi. We see this very often with asthma. Of course when we are depressed we usually suffer from fatigue, not to mention a loss of interest and engagement. Our ability to engage the qi of the outer world diminshes.

The thing about Qi is it is mercurial. One minute you get pissed off at the guy who cut you off on the roadway, the next minute your boyfriend makes you laugh. Qi is quick and light, it moves rapidly. That is the trick, to keep Qi moving. For when it does not move, when it stagnates either for long periods, or over and over and over again, it leads to Blood stagnation.

Just like Qi leads moisture through the body, Qi is the "commander" of blood, which is conceived as the denser more concrete physical manifestion of Qi, or, in another way, a warm, nutritive substance that is a more moveable, less dense manifestation of Yin. Yin is the property in the body that, among other things, provides comfort and ease and deep levels of reserve and nourishment.

Blood StasisSo when Qi gets stuck; Blood stasis often accrues. And because women are "beings of blood," they are more prone to blood stasis early on, than men. And because the heart and uterus are connected by a unique channel (this is how the ancients observed the effects of emotions on fertility and the menstrual cycle) emotive factors can easily cause blood stasis in the uterus and ovaries. The longer the emotional pain lies unresolved, the deeper the blood stasis becomes. Vital it is to treat this, as blood stasis is a key factor in many deeper more debilitating illness, such as endometriosis, cancer, MS., etc.

Blood stasis will create fixed stabbing pains, cramps with bleeding, feeling of sadness accompanied by a sensation of pain or heaviness in the chest/heart area not due to any heart disease. In acne the skin has a kind of darker, purplish, rather than red, cast. Look at the underside of the tongue and you will see thick, engorged, purple veins. This is not good.

Acupuncture Treatment Hormonal Acne

So when I treat hormonal acne with acupuncture, I focus on the period in the menstrual cycle in which the Qi naturally tends to stagnate--the week before bleeding, as the sudden drop of hormone under even the best of circumstances, can be a lot for a woman's body-mind to integrate. I do find that the emotions that become aggravated during this period are sometimes those emotions that have been successfully repressed, that is , not dealt with, during the rest of the month. In this way, the pre-menstural phase is actually an opportunity; the natural hormonal storm blows to the shore the jetsam and flotsam of the psyche.

If acupuncture is good at anything--and it excels at a great deal--it is good at smoothing transitions, of making movement between things easier and more comfortable, whether we are talking about a natural monthly hormonal shift, adolescence, old age, the change of the seasons, the loss of a loved one, or the stress of trying to earn enough money to buy a new house and being afraid of the future. And it does all this by affecting the nervous and hormonal and neurotransmitter systems, directly.

The second period I focus on is right before ovulation; as this is when the adrenal-ovarian axis is so important. This is when you want to stimulate the ovaries and calm the adrenals for optimal ovarian hormonal production. This is when it is easier to prevent dampness accumulating into phlegm that later erupts in pimples and whiteheads.

For my actual selection of acupuncture locations (I resist the use of the word point, as the spaces in which we place the needles, are always little depressions in the body the Chinese conceptualized as caves or springs, where the Qi meets the surface, they are not, in fact, in any way, points) I look, first and foremost, at where on the face the acne is located. Alongside the temples and outer jaw line leads me to one combination of locations, involving, for point of fact, the Gallbladder and Shao Yang channels) and alongside the mouth in vertical lines to the chin, another set, the Stomach and Chong channels. In the event, I always use the Chong and Ren channels in some way, as these regulate the reproductive system and its hormones.

The other lovely thing about acupuncture, is that it excels at "releasing heat" from the body. So, depending on where I see the acne, I release heat from the corresponding channels. There are ways to move blood stasis with acupuncture as well, though most practitioners will agree herbal medicine is superior in that regard.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment of Hormonal Acne

When I treat hormonal acne with herbal medicine, I choose formulas that regulate the qi, clear heat, dry excess moisture, relax the liver, nourish the blood, and benefit the skin. As the starting point is most often Qi stagnation, I frequently choose from a few formulas that gently unblock Qi stagnation. Then I am concerned with clear the pathological heat which accumulates in the liver energy. I also resolve the moisture issue.

But as women are "beings of blood" in Chinese medicine (men are "being of qi"), one always nourishes and cleanses the blood in this process. And depending on what emotional states are there, we may need to "calm the spirit and nourish the yin."

Generally speaking hormonal acne is quite easy to treat, depending on how long the person has had it before. Often it improves in one cycle, but it is not unusual to take herbal medicine through three menstrual cycles, during which time one gets two acupuncture treatments per month.

Some of the formulas I use are Xiao Chai Hu Tang, Dan Zhi Xiao Yao Wan, Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, Wen Dan Tang Jia Wei, and, Long Dan Xie Gan Tang.

Birth Control Drug and Hormonal Acne

Risk Benefit Ratio

There are some women, with terrible periods and horrible acne, who improve dramatically when prescribed the Birth Control Drug. God bless them. I call it drug, not pill, because calling it a pill and not a drug is disingenous marketing on the part of drug companies, with collusion by M.D.'s, it seems, who want to pretend, or have you pretend, that there are no risks.

I have a neurologist M.D. collegue who is strongly opposed to the pill. I asked him why, and he said that every year he sees 1-2 young women who have had a stroke after taking the pill. Goddess in Heaven. That is a pretty serious risk, a great tragedy in fact. How many women given the pill like candy are informed of this risk factor?

But I am no fanatic against drugs, I just want consumers to be informed and doctors to be honest with their patients. And my point is, that those women who cured their terrible periods and acne with birth control, might have done the same with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Why not have that part of the basket of choices?

On the other hand, I meet lots of women who never had acne before, develop it after taking birth control drugs for contraceptive purposes, or to regulate their cycles. Again, all I am saying is, why not try something without side affects first? Yes it may take more time and effort and even money, but after all, it is your health, so isn't it worth it?

.
copyright Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. July 2011 San Diego CA all rights reserved use with permission
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

The Lonely Polar Bear

2011-07-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

There is an excellent analysis of grief in bears and the relationship between humans and other beasts today. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/opinion/sunday/03gus.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 One of the key points to me this author makes is

Many animals have singular personalities, preferences and idiosyncrasies. When they play together, they reveal different aspects of their temperaments, just as we do with friends and loved ones. So when Ida died, Gus not only lost his old mate, he lost those parts of himself that related to irretrievable parts of her.

I often find, in my practice, in this United States cultural environment of "just doing it" and "getting over it" that people are less than forgiving with their sense of loss and grief, vis-a-vis death, divorce, and other forms of loss.

This simple sentence, above, in bold, to me, says quite a bit about why it is so hard to just get over it. Healing the wounds created by loss involves first acknowledging, that is, bringing into consciousness, just what the loss is in the first place. What are the parts of yourself that have been lost?

Once you do that, then you can figure out whether you need to bury those parts for good, or transform them into other relationships, with a dog or cat, with your work, or with yourself. Often, becoming whole, involves taking what you got from another person and giving it to yourself directly, or, with Vippasanna practice, getting to the point where the need (for surrogate mothering or fathering, e.g.) dissipates and weakens. In Vippasana we learn to "unpack" the clustered, dense, sticky, dark, unexamined, maelstrom like, un-felt pressured emotions that can dominate us in mental un-health.

I find, all too often, people with anxiety and depressive disorders are unable to do that, and are often poorly served by psychologists who just want to focus on short term treatment of cognition and behavior, as if human beings had no souls, no emotional lives, no depth.

Another salient quote, and here I think most psychologists do "get it right" (the fact that you have to grieve loss...) what is debatable is how long "healthy" grief is, and how consuming; and again, here, I think this society with all its corporate models of efficiency, mostly gets it totally wrong.

All too often I have patients come in who went back to work the day after mom's funeral, the day after their brother who was killed in a car accident was put in the ground. Stiff upper lip. Dark sunglasses. Dealt with grief and sadness by keeping busy busy busy. Unfortunately the intense normal feelings associated with loss cannot successfully be denied. They cannot even successfully be repressed.

Instead, what we do is create anxiety, insomnia,panic attack, anger, depression, and other misplaced expressions of what are, after all, simply normal feelings.

I think here we can learn from the animals.

A 2005 study of elephant grief, reported in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, confirmed what experts have long sworn, that elephants pay homage to their fallen, visiting the remains of even long-dead relatives, and gently turning over the bleached bones with trunk or foot. Biologists tell of gorillas banging their chests with yowls of anguish during a wake for a fallen friend, of sea lions wailing when their babies have been mutilated by killer whales, of grief-stricken monkey mothers carrying dead infants around for days, of geese singing both halves of a duet when their partners have died.

For humans, with our elaborate cerebral cortex, many kinds of loss can tap into our primate fear of death and dying. Especially if there has been childhood abandonment, which itself amplifies our normal fear of death and loss, it is not surprising to see plain things, like a move, or loss of job, or loss of a friendship, to trigger the kind of grief normally associated with our fear of death. It is so important, in healing, to understand this, and learn to feel, in safe ways (again, here i like Vippasanna Mindfulness Meditation, and also a psychological therapy called Somatic Experiencing..see Steven Levine)both our emotional states, and the physical, nervous system, somatic expressions of them.

Chinese medicine talks about feeling anger in the neck and shoulders, fear in the stomach and low back, sadness as a sinking feeling, etc. Mindfulness practice and SE are two excellent methods by which you can learn to feel healthfully, without becoming overwhelmed by feelings.

Good starting places, book wise, are

http://www.amazon.com/Calming-Your-Anxious-Mind-Mindfulness/dp/1572244879/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223598444&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Trauma-Peter-Levine/dp/1591792479/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309733335&sr=1-4

Most important I would add, is that if you do work with a therapist, do not trust them more than you trust yourself. Trust someone you know is good, go to someone you have at least as good recommendations for as a dentist or auto mechanic, but trust them only as you trust yourself. If your gut disagrees with what they say or do, listen to it. A big part of the healing process for lots of us, in fact.

People who go to all the trouble of getting Ph.D.'s, like being authorities. I do, too. But authorities are very dangerous people, because they are powerful. And when we seek help we are already vulnerable. An some of them can be reckless and play fast and loose with other people's welfare.

I am humble enough to know that the patients I work with already have what they need to heal inside them, that I am a guide or assistant in that process, a good one, but that each person's healing process is unique, it may not look like i want it to look like, it may contradict my thinking and theories, and it will go at the pace they are capable of, just as mine does. My idea of a good psychologist follows these lines. Hope this may be helpful.

copyright 2011 july eyton j. shalom all rights reserved use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Reasons for Tea

2011-06-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

Some info I dredged up for yesterday's workshop at Halcyon Tea shop in San Diego on the science behind tea. If you need reasons for switching from coffee, here are some, from the science perspective. N.B.I have not verified every one of these claims, but most of them i have seen in many places. The information below applies primarily to Oolong and Green tea, less so to Black tea. Although black tea does seem to have the same cholesterol reducing and heart protective qualities

Antioxidant: contains abundant supplies of potent antioxidants known as "polyphenols" and "catechins." These compounds, also known as "free radical scavengers," neutralize and eliminate the highly reactive metabolic and environmental toxins known as "free radicals," which destroy cells, corrode tissues, and cause premature degeneration of the internal organs. The antioxidants in the tea provide constant detoxifying activity in the blood and tissues, protecting the body from toxic damage and preventing formation of tumors.

Anti-Cancer:

Since the polyphenols and other antioxidants contained in tea suppress tumor formation, drinking this tea daily provides strong protection against the development of all types of cancer, particularly in the lungs and liver, which suffer the heaviest exposure to toxic contaminants in air, water, and food. This protection against cancer is further enhanced by the tea's strong alkalizing action in the blood and tissues, where it counter-acts the excessive acidity associated with all forms of cancer.

