Last week I embarked on a juice cleanse. September is a transitional time for the seasons, offering up a prime time to adopt different ways of healing our body. It is also a prime time for cleansing the digestive system, similar to the benefits of cleansing our livers in the spring. Many health-enthusiasts believe that juice-fasting is a superb way to revive and purge the digestive system, while scientific evidence proves otherwise. After the jump is my story with the three-day juice cleanse, the conflicting information regarding risks and benefits and a Chinese medicine perspective on how to maximize health benefits and preserve your digestive system through appropriate modification.

The Idea Behind A Juice Cleanse

The program, and many similar to it, involves picking up a variety of six different fresh juices daily that are to be your staple nutrition for that day. The juices do not include the fiber from the vegetables and fruits, but are instead the pure liquid extract from these foods. This is touted as the highest form of nutrients and promises that by drinking only these juices your body will have the time and energy to “clean house” and detoxify on a cellular level as a result of giving the digestive system a rest from solid food.

The Science Behind It

This idea sounds good – who wouldn’t want to detoxify their system with nutrient dense, organic juices? Or, give their digestive system a break from all the hard work of digesting food for us? However, there is no real scientific evidence that juice fasting – or fasting in general – actually does either of these things. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic remind us that “There’s little evidence that detox diets actually remove toxins from the body. Most ingested toxins are efficiently and effectively removed by the kidneys and liver and excreted in urine and stool.” Worse, Detox diets ultimately perpetuate the belief that our bodies are inefficient on their own and are inherently harboring pathological material unless we “do something” about it. It may also contribute to the myth that if we regularly indulge in unhealthy habits (such as smoking), that we will have the opportunity to reverse those effects by a quick detox.

Reading juicing blogs, fasting books and detox fasting materials will reveal a number of testimonials proclaiming renewed energy and weight loss as some of the most immediate results of fasting. The weight loss is obvious, eating less caloric dense food will result in weight loss. No surprise there. But what about feeling lighter and more energetic? Katherine Seratsky of the Mayo clinic notes that this could be a result of the belief that they are doing something good for their bodies, and not proof of systemic detoxification. Perhaps our juice-fasting craze is a detoxification placebo.

Consuming pure carbohydrate in the form of juice and avoiding protein puts the body into “starvation mode” and significantly increases blood-glucose levels. The body needs protein to live, and if it is not getting it from the diet then it will get it from another source, lean muscle. This is counter productive as the faster will be left with a reduced metabolism as a result of losing muscle mass and no change on fatty tissue.

Worse yet, is the inclusion of fruits and high-sugar vegetables (pears, apples, beets, carrots) in juice fasts that offer and immediate spike in blood glucose levels and thus contributing to the blood-sugar roller coaster responsible for the rise in obesity and heart disease. If you are going to have a serving of whole carrots, it will likely be 1 cup of carrots and you’ll get the benefits of the fiber. One cup of carrot juice you’ll need 4x as many carrots, and you won’t have the fiber to help slow the natural sugar digestion.

Medical doctor, Pamela Peeke, says “Forget fasting and detoxing. She says there is nothing magical about these kinds of plans, they don’t work long-term, and they ultimately perpetuate an unhealthy relationship with food.”

Chinese Medicine Perspective

Chinese medicine is based on the principle that over-indulgence is just as harmful to the system as under-indulgance. A balanced medium is the key to health. The spleen and stomach are the center of health, as they responsibly work to supply the body with nutrition from the food and drink we consume. The more efficiently these systems work, the better we feel – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Overload the digestive system with alcohol, rich foods and simply too much food and you’ll feel sluggish, mentally foggy and maybe even emotionally depressed. Fast completely, and you’ll probably feel the same side effects.

The digestive system is meant to keep us healthy and it is not meant to have a break (would we give other systems, like our cardiovascular system, a break? No way!). Our bodies work tirelessly and efficiently for us. The spleen/stomach is the work-horse of the body. Try to give it a “break” by fasting and it doesn’t know what to do. In fact, it will work harder – trying to digest anything that might give the body the nutritional value it needs. If there is no food digest, this over-consumption could leave us feeling nauseous, low energy, restless, agitated or depressed.

We all have days where we tax the digestive system with food and drink that aren’t the healthiest for us. Our body will deal with that in it’s own way, through the liver and the colon and excretion. The best ways to support the digestive system according to Chinese medicine is to consume regular meals and warm, cooked food. Sweet potatoes, steamed squashes, aromatic spices like cinnamon and black pepper, soups and stews are especially nourishing to boost the spleen and stomach – pretty much the antithesis of raw, cold, juices. Perhaps, juice fasting leaves our digestive systems in greater havoc than a big meal, dessert and three cocktails.

