Keep Warm With Ginger

Cozy Up With Ginger

Fresh ginger root is a warm and pungunt herb, used widely both medicinally and as a food herb. It’s a great item to keep in the fridge during the winter months. Ginger root is easily available in the produce section of almost any grocery. As a tea, it’s warm nature can keep you warm from the inside out. Simmered with a little more strength and in a stronger dose, it can help prevent a winter chill from turning into a cold. And for those achy body parts that flare up in cold, damp weather, a ginger compress may be just the ticket. Have some handy the next time you shovel your driveway!

To make a tea, slice a few pieces of fresh ginger and pierce them a few times. You can also chop or grate it. Place the ginger into your mug, pour hot water over it and let it steep for about five minutes. Add lemon or honey to taste for a delightful winter cuppa.

To make a medicinal tea, chop up about an inch or more of ginger and place it in a pot with a quart of water. Bring it to a boil and then immediately lower the flame to simmer for 20 minutes or so. The time is not exact. Add honey or lemon to taste. Drink this and keep well covered and rest.

This ginger tea can be taken when you have been exposed to cold damp weather and feel sniffles and aches coming on. It can also be used any time you feel the symptoms of a beginning cold. The ginger is slightly diaphoretic, i.e. it induces a slight sweat. You will “sweat the cold out”. You must keep well covered and warm. The added warmth will help the ginger do its job of making you sweat. It will also protect you while your pores are open and sweating. It is very important not to go out or near a draft. The best thing to do is drink the tea, and when you are done, go off to bed to cuddle under the warm blankets and sleep. You should feel much better in the morning. When you wake up, make another pot and drink it throughout the day.

To make a ginger compress you will need ginger, cheese cloth or a light weight fabric such as a handkerchief, a rubber band or string, and small terrycloth towel or two linen towels.

In a saucepan bring a quart of water to a boil, then turn it down to simmer. Meanwhile, grate a golf ball size piece of ginger up. wrap it in the cheesecloth and secure it with the rubber band or string. Squeeze the ginger juice out into the water, and then drop the entire cheesecloth package in. Simmer for 20 minutes.

To apply: You can apply this to cold, achy joints, shoulders, low back or neck.

The easiest is to soak the terrycloth towel in…

How To Know If You Need An Acupuncturist

Recently my friend Lisa started a “How-To” blog. She’s been encouraging me to demonstrate a “how-to” in her How-To Variety events, which I haven’t done. These are great open-mic style presentations by a variety of people. The last one I went to featured Mystic’s strong man, a well known local folk singer, advice from a Groton beauty consultant, a neighborhood chiropractor, and several other interesting people. I couldn’t think of what I would demonstrate!

When Lisa started her blog she insisted on my participation. After much consideration we decided on How To Know If You Need An Acupuncturist for my first blog on her forum.

People don’t necessarily know when they need an acupuncturist. It’s still a little known profession, and although acupuncture has  many advocates,  many still think of it with curiosity as an exotic medicine.

Here is the link to my piece on Lisa’s How-To blog. While you’re there, browse through the rest of her how-tos . What a great idea for a blog!

How To Know If You Need An Acupuncturist

Everything Fun at Everything Zen

Last Friday Mystic River Acupuncture went to Everything Zen for an evening of “Radiant Beauty From the Inside Out”. I talked about the Chinese concept of beauty being the direct result of how we feel and how healthy we are. Beauty formulas and healthy eating are a part of radiance as much as cosmetics and facial care are.

Holly and I served up an “immune” promoting broth adapted from a recipe in “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes From the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life”. Organic chicken bones, herbs and vegetables were stewed for 24 hours to make this delicious stock that can be taken either as a broth or used as a base in any dish calling for chicken stock.  Bone marrow is rich in nutrients and stewing for a long period releases the essence of bones and their marrow into the soup. A crockpot makes the whole process easy.

Next we sampled a classic Chinese formula that is traditionally taken as a draught with wine. A gram of herbal granules was stirred into bit of warm water in our Dixie cups. We drank this down, then chased it with wine as I passed around a plate containing the same formula in raw form for everyone to see. Taking herbs to keep qi (energy) and blood circulation flowing is essential to a good beauty program, especially in cases of dry skin, acne, and other skin problems.

We finished the evening with a demonstration of wrinkle reducing acupuncture while Holly talked about the importance of using organic paraben free products on the skin. She and showed participants the special herbs I powder up for her to use in facial masks for her facials. Holly and I have been collaborating for the last year on different herbal face masks for various skin problems.

We were running out of time and didn’t get to drinking the special relaxing tea I mixed. Luckily, I had made little bag of these tea herbs for each person to bring home to make for their tea breaks during week. This tea was a relaxing blend that also “vents” or dissipates stress energy and is particularly good for tension in the body caused by stress. It’s a calming refreshing tea that taken with lemon, mint and honey.

By the time we were done, the class had renamed Everything Zen to “Everything FUN” and Holly and I were pleases and honored. It’s important to put some fun in our busy lives.

Check News and Events to learn about the Radiant Beauty specials Holly and I are offering so you can keep having Radiant Beauty and Everything Fun.

Kathleen Poole

Acupuncture is a perfect baby shower gift!

Because Acupuncture is a pregnant woman’s best friend. There are so many aches and pains that might go along with her pregnancy, and acupuncture is a very safe, drug-free way of dealing with them. Morning sickness, swelling, back pain, fatigue, anxiety, all of this and more can be alleviated with acupuncture. Overdue babies can be encouraged to come with acupuncture (with approval of the midwife or doctor), and breech babies will often turn within a few sessions.