Scientists already know green tea plays a role in preventing cancer, but now they know why: EGCG, or Epigallocatechin gallate. EGCG works in precisely the same way as the chemotherapy drug methotrexate: Both hinder the action of an enzyme that incites cells to divide

Oolong has even more potent anti-cancer properties than green tea, and unlike green tea, it can be drunk continuously throughout the day for maximum therapeutic benefits.

Alkaline: alkalizes the digestive tract, bloodstream, and cellular fluids, neutralizing the acidity which permits formation of cancerous tumors and causes many other degenerative conditions. Blood and tissue acidity is the primary cause of loss of calcium from the bones and teeth, and this in turn leads to osteoporosis and tooth decay. Drinking this tea daily therefore helps prevent these conditions as well as other health problems associated with calcium deficiency.

Diuretic: tea's mild diuretic properties promote swift elimination of the toxins and acid wastes flushed from the blood and tissues by the antioxidant and alkaline elements in the tea.

Deodorant: By alkalizing the mouth and stomach, this tea eliminates the bacteria responsible for producing foul odors in the breath. The aromatic fumes contained in the tea saturate the blood and bodily fluids with cleansing medicinal elements that help deodorize bodily secretions.
Tea also contains fluoride. So drinking unsweetened tea flushes and may even kill the bacteria that cause dental caries, whereas coffee, often drunk sweetened and with milk, leaves your teeth well coated for the development of caries. If you do drink coffee, at least rinse with water afterward.

Adaptogen: Oolong contains medicinal factors known as "adaptogens," which adapt the body's vital functions to changing conditions in order to maintain a healthy state of equilibrium. This balancing effect is strongest in the bloodstream, where it regulates blood pressure, balances blood sugar, and prevents thickening of the blood.

Digestive: assists digestion by neutralizing excess acidity and preventing fermentation and putrefaction in the stomach. It also breaks down fat molecules into smaller particles, making them much easier to digest.

Cholesterol Control: Studies have shown that Tea removes cholesterol deposits and other sticky plaque from the walls of the blood vessels, thereby preventing arteriosclerosis, heart disease, and strokes.

Stimulant: Oolong tea contains only 0.5% caffeine, plus several other compounds and co-factors which have mild stimulating effects on the central nervous system. Unlike coffee, which stimulates the body by racing the heart, the blend of natural stimulants in Tea directly activates the nervous system, enhancing alertness, improving cerebral functions, and relieving mental fatigue. They also stimulate swift eliminatiion of wastes from the body. Due to the many nutrient co-factors contained in green and oolong tea, the stimulation it provides does not enervate the nervous system, as coffee and black tea can do, and its stimulating properties may be enjoyed throughout the day without any negative side-effects.

Nutrient: Tea contains significant amounts of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as essential minerals and trace elements. Flouride for teeth.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Prenatal Vitamins and Autism: Journal of Epidemiology

2011-06-19T11:10:00.001-07:00

from the NY Times:

A new study reports that mothers of children with autism and autism spectrum disorders were significantly less likely than mothers of children without autism to have taken prenatal vitamins three months before conception and in the first month of pregnancy. The finding, published in the July issue of the journal Epidemiology, suggests that taking vitamins in this period may help prevent these disorders, reducing the risk by some 40 percent.

Researchers recruited children through a California project, the Childhood Autism Risks From Genetics and Environment Study, or Charge, enrolling 288 children with autism and 144 with autism spectrum disorders, and compared them with 278 children who were developing normally. Blood was drawn for genomic analysis, and mothers were asked about their consumption of vitamins before and during pregnancy.

In mothers and children with gene variants that affect folate metabolism, not taking prenatal vitamins before conception was associated with an up to sevenfold increase in the risk of autism, the researchers found. Prenatal vitamins are rich in folate.

“Taking prenatal vitamin supplements even before conception is a concrete step concerned parents can take,” said Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, the study’s senior author and principal investigator of the Charge study.
Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

2011-06-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

My favorite tea company in San Diego is the award winning Halycon Tea Co. in South Park.
see: http://blog.bodymindwellnesscenter.com/search/label/Tea

This Saturday at 7.30 P.M. I will be giving a workshop on my three favorite teas at Halycon: Taiwanese Tung Ting, Yunnan Province Hong Mao Feng, and South African Rooibus Masala Chai.

See http://blog.halcyontea.com/ for the address and fee.

At this workshop there will be delicious tasting of the above teas and I will be covering

* the traditional Chinese medicinal virtues of Oolong and Black tea,
* the use of tea for healthy skin, digestion, and weight loss,
* the way Ayurvedic medicine thinks about the spice mixture (Masala) used in Masala chai
* the health characteristics of South African Rooibus Tea.

Hope to see you there, and please pass this on. Thanks!

Yours in Health,

Eyton Shalom, M.S., L.Ac.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Fungi Perfecti--Mycorrhizal Fungi for Health and Wellness

2011-05-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

Central to the treatment of Auto-Immune and other difficult to treat diseases in Chinese Medicine is the use of "medicinal mushrooms" such as Reishi (Ling Zhi), Cordyceps, Maitake, etc. These have been used in Chinese Medicine, in all its Asian variants--Japanese, Korean, Vietnames, Tibetan--to promote longevity and wellness, as well cure illness, since times immemorial.

In my practice I use them for treating Asthma, Autoimmune, Psoriasis, Eczema, Fatigue, Low Libido, Lung Weakness, Frequent Colds, High Cholesterol, even Insomnia. In China and Japan they use them to treat cancer; as some of the mushrooms have been shown to exhibit anti-tumor properties. One of my patients with Chronic Leukemia takes them under the advice of her oncologist!

Now you can grow your own. I have found a very fine company, from Olympia, Washington (naturally!) that sells everything you need to grow you own Mycorrhizal Fungi for your kitchen, your pharmacy, even your lawn and garden.

Check out their web site at www.fungi.com, or youtube.com/paulstamets.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Experts Talk About Sinusitis Treatment - NYTimes.com

2011-05-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Experts Talk About Sinusitis Treatment - NYTimes.com

"The sinusitis patients who do well are the ones who really abide by using the Neti pot or the saline irrigation bottles. And whether we add additional medications or not to the saline, it’s that mechanical flushing and lavage that really has a tremendous effect. Because it’s getting rid of the mucus, getting rid of all the inflammatory cells and whatever bacteria are there." from the above article.

My response:

This is a really great article. As a practitioner of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, it is so exciting to hear two different M.D. specialists finally telling their patients what we in Ayurveda have known for quite a long time: all the body's orifices have to be kept clean. When I first described the Neti pot to my patients in 1992, they thought I was weird. Some of them even had M.D.'s frighten them out of using them.

Now the Neti pot is ubiquitous, and Tongue Scrapers, which remove a ghastly amount of sticky nastiness off your tongue in the morning, are sold at Wal-Mart and recommended by most Dentists and Hygienists; hopefully, more and more M.D.s would start to realize that, we too have a body of knowledge, not to mention wisdom, that is separate, but equal, and in some ways and for some diseases, even superior, to their body of knowledge.

I would add one thing to what these two lovely young M.D.'s have to say. As one of the key points in chronic sinusitis is inflammation, it might behoove them to investigate the use of acupuncture to reduce the inflammation and promote drainage.

I have had good success with some pretty bad cases, using a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. The brands I use are Kan Herbals, and Blue Poppy herbs, both of which are tested for heavy metal and even pesticide contamination. They are on the net.
www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Nearly Tridoshic Cucumber Avocado Summer Soup

2011-05-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Cucumber Avocado Summer Soup

2 cups chopped cucumber, peeled if non-organic
1 cup avocado
1.5 cups plain yogurt or kefir
1-2 tbsp fresh bell pepper
3-4 tbs fresh cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

Ayurveda

This is a lovely creamy cooling summer soup that in Ayurvedic terms is especially suitable for both Pitta and Vatta, and quite tolerated by Kapha, as discussed below. What I want to show you below is how a dish is adjusted to suit a dosha, and how to eat seasonally.

Pitta:

This soup cools Pitta's fire, which is naturally increased in Summer months. Both cucumber and cilantro are very cooling. For Pitta types use a yoghurt that is more sweet than sour, Pavel's is a good example. Too much sour can aggravate Pitta, but a balanced Pitta will do fine with this since its predominantly cooling. A genuine hot Pitta type can drink this chilled in Summer.

Vata:

This soup is cooling, which can increase Vatta, but that should not be a problem in Summer months, unless there is strong Vatta aggravation. Moreover, the avocado makes this so nice and creamy, which pacifies Vatta.
One might add cumin, or substitute dill for cilantro, in for Vatta, to make it less cooling and a little warmer in the stomach. Using a fragrant fresh ground black pepper will also stimulate Agni and balance the cooling element.

Kapha:

Kapha types, who are large boned, with large mounds of flesh, tending towards both cold and sluggishness, could add fresh green chili pepper in place of or in addition to the bell pepper. They could also raise the amount of black pepper, using it fresh ground.

As with all recipes, the above ingredients are guidelines, the important thing, to me, is the concept of the dish, namely the addition of avocado to the traditional pairing of cucumber with yogurt. Some folk will like more of this and less of that; others less of this and more of that. Enjoy, and let me know how it comes out if you make it.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

How to Make Salad or Raw Veggies for a Vatta Dominant Person

2011-05-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

In general, people who are Vata dominant should avoid salad or raw vegetables, especially if in an unbalanced, aggravated state. Vatta, unlike Pitta and Kapha, is rough, not smooth. Raw vegetables are also considered rough; they are made "smooth" by cooking. And since like increases like, rough food will, therefore, increase Vata, and in the end aggravate, or vitiate it.

Many raw vegetables are also considered cold in energy. And, as Vatta is cold and rough, irregular, and dry, it needs food that is warm, smooth, regular, and moistening.

In addition, Vatta is pacified by sweet, sour, and salty tastes, and is aggravated by bitter, astringent, and spicy tastes. Many raw veggies are bitter and astringent and are made sweeter and less astringent by cooking.

However, now we are in late Spring, which, like Summer, is governed by Pitta. Its hot and getting hotter. Can a balanced Vatta enjoy an occasional salad in the season dominated by fire? Absolutely. Can a Vatta-Pitta tolerate it even more than a Vatta-Kapha (Pitta is hot and Kapha,like Vatta, cold)? Double absolutely.

Even better: How can we transform a raw salad or raw vegetables into something more tolerable to Vatta? By making it warmer, smoother, more unctuous or moistening, and even more regular. This is not hard to do.

To make raw veggies or salad less Vatta aggravating:

• make a fresh dressing with a warming oil like Olive or Walnut
• use a sweet vinegar like Balsamic
• used a creamy soft white cheese like Bulgarian Feta or creamy Sesame Tahina
• include a few olives, olive paste, or toasted nuts
• use some warming spices like fresh oregano, marjoram, black pepper,
red onion, garlic, ginger
• grate or slice very thinly veggies like cucumber or carrot
• chop veggies into small small regular shaped pieces
• eat them for lunch, when Agni is at its maximum
• chew really well, don't gobble

Summer Salad for Vata

This is the salad I made yesterday, a nice sunny, hot late May day in San Diego.

Tossed Field Greens
Italian Arugula
Shredded Carrot
Thin Sliced Japanese Cucumber
Quartered Plum Tomatoes
Hard Boiled Free Range Egg
Sliced Shallot

Dressing

Bulgarian Feta
Toasted Walnut Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Lime Juice
Fresh Garlic
Fresh Marjoram
Black Pepper

The dressing was smooth, unctuous (moist)and a little bit sweet. The arugula, while spicy, is also warming. The egg is a bit sweet. Overall this was a fine salad for even a Vata, this time of year. The only caution is for a Vata in a state of imbalance.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Chinese Med Treatment of Post-Partum Depression and Anxiety Disorder

2011-05-26T22:23:00.001-07:00

Chinese Medicine Treatment of Post-Partum Depression and Anxiety Disorder
with Case Study

In treatment of Psycho-Emotional disorders, Chinese Medicine always observes the actual physical or "somatic" manifestations that patients describe, as well as the disruptions of thoughts, cognition, and behaviors.

