I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a weeklong spiritual retreat in the second week of December, led by my teacher Rupert Spira.  Located in Westchester County about 45 minutes north of New York City, the retreat took place at a small retreat center called Bailey Farms.  The days consisted of guided meditation, silent meditation, talks, and dialogues/question – answers.  It was an amazing retreat experience, which is still strongly echoing through my daily life, allowing me to access greater peace.

Our lovely retreat crew, with Rupert in the middle of the 2nd row, and me at the left 2nd row

Reflecting on what made the retreat special, 4 components come to mind:

1. Taking time away from the usual day-to-day life
2. Turning inward, to reflect on one’s innermost experience
3. The presence of a teacher
4. The community of fellow retreat participants

Winter – a time for retreat

Winter in Chinese medicine is a time for hibernation, quiet, stillness, and silence.   This is the way the energy is moving in nature at these times.  In nature, the energy and physiological activity of plants retract to the core and roots, and animals reduce their activity levels.

In humans, winter manifests in the way many of us will just feel more tired, wanting extra sleep.  Or in more pronounced cases, some of us will experience a marked period of depression, low energy, and withdrawal (labeled seasonal affective disorder by modern medicine). 

Looking at it from a positive perspective, the energy of winter calls us and draws us into silence and stillness.  Within these moments of silence, our inner life has the opportunity to settle, to experience the peace of being in touch with our inner space.  So often for many of us, we do not take the time to do this. 

This is not surprising, as there is almost no encouragement in our culture to do so!   With the dominant cultural focus being on external action, communication and accomplishment, we never learn the skill, the way, of how to settle into ourselves, how to engage with our naturally peaceful inner space.

The essence of what is being called for in the winter’s energy is withdrawal, retreat, and inward dwelling.  The folks at the Zen Mountain Monastery, where I did a one-month retreat in 2008, call winter a time for “healthy solitude and self-reliance.”.  This solitude can be found in many ways, and in many settings.

“Retreat” is simply the act of taking the time to do this.

What type of retreat is right for you?

I went to a formal retreat setting, with a teacher and fellow students, organized around a spiritual tradition (in this case it was Advaita, a philosophical/spiritual system from India, which has many similarities to Buddhism), but retreat can happen in a multitude of ways.  It depends on your religious and spiritual tradition, your personality, schedule, life circumstances, and so on.  In almost every case, however, I would say that it is possible, and advisable, to take time for retreat…

Many people resist taking retreat based on a cost-benefit analysis of their time – there’s just not enough available time to justify it.  However, the results of retreat include greater creativity, focus, calm, stress reduction, energy, peace, and ability to experience love in your relationships.  Taking retreat increases the possibility that these qualities will become entrenched in your daily life, thus increasing the quality of life through the whole spectrum of your life activities.  The real question is whether we can afford not to take retreat, a question that our 2-week-vacation-per-year culture has obviously answered in the negative, but with what consequences?

Guidance through the retreat process

Taking retreat is actually a time-honored tradition in most cultures.  It is built into the Sabbath day off in Judaism, and for centuries, monasteries and ashrams in many cultures have been havens for people to not only find a safe and secluded place for retreat, but also to gain guidance in how to navigate the retreat process.

This issue of guidance through the retreat process is an important one to consider.  Many times people are consciously or unconsciously scared of silence, stillness, and spending time with their inner space.  Why?  Because there’s often a lot of “crap” floating around in there, just waiting to be noticed.  A lot of our lives is actually geared toward distracting and diverting our attention from this inner space, so that we don’t have to deal with the “crap.”  I can assure you from my experience, that while it is certainly freaky, scary and often disorienting and disconcerting to go inward, the results are worth it.  In fact, the retreat process of going inward is actually the only way to discover lasting peace and contentment (ie, finally letting go of the crap!). 

This is where finding the right guidance becomes important.  Most of us are not taught the map of our inner emotional, mental and spiritual terrain, much less the skills of how to successfully navigate it.  That’s what spiritual, religious, and personal growth teachers are for!  Well, ideally, anyway.  Since there are all kinds of people out there, it is important to discern which teacher will be appropriate for you.   Ideally, a teacher will be able to accurately, gently, and skillfully guide you through the retreat process.  Of course, no one is perfect, but the hallmarks that you should be looking for include feeling safe with the person, the concepts being taught, and the retreat setting itself.

And, although guidance is very helpful, some people will want to go through the process alone – perfectly fine if it’s right for you.

So, time to get started!

Considerations

In considering what kind of retreat would be right for you, consider the following ideas:

• • For those who have not done retreat before, I recommend starting with half a day, or 4 hours.
  • Other common lengths of time are 1 day, 2 days, and 1 week.  Each length of time affords you different possibilities in terms of the depth of experience that you will experience – the more days, the greater the depth and intensity.
  • Do you want to be alone, or with others?
  • Do you want a structured schedule, or free time?
  • Do you want guidance from a teacher and the company of fellow students?
  • Do you want to engage in a specific religious, spiritual, or personal growth retreat, or do your own thing?
  • Do you want to be in the city or countryside?
  • Do you want just silent meditation, or a mix of silence, talking and conversation?

A retreat can be as simple as arranging time for the family to be taken care of, packing a lunch, and heading into the hills for a 4-hour hike.   It could be as short as taking 2 hours to journal and reflect at your favorite coffee shop.  A 1-hour acupuncture session or massage is actually a mini-retreat.  It could also be as involved as flying to Costa Rica for a weeklong yoga and meditation retreat.   Or, for those who want to go really big, drop everything and take a 3-year Tibetan Buddhist retreat in the Himalayas.

Your first retreat

That being said, many people often find it helpful to start with a half-day, organized meditation retreat.  The Insight Meditation Community of Washington, focusing on Buddhist-based mindfulness meditation, offers frequent half-day retreats, and is a good place to start.  If you are connected to a church, synagogue, or other religious community, many offer periodic day and weekend long retreats – a good place to start as well. 

Nestled in the Shenandoah foothills, a 360 view of the driveway leading up to Holy Cross Abbey on a beautiful summer day

Or, like I did last summer over 4-5 days at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA, you can take your own retreat at any number of local retreat centers and monasteries.  These places offer an atmosphere of peace and stillness, and often don’t care what religion or spiritual path you are practicing – they are just interested in providing a place for retreat and inward dwelling.  For example, Holy Cross Abbey was very welcoming when I told them I wanted to just have a room to study and practice my Buddhist-oriented path.   It was a beautiful place to visit, get away, study, meditate and walk around the grounds and property.

