Shabeh Yalda is a traditional Persian ritual that celebrates the Winter Solstice
Read MoreSetting Boundaries: 3 Tips to Strengthen Your Earth Energy
by Setareh Moafi, PhD, L.Ac.
Having a balanced Earth element is essential to feel calm, secure, grounded and nourished.
When you feel more peace within, it becomes easier to make your needs, and therefore your boundaries, more clear.
Strong boundaries and a healthier relationship with yourself allows you to cultivate healthier relationships with others.
The ability to have clear boundaries is the domain of your Earth energy, which is made up of your Spleen and Stomach — the primary organs of digestion according to Chinese medicine.
The Spleen is of special importance because it’s the boundary keeper in your physical body — when the Spleen Qi is strong, your body is able to prevent leakage of Qi, blood and fluids. Weak Spleen Qi can cause excessive sweating, hemorrhaging, bruising, and even the inability to manage your energy and finances.
Weak Spleen Qi can also impede your ability to focus, and cause you to overthink and worry.
This is because the Spleen in Chinese medicine governs what’s known as the Yi, the aspect of your mind that supports mental clarity.
So anytime your body or mind has a leakage of energy, including prolapse of the organs, the Spleen needs to be strengthened.
In the same way, boundaries in your relationships arise out of your ability to properly manage your time and energy.
Anytime you say ‘no’ to something that doesn’t support you, you’re saying ‘yes’ to something that does.
Balanced Earth energy supports you to feel calm, centered and grounded. This is why you might feel like reaching out to your Earth friend or family member when things are difficult in order to feel a sense of stability.
In my life, this person is my mom, who’s the epitome of Earth energy—warm, welcoming, her home fragrant with Persian cuisine, always with an open heart and stable love to give.
Earth is about nourishment; it begins with the nourishment that you receive from suckling on your mother’s breast at birth and continues into adulthood as you learn to nourish yourself through proper self-care.
The following are three self-care tips to support your Earth energy so you can naturally create healthier boundaries.
Tip #1: Cook
Stoking your digestive fire, known as the Stomach Fire in Chinese medicine, through cooking helps fortify your Earth organ systems of digestion, the Spleen and Stomach.
If you have a resistance to cooking or think that you’re not good at it, simply begin by boiling some water, cooking some oatmeal or making a couple of hard-boiled eggs.
The simple act of standing in front of your stove or cooktop to prepare a meal helps to balance your digestive system.
Tip #2: Journal
Putting pen to paper helps organize your thoughts and calm your mind.
Remember that the Spleen is related to the Yi, the aspect of your mind that provides mental clarity and focus. Too much thinking and worrying wears down the Spleen Qi and can disrupt your digestion, sleep and deprive you of feeling calm.
Left alone, the mind is like a monkey wanting to jump from branch to branch. One of the best ways to calm the monkey mind is to write down your thoughts.
The best time to journal is first thing in the morning so that you can set a rhythm for your day. Writing later in the day will shift the focus more on the events and information that you’ve gathered throughout the day rather than what’s truly happening for you internally.
Tip #3: Manage Your Money
One of the easiest and best ways to know how you’re using your energy is to look at how you’re spending your money, which is itself a form of energy.
You can evaluate using an exercise called Counting. For one week, track every single dime that you spend and write down what you’re spending it on in a notebook or or in your cell phone.
Simply looking at the way that you’re spending your money can help you see how you’re using your energy and evaluate whether you need to consolidate it more.
Whether it’s with your work, colleagues, friends or family members, it’s essential to notice who or what is not supportive or nourishing in your life and see what you can do to change that. Remember that it all starts with self-care.
Now I would love to hear from you – which of these three tips will you implement first? And where in your life are you having trouble setting boundaries? Have you tried any other tips that have helped you establish healthy boundaries? I’d love to hear about those in the comments.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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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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.
Two Surprisingly Simple Ways to Boost Your Immune System
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.
While Autumn is the most important time of year to support your Lungs, your Lung health is essential to support your immune system year round. Here are two less common tips to strengthen your Lungs and support your immune system during Autumn and beyond.
Tip #1: Hydrate
Autumn is the season of the Metal element, which relates to the Lungs, the Large Intestine (or colon) and skin. Your skin is your body’s largest detoxification organ (byway of sweating) and therefore your most important defense against external pathogenic factors, or anything in the environment that can compromise your immunity.
Your skin is also an extension of your Lungs and what Chinese Medicine refers to as Lung Yin. Lung Yin is comprised of substance and fluids so if your Lung Yin is dry, your skin will be dry too.
Just as the skin detoxifies your body through sweating, the Large Intestine also supports detoxification through elimination of waste.
The Lungs, Large Intestine and skin are associated with the Metal element and the Fall season and each requires proper hydration to work efficiently.
If your colon is dry, you may experience constipation with dry, hard stools and if your Lungs are too dry you may experience dry cough, lips and mouth as well as dry skin.