In the case of Anxiety disorder we ask, "What does it feel like in the center of the chest? What does it feel like in the neck and shoulders? What does it feel like in the pit of the stomach? What does it feel like in the intestines? What does it feel like in the head?

What is great about anxiety in a way, is that the red flags of the disease are "in your face." Shortness of breath, or abnormal heart beat, for example. Whereas with depression, physical symptoms may be more hidden, and the issue is more feelings (sadness, apathy,)then sensations.

In fact, part of the way one cures anxiety, is to learn how to pay attention to these physical symptoms that operate on a very primitive level; before you know you are anxious about something, your body is already manifesting symptoms.

A fluttering sensation in the chest. Tension in the facial muscles. A tight brow, temples, jaw, mouth. Shortness of Breath. Nausea. Diarrhea. Chills. Tingling in the skin. Restlessness at night, tossing and turning. Inability to get comfortable. Palpitations. Sudden hard heart beat. Insomnia. Worry. Obsessive Thinking.

In each case, with each of these symptoms, Chinese medicine describes a disruption of Qi flow. Lung Qi must go down. In shortness of breath, whether due to asthma or anxiety, the Lung's Qi is blocked. In the case of nausea the same rule applies. Stomach Qi must go downward, in nausea it rebels, and goes up.

Normally, when we are healthy and energetic, we have a balance between upward and downward movements of qi, as well as inward and outward. The Zheng, or "Upright Qi" keeps our organs in place (when it fails we are prone to organ prolapse), and provides our foundational energy for work and play. When there is abnormal fatigue due to illness, mental or physical, often the upright Qi is damaged.

The key in treating Anxiety, and other Mental-Emotional issues with acupuncture, is recognizing which organs Qi has been damaged, and in which way. In addition Qi rebelling, it can also be in a weakened state, it can be stagnated, it can be obstructed by blood stasis or by phlegm stagnation. There can be profound damage to the yin, yang, Qi, or Blood of one organ, like the "Spleen" whose Qi is integral to the manufacture of blood, and this may lead to Heart Blood Vacuity.

Now this Spleen deficiency can be from poor diet, but it is most often the result of excess worry. So in this case your choice of locations for the needle placement will involve points (I don't like this word, since they are not points, but depressions in the fascia or bones...indeed, the Chinese character contains the radical for a cave) that "Calm the Mind and Relieve Worry, that Nourish or Unblock the Spleen Qi, and Open the Heart Qi."

Chinese medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine in particular, does a very good job describing various predictable patterns for each disease that has been studied over at least 3 millennia. (The first known Chinese medical texts are from around 500 BCE, but even these refer to "the ancients" and existing medical practices.

The key in herbal medicine is to identify the pattern that the patient is manifesting, and then give the herbal formula that matches it. An important factor for the practitioner is experience. Rarely do people match the textbook cases we learn in school, they are more like templates, and the problem is different patterns have overlapping symptoms, such as insomnia, or fatigue; so you must listen carefully to the pulse, look carefully at the face and tongue, be sensitive to the person's energy, and look for the cardinal symptoms that, combined with a tongue and pulse diagnosis, direct you to the prescription that most concurs.

A Case Study of Post-partum Depression with Anxiety

Claudia L. (not her real name) came in to see me, complaining of disabling post-partum depression and anxiety, with overwhelming feelings of apathy and sadness, to the point where she was having trouble doing a good job caring for herself and her baby. She was very restless and worried, but could not identify "anything to be worried about." She said she loves her husband and feels he loves her. She loves her baby, and has no financial worries, as her husband has an excellent job and also comes from a wealthy family. But she described "not feeling like myself...as if I were watching my life from outside myself, as if I were another person watching me."

Her other symptoms were irritability, severe fatigue, nervousness, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and numbness and tingling in her legs, especially the left, that no M.D. could explain, after a gamut of neurological and other tests. She also felt dizzy on occasion, had headaches, and not much appetite.

Aside from her weak appetite, Claudia's digestion was normal, however her elimination was not; since the pregnancy she was having 3-4 soft to loose bowel movements per day.

As she was breast feeding, her periods had not yet returned. Her baby was 11 months old.

Pulse

When feeling this woman's pulse, it was what we call "empty", that is a kind of hollow feeling, and it was weak, which means not much force. It was also unexpectedly thin, given her body structure.

Tonge Diagnosis

Claudia's tongue was rather pale, in spite of not being anemic. In addition there were deep cracks in the center of her tongue. She had a normal looking, thin white coat on her tongue, although it was a very slightly greasy looking. (Kind of as if tamped down, rather than light and delicate, which is normal)

Discussion of Case

The first thing I did, after noticing Claudia's worried look and soft, choppy voice was to ask her about the circumstances of her pregnancy and labor. Here is where the plot immediately thickened.

Claudia is a college graduate from Costa Rica. She met her husband when he was in Costa Rica surfing; they fell in love, and after a fairly short courtship, she left her very close-knit, warm, loving, but "crazy" family...the type where a daughter speaks to her mom daily, and visits are often and full of people, but also where the Anglo concept of boundries is non-existent ...as well as her country and her job to come here and live with her husband, whose family, of Anglo-Saxon origin, was the polar opposite emotionally.

On top of things, it was clear that the husband's mother seemed to look down on her because she is from Latin America, with dark skin and mestizo features.
As well, Claudia left her job, and because she is only partially fluent, she did not start working here, but became a homemaker. In fact, it turned out the husband would rather she not work.

At the time of her pregnancy, which was quick upon arrival in San Diego, Claudia had not made any significant friends. Her pregnancy was uneventful, and the actual labor was easy. But what came next in her story struck me as one of the hearts of the case.

Claudia is very proud of being Costa Rican, and in her own way looks down on Latinos from some other countries, like Mexico. Racism is all over the world. So, ironically, it was very hard for her that everyone in the hospital assumed she was Mexican, and behaved in what she took to be a patronizing or condescending way, as if she were from a poor uneducated family, which she was not.

To make matters worse, for various reasons, no one from her family was able to come up for the birth, and very shortly after the baby arrived, the female relatives from her husband were all crowded around the baby, which they had actually taken out of her arms. She described them in a circle, away from the bed, her husband included, ignoring her, " as if I were not even there."

It was at this very moment that the depression hit her. A wave of sadness, and profound loneliness.

Now, one might rightly observe, that given the identical circumstance, another woman might not have been moved by sadness and loneliness. Exactly right.
What we frequently have with many many diseases, is a combination of character type and life experience that creates susceptibility, that then manifests when there is a perfect storm of circumstance. Add in errors in diet and lifestyle, (and here lifestyle includes many things, from lack of exercise to lack of mental cultivation (by this I mean a regular practice of deep relaxation, meditation, and even self-examination, essentially the inability to experience silence and stillness and inner peace.), bingo, you have a disease.

So, as it turns out, Claudia has been a worrier her entire life. (This I could have told her from the cracks in the center of her tongue). Her willingness to leave Costa Rica so easily, was in part a measure of how things were not working for her there. Claudia had been a party girl and had had trouble with drugs and alcohol.

Chinese Medical Pattern

Excessive worry or obsessiveness , and even just the kind of excessive thinking one must do when one is a full-time student, weaken the Spleen Qi. The Spleen Qi has many jobs, transformation of foods and liquids, transportation of the Gu Qi from said foods and liquids, and nourishing the heart.

So the first cause of Claudia's problem is her pre-existing tendency to anxiety and over-thinking which damaged the Spleen Qi. Her lifelong worry was so severe it had consumed the Yin, leaving cracks in the center of the tongue. I am yet to see cracks like that in someone who is not an abnormal worrier. When the Spleen Qi is damaged, "blood" weakness follows, and the Heart Qi and Blood become empty, which means, "not enough of what should be there.".

When the Spleen Qi is weak, there is fatigue. When the heart Qi and Blood are weak there will be insomnia. But more importantly, when the blood is weak, one becomes uncomfortable in one's own skin, and restless. People who are Spleen and Heart Qi and Blood empty, are often one or all of the following: meek, irritable, forgetful, insecure. They may even develop feelings of depersonalization, which Claudia described, "not feeling like me." They are susceptible to what anxiety disorders, OCD, and reactive depression.

When Claudia described the situation at the birthing wing of the hospital, both the treatment, or perceived treatment by staff, as well as being alone and ignored immediately after the birth, and most importantly, the degree to which this affected her, the deep sense of abandonment, this immediately confirmed what both her pulse and tongue presentation, and many of her symptoms already suggested: a profound Heart Blood Vacuity or Emptiness, along with a Spleen Qi Vacuity.

So in a way, this case was quite easy. The very pale tongue and empty thin pulse both confirm blood vacuity. While many of her symptoms alone or in different combinations in a different case ( fatigue, restlessness, irritablity, numbness and tingling in the limbs, etc;) could be attributed to other patterns of disharmony, together, in the context of her story, her tongue and pulse, and even her weak, choppy voice all confirmed an underlying dual pattern of Spleen Qi and Heart Blood Vacuity. And, luckily, there is only one Herbal Prescription to treat this pattern, and I happened to know, luckily, from an earlier patient who had actually come in wanting acupuncture for post-partum depression with a copy of an article on the use of this prescription in China for it, that this was the perfect choice.

Discussion of Prescription

This formula, Gui Pi Tang, (Ginseng and Longan Formula) was first described by Dr. Yan Yong-Huo in " Prescriptions Beneficial to Life" in 1253 C.E., during the Song Dynasty, for "too much thought and worry..." Dr. Yan places this formula in his text under the discussion of forgetfulness due to conditions other than aging, and emphasizes its importance for memory.

In the Ming Dynasty text, "Complete Works of Jing-Yue", Dr. Zhang Jie-Bin adds to Dr. Yan's discussion, and describes its use in conditions of anxiety connected to repressed feelings, denial and suppression. In Claudia's case, we see that she reports being very worried, but "having nothing to worry about."

Well I know from experience, that, aside from the natural human tendency to experience fear of death and dying (see the fight or flight response), which we normally don't think about, this patient actually has a lot to worry about.

Also, she reported feeling that her husband loves her, but also reported that he was working long long hours, and not having much time for her and the baby.
On top of that there is the husbands emotionally cold family, especially the mother-in-law, who look down on her.

Even for someone with good self esteem and strong "Spleen Qi and Heart Blood" this would be a challenge. But when the Spleen Qi and Heart blood are empty, one lacks presence and power, and finds it difficult to manifest one's own sense of meaning. Someone without these deficiencies is not so vulnerable to being abandoned and/or bullied.

I gave Claudia this formula, as well as a very gentle and supportive acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture is really excellent for moving the Qi. That is exactly what it does. So it is really good when we are stuck in a pattern, especially if we are ready to step off that square and move into something different or new.
Claudia started feeling better quite rapidly. At the second visit one week later her appetite had improved, and naturally as a result her energy was getting better. She described feeling a little more "herself." I took advantage of this greater stability to recommend working with a psychologist who could help work on the preexisting emotional issues, as well as a way to improve her present circumstances relating to family and work.

Claudia resisted going to a psychologist at first, describing feeling stigmatized by it. But eventually she did, and then she and her husband went together, when it became clear that one of the issues making her anxious was her perception of him being more loyal to his family than to her. Again, this is something, because of her Spleen Qi and Heart Blood Vacuity, that she needed an ally, or mediator, to help her recognize. She could not "fight" with her husband about this, or even discuss it with him on her own.

