Artificial Sweetners

Artificial Sweeteners

       When I suggest patients avoid sugar on a regular basis, the next topic I cover is artificial sweeteners. By avoiding sugar, let me add, that I would rather see people eat sugar than 'sugar free' foods, made with chemicals. Artificial Sweeteners are chemicals. Chemicals have an adverse reactions on any animal, including humans ; they have side effects. Artificial sweeteners cross the blood brain barrier and can cause neurological disorders.including Bell's Palsy. There are more complaints to the FDA about artificial sweeteners than any other product on the market. They aren't taken off the market because the corporations, that make them, have such a strong lobby. 
      One of the side effects of artificial sweeteners is sweet cravings, ironic when people using these products are attempting to avoid sweets. Another side effect is addiction to the chemicals used in the artificial sweeteners. Helping patients stop the use artificial sweeteners, I use the same protocol I use for patients with addictions to cigarettes, and drugs. Causing sweet cravings and addictions to the chemicals used assures increased sales.  
      Stevia, a natural sweetener made from a plant, is used in other countries, instead of chemicals, for sugar free foods, and used for diabetics. Until recently, the artificial sweetener corporations have lobbied to keep it off the market in the US, and out of food items. In the past, it has just been legal to sell Stevia in Health Food stores as a supplement. As soon as the law was over turned, corporations started to sell artificial sweeteners that incorporated Stevia. Their problem is that natural substances, like Stevia, can not be patented. Chemicals can! Using Stevia, for the buzz word, for promotional purposes, and adding their chemicals, they can  patent their addictive, toxic version.

       So, for the occasional sweet treat, go for sweeteners low on the Glycemic Index, or occasionally sugar itself. Completely avoid artificial sweeteners! 

                                                                        Health & Happiness,

                                                                             Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                                 534 Washington St. Ashland, OR   97520

                                                                                 For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134

Sugar and the Immune System

Sugar and the Immune System

      Sugar, white,brown, raw, cane juice, molasses, corn syrup, corn sugar, fructose, impairs the immune system for 4-6 hours. Within that time many people are consuming more sugar, in the form of gum, mints, candy, or sugar in prepared foods. Beverages, non-dairy milks, salad dressings, sauces, snack foods, soups, frozen foods, and dinners also typically contain sugar. Even at Health Food stores it is a good idea to always read labels to choose products that are made without sugar. 
     Looking at live blood, under a microscope, after ingesting sugar, you can actually see the white blood cells jump in to digest the sugar. That means they are busy taking care of the sweets instead of doing their job and protecting your body from viruses, bacteria, allergens, and other exterior pathogens.   
    Except for those with an impaired immune system or cancer, occasionally eating sugar, as a 'Feast Day Food', is not a major detriment to health. The problem is how many products it is in. Most people have no idea how much sugar they are actually eating and what it is doing to their immune systems.
     So, especially during cold and flu, or allergy season, read labels, avoid sugar, and stay healthy.

                                                                          Health & Happiness,
                                                                              Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                                    534 Washington St. Ashland, OR 97520  
                                                                                    For Appointments Call: 541-646-0134

TCM History

TCM a History 

      There is evidence that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is 5,000 years old. The first Acupuncture needles found were stone, and dated to this period. Over 2,500 years ago Huang Di, 'The Yellow Emperor', the first Emperor to consolidate all of China, decreed that all information be written down about medicine. The result was extensive texts, the Huang Di Nei Jing, or ' Yellow Emperor's Classics'. These texts are still used for the basics of TCM today.  Written in the old Chinese characters, the original and less stylized form of modern characters, scholars of these ancient texts must master the old style of written language, to study the original works. 

      After the Huang Di Nei Jing was compiled, the Yellow Emperor sent envoys to surrounding  countries to share the knowledge. Japanese and Korean style Acupuncture resulted, and Reki, the Japanese version of Qi Gong. It is interesting to note that Egyptian, Indian, Arabic, and Greek medicine got their start right around the same time the envoys were sent out, and these texts shared. Some of the medical techniques, of these cultures are very similar to TCM, suggesting TCM influence. 