My Experience

Coming off of a summer full of parties, barb-b-ques, foods from all walks of nutritional values (or lack thereof…) and more glasses of wine than I care to admit – “cleaning house” was just what I needed. My Chinese medicine background of course made me suspicious of juice cleansing (see above), but I wanted to try for myself. I entered with an open mind and a promise to listen to my body and not be afraid to abandon ship if my symptoms presented so.

I made it through day one on a variety of delicious juices. As the day progressed, I felt lighter, energized and no havoc on my digestive system. Things seemed to be working in a miraculous way and my body “thanked” me for this gentle and healthful gift. By the evening of the first day, I felt a little dizzy and weak, and hungry. I grabbed my last juice to quench these things and was unable to drink, the juice no longer tasted good or felt good. I knew I needed some food, and heated up some roasted veggies and lean protein and vowed to continue my cleanse including healthy solid food.

My seasonal cleanse, in the end, included one or two fresh juices per day, and two to three small meals of whole foods, lots of water, natural fats and proteins (nuts, chicken, grass fed beef, whole eggs, grass fed dairy). I avoided alcohol, sugar, chocolate and most grains. Most importantly, I ate considerably less quantity than I had been in the earlier summer months. I was able to maintain this for longer than three days, which has left me feeling empowered, energized and healthy. My personal takeaway from this was cleanse was to curb my snacking, reduce quantity of food and avoid sugar to maintain digestive and energetic vitality.

My Advice

The best way to have a healthy, youthful system is to maintain as much balance as you can. This will mean different things for each individual, and allow for a lifetime of health. For starters, don’t over-eat or under-eat. Adding to that a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, natural fats, protein and limiting or avoiding completely refined grains, sugar and alcohol are great general guidelines that would benefit most individuals.

The bottom line: nourish yourself with whole foods (not too much) on a regular basis, and your body will detoxify itself and maintain a healthy weight. If you want to “cleanse”: spend a week avoiding alcohol and refined grains (or all grains, for that matter); you’re blood sugar, hormones and insulin levels will thank you.

Prenatal Nutrition: What Is Right?

Healthy diets vary as greatly as the individuals who employ them. From Vegans to Carnivores, the food we eat is a reflection of who we are, what we believe, and the health of our system. Celebrity news of late has all eyes on Nathalie Portman, who has recently “come out” saying that she decided to include eggs and dairy into her prenatal diet after being an avid vegan since 2009. While there is heated debate about the moral impact of her decision happening on various message boards, the actress claims that it was simply “listening to her body” that made her decide to include dairy and eggs. What is the healthiest option? More after the jump.

As a health practitioner, it is not my practice to get into the way of people’s belief systems. While the medicine I prescribe and the clinical results I see often include an animal protein-rich diet, vegetarianism – and even veganism, when done right  and under certain constitutional types – can offer safe and healthy guidelines in achieving, sustaining, delivering and breast feeding a healthy baby.

Prenatal Nutrition – The Basics

A good rule of thumb when trying to get pregnant is to eat like you already are. That means reducing, if not eliminating, caffeine and alcohol intake, consuming lots of vitamin-rich vegetables, nourishing proteins and fats and usually adding some sort of prenatal vitamin. In addition, there are specific nutrients, like Folic Acid, that are extremely important to supplement into your diet. Whether you are trying to conceive or already pregnant, the American Pregnancy Association keeps updated general nutritional guidelines based on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on their site. Exact dosage and nutrients like Folic Acid for pregnancy can be found here.

Found In The Fat

You’ll notice that many of the guidelines list important Vitamins like D, E, A, K2, Minerals like Folate and Zinc and fats like Omega 3′s and DHA – many of which can be found in a variety of vegetables and fruits. While DHA is limited to fish and fish oil products, Omega 3′s can readily be found in the oils of a variety of nuts and seeds.

What usually isn’t listed is that many of the above vitamins are fat soluble, which means that your body can only absorb them when consumed with fat. Since fat is not a major component of the fruits, vegetables and legumes where such nutrients are found, it is important to add some to your meal in order to actually absorb the nutrients you are consuming. Olive Oil, Grassfed Butter, Ghee, Nut Oils or Virgin Coconut Oil are great additions to salads, steamed veggies, beans or to be used in cooking. Not only will your food taste better, but it will be more nutritious for you.

