How to Gua Sha
Gua Sha, also known as “coining”, “skin scraping”, or “pressure stroking” is an ancient instrument-assisted lymphatic technique utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The best way to learn how to do gua sha on the face is by watching a demonstration, so I’ve included an in-depth video tutorial at the end of this post.
When done on the face, gua sha can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, restore firmness and elasticity, promote a brighter complexion, relieve jaw tension, promote lymphatic drainage, and decrease puffiness. It can also help with sinus congestion and headaches. I find that when I do it in the morning it helps with mental clarity and reducing brain fog.
Gua sha on the body (back, shoulders, and neck are the most common areas) and gua sha on the face are performed quite differently. While the point of gua sha on the body is to draw out transient therapeutic bruising, you do not want to do that when practicing on your face.
I first got into gua sha when looking for something to help patients with eye strain which is a symptom that patients started complaining about more when the pandemic hit. A lot of people working from home had to increase their screen time. I have also seen gua sha help with other symptoms related to vision such as light sensitivity and eye dryness.
I also have chronically reactive lymph nodes behind my ears (I suffered from a lot of ear infections as a child) and many tender points on my face (especially in front of my ears and along my hairline) which correspond to specific acupuncture points that have benefited from stimulating daily with gua sha.
BODY VS FACIAL GUA SHA
In Chinese medicine, gua sha on the upper back, shoulders, and neck is a common treatment for colds, influenza, and fevers. It is also good to do if you have been exposed to someone who is sick or if you feel a virus coming on.
If you are interested to know more about the science of body gua sha, PUBMED includes studies that have found gua sha to effective in treating back and neck pain, migraines, liver inflammation, perimenopausal symptoms, and breast distention/mastitis.
Because body gua sha is painful and the point is to dig deep enough to create bruising for healing it can be uncomfortable and make people not want to do it. That’s why I fell in love with the lymphstar machine that we use for lymphatic drainage sessions in the office. With this type of technology you get the lymphatic healing benefits without the bruising or pain during a relaxing 30 minute or 60 minute session.
Having fallen in love with the health benefits of lymphatic drainage I was super excited to be able to show patients how to do it for the face at home. I would not try body gua sha at home. So what are the benefits of facial gua sha? Facial gua sha is great for lymphatic drainage of the face which helps with detox from the brain and mouth and also less puffiness which people tend to get around the eyes. It’s advertised as anti-aging for wrinkles but I want people to understand that less wrinkles is secondary to the movement of lymph and toxins which is very healing.
Facial gua sha also helps relieve muscle tension in the head and neck which not only helps with TMJ problems, headaches and neck pain but can also prevent them. I am so surprised when I do the facial gua sha how many tender spots I feel. Spending extra time on the tender spots brings circulation to the area helping to prevent pain.
Since this is a technique that originates in Chinese medicine,I find it fascinating to look at all of the acupuncture channels (meridians) that are on the face and neck that you can stimulate with facial gua sha.
Starting at the center of the face moving outward and down, these are the channels that run down the face:
• Governing Vessel, also called Du (GV);
• Urinary Bladder (UB);
• Gallbladder (GB);
• Stomach (ST);
• San Jiao, also called Triple Heater/Triple Burner (SJ);
• Small Intenstine (SI);
• Large Intestine (LI)There are different gua sha tools you can use made of different stones. There are flat stones that are made for scrapping and to get in deeper. There is also rollers that have a softer affect that I prefer because I realized patients were using the flat stones too intensely which helped but also caused too much inflammation in the process. So I do highly suggest the roller over the flat stones.
We carry in the office 3 different stones because I couldn’t decide on just one stone. We have jade, rose quartz and opal facial rollers . I prefer to muscle test each person for which one works best for their body.
Rose Quartz Roller: Increase Circulation, Promotes Production of Collagen, and Calms Sensitive Skin. Best Used at Night and for Soothing.
Green Jade Roller: Helps Reduce Puffiness, Help Tone and Firm Skin Cells, and Stimulate Collagen Production. Best Used in the Morning and for Balance.
Opal Roller: Good for all Skin Types, Can help to Cool and Refresh Fatigued Skin.
The flow of lymph only goes one way: towards the heart. So when you use the gua sha the strokes should be from the center of the face outward and moving down the face and neck (see video for demonstration).
One of the biggest positive cosmetic benefits I notice when I perform facial gua sha on myself is a reduction of facial puffiness, most notable in my cheeks. You could say that it sculpts my cheeks. Others may notice de-puffing of their eyelids, jawline, under their eyes, or in the forehead. The reason that facial gua sha reduces puffiness is due to the drainage of lymph out of the face and neck. The lymph’s job is to carry toxins so that’s why I say it’s good for detox.
I also notice a reduction in the appearance of fine lines, especially the number ones between my eyebrows. If I wake up from a night of frowning in my sleep, the evidence disappears quickly after my morning gua sha session. So here’s my advice, use my video as a starting place to explore gua sha. If you don’t do it hard enough or if it’s too hard you aren’t going to damage anything so it really is safe. Pull the tool across your face, don’t push it. Think of spreading butter on toast. Pulling comes more naturally when you use the same hand as the side of the face you are working on; if you try to use the opposite hand you’ll be more likely to try to push the tool.
For the gentlest and most relaxing type of gua sha facial, use long, slow, meditative strokes with a thicker tool laid as close to flat against your skin as possible. You can vary the pressure from light to more firm. You can even turn it into a type of moving meditation by coordinating your breathing with the strokes. When doing this style, it’s best to anchor the skin where you begin each stroke using your other hand. You’ll need to allot more time for this style, ideally at least 5-10 minutes, but you can drag it out even longer if you wish. For a more invigorating facial, use rapid, short strokes with light pressure. Use firm pressure when doing gua sha on your neck, medium pressure on your face, and feather light pressure around your eyes. And don’t forget to take before and after photos so you can see how these techniques affect your skin!
The stones are smooth so you don’t have to use lotions or oils. I prefer to do it on bare skin after I wash my face in the morning since it helps my mental clarity and reduces brain fog. But you can do it at night, too.
The first time I used a roller was for a breast massage. You can read about how to do that in this blog post. It definitely helps with PMS breast tenderness, and is incredibly relaxing to do in bed just before going to sleep.
Contraindications:
Do not do gua sha on fresh botox. Talk to the provider who injected it to find out how soon you can safely implement facial massage.
Do not do gua sha on top of injected fillers in the face.
It’s best to talk with us first if you are dealing with any kind of skin problems like acne or rosacea. It’s best not to do scraping on top of areas of active inflammation, but to instead do the strokes on the other areas of the face, and especially on the neck to promote lymphatic drainage in order to get the inflammation down.
You can place your gua sha stones and rollers in the fridge or in a bowl of ice water (just dry it off first) and press it gently into areas of inflammation. If you suffer from puffiness using a cold roller or flat stone could give more benefits.
If you are still uncertain whether gua sha is something you should add into your daily routine please let us know at your next visit and we can help you decide with our expertise and then muscle test you also for which stone would be best: jade, rose quartz or opal.
HISTORY OF CRYSTAL HEALING
From thousands of years and across many cultures and civilizations, crystals have been consistently used for physical, mental and spiritual healing. Some were believed to have a protective effect, while others were believed to enhance mental and psychic abilities. The earliest stories of crystal use come from the legends of Atlantis, indicating that all disease could be cured with specific crystals and crystal combinations. In fact, it is interesting to note that many stones were used for the same purposes and healing attributes across cultures without any interaction, transcending geological boundaries. For example, Jade was considered by the ancient Chinese, Aztec and Mayan civilizations to be a kidney-healing stone prior to any known communication between these cultures. The following describes how different stones were used by different cultures:
Ancient Egypt: Amulets were collected and worn at every life-stage and even in death as the gemstones were thought to be good luck charms to ward against illness, evil and danger. Red Jasper and Clear Quartz were thought to provide protection in the afterlife for a safe journey to the next realm. Red Jasper was also thought to symbolize the Blood of the Goddess Isis, and used to treat infertility and enhance reproductive vitality. Lapis Lazuli was a popular, powerful stone that symbolized Truth, Creation and Rebirth, and considered by some early cultures to be more valuable than gold. It was worn by Cleopatra and other royals and placed upon the eyes to promote enlightenment and awareness. Carnelian was one of the oldest gemstones mined in ancient Egypt, and was thought to purify the blood of the wearer and alleviate back pain. Other gemstones widely used by the ancient Egyptians include Malachite, Emerald, Garnet, Hematite, Turquoise, Quartz, Topaz, Amazonite and Amethyst.
Ancient Greece: In ancient Greece, crystals were used extensively in every day life. The word Crystal originates from the Greek word “krustallos,” meaning “ice.” The word “amethyst” also has Greek origins, as it is the Greek word for “not drunken.” “Amethyst” plays a role in Greek mythology and it was widely believed that drinking wine from an amethyst cup would guard against drunkenness. Crushed Hematite was often rubbed over a soldier’s body prior to entering battle, as it was believed to make them invincible.
Ancient China: In ancient China, Chinese medicinal practices often incorporated the use of healing gemstones. Jade especially was highly revered for its healing and vibrational qualities and viewed as a symbol of luck and protection, used in the production of everything from jewelry, vessels, burial items, statues and musical instruments. It was also considered to be a kidney-healing stone, along with the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.
Ancient India: Healing crystals were also widely used in ancient India, and their use and properties were recorded within the Hindu Vedas. They are also considered valuable and widely used in Ayurvedic medicine.
MODERN SCIENCE
Today, modern science has proved through Quantum theory, the concept of electromagnetism and the law of resonance what the ancients have always somehow intuitively known. We now understand and accept that all things within the Universe are forms of energy that have their own vibrational frequency. Nicolas Tesla believed this to be a key concept to understanding the Universe and went on to prove how certain forms of energy can affect and alter the vibrational resonance of other forms of energy. Modern day technology utilizes the concept of piezoelectricity, or the use of crystals to convert mechanical energy into electricity and vice versa, as the basis for incorporating the energy of Crystal Quartz in everything from wristwatches to computers. In medicine, it is recognized that diseased tissue has a different vibrational frequency from healthy tissue. Vibrational-based therapies such as ultrasound and infrared are used to stimulate healthy tissue.
It is for this reason that healing crystals, each with their own characteristic vibrational energies and electromagnetic charges, are still used to this day to align, heal and alter the vibration of body cells, chakras and energetic meridian systems. The interaction of our own vibrational energy fields with that of the crystals’ effectively transmits to our brains and nervous systems to stimulate a biochemical shift in our physical body. As a result, harmonious vibrational patterns of well-being are produced with the removal of blockages and the restoration of the healthy flow of Qi, or life-energy, through the body and mind.
TREATMENT PRINCIPLE
Crystal therapy is a holistic treatment principle that addresses spiritual, emotional and physical health issues. It is an alternative and complimentary medical technique in which stones are used to treat ailments and protect against disease. Modern crystal healing is based on traditional concepts borrowed from Asian cultures, most notably the concept of Qi, or life-energy, and the Hindu or Buddhist concept of chakras, which are vortices of life-energy. Crystal healing is widely used in all energy healing modalities including Massage Therapy, Sound Therapy, Reiki Healing, Ayurvedic medicine and some forms of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Crystals are chosen diagnostically for each individual patient to create a unique stone prescription for their specific blocked energy patterns, which in turn lead to the manifestation of physical illness.
Herbal Support for Brain Health and Beyond
The use of plants to support cognitive performance and protect against cognitive decline has been a part of traditional herbal practice for centuries. Clinical studies across various ages and life stages demonstrating support for such beneficial effects as:
Supporting working memory, storage, recall, learning, and knowledge retention.
Enhancing attention, focus and concentration.
Slowing or preventing the onset of age or Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline
Herbs that help the brain and nervous system this way are often referred to as nootropics, which can be any substance considered to enhance memory and learning, improve cognition, and impart neuroprotective effects. Many herbs with nootropic properties will also often have complementary effects upon the body’s stress response, helping to reduce anxiety, inflammation, and ultimately help result in improved mental and emotional well-being which is extremely important at Healing Arts. After 16 years in practice we have never seen so much stress, anxiety and depression in our office. We want you to know that supporting the brain and nervous system along with mindful techniques LINK we have helped so many people feel better during this trying time.
While simultaneously benefiting brain health, the overlapping actions of many herbs useful to enhancing cognition include adaptogens, nervine tonics, and nerve relaxants.
Scientific studies plus the evidence at Healing Arts is that herbs have the potential to support cognitive performance while also mitigating the damaging effects of stress (mental, emotional, and oxidative). Considered beneficial at any age, these plants can provide a well-tolerated, preventative treatment for declines in cognitive function associated with disease or aging, and for anyone looking to sharpen the mind while operating under stress.
If you feel like your nervous system could use some support or you want to do preventative medicine and support the brain as much as you can then ask us at your next appointment to test you for these herbs.
Rose
Roses are one of the oldest flowers in the world, and have been referenced in literature, music, and art for centuries.
There are hundreds of rose varieties that are considered safe for human use. Roses are added to a range of products for both their fragrance and potential health benefits. Roses are also often used in the kitchen, especially in Middle Eastern, Indian, and Chinese cuisine. The aromatic flower is added to cakes and jams.