Simply drinking adequate amounts of water helps hydrate these organs, but it’s also important to eat hydrating foods such as soups and stews as well as to steam and boil rather than fry or bake foods (which increase dryness) to support hydration even more.
Since most of the filtered water we drink nowadays is stripped of the minerals that help maintain proper fluid balance in the body, you may need to add some naturally processed salt to your drinking water to help your body retain fluids, especially if you notice your body feels and looks dry.
If you’re concerned about salt because of high blood pressure, be sure to use naturally processed salt such as Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt. Pink Himalayan salt is higher in potassium and lower in sodium than Celtic salt and may actually help lower blood pressure and reduce palpitations and heart arrhythmias.
Managing proper hydration is the first step to keeping your immune system functioning optimally by supporting the production of your defensive Qi, known as Wei Qi.
Wei Qi circulates along your skin’s surface at night to protect you from environmental factors that can challenge your immune system. At night, your Wei Qi withdraws internally to help your have a good night’s sleep.
Tip #2: Diffuse Immune Boosting Essential Oils
Essential oils provide potent support for immune and metabolic functions. They strengthen the Lung Qi to effectively combat fatigue, low immunity and asthma.
Evergreen essential oils, including Pine, Black Spruce, Cypress and Balsam Fir, are important immune boosting oils.
These oils can be used in an essential oil diffuser to strengthen your immune system and prevent colds and flus during the Fall season.
If you have pets, be especially cautious with diffusing any essential oils, especially those like Pine which can be toxic to dogs.
If you tend to get sick during this season, you can consider using Eucalyptus oils to clear congestion in your lungs especially during the acute stage of an infection.
Eucalyptus Radiata is a good all purpose ear, nose and throat oil and very good for viruses and can be combined with Eucalyptus Citriodora or Eucalyptus Globulus to combat infections. Diffusing essential oils, particularly those extracted from evergreens, can help strengthen your Lungs and clear your home and office to protect you from colds, flus and other viruses.
Summary
Hydrating your Lungs and supporting your body’s immune function is imperative during the Fall season to protect yourself from the plethora of colds and flus that tend to arise during this time of year. By incorporating essential oils and proper hydration, you’ll effectively support your health as we approach the colder Winter season.
*Here are some dietary tips to provide you with additional support for your Lungs & immune system.
Please note: These health tips are for educational purposes only. Please consult your medical professional for health advice specific for your individual needs.
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 she runs with her husband, Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac., that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational courses that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. Learn more at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.
Healthy Transitions: 6 Keys to Support your Earth During Times of Change
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
The one universal constant for all of us in life is the presence of change.
During various points in our lives, we all go through periods of transition — from birth to graduation, to marriage, and finally death. Throughout our journey, we see the evolution of our bodies and minds, hormonal changes including menarche and menopause for women and andropause for men.
Because transition can be challenging and throw off your rhythm, it’s easy to end up sick or so tired that it takes weeks to recover and feel like yourself again.
While the only constant in life is change, it doesn’t have to be so hard — but it is essential that we equip ourselves with better self-care and be mindful of the potential effects of these changes on our health.
According to the Five Element system of Chinese Medicine, transitions are orchestrated by the Earth element which is associated with the primary organs systems that are in charge of digestion, the Spleen and Stomach.
These organs are responsible for the transportation and transformation of food and thought, and they’re therefore the organs that are most needed, and thus most vulnerable, when something in your life is changing.
Any kind of change affects the Earth element, which is why it’s important to pay close attention to this element during times of transition.
Especially during transitions, it’s essential to harmonize the Earth element and ensure that it’s kept strong and balanced.
Cultivating a Healthy Earth
The health of your Earth element relates to your digestion, as well as your ability to take care of yourself and others.
An out of balance Earth type can present itself most often in one of two ways.
First, a person with an Earth imbalance may over-care for people. In other words, he or she will lack boundaries, meddle and offer advice to people who don’t ask, and be overly concerned with other people’s needs. This person may also tend to accumulate a lot of extra weight and present with a pattern of over-indulgence, whether food or relationships.
In contrast, another person with an Earth imbalance may lack the ability to provide care for herself and others. This presents as poor self-care, as well as a lack of awareness of her own needs. This imbalanced Earth type may complain that she doesn’t like to cook or is always drained from doing too much as a result of her internal disharmony.
In both cases, when Earth is out of balance, the individual will most often have accompanying digestive symptoms including diarrhea or constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or simply an excessive or poor appetite depending on the type of imbalance.
The best way to prevent an Earth imbalance is to make sure you’re doing proper self-care, especially during times of transition.
Times of transition include all seasonal changes, weddings, graduations, menarche, menopause, andropause, back-to-school, moving to a different home or business, and the loss of a loved one, including a pet.
