Here’s a wonderful trail mix recipe for your memory and brain function from Dr. Maoshing Ni, TCM scholar (more info about Dr. Mao here).
Jun 252014
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Jun 252014
This is a ‘Detox Diet’ that I was given years ago as a patient of Dr. Elson Haas when I had chronic headaches. The detoxification helped me then and it has helped me cleanse and rejuvenate many times since. I still use it to this day and try to do it at least 2 times a year. Dr. Haas wrote a book about this, The Detox Diet, and I see now that it is in its third edition!! For more info on Dr. Haas, his practice in Marin County, California, or his books, see his website Haas Health Online.
To this day, I recommend this ‘cleanse’ (as I call it) to patients for many reasons, but mainly as a technique to adjust to or return to healthy eating habits or to jump start a weight loss plan. It is fairly easy to do since it basically is eating lots of steamed vegetables, is done for only 7-10 days and works! For more details, see my handout:
Jun 252014
Dr. Maoshing Ni, or Dr. Mao as he is affectionately known, is a 38th-generation doctor of Chinese medicine and co-founder of Yo San University, a college of Traditional Chinese Medicine in southern California. He is considered ‘an authority on Taoist anti-aging medicine’ and has written many books on this topic. I think my favorite books are “Secrets of Longevity” for its common-sense wisdom in an easy-to-read format (which I have referenced many times for my patients’ use), “Second Spring“, another easy reference about treating menopausal symptoms naturally,” and his latest book, “Secrets of Longevity Cookbook” (I wrote a review of this cookbook that can be found here). Dr. Mao has become more famous in recent years due to his appearances on the Dr. Oz show – kudos to him for bringing Chinese Medicine to the masses, I say!!
I also now carry some of Dr. Mao’s wellness products, see my previous blog post.
For more information about Dr. Mao and Chinese Medicine, see his websites:
Ask Dr. Mao
Tao of Wellness
May 092014
It seems like every season, whether it be Spring or Fall, or Summer or Winter, various patients have symptoms of hayfever or environmental allergies – this need not be the case!! Allergies are a symptom of our immune system needing support so that we can handle exposure to the environment, whether it be from pollens or animal dander, molds or mildews, or even dust. Our standard medical system of allopathy does us a disservice by prescribing anti-histamines, which suppress symptoms and suppresses the body’s natural response to exposure, hence making the condition worse in the long-term. The best long-term solution is to stimulate our body’s natural ability to handle the exposure so that it does not respond to a substance like it is a toxin – a healthy body should tolerate exposure and handle it gracefully, and not respond to pollens and dust like they are toxins!
For more information, see my document on how I treat allergies naturally:
Treating Hayfever or Environmental Allergies with Natural Medicine
Apr 232014
Alliance for Natural Health Article:
Popular Antidepressant May Promote Breast Cancer
NOTE: There are many natural and safe alternatives to both depression and menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, including Acupuncture! See my other blog entries (click on tags for depression or menopause).
Apr 042014
Article published in Lotus Guide, April/May/Jun 2014 issue:
Feb 032014
It has been discussed in natural medicine circles for years that many food additives have not been proven to be safe and may in fact be potentially detrimental to our health. Now the FDA is finally looking into one, the caramel coloring added to many colas and other foods, and whether it should be banned:
FDA Reviewing Potential Carcinogen of Caramel Coloring in Colas
Please note the side articles that discuss how one company in particular changed their soda formulation to avoid Prop 65 labeling in California of this potential carcinogen.
Feb 012014
More and more people in the United States, no matter what their politics, are realizing that food safety here needs to be improved. Banning GMOs in our food supply like done elsewhere in the world should occur, such as in Europe, due to bonafide health concerns being the priority of our government vs. allowing the pockets of corporate America (and government officials both) to be lined with greed!
Mothers Across America: GMO Research Shows Organ Damage in Pigs – You Are What You Eat!
