Help Haiti Heal!

 

     On Wednesday February 3rd, Acupuncturists Without Borders will be sending a group of practitioners to the Dominican Republic!  They will be there to help the victims of the recent earthquake, assist other health organizations, street clinics, The Dominican Republic Red Cross, local hospitals etc.  I just received an email with all the details & so far they’ve managed to raise just over $10,000 in monetary donations as well as $2,400 in Acupuncture supplies.  Please help out with whatever you can, our goal is to raise about $7,500 more!  Please click on the Poster and the Website links below to find out how to donate and help! 

Acupuncture is such a wonderful medicine during traumatic times like these, it’s cheap, easy, effective and travels well! 

Website:  Acupuncturists Without Borders

Poster:  Haiti Poster color

~be well~

Erin

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A New Year, A New Light…

Photo by Cristian Escobar on Unsplash

In lieu of the New Year & our progress into a new age, there is a shift taking place.  Not only in the way we percieve medicine, but in human compassion as a whole.  This You-Tube video is a beautiful portrayal of our transition towards 2012; brought to you by the Sedona Journal of Emergence, 2009.  Think what you will, but as they say “energy follows thoughts” & as I like to quote from one of my favorite books, The Art of Racing in the Rain, “that which you manifest is before you”.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3zJm98UXzQ]

~be well~

Erin

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Seriously?

I just had to share this with you.  If you think the new Taco Bell Drive Through Diet is as ridiculous as I do, you will love this!  Americans just continue to amaze me with their brilliant ideas.

An Open Letter to Taco Bell

Dear Taco Bell,

It has come to my attention that you have recently created a Drive-Thru Diet. You are clearly taking bold new steps to change the way Americans view healthy eating, so I am writing this letter to express my gratitude and enthusiasm and to offer insight for further improvement.

I first noticed your “Drive-Thru Diet” ad on a billboard outside of a childrens’ extra-curricular learning studio in west Los Angeles. Ever the inquiring mind, I visited Tacobell.com for some heavy research. I read Christine Dougherty’s 80 word storyabout losing 50 lbs over 2 years with Taco Bell. Very convincing. Then I watched TV personality Chris Rose interview four paid actors, and every single actor praised Taco Bell’s seven healthy Fresco menu items. Next I learned from registered dietitian Ruth Carey that some food choices are nutritionally better than others. These people clearly weren’t lying. The Drive-Thru Diet looked legitimate, so I decided to make a Frescolution. I hit a road block when attempting to fill out my pledge. The form required me to fill out “what I know.” I attempted to write, “I live a healthy lifestyle based on the 10 immutable Primal laws validated by two million years of human evolution…,” but Taco Bell overrode that with, “My idea of exercise involves the all-you-can-eat buffet marathon.” Oh well, I suppose what I know isn’t nearly as important as eating Taco Bell Fresco menu items.

So here I am, having soaked up the thorough and detailed information on your website, almost ready to embark on my two year plan of eating Taco Bell food every day. However, I have a few simple questions before starting such an exciting, healthy journey.

First, I am slightly confused by the math of calorie reduction. I understand that a Fresco taco is 20 calories less than a regular taco (kudos for that feat of engineering!). If I am trying to reduce my daily consumption by 500 calories by eating Fresco tacos rather than regular tacos, does that mean I need to eat 25 Fresco tacos a day? (20 calorie reduction x 25 = 500 calorie reduction). That means I need to eat roughly six tacos a meal, including, of course,fourthmeal. Speaking of which…

I am still trying to work out the logistics of fourthmeal. If I eat fourthmeal after midnight, is it technically firstmeal? In calculating daily calories, which day does fourthmeal count for? If I eat fourthmeal at the stroke of midnight, does it count for both days or neither? And also, if I eat fourthmeal every day, when do I sleep?

Finally, what exactly did Christine eat? If I know the combination of Taco Bell choices she made, I would feel much more confident moving forward. Did she keep a food log?

Once you have answered my questions, I will be delighted to fulfill my Frescolution.

Additionally, while I have no criticism of your company or your dietary philosophy, I do see room for improvement in your quest to convert American eaters into healthy decision makers. Below, I’ve listed a few possible menu adjustments…

1. A “Sans Queso!”option

photo captured via Creative Commons

After close scrutiny of your seven Fresco menu items, I discovered the secret to your revolutionary way of creating healthy foods: You replace the cheese with tomatoes. I’m no food lab scientist, but with careful engineering it seems you could apply the Cheese Removal Principle to not just seven menu items, but to every single product you offer. Call it “Sans Queso!” and you’ve got an entire menu full of super-healthy foods. Want a healthy Mexican pizza? Sans Qeuso! it. Sans queso! that volcano nachos and you’ve turned a 1,000 calorie item into a 920 calorie health food. It’s not a reduction of quantity, it’s an upgrade of health. You can even charge an extra thirty cents to Sans Queso! a food. The new anti-supersize.

