What Produce Should I Buy Organic?

Organic produce has become much more readily available, but of course we all notice that it costs more than regular (conventional). Different plants retain pesticides at different rates, so by choosing wisely, you can get the most wellness for your money by choosing to buy organic when the produce is known to have a high pesticide residue.

Top 5 Produce to BUY ORGANIC (high pesticide residue)
1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine

Top 5 Produce with low pesticide (conventional is not as bad)
1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango

If you'd like a more complete list, this info was taken from www.foodnews.org. They even have an iPhone App if you would like!

The Yin Yang of Stir Fry

The idea of eating a "Balanced Diet" is quite different when you approach the idea from the viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ask an acupuncturist what that means, and you will get a very different answer than from a typical Medical Doctor.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we believe each food has an inherent cool, warm, or neutral property. For example, romaine lettuce is a cool food, whereas curry powder is a warming food. This inherit "nature" is not a comment on actual food temperature, but is something that the food possesses naturally. Sometimes it is referred to as a Yin or Yang nature, with cool foods being Yin and warm foods being Yang

The nature of food can be manipulated by methods such as cooking. For example, although broccoli is a cool food by nature, it is less cool when it is lightly steamed vs. raw. It is further warmed by the process of stir frying with ginger.

This is the reason why Chinese food usually finds vegetables prepared with a bit of garlic or ginger. Not only does this add flavor to the dish, but it balances it energetically. Most green vegetables are cool in nature, so a typical person would benefit from adding a bit of (warm) ginger to the dish.

A body that is out of balance will develop symptoms. An overly cool Stomach can lead to stomachaches and too-soft stools. An overly warm Stomach can show signs of acne and excessive appetite.

These and other concepts are explored if I find that my patients' bodies are complaining, whether through symptoms or pulse. A great thing about Chinese pulse diagnosis is that it can often catch problems before they become symptomatic. To me, that is what true wellness is... a body that is functioning at maximum efficiency.

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine can be used alone or together to promote balanced body function. Please visit my website at www.AcuSpaWellness.com for more information. Or for an appointment please call (650) 588-0888. Herbal consultations are a great way to maintain good health.

Water for Weight Loss & Wellness

It is especially important in the summertime to stay hydrated. Warmer weather means more water lost through sweat, but air conditioning can also sap water through your body as air conditioned air is also dehumidified air. Drinking enough water can also help with weight loss.

What we think is hunger is often thirst. You may be able to reduce many calories each day by first drinking an 8 oz glass of water and waiting 15 minutes before eating. Of course we need to eat our meals at regular times as well. But if you find yourself hungry for a snack between meals, it could very well be that your body simply craves water.

Did you know that more hydration often leads to less bloating? Bloating is our body's natural response to dehydration. It's stockpiling water because it's afraid that it won't get more later. By hydrating regularly, you can often decrease bloating in your body. Of course, if you find yourself bloated often and are sufficiently hydrated, you should check your salt intake. To much salt in the body holds onto too much water in the body.

Drinking water may up calorie burning. A study in Obesity journal in 2008 found those that increased water consumption and didn't change diet or actuvity level dropped body weight and fat over one year. Why is this? My theory is that dehydration is a mild form of stress on the body, and a stressed body holds onto more weight as an insurance policy against times where outside conditions are unstable.

How much water is enough? People should not be waking up to use the restroom during the night. And, keep in mind our body can only absorb so much water at once. Sipping water 8 ounces at a time ensures enough processing time so your body can absorb the water you're providing for it. Drink excessive water means your Kidneys need to work extra in order to process the extra water. I usually recommend to my patients that they should drink enough to have urine that is not dark (except the first urine of the day), and that they should be urinating maybe 3-5 times during the day.

Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal medicine can also be used to support weight loss goals. Together, they can reduce stress & cravings, and provide structure and support for you. More information is available at www.AcuSpaWellness.com

Summer is where the Heart is

We're all looking forward to a summer full of sunshine and social events. In the Chinese Medicine model of the world, summer is related to the heart organ.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we believe that the Heart is easily effected by excessive heat. A build-up of unwanted heat can lead to irritability, thirst and sleep difficulties. These symptoms are definitely more commonly seen in the summertime. The Heart system, according to Chinese Medicine, benefits from eating red foods.

One of the benefits of eating what's in season is that nature often provides your body with a way of achieving balance. Watermelon is one of my favorite summer fruits. It also has the ability to clear up what we call "Summer-heat" in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I like to define Summer-heat as what comes before heat exhaustion. There may dizziness, thirst, slight confusion. Eating a few slices of watermelon should have you feeling normal again.