Since Earth is the element that transforms and supports change, it is important that this element be kept strong and vital during any transition or life change. Since the Spleen and Stomach are the primary organs associated with the Earth element, it’s imperative to strengthen and support your digestive system during these times.
6 Ways to Support Your Earth Element During and After a Transition
Eat More Nourishing, Hydrating Foods such as yams, sweet potatoes, and soups. The easier foods are to digest, and the more cooked they are, the easier these foods will be on your digestive system.
Commit to a Daily Relaxation Practice. Your digestive system is closely linked to your parasympathetic nervous system, which when activated helps you rest and digest. If you’re under a lot of stress, the sympathetic nervous system— our fight or flight response—will become active, and over time will result in physical and mental tension and focus that keeps you in survival mode thus inhibiting your ability to properly slow down. To protect and optimize our digestive system, and thus the Earth element, you must learn to relax. Yoga, Qi Gong and even a simple 10 minute mindfulness meditation can be immensely powerful to foster this sense of relaxation throughout each day.
Optimize Your Self-Care. This involves taking time to slow down and relax, but beyond that, it also means you maintain boundaries with your time and energy. One very important aspect of self-care that’s related to a healthy Earth is cooking for yourself and making sure to take time to eat without distractions.
Create a More Regular Daily Rhythm or Schedule. Whether or not you work a 9-5 job, it’s important that you create some sort of regularity with your sleep, eating and exercise. Earth thrives on rituals and predictable rhythms and your digestive system will thank you for knowing when you’ll get your next meal. Changing this rhythm during weekends and vacations is natural and of course acceptable.
Manage Your Finances. Earth has to do with all the things that nourish and keep us feeling a sense of safety. In the material world, money is one of those elements. That’s why it’s important to keep track of where your money is going, to balance your checkbooks and reduce debts in order to prevent the worry that is characteristic of an Earth imbalance.
Clean and Organize Your Home and Office. Earth types who are balanced keep a clean and very organized home and workplace, whereas those who are out of balance, misplace things and tend to accumulate a lot of clutter. Try to maintain a sense of order with whatever system most resonates with you in the places where you spend your time.
When we go through times of change, maintenance of our rhythm and order is what usually falls off our radar first. So the next time you find yourself entering a transition of any kind, try being more mindful of maintaining the simple things including your regimen, a good diet, and a clean home. These simple things can provide a sense of harmony as you move through the uncertainty and constant changes of life.
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.
5 Reasons to Drink Yerba Mate
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
There’s nothing like waking up early in the morning and enjoying a hot drink to start the day. And all the better if that hot drink can help you wake up and give you more clarity and focus.
Over the years I’ve grown increasingly sensitive to coffee and even just half a cup is enough to give me heart palpitations and heartburn. Plus, I’m well aware that driving up my cortisol with too much caffeine can have some painstaking long term effects. That’s why I’m grateful for having discovered (and recently rediscovered) the magical Yerba Mate.
Yerba mate is a tea made from the dried leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, and is an excellent substitute for coffee, black tea and other high caffeine drinks. Plus its slightly bitter, smoky flavor makes it less of a compromise than most coffee substitutes.
It’s traditionally consumed in South America from a container called a gourd and sipped with a metal straw with an attached filter at its lower end to strain out the leaf fragments.
The health benefits of Yerba Mate are extraordinary, and its ability to give you a kick of energy without compromising longevity are one-of-a-kind. Here are five key benefits of switching to Mate in the morning.
5 Reasons to Drink Yerba Mate
Strengthens Your Body & Boosts Your Immunity
Yerba mate is rich in nutrients and antioxidants. It contains high concentrations of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, C, and E, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur and zinc.
Unlike coffee, which can interfere with the body’s absorption of minerals, the high mineral content of Yerba Mate protects against bone density loss.
Plus, its metabolic boosters increase energy, and its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties provide excellent immune boosters.
Gives You Energy without Caffeine Jitters
There is currently a debate about the chemical nature of the stimulant in Yerba Mate. While North American chemists say it contains caffeine, South Americans claim it contains a unique molecule known as mateine, which has the same chemical formula but a different molecular shape from caffeine.
Because of this difference, mateine is absorbed and processed differently by the body, providing an adaptogenic effect, which means it increases the body's ability to resist the damaging effects of stress and promote or restore normal physiological functioning.
As an adaptogen, Yerba Mate produces no toxins, creates a non-specific response in the body and works in a bidirectional manner.
Yerba Mate is also a great substitute for coffee and most tea since its adaptogenic properties prevent it from elevating your cortisol levels and creating the ‘fight or flight’ stress response that can lead to adrenal fatigue.
My personal experience with Mate has convinced me that the South Americans are onto something—I’m very sensitive to caffeine in coffee and tea, but I can easily have a restful night of sleep just an hour or two after drinking a cup of Yerba Mate. With that said, I suggest drinking the hot tea rather than canned Yerba Mate because of alterations and loss of benefits that can result from excessive steeping of this tea.
