Fight the Flu with Natural Remedies

The media loves to create a frenzy especially when it comes to the flu season. While this year has been particularly tough there are still may great ways to stay healthy. Here's a few that we do in our house. 

Bone Soup

Making your own stock is great preventative medicine and is also great to use medicinally when you are sick as well. From a Chinese Medical standpoint making soup stock from bones is incredibly nourishing to the kidneys and the kidney system is most active during the winter months which is the best time to nourish them.  Bone soup is also great if you are suffering from digestive troubles. I made garlic beef stock yesterday with this recipe and added red lentils, carrots, celery, rainbow chard, and broccoli this morning for dinner tonight. An added bonus is the house smells delicious. 

Apple Cider Vinegar

‎"Cold Season Prevention & Remedy #3 for Pregnancy - Drink 1 - 2 Tablespoons of RAW-Unfiltered-Organic Apple Cider Vinegar each day. You can mix it in 8 oz of water or apple juice to make it more palatable. This improves your body's PH balance and strengthens the immune system. Also fends off yeast, speeds healing of infections, soothes a sore throat, and relieves heartburn. We like Bragg brand." -Mamaste Yoga 
Also equally good if you are not pregnant. :) For more info about apple cider vinegar check out here. Whatever brand you choose make sure it has the "mother" in it for optimal results. 

Thieves Essential Oil

I know, I talk about this all the time. Thieves essential oil is a blend of cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lemon. It was named thieves after the infamous band of apothecaries that would use these herbs and spices to cover their faces when robbing the dead bodies during the black plague. It is 99.9% effective in killing bacteria and other sickies and because its a natural source bacteria can't mutate to it like anti-bacterial soaps. We diffuse thieves at home and in the office to clean the air and spray thieves on door handles and other surfaces. You can also put a drop of thieves in your water or tea if your feeling run down or have a scratchy throat. Young Living essential oils carries this essential oil blend and if you need some I can order it for you at wholesale price. 


Alternative Home Remedy for Sore Throat 

 For a sore throat and overall immune boosting - cut up 2 lemons, drop them in a small mason jar. Finely grind 1/2 - 1 fresh ginger root. Add 1 tsp. cinnamon or pumlin spice mix. Pour raw honey over. Stir well. Store in the fridge. Take 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day (or more if desired). Can be added to a cup of cold or warm (NOT HOT!!!) water or tea.

Alternative Home Remedy for Pedialyte and Gatorade

Lemon Electrolyte Drink

• 1 quart of water

• juice of 2-3 lemons (fresh is preferable, but I’ve also used 1/3 c. lemon juice concentrate in a pinch)

• 1/3 c. raw honey (do not give raw honey to children under the age of 1) (see my note at the bottom for an alternative for little ones)

• 1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt (not table salt – but unrefined sea salt)

For more information on this recipe visit here. 

Don't forget that acupuncture is a great preventative tool as well. Studies have shown that acupuncture points carry higher concentrations of white blood cells and when stimulated give a boost to the immune system. You can also use acupuncture for a persistent cough, congestion or the onset or a sore throat. If you have a fever though please stay home and use the natural remedies above. 

Its Time For Your Seasonal Tune-Up

Its always about this time of year the fall tricks me into thinking the cooler weather is a good idea. These cool nights make for good sleeping weather and light sweaters and sandals  almost feel decadent. Then all of a sudden a winter coat is a necessity and sun shine until 9pm seems like a distant memory.

In Chinese Medicine this time of year is known as late summer. This is a transition point in the seasonal cycle and its when our spleen/stomach system is working its hardest to bridge the gap between the lightness of summer and the heaviness of autumn. Its also around this time that many people get sick because of the strong changes in our environment. Many people have commented that it feels like winter at 72 because we've become so accustomed to 100 days.

Now is the best time to get an acupuncture tune up treatment so that your body can better adapt to the changes in our environment. This will help boost the immune system and keep SAD at bay when the winter months set in. The lung and large intestine are most active in the fall. If you are prone to colds/flus and seasonal allergies during the fall months now is the perfect time for prevention.

