(Episode 11) 3 tips to Have a Healthy Transition Into Spring

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what’s the biggest insight you took away from this episode?

The transition between each season is known in Japanese as the Doyo period. According to one of the foremost classical texts of Chinese Medicine, Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, this 18-day period leading up to each Solstice or Equinox is one of the most important times to make dietary and lifestyle adjustments to support your health.

In Five Element theory this period is governed by the Earth element, which is why the Earth element organs — the Spleen, Stomach and Pancreas — are most vulnerable to imbalance and disease, and therefore especially need protection and support during this time.

People who already have Earth element-related problem need to take extra care as cases such as diabetes, ulcers and gastrointestinal issues in general can all worsen during this time if their lifestyle is not supported.

During the Doyo period in particular it's important to eat meals at regular times and without distractions. Staying away from too much sweet food and other damp-producing foods like dairy and fried foods is also important to keep the Spleen and Stomach energies in healthy balance.

The Spleen, as the largest lymphatic organ in the body, indicates this is a good time for acupuncture and massage to support lymphatic circulation. If you only get these treatments a few times a year, it's best to do them during the Doyo periods.

The Spleen is especially important as it supports your immune system.

It’s also an organ that assists in the transformation of food into energy and thoughts into purpose, so a healthy Spleen will support you to stay focused on your goals and be able to transform your dreams into reality.

Weakness in the Spleen can result in problems with digestion and elimination and cause the body to accumulate dampness. Dampness is a fungal terrain, often resulting from a diet heavy in carbohydrates, fried foods, dairy and sugar (even in the form of fruits).  A fungal terrain can also develop from using various drugs such as antibiotics, sulfa drugs, chemotherapy, birth control pills, corticosteroids, antacids and acid blocking medications.

Dampness is reflected in our lives through the feeling of being stuck or lacking clarity.  Dampness is also associated with psychological imbalances such as Obsessive Compulsiveness Disorder and hoarding.

The Earth element organs thrive on a simple diet based on warm unprocessed foods, a calm mind, and a regular daily rhythm with meals, exercise and rest.  

3 Tips to Support Your Earth for a Healthy Spring Transition

With the transition into Spring, it’s important to reduce the burden on the Spleen and Stomach organs systems, strengthen your digestion and cool the heat in the Liver in order to prevent irritability and allergies. Here are three tips that can support a healthy transition during this Doyo period:

  1. Reduce or avoid sugar and other damp-producing foods. Foods like cheese, nuts (especially peanuts and cashews) and especially sugar can produce a fungal terrain in the body which impairs your digestion and immunity and therefore should be avoided as much as possible during this time.

  2. Avoid eating cold foods. Too much cold food compromises the strength of your Spleen Qi, which is essential for transforming the food you eat into nutrients. Click here to learn why this tip is especially important in episode 10.

  3. Get Acupuncture treatment. This is the ideal time to support your core Earth energy and immunity with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. (If you're in our area, you can schedule yourself online here).

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what’s the biggest insight you took away from this episode?

Loved this episode?

Please subscribe and consider rating & reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts. Five star reviews help us reach & support more listeners like you. You can also follow us on Spotify to be the first to hear about new & bonus episodes!

Thank you!

(Episode 10) How Salads and Smoothies Can Impede Weight Loss

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what’s your biggest takeaway about Cold from this episode?

Health trends often encourage a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables to maximize the enzymes and nutrients available in these foods. But what if we told you those same nutrition-packed smoothies and salads may be contributing to weight gain, fatigue and a slower metabolism?

More important than how much nutrition is in foods is your body's ability to absorb nutrients.

According to Chinese Medicine, nutrition is food + digestion, which means that no matter what you eat, your digestion needs to be healthy first.

In this episode, you'll hear about the shift Dr. Moafi made in her dietary health after connecting the dots with her health issues when she was eating what she thought was a “healthy” diet filled with salads, smoothies and cold drinks.