Clears Toxins from Your Body
Yerba Mate contains saponins, which are phytochemicals found in plants and nearly all adaptogenic herbs.[1] Saponins have a unique chemical structure that produces foam when mixed with water, and can bind with water as well as fats and oils. In the digestive tract, saponins bind to bile acids and help eliminate them from the body, preventing cholesterol from being reabsorbed.
In other words, saponins work like a detergent to clear toxins from your body.
Helps Improve Digestion & Elimination
Yerba Mate contains compounds such as xanthines that are known to relax the muscles to aid digestion, especially with cramping, constipation or bloating.
While coffee and tea can cause stomach upset while potentially damaging your stomach lining, Yerba mate aids digestion by stimulating increased production of bile and other gastric acids.
It also helps to effectively and efficiently eliminate waste from your colon by clearing heat in the Stomach, which in excess can cause constipation, bad breath and even ulcers.
Can Help You Get Rid of Stubborn Belly Fat
Research suggests that Yerba Mate can increase the amount of stored fat that's burned for energy [2].
Furthermore, in a 12-week study in overweight people, those given 3 grams of yerba mate powder per day lost an average of 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) and reduced their waist-to-hip ratio by 2%, while the participants given a placebo gained an average of 6.2 pounds (2.8 kg) and increased their waist-to-hip ratio by 1% over the same 12-week period [3].
So if you’re looking for a healthy alternative to coffee or caffeinated tea without compromising the energy and focus, try a fresh brewed cup of Yerba Mate to start your day.
References:
Cornell University. Department of Animal Science - Plants Poisonous to Livestock. Updated 09/10/2015 14:58:48.
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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.
Unblock These 3 Areas & Watch Your Life Blossom
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
The Spring Equinox, also known as the Vernal Equinox, is the moment during which the sun crosses the celestial equator. It also marks the dramatic shift from the most Yin season of Winter to the year’s first Yang season of Spring.
The Yang energy that was dormant during Winter becomes available to support you to manifest your goals and dreams.
(If you haven’t set your goals for this year, this article will help).
This transition from Yin to Yang is filled with potential. However, it’s essential to unblock three major areas of your life—your environment, your body and your mind—to have the energy and health you need to fully blossom.
Here are some recommendations to help you get started.
The Yang energy of springtime brings rebirth and renewal to support you to fulfill your dreams so you can blossom.
Declutter Your Environment
Clearing your environment is essential to clear your body and mind. During past Spring transitions I’ve mentioned the fact that the KonMari Method as taught by its founder, Marie Kondo, has made a tremendous impact in my life and in our home. If you’re too busy to read her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, you can watch her new series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, on Netflix for some Spring cleaning inspiration.
The basic idea of the KonMari Method is to sort through all your clothing and belongings and only keep the things that ‘spark joy.’
The practice of decluttering not only clears your mind, but it also creates space for more Qi and therefore greater possibilities to flow into your life.
In Feng Shui, the arrangement of space as well as the placement and orientation of objects is important to unblock the energy, or Qi, of the environment so that there is greater flow.
Clearing and decluttering is the most essential way to create space for Qi to move freely through your environment, which then allows Qi to move more freely throughout your life.
Detoxify Your Body
It’s just as important to declutter your body and mind as it is to declutter your home and your environment.
Just as a toxic external environment can negatively impact your health, so too can a toxic internal environment.
The key is to start by making small yet significant dietary and lifestyle adjustments to relieve your body of the toxic burden that’s inhibiting your physical, mental and emotional health.
You don’t have to transform your entire diet right away. You can begin simply by adding more cooked leafy green vegetables, such as collard greens, chard, dandelion greens, kale, and spinach, to support the health of your Liver.
Since the Liver is the organ that’s most closely associated with the Spring season according to Chinese Medicine, it’s especially important to clear stagnation from this organ during this time.
Rather than do an intensive Liver detox, you can start by adding healthy Liver foods, especially in the form of vegetables to your diet. In addition to eating more leafy greens, you can eat more asparagus, celery and blueberries.
Reducing your intake of certain toxic foods will also help reduce the toxic load that can burden your Liver. Start by eating less fat, especially in the form of trans fats and hydrogenated oils, as well as refined sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. All of these foods perpetuate a damp heat environment in the body that can cause inflammation and, among other things, can lead to weight gain, pain and metabolic issues.
You can also experiment with intermittent fasting—increasing the hours between your food intake at certain times of the day to allow your insulin levels to decrease far enough and for long enough that your body begins to burn excess fat.
An example would be to stop eating after dinner, say around 7pm, and then resume eating again the next morning at 9am for a 14-hour fast.