I hope I’ve inspired you to consider taking some time for spiritual retreat.   Feel free to ask me any questions – just type in the comments section below, and I’ll respond to you shortly.  Enjoy!

Ah, just got finished with a 3 hour walkabout through Rock Creek Park!  As you DC residents know, this entire weekend was absolutely beautiful, and it was a pleasure to be outside.

Jeremy on the road in Rock Creek

Beautiful Creek

As many of you know, there is a revolution of sorts sweeping the running and walking world.  That revolution is a turning toward “barefoot” running and walking.  I put “barefoot” in quotes because this movement refers both to actual bare feet, and also to the wide range of “minimalist” shoes – shoes that have soles that are only about 1/8″ thick or so.

The most famous is the Vibram Five Fingers shoes.  Yes, the ugly ones!  I swore I’d never get them.  Long story short, I have them.  And love them!  Here they are on my feet, trekking across a stream today in Soapstone Valley Park, a wonderful little extension off Rock Creek Park, just south of Abermarle Street near Tenleytown.

Walking Across a Stream in Rock Creek Park

Born to Run: A Book Review

Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall, is a book about many things, one of which is an examination of the modern running shoe industry, and the genesis of the new “barefoot” running movement.

But it is so much more than that.  It is one of the rare books that I literally read for two days straight over a weekend.  (The last was The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman).  It is:

• An anthropological adventure story into the heart of the Copper Canyons in Mexico in search of the Tarahumara tribe

• A sweeping history and survey of the ultramarathon movement in the US

• An amazing discussion of the evolutionary biology of human running – with extremely interesting ideas regarding the connection between the ability to run long distance, our unique physiology and brain structures among animals, and the concept that humans functioned as pack “endurance hunters”, essentially running their prey to death, without using weapons.

• An inspiring story about a special group of runners and their relationship to running

• And as mentioned, an indictment of the modern shoe industry, and a litany of scientists and medical running specialists weighing in on the pros and cons of barefoot running (mostly the pros)

Here is a video of Mr. McDougall explaining the whole thing in a TED talk – very interesting, well worth a listen:

Christopher McDougall: Are we born to run?

So, does barefoot help?  I’ll go on my sample size of one – a patient to whom I recommended Born to Run went out and bought Vibram Five Finger shoes before even I had gotten them.  Along with acupuncture treatments, which in his case were very effective for his knee pain, he literally has had no knee pain for months, which he credits in part to running both actual barefoot, and with the Five Fingers.

In my own case, the key was just actually trying them on.  Once I felt the intimate contact with the ground, and their overall feel, I was sold.

However, after wearing these shoes and breaking them in VERY gradually over 3 months, I will say, if you try to do your normal walking and running routines with these shoes right out of the box, you will most likely injure yourself.  It’s essential to adjust one’s stride to accommodate the lack of shoe cushioning.

But back to the book, it’s a great read, very thought provoking.  Here’s the link if you want to check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Superathletes-Greatest-Vintage/dp/0307279189/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323133752&sr=1-1

Recently, I had 2 patients ask me for a granola recipe.  Coincidentally, inspired by my uncle Daniel who started making his own granola a while ago, Caroline and I have been making an awesome granola recipe from scratch for the past month.  We always make a double recipe, but, it’s usually so good that it only lasts a week…

Granola just out of the oven

There are some things you can buy at a store that work just fine, and some things, I find that I really need to make myself in order to get the quality and health aspects that I’m looking for.

Granola, fortunately or unfortunately, is one of those items.  I would love to just go into the store and pick up a bag of granola – that would be very convenient.

The apricots, cherries and candied ginger – mmm!

However, the reality is that every single granola that I have tried from the store makes me feel terrible after eating it.  Why is that?  Well, I for one am very sensitive to white sugar.  If you look at most granola ingredient lists, white sugar (or evaporated cane juice) is almost always the second ingredient.

Also, most granolas try to be low fat, to cater to the “health conscious” crowd.  (See my recent post on Why Cholesterol is Good for You for an alternate view on fat).  This lack of fat, combined with a high ratio of white sugar, means that most store bought granola has a destabilizing effect on blood sugar.  The refined sugar creates a blood sugar level spike, and there is no fat to slow down the digestion of those sugars, which would create a more even blood sugar response.

Big Granola Chunk

So, although I’ve wanted a breakfast food that is convenient, tasty, and quick, I haven’t really found it – until now.

Caroline & Jeremy’s  

Ginger Cherry Spice Granola

As you’ll see in the recipe, I’ve included coconut oil (our new favorite oil) to decrease the blood sugar spike, and added only a small amount of honey as a sweetener.

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup almonds

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup low sugar candied ginger (from TJ’s), chopped (the twist!)

1/4 cup coconut oil (the other twist!)

1/4 cup honey

For instructions on cooking, go to the recipe we based this on.

Enjoy, and tell us how it goes in the comment section of my blog.

Caroline eating some granola

6 months studying advanced Chinese herbal medicine and the integration of western medicine and Chinese herbal medicine at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with a trip to Michele’s birthplace in the Marshall Islands and a 6 weeks in Israel.  Quite awesome!

One of the first things I asked Michele to do for me when she got back was to sit down with me and make me an herbal formula.  So, we talked for about an hour about my health, and she came up with an excellent formula to help balance my system – Ba Zhen Tang.

Roots and Branches:

Roots and Branches

Michele stirring the witch’s brew:

Michele stirring herbs

The boiling brew:

Herbs Brewing

Michele and Jeremy:

Michele and Jeremy

One of the major distinguishing factors between Chinese herbal medicine, and the herbs and supplements that you mostly find in your local health food store, is that Chinese herbs are most often combined into formulas of herbs.  These formulas have been constructed and tested often for over 1000 years in Chinese culture, and have been refined to produce maximum health benefits with minimum side effects.

Michele chose Ba Zhen Tang for me because it is one of the most effective, yet gentle ways to, in the terminology of Chinese Medicine, tonify the Qi and Blood.  Due to Michele’s skill as an herbalist, and as a result of her years of Taoist meditation and qigong training, she was able to give me this formula based on her physical, emotional and spiritual assessment of my situation.  Pretty awesome!

Sessions with Michele

For the next 2 weekends, Michele will be at my office on Sundays between 9-5, giving herbal consultations.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to work with a master herbalist.  Her specialty is creating truly personalized formulas that match the physical, emotional and spiritual condition of her clients.  She has a strong background in women’s health, emotional trauma, and psychological/mental health.