Drinking rose petals in tea may have originated in China. Rose tea is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where it is used to regulate qi, or life energy.
Rose comes in tea form and can be tested at our Tea Bar
benefits include:
mental benefits, such as to treat dementia and seizures
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28832226/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3586833/
relaxation, stress reduction, and antidepressant effects https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4737971/
Bacopa
Bacopa is a treasured Ayurvedic herb native to India where it has been regularly consumed for thousands of years as a rejuvenating tonic to promote longevity and strengthen cognitive function. Consistently found in many Ayurvedic preparations prescribed for cognitive dysfunction, Bacopa was initially described around the 6th century A.D. as an herb taken to sharpen intellect and improve memory and concentration.
Bacopa’s mechanism of action has been studied extensively and demonstrate significant antioxidant and neuroprotective effects including increased cerebral blood flow.
Clinical studies with Bacopa have focused on its potential to support memory, focus, and cognition across various life stages and particularly with taking for more than 3 months. From significantly improving memory in seniors, to improved cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Studies also show additional benefits such as attenuation of task-induced ratings of stress and fatigue, and in one case a simultaneous significant reduction in anxiety.
Rosemary
Rosemary leaf has a long history as an herb associated with remembrance both literally and symbolically. In ancient Egypt it was used in the process of mummification, and later by the Greeks and Romans as a memory enhancer.
Rosemary oil is regarded as a tonic towards the central nervous system and is often used to strengthen mental clarity and improve memory. When using the rosemary essential oil you inhale and the olfactory nerve from the nose goes straight into the brain allowing the Rosemary to provide increased alertness and lowered anxiety, producing a more relaxed yet alert state
Eleuthero
Eleuthero, sometimes referred to as “Siberian Ginseng” is a root with a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine to reinforce Qi and calm the nerves in cases of stress and insomnia. More modern uses have focused on its role as an adaptogen which can increase mental alertness and physical performance particularly when under stress. As cognitive support, Eleuthero therefore becomes particularly helpful in cases of brain fog due to overwhelm and/or high-pressure working conditions, aiding the body’s ability to perform and withstand such mental stressors.
Eleuthero extract has been shown to improve short-term memory, improve mental and physical performance and stamina of workers, as well as endurance and concentration in athletes.
Schisandra
Schisandra berry is a tart fruit commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulations to calm the nervous system in cases of anxiety and insomnia, and also to aid in memory loss. It also has a reputation as an adaptogen and nervine tonic.
Schisandra demonstrated many beneficial health effects particularly upon the brain and nervous system, showing significant improvements in cognitive and behavioural functions including:
Increasing memory and cognition in the presences of excessive beta-amyloid pigmentation, suggesting potential use in symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Reducing activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, attenuating rises in cortisol and catecholamines associated with stress and physical activity, and reducing behaviours associated with anxiety.
Neuroprotective effects against stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative damage within the brain.
We wanted to share with you details of how herbs can heal the brain and nervous system. If you are wondering if any of these can help you just let us know at your next visit and we will test you on all of them to see which your body prefers.
Healthy Holiday Recipes
When trying to eat healthy we tend to feel deprived at times. It's easy to feel that way around the holidays. The best thing to do is to find healthy versions of the same recipes so you don't feel like you are going without. Enjoy these healthy versions!
GARLIC MASHED NO-TATOES
White potatoes -- while nutritious and natural -- can have potentially significant impact on blood sugar levels. Try adding mashed cauliflower to your holiday table instead. To prepare it, break a head of cauliflower into florets and then boiling or steaming until tender. Drain the cooked cauliflower, then mash it up. Toss in tasty additions, such as organic butter from grass-fed cows or olive oil, roasted garlic (optional), ground pepper and sea salt.
PALEO PUMPKIN PIE
15oz canned pumpkin puree, or ½ cup roasted pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
½ cup full fat coconut milk (the hard, cream part)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Paleo Pie Crust, unbaked
1⁄2 cup honey
In a food processor combine pumpkin puree, and eggs. Pulse in coconut milk, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour filling into Paleo Pie Crust. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Allow to cool then refrigerate for 2 hours to set up
PALEO PIE CRUST
2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1⁄4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil, room temperature
1 large egg
Place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse briefly. Add coconut oil and egg and pulse until mixture forms a ball. Press dough into a 9 1/2-inch glass pie dis
CRANBERRY SAUCE
Cranberries provide ample antioxidants -- natural substances that help keep your cells healthy. But while cranberries that appear in one solid, canned piece or in sugar-laden sauces aren’t health supporting, homemade cranberry sauce is Paleo-friendly. Try making cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries, pure orange juice, raw honey and a touch of fresh ginger, orange zest, cinnamon and grade D maple syrup.
LOW CARB BREAD - Serves 8
2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal) 1⁄4 cup golden flaxmeal
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
5 large eggs or flax eggs
Optional 1⁄8 teaspoon of stevia or tablespoon or two of honey
In a food processor combine almond flour, flaxmeal, baking soda, and salt. Pulse in apple cider vinegar and eggs. Transfer batter to a greased 8" cast iron skillet. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Serve
PUMPKIN CRUMB MUFFINS - Serves 8
Muffin tins
5 large eggs
1⁄3 cup canned pumpkin puree 1⁄3 cup coconut sugar
1⁄4 cup coconut flour
1⁄8 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Topping
1⁄3 cup palm shortening
1⁄3 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
In a food processor, combine eggs, pumpkin, and coconut sugar. Pulse in coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Divide batter between 8 paper lined muffin cups. Rinse out food processor. In a food processor, combine shortening and coconut sugar. Pulse in coconut flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping over cupcake batter. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Serve
MICRONEEDLING
What Is Microneedling?
Microneedling, also known as Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT), involves the insertion of very short fine needles into the skin for the purpose of rejuvenation using a microneedling pen. Unlike at-home “microneedling” using a derma roller, professional microneedling procedures actually puncture the skin superficially to create micro-channels in the skin, stimulating the skin’s own repair response by producing collagen and elastin to heal the controlled injury that was just created, making the skin smoother and tighter.
Microneedling is a NATURAL WAY to treat and improve the following conditions:
Acne scarring
Fine lines & wrinkles
Skin texture
Loose skin
Pore size
Brown spots & Hyperpigmentation
Promotes hair growth on scalp & eyebrows
Increases product absorption by over 2,000% in the week following microneedling due to the microchannels created
Turn back the clock on the face, neck, decolletage or hands
What To Expect
Recent research shows a shallow treatment of only 0.5mm obtains optimal results. Treatments are typically gentle, and can be adjusted according to patient comfort.
Results are typically seen and felt immediately after the first treatment. Skin should glow and feel tighter. Maximum results are shown when patients do between 4-6 treatments.
It takes 2 weeks to fully see the results from the treatment due to cellular turnover rates.
You must wait 1 month before doing another microneedling session. However cosmetic facial acupuncture may be performed weekly in-between microneedling sessions to increase and speed up the results.
Results in research studies are shown to last between 4-6 years
We use pure ingredients and holistic herbal topical serums suited specifically for your skin type and concerns to achieve optimal results. Our apple stem cells are shown in research to promote facial stem cell rejuvenation by over 80%!
Holistic Healing From Within
At Work In Progress Acupuncture Studio, each microneedling session includes body acupuncture points. Eastern medicine views the lines, wrinkles and condition of the skin as a reflection of the internal organs of the body and the expression of habitual emotional responses. We take a holistic approach to treat not only what appears on the face, but factors within your body that may be contributing to drooping, sagging skin such as diet, hormonal imbalance, digestive and circulatory issues. We’ll also address factors such as stress or underlying emotional scars that may lead to physical lines and wrinkles.
General health benefits may include: increased energy, focus and clarity, improved sleep and digestion, reduction of stress, jaw pain, headaches and sinus issues.
For the month of November, receive 25% off your first Microneedling session and 25% off of the Detox Foot Bath from Healing Arts NYC.
Visit our website to learn more about Microneedling sessions and to view pricing and packages. Schedule your phone consultation today!
Call/Text: (212) 547-9477
Email: hello@workinprogressacu.com
Website: workinprogressacu.com
What to do For Your Health After Having COVID
Unfortunately I have now seen enough post-COVID patients from various strains to write this blog. Good news is if you have gotten COVID and still feel off in any way I have some health tips to help you feel like your old self again. This blog is for those who got COVID and please share with your friends and family so we can help each other post-COVID.
Post COVID or long haul COVID are the terms used when symptoms or signs persist for more than two weeks after COVID-19 onset. I have seen symptoms continue for months after and include fatigue, headaches, poor focus or attention, shortness of breath, and so much more. Symptoms after having COVID-19 continue after the initial infection because the SARS-CoV-2 virus goes into the body causing more inflammation than the average virus. The number one place that inflammation hits is the airways and lungs because that’s how it gets into the body. The second place this virus hits is the liver. We are aware that it affects the lungs but no one is talking about the liver. So our goal at Healing Arts is to help boost up your immune system to reduce the inflammation while supporting the lungs and liver.
Due to the effect the virus has on the liver DO NOT go for any medical procedures that include anesthesia for 6 months after having COVID even if you don’t have long haul COVID. The liver will not be able to handle the anesthesia and you will have a hard time detoxing it from your system afterwards. So unless it’s life or death, no anesthesia during this time.
The attack that the SARS-CoV-2 virus does on the liver is actually similar to what the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) does to the liver. EBV causes mono and is prevalent in high schoolers and college kids. Besides causing mono and attacking the liver, EBV has a third stage of attacking the thyroid and causing the autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto’s. I am now seeing in patients post-COVID, whether they have long haul symptoms or not, the SARS-CoV-2 virus also in the thyroid. It is supposed to take months to years for the EBV to hit the thyroid and that’s only after having a chronically weak liver. I’m seeing the SARS-CoV-2 virus hit the thyroid in weeks. What takes EBV years, is taking the SARS-CoV-2 virus weeks.
Using muscle testing I pick up on thyroid weaknesses due to an Epstein Barr virus energy a lot in my office even without the patient knowing there is a thyroid issue. It is because we are picking up on it before it becomes an issue. Western medicine has done a lot of studies saying that the majority of Hashimoto’s patients have Epstein Barr antibodies so there might be a correlation and I will tell you that there definitely is from what I see in the office.
Inflammation can happen in any organ due to any pathogen or heavy metal or heavy chemical. Toxins cause inflammation period. That’s why our goal at Healing Arts is to help the body detox and with the right nutrition it can heal. When we start supporting the body to kill pathogens we have to be careful that the body does not have a die off reaction or a herxheimer reaction. It occurs when any immune challenge: virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite, is being killed too fast. When these things die, toxins are released, literally pus and mucus build up and the body releases proinflammatory proteins (known as cytokines) in response. While some cytokine activity bolsters the immune system to fight infections, too many of these chemicals can have adverse effects. An overabundance of cytokines in the body leads to muscle and joint pain, fatigue, a suppressed immune system, skin rash and brain fog. It is with some post COVID patients that 8 weeks later I am still seeing a high level of cytokines in their body and this is even after putting them on a program to reduce the inflammation. Even if your COVID symptoms were mild, less than 24 hours of a slight cold, when I muscle test I am seeing cytokines stuck in the liver or thyroid causing inflammation.
I think SARS-CoV-2 weakens the body to feed off of glutathione and that’s why it loves the liver. SARS-CoV-2 goes into the body through the airways and starts attacking the lungs because that’s where it settles first but as it gets stronger and finds it way to the liver it feeds off glutathione and becomes even stronger. This stage 2 in the liver doesn’t happen for everyone if the immune system is strong enough to fight it off before SARS-CoV-2 makes a home in the liver. Stage 3 is when it burrows itself in the thyroid the same way EBV does. So the stages of EBV and COVID-19 are very similar except SARS-CoV-2 goes through the stages so quickly the body does not have time to recuperate and a lot more inflammation occurs with SARS-CoV-2.
Depending on the body this inflammation can look like a lot of different things. A study was done to show 50 different symptoms post COVID. The majority of symptoms were fatigue and headaches followed by attention disorder and hair loss. Besides supporting the immune system to fight COVID-19, then supporting the lungs, liver, and thyroid depending on what stages the body is going through we also support the headaches or attention disorder or hair loss by doing everything we can to reduce inflammation. What I am seeing in the office that is testing the most often with great results besides the usual vitamin D with vitamin K, zinc and vitamin C are these four supplements: Inflammation Relief , Wellness Blend , Hydroxygen and Glutathione. Change this so it’s all the same color.
Inflammation Relief is a supplement I made to reduce inflammation in the body including the cytokine response. The supplement contains: Curcumin, Gotu Kola, Quercitin, Boswelia, Bromelain, Magnesium, Black Pepper, and Fenugreek which are all amazing herbs to reduce inflammation. This supplement is good for the post COVID patient who is still having headaches or muscle aches.
Wellness Blend is the first supplement I ever formulated to really help boost up the immune system when sick or to take to prevent getting sick. Ingredients include garlic, liposomal vitamin C, mugwort, echinacea, oregano, lysine, eucalyptus and goldenseal. This supplement tests well for patients who just need that extra immune system support.
Hydroxygen are drops of oxygen that the body needs to heal faster. These drops are especially good for the post COVID patient that is still coughing or having trouble breathing.