      What was different from culture to culture was spiritual beliefs. While Egyptian, Indian, Arabic, and Greek medicine allowed for surgeries, the Chinese believed that marring the body, in such a way, would interfere with a person's afterlife, the worst fate there was, for an individual, as well as their ancestors and descendants. Ancestor worship, was prevalent in China, until the Communists gained power. The belief was that the ancestors could intercede with the gods, much like Saints, in the Catholic Church. Except ancestors could be petty and vindictive if not properly pacified. Surgeries, it was believed, could anger the ancestors, and leave descendants without necessary access to the gods.     

      Consequently, TCM focused on observation, and finding ways to balance the body without using invasive means. The result was elaborate methods, using many techniques, including pulse and tongue diagnosis, observation, Acupuncture, herbs, massage, cupping, moxa bustion, food, diet, to name a few, to restore health. That is over 5,000 years of medicine. Talk about time tested!

                                                                  Health & Happiness,

                                                                          Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                               534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR 97520

                                                                                                  For Appointments Call:   541-646-0134

             

  

Dizziness

Dizziness

          One of the most common reasons for dizziness is phlegm. There is no treatment for phlegm in Western medicine but TCM has hundreds of formulas for very specific types of phlegm in very specific locations, as well as Acupuncture point prescriptions that specifically treat phlegm. 

        Phlegm can be caused by consuming too many 'damp' foods or drinks. Damp foods are oily or greasy foods, or foods that cause fat in the body. Fried foods, sweet foods, including fruit and fruit juices, oily foods like nuts are all damp. Dairy is the dampest food there is. Alcohol causes even more dampness than dairy. 

      The other reason for a build up of dampness, that can result in phlegm in the body is not being able to break down fats. If the gallbladder isn't working as it should, or other aspect of digestion not working well, fats aren't being broken down as they should and can cause a wide range of problems, including dizziness. 

      Dizziness can result from what the Chinese refer to as 'Phlegm Clouding the Orifices". In other words, phlegm clogging up the head and brain.       

TCM History II

TCM History II

      Over the centuries various masters added to the wealth of techniques and knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The masters reflected the events of their day. At times of epidemics or plague the most highly honored honored masters of the time were the ones that developed the Herbal Formulas, Acupuncture and other techniques to resolve and prevent illness. 

    Reproduction was of major concern in Chinese culture, since not having a male heir to continue the line meant a discontinuation of the ancestor worship. None of the ancestors, including the childless couple, would be given what they needed on a regular basis, from their descendants in this realm, to live a comfortable after life.   

   Chinese families lived in a walled compound, with extended family. The first son became the Patriarch, to rule all family affairs, and his first wife, the Matriarch, who ran the extended home, daughters, daugher-in-laws, and servants, if they had any. Change of  the heads of households could cause great turmoil. And as the heads of the households also head the purse strings, longevity and prevention of illness was something to invest in, through diet, herbal formulas, exercise, and any other advice from their family doctor/ Acupuncturist. 

     These are just a few examples of how various masters ended up specializing in certain things. Medicine, and medical techniques, were often handed down from father to son, and apprenticeship. TCM continued in this way until the monarchy was over thrown, after the last Empress ruled China (one of just two woman that ruled in their own names). The child she named as heir was deposed.  

  

.          

Dehydration and Cold Water

Dehydration and Cold Water

     As fall and winter set in so does a natural inclination to consume warmer drinks. Unfortunately, in the U.S. we have been conditioned to drink cold or ice water. Consequently, many people don't even realize how much they cut down on the amount of water they drink each day, as temperatures fall. 

    "Warm or hot water?" my patients ask as we discuss their water consumption during cooler months. "WOW, hadn't thought of that, but why not?" Hot tea, coffee, hot chocolate, satisfy the body's desire for warmth, but don't address our need for pure water. Our bodies are mostly water. Like a car's radiator, we need to replenish the correct fluids, or things just won't run properly. 

     Cold or ice water should be used only when it is very hot, for cooling the body. It takes a lot of energy to keep warm. Eating cold foods or drinking cold beverages, when it is cold outside, robs people of energy, and warmth. Cooling the body, with cold foods and drinks and then venturing out in the cold sets people up for catching a chill, or Wind Cold, as an Acupuncturist would say, meaning the kind of virus that comes with chills, body aches, and headache at the base of the skull and top of the neck. 

