How to prevent a cold this season!
How to prevent a cold this season! As my favorite season comes creeping in… “The forces of Autumn create dryness in Heaven and metal on Earth; they create the lung organ and the skin upon the body…and the nose, and the white color and the pungent flavor…the emotion grief, and the ability to make a weeping sound”. The Inner Classic Fall is the season of harvest, a time to pull inward and gather together on all levels, a time to store up fuel, food and warm clothing, a time to study and plan for the approaching stillness of Winter. Everything in nature contracts and moves its essence inward and downward. Leaves and fruit fall, seeds dry, the sap of trees goes into the roots. All the seasons are poetic, but something useful and timely for autumn is…how to beat a cold. How to beat a cold is really quite easy! At the very first feeling, and I mean the very first feeling of a tickle in your throat start loading up on your supplements. If you wait until the end of the day, it may be too late. Stock up on what you need and have it on hand. A tickle in the throat? Try one of our favorites, Gan Mao Ling…6 tablets initially, then 3 every 3 hours. Stop by anytime to grab a bottle! Vitamin C…2000-3000mg per day or a sore throat… Yin Qiao…6 tablets initially, then 3 tablets every 3 hours, it’s more common to find the pill version in places like Whole Foods, we have the powder version in the office. Echinacea Surpreme by Gaia…30 drop in water every 3 hours or Wellness Formula or any other Immune enhancer. Zinc Lozenges…1 lozenge every 3 hours Vitamin C…2000-3000mg a day If the cold progresses and you get sick, call the office, we have specific herbal formulas that you won’t find over the counter and because symptoms vary there isn’t always one basic prescription for every body. Of course, getting some Best Acupuncture Berkeley can help tons to release the ‘pathogen’ and boost your immune system. The other thing to remember is if you have done everything right and you still get sick, take a look at life, how is it for you? High stress? Doing too much? Perhaps your body needs a long waited rest. Being sick, isn’t the worst thing in the world, it could be the best, because it makes you slow down and can reset your whole body.
A real life patient spotlight: Teenage hormones, headaches and acupuncture
A real life patient spotlight: Teenage hormones, headaches and acupuncture Zoe is a sweet, sixteen-year-old girl. She’s like most kids these days, overbooked and overworked. She’s got tennis on Mondays, violin and soccer on Tuesdays, French lessons and volunteer work on Wednesdays and so on and so on. Zoe gets headaches almost every day, at least 4 times a week. They occur around 5pm and last until she goes to bed, luckily, she doesn’t wake up with them. They get much worse a few days before her period and on the day before her period she usually gets a migraine with nausea that leaves her not able to function. Also, her PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) has become full of mood swings, she feels sad, depressed and angry almost a full week before her flow. Zoe is very much like so many of our young patients at Tao to Wellness. Teens these days have a lot on their plate, they’re dealing with stress level comparable to adults. In Chinese medicine, when too much stress impacts the body things become out of balance. We get symptoms like headaches, insomnia, emotional mood swings, etc. It happens to all of us. The interesting thing about treating younger people is for some reason they respond faster to acupuncture, meaning they get faster results! In most cases, the younger a patient is the faster they get better, because the body isn’t impacted with age and deterioration. My youngest patient to date was 3 days old… the baby got his arm stuck while coming out of the vaginal canal during delivery and somehow it twisted resulting in what is called, an herb palsy. One treatment fixed his ‘broken wing’ so we called it. So, Zoe came in and felt immediate relief after her first acupuncture session. Her headaches were about half of what they used to be. I continued to see her for acupuncture only (no herbs) weekly for about two months. Once her body was able to hold her sessions longer, I saw her every two weeks and still do. Zoe says, “I don’t think I would be able to function in life if I didn’t have acupuncture, it resets my whole body so I can accomplish the things I want to do and feel like a normal teen.” Much love, 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 a fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine. Christina entered Acupuncture school without ever having an Acupuncture treatment. She simply felt it was her calling.
Four foods for FERTILITY!
