A Comfort Food to Heal Your Gut & Slow Aging

by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

In Chinese culture, porridge, known as congee, is an essential food for health and rejuvenation.

Congee is essentially a thick soup that can be made using a variety of different grains and sometimes legumes such as adzuki and mung beans.

Though rice is traditionally the most common grain used for this soup, millet and barley are common substitutes because of their unique therapeutic properties.

Millet has the ability to nourish the Yin of the Lungs and Stomach to support hydration and barley is used to nourish blood, cool the Liver and strengthen the digestive system when there is bloating and a weak appetite. Barley can also help build muscle and drain excessive fluid stagnation.

The History of Congee as Medicine

The popularization of congee for medicinal purposes goes back to the Tang Dynasty, the period between 618 to 907 AD, considered to be one of the glorious and progressive periods of civilization in Chinese history. 

Much later during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), one of the most prominent physicians in the history of Chinese Medicine, Li Shi-zhen listed 62 medicinal congees in his classic herbal compendium called Ben Cao Gan Mu, or The Great Outline of Materia Medica.

Today, congee has become a daily staple in Chinese cuisine and an important part of healing regimens for people with digestive disorders and general weakness.

Hydration as a Basis for Yin Nourishment

The Yin aspect of the body relates to the fluids and its structure. Therefore, hydration along with protein dense foods that nourish collagen are critical to maintain your Yin and keep your body’s tissues moist, your joints supple, your skin and muscles firm, your hair lustrous and blood vessels strong. 

The word collagen is rooted in the Greek word '“kolla” meaning glue, denoting the important function of collagen to help maintain the integrity and elasticity of your structure.

As we’ve all experienced, when glue dries up it loses its ability to bind and hold things together. The same thing happens as we age—our collagen dries up and the body gets brittle and flabby.

Your body’s hormones are also a form of Yin.  As Yin declines with aging, the hormones become depleted and along with this development are symptoms of dryness including dry skin, dry joints, dry eyes, and dry mucous membranes.

The decline of Yin is a natural process of aging, but this process of degeneration can be sped up or slowed down depending on your lifestyle.

Yin dries up when heat is generated by the body through any form of excess in your life.

This can be a result of overwork, excessive exercise, excessive exposure to the sun, excessive use of stimulants, alcohol and certain medications, and excessive sexual activity.

How to Support Your Yin

Diet is a key component to support the nourishment of your Yin.

If your diet is moistening and hydrating, your Yin will tend to be healthy. On the other hand, if your diet is too drying which generates heat, this will tend to damage your Yin and lead to accelerated aging.

What you eat thus makes a huge difference in maintaining your constitutional Yin and your exposure to foods that are drying, overheating and overstimulating all contribute to a more rapid deterioration of your Yin.

Since your dietary choices determine to a great extent how you nourish your Yin, this gives you the power to support this critical aspect of your body and your life.

According to Chinese Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach organs are the basis of postnatal nourishment by supporting the production of Stomach Yin.

Stomach Yin equates to the fluids generated by the digestive process that maintain the Yin for all the other systems of the body.

Stomach Fluids as the Basis of Wellness

The Yin produced by the Stomach is called the Jin-Ye which is simply known as the Stomach Fluids.  In Chinese Medicine, however, the Jin and the Ye are different types of fluids that support different structures.

Jin is considered to be the Thin Fluids and Ye is the Thick Fluids.

A western medical association would be the fluids produced and released by the exocrine glands are Thin Fluids and fluids released by the endocrine glands are Thick Fluids.

Exocrine glands secrete fluid through ducts both internally and to the exterior of the body. Endocrine glands, on the other hand, secrete fluids (including hormones) directly into the blood to regulate metabolism, growth, reproduction and other functions.

The Thin ‘Jin’ exocrine fluids moisten the sensory orifices including the eyes, nose, mouth and ears so they can function properly and discharge fluids to the exterior.

The Thin Fluids also nourish the skin to produce sweat and help nourish the skin, the hair and the sinews to keep the tendons strong and supple.  