      So as temperatures fall, drink plenty of water, room temperature, warm or hot.

                                                      Health & Happiness,

                                                            Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                  534 Washington St. Ashland, OR   97520 

                                                                  For Appointments Call: 541-646-0134

      

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Shou Wu Pian

Shou Wu Pian

       Shou Wu Pian is an herbal formula widely used in China as an anti-aging tonic. It strengthens the energetic function of the kidneys. In terms of symptoms that means dealing with weak back and knees, frequent, urgent, and night urination, or incontinence, ringing in the ears, and prematurely gray hair, the type quickly advanced by illness, malnutrition, or excessive stress. 
      Fear is the emotion related to the kidneys, something that typically strong in children, with weak kidney function, and in elderly, as the kidney energy declines. The kidneys, in TCM, have to do with maturing, as the energy increases until puberty, and with the decline, what we think of as signs of aging. But we all know people who are old, at an early age, and those comparatively young in their 80's and 90's. This is an indication of their kidney energy. Babies who's kidney function has yet to strengthen have freguent, urgent, or night urination, and older people, with declining kidney energy have the same problems. 
       Shou Wu, or He Shou Wu, means "black haired Mr. Wu". Pian just means pill. It is one of the few Chinese herbal formulas that is just made up of a single herb.  It was named after the peasant that left his village during a time of famine. Floods or droughts would drive peasants from their villages in search of food. After scouring the country side, going to the cities to beg, or falling in with bandit tribes, those that survived would return to their villages and start again. Enough grain for seed would saved to start their crops again. Even bandits wouldn't touch the seed grain, knowing that its consumption would bring famine and death to all. 

      When Mr. Wu left his village, his hair was white, no doubt due to starvation. When he came back to the village his hair was black. "What did you eat? " his neighbors ask.  "All I could find to eat was this one root. " was his reply. That root was He Shou Wu. 

       People often ask how the Chinese came up with all the weird herbs they did. Herbs, by the way, include animal, vegetable and mineral, though the majority of the formulas are vegetable. Starvation is a strong motivator to try new and unusual things. This is one of many herbs that were undoubtedly discovered with such motivation.

      Shou Wu Pian is available at many Health Food Stores, in the Plum Flower Brand, a good  quality brand. Plum Flower Chinese herbal formulas have the GMP rating, the highest international rating for herbs.
      Shou Wu Pian should be avoided by people with colds or flu, diarrhea, loose stools or on going digestive problems, all of which should be addressed by a Licensed Acupuncturist. But for other people with problems with urination, weak lower back and knees, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) it is a good formula to try. If results are not apparent in a weeks time then the underlying pattern is not merely one of weak kidney energy and a Licensed Acupuncturist should be consulted.

                                                                      Health & Happiness,
                                                                           Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                                534 Washington St. Ashland, OR  97520
                                                                                For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134

      

Sherperds Pie

Sherperds Pie 

This a warm and filling version of the old classic.  A vegetarian version of this can be made by substituting beans, or vegetarian sausage for the chicken or turkey.

1 lb. chicken, or turkey breakfast sausage, loose  

1 Japanese Sweet potato, chopped  

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 large shallot, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, chopped

broccoli, handful

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery

1/2 zucchini,  chopped

5 kale leaves, chopped

*1/8 - 1/4 cup unsweetened almond, hazelnut or hemp milk

Steam Japanese sweet potato until very soft, mash, *use small amount of 'milk', if needed to obtain consistency of mashed potatoes. Sauté onions, shallots, and garlic in small amount of grape seed or olive oil, until soft. Add chicken/ turkey sausage and brown, cutting into bite sized pieces as cooking. Add rest of vegetables to pan, put lid on pan, turn to low and let steam until vegetables are done - cooked but still colorful and some crunch to them. Pour mixture into baking dish. Top with mashed Japanese sweet potatoes. Can serve as is, or broil in oven a few minutes, until sweet potatoes brown a bit on top.  Enjoy!

