Gratitude is a quality we can be constantly developing to feel more connected in our lives. With the slowing energy of Autumn and the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving with family and friends, we’re more likely to take pause at this time to appreciate all the blessings in our lives. One that I’d like to highlight today is the amazing human body.

Do you love and appreciate your body as it is? For many of us, the answer is “NO”.

There might be something about our appearance that we’d like to change. Or maybe we’ve had some health challenges that have made us feel betrayed by our bodies. Perhaps we DO go through periods of being very thankful for our physical state, but it’s only after a health scare or after someone close to us dies.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to be thankful for your body everyday? Imagine what that may look like.

With that degree of appreciation, we would drop many fears and insecurities. We would make fewer judgements about the appearance of other people too. Most notably, you’d probably stay well for longer stretches of time if you’re constantly checking in with your body, addressing the smallest complaints quickly with devoted self-care.

We all need help in this area. But women are especially sensitive to body image issues and many moms tend to become more disconnected to their bodies as they start to care for their children.

Below are a few ideas to help you feel truly thankful for this precious vehicle that has carried you so far in your life and will continue to do so, hopefully for many more decades to come.

How do you develop appreciation for your body?

1. Consider the body’s amazing capacity to heal

Most of our standard healthcare is focused on pathology. Fear of disease should not be your motivation for keeping your body well. Deep love and respect should be your motivation. To help you develop respect for your body, consider it’s amazing ability to maintain balance and heal.

Our immune system rushes to our aid whenever we have a cut or there’s a foreign microscopic invader. It’s runs on autopilot to keep your heart beating, breath moving, and temperature stable. It WANTS to find balance and is always giving you clues when it’s feeling overwhelmed.

To learn more, you might want to check out the new documentary HEAL which chronicles the health journey of several people who are trying to befriend their bodies and investigate how thoughts and emotions (in response to the outside world) affect their physical health.

2. Seek out natural solutions to aid your body

Mind-body exercises (yoga, qigong, taichi) and holistic medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, Aromatherapy, etc.) work WITH the body and help it heal itself.

In my practice, I find that the people who embrace the modalities that I offer take more responsibility for their health, feel empowered as they get better, and are truly grateful as they see their body change and adapt.

3. Consider the qualities that make you unique

I am short, muscular, and curvy – very far from the “ideal” lithe body that many women long for. As a tween and even through young adulthood people would tease me about working out a lot (which I did not) and it felt horrible.

But over the years I was able to accept the dichotomy of being strong AND feminine. And now I know that other people’s opinions about my body don’t matter.

We all have something about us that may seem different from others. Can you shift your mind and see this as a gift instead of something that makes you seem strange or different?

4. Fill your wardrobe with clothes that fit

Honestly, I need to take my own advice here. I am very, very slowly losing weight and I have a few pre-pregnancy items (7+ yrs. old!) that I’m still longing to get into. Why? I seriously don’t know and they are taking up space.

Are you doing the same? Maybe we should donate those clothes so people who are that size right now can wear them right now. We can fill our wardrobe with clothes that are appealing and comfortable, and not crowd it with those that remind us of our former self or a future ideal.

5. Support clothing companies that value a body-positive image

I love using my money to support causes and companies that share my values.

Beyond Yoga is where I buy most of my yoga clothes because they are made in the USA, carry sizes from XXS to XXL, and use photos on their website of women of all shapes and sizes too.

 

Shopping with an inclusive brand can really help if you’re needing a boost of body image acceptance. Here’s a few more brands you may want to look at:

5 Fashion brands that totally promote body positivity

6. Adorn your body

Nice form-fitting outfits, jewelry, makeup, slathering with essential oils – even getting piercings and tattoos – are ways many of us like to highlight our favorite features and honor our bodies.

7. Listen to your body

Again, your body is amazing and is always communicating with you! But the mind is powerful and can easily overlook these messages and even discount them.

