What We Know About Sugar and How to Beat the Cravings
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Time for Bone Broth! A Recipe for Essential Soup Stock
Ancient civilizations and cultures around the world knew that a good soup stock was the key to health. Not only do they add rich and wonderful flavors to our meals, they are extremely nutritious, adding protein, electrolytes and vital minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium to our diet. A home-made stock is invaluable—add them to stir-fries, cooking water for rice or vegetables, sauces and more—and offer ways of getting more nutrition out of your food, without spending extra money. Not only that, having home-made stocks at home is the time-tested, best way to treat a little one’s cold or flu (our grandmothers new a thing or two about that didn’t they?)! A prepared or packaged broth is often inferior because they may contain sugars, too much sodium, vegetable oils or thickening agents, all of which may detract from, or even denature, the meals to which they are added.
Primed in the Fractal Tree of Life: A Review of ‘The Spark in the Machine’
By Jennifer Kapraun, LAc
Have you ever tried to talk a friend or loved one into getting acupuncture, someone who you know really needs it, only to hear something like: “Oh, I don’t think that would work for me, I don’t believe in it.” or “Oh, I believe in acupuncture, but I’m afraid it won’t work for me.” Well, this book review may provide some answers to sway such folks.
November and December Product of the Month
Chinese Herbal Medicine has several SAFE, NATURAL and EFFECTIVE treatments that you can HAVE ON HAND if you start experiencing symptoms of a cold or flu!
We are offering this handy set of 3 appropriate herbal remedies for cold and flu season for 25% off for the months of November and December! Here's what it includes....
Heal Thy Guts!
By Toby Helmstetter, LAc
Unless you've been living under a rock these days, you've heard about the importance of gut health. Everyone from Harvard to Whole Foods is making sure we know that the state of our gut influences every aspect of our health. From the strength of our immune system, to the integrity of our skin, and even our mental health, if the gut ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. This could be an intense and exhaustive article about the different conditions plaguing our guts these days, but it's not. The point here is to explain that, whether you're dealing with IBS, IBD, Crohn's, colitis, GERD, or SIBO, acupuncture can help.
October Product of the Month
By Tory Wegner, LAc, DiplOM, FABORM
Is your digestive system running smoothly? Do you experience reflux, constipation, or loose stool? Do you have trouble with gas, bloating, or digestive discomfort? If so, you might benefit from supplementing with a probiotic.
Congee: Super Food for Digestive Health
Congee is a very basic traditional food that people in China and across Asia have been eating for thousands of years. The basic rice porridge is easy to digest and serves as the perfect medium for medicinal foods.
A Few of Our Favorite Things
Patients ask us all the time for suggestions on products, books, and other stuff we like. As acupunturists and herbalists, we have to keep abreast of all things alternative-health. We read about supplements, nutrition, home and skin care products, meditation techniques, and more and more and more! In this newsletter article, we've compiled a list of some of our favorite sites for the things we love to read about, learn about, and buy.
August Product of the Month
By Tory Wegner, LAc, DiplOM, FABORM
Natural Calm is a highly absorbable magnesium supplement. Magnesium is an important nutrient that is used by muscles, organs (including the heart and kidneys), contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones, activates enzymes, and is part of energy production. Even though you can get magnesium from many foods including whole grains, nuts, and green vegetables, many people are deficient in magnesium and positively benefit from the right kind of supplementation. Natural Calm is a very popular magnesium supplement because it restores healthy magnesium levels and balances calcium intake, which ultimately results in natural stress relief--who doesn’t want that?!
Chinese Green Bean Salad
By Kim Boomhower, LMBT
This bright green, crunchy salad is bursting with Asian flavors and is so easy to make and is perfect for summer. Green beans are in the height of their season right now--look for fresh, plump organic green beans at the farmer’s market. Ginger, well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties, is also considered a helpful addition to your diet in the hot months of summer. The warmth of ginger helps to prevent summer colds, and warms the digestive system as we introduce colder and less cooked foods.
Opportunity to Include Acupuncture in NC State Employee Health Benefits
We have an opportunity. Over the past several years, the NC Association for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCAAOM)'s Director of Government Affairs (our very own Chris Helmstetter), and their lobbyist, Randolph Cloud, have been meeting with the NC Department of State Treasury to get acupuncture included in the state employees’ health benefits plan. According to the NCAAOM, it looks like they are going to be given an opportunity to make a presentation on August 28th for acupuncture to be a covered benefit for ALL NC state employees.
Yin and Yang 101
By Toby Helmstetter, LAc
"When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created.
When people see things as good, evil is created.
Being and non-being produce each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low oppose each other.
Fore and aft follow each other."
- Dao De Jing
One of the guiding principles in Chinese medicine is the concept of yin and yang. Though not necessarily a complex idea, the concept of it can elude patients and sometimes even their practitioners. Yin and yang are fundamental opposites, and yet, between the two ends of that spectrum, yin and yang are the dynamic, creative, and interdependent forces upon which all health, according to Chinese medicine, relies.