Finally, I was able to give Claudia lessons in Mindfulness Meditation, which I find really vital for the treatment of Anxiety and Depression. Breathing exercises are excellent, too, but the great thing about the practice of Mindfulness Meditation is that it allows you to develop a tool for creating a safe place in which any and all of one's thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, dreams, reflections, attitudes, ideas, can be experienced and processed softly, gently, without judgment and without repression.

It is a way in which you actually process these things, and move out of the past and future into the present. Mindfulness meditation is very easy to practice, and I believe I can teach it to anyone. You just have to be willing to try. And it feels so good once you do it. All those things weighing you down become lighter, the things worrying you and spinning round and round and round in your head slow down and become dis-empowered. Will is one of the things developed.

Over the course of 6 months, getting a total of 8 acupuncture treatments, and taking the Gui Pi Tang, along with a Cordyceps Sinensis /Reishi Mushroom blend, consistently, Claudia reported feeling 80% better. Two years later I heard from her and she had had a second child and was doing fine internally. She had continued to work with the Psychologist for about a year and a half, during which time she had learned how to negotiate things like more frequent visits home, more visits of her mother and sister to San Diego, while taking on a part time job which got her out of the house on a regular basis doing something nourishing for herself.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Japan, Radioactive Remedies and Cell Phone Radiation

2011-04-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Radioactive iodine has been found in the milk of cows who graze in California and Washington State. While the Government assures us not to worry (why does that sentence make me grin?), if you are concerned, obviously this would be a good time to go on that cleansing diet that eliminates dairy products.

As to the larger question of exposure to radioactive isotopes and what you can do, one of the major public health officials recently (cannot remember if it was the Surgeon General or whom) said it would not hurt to take potassium iodide as a supplement; which, if my science is correct, protects the thyroid gland from the effects of radioactive iodine.

So I checked my multivitamin that I never remember to take, and lo and behold, potassium iodine is right there. So you probably don't need to go out and buy it specially.

Meanwhile, you could certainly be eating more sea vegetables right now, which are an excellent source of natural iodine and other valuable trace minerals. Claims are also made by Japanese macrobiotic teachers that miso paste is somehow protective against the side effects of radiation. I have no idea if this is true, and am quite skeptical of this type of unsubstantiated claim, but in the event, miso is a great food unless you have to avoid salt.

Here are some links to 9 delicious recipes for sea vegetables like kombu, arame, wakame, and nori, and miso soup, including my personal favorite, chick pea miso.

http://blog.bodymindwellnesscenter.com/search/label/Sea Vegetables

http://blog.bodymindwellnesscenter.com/search/label/Miso Soup

Meanwhile, this might be a good time to address the issue of radiation from cell phones. Let's see what today's N.Y. Times and the Journal of the American Medical Association have to say,

In a culture where people cradle their cellphones next to their heads with the same constancy and affection that toddlers hold their security blankets, it was unsettling last month when a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that doing so could alter brain activity.

The report said it was unclear whether the changes in the brain — an increase in glucose metabolism after using the phone for less than an hour — had any negative health or behavioral effects. But it has many people wondering what they can do to protect themselves short of (gasp) using a landline.

“Cellphones are fantastic and have done much to increase productivity,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, the lead investigator of the study and director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. “I’d never tell people to stop using them entirely.”

Yet, in light of her findings, she advises users to keep cellphones at a distance by putting them on speaker mode or using a wired headset whenever possible. The next best option is a wireless Bluetooth headset or earpiece, which emit radiation at far lower levels. If a headset isn’t feasible, holding your phone just slightly away from your ear can make a big difference; the intensity of radiation diminishes sharply with distance. “Every millimeter counts,” said Louis Slesin, editor of Microwave News, an online newsletter covering health and safety issues related to exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

So crushing your cellphone into your ear to hear better in a crowded bar is probably a bad idea. Go outside if you have to take or make a call. And you might not want to put your cellphone in your breast or pants pocket either, because that also puts it right up against your body. Carry it in a purse or briefcase or get a nonmetallic belt clip that orients it away from your body.

Some studies have suggested a link between cellphone use and cancer, lower bone density and infertility in men....

Here is the link to the whole article...http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/technology/personaltech/31basics.html?src=me&ref=general

Glad I don't own a cell phone...

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Cal Dept. of Health Epidemiologist on Better Use of Antibiotics

2011-03-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Buried in an article about overuse of the wrong antibiotics creating "super" drug resistant bacteria http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-infection-20110329,0,2329300.story(there is a current outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae, or CRKP, affecting at least 356 patients in Southern California in the last year)is this excellent section, What can patients do. However, what is nonsense, in part, is the Dept. of Public Health epidemiologist blaming the victims for the over prescription of antibiotics. Over the past 18 years, I have seen hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of patients pushed by their doctors to take unnecessary antibiotics for viral disorders like bronchitis and ear infections.

Yeah, patients need to be educated not to push for antibiotics. But who should educate them? That is the job of the M.D.'s themselves! Stop pushing drugs, guys? What really needs to change is the M.D.'s themselves who all too often give patients antibiotics "just to safe," while neglecting to advise them on the most basic nursing skills, like getting rest and pushing hot fluids. They are not practicing science-based, evidence-based, medicine.

Moreover, with other disorders, like low back pain, they are all to quick to give drugs like Vicodin and Percocet, which do not even reduce the inflammation that causes the pain (whereas ibuprofen does) which is so idiotic, especially since Vicodin causes constipation, which in turn forces patients to bear down hard with bowel movements, which is itself one of the tests for a bulging disc (called the Valsalva maneuver.) So if you become constipated and you have a mild disc bulge, you could actually worsen it. At least tell your patients to take stool softeners if you give that stuff.

But why not send them for acupuncture? Duh Uh! I had a patient just this week who had been given steroids! Frikkin steroids, which have a host of dangerous side affects. She also had percocet. They were doing nothing. One deep tissue trigger point acupuncture session with me and she was 50% better. Come on, western medicine needs to open its eyes and smell the needles.

Here is the excerpt from the article. The whole thing can be had here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-infection-20110329,0,2329300.story

"What can patients do?

It's not right to pressure your doctor to give you antibiotics for a viral infection. We need to be cognizant about limiting the use of antibiotics, period, because we really are going to have problems. CRKP and MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are the end result of us using antibiotics perhaps not as well as we should be using them. We have now developed these organisms that know how to combat even our biggest and baddest antibiotics. We cannot have these multi-drug resistant organisms running rampant. It's a good reminder to everyone, patients and providers, that we need to be really prudent when we give antibiotics to everyone, in-patient and outpatient.

What should patients ask their doctors?

Unfortunately, the culture now in these doctors' offices is you go in and say, 'I have bronchitis' and demand antibiotics.

Let's say you have bronchitis and you take [azithromycin]. Most cases are viral. If you had bacteria in your respiratory tract, they may have developed resistance. If you develop bronchitis that is bacterial, the next time you're treated the [azithromycin] might not work.

The public needs to give doctors that option to say that it's a virus instead of demanding antibiotics. We can also help doctors understand that it's OK to tell a patient to go home and rest and you don't have to give them something to make them feel like they got something out of the appointment. That is the culture. What we're trying to do with this initiative is to swing it the other way."

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Kitchen Medicine Cooking Medicine: Winter Papaya Salad with Toasted Black Sesame

2011-03-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Medicine Cooking Medicine: Winter Papaya Salad with Toasted Black Sesame: "Winter Papaya Salad with Toasted Black Sesame Papaya is one of the few fruits (the other being banana) that are recommended with other fo..."

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Winter Papaya Salad with Toasted Black Sesame

2011-03-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Winter Papaya Salad with Toasted Black Sesame

Papaya is one of the few fruits (the other being banana) that are recommended with other foods. Papaya is especially good with proteins, due to its high levels of the digestive enzymes papain and chymopapain, which act similarly to pepsin. It is also warming, and kindles the digestive fire (Agni), unlike many fruits, which are cooling, so it is good even in winter. (Please avoid cold fruits like melons in winter)

Here in the southwest we get lovely large Maridol papayas from Mexico, similar or identical to the ones you get on the east coast from the Carribean. In the supermarket you see the orange ones, but at the Vietnamese market I found more reddish ones, that are sweeter, more fragrant, and have a lovely color that contrasts so nicely with the black sesame in this dish.

I made this recently and brought it to Jerry and Anna's house for dinner. They served Oaxacan lamb cooked in banana leaf with chili sauce. This salad was a perfect accompaniment; the moist, light, Agni-stimulating nature of the salad helping to digest the dense, heavy lamb, which was slightly dry from his cooking method, and the cooling, moist lime and coconut compensating for the dry, hot nature of Jerry's hot chili sauce.

This recipe calls for lime juice. Lemon is really a poor substitute. Lime is a completely different flavor, and goes with fruit in a way lemon does not. Lime is used with fruit and with chili throughout Mexico and South/Southeast Asia; it is considered cooling, and gives a delightfully fresh scent to fruit salad.

Ingredients

2-3 cups papaya, cut into chunks.
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (i also really like the bottled lime juice from Iran, they are a different variety than the United State limes, with a wonderful fragrance like the limes in South India and Sri Lanka)
1-2 tsp raw sugar...i like raw coconut sugar...Indian jaggary or evaporated cane juice are also good. Its also great with honey instead.
1-2 tbsp toasted black sesame/coconut mixture (see below)
a pinch of salt if you want

Mix everything together a couple of hours before serving. Let it sit at room temperature so that all the flavors combine well.

Toasted black sesame coconut mix

Heat a heavy pan or wok to medium hot. Add black sesame. As it starts popping, add an equal amount of dried coconut. The best is from Sri Lanka. Keep stirring so nothing burns, lowering the heat if need be, or just removing from fire. You want the coconut slightly brown, not burnt. I then put this in the coffee grinder for a count of three--i want it coarse, not powdered. You could just grind it a bit in a mortar or suribachi, too. This is excellent in fruit salads.

Papaya in Ayurveda

Papaya is recommended in Ayurveda for balancing Vatta (moist, warming and sweet). As it is also a little astringent, and warm, it can be fine for Kapha, in smaller amounts. But if i were making the above recipe for Kapha, i would leave out the added sweetener.

On the other hand, Papaya increases heat in the body (virja), so it should be avoided most of time for Pittas, but again, there is a difference between a balanced Pitta and an unbalanced one; also between someone very Pitta dominant, and a Pitta Vatta. This is why diet must really be tailored to your unique constitution and your current prakruti.

So usage could like this.

Very Vatta Dominant or unbalanced: Eat frequently.
Vatta Pitta: Eat frequently, unless Pitta is unbalanced.
Pitta Vatta: Eat on occasion, esp if flatulant.
Kapha Vatta: Eat regularly, but not too ripe.

There are also the ways you balance the hot nature of this fruit, like mixing with rose water, untoasted coconut, or lime.

Because of the heat issue, Papaya is not recommended during pregnancy, and in Tamil Nadu I used to hear women avoiding it who were trying to get pregnant.

Papaya kindles ‘agni’/digestive fire, which in a sense makes it excellent for both Kapha and Vata, who tend to weaker fire by virtue of being dominated by cold water and air.

Obviously it is to be used with caution in a Pitta with heartburn, though even there, it might help, as some heartburners have lots of digestive stagnation aggravating their fire. So again, we must look at the specific case, rather than just forbid it to any Pitta.

I find it less aggravating to Pitta than very sour fruits like Kiwi, sour citrus, or Mango. But in all cases it is excellent for Ama (Digestive Toxin) accumulation, with thick or greasy tongue coating.

A person with excess Vatta will benefit from regular use of Papaya, especially if there is flatulence. It is also prescribed for dyspepsia associated with heart disease.

