You're a Peach

In Chinese herbal medicine, the kernel of peaches are used as a herb, but it's fruit also has medicinal properties. While the kernels must be used by a trained herbalist as they contain poison, which is controlled by their preparation methods, the fruit is quite easily accessible and safe to use.

Peaches are coming into season in summer, soon you'll find all kinds of delicious juicy peaches around you in your local fruit and veg store.

The nature of the peach is sweet and warm, which means it's nourishing to the digestive system (Spleen-Stomach in CM) and it's moisturizing nature makes it great fruit for habitual constipation sufferers.

A recipe for high blood pressure is eating one or two fresh peaches (without stone or skin) daily.

Green (unripe) peach can be used as well:

To make the "Dried Green Peach"  simply dry unripe green peaches, with stone removed, in the sun.

The dried green peach can then be used for other recipes:

1) High Blood Pressure: Simmer 30g of dried green peach in water, drinking the liquid as you would tea.

2) For seminal emissions or spontaneous night sweating: Stir-fry 30g of dried green peach until almost scorched, then add 30g of Chinese Dates and water. Steam to cook and eat in the evening before sleep.

Hope you have fun with peaches this summer!

Diaphragm Breathing – A proven way to reduce stress

Stress comes in many forms, especially at this time of the year we can be worried about money, job security, family pressure, exams and end of study pressure or just feeling really busy as many festive season events start to fill up our calender. 

In one journal article, authors Varvogli and Darviri 1 listed Diaphragmatic Breathing as one of eleven methods for stress reduction shown by research to be effective. 

Diaphragm breathing is something I use myself a lot. As a singer and public speaker it’s an awesome technique to make your voice more powerful and long lasting but it’s medical effects are also useful for our body as a stress reduction technique. It’s even now considered evidence based medicine.

Breathing from your diaphragm is something that’s easy to learn. Once you've practiced it, it’s quite simple to initiate in any stressful situation as well as a general practice to use to improve health.

Diaphragm breathing is the way babies breathe. If you've ever watched a new born baby breathing while sleeping you’ll usually see their abdomen moving up and down as they lie there peacefully. Your diaphragm is a big muscle – imagine a jellyfish attaching to all the bony parts across the middle of your torso – the lumbar spine and your lower ribs. It separates the lungs from the rest of your abdominal contents.

It’s easy to see the diaphragm in action although we cannot directly see or palpate very much of this muscle.

When you breathe with your diaphragm your chest should not rise up and down, rather your belly will push out when you breathe in.

As a singer, I've learned lots of techniques to learn for diaphragm breathing. The best one to get started is to lie flat on the ground or bed and start to expand your belly as you breathe in. You can put an object you can see on your abdomen – if your doing it correctly your object should go up and down as you breathe in and out.

Diaphragm breathing helps you oxygenate your body more effectively and uses one muscle – the diaphragm as opposed to lots of other muscles which are located around your shoulders and neck to pull your chest up or expand your rib cage (the intercostal muscles). Diaphragm breathing kind of gives these muscles a rest!

You can Google other diaphragm exercises or ask your health care practitioner to show you some Diaphragm breathing exercises.

REFERENCES:

1. Varvogli L, Darviri C. Stress Management Techniques: evidence-based procedures that reduce stress and promote health. Health Science Journal. 2011;5(2):74-89.

Mulberry Power

Mulberries are coming in season now in Australia. According to Chinese medicine they have really unique properties for a fruit.

Most fruits have a heat-clearing nature, but Mulberries are a tonic. They tonify the Kidney Energy (Qi) and Blood. These functions mean they are great food for:

- Helping hair growth
- Helping hair look lustrous and moisturised.
- General weakness, tiredness and low energy from deficiency.
- Helping the kind of insomnia of waking up in the night (especially when there is night sweating)

Mulberries are a special fruit because you can't buy them from a shop, so you need to pick them yourself, making their Qi (Energy) more potent because they are so fresh.