Four foods for FERTILITY! Four foods that are not to be overlooked that will support and assist your journey to parenthood! Raspberries Not only do raspberries register as the lowest fruit on the glycemic index, they are also extremely beneficial for boosting fertility in men and women! They contain high levels of Vitamin C (key in sperm health) and Magnesium (key in production of testosterone). Raspberries also protect sperm from oxidative stress. For women, antioxidants can decrease the risk of miscarriage and is great source of folate which is important in embryo development. Pineapple core Is this myth true? We don’t know. Will it hurt? We don’t think so… the active enzyme in pineapple is bromelain, which is more concentrated in the core of the pineapple. Bromelain is said to decrease inflammation in the body. So to us, it does make sense. On some level that’s what acupuncture is doing anyway! The prescription is one whole pineapple cut into 5 portions consumed the day after timed intercourse, IUI or IVF transfer for the next 5 days. Avocado An avocado a day… doesn’t keep the doctor away, hopefully it ends up with a doctor’s appointment. The scientists believe that monounsaturated fats, which are well known both to the heart, can increase fertility by decreasing inflammation in the body. Again, isn’t that what acupuncture is doing? Other sources of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts and seeds. Stick to the avocado though, we think it’s more bang for your buck. Poultry Chinese medicine categorizes herbs and nutrition by taste, temperature, property, meridians it enters and indication. Poultry has an interesting relationship with the uterus in that it tonifies this organ, thereby creating an upward energy. This is instrumental in implantation and your first trimester, since a downward motion of Qi in the uterus could indicate miscarriage. Chinese practitioners worldwide recommend eating poultry (turkey, chicken and duck) daily after ovulation and timed intercourse. Aside from nutritional guidelines, acupuncture for fertility is what most of our patients come to us for. Check out our Fertility page and Video for more information. Or email me with any questions you may have! In Health, Christina Martin christina@berkeley-acupuncture.com Tao to Wellness
Acupuncture Large Intestine 4
Acupuncture Large Intestine 4 AKA “He Gu” People find it interesting that each berkeley acupuncture point has several indications… sort of like a recipe, depending on what ingredients it’s paired with in the recipe this dictates what role it plays in the dish or in this case, treatment. For example, Large Intestine 4 is great for many, many things. It’s actually one of the most common points we needle. If paired with Stomach points, I can balance any digestion issue. I find that if I pair it with Kidney points, I can dictate it’s role to allow the body to let go emotionally. Paired with a particular point on the Gall Bladder channel on the top of the shoulder, I can facilitate labor and delivery! This for me as a practitioner is why I find Chinese medicine so fascinating, there’s a so many options and directions you can take the body. Here’s the more specific indications from a Chinese medicine perspective: Traditional Chinese medicine actions: Activates defensive qi and adjusts sweating Expels wind and releases the exterior Regulates the face, eyes, nose, mouth and ears Activates the channel and alleviates pain Induces labour Restores the yang Traditional Chinese medicine indications: Exterior wind-cold patterns, chills and fever, injury by cold with great thirst, copious sweating, absence of sweating, febrile disease with absence of sweating, floating pulse. Headache, one-sided headache, headahce of the whole head, hypertension. Redness, swelling and pain of the eyes, dimness of vision, superficial visual obstruction. Nosebleed, nasal congestion and discharge, rhinitis, sneezing. Toothache or pain of tooth decay in the lower jaw, mouth ulcers, lotus flower tongue, cracked tongue, rigid tongue, lips do not close, tightness of the lips. Throat painful obstruction, childhood throat moth, mumps, loss of voice. Swelling of the face, deviation of the face and mouth, lockjaw, deafness, tinnitus. Amenorrhoea, prolonged labour, delayed labour, retention of dead foetus. Dysenteric disorder, childhood nutritional impairment, childhood fright wind, wind rash, malaria, mania. Painful obstruction and atrophy disorder of the four limbs, hemiplegia, pain of the sinews and bones, pain of the arm, contraction of the fingers, pain of the lumbar spine. As a patient, you can even massage this point and reap the benefits of the above. I’ve found through massage it can work instantaneously for a sinus or forehead headache! In Health, Christina Martin, L.Ac. Acupuncture Point of the Week: Large Intestine 4 Tao to Wellness An Acupuncture wellness center in Berkeley
Feeling BBQ’ed out already? Awesome Black Bean Burgers!
