Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

There are many reasons for hot flashes and night sweats but the first thing to look at is how much water is being consumed during the day, since quite often a major contributing factor is dehydration. Beverages other than water don't count. The body is mostly water and unless we replenish our supply on a regular basis, it is like running a car without enough coolant in the radiator. It causes over heating. A good rule of thumb is to try to consume at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water through out the day, or more, depending on activity level.  
                   
                                                            Health & Happiness,
                                                                    Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

Why Organic, Part 2  GMO

GMO food, (Genetically Modified Organisms) is another reason to 'Go Organic'. Altering the size, taste, and looks make produce more marketable. Making crops pest and disease resistant make them more profitable. But how do GMO companies get the DNA from one species into another? What actually penetrates cells, and is used to piggy-back the chosen genes? Viruses and bacteria! What long term effects will this have on the health of animals and humans who ingest it? How many people want to sit down to a dinner of viruses and bacteria?

Since these corporations were able to by- pass FDA regulation, by stating that they were just growing food, no different from growing other food, they also by-passed the tests for public safety. And yet, they were able to get patents on their products, on the basis that it was different than anything created before. What is frightening about these patents is the law suits by the GMO corporations against farmers who had seeds blow into their fields from surrounding GMO fields, or even off the trucks carrying GMO seed. These small independent farmers are being strong armed into using GMO products or go out of business. If these practices are permitted to continue, it is conceivable that the global food market could be patented, and monopolized by a few companies. 

Modified not to reproduce more seeds from GMO produce, farmers must repurchase seeds each growing season, instead of producing their own seeds from their own crops. And if their seeds fail? Historically, when there is a lack of diversification, crops can be annihilated by nature, such as the potato famine of Ireland, where a nation relied too heavily on one type of crop to feed its population. If GMO companies succeed in cornering the world food market, what potential global disaster are we setting ourselves up for? Under the circumstances, going organic is more important than ever.

                                               Health & Happiness

                                                         Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

Food As Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) every natural substance, animal, vegetable, or mineral, is an herb with some medicinal property. Food is therefore used as medicine, with various properties and functions. 

Watermelon is the coolest food there is, and can actually help lower body temperature when people get over heated. The coolest part is the white section. A lovely occasional summer treat is to chop up watermelon and make juice, by blending it in a blender. Cooled in the refrigerator it is a delightful summer drink, though too much sugar for regular consumption. 

Watermelon, and watermelon juice, are also good remedies for urinary tract infections with burning pain. (This remedy is for discomfort, to be used with, as opposed to an alternative to, treating the infection) For medicinal purposes, juice can be frozen to use at times of the year when watermelon is not available. Watermelon is a food to avoid when the weather is cool or cold.

Another Chinese herb to counter-balance heat is mint. Mint 'ice tea' is a cool and refreshing, caffeine-free, summer drink. My favorite is Numi brand, Morrocan Mint sun tea, as the flavor is more robust than other mint teas. Place 4 tea bags in a large seal-able glass container and let sit in the sun a few hours on a hot day. Refrigerate and enjoy.   

                                                                 Health & Happiness,

                                                                       Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

Pink Salad

Pink Salad

This is one of my favorite recipes, and one that I give most of my patients. It is good as a base for a wide assortment of recipes.  More colors and textures of vegetable mean more vitamins and minerals, just what our bodies need to heal quickly, and obtain optimal health. The vegetables can be minced or shredded. If shredded, it won't last as long in the refrigerator, as minced. It is called Pink Salad thanks to my little niece, who hated vegetables with a passion, but, at the time, loved anything pink. I shredded all the vegetables in a food processor. The beets turned the other vegetable pink. She loved it! The next time she came to visit she actually ask for pink salad.

1 Carrot

1 Celery stalk        Good for Blood Pressure

   Beet   (a piece)      Beets thin Bile > aid Liver & Gallbladder, break 
                                                             down fats

   Pea Pods handful

   Daikon   piece   aids in digesting fats

Broccoli Stalk, cabbage, or any other vegetable if desired

          Chopped small and mix together with any other vegetables desired

Can Add:

          Nuts or Seeds

          Fresh or Dried Fruit

Can mix with good mayonnaises, curry, ginger powder,

dash of pure Maple Syrup, or dried Stevia (the green kind) 
          to make:

                   Chicken, Turkey, Fish or Tofu Salad

Can sprinkle over Spelt Tortilla spread with Humus, add mixed greens

 and roll up for wrap.

Or use over mixed greens for salad.