If you want to accept your body as it is, you’ll need to take a good honest look at it’s condition. Accepting does not mean that we leave it alone though! Instead, we make conscious changes to give it what it needs. The following are typically alarm signals that the body is needing extra support:

• Pain

• Numbness

• Unintentional weight gain/loss

• Skin rashes/outbreaks

• Digestive disturbances

• Frequent illnesses

• Fatigue

• Dizziness

• Disturbed sleep

We can thank our body for these messages, see all of this without shame, and move forward to give the body what it needs to come into balance (perhaps also asking for help from a health professional).

8. Appreciate it’s ability to experience pleasure

The way the body communicates with us is not all negative! Let’s thank it for it’s ability to experience pleasure as well. How?

• Make your sex life a greater priority

• Get regular massages or do self-massage

• Take long, hot baths with pleasant smelling, therapeutic essential oils

• Nourish your body with yummy but healthy foods (balance needs vs. cravings)

• For exercise, do what is fun, what you enjoy!

• Invest in self-care!

9. Move forward without regrets

Cultivating gratitude for the body requires us to live fully in the present moment.

I know a few people right now who are overwhelmed with health challenges and are constantly comparing their current condition with how they used to be in the past. It’s important to learn from the past, but then to move forward with this new knowledge.

Need inspiration? Check out this article that highlights 3 amputee yoginis who use their Instagram feeds to teach body positivity and help others embrace their current condition.

View this post on Instagram

Today's goals are tomorrow's milestones. #DailyMotivation #YogaInspo #BeMoreHuman #BetterThanYesterday #PushYourLimits #me #life #yoga #yogi #coach #asana #amputee #live #change #inspire #dream #namaste #yogateacher #spiritual #serenity #warrior #mission #amputeelife #bethechange #journey #freedom #salute #TestYourStrengths #NoExcuses #AmputeeYoga @kelseykoch 📸: @mikenaddeophoto

A post shared by Kelsey Koch (@kelseykoch) on Oct 29, 2017 at 7:36pm PDT

10. Use positive affirmations

Positive affirmations can be a great tool in changing unhelpful negative behavior like body shaming.

Simply use a search engine or Pinterest and input “body positive affirmations” to find one that matches what you need to be thankful for your body as it is. Here’s one that I like:

Do you have other ideas to help cultivate gratitude for our bodies and our health? We’d love to hear them!

Poor grains!

They are foe to many people trying to improve their gut health. They’re completely absent from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), the Gut And Psychology Syndrome (GAPs) diet, and are a definite no-no in the Paleo, Primal, and Ketogenic Diets, all of which help people heal from digestive disorders, behavior/psychological disorders, chronic disease, and are believed to prevent heart disease and cancer.

The main reasons for refraining from grains are:

1. Many are grown and harvested conventionally with huge amounts of herbicides and pesticides and the remaining residue can damage one’s gut flora and lining.
2. Numerous people have developed a gluten sensitivity (likely from the point above) or have celiac disease.
3. Refined, or processed grains break down to glucose faster than whole grains and elevate blood sugar levels. Over time with a high refined grain diet, insulin sensitivity can decrease and set you up for metabolic disorders like Diabetes.
4. They are abrasive to the gut lining and too much grain consumption can cause leaky gut.
5. Many people eat a lot of processed, refined grains which have little nutritional value.
6. People tend to favor grains over vegetables and fruits, and therefore can become deficient in certain vitamins and antioxidants.

I’ve been on a low carbohydrate diet for over a year now, strongly limiting grains to just rice a couple of times a week and an occasional splurge on popcorn. Reducing grains and increasing vegetables may be one of the reasons my digestion and thyroid function are improving, in addition to increasing fat and eating more whole foods in general.

I do miss having more grains in my diet though. After reading Andrew Sterman’s In Praise of Grains, I’m feeling hopeful about bringing them back in a very selective manner that does not create any of the problems listed above.