Here’s a link to an article about the study mentioned above (with the link to the study also):
Adverse Effects of GMO Crops Found
Jan 282014
Commentary, Jan 28, 2014:
Just received a few calls about a Chinese herb, Corydalis, that evidently Dr. Oz had on his show today – it is a strong herb for pain, but in Chinese Medicine, we never treat with just one individual herb – this herb (and most others) is best used when a practitioner has helped diagnosis the pattern of disharmony leading to the specific pain that an individual has, and then based on that diagnosis, prescribes an herbal remedy or formula (or combination of herbs) to treat that pattern of pain or disharmony. So yes, I have this herb in many formulas, but the best solution to treating pain with Chinese Medicinal herbs is to have it based on your particular situation – this is the way to heal the body, with the result being pain reduction, not by taking one individual herb for pain as shown on Dr. Oz!
Jan 242014
Article summarizing research done by the USDA’s Economic Research Service on USDA recommended Dietary Guidelines:
Americans’ Food Choices at Home and Away: How Do They Compare With Recommendations?
The Highlights summarize this research:
-Grocery purchase data reveal that consumers underspend on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and overspend on refined grains, fats, and sugars/sweets, compared with USDA food plan recommendations, a pattern that showed little change from 1998 to 2006.
-Food consumption data point to an even bigger challenge to improving diet quality: away-from-home foods now account for one-third of daily caloric intake, and they are not as healthful as at-home foods.
-New Government and private industry initiatives to make food labels and point-of-purchase information more relevant, understandable, and motivating may help consumers choose more healthful foods.
Sample data from the article about this research:
Jan 232014
This research shows that post-menopausal women who consume sodas and other sugary ‘foods’ are at an increased risk of one type of endometrial cancer, an estrogen-dependent one. As this researcher says, “Increased levels of estrogens and insulin are established risk factors for endometrial cancer.”
Sugary Drinks Raise Endometrial Cancer Risk
It is worth noting that this research didn’t find any correlation between the consumption of ‘sugar-free’ sodas or foods with the risk of endometrial cancer. However, keep in mind that the consumption of the ‘sugar substitutes’ such as aspartamine, saccharin, sucralose, sorbitol, etc. all have other potential detrimental health effects of their own! (I.e., I highly recommend not consuming these ‘sugars’ as well – I generally recommend to use only natural sugars such as honey, stevia, coconut sugar, maple syrup, raw cane sugar, xylitol, etc.!)
Jan 202014
This is a study showing that the homeopathic topical creme Traumeel is as effective as a very commonly prescribed NSAID creme: Traumeel Creme for Ankle Sprain
At the center of this extremely powerful natural, homeopathic anti-inflammatory creme, which is most often prescribed for musculoskeletal injuries but is also very useful for any type of arthritic joint pain, is the herb Arnica Montana. Arnica can easily be considered the most commonly used remedy in the homeopathic “Materia Medica” in the world. Varieties of Arnica have been used for centuries in the US by Native Americans, who used it topically for bruising (it is considered toxic for internal use unless it is prepared homeopathically).
Note that the allopathic NSAID topical creme used in this comparison study has the serious side effects of increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke, and both stomach and intestinal bleeding.1, 2 This only highlights another reason to use this natural anti-inflammatory creme that actually promotes healing with no side effects vs. an allopathic topical NSAID!
References
1Medline: Diclofenac topical creme
2Drugs.com: Diclofenac topical creme
Jan 202014
This is such a great example of how simple things can solve health problems – treating anemia by placing an iron ‘fish’ in soup pots in Cambodia: An Iron Fish in Every Pot
Jan 142014
From the summary of this research:
“Both acupuncture therapy and artificial tear therapy have an immediate positive effect on the symptoms of xerophthalmia, but acupuncture therapy has a longer continuous effect than that of artificial tears.”
Clinical curative effect of acupuncture therapy on xerophthalmia
Jan 132014
From the summary of this research:
“This study … provides the evidence that Xin Yi San alone is an effective herb in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis.” (Note: Xin Yi San is the TCM name of the formula, in this case, of only one herb, Xin Yi Hua, or Magnolia Flower.)
In my office, I usually have on hand at least 2 or 3 TCM herbal formulas with this herb in them. For example, the primary herbal formula I recommend for seasonal allergies, or allergic rhinitis, is Bi Yan Pian. A description of this formula can be found here. I have many people come back yearly for this formula plus they always recommend it others! I have other options as well, including homeopathic remedies for allergies. The best thing is that there are no side effects such as drowsiness like conventional anti-histamines!