                                         Health & Happiness,

                                             Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

Why Organic 
FRUITS & VEGETABLES:

Corporate farming of fruits and vegetables utilize extensive use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. With all the toxins in our environment it is best to avoid eating them as well.

Crop rotation, which enriches the soil, is a thing of the past. On huge corporate farms, chemicals are added to the soil to ensure the size and color of the crops, instead of building the soil with organic nutrients. Fruits and vegetables grown this way do not taste like they used to, nor do they have the nutritional value that they used to. Eating organic is not only essential to avoid the pesticides and herbicides, it is essential to obtain the wide range of nutrients our bodies need to energize, heal, and maintain optimal health. Organic vegetables usually cost more than non-organic but the cost is much less than the resulting health problems caused by lack of nutrients for the body. The right food is the best medicine available.

                                                          

                                                             Health & Happiness,

                                                                        Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

Fruit Cobbler

 Healthy Version of Family Favorites

This recipe has been adapted to use ingredients that are a bit healthier than the typical version.

4 cups Organic Fruit of choice, can use fresh or frozen

               Mixing fruits is fun, like a berry mix with pears,

                           or apple, cranberry (fresh or dried) & walnuts 

1-2 Tablespoons Arrow Root, Water Chestnut Flour, Tapioca Flour, Rice Flour,

          or other thickener

½ cup Pure Maple Syrup, or Palm Sugar

¼ ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Organic Vanilla

3 Tablespoons Organic Butter

   

1 Cup White Spelt Flour 

1 Tablespoon Palm Sugar

1 ½ teaspoons Non-Aluminum Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Sea Salt

½ cup Pacific brand Hazelnut Milk

Heat Oven to 400 degrees.  Mix thickener with cold water until liquid consistency with no lumps. In 2 quart sauce pan, mix fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice. Taste mixture and add more sweetener if desired. Bring to boil. Add thickener, stirring constantly. Boil until thickened, about one minute. Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole dish. Keep hot in oven.

Mix Spelt flour, Palm Sugar, Baking Powder, and Sea Salt. Cut in Butter, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in Hazelnut Milk.  Drop dough by heaping Tablespoons over top of hot mixture. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

Comments: 

Wheat and Corn are hybrids and cause insulin insensitivity, and are therefore major contributors to weight gain and diabetes. Patients with Adult Onset Diabetes that avoid wheat and corn usually test as no longer being diabetic. So my recipes are wheat and corn free.

Spelt Flour (the original form of Wheat), though not gluten free, is more easily digestible than Wheat. Thickeners other than Corn Starch are used here for the same reason.

Spelt Flour comes in White or Brown. White Spelt Flour, like white flour has had the bran removed and is therefore higher on the glycemic index than the whole grain version, but a lighter consistency for certain baking recipes.  Brown Spelt Flour is the whole grain version.  

              

Sweeteners used here are lower on the Glycemic Index than White or Brown Sugar, or Cane Juice or sugars, which are processed from Sugar Cane.

Hazelnut Milk is used instead of milk, to minimize the dairy. Other milk substitutes can be used but avoid the ones sweetened with Cane Juice.  Cane Juice is cheap and therefore the sweetener of choice for most milk substitutes. Hazelnut milk is sweetened with Brown Rice Syrup, a sweetener low on the glycemic index and more easily digestible than Cane Juice. I also like unsweetened Almond milk or unsweetened Hemp milk (unless you can find it with Rice Syrup).  Hemp milk has a creamier consistency than other milks.  I usually avoid Soy milk, which, unless it is Organic has most often been harvested with Round-Up, an herbicide that kills the foliage so just the beans can be scooped up. Soy used on a regular basis is also not advisable for Blood Type O’s (the most prevalent blood type), as it can inhibit the function of the Thyroid, not a good thing since the Thyroid supports every organ in the body, not to mention the Endocrine system as a whole. Western medicine learned some time ago that people with heart issues usually also had problems with their thyroid first.  

The majority of my recipes are dairy- free but sometimes there is just no good substitute for butter. The butter substitutes are highly processed and not as easily digestible as the real thing. 

 

Even the ‘Healthy Versions’ of sweets should not be consumed on a daily basis, and on occasion, go for the original versions, just not every day. Moderation is the key to a healthy and joyful life.

                                                            Health & Happiness,

                                                                        Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

 Treating Depression: Part 1

            Depression is not something a person can “just get over” or “snap out of”.  Depression is a physical manifestation that results in loss of control over emotions. It creates a downward spiral of stress, anxiety, fatigue, and despair for no apparent reason. While drugs can sometimes help people maintain or cope, and can be helpful in acute situations, they can have side effects, and can suppress positive as well as negative emotions. Drugs just treat symptoms, as opposed to treating the root cause of the problem. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Formulas have been used in China to treat stress, anxiety and depression effectively for thousands of years. Combined with other Holistic modalities, such as homeopathics, nutritional supplements, exercise and diet, people can obtain the tools they need to regain control over their emotions, and their lives. 