A quick note on fat and weight gain – because many people avoid fat in an effort to stay trim, and because maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy is so important to the health of the mother and the health of the fetus. Despite popular consumer belief, and even FDA nutritional guidelines, wholesome fats will not make us fat. This includes natural saturated fats like butter, coconut oil and lard, as well as unsaturated fats like olive oil. What will expand our waistlines and hips are the trans-fats, like margarine, and extremely refined carbohydrates like corn syrup, fructose, white sugar and white pastas/breads. If you are watching your weight, read this book.

Potent Reproductive Nutrition

The vitamins and minerals important in reproductive health and fetal development are densely found in organ meats, beef, duck, chicken (with the skin), bone broth soups, marrow, whole milk, full-fat dairy, whole eggs, fish roe, cod liver oil, fish and shellfish. Such products come complete with the vitamins and fat all in one, so while there is no harm in adding a little more, the food is rich and nourishing on its own.

While vegetarians, or even vegans, can get around the fat-soluble vitamins by adding a wholesome vegetable fat to their produce, what they are missing are foods saturated with those important hormone and pregnancy nutrients. This means they will probably have to consume more food than women who are carnivores, which works out, as they are also probably hungrier (from the sheer perspective that vegetables digest faster than protein).

Must a woman consume animal protein to have a healthy pregnancy? Certainly not. Vegetarians who include dairy and whole eggs in their diet will have an easier time meeting nutritional requirements – from protein to Omega’s, Calcium and Vitamins like K2, D and A. These nutrients are important, biologically, to the hormonal system.

The Compassionate Diet

Portman isn’t the only celebrity avoiding animal protein, Alica Silverstone (practically the spokes-woman for veganism) is expecting her first child as well. The Examiner talks about how the star is getting all the important prenatal nutrition from a prenatal vegan diet.

While advocates for a vegan lifestyle stem from the theory of compassionate living by not harming animals, it may not be the most compassionate thing for a woman’s body to eliminate them from her diet. Above all, listen to your body. If it is not getting what it needs, it will probably tell you in some uncomfortable way. I do think there is something to Nathalie Portman taking the time to notice that her body needed more of something. That something, was probably her pregnancy and prenatal hormones craving more fat and protein than she was getting from her vegan diet.

A Holistic Approach

Joanne Hay of Nourished Magazine uses the philosophy of “what would your great, great, great grandparent’s eat?” There was a time when processed, pre-made, fortified “health” foods were not available. Yet, couples still achieved healthy (and large) families, which continued on to create more families and so on – until you. What they were eating depends on where in the world they were living, but it was probably a combination of the local animals and plants.

When we speak of constitutional types in Chinese Medicine, we are really talking about genetics. So, what your ancestors ate and their state of health is actually quite important to yours. Western science has given us important information about necessary nutrients to foster prenatal health (adequate folate, for example). Chinese medicine looks at the energetics of foods as a way to nourish and heal the body. This is more of an individual case-by-case basis. I recommend all my patients to take a prenatal vitamin, consult the American Pregnancy Association for appropriate guidelines and then give individual dietary recommendations based on constitutional type for holistic prenatal nutrition.

]]> http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/04/the-right-prenatal-nutrition/feed/ 0 http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/04/homemade-kombucha/ http://www.erinhessel.com/2011/04/homemade-kombucha/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:48:41 +0000 Erin http://www.erinhessel.com/?p=1633 Kombucha – a lovely, slightly effervecent, detoxifying, energizing and digestive enzyme-boosting cocktail. It now adorns grocery store shelves and sells for $5.00 per bottle. At first sip, this beverage can be sour and intense in flavor. Make it at home and this bite mellows to a refreshing after-dinner-digestiv. Kombucha is good for you, and is also very easy and inexpensive to make at home. Check out my Home-made Kombucha journey after the jump.

What It Is

It starts with a mushroom, called “Scoby.” Techinically speaking, scoby isn’t a mushroom at all because it cannot grow spores or “fruit,” but it is commonly referred to as such. Rather, the kombucha “mushroom” is a yeast culture and correctly named S.C.O.B.Y (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). Sounds yum, right? No need to cringe, the bacteria contained in products brewed by scoby are the good guys – just like in yogurt, kefir, sourkraut or miso. Actually, kombuha is a great way to restore the gut with healthy bacteria in a dairy-free diet.