Papaya in Chinese medicine

Papaya is prescribed for digestive diseases in Chinese medicine, too. The unripe green papaya especially is used for digestive complaints. I have found Vietnamese green papaya salad an amazing digestive. The ripe fruit is used more for dysentery, urinary complaints and constipation. I recommend it all the time for constipation in my practice, and have had excellent results. Unfortunately a lot of United Statesans seem to dislike the flavor of papaya. If they try my salad, I think they will change their minds! :-)

copyright eyton j. shalom, march 2011, san diego, california. use with permission, all rights reserved.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

My Grandmother's Spice Cake, Banana Cake, and Potato Latkes

2011-03-10T21:52:00.001-08:00

Chinese Medicine observes that not only do different foods have difference "natures" (cold, cool, neutral, warm, hot), for example the heat of cinnamon or lamb vs. the coolness of coconut water or cucumber, but so do each of the cooking methods.

The least "heating" method of cooking is simple steaming or boiling. Stir frying adds even more heat, due to, in my opinion both the actual high heat as well as the oil/fat used. Broiling and baking are considered even more warming, and deep frying the most warming.

I think anyone who has ever eaten a french fried potato or grilled salmon can attest to the warm feeling you get vs eating a boiled potato or steamed salmon.

Now, about my grandmother's wonderful spice cake. In the world of sweet things, baked cakes are on the warming side, like muffins and pancakes, especially suitable to winter. Whereas ice cream, which I have no credible "health" defense for, other than the slogan "nothing is so healthy as a modest amount of intemperance", is obviously quite cooling, so suitable in tiny amounts to the summer months.

I recently discovered some faded scraps of paper from 1983, when my mother quickly wrote down for me the recipes for my grandmother's two famous cakes, one Spice, the other Banana, and also for her Potato Latkes, a kind of pancake eaten in winter, especially for the holiday called Chanukah.

I remember as a small child feeling so deprived by this spice cake. My idea of cake was chocolate with lots of layers and icing. But by the time I hit my 20's, I yearned for this cake. In 1977, during my first sojurn in India, my mother actually sent me, wrapped in foil, half a spice cake. Madras is not a place where you found bread or cake at all in those days. Only Indian sweets. So what a boon it was when the postman showed up at our gate, calling out, "post! post!", to see in his hands a package from my mother, thousands of miles away, and inside, food stuffs for my emaciated body, down to 150 lbs (I am 6'0") from the effects of the dysentery that all of us foreigners used to get back then.

The mother of our ashram, Laksmi, who had never had cake in her life, broke into a big smile when I showed her the contents, as a mother of four herself, she very much appreciated this loving gesture. And when I gave her some for her family, and she tasted it, her eyes lit up and she nodded her head sideways in the typical south Indian gesture of approval.

In any case, as a celebratory farewell to winter 2011, (in San Diego it was 67 with a dry wind today, and at night the mockingbirds sing their hearts out announcing, if anyone had any doubt, that spring is, indeed, here)here are my grandmother's recipes, as written by my mother, of blessed memory, from some time before the 1940's, if not earlier.

I am sure these could be modified with whole wheat pastry flour and reduced amounts of sugar. Perhaps they could be done with agave syrup or coconut palm sugar, both having lower glycemic indexes. The very ripe bananas make the first cake naturally sweet, to. I might try adding some cardamom and even saffron to the banana cake.

Ayurveda

Both cakes being warming, unctuous, heavy, and sweet, are very suitable to Vata types, especially if they are of the thin, cold, and dry type. A balanced Kapha could have a small piece. Ditto Pitta, although the spice cake might not work for an unbalanced Pitta with heartburn issues, though i doubt a small piece with some oolong tea would cause much problem.

Shoshana Rudavsky's Banana Cake, from my mother's hand.

Cream 1/2 cup shortening with 1 & 1/3 cup sugar until light.
Add 2 eggs and beat. (I dont understand this, shouldnt this happen separately?)
Dissolve 1 tsp baking soda in 1 cup sour milk or yogurt and add.
Mash 2 very ripe bananas (peel is brown) and add to batter.
Combine 1 tsp baking powder with 2 cups cake flour.
Combine all the ingredients and mix a bit.
Pour into a greased baking pan.
(They used to use the round ones with the hole in the center)
Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 40 minutes.

Options:

My mother often added walnuts, and near the later part of her life, chocolate chips.
Once she made it with applesauce, rather than bananas, and reported using 1 baby applesauce jar's worth, which seems like too little to me...
Mother's notes carry the following addendum:

" Can just throw in all the ingredients in order written as I do--Stir and bake, a quick job (does not make as big a cake as the other)"
Now I am not a baker, but I don't know how the eggs get adequately dissolved in this scenario...

Ida Levy's Spice Cake, from my mother's hand.

Ingredients:

2 cups cold water
2 cups sugar, white or brown
2 cups raisens
1 cup cooking oil
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda

Combine the above in a pot and bring to a simmering boil, stirring the whole while. Don't allow it to stick. Set aside to cool (she adds "sometimes I don't have time to cool very much").
After cooling add
4 cups flour
1 cup slightly crushed walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
and stir well.

Pour into greased pan and bake in hot oven about 90 minutes (she comments, "It never seems to take that long...test with a toothpick")
"Makes a nice big cake."

note: i am sure i saw my mother adding ginger to this when i was a teenager, but i could be mistaken. definitely the leading fragrance is of nutmeg and clove....having made spice cake pancakes with ginger added, i can say its not a bad addition in any event.

------------------

Sara Rudavsky Soltes' Potato Latkes

2 eggs
3 cups grated, drained potatoes
4 tbsp grated onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp matzo meal or cracker meal (she adds "i dont think i usually add this")
1/2 cup oil or butter

Beat eggs, add all the ingredients except the butter/oil.
Heat 1/2 the butter in a frying pan.
Drop the potato mixture into the hot oil/butter by the tbsp.
Fry until brown on both sides.
Keep pancakes hot until all are done, adding more oil to pan as needed.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Source Natural's Brand "Wellness Formula" The Right and Wrong Way to Use

2011-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite over-the-counter herbal medicines is Source Natural's Brand Wellness Formula. It is an excellent medicine when used correctly. It contains a fine mixture of Bitter Cold anti-viral and anti-bacterial herbs, along with some important strengthening or tonic herbs, as well as some valuable vitamins, minerals, and other neutraceuticals, like propolis. This makes it very appropriate and useful to take at the very first sign of a cold or flu, especially if there are symptoms of fatigue and feeling run down.

This is because most often, we are susceptible to colds and flus exactly when our immune systems are weakened by fatigue from overwork and stress. At that point, hitting the virus hard, by taking large doses of this product for a couple of days (2 tabs 3x in a day for people with robust digestion), and then stopping or continuing at a lower dose (1tab-2x/day) for a few days if you feel totally normal and no longer run down and symptom free) is the way I use it. If you follow the 2 tabs 3x in a day for 2 days, and get sick anyway, then you can continue at that dose for up to a week or two, maximum.

However, if you have a severe sore throat, or cough of any kind, I always combine this with some Chinese Herbal formulas that better address those symptoms, as the Wellness will be inadequate. It really does almost nothing for cough at all. And sore throat is better treated with other formulas like Yin Qiao San.

Wellness Formula is basically a broad spectrum formula that is all purpose and non-specific. So if you have extreme symptoms of any kind it is always best to tailor you medication to those symptoms.

The problem arises when people follow the directions on the bottle, which well serves the sales mission of the manufacturer, but poorly serves the health needs of its customers. Why do I say this?

Exactly because this formula contains such strong "clear heat and toxins" medicinals, like Echinacea and Goldenseal, which are bitter and cold, and because it contains such high amounts of Vitamin C, which is also cold, long term use of this formula will actually damage the digestive fire, (Agni in Ayurveda) which in turn causes weakened "Zheng Qi" or righteous qi, which is one of the bases of the immune system.

In fact, Echinacea and Goldenseal can have diarrhea as a side effect, which I don't consider a problem when taken for a couple of days (so long as it is very mild diarrhea and not severe), but is definitely a problem over an extended period.

We know from science that Echinacea does alter the bacteria in the gut, which may explain the above. Perhaps. The other thing about high doses of Vitamin C that I have observed repeatedly, is that do to its acidity, even in ascorbate form, it can damage the digestive fire and cause problems like rectal itching.

I also learned years ago, that long term use of Echinacea renders your body insenitive to its benefits, that is, the body adapts to it. Don't know if this is actually true, but I learned it from a Native American herbalist, and this is a North American plant I am told. Have not had a chance to verify this last bit.

There is also the issue that some people may experience allergic reactions to echinacea if they are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies. Also, people with asthma may be more likely to have an allergic reaction when taking echinacea.

So, if your immune system is weakened, and you get colds, flus, and bronchitis often, lets say more than 2x a year, this is the wrong product to take. It is much better to get an accurate diagnosis from a licensed herbalist and to take stronger herbs to build the immune system and at the same time clear the dampness that is most often involved in weakened Wei Qi, which is the term we use in Chinese Medicine for the aspect of the immune system that protects against infectious air borne diseases.

This is absolutely the wrong product to take daily for "wellness maintenance." Daily use of this product over the long term is not beneficial, in my clinical experience, and in the opinion of both Ayurvedic and Chinese Medical theories.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego. San Diego Acupuncturist and Ayurvedic Practitioner http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Lymph Node Study Shakes Pillar of Breast Cancer Care

2011-02-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

For about 20 percent of breast cancer patients, removing cancerous nodes, a painful measure that can cause complications, does not improve survival or prevent cancer recurrence, researchers say.

A new study finds that many women with early breast cancer do not need a painful procedure that has long been routine: removal of cancerous lymph nodes from the armpit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/health/research/09breast.html?hp

According to this article, for 100 years western medical surgeons have been doing a procedure on millions of women because they BELIEVED it would prolong women's lives.

God bless them, they were well meaning, if sometimes over aggresive (especially with women's bodies--like the gazillions of women who used to be given full hysterectomies in their 20's, or the thousands of unnecessary ceasarians performed because of lack of birthing skill or doctor's schedules), but I would like to make the point that Western Medicine often uses surgical procedures and even drugs (so called "off label" use of anti-convulsents like gabapentin for neuralgia and depression, for example) that have not been tested for efficacy. They use them because of belief, not science. The gold standard for science is reproducability in controlled experiments, not old fashioned case studies which are full of bias.

This is exactly why I find it so galling when western medicine folk issue patronizing proclamations about how "we don't know if Chinese Medicine works..."

Not that traditional natural med should not be studied. By all means. But lose the high and mighty attitude in the meanwhile....

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Azuki Beans in your Oatmeal!

2011-01-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal with Azuki Bean (Oat and Bean Congee)

Beans in Oatmeal? How is it possible?

Soft, mild tasting Azuki beans have a long history of use in Japan and South Asia in sweet foods and deserts. In Chinese medicine they are considered grounding and balancing, and strengthening to the Kidney Qi. They are so easy to digest they are considered an "honorary grain" in Japan. And 1/2 cup of cooked azuki has 7 grams of protein, good amounts of B vitamins, and 10% of the daily value for Iron, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.
They also contain zinc and calcium.

Sounds like a super food!

Congee is a term used in East and South Asia for any grain cooked until mushy like a porridge or soup. In Chinese culture congee (or Shi Fan rice water in Mandarin, Juk in Cantonese) is typically made with rice and eaten any time of day. These will typically have small amounts of meats or fish in them. Special herb congees are given to people when they are sick.

Now back to the oatmeal. Using Azuki in oatmeal lowers the glycemic index of the whole dish, raising the protein level nicely when used along with soy or dairy milk. And oatmeal is so naturally creamy, I like to make mine like South Indian rice pudding. Here's one way to do it.

