Fall Fennel Frolic

As leaves fall into autumn in the northern hemisphere, one often awakens to craving delectable comfort foods; especially those roots like sweet red onions, sweet potatoes, yams, beets and one of the most neglected of root veggies in the American garden, bulb fennel.

According to the traditional medicine of the Far Eastern Lands, fennel is warming and acrid; yet it readily enters the liver, spleen, kidney and stomach channels.

It readily resolves flatulence, abdominal bloating, indigestion, vomiting and certain types of menstrual pain all due to stagnation of vital energy.
This is to say that such energy is liberated to flow its natural course of the season.

What is natural must become commonplace
and therefore unknown by many.

Bulb fennel grows easily, as it naturally does not demand rich soil.
It is easily harvested, and once it appears in the kitchen, when met with sharp confidence, it makes its presence known when there is also a definite plan of action; grated in salads, soups, or pickled as a condiment.

My favorite dish is roasting 2 or 3 bulbs with lots of garlic, potatoes, and sometimes beets. Those who would particularly relish the enjoyment of this dish are wise to use a plentiful supply of olive oil, fresh thyme, a bit of balsamic vinegar, honey and salt & pepper to taste!

COMMENTARY/IMAGE: The overall enjoyment of this season is particularly highlighted by the willingness to experience it. Being open to the “natural readiness” of the season’s energy, and having the courage to take a specific direction in actualizing this vital energy is tantamount to quiet comfort; quiet because it is unknown by the majority, and comfortable because it is naturally ready to respond to whatever resources are available to us. Self-perfection is only attainable by non-striving. There is no error in focused enjoyment.

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The Coming Evolution of Wellness

My prediction about the coming evolution of wellness:

The health, healing and wellness industry over the next 20 years will be *heavily influenced* by an increase in the awareness of:

• healing benefits of Nature (conceptualized in ‘The Biophilia Hypothesis‘)
  
• holism
• enhanced creative process
• imagination
• visualization
• fantasy
• dream work
• faith healers
• shamanic healing arts
• energy & light workers
• mind-body disciplines (tai chi, qigong, yoga, etc.)
• music and sounds
  
• performance art
  
• drama
• story-telling
• hypnotism
• neuro-scientific applications, etc.

Check out this video by one of the masters in this arena:
(video) Robert Moss: Dreams of Healing

The Secret of Health Lies in the Successful Adjustment to the Ever-Changing Conditions

Life is largely a process of adaptation to
the circumstances in which we exist.

The secret of health and happiness lies in the
successful adjustment to the ever-changing
conditions on this globe; the penalties for
failure in this great process are disease
and unhappiness. ––Hans Selye

Do pharmaceutical drugs heal your condition?

Did you know that Pharma companies craft drugs that will be "pretty" to the consumers?

Please consider the following possibilities relating to pharmaceutical drugs:

• Do your pharmaceutical drugs actually heal your illness?
• Do you think you will be taking them for the rest of your life?
• Do you know of ANY alternatives to these particular pharmaceuticals?
• Have you grown accustomed to the harmful side-effects of pharmaceuticals?
• Did you know that an estimated 100,000 Americans die each year from prescriptions’ known side effects? (i.e, deaths NOT because the doctor made a mistake and prescribed the wrong drug, OR the pharmacist made a mistake in filling the prescription, OR the patient accidentally took too much).
• Are your pharmaceutical drugs necessary for you to continue living? (for example, thyroid medications for those with no thyroid gland)
• Are there any local resources (herbalists, homeopaths, alternative health care providers, etc.) in your area that might act as a substitute (even temporarily) if your supply of medications were cut-off due to abrupt changes in medical insurance benefits, natural disaster, civil unrest, or economic collapse?

I would truly like to know what you have been thinking about these issues…

What can you share about your experiences and pharmaceutical drug therapy?

Choosing Foods That Heal

Choosing foods that heal on a very deep level is easy once you understand the energetic qualities of foods.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), all foods (in other words, animal and plant-based foods, spices, culinary & medicinal herbs) are categorized by their energetic properties rather than by particular nutrient content (for the purposes of this post ‘nutrient’ = nutrient, mineral, trace element, enzyme, etc.). This makes sense when you consider that thousands of years ago presumably nobody knew about corporeal potassium, Vitamin A, folic acid, etc.

This highlights the arbitrary nature of selectively isolating nutrients in food since the nourishment provided will always be in relation to the net effect of all the constituents present. This is just one example why I believe the TCM energetic system is a higher order model for evaluating, preventing and remedying illness.

For example, any good nutritionist knows that certain nutrients can only be effective when sufficient quantities of others are also present (i.e., Iron is better absorbed with sufficient Vitamin C in the system or that Calcium absorption is markedly reduced by insufficient Vitamin D intake as well as an excessive intake of phosphorus and magnesium). This is not to say that nutrient content is unimportant. It just provides the means to make even better food choices, but from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, Qi (energy) is primary to health and material substance is secondary:

“Qi is the Commander of Blood, Blood is the Mother of Qi.”

When Qi energy is balanced, the form and structures of the body will be stronger and more resilient. On the other hand, when the Qi energy is weak and disordered, the body will also be weak and vulnerable to illness.  Material form (an allusion to “Blood” as viewed in TCM) nourishes and fills out the energetic framework of Qi energy.