The benefits of intermittent fasting include weight loss (particular to get rid of the stubborn belly fat) and lowered levels of oxidative stress to cells throughout the body. Practicing fasting has also been shown to improve your body’s ability to deal with stress at a cellular level by activating cellular stress response pathways to mildly stimulate your body’s stress response. Over time, this protects your body against cellular stress and reduces your susceptibility to cellular aging and disease development.
Quiet Your Mind
The ‘monkey mind’ can be erratic and when left to its own devices, it can lead you towards distraction and negative thinking, impeding you from achieving your goals.
To focus, it’s essential to get your mind to settle so that you can be more present.
The best way to do this is to make time for regular self-cultivation. Simple practices adapted from Yoga can have a profound impact on your mental state. (If you want to practice with me live, you can register for an upcoming event here).
I recommend about 5 minutes of Pranayama (breath control) practice, 10 minutes of Meditation and 10-15 minutes of a physical practice such as Qi Gong or Yoga postures daily. Making time for these practices each morning will help you stay immensely more calm, clear and present throughout the day.
Here’s a 25-minute morning practice sequence you can try at home:
Begin by sitting in a comfortable seated position, preferably on a cushion or pillow.
With your right thumb, close your right nostril and breathe in and out of your left nostril five times. (You may need to use a tissue to clean out the nostrils first). On your final exhalation, force all the air you can out of your left nostril.
Then repeat on the right side—still using your right hand, close your left nostril with your ring finger and breathe in and out of your right nostril five times. With the final exhalation, breathe all the remaining air out of your right nostril.
Finally, place both of your hands onto your knees and breathe in and out of both nostrils slowly and steadily five times. Empty your lungs fully, pushing all the remaining air out through both of your nostrils with your last breath. Then, sit quietly and continue to take deep breaths. You should feel a shift in your consciousness, with your mind more clear and empty following this practice.
Sit quietly for 10 minutes and practice the meditation in the video below.
Practice any physical postures you’re comfortable with in Qi Gong or Yoga for about 10 minutes. You can try any of the short sequences and postures here.
Even if at first you have to set your alarm to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual to do these practices, you’ll begin to feel more energized throughout the day and have better quality of sleep at night. You’ll quickly see that it’s worth the effort and find joy in waking up to practice each morning.
Over time, the immense benefits that come from committing to these changes will allow you to fully blossom into your potential.
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 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.
5 Tips to Stay Healthy through the Holiday Season
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
The holiday season is both beautiful and challenging.
Sure, it’s easy to cultivate yourself and maybe even reach enlightenment while you’re away from society, meditating in the Himalayan mountains. But can you achieve this same state of peace and presence when you get triggered by a family member during a discussion about the past?
Top that challenge off with the changes in your diet, the weather, the stress of buying gifts, and of course your immune system can suffer.
Luckily, if you gather your tools and apply them, the holiday season has great potential for healing. And if you don’t overdo it with the shopping and sugar, you may even strike enough of a balance to feel great.
5 Tips to Help You Stay Healthy Through the Holidays
Sleep more - less sunlight during shorter days increases the secretion of melatonin in the body and naturally supports us to sleep longer hours. Try not to resist this need for more sleep (with more sugar and caffeine!) and be mindful to allow more time for rest overall.
Practice Yoga or Qi Gong regularly - doing a daily practice that connects breath with movement helps you be more present in your daily life so you can attune yourself to your needs and the choices that will be most nurturing for your self-care. Plus, it’s essential to keep your Lung Qi strong for healthy immunity and resistance to colds, flus and other infections.
Take colloidal silver - known to stimulate the immune system, regular intake of colloidal silver can help ward off infection and disease. Other benefits of colloidal silver include that it can kill pathogens, oxygenate the body and lower inflammation.
This is why Dr. Stephen West, DL, PMD (son of Dr. C. Samuel West, DN, ND, renowned chemist and internationally recognized lymphologist), concludes, “Silver ions stimulate the lymphatic system by cleaning out the dead cells and bringing oxygen to the healthy cells.”
I can say from personal experience that my immune system has never felt stronger since I was introduced colloidal silver, and I don’t even take it every day. You can find out more information at The Silver Edge.
Create healthy boundaries - you don’t have to say yes to all the holiday parties and gatherings and even if you do, try to shift back to a healthy regimen that resonates with what you know will help you stay strong. Enjoy yourself but then remember to nurture yourself if you overdid it. Eat soups, reduce sugar, dairy and gluten, and properly hydrate to help cleanse the body of the unhealthy food and drink that can compromise your immune system.
Try to keep boundaries not only with your relationships but also with the choices you make with your self-care.
Eating warm, nourishing foods and lots of vegetables when you can ensures that you’re enjoying equally clean, healthy foods to balance out the indulgence of holiday gatherings.
Like your Lung Qi, your Spleen Qi is essential to your immune function, so eating a lot of sugar or just eating too much too often will tax the Spleen Qi and leave you feeling groggy and exhausted.