                                               Health & Happiness, 

                                                     Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                         534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR  97520

                                                          For Appointments call:  541-646-0134      

  

   

SAD Syndrome

SAD Syndrome  

     Growing up in Pennsylvania meant long dark days in the winter. Sun always brightened my mood. By the time I was a teenager, long stretches of dark days started resulting in major depression. As soon as I could, I moved further and further south, following the sun, until I ended up in Florida, living in mortal fear of anyplace, like Seattle, that had more than a few dark days in a row. 
     Season Affective Disorder, or the SAD syndrome, is a type of depression that kicks in with shorter, darker days, and less exposure to sunshine. It affects a large segment of the population, incrementally more the further north you go.
      The good news is, there are tools to deal with SAD, and eliminate, this potentially crippling syndrome. I learned about these tools, in Florida, where I attended school for TCM, and from learning other Holistic modalities as well, which treat depression, including SAD. Effectively treating my own depression was invaluable in helping others deal with theirs.                                                                  
      I found that the more severe cases of SAD usually meant a combination of root causes, that need to be addressed, commonly including what the Chinese call Liver Qi Stagnation, Candida, dietary problems with eating, or being able to assimilate, the right foods, and the body's inability to create enough Serotonin. Root causes differ with each patient. I usually address the problem with a combination of Acupuncture, (to rebalance and redirect the flow of energy in the body) Chinese Herbal formulas (to enhance and fine tune this rebalancing), Homeopathics (to help the body relearn to produce Serotonin), nutritional supplements, and nutritional counseling, as needed, (to give the body the ability to ingest and assimilate the nutrients necessary to stabilize emotions).      
      There are also a few tools I share with patients to combat the blues. There are many expensive full spectrum light products on the market, but GE's Reveal lights are not only full spectrum, but also no more expensive than other lights.They are sold most places that sell light bulbs. Reveal are available in regular bulbs, or florescence. GE makes it feasible to have a whole house full of full spectrum light, as opposed to one expensive light box, or lamp.
      After learning about Holistic tools for SAD I realized I could live anywhere I wanted. I ended up moving to Cannon Beach, OR, a place with less sunshine than Seattle.The first thing I did, when setting up my clinic there, was to yank out all the florescent lights and replace them with full spectrum. People would comment, on dark days, when they came into my office, how much better they felt just sitting there. 
      Another important tool is regular exercise. Exercise regulates the flow of Qi, the vital energy in the body. Exercise also releases endorphines in the body, which relaxes people and enhances their mood.  
      And finally, even though days might seem dark, there are still health benefits from getting outside everyday. Some sunlight still gets through the clouds. It is amazing how much lighter things look from the outside, than the inside looking out. As one of my patients told me, "Get out and walk your dog everyday, even if you don't have one."
      If these tools aren't enough to eliminate SAD, find a good Holistic practitioner to help.

                                                             Health & Happiness,
                                                                  Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                      534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR  97520
                                                                      For Appointments Call:   541-646-0134

Better Diet = Better Grades

Better Diet = Better Grades

     Giving talks at schools about Acupuncture and Holistic Heath, I can usually go around the room and tell what each child has had for breakfast. Ones that are sent off with just cereal and milk, even what is considered the Health Food versions of cereal, pastries, breakfast bars or drinks, fruit smoothies, are the ones bouncing off the walls in the mornings and falling asleep in the afternoons. Unfortunately, these are also often the children labeled as disruptive. In class rooms with too many kids per teacher these are the ones who fall through the cracks, or are branded as having ADD or ADHD, (which is just a group of symptoms for diagnosis purposes, not a disease or medical condition). 

      Even children who are keeping up in school, aren't doing as well as they could, without the fuel their bodies and minds need to stay alert. The constant effort to combat the cycle of hyper activity and fatigue causes stress, which can make all the difference in children sleeping well, eliminating mood swings, and enjoying school or not. 

     Feeding kids organic or free range protein and organic vegetables, along with whole grains, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,( avoiding wheat and corn, which causes insulin insensitivity), can increase mental acuity, decrease stress and help children enjoy school, and achieve greater academic success.