Ingredients

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup barley flakes--avail at Whole Foods or the Japanese market
1 tbsp finely sliced ginger--slice thinly then chop into fine shreds
5-6 bruised cardamon pods--crush them gently in the mortar, or you could go with 1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 cup cooked azuki bean--I use Eden brand canned Azuki in bisphenol-A free cans
3 cups water
1 cup your favorite milk--i like to use soy here

Place all the ingredients, except the milk, in a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower, and simmer until its creamy and thick. Now add the milk, and simmer another 10 minutes until its your desired consistency. For thinner oatmeal use more water, for thicker, use less, but make sure the oats and beans are very well cooked.

Variations: I like to add Goji berries, dried apricot, golden raisins, almonds, or cashews sometimes. Add these at the beginning so they cook in, or in the case of the nuts, toast them and place on top. If you want, sweeten with some date syrup or honey. Try it with cinnamon and clove, too, especially in cold weather.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Napa Cabbage 1-2-3-

2011-01-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

my friend lucia keeps composting her napa. (she grows a lot since she owns a farm, but she complained she has ideas for everything but napa).

here are two great ways to use napa in cooking.

one: napa stir fry

heat sesame oil (plain, not toasted type)to pretty hot
add grated or julienned ginger
stir 10 seconds and lower flame
add sliced shitake mushroom
stir fry for a few minutes, less if fresh, longer if dried.
add napa cut in larger pieces. add the white part first the leafy ends second.
stir fry a minute while adding tamari wheat free soy sauce to taste.
add a dash of white pepper, or five spice powder if you like near the end
add a dash of toasted sesame oil and some scallions if you like

(you can also use dashes of ume plum vinegar and mirin.

cover, lower flame, simmer and stir for a few minutes until done.
---------------------------------

two: napa in miso soup

i love using napa in fish miso soup.
boil water
add favorite fish (scallops and oysters are great in winter...i know, they are not fish!)
as its nearly cooked add napa.
shitake is also great here, also kombu, carrot, any mushroom, snap pea, kale, etc)
add you favorite miso paste. lately i have been mixing mellow white with red miso, which i tend to do in winter.
simmer for a minute or two.

voila! fish soup in ten minutes...

serve with buckwheat udon noodles or short grain brown rice.

copyright eyton shalom san diego ca jan 2011 use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Eating with the Seasons: Winter

2010-12-24T00:19:00.000-08:00

*************************************************
Just as its natural to eat and drink cooling
things in summer, winter is the time to stimulate
your digestive fire with warming foods and herbs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warming Foods and Herbs: Turnip, Rutabaga, Parsnip,
Sweet Potato, Butternut and Acorn Squash, Kabocha Squash,
Daikon Radish, Lamb, Chicken, Tempeh, Onion, Garlic, Scallion,
Ginger, Cumin, Fenugreek, Black Pepper, Curry Powder
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Balance heavy foods like meat and cheese with lightly steamed or sauteed
non-starchy vegetables like kale, collard greens, dandelion,
bok choy, cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, burdock, mushrooms

Make heavy foods like beef or lamb "lighter" by cooking with
ginger and daikon, and/or in soup with your favorite vegetables.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In winter avoid cold energy foods that weaken your digestive fire.
Examples are cucumbers, melons, iced drinks, large amounts of salad.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An especially bad cooling food in cold winter is coconut water. Coconut water
is excellent in the hot weather because it is so cooling. But it is only
drunk in the hot season in South Asia, never, ever in cold or rainy weather.

Winter Miso Soup for Colds

A traditional remedy for winter colds is miso soup cooked with
fresh ginger and scallions. Its so simple.

Low boil 2 cups water with 5 slices fresh ginger root for 5 minutes.
Reduce to simmer.
Add 1 tbsp mellow white or red miso paste, more or less to taste
Add 3 tbsp chopped scallion, especially the white ends.
Add a dash of white pepper
Stir until the miso paste dissolves and simmer about 1-2 minutes.

If you want, you can boil root vegetables first and then follow the
above steps, daikon radish, burdock root, and shitake mushroom are excellent.

Think Vegetarian Chicken Soup!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Ayurveda: Disease Formation by Dosha Vitiation, Agni, and Ama

2010-12-20T01:01:00.000-08:00

Ayurveda: the Formation of Disease through Dosha Vitiation, Weakened Agni/Digestive Fire and Accumulated Ama/Digestive Toxins

Ayuveda looks at the formation of disease in the body as the function of two primary factors: One is vitiated or unbalanced Dosha (Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha), and the other, is the formation of Ama, which can loosely be translated as Toxic Material.

When doshas are unbalanced they collect in the digestive tract, just as a stranger enters a house through the front door and waits in an ante-room. The unbalanced dosha will effect the digested, or poorly digested nutrients waiting to nourish the tissues, and also the waste products themselves. Over time, as the vitated dosha accumulates, it spreads to the tissues associated with the particular dosha, and also to any tissues (dhatus) or channels (srotas) that are already weakened or damaged.

How do the doshas become vitiated? The doshas become vitiated through indiscretions of diet and activity, or lifestyle. This is why it is so important to have a clear understanding of your particular dosha pattern, which is never just a single dosha. No one is a Pitta, or a Vatta. Everyone is at least a Pitta-Vatta, or Vatta-Kapha, and the degree and unique manner of the mix is critical to understand.

The degree of dosha disturbance is a function of both time and severity of causes. You may have a diet matched to your dosha with a regular occasional indiscretion that only catches up to you after many years, or you can have a diet and lifestyle that assaults your body-mind. Here we have a veritable home invasion in which an army of strangers collects quickly in our ante-room before proceeding to invade every room and closet and cupboard in the house, turning everything upside down and creating a very strong disease.

How much any one thing disturbs your dosha depends on how closely it matches the dosha. Vatta is aggravated by substances and experiences that are cold, dry, and light. So an iced beverage in Summer will aggravate a bit, but an iced beverage with dry crackers and raw kale (which is light and also bitter) for dinner will aggravate even more.
Have that meal while camping in the desert on a cold dry windy Autumn night, and you have a perfect scenario. Now have all this while living in the desert, driving two hours a day, watching lots of horror movies, and constantly multi-tasking with high-tech devices, and you are guaranteed some good solid disease.

Keeping your doshas balanced also involves cultivating strong Agni or Digestive Fire.

In Ayurveda almost all disease originates with weakness of physical or mental digestive fire. Weakness of Agni and accumulation of Ama have an inverse relationship. Everything that strengthens Agni prevents Ama accumulating. Everything that weakens Agni leads to Ama accumulating. The beginning of health is to protect and engender Agni.

According to Charaka, one of the fathers of Ayurveda, "...the balance and aggravation of the doshas is at all times due to the relative strength or weakness of the digestive fire/Agni. Therefore one must always protect the digestive fire and prohibit all activities that might weaken it."

Unfortunately, the standard American diet and lifestyle is probably the most weakening to the digestive fire in human history. The following are some examples:

* Lots of gigantic iced beverages
* Lots of cold foods
* A lack of spices
* Lots of sweet, bland, and heavy foods
* Lack of variety
* An overabundance of damp-producing wheat and meat in the diet
* A lack of vegetables (especially green ones)
* Eating old foods, such as week-old prepared foods and frozen foods
* Eating without regards to the seasons (for example, drinking Coconut water in Winter or cold rainy weather)
* Rushed eating
* Eating at the computer or television
* Not going to the bathroom when there is urge
* Over exercising like running marathons
* Lack of exercise
* Excessive speed and stimulation with lack of deep relaxation

Digestive fire/Agni is seen to be normal when there is the following:

* Normal hunger
* No discomfort after eating
* No belching with the meal
* A light feeling after eating
* A feeling of satisfaction and well being after meals
* Regular excretion of wastes
* Normal consistency of wastes (like a ripe banana)
* Wastes have a mild odor

Digestive fire is weakened by overuse of cold and liquid substances. This is really critical. I have seen many, many patients who have damaged their Agni by force-feeding water because of the misinformation about drinking eight glasses of water a day. There is absolutely no science and no tradition behind this idea.

In the 1920s an American scientist did research on how much fluid an average adult male American consumes in a day. That included the water in steak, in green beans, in espresso, even in a dried apricot. He concluded the average was 8 ounces. Somehow chiropractors and naturopaths grabbed onto this tidbit and began prescribing 64 ounces of water a day.

Trying to drink that much is not easy. It completely cools and dilutes your digestive fire. Water is inherently cool. That is why in the desert when you come upon moist soil it is cooler than dry soil. Sometimes in their zeal to combat the ravages of the industrial revolution on workers in England, naturopathic-minded physicians went to the opposite radical extreme. We also see that in the heavy use of purgative laxatives.

Ayurveda believes in paying attention to your thirst and drinking when thirsty. The problem is that many people get busy and ignore their thirst. The remedy is to pay attention, not to force-feed cold fluid.

So Agni/digestive fire is weakened by the following:

* Over consumption of liquids and cold foods
* Over consumption of raw food, especially for Vatta dominants and especially by iced beverages, particularly in cold weather and in winter
* Overeating
* Overconsumption of heavy foods such as wheat and meat, especially if cooked without spices or eaten without condiments of pickles, which stimulate Agni
* Eating before the previous meal is digested
* Improper food combining
* A lack of fermented foods
* Bread made with baker's yeast
* Consumption of food at the wrong time, meaning not matched to the season, climate, your age, or your health condition
* Sexual over activity
* Overwork
* Lack of exercise (a quick way to stimulate Agni is to go for a 45 minute walk)
* Mental causes, such as excessive amounts of loneliness, fear, anger, sadness, worry, greed, envy

How does weak Agni lead to disease? When Agni is weak, Ama forms. Ama literally means "raw, unripened, uncooked." Sadly, it refers to food that is absorbed into the body without having been completely digested first. (This is akin to what Chinese medicine describes as a failure of the Spleen's transformation and transportation mechanism, which leads to accumulation of dampness and stagnant Qi in the Triple Burner.)

This undigested material cannot be processed. It is like sending incorrect input into your computer and causing it to crash. In our bodies this undigested material, Ama, is toxic; it clogs our channels of communication and disrupts normal physiological functions. Instead of our body getting the pure essence of foods rasa as its essential nutritive substance, instead it gets a foul, sticky substance that clogs the channels (srotas), and impairs the tissues (dhatus). Ama is the substance then that nourishes disease. And mental Ama arises when the mind is unable to digest experience, leaving it stuck and sticky.

Even in the case of infectious diseases, the exposure to disease-causing micro-organisms can only cause disease in those folk who are vulnerable and weakened due to accumulation of Ama and weakened Agni.

The following is a quick summary of ways to engender Agni and prevent Ama:

* Eating while relaxed in an appetizing setting
* Chewing well
* Starting with a little soup, ending with a little tea
* Avoiding iced or chilled foods and beverages
* Avoiding excessive raw food depending on your dosha
* Eating according to your dosha and age
* Eating with the seasons
* Stopping when you are less than full
* Not overdrinking with the meal
* Including all six tastes in a meal (The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter pungent, and astringent.)
* Eating food that is freshly prepared or less than 24 hours old if cooked
* Sipping some tea after a meal
* Going for a brief stroll after a meal
* Using spices and herbs in cooking
* Using digestive herbs and spices as medicine
* Starting the day with some ginger root or fennel tea
* Getting appropriate physical activity (but away from meal time)

Agni is weakened and Ama formed by the following:

* Eating foods inappropriate to your dosha, season, or current health state
* Eating the same foods all the time
* Drinking too much fluid with meals
* Overeating
* Resisting the urge to eat
* Eating old or frozen food
* Eating too much rich foods
* Consuming poisonous food such as pesticides and drugs
* Eating too much of any one taste
* Staying up late
* Eating late at night
* Getting insufficient exercise
* Not processing feelings and conflicts

Ama is removed from the body-mind by the following:

* Pranayam (deep breathing)
* Meditative practice and "personal growth" type work
* Moderate sweating through exercise appropriate to your dosha (for example,
Pitta types must not run under the hot sun)
* Dietary practices such as a Mono Diet fast
* Fasting that does not damage Agni, which is appropriate to your dosha
* Herbs like Trifala, Guggul, and Neem
* Panchakarma treatment involving warm oil massage, special diets, silence, followed by appropriate expurgation therapy

So prevention of disease in Ayurveda begins with Agni/digestive fire. It is strong physical and mental Agni that enables our Body-Mind to absorb nutrients and burn off waste products. When this fails, our body creates toxic sludge, called Ama, that lodges deep in our physical and mental beings, leading to physical and mental diseases, from depression and anxiety to ulcers and migraines.