You’ll learn about the 8 principles of Chinese Medicine and how applying these principles to your food and lifestyle choices can optimize your health and weight loss goals.

The 8 Principles

According to Chinese Medicine, the 8 Principles that guide diagnosis are Yin and Yang, internal and external, hot and cold, excess and deficiency.

The 8 Principles are rooted in the Daoist principles of Yin and Yang, which are both the foundation of all of life as well as the foundation of Chinese diagnosis.

Yin is anything that’s more cooling, quiet, contemplative and slow. In nature, it’s most closely related to nighttime and the moon. On the other hand, Yang is more warming, active, extroverted, and fast. In nature, it’s most closely related to the daytime and the sun.

From there you can understand the other six principles: cold and hot, internal and external, and excess and deficiency.

The Perils of Cold

Cold is a common factor that can become pathological if the weather is too cold as well as through a diet that’s too cold.

Internally, cold is generated by diet such as a lot of raw food, including smoothies and Western pharmaceutical drugs especially those which suppress inflammation, pain and the immune system or antibiotics.

Cold constricts Qi and its movement, which can create both sharp pain as well as stiffness. Internally, it can manifest as gut pain and menstrual pain, as well as infertility if the cold lodges into the reproductive system.

Cold freezes pain and inflammation to bring temporary relief, but Cold also freezes the problem into the tissues and inhibits the circulation of Yang Qi and blood, both of which are needed for longterm healing. Yang Qi is metabolic energy that creates body warmth and supports healthy immunity. Once the Yang Qi is compromised, a person's healing capacity is weakened.

Hyptertension medication for example lowers blood pressure while suppressing the Yang Qi and therefore inducing cold internally that can manifest as erectile dysfunction.

Birth control medication similarly can induce cold and cause stagnation.

A person with Yang Qi insufficiency will show signs of fatigue, low metabolism, gets sick easily and tends to feel cold.

Cold leads to the stagnation of circulation and pain and can also be induced by working in a cold environment such as the fish department in a grocery store. Arthritis conditions can develop over long term exposure to cold environments. 

For any condition of cold and to counter the effects of cold from medication or your environment, it’s essential to focus on warming your core energy.

Tips to Counter the Effects of Cold

One of the most essential tips is to avoid drinking cold drinks or adding ice to your drinks. So drink more hot water with ginger or turmeric or even just room temperature drinks.

Another tip is to soak your body or just your feet in warm water to increase your core temperature.

Hot packs are another great way to warm your body — place a hot pack on your lower back, lower abdomen or at the base of your neck, especially if you have cold limbs or experience headaches or neck stiffness.

The most important thing is to remember that eating a lot of cold foods like salads, smoothies and yogurt will induce cold internally over time. This will make you feel colder, slow down your metabolism and inhibit you from losing weight over time.

The Spleen Qi regulates your metabolism and when it’s taxed, the Spleen won’t be able to create Qi and therefore won’t be able to regulate the metabolism.

At first, eating a lot of salads can result in weight loss especially if you’ve been eating a diet rich in carbohydrates, sugars or any type of refined foods. However, over time, as this cold food taxes the Spleen Qi, your digestion and metabolism will be compromised and therefore the transformation and transportation function of the Spleen is impacted. Since the mind is an extension of the Spleen according to Chinese Medicine, the mental processes including your memory and concentration may be impacted by weakness in the Spleen Qi.

Diarrhea, fatigue, poor memory and poor concentration are all common symptoms of Spleen Qi weakness.

A great way to strengthen your Spleen Qi is to eat more warm, nourishing foods including congee, which you can learn all about in this article.

In general, remember to:

  1. Eat fewer cold foods and drinks

  2. Keep your body warm with hot baths or foot soaks as well as the use of hot packs.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what’s your biggest takeaway about Cold from this episode?

Loved this episode?

Please subscribe and consider rating & reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts. Five star reviews help us reach & support more listeners like you. You can also follow us on Spotify to be the first to hear about new & bonus episodes!

Thank you!