As you can see in the photo above the scoby culture looks like a round disc, that can vary in shades from cream to brown, and it will take on the shape of whatever container it is being brewed in (therefore it tends to be circular). It lives on sugar and caffeine, which will fuel the brewing process and propel the scoby to multiply quite rapidly. The more scoby cultures in a batch will yield a more concentrated kombucha flavor. At some point in the process, new spawns will need to be separated and discarded – or, better yet, given to a friend to begin their kombucha brewing journey. Don’t know anyone with a scoby culture? Starter kits are sold here OR here.

Why It is GOOD For You!

While your countertop can look a little like a science experiment, I assure you – the results will please your palate and your tummy. The digestive enzymes contained in Kombucha help the healthy bacteria in the gut, thus promoting proper nutritional absorption from the food we eat. According to Chinese medicine, the digestive system is the hub of systemic health, and views beverages like Kombucha as a real tonic. Here are just a few of the extraordinary benefits from including this beverage into your diet:

• Contains glucoronic acid, a natural detoxifier normally found in the liver, which helps support the immune system, remove metabolic waste and environmental toxins from the blood.
• Contains lactic acid, which increases oxygenation to blood cells thus improving energy and combating fatigue.
• Supports beneficial bacteria in the gut, intestinal health and nutritional absorption.
• Can help individuals heal from food sensitivities and allergies
• Can help heal intestinal dysfunction (chrone’s disease, IBS, celiac)
• Contains acetic and usnic acids which are anti-biotic and anti-microbial and actually prevent growth of harmful bacteria in the system.
• Contains malic acid, which prevents muscle fatigue.

If you are like me and interested in learning more about the fascinating world of fermentation, this site will help you learn all the ins and outs of why and how to ferment almost anything!

HOW TO BREW

Once you have attained a culture, brewing is easy:

1) Bring 3 Quarts of Water to a Boil

2) Remove from heat and add 4 organic tea bags, or loose-leaf equivalent. Steep for 15 min, then remove tea bags. (Be sure to use caffeinated teas – black, mate, green or white for the majority of bags and may add a little of your favorite herbal teas – nettles, red raspberry, rooibos, etc)

3) Add 1 cup organic sugar to warm water & tea, stir to dissolve

4) Once liquid has cooled to room-temperature (several hours), pour over the scoby inside a pitcher large enough to hold all of the liquid.

5) Cover the opening of the pitcher/jar with a clean paper towel, fastened with a rubber band.

6) Allow fresh kombucha to brew for about 1 week on the countertop. Begin to taste it after 5 days and stop brewing when desired flavor is acheived.

7) Strain the finished brewed liquid into a separate large bottle/pitcher, store in the refrigerator. Leave 2 cups of the liquid in with the scoby to keep it alive. Store scoby and liquid in a smaller container with a paper towel over it until ready to brew again. Scoby will stay alive for many weeks and even months without a new feeding.

In Mandarin, “Happy New Year!”     |    Or in Cantonese, “Gung Hei Faat Choi!”

February 3, 2011 was the official start to the fifteen-days of celebration for the Chinese New Year – one of the most important holidays in Chinese tradition. Based on a lunar calendar,  the actual date of Chinese New Year changes every year (unlike the static January 1st date in the Western calendar).  This lunar month we move from the uproaring year of the Tiger to the year of the sophisticated Metal Rabbit. More on what’s in store for 2011 after the jump…

Rabbit Archetype

You are a Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac if you were born:

1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

Rabbit personality types are cautious and sensitive, while well-mannered and gracious with an heir of sophistication. Their attention to detail and organizational skills make them great researchers, politicians, decorators, purveyors of antiques, historians or scholars. They are sentimental and introspective, and do not thrive in competitive environments as they can easily be brought to tears by their extreme sensitivity to their environments. Rabbits make great partners in romance or other areas of life, but they depend on their solitude for survival. This time alone allows for the introspection they need to intuitively ground themselves and find strength.

According to Chinese Medicine

The rabbit sign corresponds to the color green and the element of wood in Chinese medicine, both of which can be attributed to the liver/gallbladder meridians. Liver constitutions take pride in being direct and fair, while gallbladder constitutions are excellent judges in weighing out all sides to a story. The wood element is known for its strength in flexibility, and direct nature to grow forward in life. The wood element corresponds to springtime, of which we are soon approaching…it is bound to be a season for strong intuitive abilities.