Be gentle with yourself - the pressure of the holiday season can only wear on you if you let it. Take time to do the things you love, even if that means spending some time alone, take time in nature and let go of perfection.
Naturally, you won’t eat the way you normally do, be as active or keep a regular daily rhythm during the holidays, especially if you travel to see loved ones during this time.
Just be present with the changes and savor the joy and challenges with your family and friends knowing that it’s all supporting your growth and helping you on your journey to greater wellness.
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 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.
6 Tips to Have Your Healthiest Summer Yet
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. and Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.
Each season is inherently associated with an element that grows stronger during its season. One of the most important ways to maintain your health throughout the year is to understand the various associations and learn how to balance these energies from season to season.
The Fire energy grows strong as we transition into Summer.
Fire is associated with creativity, inspiration, connection, and gives us the ability to be present in our lives. When out of balance, Fire energy leads to inflammation, fatigue, burnout and aging (learn more here).
6 Tips to Help You Stay Cool and Balanced Throughout the Season
1) Stay hydrated: a good general tip is to drink 1/2 of your weight in ounces of water, i.e. if you weigh 150 pounds, try to drink 75 ounces of water per day. Click here to learn what you need to do to stay hydrated (not just drink more water!).
2) Eat cooling foods such as celery, watermelon and cucumbers and cooling teas such as peppermint, chamomile, lemon verbena, and green tea that are especially therapeutic on days when the weather is warmer.
3) Avoid eating too much fruit. Summer fruits are hydrating and make wonderful Summer treats. Just be sure to eat them - like anything - in moderation. Too much sweet fruit can create dampness and lead to more heat and inflammation in the body. Dampness and phlegm negatively impacts the digestive system and leads to fatigue and weight gain. Keep a healthy balance of cooked and raw foods in your diet and stay lighter with your meals in the warmer months.
4) Exercise early in the day: Do high activity exercise first thing in the morning when the weather is cooler. You can do more gentle exercises in the evening. Cooling practices such as Qi Gong and Yin Yoga are excellent ways to calm the mind and counter the heat of the season.
5) Spend more time outdoors, but don't forget your internal cultivation. Mangano Calcite, our Summer balancing stone (see below), can provide support.
6) Play more: have fun, open your Heart, and allow the playful energy of this warm season to weave through all aspects of your life!
Summer Balancing Stone: Mangano Calcite
Mangano Calcite is an excellent stone to cool and calm the heart and mind.
In general, calcites provide a fast acting cooling effect on the body, so they can be used for acute cases of excessive heat, or Fire.
Mangano Calcite calms a nervous heart and temperamental mind.
This stone clears heat that can cause agitation and high blood pressure, allowing for greater clarity and focus.
The pink color of Mangano Calcite comes from the mineral manganese which influences balanced function in the brain and the entire nervous system, especially in regards to inducing a relaxation effect on the motor nerves that control muscle function.
Signs for using a manganese stone such as Mangano Calcite include an acute period of impatience, anger, quarrel, anxiety, heart palpitations and general nervousness.
Mangano Calcite is an important stone to strengthen Heart Qi and move Heart Blood to treat cardiac insufficiency and shortness of breath.
Among the calcites, Mangano Calcite is the most appropriate for intentional work. It can be taped in the depression under the ball of the foot at Kidney 1 or at the tailbone to ground your energy during Qi Gong practice.
Even when used topically on acupuncture points or simply held in the hand or on the center of the chest, the vibration of Mangano Calcite is quite potent to quickly induce relaxation and calmness in the body and mind.
You can experiment with the power of Mangano Calcite if you ever experience an acute bout of anxiety or anger. It's likely you'll notice it help quickly cool your temper and calm your mind.
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Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is the Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic run by he and his wife, Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine. Salvador is a leading U.S. practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare form of non-insertion Acupuncture using Gold & Silver needles. More information 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 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.
Is Your Liver Insulting Your Lungs?
by Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.
Autumn is the season that’s related to the Lung energy and the Metal element. According to Chinese Medicine, the Lungs thrive on moisture and since dryness is predominant during Autumn, the Lung energy tends to be most vulnerable during this season.
Issues related to the Metal energy are therefore more likely to occur during this time of year. Metal is associated with the Lungs, Large Intestine, and skin so symptoms may manifest in the form of respiratory and skin infections and inflammatory flare-ups such as allergies, asthma, psoriasis and eczema. Furthermore, since the emotions of the Lungs are sadness and grief, these states may surface at this time as well.
As we all know and have experienced, Autumn is a dry season. We may notice this dryness manifest in our skin and in our sinuses. In Chinese Medicine, the Lungs like adequate moisture though not too moist with dampness or phlegm. If you notice your mouth and lips are drier at this time of year, it’s likely that your Lungs are as well and this dryness will weaken the Lungs’ function and make them predisposed to illness.