The taste categories are sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty (sometimes ‘bland’ is included, but for the purposes of demonstrating how to choose foods that heal it’s not significant).

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the overall balance
of the foods we eat should ideally balance us as individuals.

This is basically done in 2 ways:

1. In general, choose foods from all of the different taste categories.

• If we eat too much food from 1 or 2 categories, our health will not be optimized and imbalance (which may lead to illness) could easily creep in.

2. We can always modify the tastes of a particular food by:

• adding herbs or spices
• preparing/cooking it differently
• eating it with balancing/complimentary foods

Please feel free to post any comments or questions below.
In the next post, we will consider more in depth some of the guidelines just presented to give you a better idea of how to choose foods that heal.

Autumn (Metal) Season Wellness

The Metal Season (Autumn) is the season that traditional Chinese medicine attributes to the skin, lungs and large intestine (or colon).

The great thing about traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is that it has been refined by the most brilliant minds over thousands of years of observation. Because of this vast treasury of empirical knowledge, I can predict that if you or anyone you know has had “a stomach bug” with diarrhea during the past 6 weeks, your large intestine is probably toxic and this condition may manifest as recurrent colds/flu infections over the winter.

Why? Well, our bodies are extremely intelligent and they will always adjust in a way that preserves the greatest overall balance. This overall balancing act may make you as sick as a dog for a few days, but the body doesn’t mind sending a very strong signal, since this tactic has been successful with your ancestors for countless generations. In other words, your ancestors paid heed to the strong signals coming from their bodies. Do you?

My TCM answer to the why (read only if energetic mechanisms appeal to you): Lung energy descends and moves water downwards; in doing so it provides the rest of the organ networks with fluids (it even regulates urination).  Now, I am NOT saying that every person who has had a stomach bug has this imbalance; however, the vast majority of people I see in my practice eat in ways that create intestinal heat– this in turn “over-vaporizes” the Lung mist and may dry it prematurely, increase urination or the Lungs may flush out a toxic colon with excessive water — this is why diarrhea may signal a lung/large intestine imbalance.

This brings me to wellness solutions according to TCM: Make these basic changes in your diet for optimal health this season:

Eat fewer cold, uncooked foods — such as salads — and more warm, cooked foods. Switch from salads to soups and steamed/cooked vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, bok choy, kale, winter squash, winter peas, sweet potatoes, and yams. Incorporate rosemary, thyme, ginger, garlic, onions, leeks, persimmons, yellow and red foods (like red cabbage) into your meals. Start your day with hot oatmeal or rice porridge.

The autumn-Metal can be a wonderful time to consolidate your life choices towards what you really want: vibrant wellness!

Protect Against 6 Environmental Causes of Illness

Although it may seem quaint and old-fashioned nowadays with antibiotics and flu-shots, from the viewpoint of holistic medicines like traditional Chinese medicine there are six environmental factors that can cause illness. Here they are together with some associated characteristics and remedies:

1. Wind is changeable, unsteady actions and balance, trembling, vertigo, paralysis (i.e., Bell’s Palsy) – stay out of strong wind, like fans, whenever possible
2. Dampness can be the accumulation of fluids in the body which cause edema or excess phlegm – avoid spending long periods of time in damp environments, especially while at rest
3. Dryness can cause a drying of the mucous membranes, skin, and create thirst – year-round, always have sufficient water on hand
4. Cold inhibits circulation – have jacket/coat, gloves, thermal underwear, warm socks, etc. as needed
5. Heat may manifest as inflammation or fever – take care not to get overheated outdoors or wearing too much clothing
6. Summerheat – same as #5 above

In traditional Chinese medicine, a pathogen is any external force or agent that can cause the body to become ill, sick or diseased. These forces can disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang in the body.

Many folks seem to wear the same kinds of clothing in winter as these do in summer: flip-flops, t-shirts and a pair of shorts seem to have become year-round apparel for some. To improve your year-round well-being, make sure you dress appropriately for the seasons. You’ll be more comfortable and stay well more often!

Traditional Chinese Medicine Offers Something “New”

The kind of treatment received at a doctor’s office or a hospital is often thought of as “traditional medicine,” but from a historical point of view, holistic health care like traditional Chinese medicine is much longer established and more time-honored than modern, “conventional” medicine.

Modern medicine intervenes wonderfully where crises arise, practicing a medicine that is superb when it comes to surgery, emergency, trauma and critical care.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers many advantages for just about everything else because it strengthens the body to heal itself and prevent illness.

Although TCM may seem to be a new field to you, this movement has grown steadily in popularity during the past two decades in the United States.  Traditional Chinese Medicine is now growing rapidly throughout America because it is based on a system of healing therapies at least 3,000 years old using principles and therapies that still work to provide effective results!
These principles also offer a perfect complement to modern conventional medicine.

Our bodies have a natural ability to work their own cure.

A healer uses a deep knowledge of restorative therapies & medicines, combined with compassion and intuition to bolster another person in their recovery.

However, unless you change the way you are, you will continue to have what you’ve got. We cannot expect doc­tors, therapists, druggists, or public officials to take the full responsibility for making us well through visits, hospitalizations, pills, or laws. We each need to look to ourselves and to meet our equal responsibility in the domain of our personal health.

The solutions are not external—they are within.

Traditional Chinese medicine helps us heal from the inside out.