I highly suggest reading Sterman’s post, which is full of details regarding grains in TCM dietetics, the nutritional benefits of specific grains, and includes some tasty recipes.

I pulled out some of the main points here because I know the information can help a lot of people who find changing their diet difficult. I believe it’s possible to keep grains close to our hearts and on our plates and still feel nourished!

Grains in Traditional Chinese Medicine

TCM considers grains to be very grounding and they enhance digestion by strengthening the stomach, small intestine, spleen, and pancreas.

Because they are varied along the cooling to warming spectrum, there’s a grain out there suitable for each person’s constitution.

There is a concern about glutinous grains (wheat, rye, and barley) in TCM too, as well as modern nutrition. They’re considered unsuitable for those with heat or inflammatory conditions, and this is because they are so warming in nature.

Benefits of Grains in Modern Physiology

The 3 regions of the small intestine each specialize in digesting certain nutrients. The duodenum in the upper tract moves amino acids to the liver as it digests proteins. The jejunum in the middle section digests carbohydrates and lipids with the help of pancreatic enzymes. And the ileum in the lower section ferments the remaining undigested food with beneficial gut bacteria.

Keeping grains in the diet gives the jejunum more varied carbohydrates to work with, helping to balance out the roles of the upper and middle tract and feeding the beneficial bacteria in the lower tract. These bacteria are important because they produce vitamins essential for our health and also secrete mucus that keeps the digestive tract moist and protects the lining.

How To Keep Grains In Your Diet

Your gut health may be in jeopardy if you’re constantly getting sick, experiencing gas/bloating, or having chronic diarrhea or constipation, inflammatory reactions, or a behavioral/psychological disorder. Again, the diets I mentioned in the beginning are the best for fixing your gut quickly.

However, I have experienced as a practitioner that these diets are too extreme for some people, especially for picky eaters (kids) who don’t like vegetables or for families with limited lifestyle choices (like those eating vegan for ethical reasons). Backing off of grains and being more selective may be the best option initially.

Below are some suggestions you can try to see if reducing grains or eating more high quality grains can remain in your diet while you continue to heal.

Suggestions:

• Try reducing or eliminating sugar (even honey & maple syrup), so any grains you consume won’t be adding to the blood sugar problems.
• Simplify meal combinations so the gut can assimilate your meals easier.
• Add sprouts to your diet, which in TCM dietetics, help to digest grains.
• Soak your grains for 7+ hours to reduce phytic acid and make them easier to digest.
• Rotate grains – too much of the same one can eventually slow digestion.
• Only consume organic grains.
• Avoid GMO corn (can damage gut lining) and again, make sure it’s organic.
• Do not load up on popcorn (very constipating). Corn can be eaten as a porridge (polenta or grits) and corn tortillas.
• Limit grain consumption to less than 3 servings per day.
• Only eat whole grains. Reduce or eliminate bread, pasta, processed cereals, and crackers.
• If you’re having a hard time with grains and want to try eliminating them, do so in this order: (1) wheat, (2) barley & rye, (3) corn, (4) oats, (5) rice, millet, and pseudo-grains like quinoa and teff.

Are you concerned about what your grain consumption is doing to your gut health, but not ready to remove it completely? I’m interested to see if these suggestions help it improve! Please let me know what you think in the comments.

Constipation probably isn’t something you talk about with friends, though if you asked them, you’d be surprised how many suffer from the condition often.

Large Intestine (LI) 4

(Contraindicated in pregnancy)

Locate this point at the peak of the mound above the end-crease of the thumb & first finger.

Clockwise massage on belly to stimulate large intestine

With one of the diluted essential oils mentioned above this list, massage the abdomen in a clockwise circle, tracing the outline of the large intestine with firm but tolerable pressure. Repeat several times.

After completing this sequence, you may want to go for a relaxed walk. Feel your energy moving down into your feet to further release tension from your body. You can then sit on the toilet, breathing deeply to encourage a relaxed bowel movement. If it doesn’t come easily, don’t push! Just repeat this sequence later until the time is right.