Feeling BBQ’ed out already? Awesome Black Bean Burgers! Tao to Wellness In Chinese medicine, we LOVE protein… typically acupuncturists are meat eaters. Meat helps build blood, ground the body and the emotions and regulates the brain (hormones too!) with it’s essential amino acids. Buuuuut, in my older years I’m feeling like eating less and less meat and let’s face it SOY with it’s estrogenic qualities are not a good option, but beans are! These are pure YUM… INGREDIENTS: 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 large poblano pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon sauce 3/4 cup roasted cashews 1/2 cup finely crumbled feta or cotija cheese 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 whole egg 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Cheese as desired, such as pepper jack, cheddar, muenster, or Swiss (optional) 6 to 8 hearty hamburger buns, toasted (or forget the buns and just have it on lettuce!) Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spread black beans in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and roast until beans are mostly split open and outer skins are beginning to get crunchy, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. While beans roast, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and poblano and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chipotle chili and sauce and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Place cashews in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into pieces no larger than 1/3-inch, about 12 short pulses. Add to bowl with onions and peppers. When beans are slightly cooled, transfer to food processor. Add cheese. Pulse until beans are roughly chopped (the largest pieces should be about 1/3 of a full bean in size). Transfer to bowl with onion/pepper mixture. Add mayonnaise, egg, and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Fold together gently but thoroughly with hands. Patty mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days at this stage. To cook on the grill: Light 2/3 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the medium-high setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns and brush top sides with oil. Place on hot side of grill oiled-side down and cook without moving until first side is well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Brush tops of burgers with oil. Carefully flip and continue cooking until second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer, topping with cheese if desired To cook indoors: Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 patties and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until well browned and crisp on first side, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until second side is browned, about 5 minutes longer, adding cheese if desired. If cooking more than 4 burgers, cook in batches, keeping cooked burgers on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in a 200°F oven while second batch cooks. Spread top and bottom buns with chipotle mayonnaise or other condiments as desired. Add toppings to top or bottom bun as desired. Place patties on bottom buns, close burgers, and serve immediately. Enjoy! Christina Martin, L.Ac. Tao to Wellness Acupuncture Center Berkeley, California
Straight from New York City, what’s new in Bone Broth? Tao to Wellness
Straight from New York City, what’s new in Bone Broth? Tao to Wellness Straight from New York City, what’s new in Bone Broth? Tao to Wellness “Good broth will resurrect the dead” -a South American proverb. So much can be said of the healing properties of broth. Our grandmothers knew best when they gave us rich, chicken broths to cure our common cold, but broth is so much more than that…Why drink Bone Broth? “From the moment we stop growing, we start deteriorating” -Tao to Wellness At Tao to Wellness, we see so much of illness and disease come from this idea of ‘dryness’. Arthritis is a great example, it stems from deterioration in the joints that is caused by dryness and age, things naturally become brittle. Starting broth early can help nourish the body and keep this brittleness at bay. Broth contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin, sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain. You’ll end up saving money and years by doing broth daily now. But broth isn’t just for arthritis… It’s good to battle stress too. How? Stress causes bodily inflammation, inflammation causes heat and fire which leads to dryness, dehydration and over time our organs become imbalanced. This can lead to symptoms like muscle pain, repetitive stress problems, even insomnia, gastric problems, hormonal issues, high blood pressure, adrenal fatigue, fertility challenges and so on, and so on. Think of broth as a ‘big hug’ for your body, it’s so necessary in this thing called Life. I recently stumbled upon a local broth maker here in New York City. People aren’t making broth here like they do in the Bay area, in fact, I think this establishment is the only one. For the lack of broth in the big city, I was pleasantly surprised and elated by the coffee cup creativity that’s happening at this little pick up window in the East Village, how could I not share! For starters, you want to make your broth the old fashioned way, the whole simmering for 24 hours thing… then when you are ready for your daily dose consider some of these flavorful additions! I now make my bone broth with coconut milk and a dash of cayenne pepper every night; sweet, sultry, spicy and good medicine. Here are some new ideas to make your broth at home a little bit more interesting… Broth with shiitake mushroom Beef broth with bone marrow and chili… talk about going to the next level. Broth with ginger and turmeric Chicken broth with coconut milk and chili (the Tao to Wellness favorite!) Broth with garlic and ginger Chicken broth with egg yolk and turmeric Broth with coconut milk and ginger Measurements aren’t exact, just an intuitive feel and taste. Enjoy! Christina Martin Tao to Wellness
Revitalize Your Body with Tao to Wellness: Embrace Spring Cleaning!