After seeing you here in person, she is available for phone consult follow-ups, and she and I will be in full communication about your case if you are a client of mine.

To make an appointment, email Michele at  michele@spiritrisingherbs.com.

Here’s her bio:

Michele Collins, MPH, RH (AHG), is a clinical herbalist who uses an eclectic blending of Chinese, Ayurvedic, and western herbal healing systems.  She blends Chinese, Indian, and western herbs, as well as chi kung, in her work with people. She specializes in the use of tonic herbs and formulas to address chronic depletion and imbalances caused by illness or emotional trauma, the use of herbs for psychological/mental health issues, as well as the use of herbs for women’s health issues.  Michele is a graduate of Michael and Leslie Tierra’s professional herbalist program at the East West School of Herbology, where she holds the designation of certified herbalist (EWCH, as well as a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild (designated as Registered Herbalist or RH).  She studied advanced Chinese herbal medicine and the integration of western medicine and Chinese herbal medicine for 6 months at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She also has a Master of Public Health degree in Health Behavior and Health Education from the UNC School of Public Health and has worked designing and evaluating public health programs for nearly 15 years.  For more information, you can visit her website at  www.michelecollinsherbalist.com.

ChiWalking

I immediately thought of ChiWalking.

ChiWalking and ChiRunning are written by Danny and Katherine Dreyer.  Danny is long time running coach and ultramarathon runner.  Many years ago, he began studying tai chi with a master in San Francisco, and eventually created a marriage between the postural elements of tai chi and the movements of walking and running.

The practical effects of this combination is to lower the impact of each stride on the foot, heel, ankle, knees, hips, and low back.  Effectively, one of Danny’s goals was to create injury-free walking and running.

Have you experienced injuries or pain in any of these areas??  Do you also walk and/or run?  If so, I would definitely check out ChiWalking and ChiRunning.

Posture

Posture is at the core of Danny and Katherine’s system.  The posture system outlined here is taken straight from tai chi.  Here are some of the main postural elements:

• Crown of the head is lifted like being pulled up with a string
• Occiput and chin come slightly up and in
• Head level with the ground, eyes look forward to the horizon
• Pelvis is level with the ground (have to use a little lower abdominal core strength for this)
• Thus, spine is straight
• Torso slightly leans forward (1/4 inch)
• All muscles except core are relaxed

How to Walk

Danny and Katherine go through quite a number “form focuses” regarding how to think about the motion of walking and running.  To summarize some of the main points:

• Your momentum comes from “the lean” – leaning, and basically falling forward, keeping the posture, and allowing your legs to basically just catch you as you move forward.  The idea here is that leaning and falling allows gravity to do all the work, and your legs are as relaxed as possible.  No “power” walking or running here.

• Land lightly, rolling through the midfoot and forefoot.  Avoid landing on the heel.  This pointer is the key to healing my patient’s ankle injuries.  Excessive impact on the heel was creating her chronic and debilitating ankle pain.

• Land without making a sound (or as quietly as possible!).  This instruction again is excellent for my patient, because it reduces impact to the whole body, and especially the ankles, heel, and feet.

And of course there are many many more pointers in these in-depth and excellent books.  I recommend the ChiWalking and ChiRunning workbooks and DVD’s as well.  I have been using the ChiWalking workbook and DVD for the past 8 weeks as I break in my new barefoot shoes (more on that in a future blog post!), and I’ve been loving it.

A Relief from Ankle Pain – using natural methods

So, what happened to my patient?  (You may have guessed that there’s a happy ending here…).  After adopting the ChiWalking posture and form focuses, she remembered the poise she had as a dancer.  She was able to feel her posture lifting her up, and through a couple lessons at my office, we were able to pinpoint the ways in which her stride was creating the excessive impact on her ankle.

These adjustments, combined with acupuncture treatments that created some excellent pain relief during this process, my patient has made great strides toward injury and pain free walking (yes, bad puns do run in my family – sorry!).  And, to boot, along with some dietary changes, she has already lost about 10 pounds!

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

Ah, cholesterol.  And its good friend, saturated fat.  Invariably, when the topic of healthy eating comes up, one of the first things many people bring up is how they eat a health low-fat diet, and try their best to stay away from those bad, evil, high fat foods.

Immediately following this, many will mention how they are doing with their blood cholesterol levels, the medications they have been prescribed to deal with it, and how they have been doing thus far with their meds.

There is a great deal of concern and fear concerning the possibility that high blood cholesterol levels, especially the “bad” kind, will create a higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and death.

No wonder no one can enjoy their bacon anymore!

And no wonder the cholesterol lowering drugs called statins are a multi-billion dollar industry.

My Cholesterol Journey

Like almost all Americans, for most of my life, I lived my life fully bought in to the full range of modern cholesterol theories.  It mostly existed as background fear, not necessarily influencing my day-to-day choices in a complete way, but nonetheless present in my consciousness.

In 2000, after graduating from college, with my health a complete mess, I was exposed to the theory and practice of Ayurvedic nutrition.  Ayurveda is the traditional medical system of India, and is closely related to the theory and practice of yoga.  According to Ayurvedic theory, the human being (body, emotions, and mind) is composed of 3 types of energies: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

When one type of energy excessively predominates in your body, you become out of balance.  At the time, I was experiencing a lot of fatigue, anxiety, depression, being spaced out, very low energy, underweight, easily disturbed digestive system, and so on.  This is classified in Ayurveda as an excess of Vata energy.  Their cure?  Eat more butter.

Making Ghee

More butter?  Yes, but this is the root of all evil!  A multimillion dollar margarine and vegetable oil industry rests on this claim.  However, I was desparate to feel better, and intrigued by the accurate depiction of my physical, emotional, and mental symptoms that Ayurveda offered.  So, I looked into the dietary recommendations (which of course were more sophisticated than offering just butter), and began making ghee, their preferred form of butter.

Over the next year I ate ghee with pretty much everything.  I ate it with bread, spiced it with cardamom seeds, and threw a bunch of medjool dates to soak in a big pot of it for a week (yes, they were extremely delicious).  I’m not sure how much I ate, maybe ¼ to a ½ stick per day?

Over that year, I finally began to gain weight again, my moods began to stabilize, and my energy started to pick up.  And I didn’t keel over from a heart attack.  Sure, I was embarrassed to tell other people how much butter I was eating.  However, it was this experience that really got me questioning whether cholesterol and saturated fats are truly bad for people, and on the contrary, whether they might actually serve a deeply nourishing, beneficial purpose for the body, the emotions, and the mind.