Besides giving the body the right supplemental support we also want to replenish the glutathione that SARS-CoV-2 used. We muscle test to see if the glutathione supplement will help and here are some ways to increase your glutathione naturally. Glutathione is one of the body’s most important and potent antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that reduce oxidative stress by combating free radicals in the body. While most antioxidants are found in the foods you eat, glutathione is produced by your body. It is primarily made up of three amino acids: glutamine, glycine and cysteine. There are a number of reasons why your body’s glutathione level may become depleted, including poor diet, chronic disease, infection and constant stress. Glutathione is also known to decrease with age. Maintaining adequate levels of this antioxidant is incredibly important for your health in general, not just post COVID. Here is what you can do to ensure healthy glutathione levels.
1. Consume Sulfur-Rich Foods
Sulfur is an important mineral that occurs naturally in some plant and protein foods. Sulfur is required for the liver to make glutathione. Sulfur is found in beef, fish and poultry as well as cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables are a family of vegetables known for their sulfur content and include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, boy choy, arugula, radishes, watercress, collards and mustard greens. Eat too much at once and it can bloat you due to the sulfur. Allium vegetables, including garlic, shallots and onions, also boost glutathione levels also due to their sulfur-containing compounds.
2. Increase Your Vitamin C Intake
Vitamin C is found in strawberries, citrus fruits, papayas, kiwis and bell peppers. This vitamin has many functions, including working as an antioxidant to protect cells from oxidative damage. It also maintains the body’s supply of other antioxidants, including glutathione. Researchers have discovered that vitamin C may help increase glutathione levels by attacking free radicals first, thereby sparing glutathione. They also found that vitamin C helps reprocess glutathione by converting oxidized glutathione back to its active form (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12499341/).
The same study also showed that taking 500-1,000 mg vitamin C supplements increased glutathione levels in white blood cells in healthy adults by 18%.
Another study showed that taking 500 mg of vitamin C supplements per day increased glutathione in red blood cells by 47% (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8317379/).
Vitamin C’s relationship with glutathione is why intravenous Vitamin C drips are helpful when treating COVID. Dr. Andrew G. Weber, a pulmonologist in NYC, has been giving his intensive-care patients who have been infected with the coronavirus 1500mg of intravenous Vitamin C several times a day - as part of an anti-viral protocol.
3. Add Selenium-Rich Foods to Your Diet
Selenium is an essential mineral and a glutathione cofactor, meaning it’s a substance needed for glutathione to work. Some of the best sources of selenium are beef, chicken, fish, organ meats, cottage cheese, brown rice and Brazil nuts. By increasing your intake of selenium, you may help maintain or increase your body’s supply of glutathione.
4. Eat Foods Naturally Rich in Glutathione
The human body produces glutathione, but there are also dietary sources. Spinach, avocados, asparagus and okra are some of the richest dietary sources. However, dietary glutathione is poorly absorbed by the human body.
5. Add Turmeric to Your Diet Which Helps absorb Glutathione
Turmeric is a vibrant yellow-orange herb and a popular spice in Indian cuisine. The medicinal properties of turmeric are likely linked to its main component, curcumin. The curcumin content is much more concentrated in a turmeric supplement, compared to the powder we use to cook with. Just make sure the supplement has black pepper added to it because black pepper contains the bioactive compound piperine, known to increase the absorption of curcumin into the body by 2000%
Numerous studies have shown that turmeric and curcumin extract have the ability to increase glutathione levels . Researchers conclude that the curcumin found in turmeric may assist in restoring adequate levels of glutathione and improve the activity of glutathione enzymes.
6. Consider Milk Thistle
Milk thistle supplements are another way to boost glutathione levels naturally. Milk thistle is a herb composed of three active compounds, collectively known as silymarin. Silymarin is well known for its antioxidant properties and shown to increase glutathione levels. Researchers believe that silymarin is able to maintain glutathione levels by preventing cell damage.
8. Get Enough Sleep
A good night’s rest is essential for overall health. Interestingly, long-term lack of sleep can cause oxidative stress and even hormone imbalances. As if that wasn’t bad enough, other research has shown that chronic lack of sleep may decrease glutathione levels. Therefore, making sure you get good, restorative sleep each night may help maintain or boost your levels of glutathione. If you don’t sleep well here are my sleep tips: https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2020/05/sleep-well.html
9. Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity of course is good for both your physical and mental health. Recent research shows that exercise is also helpful in maintaining or increasing antioxidant levels, especially glutathione. Studies show it is a combination of both cardio and circuit weight training that increases glutathione the most, compared to completing cardio or weight training alone . However, overtraining without a balanced diet and proper rest can deplete your levels because too much exercise can be stressful to the body.
The good news is viruses can only affect us if we have a weak immune system. For the most part, a strong healthy body, virus comes in and virus goes out, creating very little damage, even SARS-CoV-2. The body’s own innate immune system is the strongest thing against any virus or other germ for that matter. Having a strong immune system is dependent on a healthy nutrient dense diet and a healthy lifestyle of exercise and good sleep. The less stress the better for mind and body health, and a body void of as many toxins as possible. We live and breathe this concept at Healing Arts. We live this lifestyle, eat healthy and take our supplements for optimal health.
got milk? The Health Benefits of Golden Milk
Having recently written about turmeric helping with weight loss I wanted to talk more about the health benefits of turmeric because there is so much more! It was in that blog I talked about taking turmeric pills in order to have high doses of curcumin, which is the main anti-inflammatory ingredient in turmeric. Turmeric can be used in cooking, especially Indian dishes. It can easily be added to a healthy shake as well. I wrote how it can be used in a health drink with apple cider vinegar here and now I am going to talk about its health benefits and making another delicious healthy drink called golden milk. For all my nondairy drinkers out there, don't worry, you can use seed or nut milk as well. My favorite way to make golden milk is with coconut milk. But first, here are 8 reasons to start adding it in to your diet:
Turmeric milk helps build immunity
Helps sleep
It is a good remedy for digestive problems.
It supports the liver.
Helps fight cancer
Clarifies the skin.
Gives relief from autoimmune diseases
Good for fighting Alzheimer's disease
When adding it to your diet you need to know that adding black pepper to it helps turmeric become more bioavailable. Which is another way of saying your body can absorb more turmeric if you add black pepper with it. Drinking golden milk before bed can help sleep because turmeric reduces inflammation, lowers your blood sugar levels, helps your liver to detoxify, boosts your immune system and eases your digestive system – all of which help you to get to sleep faster, to sleep better, and to wake up feeling refreshed.
How do you make golden milk?
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
1 cup coconut milk (or any milk you prefer)
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp virgin coconut oil
½ inch ginger knob, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp. black pepper or 2 black peppercorns, crushed
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp cardamom powder
*Optional 2 tsp raw organic honey or pure maple syrup for the vegan version
Preparation
Whisk coconut milk, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, honey, coconut oil, black pepper, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
Do Ahead. Golden milk can be made 5 days ahead and reheated.
Golden milk powder with the exact ratios of spice can be bought at the office or online. Just add a teaspoon to simmering coconut milk or almond milk and you're done!
A great place to buy a golden milk latte with almost any type of milk you want is at Dr. Smood with the closest one to the office being on Lexington Ave at 47th St.
The Science of a Gut Feeling
That gut feeling that creeps up at times is more accurate than most people realize. The gut-brain axis is a system of communication between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the brain that goes both ways and is responsible for monitoring physiological homeostasis. It connects both the emotional and cognitive areas of the brain with functions associated with the intestines including immune activation, intestinal permeability, and endocrine signaling.
Bi-directional communication between the gut and brain is largely carried out by the vagus nerve, which carries a wide range of signals between the gut and brain and is involved in many bodily processes ranging from swallowing to heart rate regulation to digestion. Other systems also contribute to the gut-brain axis, including the sympathetic nervous system, enteric nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, endocrine and immune systems. The gut-brain axis is being increasingly studied for its role in the development, but also the therapeutic treatment, of inflammatory bowel disease, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Yes, depression and PTSD can be helped if you heal the gut.
The role of of healthy gut microbiome in the gut-brain axis
The gut microbiome is an extremely important part of the GI tract, and as such, a critical player in the gut-brain axis. Bacteria in the gut microbiome synthesize and produce important metabolites that affect the brain, including the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine, and histamine.
These metabolites can signal at the local level or travel to the brain where they affect signaling and function in brain cells. Other components of the gut microbiome, including healthy fungi, also contribute to the communication along the gut-brain axis.
Bacteria in the GI tract also synthesize compounds that may act as neuro-mediators in the brain, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), aromatic amino acids, and bile acids. SCFAs indirectly affect the gut-brain axis through inducing the release of several gut hormones, including leptin, which interact with the vagus nerve and receptors in the brain. SCFAs also contribute to the maintenance of physical barriers including the intestinal barrier, via tight junctions, as well as the blood brain barrier. Tight junctions are critical to the maintenance of intestinal permeability, preventing pathogens from entering the bloodstream and causing immune and inflammatory responses, including neuroinflammation. In our office we do a lot to help heal the intestinal wall. When it leaks we call it leaky gut and a lot can be done with food to heal it. We also do a lot to help heal a leaky brain too.
Imbalance in the composition of the gut microbiome, called dysbiosis, can affect the gut-brain axis and peripheral organs. Unhealthy diet, stress, infections, and antibiotics contribute to dysbiosis, leading to altered SCFA production and gut permeability, which induces systemic inflammation, increases blood brain barrier permeability, and ultimately results in neuroinflammation, an important step in the development of neurological conditions such as depression and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Gut hormones
The gut-brain axis is heavily involved in the digestion process, including regulating the rate of nutrient absorption and release of gut hormones. Gut hormones are regulatory peptides that influence the control of food intake by regulating satiety, gastric emptying, and energy balance. Signaling molecules released after ingestion of food are communicated to the brain via the gut-brain axis and the brain can then signal for the release of hunger-regulating hormones, such as ghrelin and leptin, to help with the digestion process via the gut-brain axis.
The Gut-Brain Axis and the HPA Axis
The gut-brain axis and the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), which coordinates the response to stress, both involve signaling in the brain and the ability to respond to stimuli. Signaling molecules that are generated by the HPA axis in response to stress travel throughout the body and affect the gut microbiome and gut microbiome conversely influence HPA axis response to stress. The vagus nerve is critical in coordinating the connection between these axes as it is able to detect different metabolites produced by the gut flora responding to stress and generate a response in the central nervous system.
Because the HPA axis and gut-brain axis are closely connected, improper activation of the HPA axis affects the gut-brain axis. Dysregulation of the HPA axis can alter the composition of the gut microbiome, negatively affecting intestinal barrier integrity, and negatively influence the metabolism of tryptophan metabolites, important modulators of the gut-brain axis. Improper activation of the HPA axis can also lead to increased intestinal, systemic, and neurological inflammation.
Disorders Related to the Gut-Brain Axis
Because the gut affects so much we specialize in creating a healthy gut microbiome by first helping patients detox and then kill bad gut flora. After that is accomplished we then put good gut flora in. Even when it comes to depression and anxiety, we help patients heal the gut and they feels so much better! To understand more about the 4 steps to heal the gut watch this video: https://youtu.be/83xHeFqR62w.
The composition of the gut microbiome and diet, among other lifestyle factors, can lead to emotional balance and mood disorders. However, mood disorders and emotional balance are also linked to changes in gut microbiome and to a poor diet, which can further exacerbate the issue. When patients first come to Healing Arts they are stuck in a cycle where they don’t feel good so they eat poorly and end up feeding the bad gut flora that grows and continues to make them feel bad. Stopping this cycle is the first thing we have to do.
Probiotics
Treatment with probiotics has been shown to decrease stress-induced inflammatory responses, reducing symptoms of stress including anxiety- and depression-like behaviors. Probiotics may be able to restore neuroplasticity in certain areas of the brain as well as restore intestinal barrier integrity and help regulate the HPA axis. So not only does it work in the gut but also the brain. Probiotics with anti-inflammatory effects that may be useful in treating patients with psychiatric disorders have been given a new grouping, called psychobiotics. There are lots of different types of probiotics and getting muscle tested for the specific one for your body is important.
Dietary components
Diets high in saturated fats, including the Standard American Diet, can lead to gut microbiome dysbiosis and obesity, characterized by high levels of inflammation. This can lead to changes in neurotransmitter metabolism, further impacting the gut-brain axis. A high fat diet may also result in impaired neuroplasticity in key brain regions and impair the intestinal barrier and mucus layer of the gut.
Conversely, the Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, nuts, whole grains and lean protein foods, provides many dietary compounds that support both brain and gut health. If you aren’t going to get muscle tested for your specific diet then you may want to consider the Mediterranean diet. A Mediterranean-style diet can reduce intestinal inflammation, cognitive impairment, and risk of certain neurological diseases. The diet is also full of dietary fiber which helps promote SCFA production, increases the diversity of the gut microbiome, and inhibits neuroinflammation induced by a high fat diet. Healthier diets also tend to contain more fruits and vegetables which are naturally higher in prebiotics and polyphenols. Polyphenols exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and can also modulate the gut microbiome.
Exercise
Engaging in regular exercise, including aerobic exercises and yoga, supports the health of the gut-brain axis. Exercise improves cognition and can improve symptoms of both mood and psychological disorders. It can also boost the diversity of the gut microbiome, leading to an increase in SCFA production, which promotes healthy functioning of both the gut and brain, decreasing depression and anxiety and increasing HPA axis balance.