Another common complication during Autumn is that the Lungs' vulnerable energy makes them susceptible to “insult” by the Liver. This idea is based on the Five Element Theory of Chinese Medicine. Normally the Metal energy, which is related to the Lungs, controls the Wood energy, which is related to the Liver. However, if this relationship is imbalanced due to a weakness in the Metal energy, which is common during Autumn, the Wood energy can insult the Metal energy especially if the liver is overheated with toxicity.
If these patterns are occurring within your body or your life, it likely indicates that it’s a good time to do a Liver detoxification.
Let’s take a look at how these patterns can manifest.
Generally speaking, we do not suggest doing a Liver cleanse at all times of the year. It’s best to avoid cleansing during the cold Winter months because your body needs to maintain its warmth and not be subjected to the cooling effects of a cleanse. While it’s best to consult a healthcare practitioner before starting any cleanse, generally as long as the weather is relatively temperate in your area and your body is not feeling challenged by cold temperatures or feeling cold internally such as having cold hands and feet, a liver cleanse may be appropriate during the Fall.
How To Identify if Your Liver is Insulting Your Lungs
One of the common signs of toxicity in the liver is tightness or discomfort in the flank or sides of the ribcage (not due to injury), as well as a feeling of oppression in the chest making it difficult to take a deep breath. This is often due to an overly tight diaphragm that’s preventing the lungs from comfortably expanding.
The Liver is considered 'the General' who leads the troops since the Liver controls the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body. If the General is abusive however, his overbearing and insulting actions can compromise the performance of his troops. In the same way, a toxic liver can impair not only the lungs’ functions but also the digestive and elimination systems.
If the liver is not properly detoxifying the body or keeping the energy circulation flowing smoothly, this will lead to inflammation and pain as toxicity will build up in the tissues, especially in the joints.
In Chinese Medicine, the Liver energy has an ascending quality and through this action it helps bring blood to our eyes to support strong vision and into the brain to support memory retrieval. However, if there is liver congestion due to toxicity its natural ascension of energy may become impaired and lead instead to a horizontal spreading out of energy hence causing tightness along the diaphragm and across the ribcage or flank regions. If more severe, overt pain or cramping can be experienced in the region of the liver itself.
If the Liver energy is spreading sideways pathologically rather than ascending this will also lead to the Liver or Wood energy over-controlling the Earth-digestive energy and causing numerous digestive complaints ranging from GERD to gas and bloating as well as nausea. In fact, according to Chinese Medicine, more serious conditions such as Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome are often rooted in a toxic liver that is insulting the Large Intestine and depending on the condition can involve the Small Intestine as well.
Since the Large Intestine is the other Metal element organ along with the Lungs, it is therefore also predisposed to being insulted by a toxic Liver.
A toxic liver is overheated indicating inflammation, but this may not overtly present in a blood test with elevated liver enzymes. A "hot" liver, however, may show up in your day-to-day health in different ways. For example, if you suffer from allergies or asthma during the Autumn season, it is likely that your Liver is insulting your Lungs and therefore needs a good cleanse.
An overheated liver can push its heat into the Heart system, causing hypertension, and into the head, causing headaches behind the eyes, around the temples, migraines and even temporomandibular joint pain (TMJD). In addition, since the Liver Blood nourishes the tendons and nerves, too much heat in the liver can dry up the blood and cause the development of muscle spasms and cramping or restless legs and neuropathy. All of these conditions are indicators that the liver is overheated and causing irritation of the muscular, vascular and neurological systems.
In these cases, you may benefit from doing a liver detox this season. You can start with a simple 10 day detox or try for a 4 week or more period depending on the severity of your condition. And during this time, it is important to avoid spicy foods such as coffee and alcohol which further create heat and dry up the blood. Of course, smoking is going to create both heat and dryness in the lungs and liver as well.
Tips for Detoxifying Your Liver
A powerful way to support liver detoxification is with an amino acid supplement called N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC). NAC helps synthesize glutathione which is a major antioxidant of the body that helps reduce the toxic effects of lipid oxidation which can lead to liver damage. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant stored in the liver to further support detoxification and repair of the liver itself. Numerous studies have shown NAC to improve liver function. Furthermore, taking 600mg twice a day has been shown to reduce mucous in the lungs and improve respiration with patients suffering with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, also known as COPD.
Another important amino acid supplement that supports liver detoxification and intestinal repair is L-Glutamine. Glutamine is now popularly used to repair a "Leaky Gut" due to erosion of the mucous membrane of the small intestine. It's also an important amino acid for the production of brain neurotransmitters, GABA and glutamate. These two neurotransmitters act in a Yin and Yang fashion as GABA helps down-regulate nervous system activity and glutamate helps stimulate the nervous system.