Once the bowels are moving again, this sequence can then be used daily as a preventative measure.

Of course if you have any stabbing pain, if there’s dark blood, or signs that your condition may be a more serious issue, seek the help of a health practitioner.

I sincerely hope this acupressure sequence aids any of you who suffer from constipation. Please reach out if you need further help!

Halloween is a favorite holiday for many families. We love the parties, the spooky decorations, and parading around the neighborhood in frightfully delightful costumes. But celebrating with enormous amounts of sugar can make it downright dreadful!  I have some tips for a healthy Halloween that you’ll appreciate!

If you’re like me, you’re bracing yourself for the endless negotiations with your kids for treats at parties and on Halloween night. And you’re also wanting to avoid the inner battle of whether you should binge on left over candy.

Over-consumption of sugar right now can lower your immune system response, damage beneficial gut flora, and make you more likely to get sick. And no doubt, if you continue to indulge after the holiday, it can negatively affect your physique.

Is it possible to have a healthy Halloween without taking away all the fun?

Absolutely!

Here are several tips you can try that will get you through this festive time, without any regrets.

5 Tips for A Healthy Halloween

1. Bring healthy Halloween party food

Who said Halloween party food has to be sugary and full of artificial colors and flavors? You can bring healthy items that everyone will enjoy eating. Here are a few ideas you may want to try:

Tangerine Pumpkins and Banana Ghosts by Weelicious

3. Prepare for trick-or-treating with balanced meals

For the days surrounding Halloween, you can help prepare your child’s body for the treats to come by making sure they eat 3 well-balanced meals.

What does this mean? See here for my specific dietary advice for kids.  Basically, I recommend school-age children get approximately:

• 50% of calories from complex carbohydrates (mostly veggies & fruits with twice as many veggies, limit grains to 2-3 servings/day)
• 25-30% protein (free-range organic meat, fish, eggs, whole-fat yogurt, nuts, seeds, quinoa, and beans)
• 20-25% fat (olives, avocado, coconut, macadamia nuts, butter, egg yolk, fatty fish like salmon, flax oil)

Adding good fats to your child’s diet is critical to helping with blood sugar balance. It may also help keep them full longer, so they’re less likely to binge on candy.

You can also help manage blood sugar surges by taking a shot of apple cider vinegar diluted in water prior to each meal. It may be hard for children to accept, but they may try it if you say it’s necessary before eating candy.

4. Limit candy consumption

Last year I tried to be a cool mom by letting my son gorge on as much candy as he wanted when he returned home from trick or treating. And for the first time in his life he passed out during bedtime stories before 9pm. For us, this was a huge deal because my son has never been one to “crash” and has always been a night owl.

He thinks this story is hilarious. I think it’s horrifying. And I’m not going to do it again.

This year, we’re going to have a healthy, fatty snack after trick-or-treating and maybe just a few pieces of candy. And it will be given this way for a few days until we decide what to do with the rest of the candy. Perhaps that will work for your family too.

Now the #5 tip, what do you do with all that candy?

5. Give the candy away

It’s hard to fully embrace a healthy lifestyle if you’re eating handfuls of leftover Halloween candy each day. To resolve this problem, consider…

• Making a deal with your child – I know some parents who trade money for their candy, or toys for candy. There’s also the Switch Witch who leaves a special gift in exchange for piles of candy.

• Donate the candy – Operation Gratitude collects candy through their Halloween Candy Give-back for deployed troops & first responders. You can find a participating company, club, or dentist in your area at this link. Here in Redwood City, CA Roy Dental is one of the donation spots.

• Dump it – my son usually forgets about the candy after a few days, so I just keep a handful and either throw the rest out (because really, candy is not good for anyone), or my husband takes it to work. This year, we’ll try to donate it.