The Coming Year

2011 is predicted to be a much calmer year than the previous year of the Tiger – as Rabbit years bring peace and tranquility – a much needed respite from a tumultuous 2010. The Rabbit mends fences, keeps the peace and focuses on inner harmony. Diplomacy reigns this year, with forgiveness for old quarrels at the top of the list for success. Ideal pursuits in a Rabbit year include taking up a hobby, enjoying the arts, learning something new or exploring your creative nature. Financial and work-related successes will come through cooperation this year, not from force as it did with the Tiger. This year is all about taking things slow and steady – persistence will prevail.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

For your individual horoscope based on your zodiac sign, check out this informative post on Hub Pages:

Chinese 2011 Horoscopes

Chicken soup is known in many cultures to help prevent and fight-off common colds and flu’s. The broth is deeply nourishing, while the pieces of chicken and vegetables are satisfying and filling. In Chinese medicine, chicken bone broth is said to deeply nourish the kidneys, and are often used in situations where the kidney energy can get tapped – such as: after childbirth, after IVF cycles, a chronic or long-term illness, or as a general health supplement in the winter (which is the season for kidney energy). The “kidney energy” in Chinese Medicine can be likened to adrenal, endocrine and immune function in Western Medicine. After the jump, check out my own recipe for nourishing Chicken Soup.

This soup is a variation on my mother’s recipe and my fiance’s mother’s recipe for home-made chicken soup (learned by observation, trial and error – perfected!). Best part is that once the stock is made, this soup takes less than 45 minutes to prepare – start to finish.

• 2 Split Chicken Breasts, bone-in and skin-on*
• 3 Medium Parsnips, peeled and sliced into circles or half-circles**
• 2 Medium Carrots, washed and sliced into circles or half-circles
• 4 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 6-8 Shitake Mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1-inch Slice Fresh Ginger Root
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 6 Cups Broth (preferably home-made, vegetable or chicken)
• 1 Cup Pasta or Rice of your choice, cooked and drained (optional)

Prepare broth for soup. In a separate soup-pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add the carrots and parsnips, cooking together for about a minute. Pour the broth over the vegetables and bring to a simmer, adding the ginger slice, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Once bubbling, place the chicken breasts in, skin-side down. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 10 min. Turn the breasts around so the bone-side is now down for another 10 minutes.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup and place on a cutting board. Once slightly cooled, remove and discard the skin and bones. Loosely shred the chicken and return to the soup (chicken should be fully cooked). Remove the sliced ginger and bay leaf, and add the shitake mushrooms. Simmer together for 2 minutes and then serve over cooked pasta or on its own.

* I use two chicken breasts because I prefer the white meat in my chicken soup, and I am usually only cooking for 2 so a whole chicken is a little much for us. But a whole chicken can be used. I prefer to keep the skin and bones on so that the essential minerals, nutrients and fats of the chicken absorb into the broth – making it the immune booster it claims to be.

**The parsnips give a nice texture and sweetness to the soup that I think complements the shitake mushroom flavor incredibly well, plus it is a nice way to use a vegetable not commonly called for in other dishes. Celery can also be added or substituted for the parsnips, if preferred.

During my undergraduate degree I was fortunate enough to write my dissertation while living with a lovely family in Heredia, Costa Rica. I remember Maria, the host mother, making fresh black frijoles (beans) almost daily. The process appeared exhausting: Hours of rinsing, soaking, rinsing again and boiling – careful not to over or under cook them. I was truly thankful to incorporate this lovely food into my diet at the time, but never learned the process for preparing them myself. Once I moved out of that lovely haven of home-cooked food, it was back to canned beans for ease and convenience (but certainly not taste). Until recently…

I’ve been reading about all the important nutrients lost in the canning process, and how cooking beans at home is actually not all that complicated or time consuming. And, probably the most encouraging news of all, in addition to being better for you and a more cost-effective option – they taste WAY better. So here is what I’ve learned over the past month about cooking beans from scratch, enjoy after the jump.

Incredible Powerful Food

Legumes, or beans, are an important part to any diet – wheather vegan to carnivore – as they supply an array of trace minerals, folate, vitamins, fiber, protein and carbohydrates. They are nearly a complete food in and of themselves, and can be prepared in a multitude of ways – such as boiling into soup, pureed into spreads, sauteed into stir-fry, chilled into salad or simply scooped onto the plate as a healthy side dish. In Chinese nutritional therapy, beans are deeply nourishing to the kidneys and a great way to supplement essential nutrition from a vegetable source.