(Episode 7) How to Open Your Heart to Experience True Love

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — how did the two tips we shared in this episode impact your life?

Not a fan of Valentine’s Day? You’re not alone. In the midst of a pandemic, it’s easy to feel more isolated and more alone than ever. And when we’re triggered, it’s especially important to cultivate tools to help us feel better about our lives.

In this episode we’ll discuss how opening your heart can help you experience the truest and most authentic love — self-love — and how experiencing this love can allow you to experience miracles and endless possibilities.




A Brief History of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day was created to replace a pagan holiday called Lupercalia that was practiced February 13-15 in Rome. The focus was purification that would help ward off evil and removing curses that were causing infertility.

The Catholics eventually made a celebration of St. Valentine in its place. St. Valentine was a healer who is said to heal his jailer’s daughter of blindness.

This can be used as a metaphor for Chinese Medicine’s idea of vaporizing phlegm, which is a process that occurs when you open your Heart to then be able to experience miracles.

It can be more challenging to experience an open heart during holidays like Valentine’s Day when you may feel you’re being forced to open your heart.

So what’s necessary? Forgiveness.

It’s also important to focus on the love you feel for yourself — the depth and truth of the meaning of self-love; to know yourself, to feel self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth. Because your relationships with others are rooted in your relationship with yourself and the love you feel for yourself.

If you don’t feel good about yourself or you’re judging yourself or feeling guilt about something you’ve done in the past then you inhibit the Lungs from expressing their virtue, which is forgiveness.

Loved this episode?

Please subscribe and consider rating & reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts. Five star reviews help us reach & support more listeners like you. You can also follow us on Spotify to be the first to hear about new & bonus episodes!

Thank you!

The Fire & Metal Elements

According to the Five Element system of Chinese Medicine, the Heart is part of the Fire element and the Lungs are encompassed in the Metal element. These two elements have an important relationship. In an optimal state, the Fire energy of the Heart helps to control the Metal energy of the Lungs which tends to be critical and even judgmental.

But when there’s an imbalance of Metal energy, which can cause feelings of regret and judgment of oneself and others, this can insult the Fire energy, oppressing the Heart’s ability to open and therefore give and receive love.

The Metal energy is also associated with forgiveness, which reflects your ability to let go. The Lungs let go of the breath and the Large Intestine, or colon, which is the other Metal element organ, lets go of toxins through the excretion of waste.

Forgiveness is a virtue of the Metal element. When you’re able to forgive, you free the Lungs and allow the Heart to open.

Through the action of letting go, we can experience the depth of forgiveness to allow the vaporization of phlegm in the Heart so you can experience miracles.

Letting go also anchors us fully into the present moment. Fire energy is about being in the moment. This is reflected in love, in being in the zone, in being in a flow state — all experiences that only happen when you’re fully present.

When people have Heart Fire manifesting as anxiety, nervousness and overstimulation of the mind they often reach for active exercise. But this creates a lot of heat in the body, which creates an acidic state in the blood that then exacerbates anxiety.

We reach for this type of exercise to release stress but also since the Lungs are overwhelmed, subconsciously we may be wanting to do intensive exercise to open the diaphragm and free the Lungs and this often doesn’t help in this way.

Chinese exercises like Qi Gong and Tai Chi are slow because the idea is to quiet the system and quiet the mind to reduce the static energy in the body and allow for the smooth flow of Qi to circulate.


2 Tips to Cultivate a Feeling of Self-Love

Tip #1 Alkalize Your Diet

Cultivating self-love involves freeing the Lungs to open the Heart to experience self-love and therefore endless possibilities and miracles.

When there’s Heart Fire, you can’t settle the mind and be still in the moment very easily. Heart Fire is a state of heat in the blood that manifests as an acidic terrain in the body. This is a concern when people are utilizing a ketogenic diet because establishing ketosis creates an acidic state in the body.

Heat generated by your diet can spread to all the organ systems.

We often think we’re healthy and on trend with diet, but nutrition and diet is highly personalized so not all trends will be pertinent to your particular body.

