A Quick Anti-Inflammatory Remedy for our Canine Friends
A Quick Anti-Inflammatory Remedy for our Canine Friends It is Winter Time! Winter is a time for us to gather together, drink warming teas, meditate and self-reflect. And it’s also a good time for warming spices – ginger, turmeric, and orange peel. This remedy below can be used in teas, soups, broths or whatever dish you wish to add flavor to. This combination is not only intensely flavorful, but healing to the body as well. Lucy came into the office today saying that she had a skin allergy and that she was looking for a natural solution. She had a rash on her face with itching and a tummy ache. Lucky for her, her Mom was already making a paste of ground turmeric, ginger, and orange peel. These three spices are anti-inflammatory and healing for the gut and the skin. This is super simple to make and you can make it at home if you have a grater and a knife! First, cut the ginger and the turmeric to expose the fresh stem. Then, grate the ginger and the turmeric. You can remove the peel if you wish, but I have found over the years that you don’t need to b/c the peel mostly comes off on its own while grating (some pieces will get in, but it’s okay). To grate the orange, gently roll the orange across the grater while grating it. This allows the peel to be finely grated without making contact with the pith, which makes everything bitter. Combine everything with a spoon and place into a sealed glass jar. Refrigerate or use immediately. Can be used in teas, a flavoring for food, or it can be used topically for the skin or achy joints. Just be careful with your sheets or furniture as turmeric stains are very difficult to get out! For giving to your canine friends, put 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of the mixture into a soft treat you can mold with your hands, I like Pill Buddy Naturals. Gently bring the seams up to seal the mixture well. Okay, Lucy, your herbal medicine is ready! Open your mouth and chew. Success! After three days on this remedy, Lucy said she felt much better. Her appetite returned and her tummy stopped aching. She stopped scratching her face and her nose constantly. The remedy made her sneeze a little bit from the ginger juice, but that lasted for a couple of minutes and went away after she sipped some water. This is a great remedy for your canine and human friends. It is safe and well-tolerated, as long as the orange peel is finely grated. This can be used for arthritis, allergies, colds / flus, or tummy aches. Enjoy, Emily Edmonds, L.Ac. Tao to Wellness 809 Hearst Ave Berkeley, CA 94710 510-883-0838
Health Benefits of Eggs
Health Benefits of Eggs Well, you already know how awesome acupuncture is for pain relief! We are so well known for this particular ailment that people commonly think that is all we do… that couldn’t be farther from the truth, but that’s another post. So, seriously, there are many health benefits of eggs. WHOLE eggs are the perfect food, I’ve been saying this for years! WHOLE eggs have a little less than 200 mg of cholesterol, but who cares, because guess what?!?! What we EAT does not dictate our cholesterols levels, it’s a myth. Think of Yin and Yang… Egg white are YANG, Egg yolks are YIN. Here’s the important part: Yin in the body is in charge of moisture, softening, lubrication, so if you are suffering from pain eggs can help bring back the Yin quality that can bring inflammation down and moisture back into joints and muscles. Genius, no? Bone broths do the same… that’s next weeks post. Jillian Michaels, personal trainer from the Biggest Loser, and who rocks that hot body loves eggs too… One large egg has roughly 186 milligrams of cholesterol — all of which is found in the egg’s yolk. Since dietary cholesterol was once thought to be the major cause of unhealthy blood cholesterol, egg yolks have been demonized and health nuts stick to eating strictly egg whites. Now, don’t get me wrong — egg whites are a great, healthy source of protein, but there is definitely room for WHOLE eggs in a healthy diet. As long as you haven’t been advised otherwise by your doctor , you can enjoy the many nutritional benefits of a whole egg. So, yes, you can have an egg and eat the yolk too ! Here are a few reasons why. The real threat to high cholesterol is saturated and trans fats, not dietary cholesterol Years ago, when scientists learned that high blood cholesterol was associated with heart disease, foods high in cholesterol were thought to be the leading cause of unhealthy blood cholesterol. Now, 25 years later, scientists have come to the conclusion that cholesterol in food is not the true villain — saturated and trans fats have a much greater effect on blood cholesterol. Your body actually needs the cholesterol in meat and eggs to make testosterone, which helps to increase energy and helps to build more calorie-building muscle. In fact, one study at the University of Connecticut found that the fat in egg yolks actually helps to reduce LDL (“bad” cholesterol). So banish the old notion that an egg, specifically the yolk, is hazardous to your health. According to the American Heart Association, the recommended limit of dietary cholesterol is 300 milligrams for people with normal LDL (bad) cholesterol levels — and one egg contains 185 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. (If you have a history of high cholesterol or heart disease in your family, though, you may want to consult your doctor about how to limit your cholesterol intake.) Whole eggs are full of beneficial vitamins and minerals Whole eggs are a nearly perfect food, with almost every essential vitamin and mineral our bodies need to function. It is one of the few natural food sources of vitamin D and contains 7 grams of high-quality protein. Whole eggs are also full of omega-3 fatty acids and deliver many of the B vitamins and nutrients — B6, B12, riboflavin, folate, and choline — that, in fact, are believed to help prevent heart disease. L-arginine, an amino acid found in eggs, are critical to the body’s production of protein and the release of growth hormones. Another amino acid found in eggs, leucine, also helps the body produce growth hormones as well as regulate blood sugar levels. The yolk itself contains most of these vitamins and minerals, plus half of its protein. When you eat only the egg whites, you’re missing out on all of these nutritional benefits and are getting only 3.5 grams, or half, of the protein. Go Jillian, now go enjoy a free range organic egg! Christina “Mei Wen” Martin, L.Ac., Dipl.AC, MTOM, FABORM. christina@berkeley-acupuncture.com Christina Martin is the founder of Tao to Wellness. She is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Teacher and has been in practice for fifteen years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is California state licensed and a nationally certified Diplomat of Acupuncture. Christina entered Acupuncture school without ever having an Acupuncture treatment. She simply felt it was her calling.