The Thin Jin fluids also transform into Wei Qi, which is not a liquid but a gaseous state that flows both internally and externally to provide protection as it supports your immune system. Through the transformation of the Thin Jin Fluids into Wei Qi, the thyroid gland also gets supported by the Stomach’s Yin.

The Thick Ye endocrine fluids, on the other hand, condense and become heavy which draws the thick Ye fluids inward into the level of something solid to nourish the organs, the bones, the marrow, and the brain. 

The Thick Ye Fluids are also the basis for the body’s sexual reproductive hormones indicating how diet is key in supporting not only fertility but also regeneration of the body.

Eat Congee to Nourish Your Stomach Yin

Soups and stews are a fundamental way to nourish your fluids and support all of these important systems.

The basic recipe to cook soupy rice congee is as follows:

1. Preparation: rinse the rice. For long grain and especially brown rice, after rinsing cover the rice with water in a bowl and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Pour the water out then cook. This will allow the rice to break-up more in the cooking process and create a creamier porridge.

2. Cook 1 cup rice to 5-8 cups of water to create a soupy gruel. The more starchy short-grain rice makes for a more creamy congee but long grain basmati and brown rice can also be used. First bring the water to boil, add the rice and reduce the flame to a simmer.

3. Add sea salt or pink Himalayan salt to taste. Cook for 2 or more hours depending on the consistency you want to create.

   If you intend to create a soupy congee, put more water and cook longer. If you want a more savory and nourishing congee, substitute Bone Broth for a portion of the water.

Congee can also be prepared in a crock pot overnight.

After preparing the basic soup, you can add meat and vegetables to your taste to enhance the flavor of the congee and add in extra protein and nutrients.

Modifications:

Add 5 individual scallions (green onion) chopped with about 1 inch chunk of ginger sliced or diced.

Scallions and ginger are included especially when a person feels an acute chill and body aches with early onset of a cold. If a person tends to just feel sensitivity to cold, a weak appetite, symptoms of nausea, then simply adding ginger is best to warm up the Spleen and Stomach and enhance digestion.

Ginger is also anti-inflammatory and therefore benefits indigestion or gastric upset due to stomach inflammation caused by a deficiency of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid/HCL), or what is called Cold in the Stomach according to Chinese Medicine.

To add more protein to your congee, you can consider stirring in about 5 grams of Collagen Peptides and this can be consumed 2-3 times per day.

And as the photo suggests, you can add in meat and vegetables to your cooked congee to create a more wholesome meal.

When to Be Cautious with Regular Consumption of Congee

Even though one of the great benefits of congee is its hydrating property, the most common grain used for its preparation is rice which is a diuretic. Therefore if you suffer from frequent or excessive urination, known as polyuria, you need to eat rice congee with some caution so as to not overstimulate the loss of fluids. 

Polyuria is often rooted in a Qi deficiency and more severely excessive urination can be associated with a Yang deficiency if a person is also very cold and weak. 

In addition, barley and mung beans are often eaten as porridge for detoxification and these too are diuretics. So extra caution needs to be taken if excessive urination is a problem since diuretics will further drain the Qi and exhaust the Yang making a person colder and weaker.

Therefore, if you want to use congee to build back the strength of your digestive system and polyuria is a concern, I suggest using millet rather than rice or barley to reduce the diuretic effect of your porridge.

In Summary

Nourishing your Stomach Fluids through hydrating foods is fundamental to nourish every aspect of your body.

Congee which is most commonly a rice porridge that is also made from a other grains and some legumes is a staple in Chinese cuisine to nourish Stomach fluids, restore gut health and heal a variety of health disorders.

In fact, there are a plethora of modifications to make congee a medicine to remedy many health conditions. This article is an introduction to this rich and important part of Chinese Medicine cuisine and we’ll be presenting specific recipes used to address many of today’s common ailments in our nutrition program that will be available soon.

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Want to know how to
heal yourself with food?

Learn to use Classical Chinese Dietetics to create your custom nutrition plan so you can let go of overwhelm with food for good. Join the waitlist to get free insights & be the first to know when enrollment opens for our one-of-a-kind course.