SPRING CLEANING for your body at Tao to Wellness! SPRING is the BEST time of year for a complete detoxification program. Why? Two reasons… In Spring, the Liver and Gall Bladder energy is at it’s highest making it easier to purge these organs on an energetic and physical level. It’s easier! There are a plentitude of fruits and vegetables available to help support total detoxification while you are avoiding allergenic foods during the active faze of the complete program. The Facts: At Tao to Wellness, we tell our patients that everyone (with the exception of children and the elderly) should consider a detoxification program once per year. We all have toxins and 75% of us do NOT have symptoms. You don’t need to have Western pathological symptoms (cirrhosis, hepatitis, fatty liver disease) of toxicity in the Liver in order to cleanse it. Every one of us has some degree of toxicity in our Livers. Just by driving on the freeways, living near the train, eating meats that are not organic and hormone fed or imbibing a nice glass of Cabernet Franc at the end of our work day… We’ve all got them! If we consider what a toxic Liver looks like in Chinese Medicine, the term would be stagnation, which everyone has to some degree. What that might look like symptomatically are any of the following: headaches, neck and upper back pain, PMS, trouble sleeping, high blood pressure, migraines, menstrual cramps, depression, irritability, anger or high stress issues. But like we said before, you don’t need to have any symptoms to have a toxic Liver. Let’s look at 3 tiers or Liver/Gall Bladder support: At the very least, drink a nice large glass of Lemon Water every morning. Chinese medicine promotes sour tasting food as conducive to liver health. The warm lemon water stimulates a sluggish liver, great as a “Good Morning” to your Liver. Consider supplementation for overall protection: Alpha lipoic acid (ALA): ALA, especially R-ALA, has been used to treat serious liver diseases. It is a natural substance that is the “rate-limiting factor for the production of energy from carbohydrates.” In other words, without alpha lipoic acid we could not obtain energy from the food we eat and we could not stay alive. Andrew Weil recommends the following dosage: Currently there are no established daily doses for supplementation. However, oral alpha-lipoic acid is reported to be well tolerated in doses up to 600 milligrams per day, and 200-300 mg a day is frequently used in Europe as a therapeutic adjunct in treating diabetic neuropathy. As a general antioxidant, a dosage of 20 to 50 mg daily is commonly recommended. Alpha-lipoic acid can be purchased in dosages ranging 30 mg to 100 mg tablets. Talk with your doctor about how much alpha-lipoic acid you should take, and follow package directions. Milk thistle and dandelion root: These two natural herbs are commonly used to protect and cleanse the liver. Milk thistle is the protector, and dandelion root is the cleanser. They can be taken separately, but many liver supplements contain both. These herbs can be taken regularly over time with or without obvious liver issues. B complex: All the Bs are helpful, especially B12, which has been used to help hepatitis patients. There are three types of B12: cyanocobalamin, hydroxycabalamin, and methylcobalamin. Of these three, experts agree that methylcobalamin is the most beneficial in sublingual form. We do carry the above products at Tao to Wellness… products that we LOVE and trust, stop by anytime and pick up some for your Spring Cleaning. Want more? The total Tao to Wellness Spring Cleaning program: You got it! We commonly prescribe a complete 2-3 week (depending on the patient) program. The program consists of omitting potential allergenic foods from your diet while supplementing with non-allergenic, protein shakes that are only available through licensed practitioners and other supplements to aid in the detoxification process. Talk with Megan or Nikole with questions about options and what would be best for you. Happy Spring from all of us at Tao to Wellness!
Acupuncture needs to be tested for it’s effectiveness… Are you serious?