The gut-brain axis connects emotional and cognitive areas of the brain with gut functions. What was once thought to be two distinct systems of the body are intricately connected and regulated, with important consequences for the rest of the body. A healthy gut = a healthy brain and emotional life.
Watch video on Leaky Gut Causes, Symptoms, Prevention
Castor Oil Packs for Liver and Digestion Support
Castor oil comes from the castor seed, native to India. It is extremely high in ricinoleic acid, which is thought to be responsible for its health-promoting abilities. I love to suggest the castor oil pack to patients for liver detox or digestion support. It is really good for patients with the MTHFR mutation to do a castor oil pack once a week to keep the liver detoxing well despite the gene mutation.
The idea is to keep castor oil on a piece of cloth on the skin for at least an hour with a heat source to stimulate lymph and liver function. I have had many accounts of patients who noticed better digestion, immediate better sleep, more energy, and clearing of skin symptoms.
NOTE: Check with me or your health care provider before doing a castor oil pack. It should not be used if pregnant.
The beauty of a castor oil pack is by placing it on the right side of the abdomen or the whole abdomen is thought to help support the liver and digestive system. It can also be placed directly on strained joints or muscles to reduce inflammation. (Note: This is not as a substitute for medical care but to speed healing of minor injuries. Also put on the lower abdomen to help with menstrual pain and difficulties.
What It Does
Castor oil packs harness the anti-inflammatory and lymph stimulating benefits of castor oil but allow safer external use. From a 1999 study:
With a minimal 2-hour therapy period, this study found that castor oil packs produced a “significant” temporary increase in the number of T-11 cells that increased over a 7 hour period following treatment and then returned to normal levels within 24 hours later.
The T-11 cell increase represents a general boost in the body’s specific defense status. Lymphocytes actively defend the health of the body by forming antibodies against pathogens and their toxins. T-cell lymphocytes originate from bone marrow and the thymus gland as small lymphocytes that identify and kill viruses, fungi, bacteria, and cancer cells. T-11 cell lymphocytes supply a fundamental antibody capability to keep the specific defense system strong.
In short, castor oil packs have been said to help detoxify the liver naturally, improve lymphatic circulation, and reduce inflammation.
There is some evidence that it can have a suppressive effect on tumors and a positive effect on arthritis.
HOW TO DO A CASTOR OIL PACK
Castor oil packs are simple to do at home and I like them because they require me to be still and relax and read a book for at least an hour (not always easy to accomplish). They can be messy, but with proper preparation are not.
You’ll Need
high-quality castor oil (hexane free)
unbleached and dye free wool or cotton flannel – can be reused up to 30 times
hot water bottle or heating pad
glass container with lid – I use a quart-size mason jar for storing the oil soaked flannel between uses
old clothes, towels and sheets – castor oil does stain!
NOTE: I highly recommend carefully prepping the area where you’ll be doing the castor oil pack to prevent mess. Try using an old shower curtain, covered with a sheet under you to make sure nothing stains. I don’t often have to wash the sheet, and I just fold and store in the bathroom cabinet for the next use.
How to Use a Castor Oil Pack
Cut a large piece of cotton flannel and fold into thirds to make three layers. My original piece was 20 inches by 10 inches and when folded it was roughly 7 inches by 10 inches. Yours could be larger or smaller, depending on where you are planning to place it.
Thoroughly soak (but not completely saturate) the flannel in castor oil. The easiest way I found to do this was to carefully fold the flannel and place in a quart-size mason jar. I then added castor oil about a tablespoon at a time (every 20 minutes or so) to give it time to saturate. I also gently shook the jar between adding more oil so that the oil could reach all parts of the cloth. Ideally, this should be done the day before to give it time to evenly soak. I save the jar since this is where I keep the flannel between uses (it can be used about 30 times).
Carefully remove and unfold the castor oil soaked cloth.
While lying on an old towel or sheet, place the cloth on the desired body part.
Cover with the wrap-around pack or cotton flannel, and place the heating pack on top of this. Less optimally, a plastic grocery bag can be used prevent any oil from getting on the heating pad. A hot water bottle, electric heating pad, or rice heating pad can be used, but hot water bottles and rice packs may need to be reheated several times.
Lie on back with feet elevated (I typically lie on the floor and rest my feet on the couch) and relax for 20 minutes.
Use this time to practice deep breathing, read a book, meditate, or pray (or whatever you find relaxing).
After the desired time, remove the pack and return the flannel to the glass container. Store in fridge.
Use a natural soap or a mix of baking soda and water to remove any castor oil left on the skin.
Relax and rest. Make sure to drink enough water and stay hydrated after doing this to support detox.
OTHER WAYS TO USE CASTOR OIL
Castor oil is handy to have around the house for other uses as well. Use castor oil externally to:
Apply to dry skin, rashes, boils, age spots, warts, and any undesirable skin defects
Treat toenail fungus
Soothe a sprain, injury, or sore joints
Apply to areas of back pain
To cleanse and soothe abdomen when having digestive or reproductive trouble
As a rule of thumb, when trouble begins, apply a series of castor oil packs for 60-90 minutes about 3 times a week for a 3 week period. Consult with a doctor to be exact on how many times a week is good for you.
Have you ever used a castor oil pack? Share your experience below!
How The Quality of Your Relationships Affects Your Health
By Raquel Reis Coaching
We all want peaceful, joyful, and fulfilling relationships, but it is not always as easy, or intuitive as we’d like for it to be.
Did you know that relationships are often the # 1 predictor of our physical, emotional, mental health, and our longevity?
Did you also know that relationship stress is linked to depression, cognitive decline, and increased mortality?
The longest study by Harvard University, with more than 309,000 people, found that lack of fulfilling relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50%. This is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and is greater than obesity and physical inactivity.
Healthy relationships can strengthen your immune system, help you recover from disease, and even lengthen your life. The effects of a healthy relationship are just as beneficial as adequate sleep, a good diet, and a healthy lifestyle.
Yet most of us have never learned how to have healthy, vibrant, and thriving relationships.
So many individuals, families, and couples struggle, miscommunicate, and get stuck in patterns that don’t serve them, or their health!
50% of marriages end in divorce and most of those who stay together would certainly not describe their marriage as thriving.
The quality of our relationships matters!
One study found that women who were in highly satisfying marriages, or good long-term partnerships had a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, compared with those in less satisfying marriages.
Other studies have linked disappointing, or negative interactions with poor health.
Another research study has found reduced immunity in couples during especially hostile marital spats.
What makes social connections promote health?
Scientists have found that human connection relieves harmful levels of stress, which can harm coronary arteries, gut function, insulin regulation, and the immune system.
Another research study suggests that caring behaviors trigger the release of stress-reducing hormones for both the giver and the receiver!
All of this is good news because we are herd animals and learning how to love and care for each other, as well as building strong relationships and social connections can improve every aspect of life.
Just as a health crisis is a signal that something isn’t working, a relationship struggle can become the catalyst for the greatest, thriving, healthy, and joyful relationship.
With the right tools and guidance It is possible to learn to:
- Communicate in new ways.
- Get your needs met.
- Find out how your differences can work for you and get on the same page.
- Become solution oriented in your relationships rather than problem focused.
- Be friends and teammates.
- Hear, understand, appreciate each other, and have fun!
One impactful way to increase the health of your relationships is the concept of a LOVE ACCOUNT.
While it's important to know how to navigate differences - so many challenges can ease up when we start putting in more goodness, nurturing our friendships in positive ways.
It may feel counterintuitive (because who wants to be nice when someone is driving them crazy?)Picture that in every interaction, you either making a deposit or a withdrawal. Even when addressing challenges.
When your love account gets low, you take things personally, you feel disconnected, reactive, resentful and something stressful can turn into a disaster.
If you have large savings in your love account, it leads to resilience, respect, a spirit of teamwork, creative problem solving, and a much easier time recovering from challenges.
Dr Gottman, a leading researcher in the science of relationships, has found that a ratio of 20:1 positive to negative interactions keeps your love account steady and overflowing (there's a scientific reason for this!). During stressful times, you still want a 5:1 ratio.
Filling up your love account can be fun, and fulfilling if you know how to effectively fill it up.
Want to stop taking withdrawals and start making more deposits?
For a complementary Relationship Breakthrough Discovery Call - Click here to schedule
Raquel Reis is a thriving relationship coach. She helps couples and individuals turn struggles into partnership, ease, connection and love. Her mission is to help people have happy and healthy lives through strong relationships.
The Art of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the oldest medical treatment therapies in history. The earliest recorded manuscripts and evidence of acupuncture meridians originated in China and dates back to more than 2,500 years ago.
An acupuncturist will select from over 360 acupuncture points along meridian systems within your body, effectively redirecting the flow of Qi to support organ systems, remove blockages and restore harmony.
With so many points to choose from, no two acupuncturists will select the same points to address the same symptoms or disease – and no two individuals with the same symptoms or disease will have the same exact internal conditions. It is this individualized perspective and approach that truly makes the practice of acupuncture an art form based on skill, intuition and theory.
How does acupuncture work?
The human body is essentially an electromagnetic field, generating electric potentials and currents to conduct impulses along nerve fibers, regulate body tissues and organ functions, govern metabolism, as well as many other processes within the body. In Western terms, this concept is known as bioelectricity. In Eastern medicine, this concept of vital life force energy is known as Qi.
Acupuncture has been used for over 2,500 years to essentially rewire and redirect the bioelectric circuitry of the body to regulate homeostasis and stimulate biological responses. An acupuncture needle serves to create a micro-trauma locally, setting off the body’s immune and anti-inflammatory responses and encouraging the body to heal itself.
Acupuncture points are located along nerve pathways in areas with a higher concentration of nerves, vessels and neuromuscular attachments. In fact, 80% of motor points (where the nerve innervates muscle) are actually major acupuncture points!
What happens when an acupuncture needle is inserted?
Once a needle is inserted, sensory neurons are stimulated affecting the connective tissue. Signals then travel to the brain and spinal cord, affecting the Central & Peripheral Nervous Systems. From there, a cascade of signals are activated, stimulating the release of neurotransmitters and hormones which have a systemic affect to regulate the Endocrine, Immune, Cardiovascular and Digestive Systems.
Various acupuncture points can be selected to affect these systems. For example, acupuncture may be used to regulate blood pressure by stimulating the release of vasodilators. Serotonin and noradrenalin can be stimulated for the treatment of anxiety, depression and mood disorders. Sleep and stress disorders may be addressed by regulating the Parasympathetic and Sympathetic “fight or flight” response by decreasing cortisol levels in the body.
Functional MRIs show evidence that certain points such as LI4, which is located on the hand, stimulate certain areas of the brain and effectively shut off pain receptors, thereby affecting the “fight or flight” response. Similarly GB37, a point on the leg which is known in Chinese medicine to be the empirical point for the eye, has been shown in functional MRIs to affect the area of the brain controlling optic function. BL67 on the pinky toe which is often used to turn a breached baby and stimulate uterine contractions, is associated with the S1 dermatome (supplied by the spinal nerve at S1), located directly behind the uterus.
Acupuncture is most popularly known for pain relief. Post-surgically and for injury, trauma or wound healing, acupuncture serves to increase blood flow to the area, reducing inflammation and swelling to accelerate healing by removing obstructions and allowing WBC and other healing agents to reach the site more quickly and effectively. Studies show that stimulation with an acupuncture needle releases opioid peptides and endorphins to produce an analgesic effect. It is for this reason that acupuncture is now being recommended by the CDC and Joint Commission in the current opioid crisis for natural pain relief over opioid medications. It is also recommended by the American College of Physicians as the first line of defense for low back pain.
What We Treat: The Eastern Medical Approach
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes over 90 conditions that have been shown in controlled clinical trials to benefit from acupuncture. Some commonly treated conditions include:
· Digestive issues: acid reflux, constipation/diarrhea, IBS, GERD, Crohn’s, Celiac diseases
· Stress, Anxiety & Depression
· Women’s Health: menstrual irregularity, period or fibroid pain, fertility issues, menopause symptoms
· Allergies
· Palpitations
· Headache/Migraines
· Insomnia
· Skin issues
· TMJ
· Neuropathy
· Pain: neck, shoulder, low back, hip, knee, ankle, sciatica, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis
· Facial rejuvenation: acne scarring, fine lines and wrinkles, loose skin, skin texture, pore size, brown spots and pigment issues, hair growth
Contact
Read our Google Reviews to learn more about how others have found acupuncture to help.
To check if your insurance plan includes acupuncture benefits, submit your insurance information on the website below. HSA and FSA accepted.
Through the month of September, enjoy 20% off your first acupuncture session + a FREE foot detox bath.
Call/Text: (212) 547-9477
Email: hello@workinprogressacu.com
Website: workinprogressacu.com
Dr. Erin Lee, DACM, L.Ac.
Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Licensed Acupuncturist
How Chiropractic Medicine Saved My Life
I’ve been reminiscing lately and realized that after writing all these blogs I never really shared my story, my healing story. At 12 years old I was diagnosed with asthma after landing in the hospital not able to breath after my first NYC trip. Ironic that the air pollution of NYC gave me my first asthma attack and that where I decided to open up my practice 16 years ago. I was a runner throughout middle school and high school and my asthma was getting worse and worse. At 16 years old we were looking for alternatives because my asthma was so bad I had to quite cross country and track. I was sick and tired of the inhalers and emergency room visits. I absolutely hated the prednisone medication….and i was getting worse and worse every year so we were desperate to find a solution. My mom heard of a chiropractor who may be able to help but he was 2 hours away. Well, we were desperate enough to give it a try.
He used muscle testing also known as applied kinesiology to help me find out what toxins were in my body causing the asthma and also directed me in what supplements to take that would support my lungs. With the right nutritional support and lifestyle changes I was asthma free in 2 years and I have not used my inhaler since!
Being so inspired I knew I wanted to do what he did and he was a chiropractor who specialized in nutrition. So I naturally went to chiropractic school. Chiropractic medicine is a health care discipline which emphasizes the inherent recuperative power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs and surgery. We go to different colleges than medical doctors. We don’t learn about drugs but have more anatomy and physiology and learn how to help the body by working on the muscles, joints and spine. The practice of chiropractic focuses on the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health.
The Goal of Chiropractic Because chiropractic treatments are primarily applied to the spinal region, many individuals incorrectly assume that chiropractors treat only back and neck issues. While we do quickly and effectively eliminate back and neck pain, it’s not the only goal. The objective is to restore and optimize human health by better nerve and blood flow to all areas of the body. We do this by correcting misalignments in the spine, opening up tight muscles strengthening weak ones.
How can the same chiropractic treatment which effectively treats my back pain also optimize my health? The answer can be found by looking into the relationship between the spine and the nervous system.
As you may already know, the nervous system is the master controller of all living cells, tissues and organs; orchestrating and coordinating all cellular functions. The spinal column encases the nervous system (spinal cord and nerve roots) and is responsible for its protection.
Because of this intimate relationship, misalignments in the spinal column can irritate parts of the nervous system. This irritation can result from inflammatory biochemicals released during injury or may result from direct pressure during an injury. In either case, the functioning of the nervous system is negatively influenced as is the nerves themselves and the organs that they go to.
In short, because the body’s innate recuperative powers are affected by and integrated through the nervous system, correcting spinal abnormalities which irritate the nervous system can lead to a number of favorable results in patients suffering from various, seemingly non-spinal health conditions.
What Chiropractors Do Chiropractors are primarily concerned with locating and treating misaligned joints, especially in the spine but could be anywhere in the body. We also want to open up and relax tight muscles not only to help patients get out of pain but also because muscles attach to joints and if they are too tight they can pull the joint out of place and our adjustments do not hold.
At Healing Arts, we use Applied Kinesiology to check the patient’s spine for any misalignments, fixations or other abnormalities (vertebral subluxations). If subluxations or other abnormalities are detected, the chiropractor will generally apply a gentle force in a corrective manner to the affected spinal area using their hands or an activator. Chiropractors use many specialized techniques to identify and treat these spinal abnormalities and optimize overall health.
In addition to spinal adjustive techniques we also use soft tissue techniques, physical therapies, and lifestyle modification programs to help the patient regain health.
We also use the muscle testing or Applied Kinesiology to identify which organs are weak in the body and using these homeopathic vials identify which toxins are causing the organ to go weak and then what nutritional supplement to use to help that organ. This is how we identify the root cause of a person’s health concern.
Chiropractors first got into the nutrition field in the 1940s when they realized that their adjustments were not holding well. What used to take a chiropractor 2-3 adjustments to heal was now taking 12+ adjustments and it wasn’t like they were worse adjusters. So chiropractors started looking for the source and realized that people were becoming more toxic and these toxins were interfering with the nervous system not allowing the adjustments to hold. This time period also correlated with food companies putting more sugar into the food and the birth of canned foods.
Even though chiropractors understood that what you ate and lifestyle changes made a difference in your health it wasn’t until the 1960s that Dr. George Goodheart developed Applied Kinesiology, also known as muscle testing.
The Benefits of Chiropractic
Short-term and regular chiropractic care can offer a number of benefits including but not limited to:
spinal and extremity pain relief
headache relief
increased mobility and range of motion
decreased stiffness and muscular spasms
arthritic joint pain relief
increased joint health
increased performance and energy
increased sense of well being and relaxation
increased balance and coordination
reduced degeneration and risk of injury
enhanced tissue healing
decreased tissue inflammation
We also treat kids and babies and help them with
earaches
trouble sleeping
colic
too much spitting up
constipation
Serve to Win
I remember watching Novak for the first time in person at the US Open in 2011 and I was like who is this guy? He had a different game than what I was used to. Watching him on TV you noticed he played differently but in person it was even more confusing. I love watching tennis and played in high school. When I watched him that day in person I wasn’t sure if he was bringing to the court a Serbian way of playing or just his way. I wasn’t sure if his wins were pure luck or actual skill. Did he have an actual strategy or was he just that fast and flexible as he literally skidded from side to side at the baseline?
After reading his book, Serve to Win, I know now he had a strategy and was playing differently because he was accentuating his strengths which happened to be his speed and agility which he attributes to only having after giving up gluten. Before giving up gluten any major tennis match he would lose his endurance and start making errors but once he gave up gluten he became number one in the world in 2011 and continues to go strong 11 years later, winning Wimbledon just a few months ago in July.
What you eat makes a difference in your health and your performance. What you eat can make the difference between being number 1 in the world versus number 2 and Novak is a walking testimonial of that. The idea of going gluten-free was introduced to him by a doctor who uses muscle testing. We use homeopathic test kits in the office to muscle test the body for all sorts of foods and toxins but what this doctor did was put a literal piece of bread to Novak’s body and his arm went weak showing Novak he is sensitive to gluten.
Novak couldn’t believe what he was feeling. He describes the first time he gets muscle tested in the book as mind blowing. I can’t imagine what it felt like for Novak to be muscle tested, for his arm to go weak. We innately want to be strong but Novak’s life dream depended on the strength of his arm. He also writes about how hard it was to give up gluten for his family owned a pizza parlor. Bread was his life, literally. He writes, ‘‘The idea of giving up bread and other gluten content, foods that are so precious to me, so ingrained in my life, my family, and my culture, was scary. I’m sure you can relate.” He went threw withdrawal. His family thought he was crazy but he was determined to give it up for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks the doctor told him to have a bagel and see how he felt. Novak was miserable and since then he has never had gluten and this was 13 years ago.
The book is an easy, enjoyable read. Novak gives reference to one of my favorite books, Power Vs Force, that explains more about muscle testing. For more about Power vs. Force watch this video https://youtu.be/tFH_LoR1syM of my explanation. He even explains that if you muscle test with your cell phone as a party trick the radiation from the cell phone will make your arm go weak and it’s fun to watch people’s expressions.
There is a section of the book titled New Food, New Life where Novak explains the Chinese medicine theory that not only does your body have an innate biorhythm but so does each of your organs at a different time of day. I already knew about this Chinese medicine theory of each organ having a different biorhythm and believe in it. For example Heart is weakest at 11pm-1am and strongest 12 hours later 11am-1pm. So sleep during this time is so effective for restoring the body. It is also why medical doctors say that after a heart attack if the patient makes it through the night then their chance of survival skyrockets.
The book has meal plans, great recipes and chapter 6 is about mindfulness. He titles it ‘Training the Mind’. Novak gets it. How important it is to manage stress, what stress does to the body and how important mind AND body health are. The body cannot heal if the mind keeps stressing out. It’s that simple. He then shares easy mindfulness tips that can make a big difference in your life. If you need motivation on your healing journey I highly suggest this quick easy read to inspire you!
The Need to Stay Away from Herbicides and Pesticides
Eating organic gets easier as the grocery aisles are full of options. We know it’s important to eat healthy and eating organic is part of a healthy lifestyle. We also know it’s more expensive but we are investing in our health. Other than herbicides and pesticides being harmful chemicals that are sprayed on crops most people don’t know more than that. Let me explain the real dangers of not eating organic.
Starting in the 1990s America’s farms started using glyphosate (the active ingredient in the heavily-used herbicide, Roundup) on grains just before maturity in order to facilitate an easier harvest. The reason is simple: when dried (or "desiccated") with glyphosate, the grains become uniformly ready for harvest at the same time. Further, drying delivers more control and a picture-perfect harvest. Glyphosate is used as a desiccant on wheat, beans, peanuts, coconut, soy, and sugarcane. And while using glyphosate as a drying agent is incredibly enticing operationally and economically, it comes at an unjustifiable cost.
The cost includes depleting our soils of nutrients that we need and causing so much damage to the body I don’t even know where to begin. I guess let's start with the gut. Glyphosate, which Monsanto patented as an antimicrobial in 2010, has been shown to damage our beneficial gut bacteria more than our pathogenic bacteria leading to a whole host of imbalances in our microbiome. Dysbiosis is the name given to an imbalance in our in the gut flora also known as microbiome. Dysbiosis is a precursor to countless chronic issues, many of which go far beyond digestion. And it doesn't stop with the microbes for glyphosate can cause leaky gut. Leaky gut is a condition in which the tight junctions (cellular seals) in our gut lining become damaged, allowing toxins and other foreign particles to seep into the bloodstream, which in turn can ignite a cascade of chronic inflammation. Glyphosate has been shown to damage the gut lining.
But that's just the start. Glyphosate has been flagged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "probable carcinogen" with other research indicating that Roundup is a carcinogen, as well as a cause of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Further, studies also show that glyphosate consumption can damage sperm , cross the placenta to a fetus , and lead to preterm birth.
These studies are even more alarming when paired with recent laboratory findings of high levels of glyphosate in a wide range of foods including cereal like Cheerios, breads, and hummus. Unfortunately I promise you that toxic glyphosate food is sitting in your kitchen right now. To figure out exactly what foods contain glyphosate go to this website: https://detoxproject.org/the-poison-in-our-daily-bread-glyphosate-contamination-widespread-in-essential-foods/.
So, why spray our food with such a harmful chemical?
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tasked with reviewing toxicological research and determining safe levels of chemical exposure. While other government agencies (including the USDA, FDA, and state regulators) do play a part in helping to enforce and monitor safe levels of pesticide use, Americans depend on the EPA at the front end to keep the population safe from harmful chemicals.
However, the EPA is under immense pressure from agricultural chemical companies to approve their products, regardless of what scientific analyses unveil. In the case of many potentially harmful herbicides and pesticides, the EPA has repeatedly approved them despite worrisome evidence of harm to human, animal or pollinator health. Often, their evaluations are based on research provided by the manufacturers, who stand to financially benefit from regulatory approval. When evaluating the carcinogenicity of glyphosate, the EPA even relied upon purportedly independent studies that were ghostwritten by Monsanto scientists . Despite the substantial evidence of large-scale, multi-system harm to the body from glyphosate, the EPA concluded in 2020 that glyphosate poses no risk to human health.
What can we do?
While many suffering from chronic inflammatory, digestive, and neurological symptoms find relief through eating a gluten-free diet, research has shown us repeatedly that glyphosate and other toxic chemicals cannot be ignored as agents of chronic health problems. We are here to help you detox. Detox foot baths, the right supplements and ozone saunas can all play a part on helping your body detox glyphosate poison.
The other good news is that consumer pressure is an enormous motivator for change. Due to increased awareness of glyphosate over the last few years, some grain buyers, including General Mills, are providing contracts to farmers for glyphosate-free grains. Kellogg's also notably announced their intention to phase out the use of glyphosate as a desiccant by 2025. Furthermore, as recently as last month, both the US Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dealt significant blows to the future of glyphosate. SCOTUS rejected Bayer's appeal to dismiss the legal claims of thousands who assert that exposure to glyphosate caused their cancer. And less than a week prior, the Court of Appeals ordered the EPA to redo their human health and endangered species risk assessments, finding their previous assessments insufficient.
We can continue to vote with our dollar by supporting USDA certified organic and/or glyphosate-residue free products, local organic farms, and organizations like Farmer's Footprint working hard to bring soils (and the food grown in it) back to a place of health. We can also sign this petition to help ban the use of glyphosate for pre-harvest desiccation of crops, a move which would dramatically reduce our dietary exposure to this damaging chemical.
Sign Petition https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-regulate-monsanto-pesticides-they-are-literally-killing-us
Pegan Diet, Is It Right For You?
When it comes to eating well I like paleo. I like intermittent fasting. I like keto green. I like vegan. But what I actually love is muscle testing food to see specifically what your body’s biofeedback is and creating a diet specifically for you. When muscle testing it’s surprising to see the results. Sometimes it’s vegan except yes to cheese but not milk. It’s because the fermentation process of cheese allows the person to have it. Sometimes when muscle testing it’s paleo without the fruit because even fruit sugar is too much sugar for that person. It’s wonderful to get these specific results when muscle testing. So when Dr. Mark Hyman came out with a new book called The Pegan Diet Paleo + Vegan = Pegan I was definitely intrigued just like when I loved Dr. Anna Cabeca’s book Keto Green came out I was super excited because I knew there had to be a healthier way to do keto. Yet again, keto green is not for everyone because maybe you don’t do well with cruciferous vegetables.
Just like all the other ‘diets’ published there is not one specific diet for everyone but I did enjoy reading The Pegan Diet and how Dr. Hyman simplified great nutritional advice in 21 principles which I will summarize below.