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Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, CA, a wellness clinic he runs with his wife, Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac., that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine & Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare non-insertion form of Acupuncture using Gold and Silver needles. Learn more at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers a one-of-a-kind form of empowerment coaching, clinical services, and transformational workshops and online courses that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com. 

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Setting Boundaries is Essential to Your Health

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

About a year ago, my husband and I adopted a 1 year old Italian Greyhound mix we named Crystal. When we first brought her home from the rescue, she was terrified of everything. In fact, she'd spend most mornings hiding under our China cabinet shivering when we'd take her out of her crate.

She'd obviously been traumatized and likely been abused, so we decided to hire a trainer to help break her out of her fear.

After some trial and error, we hired Mike, an experienced trainer who would gently force her to stay present each time she got fearful and wanted to run away. By essentially forcing her to move into her fear it didn't take long for Crystal to realize she was safe and there was nothing to fear. Through this initially challenging process, Crystal quickly became loving and trusting of our trainer who created a very strong boundary with her.

Crystal loves to feel contained. Boundaries are essential for all beings to feel safe.

The training worked wonders and though she resisted the process during many of the sessions, Crystal became more relaxed, more trusting and more affectionate after each session. Mike also helped us learn how to assertively yet lovingly hold boundaries to heal her behavior. 

The stronger we set boundaries around her reaction to fear, the more relaxed she became.

As a result, the anxiety and fear that once ruled Crystal settled down, and she continues to feel more safe and be more present than ever.

Humans have similar behavior patterns. Healthy boundaries between children and parents are crucial to cultivating healthy relationships and to prevent enabling unhealthy behavior patterns. Held with love, compassion and respect, boundaries help create a sense of stability and safety.

In Chinese Medicine, this sense of safety and security is supported by the Earth element as the basis for establishing healthy boundaries. 

The Earth element rules our digestive system and helps us process both food and thoughts. Energetically, Earth relates to all transitions - seasonal and otherwise - and is the ruling element of the late Summer. It's most important to balance and strengthen the Earth element during these times, but since change is a constant in life and we're naturally always going through transitions, cultivating a healthy Earth is essential to all aspects of our health year round.

Boundaries and the Earth Element

The Earth Element is the fertile soil that allows plants to grow and flourish to provide nourishment and sustenance; it gives protection and shelter as well as stability and substance. 

Earth contains water, creates boundaries to define continents and carries us through space with stability. Earth represents safety, protection and our home base. 

Being centered, calm, and balanced, feeling at home, and having a sense of harmony and peacefulness are the essence of a healthy Earth energy. Creating a comfortable home and cooking for oneself and one's family are essential factors to nourishing the Earth energy in one's life.

Rice fields from our 2015 trip to China. Earth contains water and provides the fertile soil where nourishment can be cultivated.

Cultivating a healthy Earth means understanding and prioritizing our needs. If we pour all of our energy into helping others or work excessively, we'll have nothing left for ourselves. If we don't discipline ourselves around our diet and set boundaries around eating generally healthy foods, our health fails. If we continuously go to bed late because we don't have the discipline to stop working or watching TV at night, we slowly but surely deplete our blood, our Yin, and our essence, which accelerates our aging process.

In other words, strong boundaries around how and with whom we spend our time, what we eat and even when we sleep is fundamental to our health.

In the body, these boundaries are established by the Earth element organs that govern digestion, the Stomach and Spleen.

Nourishment and the Earth Element

Earth energy is about transformation; transformation of food into energy and raw material to rebuild the body, and transformation of our thoughts so we're not stuck obsessing about negative things and can have clarity of mind. 

Earth energy is also associated with our relationships with ourselves and others, which begins with our relationship to our family, especially our mothers. As the archetype for the Earth type personality, the Mother represents unconditional love and the nourishing qualities that exist within each of us.

Loving, supportive and nourishing parents help children understand they are accepted for who they are, which gives them a deep sense of security. Starting life with unconditional nourishment both through food and emotional support supports a calm and secure demeanor. It also prevents the development of excessive dependence on others to have one's needs met. 

Our first experience with nourishment comes from suckling at our mother's breast, ingesting the colostrum that activates our Earth energy.