Cholesterol is Good For You: My Introduction to the Weston A. Price Foundation

A few years after, my experiments with ghee, I started acupuncture school in Columbia, MD and discovered Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions, and her foundation, The Weston A. Price Foundation.  Similar to the traditional system of Ayurveda, Sally Fallon advocated the inclusion of saturated fats in a healthy diet.

Sally Fallon’s book is based on the work of Weston Price, a dentist, who in the 1930’s, traveled to all 6 populated continents to observe the health conditions and diets of native cultures whose diets and ways of life had not yet been touched by industrialization.

Across cultures, Weston Price found that pre-industrial societies all valued foods with high saturated fat content.  Some of these foods were so highly valued that they were considered sacred foods.  For example in Switzerland, the rich yellow butter produced by cows in the fall and spring seasons, when they grazed on fast growing grass, was prized and celebrated in an annual festival.

To ensure the fertility of married couples, Dr. Price found that some societies provided a special 6 month pre-conception diet for the woman and the man, to ensure not only fertility but also the optimal health and well-being of the newborn child.  Invariably, these diets are high in high-quality saturated fats and cholesterol.

Sally Fallon and the Weston Price Foundation also go to great lengths to show the benefits of foods that are produced using traditional farming methods.  In modern day terms that would mean: local, grass-fed, humanely raised, organic, non-gmo, unrefined, no industrial processing, and so on.

Encouraged by this information, I began to incorporate the full range of traditional foods containing saturated fat into my diet, including:

• Whole eggs
• Butter
• Full fat dairy, including cream and yogurt
• Lard (yes, I actually use lard in my cooking!)
• Bacon and bacon fat
• Organ meats, including liver and kidney
• Full fat cuts of bacon, pork, etc.

And, after 10 years of this heart stopping nonsense of a diet, I have to say that I’ve never felt better.

Re-examining the Mainstream Medical Hypotheses

But, even if I feel good eating all this tasty stuff, what if, as the argument goes, I keel over and die 10 years earlier than I would have, due to an artery clogged with the excessive saturated fat and cholesterol included in my diet?

That could be an important reason for limiting cholesterol and saturated fat intake.

Or, (and even better if you own pharmaceutical company stock), an important reason for taking statin drugs, for the rest of your life.

However, what if the mainstream medical hypotheses concerning cholesterol are not true?  Or, at the least, are not as proven and bulletproof as we have been lead to believe?

Important note: Before I discuss the scientists’ viewpoints who refute the mainstream medical community’s view on cholesterol, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I do not claim to know what is true about how cholesterol and saturated fat affects our health.  Rather, I am more interested in:

1. Investigating both sides of the story – because the scientists and doctors who look favorably on saturated fat and cholesterol intake are rarely publicized in the press or media
2. Advocating for an attitude of personal experimentation rather than listening only to experts’ theories – how does your body feel when you eat bacon, or eggs, or butter?  What happens when you use the evidence of your own experience rather than the theories of “scientists” and “experts” to direct your dietary choices?

Venturing Outside the Mainstream Medical Hypothesis

In his excellent book, The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease, Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD lays out the central tenets of the mainstream medical hypotheses concerning cholesterol, saturated fat, and heart disease:

1. High-fat foods cause heart disease
2. High blood cholesterol levels cause heart disease
3. High-fat foods raise blood cholesterol
4. Cholesterol blocks arteries
5. Animal studies prove the diet-heart idea
6. Lowering your blood cholesterol levels will lengthen your life
7. Polyunsaturated oils are good for you
8. The mainstream medical hypotheses concerning cholesterol are based on good science
9. All scientists support the diet-heart idea

And yes, you guessed it, Ravnskov spends the next 300 pages debunking each of these 9 “myths”.  Through a thorough examination of all of the major studies that purport to show the truth of these “myths”, Ravnskov shows how in each study, the author’s conclusions and summaries are not supported by the data.  However, in practice, it is these conclusions and summaries which drive the thinking, prescription habits, and dietary recommendations of physicians all over the country.

I’m not going to go into how Ravnskov dissects each study here, but he has excerpts from his book at: http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm.  Scroll down to click on each of his main points, which takes you to excerpts from his book.

Also see the group he founded, The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, a group of scientists and doctors opposed to the current cholesterol theories, and the use of statins: http://www.thincs.org/.  Click on the members page to see the 90 doctors and scientists from around the world who are willing to publicize their disagreements with these theories.

In fact, what struck me most when reading Ravnskov’s book was actually myth #9: All scientists support the diet-heart idea.  It hadn’t even occurred to me that this was a debated issue in the scientific community.  Yet, reading quote after quote from MD’s and PhD’s talking about the fallacies in the cholesterol – fat – heart disease hypothesis really peaked my curiosity.  Here is one example from Ray Rosenman, MD, the former associate chief of medicine at Mt. Zion hospital in San Francisco, CA:

There is a widespread belief that fat in the diet raises blood cholesterol and is the cause of heart attacks. Knowledgeable scientists know the many fallacies in these simple beliefs, and particularly in blaming the diet. Unfortunately, too many persons have inappropriately changed their diet in the belief that it would prevent a heart attack.

And this is a statement written back in 2000.

Why Hasn’t Your Doctor Told You About This?

If this is an issue that’s up for debate, where has the press been?

And more importantly, before your doctor prescribes you a lifetime prescription of Lipitor, encouraging you to ignore the possible side effects for the good of your heart health, why hasn’t he or she at least mentioned the fact that the cholesterol theories are up for debate?

Why Cholesterol is Good For You – The Positive Roles It Plays in the Body and Brain

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, wrote an excellent article posted on the Weston Price Foundation website called Cholesterol: Friend or Foe?.  In this article she details the many beneficial roles that cholesterol plays in the body, including:

• Creating structural integrity in our cell membranes:  Our cell membranes are composed of 50% cholesterol and saturated fats.  If we took away the cholesterol, we would look more like a worm or slug.