There is an entire branch of Chinese Medicine devoted to pregnancy and birthing. If you gift your favorite mother-to-be with acupuncture, she can use it whenever she needs to, before or after the baby. If she brings the new father or her birthing couch along, Kathleen is happy to show them where to apply pressure to help her when the big event comes. While you are here, be sure to pick up a packet of special food herbs you can add to homemade chicken soup — a wonderful dish for postpartum recovery. Acupuncture is a unique baby shower gift, and she’ll remember you warmly for it.

Itchy eyes and stuffy noses

It’s getting to be ragweed season. Itchy eyes, stuffy noses keep you from enjoying the end of summer. There are things you can do. Try chrysanthemum tea for some relief. Drink it hot or cool. Avoid windy weather and window fans, and keep the car windows closed. Make sure your sleeping area is clean and closed off to airborne allergens. If you hang your clothes outdoors to dry, consider throwing them in the dryer or hanging them indoors. Pay attention to air pollution reports in the news and limit outdoor activities accordingly. Take antioxidant quercetin, said to calm allergic histamine reactions.  Eat a diet rich in Omega-3. Naturopaths often prescribe stinging nettles. These products are easily available in groceries and health food stores.

And don’t forget to visit your acupuncturist when your eyes start watering  and nose gets clogged. We’ll give you a treatment and send you home with herbs that bring lasting relief. Or pop into our community acupuncture clinic for instant reprieve from allergy symptoms.

We have that chrysanthemum you are looking for, too.

Start the day with rice congee.

In China, rice congee is a common breakfast food. It is made with rice cooked on low heat for a long time. White rice is used. We recommend this for breakfast in the morning because white rice is easier to digest than brown. Rice congee has a sweetness that awakens the digestion at the beginning of the day. Medicinal herbs may be cooked in rice congee for people who are ill, weak or convalescing. Congee tastes great as a breakfast food. For lunch you can make it with left over bits of vegetables and meats.

Rice congee is very easy to make. Take 1/2 cup of white rice and 2-3 cups of water and put it in a crockpot. You’ll have to play with the amount of water to find a consistency you like. It is like porridge, and we all know that some like it thick and some like it thin. Add whatever you want to cook with the rice. Turn the crockpot on low, cook overnight, and your delicious breakfast will await you in the morning. You may use a broth instead of water if you like.

Congee can be as simple as adding a little butter, chopped walnuts and dates or raisins. For the GBA meeting, Andrea made one with sweet potato cut into small pieces, red dates, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and gou ji berries, and another savory one with scallions and ginger. I often use chicken broth and cook it with pieces of leftover chicken. When it’s done I’ll add a vegetable like broccoli and cook it a little longer. For breakfast congees I enjoy adding seasonal fruits.

Congee is a versatile medium for many tasty meals. If you’d like to try Andrea’s sweet congee, above, give us a ring and we can provide you with a packet of the food herbs she used.

Water, water everywhere, and oh my, is it Damp!

The Southeastern CT/RI area is still recovering from the rains a few weeks ago. Businesses are reopening, roads are being repaired, and homeowners have a handle on the damage that was done. We New Englanders are showing just how resilient we can be. Almost everyone I’ve met has put a good face on it, found creative ways to deal with their situation, and cheerfully helped their neighbors in the midst of their own chaos. Rainy spring days no longer come without some apprehension in our region.

In the aftermath of such major flooding, some of the health risks are obvious. We need to be careful driving due to damaged roads, and plan extra time for for detours. Extreme stress can aggravate existing health problems. On a mental/emotional level, there is more than enough anxiety to go around. Many of us have been displaced from our homes and can not cook in our own kitchens. Our diets may suffer from eating more “junk” food than usual. Disrupted schedules keep us from our exercise routines. Many of us are still feeling overwhelmed by the sudden storm that hit our area with such force.

And there is Damp. Damp is a term used in Chinese Medicine to describe a “climate” or “pathogenic factor” that can invade our bodies. Working in a damp environment, being out in rainy weather too long, living near the shore, or spending time in a basement all contribute to the presence of Damp in our bodies. Some people are more prone to being affected by Damp than others. Torrential rain turning our streets into rivers and making our basements moldy is open season for Damp.

Damp can be internally generated in our bodies, as well. Eating too much dairy or consuming cold food and drinks are ways we increase the likelihood of Damp.

Some symptoms of Damp might include bloating after eating, nausea, water retention problems, joint pain aggravated by damp weather, foggy thinking, allergies with stuffy nose, or a sluggish feeling. Sometimes Damp slows down healing of other things.

A lot of times people go to their doctors with vague Damp symptoms that western medicine can’t make sense of. They bloat, but nothing is wrong, they get lingering headaches that don’t seem bad enough for prescribed medicine, or they feel a lack of motivation. Perhaps there is something not quite right with digestion or allergies make them unusually stuffy. Maybe they can’t shake a level of fatigue and feeling blah.

In Chinese Medicine, Damp is a very real problem. The good news is that we have ways to help it. There are acupuncture protocols to make the Qi or energy flow so Damp doesn’t get stuck in the body. Chinese herbs free the Damp by either transforming it into usable fluids or aromatically dispersing it. These methods are safe to use in conjunction with pharmaceutical medications. Sometimes people just need a little help to get through a season or event, in this case a major flood.