Colostrum is so potent for the digestive system that it's been well established as a supplement to heal digestive disorders. For one thing, colostrum restores leaky gut to normal permeability levels. Serious health syndromes which we can recognize as Earth imbalances are now known to be associated with abnormally increased gut permeability. These include autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Colostrum can also benefit Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, chronic fatigue syndrome, hepatitis, fibromyalgia, asthma, and allergies. 

Colostrum contains growth factors and hormones to help repair damage to the intestinal lining, including damage caused by NSAIDS and other medications, and restore gut integrity. Colostrum is high in immunoglobulins to help control harmful fungi, such as Candida, and harmful bacteria, such as H. Pylori, which is known to cause ulcers. Colostrum has also been shown to increase the surface area of the intestinal lining to improve absorption of nutrients. And there are no known side effects from using colostrum.

Colostrum reduces inflammation, protects against irritation from toxins, prevents infection and promotes epithelial growth and repair. It's also a useful supplement to quickly boost the immune system following a strenuous workout or periods of intense stress. 

In this way, colostrum boosts Spleen Qi, which is fundamental for supporting Earth energy and therefore our ability to establish healthy boundaries.

Nourishment begins in the gut first with our mother through breast feeding and evolves into how we nourish ourselves. Thus the connection of the Earth element to our digestive function determines our ability to have healthy, harmonious relationships as well as strong immunity, or Spleen Qi.

Earth Element Imbalances

Physiologically, Earth element imbalances most commonly relate to weakness of the Spleen, which manifests as poor digestive function, as well as bruising and hemorrhaging. This is because the Spleen not only transports and transforms food and thoughts, but it is also the organ in Chinese Medicine that's responsible for holding blood in the vessels. A woman who has very heavy flow during her menses for example needs to focus on strengthening her Spleen and blood. Weak Spleen Qi can also cause leakage of Qi, which is a disorder we've discussed in a previous article.

Chronic digestive issues as well as eating disorders are common among people who have imbalances in their Earth element, which may have begun during childhood as a result of lack of nourishment emotionally and physically from one's parents or through excessive consumption of prescription drugs, especially antibiotics, which directly damage the gastrointestinal system.

When there is an Earth imbalance, or weakness in Spleen Qi, dampness or phlegm tends to develop in the body, which leads physiologically to weight gain and psychologically to obsessive thinking. This is why worry and pensiveness are common symptoms of imbalanced Earth energy.

Psychologically, Earth imbalance manifests as neediness, self-absorption, resentment or excessively self-sacrificing and lacking the ability to care for oneself.

A weak Earth also inhibits one's ability to hold strong personal boundaries, making one inclined to meddle in other people’s lives as a distraction from looking at herself or lack the personal boundaries to prevent other people from meddling in her life. 

Earth imbalance often creates a challenging relationship with both food and money, each of which energetically represent a form of nourishment that allows us to feel safe. 

People with an Earth imbalance will not only have digestive issues, but they'll often also have an unhealthy relationship with money management as well as with food, which that may result in eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia or simply addictions to food for comfort.

Balanced Earth means that we know how time, energy, food and money all fit into our lives. It allows us to feel abundant no matter how much we have. Therefore, an imbalanced Earth will cause us to feel lack, especially with our money and our energy.

Balancing Earth to Establish Healthy Boundaries

Having a more balanced Earth element helps us feel more calm, secure and nourished. When we feel more peace within, we can make our needs, and therefore our boundaries, more clear. Strong boundaries and a healthier relationship with ourselves allows us to then cultivate healthier relationships with others.

Here are some tips on how to strengthen the Spleen and your Earth element to help you establish stronger boundaries:

1. Cook - the physical act of preparing a meal nurtures the mind, body and soul.

2. Eat a healthy, low carbohydrate diet - carbohydrates and sugars increase the damp or fungal terrain in the body so it's important to reduce these foods and increase the consumption of leafy green vegetables, root vegetables and clean meats to clear this dampness, cultivate clarity and optimize your health.

