GBA at MRA

On Thursday, May 19 Mystic River Acupuncture hosted the monthly meeting of the Groton Business Association, a division of the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce. This group of business people works towards the interests of small business in Groton. Some of the events we sponsor each year are the Groton Fall Festival and The Holiday Lights Parade. At our meetings we network and keep up to date on what is happening in Groton that may affect small business. And when it’s at our place, we eat!

When Mystic River Acupuncture hosts this group it is an event. It’s a chance for our small business neighbors to see what an acupuncture clinic looks like and we love to show off dishes containing healthy herbs. This year we featured Eight Treasures breakfast congee , a delicious rice porridge made with red rice and a variety of Chinese “food herbs” from our herbal dispensary. Also on the menu was Chinese rose and albizzia tea and a “chai” made from pharmacy herbs, whole milk and roobios tea, an African caffeine-free herb known for it’s healing qualities. A mostly organic fruit salad and pastries by Pastry Chef Araminta Poole rounded up the fare.

Sarah Hartford, LMT was on hand to provide chair massage to willing attendees. Sarah is new to our staff and it was a great way for her to introduce herself to the business association. All takers went home happy and relaxed!

We look forward to hosting this group again. Stay tuned next year for a new and delicious menu.…

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.…

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.…