How do you deal with the sugar overload during Halloween? Do you have any rules for your family about candy? We’d love to hear how you manage!  Please let us know your own tips for a healthy Halloween!

When it comes to seasonal foods of Autumn, I think most everyone in the U.S. would agree that pumpkin is at the top!  I have some healthy pumpkin recipes for you in this article that will satisfy your craving for this tasty squash.

I wrote earlier about my love of of Fall and how it’s necessary to change our activity level, diet, and lifestyle in order to stay healthy throughout the season. Incorporating pumpkin into your diet is a great way to adjust and also add some variety and flare to your family kitchen.

Nutritional Benefits of Pumpkin

In addition to being a yummy food, fleshy pumpkin pulp is a valuable remedy in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dietetics. Pumpkin has a cool and sweet nature according to TCM. Therefore, it can help with many “heat” or inflammatory conditions such as dysentery, diabetes, eczema, and stomachaches.

Pumpkin seeds are just as valuable as the pulp. They’re high in protein, iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, copper, vitamin E, and have many other nutritional benefits.

In TCM, pumpkin seed (called Nan gua zi) is an effective herbal remedy for prostate and bladder issues and is strong enough to expel stubborn parasites.

How to Incorporate Pumpkin Into Your Diet

If the thought of working with a whole pumpkin in the kitchen sounds too daunting, no worries. You can buy canned or boxed pumpkin  (BPA-free) instead and pumpkin seeds from most grocery stores. We like eating raw, sprouted seeds in our house, like this Go Raw brand.

We’re in the middle of an emergency here in Northern California, as wind-fueled wildfires have been raging for days. We’re coming together as a community to support the families who have been displaced, but it’s becoming clear that even those of us further from direct harm are being negatively impacted.

There’s at least 80 miles between my home and the closest fire, yet we’re experiencing major air pollution, with some people reporting that there’s ash on their cars. Now I’m wondering how many small particles we’re inhaling without knowing.

This concern prompted me to research the best practices to protect our lungs when threatened by smoke or pollution since there’s a possibility that air quality will continue to worsen for us.

I’ve collected some of advice, much of which is from the CDC’s guidelines for protection from wildfire smoke. I’ve included my own personal thoughts as well about how to keep your lungs naturally healthy and strong.

Even though much of this will seem obvious, I’m sure there are still many of you out there trying to continue on with your day-to-day routine. You may not realize your health is at risk and perhaps looking at this list will help you make wiser choices.

How to Protect Yourself From Smoke & Air Pollution

1. Become familiar with Air Quality Index and consider how to adjust and when to evacuate

You can search for your city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) on AIRNow. Here in Redwood City the AQI is currently at 108 which is “Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups” meaning that children, senior citizens, and anyone with lung or heart issues should avoid heavy exertion. I was happy to see that at my son’s gym the young athletes were taking it easy today. At the health club where I teach yoga, all outdoor exercise classes were cancelled.

Tomorrow our AQI is going to be 165 – considered “Unhealthy“. This means the entire population should avoid heavy exertion. All classes, outside and inside of the health club are cancelled for tomorrow.

My husband and I are starting to talk about what are plans are if the AQI reaches 201, “Very Unhealthy” since I will not feel comfortable staying beyond that. It’s a good idea to have this discussion with your family too and formulate your emergency plan.

2. Stay inside with doors & windows shut

This is not the time to worry about your child’s amount of outside time or to go out for your daily walk or run. It’s best to stay in our modern dwellings where we have a good amount of protection from particles floating around outside.

3. If possible, invest in an air purifier

We purchased a small HEPA filter when my son was born to ensure that air quality in his bedroom was ideal. Lucky for us, we recently replaced it with a much bigger model that will purify the whole upstairs, perhaps the entire home.

Buying a good quality air purifier is a great investment if you routinely have poor air quality in your town or live in a place like our dry California where wildfires naturally occur every year. Check out The Best Air Purifier Reviews (updated March 2018) to help you make a wise selection.