• Facilitate cell to cell communication and coordination:  The cholesterol in cell membranes play an important role in cell to cell communication, and transporting molecules in and out of the cell

• Brain function:  The brain uses about 25% of the cholesterol in the body

• Cholesterol composes 20% of myelin, one of the most abundant materials in the brain and nervous system.  A decrease or loss of myelin puts the body at risk for multiple sclerosis

• Memory and Learning Issues

A direct quote from Dr. Campbell-McBride’s article:  One of the most wonderful abilities we humans are blessed with is the ability to remember things—our human memory. How do we form memories? By our brain cells establishing connections with each other, called synapses. The more healthy synapses a person’s brain can make, the more mentally able and intelligent that person is. Scientists have discovered that synapse formation is almost entirely dependent on cholesterol, which is produced by the brain cells in a form called apolipoprotein E. Without the presence of this factor we cannot form synapses, and hence we would not be able to learn or remember anything. Memory loss is one of the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

In my clinic, I see growing numbers of people with memory loss who have been taking cholesterol- lowering pills. Dr Duane Graveline, MD, former NASA scientist and astronaut, suffered such memory loss while taking his cholesterol pill. He managed to save his memory by stopping the pill and eating lots of cholesterol-rich foods. Since then he has described his experience in his book, Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol in fresh eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods has been shown in scientific trials to improve memory in the elderly. In my clinical experience, any person with memory loss or learning problems needs to have plenty of these foods every single day in order to recover.

• And, many other physiological functions

In Summary: Think For Yourself

The science of the body is complex, and the role of cholesterol is no exception.  I think it took me about 2 years of reading and consideration before I finally let go of my own fear of cholesterol blood levels and foods rich in saturated fat, and began to instead value the benefits that I personally experience when I eat these foods.

As I stated above, I believe that your own personal experience should trump any scientific theory when it comes to choosing foods for your diet.  As you develop greater and more subtle awareness of your body, you will have a very strong idea of which foods suit you, and which don’t.  No theories required.

However, some theories can be very compelling, especially when a trusted doctor is convinced that you face possible heart disease, cancer and death unless you lower your blood cholesterol with diet, exercise, and medication, and reduce saturated fat in your diet.

When faced with this, I recommend you read up on the subject – from both angles.

My Recommended Reading List

Pro-Cholesterol Articles and Websites

1)   Cholesterol: Friend or Foe, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD: http://westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/531-cholesterol-friend-or-foe

2)   The Weston A. Price Foundation website: www.westonaprice.org

3)   Uffe Ravnskov’s website: http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

4)   The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics: http://www.thincs.org/index.htm

Anti-Cholesterol Information

Well, you can find this almost anywhere you look.  Why not get the summary on cholesterol and health from webMD, one of the most popular medical information sites on the internet.  Interesting though, there’s no mention of any alternative views on the cholesterol hypothesis…

Finding the Diet That’s Right For You

After facing this complex, contradictory onslaught of information, you might be wondering – so, what should I eat??  If you want to learn how to listen to your body, become your own source of dietary wisdom, and gain insight into which foods are really suited to your unique body and mind, schedule an appointment today.

We will review what you’re doing now, what your goals are, and guide you through the process of critical thinking and listening to your body that are the 2 keys to discovering a diet that is truly healthy and sustainable for you, and the world around you.  Read more about the highly effective system of Health Coaching that I offer in the Transformational Acupuncture clinic.

Read what patients are saying about their Health Coaching experience with Jeremy:

Jeremy possesses all the traits you would hope for in a health care practitioner — he’s caring and supportive as well as knowledgeable and skilled.

When my psychiatrist recommended that I try acupuncture for depression, I was surprised, but the referral to Jeremy has proven more helpful than any of the SSRIs I’ve been on. Over a few months not only has my mood lifted dramatically, but Jeremy’s been an excellent health coach as well, helping me organize and discipline my life so as to put to good use the greater energy and hope I now have.

I also have a serious lower-back injury that has been greatly helped by treatment — I literally have walked in limping and out with a spring in my step, and the results have been lasting as well as immediate.

The adjective “Transformational” is well-chosen. The treatments in and of themselves are very helpful, and if you’re willing to put in the effort for the full health coaching approach (counseling, herbs, healthy diet), working with Jeremy truly can change your life.

- Brian B.

Book your appointment online

Read her case study to see how acupuncture, Chinese herbs, diet and exercise changes, and “sleep hygiene” adjustments helped her completely overcome her insomnia in 2 months.

If you or someone you know could use help with insomnia, you can set up an appointment anytime by using our online schedule, or by calling us at 202-297-7404, or info@dc-acupuncture.com.

Background

When Jennifer first came into my office in April 2011, she reported a lifelong inability to sleep well.  It regularly took her more than one hour to fall asleep, even when exhausted, and she would wake up multiple times each night.  In addition her sleep had always been light, and due to the lack of deep sleep, she woke up feeling lethargic, tired, and irritable.  Her lack of sleep also negatively affected her energy levels during the day.  Her facial skin color was pale, with an orange coloration under her eyes.

Her insomnia had been getting much worse over the past year, so she decided to seek acupuncture as a natural way to heal her sleep issues.

I began by asking Jennifer what she had already tried.  She had tried a wide variety of herbal teas and over the counter sleep aids and supplements.  Some had some positive benefits for a time, but none had made a sustainable difference in her sleep patterns.  She had tried stronger pharmaceutical sleep medications, but was afraid of creating a long term addiction, and stopped after she ended up feeling dependent on them.

She had also implemented other sleep strategies, such as relaxing reading before bed, no TV at night, keeping the bedroom cool, and taking a warm shower to relax, but none of these had any significant effect.

Her diet consisted of “a lot of salad”, chicken, occasional red meat, and over a liter of water per day.    Her exercise routine consisted of a 20 minute walk per day.

Other health symptoms included headaches (2x/week, throbbing sensation on the temples), occasional migraines, consistently cold hands, and anemia.

The anemia caught my attention, and I asked Jennifer further about this.  She reported that she had been a consistent blood donor for the past several years, and felt strongly about donating blood as much as possible.  According to a blood test report done by the blood donation center, Jennifer’s hemoglobin levels had fallen slightly below the minimum levels to be allowed to donate blood 2 times in the past 3 years.  However, in the past 3 months, her blood hemoglobin levels had dropped precipitously, and she was not allowed to donate on her last attempt about a month before coming to see me.

Diagnosis

This caught my attention because 2 of the major causes of insomnia in Chinese medicine fall in the category of Blood Deficiency.  Heart Blood Deficiency causes difficulty with falling asleep, and Liver Blood Deficiency causes difficulties with depth of sleep and staying asleep through the night.  Jennifer indeed had all of these symptoms.  Cold hands, pale facial skin, and orange facial skin coloration are also signs of Blood Deficiency.