However you choose to enjoy them, the preparation in the beginning is the same. Dried beans in their unaltered state are inedible – much like brown rice or other grains. Begin preparing your beans in the format below, and adjust the final cooking time as appropriate for your desired dish. You’ll notice that unlike the soggy counterpart often found in canned beans, home-cooked beans retain their texture and flavor better. They are also easier to digest as the soaking process reduces gas and increased nutritional availability.

Step One: Soaking The Beans

No matter what type of bean you choose, they will need to be soaked for 8-12 hours before cooking. On a very basic level, this will help to soften the hard bean and reduce cooking time and also deeply clean any debris or tannins from the food. More importantly, this step increases nutritional absorption by breaking down anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and indigestible complex sugars (oligosaccharides). Phytic Acid is found in the hulls of seeds, nuts and grains. It is not harmful in and of itself, but is binds with essential minerals in foods such as zinc and iron rendering those unavailable to the body that consumes them. Soaking, cooking and fermenting foods containing phytic acid neutralizes its binding effect so the minerals are left available to the body.

1)  Pour 2 Cups of Beans into a large mixing bowl

2)  Add enough filtered water to cover the beans by 3-4 inches

3)  Add 2 Tbsp of Cider (or other) Vinegar, Lemon Juice or fresh Whey to the liquid and briefly stir

4)  Let the beans soak on the counter overnight (8-12 hours) – add more water if needed (this will depend on the type of bean your using)

Cooking The Beans

Once the beans have soaked, you’ll notice that they have expanded in size and left a murky color to the water. At this time, it is important to drain the beans thoroughly and rinse them – clearing away all the junk. Once well rinsed, place the beans in a large pot and cover with clean filtered water by about an inch. Add salt, seaweed, or other spice as desired. Bring to a low boil and cook for an hour to an hour and a half. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of bean and quantity. Once your beans have reached your desired tenderness, store and prepare them as you choose. I like to strain them and fry in a little coconut oil, garlic and fresh vegetable. To save time and enjoy your beans later, store a portion of the cooked beans in the freezer for a later recipe.

Beans truly aren’t as putsy as I thought – they can soak while I sleep and cook while I answer emails. And there are leftovers for all week long. Enjoy!

Yams For Your Health

In Chinese medicine, sweet potatoes are known for their spleen tonifying ability. The spleen is responsible for the digestion of all the food we take in, and then transporting the nutritional content throughout the body for healthful use. The energy of a healthy spleen is strong – maintaining metabolic function for the whole body and able to stand up against suppressants like stress and poor diet. In order for the spleen to properly coordinate this important function, it requires tonification through various means – such as acupuncture treatments, herbal tonics and nutritional therapy. To nutritionally keep your spleen happy and functioning at its best, sweet potatoes are one of the best foods.

In addition to the systemic benefits of sweet potatoes from the Chinese Medicine perspective, they are packed with beta carotene – an antioxidant that reduces aging and inflammation (just like pumpkins and other orange veggies). So not only are you benefiting the harmonious state of your digestive system by including sweet potatoes in your diet, but you are also adding rich beautifying agents to your health care regimen. The best way your body can absorb these important nutrients, which are fat soluble, is to add butter to your sweet potatoes. Lucky for us, this recipe takes care of that pairing for us.

Delicious Sweet Potato Bake

• 5 sweet potatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup real butter
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup agave syrup
• 2 tablespoons organic half and half

• 1/4 cup real butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Clean sweet potatoes, leaving most of the skin on and slice into large pieces.
2. Boil sweet potato chunks until soft and cooked through, drain from the pot and place potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
4. In the large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes and add salt, 1/4 cup butter, 2 eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, agave, and half/half. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
5. In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, flour, brown sugar, spices and chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of course meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.
6. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and lightly browned.*

*May store completed dish in the refrigerator for one day before baking. Only bake when ready to serve.

A recent article by Dr. Mark Hyman on the Huffington Post completely caught my attention – so much so, that I felt compelled to share it with you here on my blog. The article discusses the faultiness in current cancer treatments, and the need to change tactics. While this area is not a particular specialty of mine per-say, the trends in modern medicine are finding evidential proof that we must treat the whole person, not simply their pathology, to have greater success in ‘curing’ disease. This solution is being coined “functional medicine.” From a purely philosophical standpoint, one could argue (and I most certainly would) that Chinese medicine is synonymous with functional medicine in many ways. From a modern medical standpoint, however, this idea is revolutionary.

