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- Jean Donati Acupuncture604 E. Joppa RD
Towson, MD 21286410-984-3700 - Mon8AM - 3PMTue11AM - 4PMWed8AM - 3PMThu8AM - 11AMFri8AM - 3PM*By appointment only
Diet
Food as Medicine
Mama Always Said: You Are What You Eat
Maybe mom really did know best when it came to nutrition. As research has shown, what we eat can actually impact our health profoundly. Over the years, we have learned that our dietary choices can influence our risk of disease. And some have made it a profitable business to teach us new ways to look at food (anti-inflammatory diet, Keto, heart healthy, etc.). continue reading
Welcome Autumn
Welcome to the Jean Donati Acupuncture Autumn newsletter.
Inside you will find interesting information about the season of autumn, the element of metal, the lung and large intestine (the organs associated with metal), how metal shows up in all of us, and ways to strengthen your body, mind, and spirit in this season. Enjoy!
Welcome Autumn
We are now truly into the autumn season. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and daylight is decreasing. In Chinese medicine, the autumn is the season of the metal element. It is a time of winding down, clearing out, and of gathering reserves for winter. The movement of autumn is inward and downward, taking us from the buzzing fullness of late summer into the deep stillness of winter. The energy of autumn, the metal element, moves us to eliminate what we no longer need, and reveals to us again, what is most precious in our lives.
The organs associated with the metal element are the lung and large intestine. The function of the lung in Chinese medicine is to receive inspiration. The lung takes in the pure and lets go of what is no longer needed. If the lung is not functioning well, waste builds up and we are unable to take in what is pure. Instead of tranquility, inspiration and freshness, we have symptoms such as bronchitis, shortness of breath, cough, allergy, asthma, congestion, colds and flu, constipation, spastic colon, and diarrhea. In terms of the mind and spirit, depression and stubbornness or an inability to let go may occur if the lung is not functioning well.
The function of the large intestine is to let go of what is toxic from the body, but not just on the physical level. Think of how much rubbish is sent our way every day, which affects our mind and spirit as well. We need to be able to eliminate the mental and spiritual rubbish or our minds become toxic and constipated, unable to experience or take in the beauty around us. A well functioning colon allows us to do this effectively.
In an individual, the metal element represents internal resolve and strength, self worth, self-esteem, vitality, and endurance as well as the ability to let go of emotional upsets and grudges. A person with well-balanced metal is organized, self disciplined, conscientious, precise, meticulous, and logical. They are straightforward. Metal qi bestows a deep inner strength. A person with unbalanced metal is disorganized, overly critical, unable to sense their value, and often lacks inspiration. They may seek respect and recognition from the outside because they feel a lack of worth on the inside. They have difficulty letting go of things because they identify their worth with those things.
As we move into the cold damp and windy weather of autumn, we need to nourish our yang energy. One way to do this is by eating foods prepared by long, slow baking, roasting, or stewing. Use warming herbs and spices such as ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and pepper. Foods prepared in this way warm the body.
Foods that reflect the quality of autumn are heartier in flavor and more astringent. Foods like turnips, ginger, garlic, and horseradish are thought to assist in cleansing grief (the emotion associated with the metal element). Roots like carrots and turnips and winter squash help ground us and increase our ability to focus.
Foods to incorporate
To Clear Phlegm: Almonds, baked pear, garlic, onion, black tea, peppermint, thyme, and mustard
To moisten dryness: Baked peaches, apples, pears, tofu, butter, and eggs
To generally strengthen the lungs: Lung chi enhancing foods include pungent spices, ginger, garlic, rice, oats, carrots, mustard greens, sweet potato, yam, molasses, and almonds.
Foods to Avoid: Dairy products (introduce phlegm and create mucus), orange and tomato juice, beer, wheat flour pork and rich meats, peanuts, sugar, bananas
Autumn Recipe
Oven Roasted Vegetables (Recipes for Self Healing, Meridian Press)
Choose 4-5 root vegetables (carrots, turnips, winter squash, pumpkin)
Chop into bite sized pieces and place in oven safe dish
Mix toasted sesame oil with sea salt and black pepper and pour over vegetables
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, rosemary and thyme
Bake at 400 for 1 hour
The Cold/Flu/Virus Season is upon Us
Autumn is the best season of the year to pay attention to the health of our lungs.
Some suggestions on how to strengthen our lungs are as follows:
*Keep your immune system up, and cover your neck whenever outside.
*Stay out of drafts, and avoid air-conditioning. Dress appropriately.
*Increase rest and go to bed earlier.