Depression results from stress. Prolonged stress projected outward can become anger or irritability, manifesting as road rage, and verbal or physical abuse. Accumulated stress projected inward can result in depression, which is essentially ‘verbal’ and physical abuse of oneself. (How many people would say the horrible things to a friend that they say to themselves in this state, encourage them to stop eating, or feed them excessive junk food or alcohol?)

There are many causes of depression, with a variety of combinations causing depression for different people. Treating Depression: Part 1 is the discussion of one of the most, if not the most prevalent cause, Liver Qi Stagnation.

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) stress, anger, irritability, and depression have to do with the energetic function of the Liver. The Liver Channel is responsible for circulating all the energy in the body. When that energy is not flowing as it should it can create a wound up feeling, like a spring ready to be sprung. Everything can become overwhelming. The type of insomnia that inhibits falling asleep because the mind won’t shut off is another symptom, as is waking approximately between 1-3 AM with difficulty returning to sleep.

To treat these symptoms, find an Acupuncturist. Expect fairly quick results, as opposed to a series of treatments, three or more, with little or no signs of improvement. If there are no signs of improvement in a reasonable amount of time, find another Acupuncturist. We all have our specialties, and even the best of us can’t help every single patient that walks through the door, which is not to say that another Acupuncturist, with different techniques couldn’t help that same patient.

Acupuncture reroutes and encourages the flow of Qi, the vital energy in the body, (pronounced Chi).  Typically, patients feel better after the first treatment. How long this lasts depends on the severity of the depression. Mild cases require Acupuncture once a week, until symptoms are under control, at which point every other week and then a maintenance program of a once a month would be advisable. For severe cases, three times a week or more, for the first week or until symptoms are under control, can break people out of the pattern of fatigue, darkness and despair, enabling them to take a more proactive role in other aspects necessary for recovery, such as diet and exercise.

Chinese herbal formulas are also used by many Acupuncturists to accelerate healing.

If the case of depression is that of Liver Qi Stagnation (Energy not flowing properly in the Liver Channel) than the formula Xiao Yao Wan, which translates to Free and Easy Wanderer can be incorporated. This formula facilitates the appropriate flow of Qi and is a popular formula for either occasional or persistent symptoms of stress, or the type of insomnia where an overactive mind prevents sleep. Free and Easy Wanderer is a very old Chinese Herbal formula and available in many brands, many of them excellent, some to be avoided. Plum Flower is a GMP rated brand available at many Health Food Stores. GMP is an Australian agency, comparable to the original intent of the FDA. It is considered the top international standard for herbs, insuring quality.

Chinese Herbal Formulas are used to correct imbalances in the body and are often modified then discontinued as symptoms decline and disappear. Some formulas are appropriate for occasional use if symptoms reoccur, preventing acute reoccurrence, and should therefore be kept on hand in one’s herbal medicine cabinet. Labeling formulas with their use is helpful to remember what they are used for and as a reminder to use as needed.

While Liver Qi Stagnation is the most typical pattern causing depression, there  can be other underlying causes or combination of causes manifesting additional symptoms, for example extreme anxiety, chronic fatigue, or types of insomnia other than previously described. The Acupuncturist’s initial appointment is to discern the underlying pattern of a health issue, or combination of issues, create a (Acupuncture) Point Prescription, and choose an Herbal remedy to treat that pattern.  A first treatment is usually included in a first appointment.

Even in severe cases of depression, the first treatment of Acupuncture and initial doses of a Chinese Herbal Formula can restore balance in the body and enable patients to feel better. Subsequent treatments can maintain long term balance and be invaluable tools to help people regain control of their lives.

                                                            Health and Happiness,

                                                                        Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

Depression: Part 2

Continued discussion of other contributing factors of depression, and additional tools to alleviate and prevent re-occurrence. 

Purpose of Blog

The purpose of this blog is to provide information, tools that can be used to optimize health. Most health issues can be alleviated, improved, or prevented by Holistic means, to avoid needless suffering.That said, this information is not a substitute for care from state licensed medical professionals or western medical tests. The information presented here is to enhance the body’s ability to heal and to improve quality of life.

                                                                                   Health and Happiness,   

                                                                                           Nancy Burton, L.Ac.