To read the full article on HuffPo, click here.

After the jump, read my brief synopsis and commentary.

Functional Medicine

I recently attended a functional medicine seminar on female hormone health, which touched on diet, supplements, herbs and stress management as main components on impacting hormonal health. Acupuncture could be lumped into that mix as well, and is in my practice, but wasn’t the main topic of discussion at this particular conference. The beauty of functional medicine is that it is just that – functional. Not isolated or specialized. It takes particular knowledge of patho-physiology to treat disease, but it takes particular knowledge of systemic function to treat the individual person. People like Dr. Hyman are pioneers in bridging that gap in the current health care system.

Sometimes it takes a particular diagnosis to effect lasting lifestyle change in personal health and well being. But it doesn’t have to. Functional medicine begins with preventative medicine, and it begins with tending your unique garden.

Tending The Garden

Dr. Hyman illuminates that a tumor in and of itself does not appear from nowhere. Hippocrates argued the same thing centuries earlier about the appearance of disease seeming sudden, when in fact it was forming for any length of time. The tumor, as Dr. Hyman suggest, appears within the soil of the unique individual human landscape – much like a weed appears in a beautifully groomed garden.

The weed, now grown tall and standing out like a sore thumb, seems to have come from nowhere. But it came from somewhere, and has been growing roots for some time. We can pull the weed, getting all the roots and fragments attached to it – ridding the garden of its presence for good,  making it perfect again. For now, anyway. The original seed came from somewhere, and it was able to flourish on the perfectly manicured lawn for some reason – neither of which have been even considered or addressed in the uprooting of the weed. The foundation of the garden has been unchanged.

We may get lucky, and the weed will never grow back again. Or, the opposite may be true. A good clinician (or patient, for that matter) is not about to leave therapeutic treatment up to luck, however. Therefore, “tending the garden” is one response to restoring health and vitality from the foundation up. How to tend the garden of your body? Dr. Hyman suggests, and rightly so, beginning with the gut – proper nutrition, absorption, and elimination of food, drink and toxins. That is the hub of our organism and cannot be overlooked in modern health care. Nutrition comes from the cellular level, and has many complex components far beyond calorie counting and healthy diets. Other areas to consider are lymph function, cardiovascular, adrenal, psychological and endocrine. While pharmaceuticals can offer life-saving benefits in treatment protocols, functional medicine supposes that lifestyle factors impact healing just as much and cannot be overlooked.

What You Can Do

Many medical doctors are being trained in Functional Medicine, and incorporating it into their practices. So keep an eye out for that. Your holistic practitioners are most likely also working in this sphere in some capacity. Nutrition, supplements, stress management, exercise, and psychological/emotional health all play important roles in healing – just as diagnostic testing and appropriate medical treatment. When in doubt or seeking further advice, ask questions – to your providers, your friends, your family. Your health care begins with the choices you make, including choosing your providers. Dr. Mark Hyman is also the author of several books on dietary cleansing and detoxification, which I highly recommend checking out and passing along.

For Labor Day this year, I decided to take a road trip with a couple of amazing women to visit a long-time inspiration and hero of ours: Ina May Gaskin. For those of you who are not familiar with Ms. Gaskin, she is a world-renowned midwife known for her work in maintaining humane childbirth practices, and empowering women to believe in their bodies ability to have a healthy pregnancy and birth. She is the author of Spiritual Midwifery, and two books that no pregnant woman should be with out: Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth and Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding.

Her next project is a book outlining the importance of birth and labor practices in all areas of life. It will be catered to not simply prenatal women, but to all women and men as a call to arms about the state of health care. It should be an interesting read when it comes to press, no doubt. My perceptions of Ina May Gaskin’s loyalty and passion for her activism in the field were far exceeded beyond my wildest imagination once I met her. After the jump, enjoy photos from the journey and more about the inspiring midwife from my first-hand account.

We chose to drive the 16-hours each way between NYC and Summertown, TN, as a sort of Pilgrimage. The Farm (where Ina May lives), and more specifically the woman herself, had a significant influence on each of our lives to work in the field of woman’s health, prenatal health and labor and delivery. While flying certainly would have made more sense, considering the four-days we had scheduled for this trip… this journey called for something different. So, we drove. And made it all the way to Roanoke, VA when we started to hear the noise coming from the left-rear of the car, which continued to grow louder as we approached our destination.