Acupuncture needs to be tested for it’s effectiveness… Are you serious? I rarely get angry, but this Steven Salzberg from Forbes magazine really got my goat on this one. Who the hell does he think he is? I was sitting in a cafe having tea and as I read on, I could literally start to feel my blood boiling and my face becoming contorted in an odd shape, similar to how it would look if my rabbit got hit by a car. If we put aside the fact that acupuncture has been around for 5,000 years… seriously, let’s put that aside. I’ll tell you why it’s near impossible to assess the validity of this great medicine. Researchers are Western scientists who know nothing about the intricate theory of Chinese Medicine. It’s impossible to do a double blind study. Let’s say we want to test the validity for Large Intestine 4 for headaches. Half our control group gets LI4 and the other half gets, let’s say Kidney 5. Here’s the problem, through as internal pathway based on the circadian clock, the Kidney balances the Large Intestine, so either way you are still balancing the Large Intestine and shifting that headache. It’s impossible to target just that point! EVERYONE IS AN INDIVIDUAL! Unlike Western medicine that treats high blood pressure as high blood pressure, we treat high blood pressure taking into consideration what else that patient might have symptomatically ‘working’ in the background. Patient A has high blood pressure with insomnia and migraines, Patient B has high blood pressure with fatigue and leg cramps, Patient C has high blood pressure with dizziness. All these patients would receive different acupuncture points and herbs. They are not the same and if you tried to insert them into rigorous scientific scrutiny and research, the results would be all over the map. Void! I think this is my favorite section of the article… “Make no mistake: this is all about greed. The CAM industry sees Obamacare as a chance to reap huge profits, by forcing insurance companies to pay for ineffective treatments, including many that are wildly implausible. Homeopaths, naturopaths, acupuncturists, reiki practitioners, energy healers, and other CAM practitioners don’t want to subject their methods to rigorous tests of effectiveness. They know that their methods have failed scientific scrutiny, time and time again. So now they want to force health care providers to pay for anything the patient wants. “Our patients believe us,” they argue, “so pay us.” Forcing health care providers to pay for anything a patient wants, even if it doesn’t work, is guaranteed to drive up costs, without any benefit to patients. Let’s ditch this bogus “discrimination” clause in the ACA, and insist that all medical care be held to the same high, scientifically rigorous standards.” Oh Steven, I could go into the average salary of an acupuncturist vs a Western doctor, not too mention 90% of us work for ourselves and are also ‘business owners’ when docs get to effortlessly join a group. Acupuncturists literally have to work from the ground up and wear 10 hats to make it all work, all the while staying focused on the reason why they do this in the first place. The patients… remember them? We know and you, as patients, know the wonders that Chinese medicine has done for you and your loved ones. I hope Obamacare includes all CAM practitioners so that more Americans can experience the wonders of this medicine. Much love, Christina “Mei Wen” Martin, L.Ac., Dipl.AC, MTOM, FABORM.
Fertility and Acupuncture trend in Australia
Fertility and Acupuncture Berkeley, CA A growing trend in Australia, couples are seeking traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) options to boost their chances of conceiving a child naturally (finally!). What was once considered hippy dippy in the Outback is now being sought after. Couples are seeking acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine whether they are trying to conceive naturally or alongside IVF and IUI. Here in the states, fertility and Acupuncture have been a trend since the popular German research study in the year 2002. Patients have had such wild success when combining Eastern and Western medicine. At Tao to Wellness, we see patients at varying stages of the fertility journey, some are trying naturally and would like the balancing mechanism of acupuncture to increase their chances and some are into their third IVF and hope that acupuncture will bring results to that next transfer. Ideally, we like to work with couples a few months (3-6) prior to their IVF transfer or IUI procedure, Chinese medicine works on the root of the issue and although we can achieve success with acupuncture right before and after their procedure, we prefer to create deeper healing over a period of time. Whereas, Western medicine can quickly effect egg QUANTITY we are certain we can effect egg QUALITY over time. This is something Western medicine is not able to do. Fertility Acupuncture 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.
Launch of Bay Area-Based Fertility Prediction App Today!
Bay area based app to predict FERTILITY launches today! The BUZZ in the fertility world today isn’t about acupuncture or some new-old ancient technique. It’s all about GLOW today, the fertility app that Bay area based and PayPal co-founder Max Levchin has created (and has sunk $1million of his own dollars into, by the way). Glow is a free-to-download, iPhone-only app that helps women — and their partners — track ovulation cycles and other data points to predict peak fertility windows. It officially launches in the App Store today. In addition, the Bay Area-based startup has raised $6 million in venture capital funding from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Jeff Jordan of Andreessen Horowitz and individual investors including Yuri Milner. Glow goes beyond tracking ovulation cycles, sexual activity and, yes, the texture of cervical mucus, which I can’t wait to find out more on this one. And in true Bay area style, Levchin and Glow co-founder Mike Huang have built the company with the intent to disrupt the current health-care system in the U.S., by creating a kind of insurance fund to help pay for women’s fertility treatments. Here’s the thing that I love the most, app users have the option to contribute $50 a month to the Glow Fund, for a period of 10 months. If, after 10 months of using the Glow app, a woman hasn’t conceived, she can withdraw money from the Glow Fund and use it to pay for fertility treatments. Conversely, if she has gotten pregnant, she forfeits her contributions; they will go toward another user’s fertility treatments. Genius and generous! 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.