The end result of the transformation by strong Agni is called Ojas in Ayurveda. A Sanskit term that can mean "power" or "vigor," this is, like "Jing" in Chinese Medicine, the pure essence of completely digested foods and experiences. Ojas circulates throughout the Body-Mind, nourishing at the deepest levels. It is what you notice in superbly healthy people whose eyes shine, whose skin and hair are lustrous, and who have plenty of energy for physical and psychological accomplishment. It is what you see in people of great happiness.

The above lists show us ways to promote Agni and prevent Ama. One facet is the actual food we take in. Another facet is how ready we are to actually digest even the most Sattvic or pure diet. A pure diet does not guarantee healthy Agni, because the way in which we eat and our mentality around food is so important. Food obsession and tension around self-nourishment can undo even the most healthy diet. I see that all the time. Also, half the Agni equation is purely mental and has nothing to do with food at all.

So have a healthy diet that is light and easily digestible, suitable to your Body-Mind type (dosha), and respectful of your food culture of origin. But at the same time, please pay attention to what Buddhism calls "mental culture" or how you process feeling and thoughts and how you interact with other living beings.

Having a daily meditation practice, and a fundamentally healthy philosophy of living are as important as what you eat. Yes, you are what you eat. To which I would add, "You are how you eat and digest. You are what you think and feel."

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

2010-12-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

Tired of gaining 5-10 lbs every holiday season? Here is something you can do.
Any healthy person can fast for one day. Try fasting for one day between Thanksgiving and Christmas and again between Christmas and New Year’s day to rest the digestive system and increase awareness and sensitivity to genuine food needs.
Drink as much warm water as you want, or spiced water (boil ginger, cardomom, clove, cinnamon in water). If you are weak, have a glass or two of heated milk of your choice (dairy, soy, hemp, almond). The next morning break your fast with a few pieces of fruit.

Vippassana Food Meditation

During the holiday season, from Thanksgiving through the New Year, there is a tendency to over-indulge in heavy foods and sweets. They are hard to resist, especially for office workers, who are faced with a barrage of candies and sweets strategically placed on the corners of co-workers’ desks.

At the same time, many of us gobble down our food, barely experiencing what exactly it is we are putting in our mouths. How we eat is as important as what we eat.

Try this food meditation practice. It can be done with any kind of food, and is often practiced with a solitary piece of fruit (or chocolate!). Take this piece of food and place it in your palm. Consider it. Feel its weight in your hand, and notice its shape, color, and smell. Place the item in your mouth and begin chewing with care. Do not swallow. Let go of everything else in your mind and focus only on the small amount of food in your mouth. We are doing only what we are doing. In fact we are barely doing; we are being. Human being.

You are chewing a piece of food. Pay attention to the food’s flavor and texture. Pay attention to the subtle differences between the surface of the food and its inside. For example, how different does the skin of a grape and its pulp taste? Is the skin astringent? Is the pulp sweet and juicy? In a tangerine segment, for example, does it have seeds? Do they add a bitter note to the otherwise sweet experience? As you continue to chew, bring all your faculties of mindfulness to the experience—in taste, smell, touch, sound. Notice what comes up in your mind in relation to the food item. Notice thoughts; notice feelings. Notice what comes up and sit with it. Notice what comes up and allow it to pass without pushing it away or pushing it back down. Be there in the experience. Be awake to it. Doing something as simple as chewing one bite of food with awareness is the beginning of mindfulness. Now it will be easier to know exactly what it is that is staring at you seductively from that plate of M&M’s on the corner of your neighbor’s desk.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Staying Health with the Seasons: Winter

2010-12-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

Staying Healthy with the Seasons: Winter

Hototogisu kata Did a cuckoo cry?
Niwa no to akerya I open the door
Koyoi no sora nya And look out in the garden--
Tsuki bakai There is only the moon

Translation by Kenneth Rexroth, 1958, from 100 Poems from the Japanese.

In the above simple verse, the poet captures the essence of winter—the cool Yin light of the moon personifying the inward nature of solitude.

Chinese medicine, influenced by the ideas of Chinese philosophy, observes the movement of life-forces in nature and seeks a way of living that is in harmony, rather than in conflict with this Qi (life force).

While summer is a time of great activity, winter is a time of stillness and clarity.

When is the best time to have a yard sale? In the summer when everyone is out and about, hearts open, even a bit frivolous. Sidewalk traffic is at a maximum. In the winter, people are in their homes, with family, conserving their dollars for holiday gift giving.

Winter is a time of stillness and clarity. In San Diego we are blessed with wonderful clear night skies, even in the city you can look up and grab the constellation Orion or the brightest star Sirius with your own left hand. This experience, while exciting, also imparts a kind of radiant calm that is part of this season.

In the garden we see plants sending their energies down into their roots. Summer is the time for great displays of foliage, flowers, and fruit, fall harvests these fruits, but winter is the time for storage and the wisdom that accrues with contemplation and assessment.

And there is a natural human effort at balance. In the darkest of seasons, in all northern climes, there are festivals of lights, pagan Teutonic bonfires, Semitic and Hindu oil lamps, holiday trees with stars on top, and Zorastrian fire rituals. We balance the natural isolation of the season by reaching out to each other with gift giving.

Nature exerts balance also. In the north, covered with snow, when there is sun, it is reflected and magnified by the pure whiteness, the Yang within the Yin. And then there is the white winter moon.

Health Tip: Go to sleep early, but rise late after the sun has risen and exerted its warmth.

–Nei Jing Classic of Chinese Medicine, circa 200 b.c.e.

Keeping Healthy in Winter: The Lungs
Disease from Seasonal Factors: The Natural Excesses

The ancients observed that there are “natural excesses” innate to each climate and each season (heat, dry, damp, cold, wind), and that these “excesses” have the potential to weaken our defenses and compromise immunity, thus contributing to the gamut of factors that lead to respiratory and other illnesses characteristic of each season.

Thus they theorized that ameliorating the effects of, for example, heat in summer, or dryness in autumn, saves the body’s energy for its intrinsic needs.

The Lungs: How They Function and How They Become Damaged

The lungs are the canopy of the internal organs, the roof top of the inner rainforest.

With each breath they maintain contact with the outer world. As such, they are the vulnerable first line of defense against exterior pathogens. When it is windy, it is the leaves of the tree that shake, less so the trunk.

We rely upon our lungs to absorb the Qi of the air, effectively and efficiently. In order to do this they must remain slightly moist and slightly cool. The lungs are like two giant sponges. They are delicate and light and are easily damaged or weakened by smoke, particulate matter (dust, asbestos), air-borne fumes (bleach, synthetic perfume), unprocessed or overwhelming grief, and natural climactic factors like wind-cold and wind-dry.

They are also damaged by interior pathogens, factors, and substances generated by our own selves when ill or unbalanced. For example, the heat of febrile illness can dry the lungs. You see this in the lingering dry cough that may follow a cold. Some people have an inherited a cold damp or hot damp lung condition. We see this in asthma, where there is excessive phlegm production.

So, the lungs function best when they are slightly moist. Think of a sponge. If is dried out, it can’t absorb anything; if it is soaking wet, it also cannot absorb. At the same time they need to be not too hot and not too cold. Balance is the key.

Damage by Dry, Heat, Cold, and Wind

In early winter the air becomes windy and cold. In San Diego we may also get dry hot air from the desert. In both cases the lungs, which like to be moist and slightly cool, face the challenge of adaptation.

The first round of rhino-viruses (colds) are spreading. The point of contact between the cold viruses and your body are the mucosal tissues of the nasal cavities (which are considered part of the lung complex). If you are exposed and your lungs or immune system are weakened, you become ill.

Winter: Damage by Cold, Wind, Dry, Toxic Heat

By mid-winter the air becomes truly cold. At the same time indoor heating is very, very drying. Look at what it does to your skin! That is what it does to your respiratory mucus membranes that are inhaling that dry air and giving up their own moisture in order to extract the oxygen from the air. At the same time, rhino viruses are everywhere. People fall ill and the lungs are the first organ affected. Colds, flu, and bronchitis produce toxic heat that scorches and damages the lungs.

Ayurveda: Season of Kapha

Winter, especiallly late Winter, is the season of Kapha in Ayurveda. Kapha is the dosha (body-mind types) comprised of earth and water, and is by nature affected by cold and damp. As such it is easy for people with Kapha imbalance to be thrown further off by the cold or damp weather of winter. People with Vatta imbalance will also be affected, as they are disturbed by cold and dry.

People with Kapha imbalance tend to lethargy, persistent sleepiness, poor appetite or excessive sweet craving, difficulty losing weight, tendency to catching colds, sinus infections, coughs, and phlegm.

Kaphas, when balanced, bring energy, strength, solidity, endurance, and caring, loving, and easygoing attitudes.

To keep Kapha types warmed and stimulated I use Kapha tea, containing clove, Cardomom, ginger, green tea, and cinnamon. This can be drunk in the morning and afternoon in cold weather.

To warm Vatta types, I prefer a combination of fennel, licorice, ginger, cinnamon, black cardomom, and ajwain. This is both warming and moistening, without being stimulating. (No green tea.)

Natural Remedies for Winter: Chinese Medicine

Ginger Tea

The simplest way to warm your body up when coming in out of cold windy weather is with hot tea. Fresh ginger root "relieves the surface," meaning it warms the superficial layers of the body, muscles, and skin. Dry ginger tea "warms the interior."

Dry ginger or ginger powder is "hotter" than fresh ginger root and more profoundly warms the core of the body. You can sweeten this tea with either licorice root or honey, both of which are slightly moistening, and therefore are good for the lungs and throat.

Other warming tea spices are fennel, cinnamon, clove, and the kind of sage sold in Greek and Arab markets.

Pears and Pear Juice: A Natural Protective and Restorative for the Lungs

Conveniently, nature provides us with an abundance of pears in autumn. In the Far East they are the natural seasonal fruit. Chinese medicine says that pears “enter the lung channel,” which is a way of saying that over time they have observed a beneficial effect from this food on lung tissue.

Pears are naturally moistening and cooling, perfect for nourishing and protecting the mucosa of respiratory tissue against the ravages of dryness, heat, and toxins.

Experiment. Eat a piece of apple and then a piece of pear. Compare. The apple is sweet, but it is also slightly astringent, even leaving the mouth slightly dry. Pears are slightly sour, but not astringent (a drying flavor), rather they have a moist, slippery quality to them, not unlike the herb Slippery Elm. Eat pears in the autumn and winter for prevention, and if you have been sick, to help restore healthy lung function.

Pears can be cooked and mashed, like apple sauce. Add a little warming cinnamon in cold weather and a tiny amount of honey, which also benefits the lungs.

When you catch a cold or get bronchitis, you must push fluids. Scientists have shown it is easier to drink a lot of water when it has a flavor. Try adding an ounce of pear juice to seven ounces of water.

To children, who usually can handle more sweets, give undiluted or half diluted pear juice. My favorite is Knudsen brand organic, which is not from concentrate. Or better yet, juice fresh pears in the juicer with celery, beet, and parsley.