1.Use food as your Farmacy
He goes into details of exactly how food is medicine and eating the right types of food can support your immune system, hormones, circulation, digestion, energy, and detoxification system. He also explains how eating healthy fats helps support every single cell in your body.
2. Eat the Rainbow
Pegan diet is double the fruit and vegetables compared to the US dietary guidelines which says 3 cups a day. The optimal amount should be 6 to 8 cups of fruit and veggies a day. A serving is usually 1/2 cup so this is 12 to 16 servings a day. If you know me well enough you know that I think fruit servings should be limited to one or two servings a day depending on the muscle testing so the rest should be veggies. Dr. Hyman’s goal in this chapter is to show you all the different benefits one can get when eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and even breaks it down in a chart listing all the different colored foods with their phytochemicals and benefits. There is a list of red foods, orange foods, yellow foods, etc.
3. Follow the 75% Rule
Fill 75% of your plate with non-starchy veggies. If you aren’t sure what a non-starchy vegetable is we have a chart in the office and can give it to you next time.
4. Eat the Right Beans, Whole Grains, Nuts and Seeds
A handful or two or nuts and seeds is good but they have to be raw and soaked overnight and then lightly toasted for better digestion. That is why we carry sprouted almonds and sprouted grainless granola and sprouted cashews in the office. Nut flours should be eaten minimally for it is too highly processed. Non-starchy beans are good and should be only 1/2 cup per day and include lentils, lupine beans, peas, snow peas, black eyed peas, mung beans and traditional organic soy products. Soak the dried beans for a few hours or overnight and not from a can. Can also be cooked in a pressure cooker instead with a sheet of seaweed for extra nutrition. He suggests kombu. Stick to 1/2 to 1 cup whole grains a day. If you have gut dysbiosis, want to lose weight or auto-immune disease take a 3 week holiday from grains and notice how you feel.
5. Eat Your Meat as Medicine
Eat only quality meat. If you aren’t sure what that means, read my blog on grass-fed meat. Life Without Bread is a book going into detail how a diet rich in animal protein can be beneficial. The book is based on 40 years of research from the 1950s through 1990s, before the quality of meat went downhill so I recommend that if you eat meat that it has to be good quality. Pegan Diet book explains how studies show that grass-fed, regeneratively raised meat cooked the right way can give good nutrition but meat is a side dish no the main entree. Good quality meat can be hard to find. Here is what I have used.
6. Be Picky About Your Poultry, Eggs and Fish
Again it’s about quality. Eat pasture raised chicken, turkey, duck and eggs when possible. Pasture-raised is even better than organic. Pasture-raised eggs can be found in grocery stores but to get pasture-raised chicken, turkey or duck I need to go to a farmer’s market. Stick with low-mercury, wild fish, three times a week. Be careful with shellfish. It’s hard to get wild. If you can’t get wild eat fish farmed with sustainable, restorative or regenerative practices. Checkout www.cleanfish.com to learn more. For online options my favorite resources for quality fish is thrivwemarket.comand butcherbox.com
7. Have Fats with Every Meal
Fat is your friend. When I started eating more healthy fats I became stronger and more energized. The right fats can make you healthy and lean. They are also good for the brain and heart. The wrong fats can be deadly. Unlike sugar, which is all bad, fats are complicated. For a list of healthy vs. non-healthy fats just email me and I can email you back a chart or give a handout at the office. It’s all about eating the right type of fats. We need fats to survive. Every cell is made of fat. Every nerve is wrapped in a layer of fat. Our brain is 60% fat. Our hormones are made of fat. To make it easy stick with organic avocado oil, organic extra virgin olive oil and coconut or MCT oil and do not eat fats with sugar or starch.
8. Avoid Dairy (Mostly)
Dairy is not an essential food group. A lot of people are dairy sensitive. Consume only full fat dairy products. Low-fat dairy is harder to digest. If you do muscle test well for dairy goat and sheep dairy is healthier. The best cow milk is A2 milk. Grass-fed butter and ghee is different than cheese and milk and can be fine to use.
9. Eat Like a Regenetarian
Shop local and organic. Join a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program if you can. Go to localharvest.org to find one in your area. Shop farmers’ markets too. End food waste as much as you can. Look for ROC (regenerative organic certified) label on your food. Limit your use of plastic. We do so much plastic detox in the office. Plastic is a huge source of infertility and other hormone concerns.
10.Treat Sugar Like a Recreational Drug
White refined sugar is addicting and for better health really should not be ingested. Brown sugar, cane sugar high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols are also toxic. Yes I eat sugar but it’s in limited amounts and includes stevia, coconut sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Other options are monk fruit and agave but my body tends not to like them so I stay away.
11. Don’t Rely on Coffee and Alcohol
Even if you muscle test well for alcohol it should be limited. We also muscle test coffee separate from caffeine to see if a patient can do either. Green tea really has the most health benefits of any caffeinated beverage. Your beverage of choice should always be water.
12. Leverage Personalized Nutrition for Optimal Health
This is where Healing Arts and muscle testing shine. We also work with functional medicine doctors when patients need blood work.
13. Cleanse, Detox and Reset Wisely
Dr. Hyman gives a specific 10 day cleansing diet to help detox and reset your body. To also help cleanse your body he suggests eating your last meal at least 2 hours before bed and at least 12-14 hours between diner and breakfast. Part of good health is good sleep. He suggests committing to a bedtime daily and turning off electronics at least 45 minutes before bed including the TV. I usually suggest 30 min.
14.Assess the Risks and Benefits of a Vegan Diet
Whether you are vegan or not 75% of your plate should be non-starchy vegetables. Eat green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, etc. if you test for it. Make sure you are eating protein-rich vegan foods including lentils which are the highest source of protein for any plant. Adding a protein shake is easy. Try one made with pea protein or hemp protein. Over the last couple of years there have been some really good ones that have come out. Take supplements as needed, especially vitamin B12 and iron.
15. Eat for Gut Health
Health is all about having good gut flora. No matter what your health concerns are bad gut flora is playing some sort of role. Bad gut flora drives inflammation which is at the root of all chronic disease and obesity. In this chapter is a recipe for a gut healing shake with colostrum, prebiotic, probiotic and collagen. His steps for healing the gut are similar to mine and are 1. Weed 2. Seed 3. Feed. Weed out and kill bad gut flora using supplements and eating no sugar. Sugar will feed the bad gut flora. Seed is eating probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut and kimchi and taking a probiotic. Feed is eating fiber-rich foods for prebiotic benefits so the good bacteria can grow.
16. Eat for Longevity
To have a solid foundation for living as healthy as possible for as long as possible the Pegan Diet has 4 points. 1. Keep your fasting blood sugar to 70-85mg/dL. If it’s higher than this remove all sugars, including healthy ones, and refined starches from your diet, including gluten-free breads, pasta, all rice and potatoes. Stress can also cause blood sugar to go up so meditate, deep breathing, yoga or other relaxing techniques. 2. Eat protective, disease-fighting foods. These include green, leafy vegetables, organic, wild blueberries, organic broccoli and green tea. 3. Build muscle. The older you are the harder it is to build muscle so build muscle now and lift weights to keep the muscle you have. 4. Incorporate intermittent fasting. I suggest intermittent fasting only if you muscle test for it because it’s not for everyone. He suggests doing a 24 hour fast once a month as well. Some of my patients muscle test well for and get good results with fasting 24 hours once a week.
17. Eat to Boost Mood
The number one thing that will help boost your mood is to not let your blood sugar go up and down. Keep your blood sugar balanced with eating frequent healthy meals with healthy fats. Eat brain-boosting foods such as fish, nuts, seeds and green tea. Lastly, work with someone to see what nutrition you may be lacking (this is where we come in) or at least start with a multi vitamin made from organic food.
18. Make Healthy Eating Affordable
Plan ahead and go grocery shopping. It costs more to pick up food on the go. Taking your lunch to work with you will save so much money. If you don’t cook just make it easy with salads. You could also learn to cook 4-5 meals and cook extra so you have leftovers for lunch the next day. Track your spending habits. Shop at discount stores. I have a routine of shopping at 3 different grocery stores to meet all my family requirements as cheaply as possible plus then thrivwemarket.com and the CSA.
19. Feed Your Kids What You Eat
Families who cook and eat together build healthy habits that will last a lifetime. It’s exciting when we splurge on the weekends eating out and Sunday night my 13 year old asks for a salad. She knows what she is missing. Children, even more than adults, enjoy and require routine. Pretend Soup is a cookbook that has kid-friendly recipes from whole foods if you want ideas. If your children are already eating gluten, sugar and dairy you don’t need to do a big overhaul. Make small changes with them and they may not even notice. Don’t announce the pancakes are gluten-free. Just make them and see if they even notice. Start babies with avocado at 6 months old. Pediatricians are recently recommending 4 months old but I would wait. Start with avocado because it is the closest thing nutritionally to breast milk. Then stick with veggies for as long as you can. Introduce fruit at 10 months just because it’s so sugary and you want them to not crave sugar.
20. Make Healthy Habits Stick
If your family is not on board tell them you need time to take care of your health and that you hope they will support your decision for you to do it for yourself. Talk to your friends and see if there is anyone that can support you there. At least you know you have us to support you through the changes and making them healthy habits for life. Study habit change can also be empowering. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg or Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg are recommended.
21. Start the Pegan Diet Today
Last but not least, start the Pegan Diet! The end of the book is filled with recipes. I made the Morning Quinoa Berry Bake and we loved it, kids included. He suggests 1/3 cup healthy sweetener but I did without because of the shredded coconut and fruit I thought it was sweet enough.
Chronic Inflammation is the Main Cause of Most Diseases – Learn How to Prevent
Inflammation is now linked to just about every health condition from rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and even Alzheimer’s. According to a Harvard Medical School report, “Chronic inflammation plays a central role in some of the most challenging diseases of our time.”
But what is inflammation?
If you’ve ever twisted your knee, cut your finger, or been stung by an insect, you have firsthand experience with inflammation. Inflammation is an essential survival mechanism that helps the body fight off hostile microbes and repair damaged tissue. Yet there is another side of inflammation that can be harmful rather than helpful to human health. There’s evidence that inflammation, promoted in part by such factors as obesity, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to various diseases.
Types of Inflammation
Inflammation can be divided into three types based on the time of the process that responds to the injurious cause; acute, which occurs immediately after injury and lasts for a few days; chronic inflammation, which may last for months or even years when acute inflammation doesn’t heal, and subacute which is a transformational period from acute to chronic which lasts from 2 to 6 weeks.
Acute inflammation comes on rapidly, usually within minutes, but is generally short-lived. Many of the mechanisms that spring into action to destroy invading microbes or toxins switch gears to cart away dead cells and repair damaged ones, and inflammation dissipates within a few hours or days.
On the other hand, chronic inflammation begins as acute inflammation, with the same cellular response but for some reason does not shut off so the inflammatory response continues into a lingering state that persists for months or years when the immune system response fails to eliminate the problem. The problem is always a toxin. It could be a food from a leaky gut, heavy metals , heavy chemicals, or an immune challenge that can include viruses, bacteria, candida or parasites.
Unchecked, the immune system prompts white blood cells to attack nearby healthy tissues and organs, setting up a chronic inflammatory process that plays a central role in some of the most challenging diseases of our time, including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and even Alzheimer’s.
Symptoms
Symptoms of inflammation are different depending on whether the inflammatory reaction is acute or chronic. There are five fundamental signs of inflammation that include: heat, redness, swelling, pain, and loss of function. The sensation of heat is caused by the increased blood movement. This reaction will also lead to redness due to increased blood cells passing through the injured area. The swelling of the site occurs due to an increase in the permeability and dilatation of the blood vessels. Pain is due to increased pain mediators, either due to direct damage or resulting from an inflammatory response itself. Loss of function occurs due to either simple mobility loss due to swelling or pain or replacement of the cells with scar tissue.
Causes
Lifestyle choices, diet, and even family history play a role in the diseases and conditions brought about by chronic inflammation. Other causes can be gut health, stress, and pollution exposure.
There is recent strong evidence that continuous stress and diverse inflammation in the brain could be a significant and direct cause of dementia and memory impairment due to the constant accumulation of inflammatory cytokines in the brain.
Foods that Cause Inflammation
Diet plays one of the most critical roles in our health. Every time we put food in our mouth we are eating something that is either inflammatory or healing. Muscle testing is great to figure out exactly what foods would cause inflammation in your body. We get the biofeedback from your body and create a list of foods you can and cannot eat for better health. In general though, I will tell you the more whole foods closer to Mother Nature we eat, the less inflammation we will have. On the other hand, the consumption of foods in most markets today creates inflammation due to additives, sugars, bad saturated fats, and all other hard-to-pronounce names used as stabilizers.
A lifestyle rich in fresh fruits and vegetables freshly picked from local organic farms, and eaten in season, is the best approach for preventing inflammation. Additionally, consumption of superfoods such as Spirulina, and other anti-inflammatory foods high in antioxidants, will help reduce damage caused by inflammation. Exercise, sunshine, positive thinking and other healthy practices such as meditation will also help more than we can imagine.