3. Eat regular meals - Earth thrives on a regular daily rhythm.

4. Manage your time and money - Earth is about nurturing and abundance. Keeping track of how you spend your time helps you manage your energy. Managing your finances is another way to help consolidate your Earth energy and is an essential aspect to cultivating the feeling of security in your life. Money is energy which when circulated properly helps balance Earth energy.

5. Journal to replace worry and obsession with contemplation and reflection.

6.  Get involved in the community - find what organizations, church groups, charities, etc. interest you and see what role you can play to contribute.

Self-care is therefore essential to rebalance the Earth element. When your food, money, time and energy are properly managed, the mind becomes more clear and you're able to naturally set healthier boundaries that allow you to share the best aspects of yourself with others.

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Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com. 

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Food as a Mirror

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat” but what may be more true is that what you eat is a reflection of how you feel about yourself. 

When we make healthier food choices, we're also making choices about the quality with which we want to live our lives.

A healthy lifestyle comes from knowledge through the proper resources but also through tuning in with the self. Adapting a healthy lifestyle means looking at all aspects of your life – your work, relationships and your diet.

Proper nutrition is one of the primary pillars of healthy living and, for a lot of people, it’s also one of the most challenging. My hope is to empower you to be more conscious of your diet because it is one of the most impactful aspects of your health over which you have total control.

 

Food and Digestion According to Chinese Medicine

According to Chinese Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach are the primary organs responsible for digestion. Everything you eat and drink has to be digested and transformed into Qi, or energy, with the help of these organs.

There are two major kinds of Qi in the body - the essence Qi, often referred to as the prenatal Qi, and postnatal Qi, which is produced from food and drink (Gu Qi), in the Stomach. Prenatal Qi is the constitutional essence with which we're born and postnatal Qi is our basic daily energy that we cultivate through our diet and lifestyle. The healthier the diet, the better quality Qi we can extract and therefore the greater our endurance.

The Gu Qi, or “grain” as it is often called in the classics, that enters the Stomach, is transmitted to the Lungs to produce the defense or “guard Qi,” also known as Wei Qi, which is essential for maintaining one’s circadian rhythm.

Wei Qi forms in the Lungs through the Gu Qi that first enters the Stomach. As Chapter 21 of Nei Jing Su Wen stated, “Beverages enter the stomach. Overflowing essence Qi is transported upward to the spleen. The spleen Qi spreads the essence, which turns upward to the lung” (Unschuld, 2011, 375). 

The Spleen sends Gu Qi up to the Lungs, where (with the help of Kidney Qi) it combines with air and transforms into another form of energy known as Zong Qi, which is often referred to as "gathering Qi." 

Zong Qi is formed from the combination of Gu Qi extracted through food and drink and Lung Qi extracted through the breath. Therefore, the more nutritious your diet and the better your capacity for deep respiration, the better quality Qi you'll have to support the various organs' Qi in the body.

Since Gu Qi is also used to produce Wei Qi, which controls circadian rhythm and supports immunity, a healthy diet also supports sleep and healthy immune function. 

An unhealthy diet that's high in sweet, spicy, fried and processed foods taxes the digestive system and over time will make us not only feel lethargic but also can damage the gut, or the Spleen and Stomach terrain, and lead to chronic inflammation.

In Western Medicine, the impact of nutrition on overall health has been confirmed through recent studies on the gut-brain axis (GBA).

Eating healthy can be so simple (and beautiful!) - Sprouted quinoa, lentils and adzuki beans with brussel sprouts, arugula and beet salad, avocado, butternut squash and baked sweet potatoes. We dressed the salad, grains and brussel sprouts with organic olive oil, black and cayenne peppers, and lemon juice from Meyer lemons in our garden.

The Gut-Brain Axis

Recent studies have revealed that the enteric nervous system (ENS), which is a system of neurons within the gastrointestinal tract and often referred to as the ‘second brain,’ may be linked to immune function, hormonal regulation, psychological disorders, and even autism. The bidirectional communication between the brain (i.e. the central nervous system) and the ENS is known as the gut-brain axis (GBA), an information superhighway of chemicals and hormones that provides constant feedback and influences - among other things - our moods, emotions and sleep patterns.