It is also a good time to start slowly transitioning heavier foods and warming herbs and spices into your diet. The spleen and stomach do best with yellow root veggies and full sweet flavor foods like sweet potatoes, squashes etc. Starting your day with hot lemon water and/or warm cereals like steel cut oatmeal is also a good idea.

Schedule your tune up today! 

Sarah Canga-Arguelles

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

A Simple Recipe for Coughs

I recently came across this blog called Recipes to Nourish and it is full of great resources for healthy foods! Check out their blog post from last Monday below. Its a simple recipe that can help with coughs. I thought it was appropriate now that fall is upon us and with is the cold/flu season.



Slippery Elm “Candies” for Coughs

Slippery Elm is wonderful for pesky coughs.  It helps soothe irritations, moisten dry throats and calm coughs.  When paired with raw honey (which is naturally antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal) it provides a wonderful natural remedy for coughs.

Slippery Elm “Candies”

These are so easy to make.  Make sure to always have some slippery elm powder on hand. 

Equipment: Small bowl

• ¼ cup slippery elm powder (See Resources)
• 3 tablespoons raw honey (I use local raw clover creamed)
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder or carob powder
• ½ - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon gluten free organic vanilla extract (I use Simply Organic)

1.    In a small bowl, add all ingredients.  With clean hands, mix to combine until it forms a dough.

2.   Break off small pieces of dough (about ½ - 1 teaspoon) and roll into little balls.  You can also roll dough into a thin “snake” and break off small pieces to roll into balls.

3.    Place in a bowl and leave out on the counter covered.  They will start to dry out a little becoming more like a lozenge.  They can be consumed right away as is or when they have dried. 

Yield: Makes about 40 mini "candies."

Dosage: Suck on these “candies” as often as needed.  Safe for children too (not babies due to the raw honey). 

Note: If you do not care for cacao or carob, omit and replace with extra slippery elm powder. 

Disclaimer: ALL information you read on Recipes to Nourish is purely for informational and educational purposes only.  I love to share and share with love, but I am not a health care practitioner.  This information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.  If you have questions about food, diet, nutrition, natural remedies or holistic health, please do your own research and consult with your health care practitioner.  

Acupuncture, Herbs, and The Flu

The kids are back and school and fall is starting to creep in with delightful sleeping weather. It also means for many that sinus infections are back as well as cold and flu attacks.

What can you do? 

* Recent studies show that acupuncture points have higher levels of white blood cells. Acupuncture by default boosts the immune system and has virtually no negative side effects.

Many patients comment on the lemon, cinnamon, evergreeny smell of the office. The scent comes from the essential oil blend called Thieves made by Young Living. Thieves got its name from a band of apothecaries during the Black Plague. They couldn't make a living selling their wares in the cities so they began stealing what valuables they could find from the dead bodies. The Kind of France finally caught up with them and offered not to kill them if they shared their secret in not getting sick. The apothecaries would take the herbs of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus and rosemary and wear on their bodies and over a scarf covering their faces.

Studies conducted at Weber State University during 1997 demonstrated Thieves killing power against airborne microorganisms. One analysis showed a 90% reduction in the number of gram positive micrococcus luteus organisms after diffusing the oil for 12 minutes, after 20 minutes of diffusing the killing jumped to 99.3%. Another study against the gram negative pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a kill rate of 99.96% after just 12 minutes of diffusion.

So make sure to breathe deeply while resting during your treatment as the Thieves oils are diffusing in the air! Thieves is available for purchase at NAP also.

Check this article on how chinese herbal formulas have shown to be as promising on swine flu as tamiflu. The article cautions on how finding these formulas can be difficult in the U.S. Your neighborhood acupuncturist has them. :)

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 

Herbal Remedy For Colds

Use this simple tea as a remedy for a cold as soon as you feel yourself getting sick.

You will need:

3 cups water

2-3 inches of fresh ginger root, sliced

4-5 scallions, white part only

peel of 2 tangerines

Place all of the above ingredients into a pot of 3 cups water.

Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for no more than 3-4 minutes.

Strain the ingredients and drink hot.

(if you want to sweeten tea, use brown sugar or honey)

Sarah Zender LAc

Stay Healthy This Fall

The season of autumn is now in full swing have you been feeling it creeping in?

In Chinese Medicine Autumn corresponds to the Lung, the most delicate of organs. It is believed that colds and flu attack the body from wind blowing on the neck. Think about the progression of a cold: stiff and achy neck and shoulders, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, fever or chills. If you were struggling with colds in the spring and did not harmonize way back then your body may be at a greater disadvantage now that the weather is again changing.

Some simple things you can do to protect your body:

Wear a scarf or shirts/turtlenecks that do not expose the chest and neck, layers are a plus and all of these are the latest fashion anyway! Avoid direct contact from an open window or fan when you are sleeping. This is when the body is most susceptible to wind invasion.

Get an Acupuncture tune-up session acupuncture helps harmonize the body to adapt to its environment and has only positive side effects. Refer back to How Can Acupuncture Help My Cold?

Massage the space between your thumb and index finger on both hands as well as the space between your eye brows. LI4 and Yin Tang acupressure points are a great preventative for colds. Massage until the area you are rubbing feels achy and turns slightly pink/red. Don't wait to feel sick, start this now and do it everyday.

Adjust Your Internal Clock Bears hibernate for the winter and so should you! Go to bed early and use this time to slow down and rest after a hectic summer.

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com 

How Can Acupuncture Help My Cold?

Can acupuncture help with _______? We get these questions all the time at Neighborhood Acupuncture Place. The easy answer is yes, acupuncture can help with that. I understand that most people need more of an explanation than this. With this in mind the next few blogs will highlight how acupuncture can help with specific ailments.

Eastern and Western approaches to the body and treatment of imbalances occasionally match up and occasionally look very different from each other.

You've probably had a cold before and may have experienced a stuffy nose, sore throat, runny nose, cough, aversion to cold, fever andheadache. Perhaps you were sick for a week and then started to feel better again or maybe your cold lingered for a few weeks. The common cold can come on during any of the four seasons. In western medicine your doctor might tell you your immune system is down or you were around other people with a cold and that's how you "caught" it.

In Chinese Medical theory external wind is thought to be the main cause of the common cold often times bringing with it cold, heat,summerheat or dampness. The Chinese believe that your tai yang channel (or in English the back of your neck) was exposed when you were outside or slept with a window open and the wind attacked your body. The neck could have been left open to attack because of improper clothing, lifestyle imbalances, constitutional deficiencies or a combination of all of these. Wind will commonly bring with it cold, heat and dampness.

Have you ever slept with air conditioning on, a fan blowing on your face or a window open when it was windy outside? Do you remember how you felt the next morning? Perhaps you had a scratchy throat, a crick in your neck, or headache. If your body was strong it might have been able to dispel the wind on its own. If there was already an imbalance in the body making it weak that could be all it took for the scratchy throat and stiff neck to turn into a full blown cold.

Your acupuncturist will be looking for specific patterns to correct. Treating wind-cold will be approached differently then wind-heat as will treating a cold when your qi (energy) is depleted. The complexityof the body rarely fits into a textbook outline.

Wind-cold may present with a strong dislike of coldness, a mild fever, no sweating, headache, aching body, stuffy and/or runny nose, scratchy throat, cough with thin white phlegm and not feeling thirsty.

In this case we are using acupuncture points and herbs that will dispel wind, remove the cold and strengthen the exterior (so that no more wind can get in).

Cinnamon twig is a good herb for wind-cold as it has warming properties and is usually found in herbal formulas used to treat wind-cold.

Self Care Tip: wrap yourself up in blankets and sweat out your cold

Wind-heat may present with a slight or no aversion to cold, fever is more prominent with sweating, headache, cough with thick yellowphlegm, dry or sore swollen throat, stuffy nose with yellow mucus and feeling thirsty.

In this case we are using acupuncture points and herbs to dispel wind, clear heat and strengthen the exterior.