5 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Options to Start Your Morning on a Healthy Note
“What do I eat for breakfast?” This is a common question we get from new patients after I have muscle tested what foods they can and cannot eat. What you eat for breakfast can set the tone for your entire day. It's been shown that it's easiest to make healthy choices in the morning before our willpower is depleted, which means that it's easy to set yourself up for success with a nutritious choice. But what does "healthy" even mean? It's easy to get confused in an era of over-information when it comes to nutrition, especially when a lot of the advice out there seems to contradict itself. Even after being muscle tested and seeing which foods to avoid the questions still remain: should you eat plant-based? Drinking butter coffee exclusively? Going for a high-protein meal? The options can be overwhelming or maybe the overwhelm is you feeling the lack of options so let me give you some ideas.
When it comes to managing inflammation, we teach our patients at Healing Arts that food plays an important role. Foods help to decrease inflammation based on the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals they contain. They can also increase inflammation if they are full of sugar, processed ingredients, chemicals, and more.
Chronic inflammation leads to ill health. Even the day-to-day issues such as fatigue, weight loss or gain, and mood disorders like anxiety and depression are due to chronic inflammation.
Breakfast is not for everyone. I do believe in eating only when you are hungry and I do believe intermittent fasting can help certain people. I also believe there is no such thing as breakfast food and you can have salmon with a salad and oil and vinegar for breakfast for a good balance of protein, greens and healthy fats. I definitely know I need protein for breakfast to be satisfied and productive until lunch. Whether you eat breakfast or not how you break your fast for the day is very important. That first meal of the day, no matter what time, should be a healthy, nutrient-dense meal to increase your energy levels, promote cognitive function so you stay alert during the day. This will also lead to making better food choices throughout the day. Do not reach for a donut. Starting the day out with refined carbohydrates with sugar can cause an increase in your blood sugar and a 'crash' shortly after. This can lead to the desire to snack throughout the day, reach for another sugary option, or make you feel like taking a midday nap.
If you're looking to avoid the crash, as well as steer clear of inflammation-promoting foods, start reading food labels for hidden sugars, which are often lurking in many "healthy" breakfast products like yogurts, granola, and cereals. When reading a food label do not read the Nutrition Label that says: Sugar 4 grams. That is the amount of sugar including natural sugar that is even found in rice and peas. Instead read the ingredient list for the word sugar, cane sugar, sucrose, or glucose. The constant blood sugar roller coaster that comes with eating foods high in sugar can cause hormonal fluctuations and inflammation—pretty much the opposite of starting off your day on the right foot.
The good news is that by making smart breakfast choices, you can manage your energy levels, promote overall health and wellness, and prevent inflammation. Here are some fantastic, anti-inflammatory breakfast ideas to start your day off right. I can’t find recipes that fits everyone’s dietary changes based on muscle testing but I’m hoping everyone can find 2-3 recipes they can use.
Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Ideas
1
Oatmeal With Walnuts and Berries
This gluten-free grain is high in fiber to help decrease cholesterol levels and balance blood sugar. The walnuts slow down digestion and provide a dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory. Berries add sweet flavor without a lot of sugar and have a lot of antioxidants. Berries have anthocyanins that reduce inflammation and risk of disease. If you can’t have oats try hot buckwheat cereal. It can be found at any health food store. Buckwheat contains high levels of rutin, which is a type of antioxidant. Antioxidants can help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals, which can cause oxidative stress, affecting lipid levels as well as triggering a variety of diseases. Buckwheat is also good for digestion, lowering high blood pressure, and is a good source of iron.
2
Fruit With Almond Butter
For an on-the-go breakfast, grab an apple or banana with a packet of almond butter for a satisfying and portable meal. Fruit is full of antioxidants that prevent free radicals from creating damage and disease in our bodies, and contain fiber, which helps to flush toxins through our body. Pair that with nut butter that contains healthy fat with some protein, and fiber so that the fruit sugar doesn’t hit your bloodstream so quick.
3
Greek Yogurt and Fruit
The protein and healthy bacteria strains in Greek yogurt serve anti-inflammatory roles, aid with digestion, and keep you satiated. Eat yogurt that is full fat, not 2% or 0% fat. Without the fat you won’t feel full and enzymes are missing that help you digest the yogurt. Eat full fat, the way nature intended it to be. If milk is off the table try CocoJune, my favorite coconut yogurt. Pair that with antioxidant-rich berries and you have a power breakfast full of healthy fats, probiotics, and protein.
4
Pasture-raised Eggs and Greens
Eggs are rich in nutrients including vitamin D, protein, omega 3, and choline. Healthy fats and protein are powerful in managing blood sugar levels, which helps temper inflammation. Add in greens for even better nutrition, void of sugar, and high in fiber. I usually saute spinach while I’m cooking the eggs.
If eggs are not part of your diet and soy is then try an organic tofu scramble with turmeric. Turmeric has an active compound called curcumin that's been shown to provide anti-inflammatory effects, especially for the brain.
5
Protein-Packed Smoothie
When it comes to inflammation-fighting superfoods, this is your chance to blend them all together for the ultimate anti-inflammatory breakfast. Kachava is my favorite protein powder because it’s vegan, pea protein, with a bunch of different superfoods. It’s $4 a serving and tastes so good. I do put it in the blender with water, a cup of spinach, 1/2 avocado, and 1/4 cup organic wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s for an even more nutrient dense breakfast. Avocado adds healthy fat but also makes it creamy and smooth. Avocados also have carotenoids and tocopherols; both help reduce the risk of chronic disease. Banana would do the same thing but I don’t want high fruit sugar first thing in the morning and banana is high in fruit sugar. Also if you are in a hurry or traveling then just add water or an unsweetened nut milk, shake and enjoy. I think this breakfast is the most nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory combo.
Stay Hydrated this Summer
Water is so essential to life. I wish I could put it in supplement form for my patients because many of them do not drink enough and when they do drink it tends not to be of quality so I wanted to take the time to write this blog article. If you don’t drink enough good quality water right now and you start I bet you that your overall health will increase by 10%, just by drinking water! Trust me, staying hydrated is key to a healthy body. I check hydration frequently with my patients especially patients who are detoxing because the toxins that are purposely being pulled out also need to be flushed out. If toxins are not being flushed out detox symptoms can occur and include headaches, skin rashes, constipation, diarrhea, irritability, fatigue, trouble sleeping, or feeling like you are getting a cold. The reasons why detox symptoms can occur is because there are more toxins being pulled out of the cells and tissues, running around in your bloodstream than your liver can handle. Once the toxins find their way to the liver they are broken down and moved to the kidneys or bowels for elimination.
The health benefits of drinking water including:
carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells
flushing bacteria from your bladder
aiding digestion
preventing constipation
normalizing blood pressure
stabilizing the heartbeat
less joint stiffness
better memory
It is said to drink 8 glasses of water a day but I think everyone's optimal water intake is a very personal amount based on their age, activity level and their current health status. Over the years I have seen a trend of how much water people tend to need on a daily basis and if I was to put a number on it I would suggest for the average adult we need to drink 2 liters, which is about 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water a day.
For a lot of people this can be difficult to do for it does not include any caffeinated, fruit or sugary drinks. So it would only include water or herbal tea. Caffeinated or sugary drinks actually deplete your body of more water than they put in, causing dehydration so if you have a cup of caffeinated tea you would want to do 9 glasses of water to make up for it that day. There is an art to making sure you are drinking enough water and that's why an app to keep track can be a good idea. A free app, such as Daily Water, is good at recording how much water you drink plus you can set reminders to make sure you drink your daily 2 liters. You can actually set it to any daily amount and also email me the data too!
Interestingly our bodies are made up of 60% percent water and that’s why drinking enough is essential to our health and affects so many bodily functions including digestion, blood pressure and detoxing, as well as our energy level. It’s not only vital to drink it but also to ensure that the quality of our water is of the highest regard. There are many factors that can contaminate our water supply which can then negatively affect the body’s health, so understanding how this can occur and how to prevent it will allow you to make the best choice of water for your health.
It can be tricky as there is so much information out there about toxins in our water supply, the chemicals in the plastic water bottles, and the confusion about water filters. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found over 300 chemicals and metals in our water. These toxins were found in our water supply throughout the United States and even in some water bottles and include industrial solvents, weed killers, refrigerants and rocket fuel in water supplied to the public.
Water stored in plastic containers are a problem because plastic is known to actually disrupt the natural function of the body by disrupting our body’s hormones, immune function, nervous system function and causing reproductive issues depleting our health and vitality. You can go on the environmental working group’s website ewg.org and put your zip code in to find how many toxins are in your water supply. Here are some of the main toxins that the EWG finds.
· Atrazine- herbicide used on food supply that runs into our water stream
· Lead- old piping, affects nervous system and brain function
· Chlorine- added to kill bacteria but it affects the body’s lungs and lymph system
· Plastic- leaches chemicals into our water that affect hormonal balance
· Fluoride - a neuro toxin affecting the brain, added to protect our teeth. The EWG has a map dedicated just to fluoride contaminates.
Understanding that these toxins wreak havoc on the body we prevent this toxic overload in our body by filtering out these toxins. There are so many water filter options out there that it can be confusing so I have come up with my top three choices that remove most of these nasty toxins.
· Zero water filter is a pitcher water filter like the Brita but does a better job. $35 and is the cheapest I can find that does a good job. but keep in mind it’s a hard plastic pitcher and we don’t love plastic. but the harder the plastic the better.
· Berkey water filters are great, stainless steel but take up more counter space and start at $250.
I personally have a chlorine filter for the whole house and a reverse osmosis (RO) filter for drinking water from Culligan that I love. When the cullighan guys came to my house to install the filters it felt like it was my birthday! RO water is great, takes out all contaminates but it also takes out the natural minerals that is in water so you will need to supplement with minerals to make up for it.
Whether you drink bottled or filtered water, for those of you who are patients at Healing Arts, If you want, at your next appointment bring in your drinking water in a glass container and we'll muscle test it for you to make sure it's good for your body.
When on the go you will want to drink your filtered water but don’t carry it in a plastic bottle. Plastic is highly toxic and leeches into the water. Heat makes plastic leach more and when you put your mouth to a plastic water bottle remember that it’s 98 degrees. Many of you are familiar with the need to buy BPA-free plastic. BPA, is toxic because it acts like estrogen in the body. Research finds that BPA leached from the lining of tin cans, dental sealants and plastic bottles can increase body weight of lab animals' offspring. A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation, diabetes and heart disease. There are now BPA-free products, yet, in 2011 it was reported that "almost all plastic products" sampled released chemicals that acted like estrogen. this is why you want to try to avoid not only plastic water bottles but plastic forks, straws, saran wrap, ziplock bags etc. Plastic is everywhere and it will help to cut down its usage.
Use stainless steel water bottles or even better are glass water bottles. My favorite water bottle that I absolutely love to use is my flaska water bottle. It’s not only glass but the glass is made in such a way to restructure the water crystals. This type of water is called structured water and is extremely healthy for you. The science behind structured water comes from Dr. Masaru Emoto who was a Japanese scientist that believed that water was a "blueprint for our reality" and that emotional "energies" and "vibrations" could change the physical structure of water.
Emoto's water crystal experiments consisted of exposing water in glasses to different words, pictures or music, and then freezing and examining the aesthetic properties of the resulting crystals with microscopic photography. Emoto's studies show that water exposed to positive speech and thoughts would result in visually pleasing crystals being formed when that water was frozen, and that negative intention would yield "ugly" frozen crystal formations.
And if this is what words do to water then you can imagine what they do to us on a cellular level for we are made up of about 60% water. To find out more Dr. Emoto's best selling book is called The Hidden Messages in Water. The main idea is quantum physics. E=mc2, so anything with mass has energy and that energy travels in waves and can be picked up on and interfere with water. Even the mass of the letters on a piece of paper.
I have read blogs on making your own special water using words, which Dr. Emoto calls HADO water and the most effective and efficient way is through a FLASKA. FLASKA makes special glass water bottles that restructure the water in 5 minutes. It comes with a sleeve for protection so if you drop the bottle it doesn't break. They are half a liter, $36 each, and can be bought online or at the office.
To get the most out of your FLASKA restructuring the water write positive words on a piece of paper and leave under the bottle for 5 minutes so that it's restructured to your specific words. Make sure all the words are touching the glass so you may have to write small. An all encompassing phrase would work like 'love and gratitude'. But if you have pain or a health concern write, 'this pain is already gone'. For those of you who use affirmations this would be a great way to use them! Get creative and drink your 2-3 liters of water a day!
Now I understand when on the go it’s not easy to always have filtered water so when I’m stuck I will buy water in plastic water bottles and pour them into my flaska which is definitely better than getting dehydrated and at least this way your lips aren’t touching the plastic. So when in a pinch try to find water in a glass bottle. Mountain Valley is the best bottled water I know of. The best bottled water in plastic is Volvic, second is Fiji (i’ve heard rumors of it being toxic but not from my research or experience).
For many people it would be beneficial to drink 32 ounces of water first thing in the morning with 1/2 lemon squeezed in it. If you suffer from headaches, constipation, high blood pressure, or detox symptoms drinking half of your daily water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then waiting 30 minutes to drink or eat anything else can really help the body flush out toxins and reduce inflammation. The lemon is helpful because it is a strong detoxer. You see, every night from 11pm-1am your liver takes all the toxins it has broken down from the day and dumps it into the intestines to be eliminated so that if we drink tons of water first thing in the morning it helps move all those toxins to be eliminated and not just sit in the intestines and get reabsorbed through the intestinal wall. You wait 30 minutes so the body can do this detoxing efficiently and not be distracted with also trying to digest your breakfast or tea.