Pears can be cooked, Afghani style: Saute diced onion in a little oil, and when brown, add five chopped pears, enough water to cook, a little turmeric, a dash cayenne, three to five cardamom pods, lemon, vinegar, sugar, and salt all to taste. Simmer on low till the pears are soft. This should be slightly sweet, sour, and savory. Yum!

Chinese Tonic Herb Chicken Soup

Winter is an excellent time for deep tonification of the internal organs. Chicken broth naturally tonifies the “Qi and blood.” This means it strengthens the internal organs and essential substances of the body, increasing resistance and boosting immunity. This effect is multiplied ten-fold when chicken soup is cooked with Chinese tonic herbs like Astragalus/Huang Qi, White Ginseng/Ren Shen, and Dioscorea/Shan Yao.

If there are colds going around or if you feel run down, make the following recipe and eat it for two or three days in a row. If you do catch a cold or flu, then also eat this soup but omit the ginseng and cook the soup with rice in it.

Ingredients:

1. 7 slices Astragalus root
2. 4 slices Dioscorea root
3. 1 piece Ginseng root
4. 1 tablespoon Longan fruit
5. Salt, pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, all to taste
6. Vegetables as desired: parsnip, turnip, carrot, celery, parsley
7. 1 small organic chicken, washed well
8. Scallions if desired to garnish at serving.

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a large pot with enough water to cover well. Bring to a boil, cook on a medium high heat with a lid for one hour, and then at low heat for two hours (long enough for the bones to become soft). The idea is to extract the essence of the bones, as well as the meat. You might choose to add the vegetables midway. Enjoy this soup warm or hot.

© Eyton Shalom, San Diego, CA, December 2010, all rights reserved

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Halcyon Tea Company

2010-12-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

Now that their web site is up and running http://halcyontea.com/teas/index.php, I wanted to again mention Halcyon tea, a lovely little tea shop in San Diego with excellent quality teas of all types: Ooolong, Pu-erh, Green, Black, Scented, and Herbal. (As well as a fine array of tea pots and paraphenelia)I have tried 5-6 teas from them so far, and each was really superb.

I particularly liked the following tea Silver Needle Beencha

This uncooked pu-erh is crafted from downy Yin Zhen leaf buds to create a sweet, silky cup with soft notes of green melon. Incredibly drinkable, this offering is completely different from the other pu-erhs we stock. This makes for an excellent addition to any aficionado's list. Crafted in 2005, it is perfect for continued aging

and on the other end of the price spectrum, this dark Pu Erh,

1997 Imperial Shou

This loose-style offering yields a smooth, richly sweet character. It begins with significant earthy overtones of chocolate and cinnamon which mellow and become exceptionally sweet after several infusions. Pairs well with heavier foods. Perfect for dim sum.

See my earlier blog entry on Pu Erh tea, too. Excellent for people getting off coffee, who still want a dark strong drink...

My favorite tea pot is the traditional Chinese Yixing Purple Jade. This is the tea pot that absorbs the fragrance of your tea, so that over time, as it gets seasoned, your tea becomes more and more fragrant. However, for that effect, you have to have a separate pot for darker teas like Pu Erh, and lighter green teas, otherwise your green teas will start to smell like Pu Erh.

In use for well over 1,000 years, the yixing teapot is a study in traditional Chinese tea culture. Though they may take on various shapes and sizes, the essence of a yixing teapot lies in its materials and craftsmanship. Our selections are handcrafted from Yixing purple clay. The porous material absorbs the flavors and aromas of the tea during steeping, with continued use effectively seasoning the pot to enhance each infusion. Some say that after years of use, a well-seasoned Yixing pot can yield a fragrant cup by simply adding water to the pot sans leaves. 5 oz.

Happy soon-to-be Winter!

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Turnips and Parsnips and Parsnips and Turnips and Pears!

2010-11-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite places for home cooking in San Diego's years past was Mr. Zia's Afghan restaurant, on 30th St. in North Park. Mr. Zia became a friend, and even took me to the Afghani mosque during Ramadan. For those of you in San Diego, his son Khaled owns a "healthy" pizzeria on Adams Ave., named after his father, Zia's, and has lots of vegan choices. http://www.ziagourmetpizza.com/

One of my favorite dishes at Zia's was his turnips. Another was his cooked pears. They were made with the same recipe. I have made this with parsnips, too.

Parsnips are an amazing vegetable. For those of you trying to lose weight, parsnips are a good choice as they help balance blood sugar. Another strategy is to substitute root vegetables for your grains in the beginning of a cleansing phase, as they are harder to overeat than foods like rice and bread.

Parsnips and turnips are excellent autumn food; parsnips have a grounding energy, while turnips are warming, a little spicy, and strengthen the Lung Qi, helping prepare your body for winter.

Zia's recipe is perfect for the fall, since fall is dominated by Vata; Vata is cold and dry, and this recipe, which is sweet, sour, slightly pungent, and unctuous, will ground, moisten and pacify Vata.

Mr. Zia's Turnips with Parsnip

1 medium white, yellow, or sweet onion, diced
2 medium size turnips, quartered
1-2 parsnips, sliced
1-2 tbsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/3 tsp cayenne
1-2 bruised green cardamom pods
2 tsp raw cane sugar, maple syrup, or grape syrup
2-3 tbsp vinegar, more or less to taste
Water

Saute onion till brown. Add veggies, spices, vinegar, sugar, and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, lower flame and simmer till soft. Enjoy with rice and a green veggie and some protein source of choice.

Mr. Zia's Pears

Think Afghani Cranberry Sauce in that this is not a desert, but a side dish that goes with a meal, particularly lamb and rice.

Follow the exact same procedure as above, except better to use white or yellow onion rather than sweet. Also you may not need the sugar if your pears are sweet enough. Probably 1 tsp is good.

Enjoy yourself and be careful during the transition from summer to winter.

(c) copyright eyton j. shalom san diego ca 2010 all rights reserved use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Arame Salad for Autumn

2010-10-27T23:51:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite sea vegetables is Arame (Eisenia bicyclis), which grows wild, in the unpolluted waters off the coast of Ise, in Japan. Arame (pronouced Ara-may), besides having a sweet name, has a mild flavor and lovely texture. It can be added to soups and casseroles, or sauteed with vegetables. I like to add it to baked Kabocha squash and onions. But my favorite way to serve Arame is as a salad.

Its so simple. Boil water. Add Arame. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Drain.
For two cups of Arame, Slice about 1/4 cup of red onion.
Coarsely grate about 1/4 cup of carrot.
Add 1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil and the juice of 1/2 a freshly squeezed lemon, both to taste.
Mix well and let sit for an hour or more until serving.
You might add a dash of Ume plum vinegar.
Its also nice to sprinkle toasted whole sesame seed on top.

Arame, being innately cooling, is a good side dish for balancing the more warming foods one tends to serve in autumn and winter.

Where to get Arame

Arame is at any Japanese market, and at your local health food store it will be in the Asian or Macrobiotic section, with the other sea veggies like Nori, Kombu and Wakame. My two favorite brands there are Eden and Maine Coast Sea Vegetables.
Eden has an excellent website, full of recipes for Arame and other natural foods.
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_details.php?products_id=108840

Arame Super Food:

Arame, like most sea vegetables, is an excellent source of natural iodine, yielding 100% of your daily value with only 1/2 cup serving. The same size serving also contains 15% DV for Magnesium, 10% of both Vitamin A and Calcium, and 4% of Iron.

Arame is high in fiber, and also provides 102 mg of Omega 3, 367 mg of Omega 6, and 191 mg of Omega 9 essential fatty acids. But, unlike some of the other sea veggies, Arame is also low in sodium.

Sea Veggies and Chelation--Detoxification of Heavy Metals

Lots of research has been done in Japan on the ability of sea vegetables to chelate both heavy metals like lead and mercury, and radioactive elements such as strontium 90, which allows the body to eliminate these very toxic substances. Seaweeds act as natural anti-biotics, too. See Vegetables From the Sea by Teruko Arasaki (Japan Publications) for a comprehensive survey of the medical uses of sea vegetables

Chinese Medicine/Ayurveda

In Chinese Medicine sea veggies are considered beneficial for the Lung as they help dissolve phlegm, for the Kidneys, Liver and Stomach, as they nourish the Yin and cool toxic fire. They also tend to induce urination and relieve edema.

They are an excellent cleansing food, as they help de-congest the lymphatic system and reduce systemic dampness even though they have a cool energy. They are excellent for people who have had a long term toxic diet and suffer from problems like eczema, psoriasis, oily skin, acne, chronic colds, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and bronchitis.

There is not much use of sea vegetables in India, but In Ayurvedic terms they would be useful for Pitta, and Pitta/Kapha disorders, and help to cleanse Toxic Ama from the body tissues.

Warning for Hashimoto's and Grave's Disease

While iodine is necessary for normal thyroid health, and a recent study showed a significant increase in iodine deficiency in United States citizens over the past 20 years, people with both Hashimoto's and Graves' disease usually need to avoid iodine or iodine-containing products, which make worsen autoimmune thyroid problems, and cause enlargement of the thyroid (goiter). If you have either of those diseases, please check with your doctor before eating foods that are high in iodine, such as Arame.

(c)eyton shalom 2010 all rights reserved, use with permission.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Vegan Afro-Indian Kabocha Squash Soup for Autumn

2010-10-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Vegan Afro-Indian Kabocha Squash Soup for Autumn

This is a wonderful pureed vegetable or pureed veggie soup, depending on how you serve it, that is based on an African ground nut (pea nut) and squash soup I tasted way back in 1984 at The Prophet restaurant in Encinitas, California.

In Africa this soup would be made with boiled raw peanut and squash ground to a paste with african palm oil and spices. I don't prefer peanuts, so I make it with either boiled raw almond, or, my preference toasted almond butter or tahini. Tahini, if you use the one made in Lebanon, gives a creamier taste than almond butter, but it is a little bitter and not sweet like almond butter. Roasted almond butter has such a nice fragrance. Once I made this with cashew butter, which was delcious--sweeter than almond, it gives a lighter color to the soup.

I like to use mild Indian curry powder, or ground cumin, coriander and turmeric to increase the warming properties of this dish. But one could make it very simple, with just onions, especially if having as a side dish with something else spicy.

Depending on my mood I may choose a spicy red onion or a sweet brown onion. But sauteing the onion in oil brings out its sweetness, so I usually like the red onion, since the squash itself is already sweet.

You can also use other squashes. Kabocha is a dark and dense hard squash with the strong flavor to measure up to curry powder and almond. You can make a very mild version of this with just butternut squash, which has a more subtle delicate flavor, and sauteed white onion.

Occasionally I will add a little coconut milk to this dish, especially if my hand got heavy with curry powder....

The basic principle is boil squash, saute onions with spices, add nut or seed paste, and voila. The secret to success is balancing the correct amounts of the ingredients.

Ingredients

Three cups of chopped Kabocha squash, steamed till soft
One large red or sweet onion
2-3 slices raw ginger root
2 tsp curry powder, to taste
2 tbsp your favorite nut or seed butter, raw or toasted
Sesame or any nut oil to sautee onions. Palm oil is excellent
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method

Steam the squash, save the steam water, cool, place in blender.
Saute the onions with ginger till brown, lower the flame, add curry powder, and brown on very low for 3-5 minutes, taking care not to burn the spices.
Place all the ingredients in the blender or food processor and puree until smooth, adding the steam water if necessary to thin.

Enjoy as a soup, or as a vegetable side dish with wehani red rice, or any rice or cous cous.

Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine

This is an excellent soup for people with weak Spleen Qi or weak Agni. It is warming, sweet, slightly spicy--depending on your curry powder and the amount you use--and moistening, perfect for Vata types, ok for balanced Pitta and Kapha types, and generally good for the Autumn season, dominated by Vata.

copyright all rights reserved eyton shalom, san diego, ca october 2010 use with permission.

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com