2. A calorie total at purchase – All your food items have calorie amounts the same as they have prices. How hard would it be to include a function on the cash register that adds up the total calories of the foods purchased and prints it on the receipt? Heck, take it a step further and tell the customer directly, “Your total is $8.76 and your calorie total is 2,400. Would you like to Sans Queso! your meal for an extra thirty cents?” Bam. Satisfied customer, more profit, and less wasted ingredients. Is that genius or what?

3. Salsa – I’m not one to make rude accusations, but it does occur to me that you are a Mexican restaurant without a salsa bar. I do respect your little border sauce packets of modified food starch, autolyzed yeast extract, sugar, onion juice, and xantham gum, but including a secondary option of fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, and tomatillas could improve both taste and the amount of nutrients your customers consume. So get yourself a salsa bar. People like salsa and they like bars, it’s a win-win.

4. An “UnFried Salad” – The traditional Taco Bell Mexican salad sits in an edible bowl of fried enriched bleached flour and corn. That fried bowl sits in a second, plastic bowl. I suggest removing the edible bowl and placing the salad directly into the plastic bowl. You may have concerns about the way customers will react to this “one bowl” concept. The problem can be solved easily by using a “do not eat this bowl” warning label. Fill the plastic bowl with a bed of lettuce, grilled chicken, salsa from your newly installed salsa bar, and a couple slices of avocado (the fresh kind, not the green stuff I’ve seen your employees squeeze out of a caulking gun) That’s a healthy menu item if ever there was one. Sans Queso! that salad for thirty cents and make it even healthier.

5. Water – I can’t help but notice the 32 oz cup of Diet Pepsi that accompanies all the pictures of your Fresco menu foods. Have you considered creating a 32 oz cup that says, “Water!” I’ve never seen a fast food water cup before. Taco Bell could be the first.

6. Rename all products according to the Gordita methodology

I’d never heard of a Gordita before you added one to your menu. I had to pull out the old translation dictionary to learn that “gordita” is Spanish for “chubby.” What a brilliant concept! Right there in the name of the food you’ve included a warning for how the food will make you look and feel. I love it! You should rename other menu items to include similar warnings. A nacho bell grande could be called an “estomago grande,” a caramel empanada could be a “caramel diabetica,” and a mexican pizza could simply be “El Diarrea.”

7. A weekly taco limit – Like the bartender who cuts off the alcoholic, set a hard limit on the number of tacos a customer can buy. Consult Ruth Carey, your registered dietitian, and figure out how many tacos a week someone must eat to remain healthy. Never sell a customer more than that number.

Last, but certainly not least…

8. TELL PEOPLE WHERE YOUR MEAT COMES FROM – Consumers are fickle, skeptical doubters, and I’m sure you’ve heard some of the rumors and urban legends surrounding the origins of your meat. To jog your memory, there have been claims that your meat is of lower quality than dog food meat; that it contains feces; that there are fingernail fragments, human blood, ash, worm, copper wire residue, cellophane, and bits of Jimmy Hoffa floating around in your meat. While I’m fairly certain these accusations are false, I was unable to find any information on your website as to meat origin and quality. I even called your hotline, with no further success. Why not replace one of the 3 giant 5 layer burrito posters on each store using the third to show a picture of the grass fed, grass finished cows that I’m sure you use to make those burritos.

I do realize making these changes may take a small upfront investment. Because I feel as responsible for America’s health as I’m sure you do, I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. If you make all eight of the suggested changes, I will donate $10,000 to a charity of your choice (perhaps the American Diabetes Association?). Thank you for reading my letter and for creating a diet that does not require me to leave my car. Maybe one day you will take the next step by creating a “Delivery Diet” so I won’t have to leave my house.

Yours in good health,

Mark Sisson


Source:  Marks Daily Apple; January, 16th, 2010

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New Years Resolutions…

Photo by Jerry Kiesewetter on Unsplash

Happy New Year and post Holidays!  I know it’s been a while since my last post, but I’ve been busy on vacation & getting refreshed for the new year and the ominous winter quarter that is upon us at OCOM (Oregon College of Oriental Medicine).   Winter quarter has just about every student dreading the next few months, you may think this is due to the gloomy skies and dark rainy days but it’s not.  Every winter quarter is packed full with extra classes and more time spent in books; it makes methink that they do this on purpose since the days are so short and generally gloomy or way or they are just sadistic.  Either way, it’s a rough few months ahead of us which makes it all the more necessary to work on balance, relaxation and ways to de-stress.