*Avoid smoke and environmental toxins. If you smoke, autumn is a wonderful time to Quit!
*Do deep abdominal breathing exercises. Yoga or Tai Chi
*Have a cup of ginger tea -it is pungent and tonifies (strengthens) the lungs.
*Have a good cry. Holding grief in, or refusing to recognize it, is very damaging to the metal element.
*Brush the skin and hair (The Skin is the associated organ of the Lungs) To help strengthen the Immune System, use a loofa to slough off old cells and invigorate the akin.
*Acupuncture treatment can strengthen lung energy to ward off colds, and flu illnesses.
Consider what you need to do to make ready for the letting go of autumn.
Holding your harvest in mind, ask what is overgrown or unneeded. What distracts you from your dearest concerns? What might you wish to simplify in yourself or in your life?
Welcome Autumn
Suggestions for living in harmony with the autumn season:
*Go through your closet, desk, garage, medicine cabinet – any cluttered storage area- and discard what you no longer need. Then donate, sell, or otherwise circulate what might be of value to others.
*Do a mental inventory: Examine attitudes (prejudices, envies, hatreds, jealousies, resentments) stored within your psyche. When possible, contact those with whom you harbor old “stuff.” Attempt to resolve the hurtful old issues, and then let them go.
*For issues you cannot resolve directly with others, or for old issues with yourself, write them on paper, being as specific as possible. Then burn the paper, symbolically…releasing the content.
Take time each day to breathe slowly and deeply. As you inhale the clean autumn air, feel yourself energized and purified. Feel the old negativity, impurity, and pain leave your body and psyche. Then contemplate briefly who you are without these qualities.
For more information about Chinese Medicine, and Acupuncture, please visit my web site www.East2WestMedicine.com or call Jean at 410-984-3700.
Digestive Disorders and Acupuncture
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Easing Transitions with the Earth Element
Easing Transitions with the Earth Element
We all are very familiar with Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter but why does Chinese Medicine include a fifth season and where does it fit on the calendar?
According to TCM theory, the fifth season is actually that important time between the seasons, where we ‘return to center’ so we can ‘pivot’. About 2-3 weeks before the beginning of each season is a time of transition.
Each season correlates with an elemental energy. Spring belongs to the wood element, Summer to fire, Fall to metal and Winter to water. The transitional time between the seasons rightfully belongs to the earth element as this is the time when the seasonally dominant energy returns to the earth to be transformed into the next seasonal energy.
The Earth Element is generated and managed in the body by the spleen and stomach. These organs are in the business of metamorphosis. As digestive organs (according to TCM), they transport and transform the food we eat into nutrition to build our blood and nourish our cells. The spleen governs the muscles, and is important in the free movement of the body. The associated orifice is the mouth and spleen Qi manifests in the lips. The Spleen is also known for housing the intellect (yi) and is involved with the thinking aspect of spirit. The color of the earth element is yellow, and the taste is sweet.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar sets the start of the seasons earlier than our Gregorian calendar, so if we are following the seasons according to Chinese Medicine We are currently in Late Summer, and this is the time to pay special attention to the energy of transition.
The benefit of nourishing our earth element during this time is to gain balance and stability for periods of change. The earth element represents our wide center stance from which we can safely assess the next move (picture the slow smooth movements of tai chi). The importance of core stability rings true whether we are talking about physical activity or more subtle energy dynamics.
1) Diet:
Avoid damp cold food such as ice cream as it can put a burden on the spleen that prefers warm, dry conditions. Eat breakfast between 7-9am which is stomach time according to the Qi clock. From 9-11am is spleen time. Some gentle activity is ok but as the spleen converts food to Qi, try to take it easy so you do not disrupt digestion. Avoid processed sugar while enjoying the natural balance of sweetness from the earth with foods like apples, carrots, dates, and sweet potatoes.
2) Release Worry-Patterns:
The spleen houses the intellect and is responsible for thought but can be weighed down by overthinking. This will slow its ability to transform our food. We can all think of times when worry led to unpleasant digestive experiences.
So, find ways to shift patterns of over-thinking and worry.
(Cue the serenity prayer…)
3) Yellow:
Stimulate earth energy with its color and brighten up someone’s day by wearing more yellow. Notice the yellow colors in nature, stop and absorb their frequency. And eat yellow foods: bananas, yellow peppers, lemons etc.
4) Earthing:
You know what to do. Connect direct! Get those bare feet on the ground (pesticide-free please).
Now get some Vitamin-E on those earthy lips and pucker up: you’ll be ready to give Fall a sweet kiss hello.