                                                                  Health & Happiness,

                                                                       Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                            534 Washington St. Ashland, OR 97520

                                                                            For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134 

Sweet Cravings Often Results in Vitamin & Mineral Deficiency

Sweet Cravings Often Results in

Vitamin & Mineral Deficiency  

      Ever notice how someone can fill up on junk food and still be hungry? It is the body's way of saying, "OK, you have feed your face, but I haven't eaten yet. SO FEED ME!"  Eating foods void of vitamins and nutrients does nothing to give the body what it needs to keep things running properly. All it does is hamper digestion, the immune system, and rob the body of energy. Granted, young people can often get away with a lot more of this kind of self abuse than  people as they get older. Younger people are usually more physically active. The movement of energy aids digestion. And people in their late 20's and early 30's usually have three times the pancreatic (digestive) enzymes that a person in their 70's does, so their digestive function is typically stronger. But eating food void of nutrients, like most snack and breakfast foods eaten in the US, set people up for health problems long term and can initiate food cravings and binging. Eating the good stuff first, the food the body wants and needs, cuts down on sweet and junk food cravings.

                                                                      Health & Happiness,

                                                                            Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                                   534 Washington St. Ashland, OR  97520

                                                                                    For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134

   

      

Relaxation Point: Shen Men

Relaxation Point

      One of the Acupuncture points everyone should know about is an ear point called Shen Men, depicted by the small black dot in the picture above. This point releases endorphins in the body, like exercise, sugar, chocolate, and sex do. This point helps people relax. It is a point I show patients with problems with stress, anxiety, or depression. Massaging, pinching, or poking this point with a finger or fingernail, can stop panic attacks or hyper-ventilation. 

      Shen Men, on the ear, is a point that can be needled during an Acupuncture session. Along with some other points for stress and anxiety, it can put patients into an alpha state, creating a feeling of floating, meditation, or deep relaxation. In Western medicine it has been determined that this alpha state provides a rate of accelerated healing, which is why meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, or other practices that initiate a meditative, or an alpha state are so healing. 

    Shen Men can also be activated by an ear seed, a small black seed, with properties to help move the energy in the body.This seed is taped on the ear, so patients can press on the seed any time, to initiate their own little Acupuncture session.

     While ears seeds and needling are great ways to activate this point, what is even better is the knowledge that just by remembering this small point on the ear, people have a tool to calm themselves, or someone else, any where, anytime.  

                                                               Health & Happiness,

                                                                        Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                            534 Washington St. Ashland, OR 97520

                                                                            For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134 

Food Cravings & Glycemic Index

Food Cravings & Glycemic Index

      The Glycemic Index is a chart showing how quickly various foods are converted to glucose, a type of sugar, in the body. There are two different methods for creating this chart, One compares the rate foods turn to glucose in the body compared to table sugar, the other compared to white bread. Consequently, figures might vary a bit from chart to chart. Either chart still indicates what is high or low on the Glycemic Index, so both work.

      All foods turn to glucose in the body, except for protein, which is converted into amino acids. Foods high on the Glycemic Index, such as white flour, sugar, corn, corn syrup, white potatoes... give people a peak of energy and then a crash. Many people experience these peaks and crashes all day long, everyday, in the form of energy dips, foggy thinking, irritability, and extreme cravings for foods high on the Glycemic Index, sweets and starches. 

      When the body is short on glucose, the fuel that keeps us going, it results in fatigue, the brain doesn't work as well, and the body is stressed. People then become emotionally stressed, which can cause anger, irritability or depression. The body screams for a quick fix, glucose, now, and lots of it. This is why, when people eat the wrong thing for breakfast, and lunch, they are ready to rip the doors off the cabinets to get to the junk food, as soon as they walk into their door after work. They are often too tired, with not enough patience, to make a decent dinner. And so the cycle continues.

     The way to stop this destructive pattern is to eat a good breakfast, one with protein, which is converted to amino acids, not glucose, and gives a longer, more gradual rise and decline of energy, vegetables, which are low on the   glycemic index, and starches like whole grains (not wheat, unless it is sprouted), winter squashes, sweet potatoes or yams, lower on the Glycemic Index. How many starches included in a meal, or how many meals to include starches per day, depends on the amount of physically activity, metabolism, and whether people are trying to gain or lose weight.