I also carry “Magnolia Clear Sinus” and “Pueraria Clear Sinus” from Evergreen Herbs, both formulas that are very excellent for sinus infections.
Jan 132014
From the summary of this research:
“there was a self-reported improvement immediately post-treatment in anxiety,fatigue, pain, and depression and significant improvement over time for patients with anxiety … and depression … .”
Jan 132014
From the summary of this research paper: “This study is the first to demonstrate that acupuncture may be an effective approach for improving symptoms — in particular, pain and well-being – in a lung cancer population. Acupuncture is a safe and minimally invasive modality, and it may have a particularly useful role in patients undergoing anticancer treatment…” and “Statistically significant improvements in pain, appetite, nausea, nervousness, and well-being were observed. A clinically important improvement … was reported by 61% of patients for pain and by 33% for well-being.”
The potential role for acupuncture in treating symptoms in patients with lung cancer
Jan 092014
This is an article about why acupuncture should be used for the side effects of chemotherapy. It refers to several studies on this topic, one of which highlights that ‘electroacupuncture worked better than anti-nausea medications’:
Time for Acupuncture to Become Part of Standard Care
Luckily, in our local area, we do have a progressive program at a local hospital doing such work (if only more MDs would refer their patients to it)! See my blog post:
Dec 122013
Obtained online circa 4/13, I can no longer find this on the Smart Publications website, but this is an excellent summary or monograph of the research done on GoJi Berries, aka Gou Qi Zi in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Materia Medica (Lycium Barbarum):
GoJi Berries Monograph
Another great summary of the benefits of this herb, or berry, is:
Ray Sahelian’s GoJi Berry Information
Additionally, information of the brand of GoJi Berries I carry in my office can be found at:
Dragon Herbs GoJi Berries
The founder of this company, Ron Teeguarden, is a scholar in the field of Chinese Medicine and his company carries some of the best products around!
Dec 042013
Healthy Cocoa – what a concept?!?!?
EnerHealth Botanicals Cocoa MoJo is now carried in my office. It is a ‘great way to enjoy yummy Cocoa while supporting your immune system… especially during the winter’1. This is an organic non-dutched (no alkaloids) cocoa powder with organic coconut palm sugar and organic extracts immune-boosting medicinal mushrooms. The coconut palm sugar has a low glycemic index (of 35), making this a nice dessert treat even for diabetics and others who are watching their sugar intake. The medicinal mushrooms extracts in Cocoa Mojo are:
√ Cordyceps Sinensis – this is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb that I call the ‘Ginseng for the Lungs’; it is a ‘Lung Tonic’ and is used to treat many respiratory disorders. It is also effective in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cardiovascular disorders, and is also a strong immune stimulant, being antineoplastic (anti-cancer) as well. Additionally, research has shown it is renal-protective (for example, it can help kidney problems such as chronic renal failure).2,3
√ Ganoderma Lucidum aka Reishi mushroom – this is another TCM herb, used to calm the mind, strengthen the Lungs and the body in general, and it also known to be antineoplastic, anti-viral and anti-bacterial (see this excerpt from a TCM professional reference).
√ Coriollus Versicolor aka Turkey Tail mushroom – now widely known to have anti-cancer effects, more research has shown direct antioxidant effect as well.4,5
√ Agaricus Blazei – this is a Brazilian mushroom, researched highly in Japan, that has demonstrated antineoplastic abilities in many research studies, along with immunomodulatory effects.6. It is also known by its Japanese name of himematsutake.
References:
1http://www.enerhealthbotanicals.com/cocoa-mojo.html
2Clinical Manual of Oriental Medicine, 2nd edition, Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine.
3Panaxea.com research summary.
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23627468
5http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/mushrooms-cancer_b_1560691.html
6http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17639159
More references for medicinal mushrooms:
1) Hobbs, Christopher. Medicinal Mushrooms – An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, & Culture. Santa Cruz, CA: Botanica Press, 1995.
2) MycoHerb Clinical Guide for Practitioners. Golden Mirror Press, 2008.
3) Review of Medicinal Mushrooms Advances: Good News from Old Allies, Solomon P. Wasser, HerbalGram. 2002; 56:28-33 American Botanical Council (article online).