4. Remember to keep the air in your car clean as well

Turn on the air conditioning but keep the intake vent closed to recirculate filtered air in the car.

5. Limit in-home activities that make pollution worse

Using fireplaces and smoking indoors are obvious hazards to indoor air pollution, but so is burning candles and using gas stoves. The CDC also discourages vacuuming, as it will stir up even more particles in the air.

What about diffusing essential oils?

I have several friends who are advising that we clear the air with essential oils. Before doing this myself, I looked around online and came across an exchange between Robert Tisserand (highly regarded English Aromatherapist and author of Essential Oil Safety) and one of his readers.

In Q&A: I’m choking on wildfire smoke! Can EO help? his reader asks if he should continue diffusing eucalyptus and myrtle when trees, homes, plastics, and other burning toxins are polluting the air.

Robert responds:

“When the air quality is really bad such as from wildfires, inhaling essential oils can add to the respiratory burden. You probably don’t want oils high in monoterpenes – citrus, pines etc. Antioxidant oils such as thyme, oregano, clove might help, but I don’t have any evidence of this, it’s a theoretical benefit. It’s a tricky question, and we will know more in time, but right now I’d say be careful with inhalation of any essential oil.”

This is my sense as well. As much as I love essential oils and recommend them for various conditions, I can not recommend diffusing in this case since I’m not positive about the risks or benefits (I am still applying oils topically to boost my cellular health). Oils will help open your airways, but they will not remove the small particles from the air as an air purifier does. You’ll have to decide for yourself if you’d like to diffuse, and maybe just stick with the antioxidant oils that Robert recommends. Just remember that our children have smaller lungs and will be burdened much sooner than us adults.

6. Don’t rely on hardware store masks to protect yourself

Unfortunately dust masks do not protect against smaller air particles from wildfires that are likely to cause the most damage to the respiratory tract. Neither do bandanas or scarves.

If you’re investing in a fine particle respirator, just be aware that they have their drawbacks too, as many doctors acknowledge. They do not filter out toxins, are not made for children, and are difficult to breathe in for people with respiratory issues. It’s best to stay indoors, which cuts down on at least 50% of the pollution.

7. Keep your body healthy by eating fruits & vegetables high in antioxidants and consider taking vitamin supplements

Hopefully you’ve been working on keeping your body healthy by getting plenty of sleep, managing stress, and eating seasonal foods. But when you’re feeling threatened by the environment this way, sleep may suffer and stress may escalate. This is a great time to load up on foods high in antioxidants.

Increasing vitamin C in your diet can combat ANY kind of stress. You may want to re-read the article: Is Extra Vitamin C A Reliable Key To Good Health? for more information about recommended forms and doses.

I’m also a firm believer in using prayer and positive affirmations to stay healthy and well. Let’s lift each other up and get through this California!

If you have any recommendations to add, please let us know in the comments.

2. Boost Your Immune Response With Supplements

This is the time to supplement if you can’t get enough good quality food into your family’s diet.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C can reduce symptoms of the common cold and flu by 85%, but the source and dose of this vitamin are both important. Please revisit our post Is Extra Vitamin C A Reliable Key To Good Health? to learn why increasing your daily intake is wise, how much you should take, and in what form.

Zinc

Zinc has also been proven to reduce the duration of colds if used immediately. Studies show that 75mg of zinc, the equivalent of 3-4 lozenges per day while sick, is needed to get over colds quicker. Lozenges are more effective and safer than sprays. You’ll just want to choose some natural varieties that are very low in sugar.

Echinacea & Goldenseal

Echinacea and goldenseal are Western herbs that many people find useful to help squash out colds. A friend was just telling me that her 7 yr old son took a highly concentrated echinacea tincture on the first day of a viral infection. His fever dropped immediately and he barely had any symptoms the next day.