We made it safely to The Farm, only to find out from the nearest Volvo Dealership that the car needed fixing before it was highway-safe for the road home. Coming from the Northeast, there was apparently enough corrosion from snow and icy winters that it wouldn’t be fixed until after the holiday weekend (at least two days after we were supposed to have departed). They gave us a loaner, we cleared our respective schedules (a sincere ‘Thank-You’ for understanding to those of you it affected), and decided that this was going to be for the best (and, in the end, a sort of gift). We were going to maximize our time and learn everything we could about this place. So what do you do in Tennessee on the night you find out your stranded in Summertown?

Well, you find the largest local Bluegrass Festival west of Nashville. I had never experienced anything like it. Hundreds of families, strumming all sorts of string instruments, singing the likes of Johnny Cash and dancing the two-step, the waltz and competing for the reigning Buck-Dancing championship. Buck dancing? Yeah, I said the same thing, but it is this truly unique form of tap dancing alongside bluegrass music – almost as if they were creating the percussion. It is descended somehow from an Irish Jig, and a huge part of the culture in Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee. You can check out a world-class Buck Dancer here and/ore these ladies have a great introduction to the dance: Buck Dancing Video

And, of course, we tried on some of the huge array of cowboy hats for sale. On the left is Katinka Locascio, Prenatal and Infant Massage/Cranial Sacral Therapist hailing from Long Island City and on the right is Leah Keller, Pre- and Post Partum Fitness Personal Trainer and Founder of Expect To Be Fit. We also enjoyed some local fare of fried catfish, hush-puppies, white beans and corn bread (a very “yellow” dinner, we all agreed, but authentically delicious nonetheless).

OK, Back to The Farm. So, The Farm was founded in the 1970′s by a group of 500 people caravan-ing across the country in search of a better, more peaceful way of life (some may classify this group as “hippies,” as I think they may even classify themselves!). Along the way, a handful of women went into labor and Ina May volunteered as the one to help these women through childbirth. With no formal training, she became quickly enthralled with the process and dubbed the official midwife of the community. They finally settled on 1,000 acres of farmland outside of Summertown, TN – sharing finances, vegetable gardens and tents (which later became houses). They created a self-sustainable commune, which since the 1990′s has become more of a community versus a commune. Midwives now charge for their services, there is a local store with organic produce for locals and tourists and they export home-made tofu from their soybean manufacturing facility. Other hot-spots on The Farm, include:

- a beautiful Swimming Hole,

– their own Cemetery,

- and their own Midwifery Clinic. It may not look like a fancy hospital from the outside, but the Farm clinic is equipped with all the necessary equipment for clinical health care. The midwives still work out of this clinic on Wednesdays, for prenatal and post-partum visits, and women come from all around the world to labor and delivery their babies on the Farm. In addition to their clinic, there are official “birthing houses” scattered about the Farm where laboring women go to be comfortable and deliver their babies.

The clinic boasts a very friendly appeal, with big couches opposite the exam table for family members and comfortable intakes. The room is adorned with hand-made art, including the following images drawn of intrauterine development:

The first image is quite-obviously pre-pregnancy, while the second I guesstimate takes place somewhere around 16-20 weeks.

Later-term images, around 30-34 weeks, one of the outer uterus expanded to accommodate the size of the growing fetus (seen on the right).

The newborn care facility for post-partum and early pediatric check-ups.

And, finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for – a meeting with Ina May! She graciously invited us into her home, where we discussed the state of maternity care in America, her new book, and her hopes for the future. She is an extremely well-read researcher, passionate about helping women claim their bodies and re-connect with the innate power they have to create, nurture and birth life – in all definitions of the word. The basis for her claims come not from spiritual suppositions, but from factual statistics spanning her career of over 2,000 births and in-depth research into the reality of medical care in developed nations around the world. Of 2,025 births, The Farm boasts a 1.5% C-Section rate, and they are known for their ability to safely delivery the common presentation of shoulder-dystocia and breech (two aspects of obstetrical care that are often not even taught any longer in medical school). She is a wealth of knowledge, with a witty and quite funny sense of humor.

Thanks to our car-trouble, we got to spend more time with Ina May than we anticipated, including spending a day in Ina May’s garden, transplanting  swiss chard and enjoying home-baked soy yogurt scones. As Katinka duly noted, any chance us New York City girls get to dig our hands in the dirt – we take it!  It was truly a lovely weekend, all around.

A great book! Containing important information, clear descriptions, an empowering voice and a few classic birth stories from life on the Farm. Definitely check it out.

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