Try some mulberries for yourself and realize the power of this nutritious, medicinal food

Mulberries can be mixed with Chinese herbs for a really yummy tonic food - Go Qi Zi (GoJi Berries) and Da Zao (Red Dates) are medicinal foods.

Spring is Here!

To paraphrase from the Yellow Emperor, "Spring is the season where all living creatures grow"

Growth is a vital part of our lives, not just physically but mentally. The spring season brings warmpth that pushes our Yang Qi (Energy) from it's hybernative state of winter to the exterior of the body. The sun rises earlier and in the early days of spring you can feel the increasingly warmer early mornings...your body is teling you to get up earlier!

Spring is the best season to do new things.

Spring is associated with the Wood element according to the five elements theory. Wood is about growth, budding, regenration, new, creativity. The movement of this element is in a spreading direction - outwards, upwards and downwards (all directions).

It's easy to observe this inclination of growth and regeneration in nature. Flowers bloom, new seedlings sprout and animals are born in the spring season.  But what about in our bodies? Do you observe the inclination to grow, to learn, to do new things with the onset of spring?

Awareness is the first step. As you become aware of enviornmental prompts, allow your body and mind the time to explore the different lifestyle of the spring season.

Great things to do in spring are:
- Learn a musical instrument

- Take an art or dance class or workshop

- Go for a drive to the countryside, stop for a moment and take a walk in the bush.

- Get around sunrise and take a walk in your local park

- Eat regular, lightly cooked meals

- If you had a fully cooked diet in winter, you can start to add a few raw foods to your diet, like some fruit, or a salad with your cooked meats.

- Drink Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua) or Jasmine tea.

- Do any kind of exercise or increase the intensity of your exercise

- Sing

- Laugh

Spring is a good season to challenge ourselves to do new things mentally as well as getting physically active. If you live in Australia, we have Christmas around the corner, there is still time to embark on something new, read a book, change careers or make changes to our mental outlook before the new year hits us!


Seasonally, wind is a prevalent pathogen in spring which can often cause allergies, skin conditions and hayfever to be agrrivated. Chinese herbs, tea (check out our new Spring Tea below) and acupuncture can be effective treatments for these conditions. For appoiontments, please contact our clinic via our website www.metrohealth.com.au
 

Sugar Free September - tips for success

Before I even heard of #sugarfreeseptember, 4 weeks ago I went sugar free as part of returning to the Paleo diet. Depending on your health concerns, weight loss needs you can cut out just refined sugar through to anything of the overly sweet nature including things like honey.

Going sugar free can be tough in the first few days, but rest assured your body will thank you. After a week you shouldn't feel any where near as much craving for sugar, but many people return to it because of boredom, or lack of suitable alternatives.

In Chinese medicine, the sweet flavour easily overwhelmes the Spleen energy - the core of our body's energy-making machine. A small amount of sweet helps the Spleen - in the form of sweet vegitables or moderate amounts of grains the body can best benefit from the sweet flavour.

While Chinese medicine advocates cooked over raw foods, the following raw nutty recipie is definatley better than a chocolate bar or cupcake.

I love recipies that are quick to prepare, so over the next month, I'll share my personal favourites for your successful sugar-free September:

Tasty Nut Bars 

Your food processer or blender will become your best buddy in the kitchen, I like to keep a big box of a variety of nuts (all are good except cashews and peanuts), dried fruits and seeds (like sesame seeds, pepitas etc).

When you don't have time for reading recipies, just get a whole bunch of nuts and seeds and blend them down. Using a ratio of around 4:1, (nuts to dried fruit), add your favourite dired fruits to the blender. I like figs, seedless prunes, and a few apricots. If your not too concerned with loosing weight you can add a dash of some sugar-free sweet alternative like Dark Aglave Syrup, 100% pure Maple syrup or honey. when the mixture begins to "ball up" in the food processor then it's a good consistency.

For less sweet flavour, melt a few spoons of coconut oil and add that instead of the syrup options above.

Next, line a metal tin or plastic container with greeseproof paper and press the mixture into the tin, flattening it out.