      Eating foods low on the Glycemic Index, along with clean protein, with each meal, can stabilize energy throughout the day, increase mental acuity, improve mood, eliminate mood swings, weight gain, and prevent food cravings. 

                                                        Health & Happiness,

                                                               Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                    534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR   97520

                                                                                    Fo Appointments Call:   541-646-0134        

Ashland Options

Ashland Options

     Milagros Fresh Mexican Restaurant has joined Grilla Bites, Co Op Deli, Sauce, and Standing Stone in offering Free Range meats and Organic vegetables as the bulk of their fare. Louie's Bar and Grill also has an option of a Free Range hamburger for a small, additional charge. As awareness increases so will the array of restaurants who offer healthy choices. Asking favorite restaurants to make these foods available, for a small fee, will add to the establishments that understand the importance of non-toxic food and increase to healthy options, when eating out.     

                                               Health & Happiness,

                                                     Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                        534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR   97520

                                                                     For Appointments Call:   541-646-0134

Sweet Cravings and Protein Deficiency

Sweet Cravings & Protein Deficiency

      Not enough of the right kind of protein is one more reason for sweet or empty carb cravings. People don't need huge quantities of protein but most people do need it three times per day, and a kind that works for them. Dark circles under the eyes is one indication of either not enough of the right protein, or not assimilating the protein consumed. 

      So what is the right protein? According to blood type, there are some foods that make the blood coagulate and some that split it apart. Dr. Peter D'Adamo's  Eat Right for Your Type breaks down which protein foods are the most beneficial  for each blood type.
     Any digestion problem is an indication that food is not being assimilated. Find the right Holistic practitioner to help with digestive issues.

                                                             Health & Happiness,
                                                                    Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                          534 Washington, St.  Ashland, OR   97520
                                                                          For Appointments Call:541-646-0134

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread 

  1  can organic pumpkin

  1  cup palm sugar

  1  cup maple syrup

     2/3  cups water

     1/3  cup grape seed oil

   4  organic eggs

   3 1/3  cups whole spelt flour
   1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
   2  teaspoons baking soda
   1/2 teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder
   2 teaspoons cinnamon
   1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix
     1/4  cardamon   
   1 1/2 cups of walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With grape seed oil, grease the bottoms only of 2 loaf pans 9x5x3 inches, or 3 loaf pans 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 (glass or stainless steel). Mix all wet ingredients, plus palm sugar, in large mixing bowl. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet, until blended, scraping sides of bowl regularly. Fold in nuts. Pour in loaf pans, no more than 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly. Run knife around sides of pans, then remove from pans. Slice after cooling completely. Enjoy!

                                                                 Health & Happiness,
                                                                        Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                             534 Washington St. Ashland, OR 97520
                                                                             For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134  

Feast Day Foods

      Traditionally, most cultures used to have a celebration, a feast day, once a month at most. Special foods were prepared, foods that had expensive ingredients, and were time consuming to make. There wasn't the time or money to make much in the way of leftovers. Now these same foods are inexpensive, readily available and every day has become a feast day. Our bodies can't handle it.

     Feast day foods are like getting a huge snow fall. For a few days everyone gets out and enjoys the snow. People play, they have fun, but if there aren't the facilities to remove the snow, everything grinds to a halt. People can't get to work, to school, to get groceries. That is what feast day foods do to our bodies.  

      Celebrations are important, as are the foods that go with them. So occasionally enjoy the birthday cake, the dinner at a friend's house, the holiday spread, but then go back to eating a more simple diet, foods the body needs, and can easily digest. And skip the gum, candy, mints, and elaborate drinks, breads, pastas, dairy, wheat and corn products, that can creep into daily diets.

      Feast days are an important part of life. As long as every day isn't a feast day.