However, Blood Deficiency was not the only issue.  Jennifer also experienced stress from work, tightness in the upper back and shoulders, throbbing headaches in the temples – all symptoms of Liver Qi Stagnation.

Therefore, the Chinese medicine treatment goal was to nourish the Heart and Liver Blood Deficiency, and release the Liver Qi Stagnation.

First Treatment

For Jennifer’s first acupuncture treatment, I began with the general energy balancing and clearing treatment known as AE (using the acupuncture points Bladder 13, 14, 15, 18, 20 , 23, and Heart 7).  I also made the following recommendations:

To nourish Blood Deficiency:

• ¼ pound of red meat per day for 3 months, sourced from a local, organic, grass-fed, humanely raised farm
• increased intake of saturated fats from similar farm sources, including eggs, butter, bacon, lard, beef fat, and coconut oil

To release Liver Qi Stagnation:

• 3 days per week of moderately intense cardio.  Jennifer chose running.

To improve “sleep hygiene” – these tips all help reduce disruptive stimulation to the mind and body:

• Hide all clocks, to reduce worry over what time is spent awake at night
• Darken the room as much as possible
• Cell phones and all other electronics off
• Avoid eating too close to bedtime, but don’t go to sleep too hungry

Second Treatment – one week later

Jennifer reported that she woke up ½ as often each night of the preceeding week, and that she had experience no change with falling asleep.  She reported that not looking at the clock helped, and she ordered blackout blinds to darken her room at night.  For the acupuncture treatment, I used the Liver Global Balance treatment from Dr. Tan’s Balance Method school of acupuncture.  This treatment comprehensively addresses both the Liver and Heart Meridians.  The acupuncture points used were Heart 3 and 7, San Jiao 10 and 3, Liver 8 and 3, Gallbladder 34 and 41.  In addition, I added acupuncture points designed to promote sleep and encourage greater emotional peace (An Mian, Shen Men, Yin Tang).  I also recommended Suan Zao Ren Tang (with added ingredients), a Chinese herbal medicine formula designed to nourish the Liver Blood, at a dosage of 4 tablets 30 minutes before bed.

Third Treatment – one week later

Jennifer reported that the herbs were helping her get to sleep more easily, and that waking up in the middle of the night was still about 50% improved.  She was also waking up more easily in the morning, needing less recovery time.  I repeated the Liver Global Balance treatment with additional points.

Fourth Treatment – one week later

Jennifer reported that, unusually for her, she remembered dreaming, and felt that her sleep was getting deeper.  She continued to feel improvements in falling asleep, waking up at night, and waking up in the morning with less lethargy.  I repeated the Liver Global Balance treatment with additional points, and recommended an additional Chinese herbal medicine formula to nourish Heart Blood Deficiency, An Xin Pian (with added ingredients), which is designed to help with falling asleep more easily.  I adjusted the dosage of each formula to 2-3 tablets each, 30 minutes before bed.

Fifth Treatment – 2 weeks later

Jennifer reported that she now was sleeping through the entire night, and the time needed to fall asleep had reduced from the original 60 minutes to 20-30 minutes.  She was feeling more lethargic upon waking up, and not wanting to get out of bed.  However, in the past week, she had experienced a much higher level of stress than usual from work, due to a personnel shake-up in her office, requiring increased levels of productivity from her during the day.

I asked Jennifer if she had a stress management or meditation method for dealing with stress, and she reported that she didn’t.  I introduced the idea of a daily 5 minute meditation practice, and instructed her in the meditation method of allowing all thoughts, emotions and sensations to be just as they are, without making any effort to change them.  I also recommended the text True Meditation by Adyshanti, which explains this meditation approach.

I repeated the Liver Global Balance treatment with additional points, and applied lavender essential oil to the points to reduce overall stress, and also help with the stress induced headaches that she had been experiencing.

Sixth Treatment – one week later

Jennifer reported that she was still sleeping through the night, with occasional dreams, but still took 30 minutes to fall asleep.  In the mornings, she had no problems getting up, and during the day, the headaches had completely ceased.  I adjust her dosage to 3-4 of the An Xin Pian to help with the falling asleep, and 2 of the Suan Zao Ren Tang, 30 minutes before bed.  I repeated the Liver Global Balance treatment with additional points.  We also discussed the meditation practice instructions, and clarified the point that in this type of meditation, the goal is not to clear the mind, but rather just to be present to the thoughts and emotions that arise, and allow them to just be as they are, without trying to manipulate them.

Seventh Treatment – two weeks later

Jennifer reported that she was now falling asleep in 15-20 minutes, and staying asleep through the night.  She was having no problems with waking up, and her energy levels were good throughout the day.  Her facial skin tone had brightened, and the orange color underneath the eyes had mostly disappeared.  The circulation to her hands had improved, and her headaches were much more infrequent.  Her eyes were brighter, and she reported that her husband was very happy about how different she was in the mornings.  I repeated the Liver Global Balance treatment with additional points, and we discussed that she would continue the herbs for another 1-2 months, and then take a break.

Conclusion – a summary of treatment in Jennifer’s own words:

“I have tried a number of over the counter sleep aids, all of the herbal/nighttime teas I could find to aid in sleeping, exercises, and books. I have normal eating habits, a regular nightly ritual, and healthy relationships. However, prior to my first appointment, I couldn’t remember ever sleeping well. It could take an hour or more before I fell asleep and once I did fall asleep I would wake up countless times throughout the night with difficulty getting back to sleep. Waking up in the morning was painful, literally. After not sleeping at night I had to struggle to get out of bed and make it through the day. I was tired most of the time and had very little energy. My eyes were often red and/or hazy and I lived with discolored skin under my eyes.

After two months of acupuncture treatment, herbal supplements, and a commitment to following a regimen for resolving my sleeping problems, I can’t believe I waited so long to seek this treatment. Gradually my ability to both fall asleep quickly and sleep through the night increased. I began to have more energy and more recently a normal color has returned to my eyes and the skin beneath them. Now it takes me 15-20 minutes to fall asleep at night and if I do wake up at night I rarely have difficulty falling back asleep. The people around me have noticed a difference in my general disposition and my appearance. My husband even says I’m a lot nicer to be around in the mornings!”

If you or someone you know could use help with insomnia, you can set up an appointment anytime by using our online schedule, or by calling us at 202-297-7404, or info@dc-acupuncture.com.

As I was writing down the dosages for each herb, I realized that there were some important insights I had gained over the past years of using herbs that I wanted to communicate to him, but we didn’t have time because it was the end of the appointment.