For variety, each time you make the nut bars you can change up the kinds of nuts you use, or add some carob powder, cacao powder or cocoa powder.

Another option is to roll the mix into little balls and then roll in dried coconut.

Pop your nut bar into the fridge, after about an hour it's ready to cut up and eat.

Having these nut bars or balls in the fridge is a great sugar free snack alternative to chocolates and lollies. It's particularly handy in the first week of cutting out sugar when the cravings and habits are harder to break.  I like to cut mine up and put into zippy bags to take with me so I'm not tempted at work or on the run.

Good luck on your health journey this month with Sugar Free September!

Marrrow...the food of winter

Marrow

Marrow is a great food to nourish the kidneys. Kidney nourishing recipes include Osso Bucco, kidney organ itself, seaweed, fungus family and walnuts. Soups and stews are particularly good cooking methods for winter, as they cook meats by adding water resulting in tender and moisture-rich foods. 

I made this kidney-tonic stew which only takes about 15 minutes to prepare and it’s also gluten-free, Paleo and a great winter tonic! 

Ingredients:

• 10-15 mushrooms, cut in half
• 1 piece of Wood Ears fungus, cut or rip into small pieces.
• 1 or 2 pieces of Osso Bucco
• 1 “soup pack” of vegetables – Turnip,parsnip,onion,2-3 sticks of celery, carrot. Cut into a rough soup cut.
• 1 handful of seaweed strips or 3 pieces of nori sheets, cut up. 

Method:

1. Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and cover with water. 
2. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or overnight) OR cook on high for 2-3 hours first, then reducing heat to low for another few hours. 
3. Make sure there is plenty of water to cover ingredients throughout cooking. 
4. Season if needed with Pepper, and if your diet allows, salt. 

Winter

Winter

Seasons are a major aspect of Chinese medicine, they influence the ways in which we should live, and the kinds of illnesses that are prevalent in the various seasons. Winter is the season where things retreat, hibernate and rejuvenate. Just as the weather becomes cold, and nature retreats, our lifestyle should also change to suit the climate. 

I took this photo on one of my trips to the tea village in Changsha

Wearing warm clothing, avoiding the wind and protecting the lower back (which is known as the “kidneys house”) is an important way to maintain health. Kidney energy relates specifically to winter via the Water Element. Water is reflected in tranquillity, stillness, rejuvenation and gestation. It’s the Kidney energy that is directly influential in reproduction and fertility. Water energy accumulates in hibernation and rest, this should be encouraged during Winter with longer sleep time (go to bed later and get up later), resting during the day by lying down flat after lunch for about 20 minutes, and sweating less by engaging in non-sweat producing exercises like stretching and gentle walking. 

Generally winter is the season where we don’t need to do much exercise. Certainly opening the pores during sweating creates an easy-access path for External Pathogens like Wind-Cold to invade and cause colds and flu’s.

The primary focus of winter is to allow the body to rest, sleep and recover from any cold and flu’s, and avoid exposure to External pathogens. For healthy people, winter should be a season of storing up the nourishing Post-natal Kidney Essence (Jing). 

Click here for a winter recipe! 

Natures Pain Killers

Pain is a natural human experience, and it's not a pleasant one. As soon as we experience pain our next thought is "how can I stop it?"

In our search for some relief, why not turn to nature to try to alleviate some or all of the pain with natural relief? Essential oils, herbs, mental techniques, acupuncture and heat are all common and often cheap alternatives to drugs.

Before we delve into these natural solutions to treat pain, it's important to know the reason for the pain. Most of these natural alternatives are great for people who have already sought out medical help, and found there is either no "known cause" of the painful symptoms or the cause is untreatable and they are in a situation of managing the pain.

If the pain is acute (it just came on recently), it's something new, its getting worse and/or changing location to usual then it's important to seek medical advice. Visit your GP, registered professional health practitioner or go to the hospital if it's an emergency situation. In Australia we have a government health advice line you can ring and speak to a nurse who will assess if you need to go to emergency: 1800 022 222.