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It passes through the neck to the abdomen and interfaces with parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs and digestive tract. Evidence indicates that the communication between the microbiota in the gut and the brain involves the vagus nerve, which transmits information from the luminal environment of the gut to the central nervous system (CNS). 

Important hormones and neurotransmitters such as melatonin, which regulates sleep, and serotonin, which affects mood, are produced in the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, about 90% of serotonin, which can affect mood and social behavior, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory and sexual desire and function, is produced in the gut. 

The health of the gut therefore impacts the health of the brain and our ability to process information, manage stress, sleep, balance our emotions, as well as digest and assimilate food.

Chinese Medicine Perspective of Digestion, Emotions and the Gut-Brain Axis

Li Dong-yuan (1180 – 1251 c.e.) was a Chinese medical scholar who is considered to be one of the Four Great Masters of the Jin-Yuan period of Chinese Medicine. As founder of the Earth School, Li believed that the health of the Spleen and Stomach was the foundation for disease prevention. He developed the concept of Yin fire, which he believed is produced by excessive emotions and poor diet, both of which damage the original Qi and overwhelm the Spleen and Stomach. Excessive emotions engender heat internally. This heat, accompanied by weakness in the Spleen and Stomach, eventually flares upward into the Heart causing symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety and insomnia.

The gut-brain axis dynamics discussed earlier parallel Li Dong-yuan’s emphasis on the pivotal role of the Spleen and Stomach, or gut health, for all human functioning. Li believed that disease pathology manifests as a result of damage to postnatal Qi, the source of which is the Spleen and Stomach. 

The Spleen and Stomach is responsible for creating the Gu Qi, or energy that is transformed from food. Excessive or unbalanced emotions and stress weaken the Spleen and Stomach and therefore the gut. According to Li Dong-yuan, this weakness leads to stagnation of Stomach Qi that eventually turns into heat or Fire. This pathological heat relates to any inflammatory or infectious condition within the gastrointestinal tract.

We can therefore surmise that heat accumulation in the gut eventually affects the brain and interferes with the harmonious interplay between the gut and brain. Furthermore, pathological heat in the gut burns out the Stomach Yin which correlates to the destruction of the intestinal mucosa.

Over time, as the mucosal lining of the gut deteriorates, "leaky gut" syndrome develops allowing for undigested proteins to leak into the blood stream and begin the cascade of inflammation throughout the body. This is one of the fundamental pathological processes underlying a host of autoimmune diseases.

 

Diet and Your Health

Some argue that to eat healthfully is too costly or a less convenient option. But we can’t be short-sighted. The long-term return on your investment is quite high, even if in the short-term it is a little more expensive to cook healthy foods at home rather than eat processed foods, for example.

Nothing is worth more than the health of your mind and body. And nothing will give you as great a return on your investment.

Your health is the pillar of your future success, happiness and fulfillment. Nothing is possible without health, and in health anything is possible.

So it should naturally be the number one place where we put our resources.

In Chinese Medicine, diet can be used as a modality in and of itself to heal chronic illness.

Diet is also the most important self-care tool we all have. Our diet provides an opportunity to feel empowered because we're able to have a say in our self-care and well-being through the choices we make with food.

What we eat is a mirror for how we feel about ourselves, and the choices we make with what we eat also allows us to choose how we want to feel and what we want to create in our lives.

If you’re interested in learning about Classical Chinese nutrition in greater depth, you can learn more and join the waitlist for my upcoming program.

Once you've finished reading this article, I'd love to hear from you on any or all of these questions in the comments below --
* How does what you eat reflect how you feel?
* Do you eat better or worse under stress?
* What's one change you could make in your diet to better reflect what you want to create in your life?

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Want to know how to
heal yourself with food?

Learn to use Classical Chinese Dietetics to create your custom nutrition plan so you can let go of overwhelm with food for good. Join the waitlist to get free insights & be the first to know when enrollment opens for my one-of-a-kind course.

---

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is co-owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California. The Silicon Valley-based health and wellness clinic specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture with a clinic and studio where Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.