                                                   Health & Happiness,

                                                         Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                            534 Washington St. Ashland, OR   97520

                                                            For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134  

Ten Percent

     I read, in The Richest Man In Babylon  that we each deserve to retain ten percent of our total income for ourselves, for our savings, something to invest in our future. It is something my father told me years ago, when I got my very first job. But hearing it again got me thinking. With everything I have to do all day, everyday, for everyone and everything else, don't I deserve to take ten percent of my day for me?

      Getting up early enough in the morning to exercise, to take the time for a good breakfast, putting the Me Time in before the rest of the day even gets started, is a good way to make sure it happens.

      On those days when life's demands crowd out the Me Time, as will happen, making the commitment to get back on track as soon as possible gives us the permission for temporary lapses, without beating ourselves up. It is always important to be as loving, forgiving and encouraging with ourselves as hopefully we are with others.  

      One third of Americans have chronic health problems. One third of the average American spends the last third of their lives with some sort of chronic illness or disease. Ten percent of the day, first thing in the morning, every morning, is a wonderful way to invest in your future health, the future quality of your life. Don't you deserve to take ten percent of each day for you? 

                                                   Heath & Happiness,
                                                              Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                         534 Washington St. Ashland, OR  97520
                                                                         For Appointments Call: 541-646-0134                                                                         
  

Food Cravings & Stress

      Sugar releases serotonin in the body, as do exercise and sex. Often when people are having sweet cravings they just want to relax and calm down. Sugar is the quick fix, a short term solution that provides an initial high that can be followed by a crash. Regular exercise, a good diet, and rebalancing the body with Acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas, nutritional supplements, or homeopathics, prescribed by a licensed practitioner, provide long term solutions, for stress, anxiety, and sugar cravings.  

                                                   Health & Happiness

                                                                     Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                         534 Washington St.   Ashland, OR   97520

                                                                                          For Appointments Call:   541-646-0134 

  

Exercise

      A major component of good health is exercise. If I don't get my exercises in first thing in the morning, it often just doesn't happen. I am not one for charging off to the gym at the crack of dawn. So when I first get up is time for me, time for the exercise routine that I have developed to keep me feeling good, and the size I want to be. Some light free weights, some toning repetitions, some yoga, and a nice work out on my stepper.

       I found my stepper from Brookstone. The one they have on their website now is just $60.00. It is small and light enough to keep in the bottom of my closet. I just pull it out and work up a sweat. Usually nothing makes me sweat, so this is quite an accomplishment, very healthy. Instead of using the hand straps, I use 3 pound weights to do some upper body toning, for part of my stepping workout. I also use this time to brush my scalp 100 times. (see previous blog)

      I still love going to the gym, biking, hiking, kayaking, and longer yoga sessions, but whether or not I get anything else in, with my morning routine I am good to go.

                                                               Health & Happiness,

                                                                                   Nancy Burton, L.Ac. 

                                                                                        534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR  97520

                                                                                        For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134

Candida, Sweet Cravings, and Alcoholism 

      Candida is the over growth of the negative bacteria, in the small intestines, that creates an environment for yeast. Side effects can be depression, fatigue, lethargy, foggy thinking, short term memory loss, aches and pains, acne, digestion problems, abdominal bloating, yeast infections, bladder infections, and strong cravings for empty carbs, alcohol, or sweets. 

     These foods feed the Candida. You more you eat of things high on the glycemic index, the more the Candida grows, and the stronger the cravings become. It has nothing to do with will power. It can become an all consuming entity in your body screaming, "FEED ME, FEED ME, FEED ME!"  The more you comply, the more the Candida thrives, and the worse you feel, mentally, physically and emotionally. 

      In AA (Alcohol Anonymous)  they tell people, "Eat all the sweets you want just stay away form the alcohol." They even go so far as to provide donuts or cookies at meetings. A major aspect of alcoholism is Candida. Killing off the Candida helps kill the desire for alcohol. Addressing alcoholism nutritionally and Holistically, with Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and nutritional supplements, and addressing the Candida, can increase the success rate from AA's 25% up to 85%.

      The reason for the discussion on alcoholism here is to establish the connection between alcoholism and Candida, but also to make the point that cravings for sweets, and junk food, can be every bit as strong as cravings for alcohol, because they are essentially the same thing.