HEAT 

A great place to start to alleviate pain is heat. Heat makes blood vessels expand, getting more of the healing properties to the area you have heated up. Because too much blood with no movement can cause stagnation, it's best to use heat for 20 mins at a time, and follow up with some movement of the area or light massage around the area depending on the type of injury /pain you have.

MOXA

Moxa  is a type of herbal heat that is widely used in Chinese medicine. Moxa is a herb that has Blood moving properties, and is used by everyday people as well as practitioners to alleviate pain. In the clinic, you might see practitioners use moxa on acupuncture points with a stick or cones or even a moxa box. The wooden boxes are a great way to use the moxa at home for personal use. Tiger warmers - the metal stick device featured in the photo to the left, are a device designed to help people use the moxa stick on areas like the back, shoulders, limbs and abdomen to treat pain. We sell the tiger warmers and moxa boxes in our store, and our staff can assist you with help to learn how to use them.

Link to Moxa products on our Webstore just Below:
www.metrohealth.myshopify.com/moxa

ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential Oils are another favourite of mine for natural pain relief.

Frankincense, Clary Sage and Lavender is a good blend to soothe pain. Frankincense is a blood moving Chinese Herb - it's function is to move Blood stasis. Injuries will usually result in some degree of Blood stasis, so moving it will help speed up healing.

Frankincense and Clary Sage is great combination for period pain, back pain or pain from traumatic injuries. Lavender is soothing and is often used to help headaches. Apply directly or dilute and use with caution during pregnancy.

Heating Essential oils include Camphor, Menthol, Eucalyptus, Wintergreen - which are great for Arthritis or Joint pain (known or Cold/Damp Bi Zheng Syndrome in Chinese Medicine). Camphor and Menthol are common ingredients in well known "pain rubs" like tiger balm and deep heat. I once made a salt scrub using Wintergreen for a patient who suffered arthritis - in the shower they could scrub their body with the exfoliating scrub which left a soothing warming oily residue to moisturise and infuse the skin with the pain- reliving essential oils.


We have essential oils available in our Maylands Store and also online @ http://metrohealth.myshopify.com

MENTAL DISTRACTION

Finally, there is something great about mental distraction in managing chronic pain. You get what you foucs on...so if you have nothing else there but you and the pain, it will become worse due to it bieng your sole focus. Distract your mind by planning activities, watching a movie or TV, going for a walk if you can or even do a difficult puzzle or something else to take your mind off it.  Not all kinds of pain are suited to this method, but some pains, like period pain will actually benefit more from moving or standing than sitting and lying. Moving around might feel like the last thing you might feel like doing, however it's better to aid blood movement by standing and walking rather than sitting or lying down all day. Psychology, visualisation and hypnosis all contain powerful mind tools which experienced professionals can teach their clients how to better manage pain.

Of course, if pain gets worse, your symptoms change or your unsure of the cause you should see your Health Care Professional or go to the hospital in an urgent situation.

Lest We Forget

In Australia we are approaching ANZAC day on 25th April. This is a day of rememberance and thankfulness about those Australian soldiers fallen and those who gave their lives to serve in war times. ANZAC has always had a special meaning to our family, as my grandad, Eustace Mickle was a rat of Trobruk, in the past I have marched in rememberacnce of him, worn his medals and even been pushed in a pram by my mum and Anutie clipping the heels of the other ex-service men in the march!

Soldiers who fought for our freedom have brought us here, they fought for what we so easily enjoy now. For many of us our lives have been far from the fringe of war and we might not feel this on a personal level. Other people might have more influential in bringing us to where we are today.

Remembrance and reflection is a powerful thing for us as individuals and as a society. Why not use this ANZAC day as a chance to reflect on the sacrifice that people in your world, including the soldiers, who have brought you to where you are? How can we show our gratitude for the sacrifice?  

Because my blog is about Chinese medicine, I might mention that Chinese medicine considers refletion "Yi" to be part of the Spleen Energy. We digest thoughts as well as food through the Spleen's energy. Healthy digestion of thoughts such as creating time for rememberance
and reflection is part of a healthy person.