And, since it is the new year, I thought I’d share at least one of my many new years resolutions: Do more Qi-Gong… and more specifically, Do Qi-Gong twice a week outside of class (Qi-Gong is an elective class that we can take once a week).  I just was reading one of my favorite websites, www.mercola.com and there was an article about Meditation and how it’s been shown to lower blood pressure & reduce a persons affinity towards hypertension in the future.  So one could extrapolate that it could reduce your chances of developing heart disease as well?!  There have been many studies on the effects of Meditation practices on our health, a regular practice has been shown to have positive effects on stress management, blood pressure, diabetes, sleeping habits, pain management, memory, gastro-intestinal disorders & the list goes on.

A just-published study suggests the practice of meditation may bring cardiovascular and mental-health benefits.

The research, followed close to 300 students, half of whom practiced transcendental meditation for 20 minutes once or twice daily over three months. A subgroup of subjects in the meditation group who were at increased risk for hypertension significantly lowered their blood pressure and psychological distress, and also bolstered their coping ability.

The average reduction in blood pressure in this group — a 6.3-mm Hg decrease in the top (systolic) number of a blood pressure reading and a 4-mm Hg decrease in the lower (diastolic) number — was associated with a 52 percent reduction in the risk of developing hypertension in the future.

Meditators who were not at increased risk for hypertension saw a reduction in psychological distress, depression, and anxiety as well as increased coping ability.

QiGong is a Chinese practice of energy healing and exercise.  It means to work (Gong) with the life energy (Qi).  It is the practice of learning how to control the flow and distribution of qi to improve the health and harmony of mind and body.  The aim is to eliminate the impure by using the breathe and specific movements and to inspire the pure to enhance ones health.  There are many different forms of Qi-Gong, many of which are passed down through families and used for different reasons.  Many Chinese Medical Doctors prescribe Qi-Gong to their patients as a means of self healing; it’s something their patients (not to mention themselves) can do everyday to maintain a healthy body and mind.  (Cohen, 3-5).

This study is a great reminder for me, that yes, I NEED to commit to my new year’s resolution and do as much Qi-Gong as I can this quarter and every quarter (let alone for the rest of my life).  If there are this many health benefits associated with something so easy, cheap and non-time consuming, shouldn’t we all just take 20 minutes out of our days and find our own way to meditate, whether it be through Qi-Gong, Meditation, or Yoga (just to name a few).  With this post, I am holding myself accountable for my resolution and I hope it sparks some inspiration in you to learn how to de-stress, relax and improve your health from the inside out.

If you are in the Portland, Oregon area, and want to try some Qi-Gong classes, there are classes available to the public through OCOM, if you are interested please let me know or visit the school website or contact the school for more information.  www.ocom.org

Till next time,

~be well~

Erin

Sources:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/09/Try-Meditation-to-Lower-Your-Blood-Pressure-and-Protect-Your-Heart.aspx, Jan. 12th 10; Cohen, Kenneth S. The Way of QiGong New York, Ballantine Books 1997

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Treating Menopausal Symptoms with Acupuncture vs. Pharmaceuticals

by, gomesman

Currently one of the prescribed treatment protocols for women going through Menopause is an Anti-Depressant such as Effexor.  Research shows that the anti-depressant actually has the added benefit of treating hot flashes and night-sweats; which are common symptoms associated with Menopause.  This treatment has proven to be quite effective in treating these symptoms, however, it does not come without its usual list of negative side-effects commonly found with pharmaceuticals.

Another treatment that has proven effective in treating these same symptoms is Acupuncture.  Acupuncture is a Chinese Medical therapy that uses very thin needles, inserted at various points in the body.  It works on an energetic level, treating the 12 different channels or meridians that flow through our bodies.  Each meridian is said to be associated with a different organ network & different aspects of our mental, emotional and physical bodies.  Acupuncture works on the basis that it recreates a positive flow of energy throughout these channels (or meridians) where we may presently have blockages.  By re-establishing a proper flow, we can re-establish the proper inner-workings of ourselves and our bodies.

One group of researchers decided to test the two treatment protocols against one another and see how they measured up.  This study tested two group of women who were all experiencing Menopausal symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes and treated one group with Effexor (an Anti-Depressant) & one group with Acupuncture only.  The study found that each test group had similar results and each group had significantly decreased their symptoms, & in addition both groups showed fewer symptoms of depression.  The only difference being,

“women taking Effexor also had negative side effects. These included nausea, dry mouth, headache, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, double vision, increased blood pressure, constipation, fatigue, anxiety, feeling “spaced out,” and body jerking during the night.

Women getting acupuncture had none of these side effects, but they did report increases in energy, clarity of thought, sexual desire, and overall well-being”.

So, there you go, yet another reason that I love the medicine that I am studying and think that it’s going to continue to make it’s incredible mark on us, and change the way we practice medicine.

~Till next time, happy holidays and be well~

Source:  www.webmd.com, Acupuncture Cuts Ails of Breast Cancer Drugs, Sep. 22, 2008

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