Listening to Your Body

The most important insight is that when using herbs (or pharmaceuticals for that matter), it is of the utmost importance to listen to your body.

Find out how your body feels when you take your herbs, supplements or pharmaceuticals.  Maybe you have a sense that you need a higher dosage.  Maybe you feel overdosed.  Maybe your problem has been resolved and you wonder whether continued medication is necessary.

A Partnership-Driven Approach to Healthcare

These are all very important questions, and asking them and getting them answered is a fundamental part of becoming empowered as your own best doctor or physician.  While doctors, acupuncturists, and herbalists may have specialized knowledge, your self-knowledge of your body and emotions are a key ingredient in this team-centered, partnership driven healthcare approach.

The Benefits of Herbs

• Calm anxiety
• Promote more peaceful sleep
• Boost energy
• Clarify the mind
• Ease muscle and joint pain
• Heal PMS and menstrual issues
• Boost immunity and prevent colds & flus
• Clear congestion and heal sinus infections

These are just a few of the many benefits of herbal medicine.  Humans have had a medicinal relationship with herbs for most likely hundreds of thousands of years.

Herbs vs. Pharmaceuticals

Herbs are composed of thousands of different molecules and components, each of them “active ingredients” in their own way.  The human body treats these thousands of constituents like a “menu”, selecting the molecules that will be beneficial to the body, and excreting the rest.  Because herbs have so many constituents, a single herb is able to perform a variety of functions.   This is why, for example, high quality ginseng will both boost energy levels and calm the emotions and spirit.

In contrast, pharmaceuticals (oftentimes composed of molecules extracted from herbs), are constructed of just one molecule.  While this provides a more powerful effect, it also has a much stronger potential for throwing the body off balance, thus causing side effects.

Side effects

As is well known, pharmaceuticals have a lot of side effects, many of them very serious, and some deadly.  In contrast, herbs have a much milder effect on the body.  However, sensitivities to herbs can occur in the form of digestive upset, allergic reactions, headaches, etc can occur in some individuals.   Although side effects from herbs are much less common than side effects from pharmaceuticals, they can occur, so please be sure to notify your acupuncturist if you are experiencing any unwanted symptoms.

Listen to Your Body, part II

The most important consideration when taking herbs (or pharmaceuticals) is to listen to your body.  “Listening” means to paying attention to how your body feels during and after you take your herbs.  Sometimes the effects of herbs can be subtle at first, so listening helps you know if you are starting to experience their benefits.

By listening to your body, you will know

• What effects the herbs are helping you achieve
• If the herbs are helping your symptoms
• If the herbs aren’t working at all
• If you’re taking the right dosage – or too little, or too much

Tablets, Powder, Tea or Tincture?

Herbs come in a variety of formats:

• Tablets: Herbs are processed, dried, and compressed into a tablet
• Capsules: Herbs are processed, dried, and put into capsules
• Powder: Herbs are dried and ground into powder
• Tea:  Herbs are dried and put into a tea bag for steeping
• Raw herbs: Herbs are dried, cut up, and left in their natural form, and then brewed as a decoction (or tea) at home by the patient
• Tincture: Herbs are soaked in alcohol for a period of time, and then strained into bottles.  Tinctures are taken by the dropper.

Your acupuncturist will usually recommend a format to you based on effectiveness for your condition, and other factors.  As a patient, you can request your preferred format, based on whether you want to taste the herbs or not, the convenience of portable tablets and capsules versus teas, and other factors.

Dosage

Herb dosages are composed of:

1.     Frequency: how many times per day

2.     Timing: before food, after food, before bed, etc.

3.     Amount per serving: 1 tablet, 3 capsules, 2 droppers, etc

Your acupuncturist or herbalist will give you a recommended dosage for your herbs, including frequency, timing, and amount.

Dosage Considerations

Each body is different, and your body changes from day to day.  Therefore, the dosage, or amount of herbs that you take, will affect you in a slightly different way each day.  These differences may be so subtle that you don’t notice; or, they may be strong, in which case, you will need to modulate your dosages accordingly.

Start off with a small dosage:

• When first starting with an herb, I always recommend that people start with low doses.  Many people are able to start experiencing positive benefits from a low dosage.  It is best to start small, give your body a change to respond and absorb these positive benefits, and then slowly increase to the recommended dosage.  Your acupuncturist or herbalist will tell you how to modulate this increase.

Listen to your body:

• While increasing your dosage, you may notice that you are experiencing the desired result, or feel like you’re taking the right amount, before you’ve reached the recommended dose.  Congratulations!  You’ve successfully taken control of your own health care, and become your own best doctor.  At this point, let your acupuncturist know the dosage level that you’ve reached, and after discussing your situation, you can reach a decision about how to move forward.

Why doesn’t my doctor pay such close attention to my dosage?

• Most likely, it is because most doctors do not choose to spend the time on carefully helping their patients modulate the dosage of their medications.  This is due in part to the way they were trained, and in part to the fact that they have so little time with each patient, a situation caused by the financial constraints imposed by several factors in the current healthcare system.  Unfortunately, this increases the chances of side effects due to excessive dosage of medication.
• While doctors may check in on a patient’s dosage every 6 months, an acupuncturist will check in as often as once a week, and recommend dosage and prescription changes as needed.

Make an appointment

For more information about how Chinese herbal medicine can help your particular health condition, contact us, and for appointments, see our scheduling page.

Traditionally, in many cultures, the beginning of February is considered the beginning of Spring. (The equinox on March 23 is actually the peak of Spring energy.) This is why the Chinese start their new year in the beginning of February. Gong Hay Fat Choy! Or in Mandarin, Xin Nian Kaui Le!

2011 The Year of the Rabbit

Spring Season – The Rise of Yang (Sexual) Energy

Spring energy at work – new sprouts on a pine tree branch

In Chinese medical thinking, this increase in daylight corresponds to an increase in the Yang energy in our environment, and in our bodies.

Yang energy is expansive, forward and outward moving energy that powers the growth of new leaves and grass in the outside environment. In the human body, among other things, it governs the rising of sexual energy.

Just think of all of the references between Spring and fertility and sex. You don’t really have those references for Fall and Winter. This is because these are the times when Yin begins to predominate – the energy of rest and recuperation.

When Yang energy flows through the body of a man, it manifests in the libido, arousal, erection, and intensity of orgasm.

However, somewhere past the age of 40, many men experience a decline in these Yang energy functions.