Bupleurum, Milk Thistle and Turmeric are important herbs used to improve glutathione levels as well in the liver and support liver restoration. Bupleurum and Milk Thistle are especially useful when there is heat in the liver. In regards to Turmeric there are three parts of the turmeric plant used in Chinese Medicine. I will mention two of them. The root is called Yu Jin. Yu Jin is cooling, very good for depression and anxiety as well as reducing the chest constraint and flank pains related to Liver Qi stagnation. The rhizome of turmeric is called Jiang Huang. This is the common turmeric herb used in cooking. Jiang Huang is warming and especially useful for joint pain and swelling from wind, dampness and blood stagnation. It also is used when blood stagnation is occurring in the liver and causing pain in the abdomen or flanks as well. Both forms of turmeric are used in anti-inflammatory supplements but have a clear distinction in action.
Your Chinese Medicine practitioner can diagnosis what liver conditions may be present upon examination of the tongue and pulse. In regards to tongue diagnosis, a tongue that shows blue veins along the sides of the tongue would indicate liver blood stagnation and if the tongue sides are especially red, this indicates heat. Please consult with us or your practitioner for a more detailed assessment before beginning any detox regimen.
Turmeric is commonly used in cooking in many Eastern cultures. It contains compounds that can support restoring healthy glutathione levels and boost the activity of glutathione enzymes.
Essential Oils to Reduce a Toxic Liver Insulting the Lungs and Large Intestine
Petigrain is an important oil to relax the chest and deepen inspiration when Liver Qi stagnation has constricted the diaphragm. Petigrain is a leaf oil and in general leafy greens help spread the Liver's Qi when it congests. Liver Qi stagnation will result in an irritable mind and if the Lung Qi gets depressed, depression of the mind can set in too. Petigrain helps resolve both of these patterns and transforms dampness in the process to improve memory as well. Apply diluted over the center of the chest and at the wrists to relax the diaphragm, deepen respiration and soothe the mind.
Peppermint is the signature oil to decongest the liver. Its antispasmodic action is useful for spasms of the colon and cramping of the muscles which may occur with liver toxicity. Taken internally in capsule form, peppermint oil has been shown to improve symptoms from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Lavender & Lavandin are all-purpose oils that can diffuse Lung Qi for chest tightness with diaphragmatic stress from liver congestion. These oils can calm an irritable or nervous mind and relax muscle tension due to Liver Qi stagnation. Both of these oils are antiseptic and used for reducing Lung Heat presenting with sinus infections and sore throats.
Lemon essential oil is an antiseptic for Lung heat problems such as sinusitis and sore throat as well. It also reduces Liver Fire with symptoms such as headaches, migraines, abdominal distention and gas. If excess Stomach Fire is occurring, lemon essential oil can reduce acid reflux and burning of the epigastric region. All citrus oils are effective antioxidants and very alkalizing for acidic conditions. Lemon essential oil is also useful for congested lymphatic regions and best when applied in diluted form with a carrier oil over the areas affected. Lemon essential oil is considered a liver decongestant and rejuvenator as well as a blood tonic. Lemon essential oil has been known to help strengthen fingernails which are supported by Liver Blood according to Chinese Medicine.
Helichrysum (Everlast) is an amazing flower oil that's useful when the lungs have too much heat causing asthma, chronic bronchitis, coughing or allergies. It's especially beneficial to reduce toxins during a liver detoxification. Helichrysum is one of the key essential oils to use if Liver Fire (inflammation) has created Liver Blood Stasis as indicated with the red sides of the tongue along with blue veins which commonly occurs with the overuse of drugs (both pharmaceutical and street drugs).
Rosemary essential oil has a powerful therapeutic action on both the liver and lung systems. Rosemary can help relax the diaphragm to deepen respiration, and stimulates both the liver and gallbladder to support detoxification. Its stimulating action improves circulation, focus and concentration. Rosemary is a very warming oil that is considered a heart tonic so be cautious in its use if there is hypertension.
Roman Chamomile and German Chamomile are both amazing essential oils that can help regenerate a toxic liver and reduce liver inflammation. They are relaxing oils that can also reduce diaphragmatic constriction and discomfort around the ribcage and flanks to improve respiration by relaxing the nervous system. They are very calming oils hence the use of Chamomile tea before bed to help with sleep. When a toxic liver is causing trouble with the GI system in the form of dyspepsia, bloating, IBS, etc, both of these Chamomile essential oils can be rubbed over the affected regions in a diluted form for relief. In general, Roman Chamomile is used for children while German Chamomile is used with adults for anti-inflammatory and detoxification purposes.
Conclusion
When the Liver is relaxed and clear of toxins, the mind is calm and Qi can flow smoothly throughout the body. This helps us to also breathe more deeply and increase the strength of the lungs so they are less vulnerable during the Fall season.
These health suggestions are for educational purposes, so please consult your health care provider for personalized support and guidance.
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Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is the Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic run by he and his wife, Setareh Moafi, PhD, L.Ac. that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine. Salvador is a leading U.S. practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare form of non-insertion Acupuncture using Gold & Silver needles. More information at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.