I also love adding lime to my water.
Lime water and lemon water are very similar for their benefits. I do find most people test for lemon in their 32 ounces of water in the morning but then test for lime not lemon to be added to the rest of their water for the day. Limes are higher in calcium and vitamin A than lemons. and just like lemons, limes help
• boost the immune system
• they also help support the Liver and detox
• help improve digestion and bowel movements
• helps with heart burn
• and decrease inflammation to help with joint problems
If you want to stay healthy, sip on lime or lemon water throughout the day. The vitamin C and antioxidants in limes and lemons can strengthen your immune system and help your body fight off infections such as the cold and flu virus. It may also shorten the duration of an illness.
Liver and detox support – The vitamin C in limes helps the liver to produce glutathione, a regenerative antioxidant that helps the liver process and eliminate toxins.
Improves digestion – Drinking lime water improves digestion. Limes are acidic and they help saliva break down food for better digestion. Additionally, flavonoids in limes stimulate secretion of digestive juices. If you suffer from constipation, the acidity of limes can clear the excretory system and stimulate bowel activity.
Heartburn or acid reflux - drinking a glass of warm water with 2 teaspoons of lime juice about 30 minutes before meals may help prevent reflux symptoms.
Arthritis, gout, and other joint problems are caused by inflammation. Vitamin C can reduce the level of inflammation in your body, so adding lime juice to water can relieve symptoms of arthritis and similar conditions that cause joint pain and stiffness. Limes can also reduce uric acid levels. Uric acid is a waste product the body produces when breaking down foods that contain purines, like meat, liver, mushrooms, and dried beans. High levels of uric acid can cause gout.
Limes are not only a good source of vitamin c but also:
• potassium
• vitamins A, B, C, and D
• calcium
• magnesium
If it’s not easy for you to always have a fresh, organic lime on hand to squeeze into your water you can buy organic essential lime oil that is easy to carry anywhere with you and get the same great benefits. Start adding lime to your drinking water today and see what happens!
But be careful, I have seen patients detox too fast by drinking too much lemon or lime water. So if you get any detox symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, or skin rashes then cut the limes or lemons but keep drinking your water!
Lime water is also great for UTIs. I see so many women in my office with UTIs and I think 20% could be prevented if they drank enough water. Staying hydrated would cause bacteria to be constantly flushed out, preventing infections.
Low blood pressure is another sign you are dehydrated and you would want to add Himalayan salt to your water to help regulate the blood pressure.
Another thing you can put in your water to make it healthier for you is oxygen. Yes oxygen! It’s called ozonated water and you would need a special machine for it. I have done a lot of research on ozone therapy and what machines are best and I finally decided on the Ozo pod. My main use for it is to make ozonated water to clean all my fruits and vegetables. I felt like all the cleaning sprays for pesticides were not really doing a good job so when i first learned about ozonated water I was excited to try it on my produce and I love it! It also purifies drinking water which is great for camping and I also started washing my face with the ozonated water and I do feel a difference, like my skin is tighter. more oxygen to the skin is only beneficial.
In the ozone process, the machine makes ozone which is O3 in the water and the water molecules which are H2O are infused with bubbling O3. Because ozone is unstable, the newly formed bond is only temporary and must be used or preserved no more than 20 minutes after creation to be most effective.
Ozonated water has a clean, fresh taste. This type of water has been shown in a number of scientific studies to kill bacteria and viruses. It has proven effective in killing E. coli, yeast, salmonella and listeria. that’s why it’s good for purifying water when camping assuming you have access to electricity and it’s great for washing your produce.
The biological benefits of drinking ozonated water are a result of the ozone breaking apart creating a single oxygen atom that the body can use. The more oxygen in the body the better! I personally drink 64 ounces of ozonated water a day. Ozone adds oxygen to the blood stream and eliminates impurities. Increased oxygen in the brain heightens its function. Single oxygen atoms introduced into the immune system makes it stronger and better able to fight infections. Drinking cold ozone water on an empty stomach regularly can detoxify your intestinal tract and is especially good for people going through a parasite cleanse or having constipation or diarrhea. Drinking ozonated water increases energy levels too because of the extra oxygen in the body. But the effectiveness of ozonated water is not limited to drinking. Bathing in ozonated water is great therapy for skin disorders, eczema, psoriasis, hives. It can also be used to treat muscle soreness, spinal and back injuries and neck stiffness.
Due to its disinfecting properties, ozonated water is used during surgeries to keep opened areas sterile. It also is used as a supplemental treatment of cancer. Research has shown that the introduction of the third oxygen cell can aid the body’s immune system in containing the existing cancer cells, thus preventing the spread of cancer to uninfected areas of the body. Though this is not potent enough a therapy to be used alone, ozonated water has been shown to kill small numbers of cancer cells in patients.
Ozonated water has been found to to help the body detox by converting wastes and toxins to water and carbon dioxide after which they are easily expelled from the body. This is especially essential in neutralizing the effects of harmful toxins.
Water that has been ozonated for at least 10 minutes has been found to be effective in treating fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, ringworms and nail fungus. Just apply topically!
Ozone water when used in bushing of teeth, eliminates bad breath and gum problems.
Ozonated water is a gentle yet effective cleanser for the skin, and is especially helpful in treating acne, blackheads and pimples. It’s an extra step to use the Ozo pod and wait for ozonated water to be made and then wash your face but I promise you the skin feels so much better!
If you are someone who drinks at least 64 ounces of water a day and yet feel dehydrated it’s because the body isn’t using the water you are drinking. The reason is because minerals are lacking to have the cells absorb and use the water. You may feel you drink water and it goes right through you and you are urinating all the time!
What I have found muscle tests the best for this type of dehydration is one of four things: trace mineral drops, homeopathic rehydration drops, electrolyte powder or Himalayan salt
Trace mineral drops are from a company called Trace minerals Research. These drops have over 60 different minerals in them the majority being magnesium, The minerals help the pH balance of the body so the cells then absorb the water and use it. But beware, they don’t taste great.
Rehydration is a homeopathic remedy from a company called Energetix that helps the cells absorb water and besides dehydration symptoms it is wonderful to use for dry skin; bloating; headaches; stiffness in muscles and joints; and mental sluggishness.
Electrolyte powder -first of all they’re easy to travel with. There’s lots of different companies out there but I like Dr. Price because in one packet they have over 72 different trace minerals in them and they don’t have all the sugar or even fruit sugar known as fructose in them like the other companies. It also doesn’t have food coloring. It’s the best electrolyte powder I know of.
Sometimes adding a pinch of Himalayan salt to every glass of water is the best way to go. It’s just a pinch so you shouldn’t taste it and easy to do when home but not as easy when you’re out and about. That’s where the electrolyte packets come in handy. Himalayan salt contains 84 trace minerals.
With dehydration patients test usually for one of these four remedies and it depends on what type of minerals the body is missing. That’s why I love muscle testing. I don’t have to do any guessing work. The body tells me through the biofeedback of the muscle testing and that’s how patients get their health back.
So that’s it for water! I hope this blog opened up your eyes to how important it is to not only drink enough but make sure of the water quality.
Healing Arts Approved Natural Sunscreen
Picking out a sunscreen can be so confusing. Have you ever tried to read the back of a sunscreen bottle? There are a lot of big words. So let's make it easier for you. The healthiest sunscreens need to be free of Parabens, Phthalates, PEG’s (polyethylene glycols), Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, SLS/SLES, and other chemicals I won’t bother listing but basically, they should contain a considerable amount of natural ingredients. The sunscreen ingredient I mainly recommend avoiding is the synthetic chemical oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor which can affect the nervous system, has been linked to cancer in some laboratory studies, and creates free-radicals when exposed to the sun which are harmful. I prefer Zinc Oxide over Titanium Dioxide. There have been some studies done that could classify Titanium Dioxide as carcinogenic to humans. At Healing Arts we spend a lot of time during the summer detoxing people of titanium so best to stay away!
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has researched thousands of sunscreens and given each one a score of 1-10 with 1 being the healthiest and 10 being the most toxic. The science is listed for reference to explain why each product got its certain score. We highly suggest you use a sunscreen that got a score of 1-3. To see what your sunscreen's score is, click here.
Micronized vs Nano: There have been many reports that micronized vs. nano particles of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide have the ability to pass through the skin more easily (which is why they aren’t as white as others). There is also a concern that nano titanium dioxide/zinc oxide particles have higher photo-reactivity than coarser particles and may generate free radicals that can cause cell damage. Some manufacturers have addressed this issue by coating the particles to prevent free radical formation. I am comfortable recommending sunscreens with Micronized zinc (most natural zinc sunscreens ARE). NANO zinc or titanium is something I feel should be avoided.
So after all my research I think Badger Sunscreen SPF 30 for the win! They also have a Baby Sunscreen version that is great too for infants and kids. The EWG gives it a score of 1. It's a white cream that rubs on clear! It's so easy to apply you’ve got to try it to believe it! There is a tester in the office so you can try it. Perfect for the beach, swimming and light activity, this broad-spectrum formula is in a gentle, antioxidant-rich Sunflower Oil base.
Lightweight and moisturizing with no added fragrance—great for all skin types.
98% certified organic ingredients.
Broad-spectrum – excellent UVA/UVB protection.
Water-resistant for at least 40min.
Family-friendly, reef-friendly and biodegradable.
Free from anything harsh or artificial, including fragrances, dyes, parabens, petrolatum, GMOs, and synthetics.
Made in the USA and certified cruelty-free.
Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Uncoated Non-nano Zinc Oxide 18.75%
Base Ingredients:
Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Beeswax, Sunflower Vitamin E & Organic Seabuckthorn Extract.
If you have a natural one that you love please let me know! I'm always interested in what patients try and like. If you have one you are not sure of bring it in and we can muscle test it to see what your body says even if it does have a score of 1 with the EWG.
How Chakra Light Therapy Helps The Body Heal
There are 7 chakras in the human body, each vibrating at a different frequency. Energy flows through the chakras from one part of the body to another. If your chakras are blocked, your energy can become stuck. Each chakra corresponds to a color and internal organ or part of the body. They are numbered from the bottom up; the "first" chakra is the lowest one, at the base of your spine.
HOW DOES THE CRYSTAL LIGHT THERAPY WORK?
The Crystal Light Therapy uses 7 quartz crystals and colored laser light to clean and strengthen your chakras and aura.
Vogel-Cut Quartz Crystals
Our seven Vogel-cut quartz crystals receive the frequencies produced by our frequency generator. The UV laser and magnetic energy from the coil in the holder cancel each other out once they interact, this is how scalar energy is generated. What is left in its place is the scalar energy field...TESLA ENERGY! It is then focused through the Vogel-cut crystals and into your chakras.
Frequency Generator
Our machine produces frequencies. Everything has a frequency. The earth has a frequency, every illness has a frequency, even we have frequencies that can all be measured. The generator can produce frequencies that will harmonize the body. Thereby, allowing for a healing environment within your cells for cellular rejuvenation.
LED Lights & Chromatherapy
The LED lights generate light from the complete visible spectrum. Chromatherapy is a treatment that uses colors to adjust the vibrational frequencies in the body in order to result in health and harmonization. Each color emits a frequency related to a specific vibration. Each vibration is said to help alleviate different physical symptoms. Chromatherapy works on several energy points within the body to re-establish its natural balance as well as clearing and balancing the chakras.The crystal bed is known as a powerful treatment that has an inter-dimensional effect as the vibrational patterns manifest higher and higher levels of peace, focus, awareness, harmony, & balance.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
People have reported the following from Crystal Light Therapy:
deep relaxation
calming your mind and thoughts
subtle energy shifts
increased energy
elevation of mood
pain reduction
feeling of expansion of emotional and physical restrictions
release of negative emotions
deepened spiritual insights
better sleep
reduced anxiety
cell detoxification
increased clarity and focus
feeling grounded
deeper connection to self
First Chakra – Base, Root
Red – Energy. It stimulates brain wave activity, increases circulation, awakens us physically and energizes blood flow. It connects us to our physical self.
Second Chakra – Sacral
Orange – Joy. Stimulates appetite, the colon, digestion, and physical relationships. It connects us to our emotional self.
Third Chakra – Solar Plexus
Yellow – Wisdom. Connects us to will and personal power. Improves mood, relieves depressions and helps in digestion. It connects us to our mental self.
Fourth Chakra – Heart
Green – Calming. Balances our nervous system, soothes and relaxes mental & physical states, and emotional relationships. It connects us to love.
Fifth Chakra – Throat
Blue – Cooling. Good for respiratory and throat infections. Counteracts hypertension. Tied to communication and speaking your truth. It connects us to our holistic self.
Sixth Chakra – Brow Or Third Eye
Indigo – Healing. Connected to foresight and intuition. Good for sinus problems and building immunity. It connects us to our unconscious self.
Seventh Chakra – Crown
Violet – Cleansing. It cleanses, strengthens, purifies and awakens the body. It connects us to our spiritual self.
To Learn more about the chakras, click here: https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2015/02/energy-balancing-and-chakras.html