Fat can generate dampness and protein generates heat and too much of either creates an acidic state which can be dangerous for people with weak Kidneys as the Kidneys try to clear this acidity.

Greens are especially important to clear this heat, especially the bitter greens like dandelion, chard and spinach.

In Chinese Medicine, we say it’s important to cook your foods so avoid kale and spinach salads which can damage your digestive system and impede the function of the Spleen and Stomach organ systems. It’s better to cook greens and eat them with any meal throughout the day.

Fresh water algae have a cooling effect and are also high in protein for those looking for additional protein sources. These can include chlorella, spirulina and phytoplankton. You can also have more seaweed in your diet.

Drinking chlorophyll or chlorella or any of the fresh water algae help to cool down the system so they can calm your nervous system but should be taken moderately especially during the cooler Winter months.

Chlorophyll is made from alfalfa sprouts and can help start your day with an alkalizing effect.

If you have a busy mind, this can indicate excessive Fire that can also be accompanied by a lot of thinking and processing. Meditation and relaxation practices are also important, but diet is most important.

Placing your tongue on the tip of your mouth during Meditation can also help you cool Heart Fire.

If you have a cherry tip tongue, this indicates Heart Fire.

To learn more about the topic of Heart Fire, go to acenterfornaturalhealing.com/blog and type in “heart fire” in the search bar for more support.

Tip #2: Breathe Deeply and Retain Your Exhalation

When a person is nervous or anxious, they breathe shallow and this causes a buildup of carbonic acid.

When you take a deep breath and hold your exhalation, this helps release the carbonic acid and it helps you settle more into the moment.

Salvador guides this breathing exercise. Breathing out of the mouth helps clear heat and clear the Fire from your Heart.

Remember that it takes time to calm a body that’s acidic. Give yourself time to do a daily practice and you’ll see how your day will change — you’ll be less anxious, the day will seem to go more slowly and your life won’t pass by so quickly. As you can imagine, this is a technique of longevity and to reduce the aging process. This is why tortoises are one of the longest living creatures on earth, because they’re so slow.

As you slow down, yo’ll be able to naturally experience self-love, which is the natural state of Fire energy when it’s in balance.

You may feel a sense of joy begin to bubble up, which is a reflection of this balance in the Fire energy.

We hope holidays like Valentine’s Day can feel like an opportunity rather than something that triggers you to feel bad about yourself because you can change your experience of any experience to change the experience itself.

Now, we want to hear from you — how have these tips impacted your life? Let us know in the comments below!

Ready to open your heart & experience endless possibilities?

Download this free audio guide to learn four pillars that’ll transform your health & life.

(Episode 4) Spice Up Your Life: Using Culinary Spices & Essential Oils to Increase Your Zest for Life

Once you’ve listened to the episode, share your experience or questions in the comments below!

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

Spices are a part of all our lives because we consume various ones in our diet.

Culinary spices have many health benefits. The use of culinary spices help increase your appetite for food, but metaphorically they help increase your appetite - or zest - for life.

One way we can extract their therapeutic value is in the form of Essential Oils. Besides cooking with spices, you can also use essential oils made of seeds and leaves that are used as culinary spices for mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

In this episode, we discuss some of the special reasons why adding more spice is important to improve your mood and life.

There are two important categories of spices in essential oils - seeds and leaves. Seeds target the Spleen Qi and digestive system in general whereas leaves support the respiratory system and Lung Qi.

Loved this episode?

Please subscribe and consider rating & reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts. Five star reviews help us reach & support more listeners like you. You can also follow us on Spotify to be the first to hear about new & bonus episodes!

Thank you!

Seed Essential Oils

Seed oils include Coriander (cilantro seed), Cumin, Cardamom, and Caraway. In general, seed oils regulate Qi to reduce bloating, gas and abdominal pain, as well as to normalize bowel movements.