If more serious symptoms appear or if symptoms persist, perhaps it's time to get some help from a professional. An herbal consultation from a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist can guide you to taking an herbal formula to solve other problems that may pop up in the summertime, like excessively yellow or burning urination, stubborn restless sleep, or unquenchable thirst. More information on Chinese Herbal Medicine can be found at www.AcuSpaWellness.com

Where do Gray Hairs come from?

There's lots of buzz in the scientific/aesthetic community lately over a discovery: we have uncovered an explanation for why hair goes gray. Or so say the reporters. What scientists have discovered is that people naturally produce a certain amount of hydrogen peroxide in the body, as a waste product. The hydrogen peroxide, in a non-gray haired person, is neutralized with an enzyme called catalyse. As we age, it seems that our amount of catalyse produced goes down, meaning there's more hydrogen peroxide around to do things such as lighten our hair.

Catalyse is an interesting enzyme that is also used in the food industry to prevent oxidizing in food. If you remember in chemistry class, oxidizing is what happens then oxygen starts breaking things down. This is most commonly recognized in everyday life in the formation of rust on iron surfaces. Following this train of thought, white hair is our body's expression of damage from inability to maintain catalyse production.

The question that raises is now, why is it that our body produces less catalyse with time? We don't know that yet. It will be interesting to see if science will be able to answer this question. Science is not usually great at functional problems. If something in our body isn't doing it's job, it's not likely that a Western medical approach can get it to do something different.

I have seen my clients have their hair color return with regular treatment. Acupuncture & Chinese herbal medicine has been shown to improve function. For example, I have seen digestive systems un-bloat and regulate. I have seen high blood pressures adjust themselves downwards. Western medicine has its place in our lives. It keeps people who are in critical condition from death. Contrast this with acupuncture, which can get a body to act younger and be more vital. One of the most cited articles on the gray hair discovery is at www.webmd.com. Check my website if you'd like to explore how you could benefit from acupuncture: www.AcuSpaWellness.com

Who isn't Stressed?!?

Do you know anyone who isn't stressed? Recently, I had someone come in who said that he was in the emergency room twice in the past week, diagnosed with panic attacks. When he came in to see me, he told me that he did not feel panicked or stressed. As he went on with his story, however, it seemed pretty apparent that there were multiple stress-ers in his life. He has several children to worry about, including a rebellious teenager. His job is very high powered with lots of responsibilities and people to manage. His family life is complex and involves juggling the needs and wants of many, many individuals. As he spoke of his life... he realized that perhaps he was stressed.

How do we know if we are stressed? Stress is, unfortunately, incredibly common in the lives of most Americans. A small amount of stress can be a positive driving force. However, in most of our lives it has blown out of proportion, with tight muscles being everyday occurrence and our hormones being thrown out of balance because of our anxieties. Probably the best way to tell how stressed we are is to provide a contrast. My personal favorite, easy way to de-stress is acupuncture. Acupuncture changes the hormones in our brains and literally puts us into a de-stressed frame of mind. Our brains release feel good chemicals and our bodies respond with deep relaxation. Our face muscles relax and we wake up looking younger from our acupuncture naps. All this and it's good for our health!

Stress can cause a huge variety of other medical conditions to happen. This means acupuncture can be used to help with a myriad of health disorders, all while making us feel really good. More info on acupuncture and its effects can be found at www.AcuSpaWellness.com

Tried & True Medications

My pharmacology professor made a comment once that I will never forget: "I only take drugs that are old - I never take the new drugs because we do not know what their long term effects are." Isn't this statement absolutely fascinating? It made me reflect upon my thesis paper on how culture effects medicine. Americans are raised in a culture that values "new" and "young". This way of thinking carries over into medical treatments, where new drugs are often touted as the next wonder of the world. In many cases, newer is better. But perhaps not when it comes to everything.

When working with prescription medications that have been on the market for a few decades, their effects are more thoroughly documented. Long term effects are more likely to have been spotted and built into consideration before they are prescribed. Most medication trials are not decades long, as companies work to get their products into the market as soon as possible. This means we usually don't know the long term implications of prescription medications when they are new.

Compare to this to the hundreds, if not thousands, of years of research we have on traditional Chinese medicine. Herbal medicine may seem old fashioned in comparison to some drugs on the market, but our ancestors have spent many, many years documenting their effects and side effects. Some of the effects that have been observed can be quiet surprising. The scientists of the past have been very thorough in their observations of how the human body will respond to different herbal medicines.

It therefore strikes me as quite odd when medical doctors express concern over herbal medicine. I would argue that, under the correct supervision, Chinese herbal medicine is much safer than prescription medication. This prejudice is probably due to a conservative approach to something that they have not studied and do not understand. Acupuncturists in the state of California have been taught and tested regarding Chinese herbal medicine. Finding a practicitioner that is licensed is a good first step to making sure that you are properly monitored while taking Chinese herbal medicines. More info on the applications of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture can be found at www.AcuSpaWellness.com