     If you put yeast in a dark warm place and add fruit juice, you get wine, add grains and you get beer, add alcohol, and you get liquor. When people have an over growth of Candida, it is like a distillery in their small intestines. The day after a sweet, or junk food binge, people feel hung-over, because they are. 

      So what causes Candida? Antibiotics kill off the positive and negative bacteria in the small intestines. Like using Round Up on a lawn and killing off the grass and the weeds. What comes back first? The weeds, which is like the negative bacteria. The weeds then choke out the grass, which is like the positive bacteria. 

     The Western medical community used to deny the existence of Candida, until they came up with a drug to kill it. Until roughly the past 15 years or so, they didn't know what the positive bacteria was for. We now know that it is necessary for the digestive and the immune systems.

After killing off the positive bacteria, from antibiotics, either prescribed, or in animal products that are not free range or organic, it takes at least 6 months to re-establish the positive bacteria. Usually in the time people ingest more antibiotics and start the cycle all over again. If antibiotics are necessary, and sometimes they are, it is advisable to take some good probiotics afterwards, for at least 6 months, to re-establish the positive bacteria. 

      Another reason for the over growth of Candida is heavy metals. The body takes some thing bad, Candida, to encapsulate something worse,heavy metals.There are many sources of heavy metal exposure in our modern world, but a few of the most prevalent include aluminum cookware, the aluminum in antiperspirants, and metal fillings.There is no way to successfully treat Candida, without addressing heavy metals as well, in cases of heavy metal toxicity. If people have Candida and don't have metal fillings, I test for heavy metals anyway. If their mothers had metal fillings that could initiate Candida in their children. 

      Fussy babies with colic, diaper rash, night crying, thrush, allergies, or digestive issues, usually have a problem with Candida. ADD, ADHD, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and Chronic Fatigue, are all just a group of symptoms, not diseases. These are all the Western medical terms for, "We don't have a clue what is causing this, but we have to have a label for insurance and our patients."  But in every case I have treated, of all of these, Candida is a major component, as it is with so many chronic health issues.     

      There are many products on the market to treat Candida, some good, some not so good. By the time people get into see me they have often tried any number of them. They tell me they would have saved themselves a lot of time, money, and aggravation had they come to see me first. Therefore my advice is to find a good Holistic practitioner, who not only treats Candida but also knows to address the heavy metal component as well, preferably one who also does nutritional counseling.

      If sweets, alcohol, or junk food call to you, the Candida is in control. If you can walk right by them and they no longer look appealing, you have reclaimed your body.

                                                          Health & Happiness,

                                                                            Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                                534 Washington St.  Ashland, OR  97520

                                                                                For Appointments Call:   541-646-0134

Biochemical Individuality 

      After my last blog, or my "tirade on bread" as my husband called it, it seems a good time to bring up biochemical individuality, meaning, we are all different. What works for one person might not be what works for another.That said, what I offer on my blog, are guide lines, something to try out for size, and see if it works for you. If your health is perfect, including your digestion, energy, sleep, you have no phlegm, aches or pains, your immune system is strong, and you have no other health issues, then continue to do what you are doing. However, if you are reading this blog, chances are you have some health issues, however small, you would like to resolve, in which case, you might like to try some of my suggestions and see how they work for you. 

     My job is to help people get in tune with their bodies, to be able to listen to the taps on the shoulder. Minor health issues are your body's way of saying, "We need to talk." Because if you ignore the taps, the next step is the two by four that knocks you right off your feet.

      Basically, if you feel energized, after eating and throughout the day, have no digestive issues, including burping or gas, sleep well, and are hungry for breakfast in the morning, these are indications that you are eating the right things. Otherwise, it is time to rethink your diet. If there are still problems when eating a good diet, then it is time to get professional help, to enable your digestive system to assimilate your food.

      You are the only true expert on your own body, the only person who lives in it 24/7. So don't let anyone, including me, tell you what you have to do, or what you have to eat. If you really listen, your body will tell you what you need to know.

                                                                     Health & Happiness,

                                                                                       Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

                                                                                           534 Washington St. Ashland, OR 97520

                                                                                           For Appointments Call:  541-646-0134