Andropause

In western medicine, this shift at midlife is called Andropause. Like the hormonal shift experienced by women between the ages of 45 – 55, andropause is the name for the shifting balance of estrogen and testosterone in a man’s body during the same time period. Levels of testosterone reduce, while the percentage of estrogen increases.

During this time period, and into their later years as well, many men experience a mild to significant changes, such as:

• decreased libido
• decreased arousal
• weaker erections
• erectile dysfunction
• prostate inflammation
• reduction of orgasmic intensity
• decreased quality of sperm and infertility

In Chinese medical thinking, testosterone produces Yang energy. When testosterone and Yang are abundant in the body, it manifests as flourishing sexual energy and function. As testosterone declines, these functions decline.

To complicate matters, the rise of estrogen – mimicking substances in our environment, due to chemical pollution from many sources, has created a more difficult situation for today’s male – both human and animal.

Chinese Herbs for Natural Testosterone Replacement

Panax Ginseng

In his excellent and well-researched book, The Natural Testosterone Plan for Sexual Health and Energy, herbalist Stephen Buhner lays out an overview of andropause and changing hormone balance in a detailed, thorough manner.

As a solution, he offers an herbal protocol to help men replace their declining testosterone levels and improve prostate health:

• Pine pollen (plant with the highest levels of plant-based testosterone)
• Panax ginseng
• Tienchi ginseng
• Siberian ginseng
• Tribulus
• Nettle root (for prostate health)

As always, herbs are powerful substances, so please consult the book for cautions and dosages, or contact me for an individualized wellness consultation.

Androgenic Foods

There are also a list of foods that Buhner recommends to boost androgens (male hormones), as well as adrenal and kidney health, important factors in male sexual function:

• Celery
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Kale
• Spinach
• Radish

He gives a recipe for juicing all of these together to make an androgen/adrenal green drink! I did make this one time, and it was very tasty.

Other androgenic foods include:

• Oats
• Garlic
• Pine nuts
• Red meat
• Kidney and Liver organ meat

Foods to avoid (estrogenic foods) include:

• Hops (beer is particularly estrogenic)
• Soy
• Excessive alcohol (a moderate amount is actually very good for the body, but excess consumption interferes with androgen production)

Acupuncture for Sexual and Prostate Health – Increase Qi Circulation in Pelvic Area

Elvis doing his "pelvic tension releasing" dance

Due to many factors in modern life, such as:

• long hours of sitting at a desk
• the general male repression of free pelvic movement (how many men do you know that dance like Elvis?)
• and the general tension that our society holds around all things sexual

all combine to create a fair amount of muscular tension in the pelvic region. Over time, this muscular constriction prevents the free flow of energy to all parts of the pelvic region, including the genitals and prostate.

Through acupuncture, acupressure, stretching, and kegel-type exercises, these constrictions can be released, and the free flow of energy can be restored to the entire pelvic area. And don’t worry – the acupuncture points used are not on or near the genitals!

The Liver, Spleen, Kidney, Stomach, Bladder, Gallbladder, Dai, Ren and Du meridians all flow through the back, front and sides of the pelvic and hip area. By using acupuncture points on the legs, feet, abdominal, and hip areas, the flow of energy can be restored to the pelvic region.

Contact me if you have any questions about how acupuncture, Chinese herbs, or nutrition could help you.

Mind – Body Counseling: Emotions and Sexual Health

A discussion of male sexual health would not be complete without discussing the role that emotions play in sexual energy levels and function.

The plain reality is: when a man experiences emotional tension, this internal repression and pain can affect his sexual life. This is especially true in the context of a relationship.

If you are looking for long-term solutions for your sexual health, I believe that it is essential to invest the time and effort needed to:

1. Be honest with yourself about your feelings and desires
2. Create caring and trust-based communication with your partner
3. Address and heal any deep emotional wounds that prevent you from experiencing the full flow of your sexual energy (and believe me, most of us have or have had them)

I hope this post has been helpful to you. If you have any questions about how these solutions could help you, please don’t hesitate to contact me. All communications are strictly confidential.

What do you eat?

She was interested in changing her diet to improve her health.  We had talked about including more whole foods, vegetables, protein, high quality fats from real foods, fiber from whole food sources, and so on.

So, I was beginning to list out all of the recipes I use for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, when all of a sudden, two Sundays ago in the New York Times, I ran across a short article that seemed like it was practically written for my patient.

3 Essential Recipes for the “Real Food” Cook

The article is:  Chop, Fry, Boil: Eating for One, or 6 Billion.

Here’s a link to a Today show clip with the author, demonstrating his recipes.

Written by Mark Bittman, a well-known cook and author of cookbooks like How to Cook Everything, this article outlines all of the basic reasons for:

1. Eating real food
2. Learning how to cook an excellent meal in under 30 minutes

Then he includes 3 basic recipes that every cook should know, recipes that form the basis and foundation for a wide variety of dishes:

1. Beans and rice
2. Stir-fry
3. Chopped vegetable salad

That’s it!

(See more about eating real food in my Introduction to Holistic Nutrition article, where I go in-depth about what constitutes “real food”.  Go to the section on Food Quality.)

Ingredients all prepped for a variation on the Beans and Rice recipe…mmm

Just to make sure his 3 included recipes were tasty enough for you, Caroline and I tested 2 of them a couple nights ago (the results were excellent, I must say).

Nutrition Counseling for Your Health Problems

Eating real food that you prepare can make a serious contribution toward healing your health issues, like:

• Stress
• Weight loss
• Headaches
• Arthritis, muscle and joint pain
• Gas, bloating, constipation, bad breath and IBS
• Low energy
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Low immunity

So if you’re thinking about making a change to your diet, I would recommend eschewing the gimmicky stuff, and make a change that will give you lasting and sustainable wellness, vitality, and health (and will most likely help you lose weight!) – - learn to prepare a real food meal that tastes good, is inexpensive, and fits into your busy lifestyle, in under 30 minutes.

Believe me, I know the transition from the normal American diet to a simpler, healthier way of eating isn’t simple, and usually isn’t easy.  I know it took me 4 years of solid work to even figure out what real food was, and to learn how to cook it quickly and fit it in to my busy everyday life.

However, since I’ve already done the groundwork for you, you can use my knowledge to shorten your learning curve, and speed up the process of switching to a “real food diet” that fits into your life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with changing the way they eat, please contact me to learn more about my nutrition counseling services, or to make an appointment.