We keep tinctures of both herbs in our house (and I’m currently growing echinacea in our garden!) However, I tend to use Chinese herbs more for my family and clients, simply because I have more experience with them.

3. TCM Home Remedies For The Common Cold

In our last post, The Wise Agree: Bundling Up Is Necessary To Prevent Colds, we talked about the common cold from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

In TCM, Wind-Cold is the term for the initial signs of a cold. What I haven’t mentioned yet is that there is another condition called Wind-Heat that is sometimes a progression of the common cold, or the manifestation of a cold in someone who has a warmer constitution, or even the same viral infection but in warmer weather.

To be treated with TCM, it’s VERY important to know which type of illness you have since the symptoms are quite different and therefore so is the treatment. Of course going to a TCM practitioner for a diagnosis is best. In addition to acupuncture & herbs, practitioners can do cupping and gua sha treatments which can significantly shorten a cold and provide immediate relief for body aches.

Once you have experience in this system though, working with home remedies may get you by just fine if you’re not able to make it into the clinic.

Wind cold

When we catch Wind-Cold we experience a combination of:

• aversion to cold
• chills
• stiff neck & body
• headache
• runny nose
• sneezing
• clear or white phlegm

The goal is to warm the body and open the pores to “release the cold exterior”, which basically means to induce sweating. We can do this by:

• Taking a hot bath
• Massage your neck and upper back with warming oils (see essential oil section below)
• Eat warm, simple soups like miso with ginger & scallions
• Drink warming teas with ginger and cinnamon

Be sure that once you start sweating you cover up quickly and stay warm until you’re well. Avoid cold, raw, or greasy foods (definitely NO dairy).

Wind heat

The approach above is NOT appropriate if you have symptoms of Wind-Heat. How does heat manifest in the body?

• Feeling hot (whether or not there is a fever)
• Sore or scratchy throat
• Dry cough
• Yellow phlegm
• Congested nose

The goal is to “clear heat to release exterior” and it’s done by:

• Massaging with cooling oils (see essential oil section below)
• Drinking plenty of water and cooling peppermint tea
• Eating only when hungry and then simple foods like miso soup, steamed pears, kelp & seaweed
• Taking Yin Qiao – herbal formula available at Whole Foods and other health food stores (only appropriate for Wind-Heat since it contains many cooling herbs)

Continue to stay bundled up and avoid cold, raw, greasy foods as well as hot foods like ginger, cinnamon, onion, and garlic.

4. Essential Oils

Aromatherapy is always a first-line treatment in my family. I also use essential oils in combination with TCM treatments in the clinic.

To dilate the nasal passages and improve respiration for family members and clients alike, I diffuse dōTERRA’s Breathe blend. I typically combine this with Frankincense to give the immune system an extra boost.

Combined with TCM treatments, I use Wild Orange plus a few warming oils like Clove Bud, Ginger, or Cinnamon diluted in plenty of Fractionated Coconut carrier oil for Wind-Cold. For Wind-Heat, the Breathe blend mentioned above or anything with a base of cooling peppermint is appropriate.

I hope this information helps prepare you for any colds that you or a family member come down with!

What is your first course of action when you get a cold? Do you have any remedies that we should know about? Let’s help each other out by discussing in the comments!

The benefits of gelatin have been known for quite awhile in cultures where traditional diets are prevalent and respected.

But if you’re like me and grew up in the suburbs on popular processed foods, your only exposure to this super nutritious food is in the form of sugary Jell-O brand gelatin. (It was actually an obsession of mine for quite a while – I even had a Jell-O recipe book as a tween!)

Gelatin could be the missing link to restore your health, so it’s important for us to become familiar with it’s many benefits and ways to include it into our diet (besides eating boxed Jell-O).

The Benefits of Gelatin

Gelatin is a protein derived from collagen, which resides in the skin, bones, and connective tissue of animals. You know, the parts of the animal that we tend to throw out in our culture!

Are you aware of these important benefits of gelatin (and collagen)?