Mint is a good herb for wind-heat as it has cooling properties and is usually found in herbal formulas used to treat wind-heat.

Self Care Tip: drink mint tea

Colds with underlying Qi Energy Deficiency may present with strong aversion to cold, fever, headache, nasal congestion, cough with white phlegm, tiredness, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

In this case we use acupuncture points and herbs to not only dispel wind, remove cold and strengthen the exterior but also to boost qienergy.

Moxabustion (burning an herb called mugwort) over acupuncture points can help to warm the body as well as cultivate more energy.

Cupping or guasha may also be used to dispel wind in any of these cases with special care taken if there is qi deficiency. For more info on cupping read the What is Cupping? blog.

Preventing Colds and Flus









Massage acu points yin tang (space between the eye brows) and LI 4 (highest point in the space between thumb and index finger) with your middle or index finger. Do this 2-3 times a day for 3-5 minutes until skin is slightly red and an aching or distended sensation is felt.

Ask your acupuncturist about herbal formulas that can prevent colds and flus before they start.

Testimony: 
Sarah, I have to thank you (fairly late, i know) for helping me a few weeks ago with my sinus infection. I was amazed at how wonderful I felt during your acupuncture session. I was back to normal and feeling great within a week, so thank you SO much for your skills and compassion!!
-Nicole M.

And a personal testimony to boot. I started to feel a scratchy throat coming on and was losing my voice with just the very beginnings of achiness in my body and heaviness in my chest on Saturday evening. It probably didn't help that I went out into the Chicago wind tunnel that night either. Sunday I did what I could at home: garggled with salt water, spoonfuls of honey, thieves mouthwash and rest. Monday I still wasn't feeling so hot. Kara bled my lu11 on both thumbs and within an hour the heat in the back of my throat dissipated. I rested the remainder of the day and went to bed at 8:00p. This morning my voice is not 100% yet but there is no pain in my throat and the rest of my body feels just fine.

Practical Therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine by Yan Wu was referenced for this blog.





Sarah Zender LAc


Neighborhood Acupuncture Place
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com 
What is Cupping

Harmonize in the Fall

Harmonize in the Fall with Acupuncture

The season of autumn is now in full swing. In Chinese Medicine Autumn corresponds to the Lung, the most delicate of organs as well as the skin and nose. In the fall, dryness is what our bodies are most susceptible to invasion of. Autumn is also the time of harvest, reaping the benefits of the summer months when more energy is available to us so that we can prepare for the cold of winter. Grief is the emotion of the season as well. If you are in the process of transition in your life, lost a loved one or job and have not taken the time to acknowledge this life change or are hiding behind grief to move forward you can actually weaken the body's natural defenses.

It is believed that colds and flu attack the body from wind blowing on the neck. Think about the progression of a cold: stiff and achy neck and shoulders, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, fever or chills. It is thought that when the body is weak and allows "wind" in to the body the wind can bring in other pathogens as well including cold, heat, dampness, and dryness.

Take a look at your own body. Is your skin or hair starting to get dry as we close the windows and turn the heat on? Have you caught a "cold" or flu recently and are unable to get away from the grip of a dry, hacking cough? Perhaps you are someone who "always" gets a cold in the fall, dry skin etc. This is not something that you must endure. It is possible that at one point your body was weakened from a cold or constitutional deficiency and a pathogen such as dryness is lurking in your body manifesting during its season of power. You can change your "always" to "used to" by visiting your acupuncturist for a seasonal tune-up session and herbal tonic to moisten and strengthen the body.

Some simple things you can do to protect your body are:

>>Wear a scarf or shirts/turtlenecks that do not expose the chest and neck, layers are a plus.

>>Avoid direct contact from an open window or fan when you are sleeping. This is when the body is most susceptible to wind invasion.

>>If the Fall is the time of year when you usually get sick now is the time to harmonize. Talk to your acupuncturist about what treatment plan is right for you.

>>Many herbal formulas are preventative ask your acupuncturist which formula is best for your body.

(picture from)http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Maple_leaf_structure.jpg

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com