Seeds are the part of the plant that germinate to create the life of a new plant. In this way, seeds resonate with our body’s own germination or what we know of as the reproductive system. The reproductive system correlates with the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine, so seeds have a strong impact on supporting reproductive health.

The Kidney organ in Chinese Medicine not only relates to the reproductive organs such as the ovaries of a woman and the gonads of a man, but also the endocrine system in general which produces hormones to regulate many metabolic functions of the body. 

The Kidney’s energy therefore relates to the adrenal glands which produce stress and sexual hormones, all the way up to the Master endocrine gland in the brain, called the Pituitary gland.

In fact, the brain is the seat of the Kidney’s Essence, called Jing so seeds have a powerful impact on brain health and function.


Leaf Essential Oils

In addition, there are culinary herbs and spices derived from leaves. According to Chinese Medicine, leaves help spread the Qi, especially of the Lungs and Heart.

Spreading the Qi helps the Lung’s let go of trapped emotions held in the chest and also to release trapped pathology such as bacteria and viruses that cause respiratory related illnesses.

Leaf oils including Thyme, Oregano, Lemongrass, and Rosemary to support respiration.

Many of these oils are mucolytic to help break up congestion in the lungs and sinuses. Thyme has been proven to be antiviral and antibacterial and, depending on the variety used, can also help eradicate candida albicans. Oregano is antimicrobial and kills parasites and yeast. Rosemary, like Eucalyptus, is antiviral so it can effectively help treat colds and flus.

You can learn more about some of the best essential oils to support immunity in this article.

A unique leaf oil that we love to drink as a tea at home is Lemon Verbena. Lemon Verbena helps diffuse Lung Qi to help with bronchial issues, but it also helps cool the heart to help reduce anxiety and depression and improve sleep.


Summary

Seeds, generally speaking, help to gather and consolidate energy and support bringing energy into the body’s center for digestive support.

Leaves on the other hand, in addition to stimulating digestive function, help to invigorate the movement of blood and fluids throughout the body to support systemic circulation of the blood and lymphatics.

Most of the spices induce a warming quality on the body, so they have an invigorating and stimulating effect on the digestion, the mind, and the circulation.

A few spices such as Lemon Verbena, Peppermint, Sage and Sweet Marjoram have a cooling effect and therefore can support relaxing and calming a hyped up nervous system for people suffering from irritability, anxiety and general nervousness.

The use of culinary spices and essential oils is an easy way to improve your digestion and lift your mood. Spices help warm your Kidney Yang, which is especially important during the Winter months, but is also essential to keep your core energy and Essence, known as Jing, strong.

Since the Earth element is related to nourishment and made up of the primary organs of digestion - the Spleen and Stomach - it’s no wonder that cooking in general and especially with the use of culinary spices can enhance your Earth energy by improving your appetite and sense of nourishment.

The feeling of depression is often associated with a depressed Lung Qi. In other words, when the Lung energy cannot diffuse, you’re likely to feel more sad and depressed. Leaf oils such as Thyme, Rosemary and Lemon Verbena can help to lift your mood and therefore help to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with depression. (You can read more about using essential oils with symptoms related to depression here).

Be sure to add some spice to your diet - especially in the morning - to spice up your day, and life!


How to use spices & essentials to lift your mood at home:

  1. Drink Lemon Verbena tea - Lemon Verbena is cooling and therefore helps with anxiety depression and insomnia. You can purchase the dried leaves or grow a plant in your patio or garden and either steep the fresh or dried leaves in hot water to drink as a tea.

  2. Add some spice to your breakfast - adding a dash of Cardamom or Cinnamon to a breakfast of warm grains such as oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, and amaranth can help improve your circulation, warm your belly and lift your mood.

  3. Smell or diffuse essential oils - Clove or Peppermint or great pick-me-ups that make great personal companions to lift your energy and mood, or simply diffuse to cleanse the air in your home. (Just be careful if you have pets around as some essential oils can be toxic to them at high doses)

Let us know in the comments - which spices do you do you use in your cooking and which ones would you love to try?