Here is a collection of fun observations & suggestions from my perspective as a TCM chef.
I stood in line at the coffee shop last week, listening to the order in front of me: “Can I have one of your Macchiatos with a dash of Cardamom?”
I’m like: “what…?”
Coffee Addiction: In traditional Chinese medicine, one of the herbs to help cope with caffeine addiction is the suggestion to suck on Cardamom seeds like candy – it will trigger in your brain the same dopamine response you chase after by drinking coffee. Cardamom helps you curve the craving.
Say, for a chronic coffee drinker like me – if I had to stop for a health reason (cancer treatment, blood pressure, or kidney problems) – that would be the easiest solution…Why would a brand-name coffee house be so self-destructive and “flavor” their brews with an antidote to their business? It would take ten minutes to consult with a nutritionist to learn about the benefits or disadvantages of your advertised drinks.
Antioxidants: Yesterday, a cancer patient insisted that her doctor warned her not to consume antioxidants because they would interfere with the radiation of her chemotherapy. And it makes sort of sense; you’re going to have a treatment that generates cell-destroying free radicals, and antioxidants neutralize free radicals. It seems logical to avoid antioxidants.
However, I encouraged her to refrain from listening to the doctor on this occasion and to eat as many antioxidants as naturally available from fresh foods, berries, grains, and nuts as possible. Stock up on healthy foods before you have radiation. Void any sugars. Most of my patients who listened to this advice recovered faster and exhibited significantly better results during their radiation therapy, which shortened the recovery time by 50% of the average length.
Today, medical students must be given more information about TCM methods, and doctors should communicate better when setting nutritional rules. Although superficial or “fabricated” antioxidant supplements are not ideal before radiation, eating wise will aid in the process of cancer recovery!
Probiotic nonsense: Often, the question arises of what I think about taking probiotics. Well, if you need to balance your intestinal bacteria, you have to have a good reason for it because otherwise, you’re just interfering with something that works perfectly fine and in harmony. So, randomly adding probiotics because you think they “sound good” when you take them will interrupt that healthy household.
A secure bacterial household does not like being “boosted” with one-sided probiotic lazed super drinks that contain caffeine and artificial sweeteners. And no, “just” consuming Kombuchas’ because fast food developers praise them as a “healthy supplement” is NOT making you healthier.
PepsiCo produces kombucha through its acquisition of KeVita…
And if you need to re-stock probiotics, you want to take an antibiotic combo after antibiotic treatment. Consume a probiotic stored in a refrigerator containing at least 4 billion units of the bacterium acidophilus. Add various versions of live microorganisms by mixing up your intake with kimchi, sauerkraut, and well-aged cheese protein. The more variations of bacteria you consume, the faster your gut-household will reactivate. It takes six weeks at minimum to restore a healthy digestive balance; think about it before senselessly medicating yourself with the anti-biotics that we consume in horrid amounts.
Yes, your brain capacity is linked to healthy gut activity!
Most of you know how little I generalize when advising because we all deserve individual suggestions and care. We are not the same. There are ground principles that all can adapt to aid better sleeping patterns. We can all regulate blood pressure, circulatory system, and oxygen transportation with food choices.
Blood Pressure: Make yourselves a tea of Hibiscus and Hawthorne. You won’t find that combo on market shelves, so buy Hawthorne tea leaves and hibiscus pods online. Create your sleep tea by adding a spoon of good honey and enjoying it. If you have elevated blood pressure (even while on beta blockers), add dried goji berries (wolfberries) when brewing your tea.
Boil hot water and steep your tea for three minutes. Leave or eat the goji berries, but remove the ingredients. Let it cool down, and drink now or cold the next day.
You can make a cold-brew “sun tea” by simply let it rest two days (covered) in sunlight. This is a wonderful tea to drink at any time. It will help you sleep, and it will also help you hold your urine in case your bladder regularly wakes you up in the middle of the night. Over time, it will lower your blood pressure with no side effects. Goji berries help prevent diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. They are eye-nourishing. Goji berries do not “regulate” anyone with healthy blood pressure.
Sleep Aid: Eating a Kiwi (with the skin) in the evening for three weeks can induce your own melatonin release and aid you in sleeping soundly. Kiwis have a low glycaemic index, are packed with a perfect potassium/magnesium balance, and help regulate blood pressure. They are respected in TCM for boosting mood and aiding digestion. Eat them in the evening. Send me a message and tell me this helped.
Fever Fact: Next time you catch yourself with a light fever or one of your friends or family members experiencing an elevated temperature, embrace it and support it! Your body can stimulate a healthy immune system by “heating up.” When your body temperature goes above 104F (or 40 Celsius), yes, you need professional help. Otherwise, run it out without taking fever-depressant medicines; all you achieve is a “sense of well-being, “and you prevent your white blood cells from being boosted, which is needed to correct the underlying cause.
Often, your body simply communicates, “sit back and chill a little…”
Vitamin Crime: Vitamins are over-sold in the US, and it is like you need water. Yes, they keep your body functioning strong. Supplementing as we so aimlessly do in the Western world instead of eating fresh fruits, veggies, legumes, and nuts is silly. Your body scuffles absorbing artificially produced vitamins, even if you buy them from the “most excellent source”. Friends telling you how they help them is no fair comparison.
My go-to response is comparing the “healthy” eighty-year-old smoking daily when pointing out that not everyone gets cancer from it.
Do not take vitamins unless you have an underlying condition that requires you or cannot absorb them through the kidney, the skin, or the liver. Uh, what about the trend of “wellness vapes…” – Besides this being a classic SNL sketch, it is medicinally idiotic, on the same level as vitamin infusion therapy. Gosh the creativity is endless. The simplicity, however, can’t be matched by simply eating a variety of foods that are called fresh (ignore organic labels; it does not matter much).
Cough, yes, cough: COVID-19 has made us paranoid… We cough for a reason. The reason is to expel mucus from collecting in the lungs. Liquids in your pulmonary sack irritate you to the extent that you will cough them up. Consuming numbing medicine to oppress this effect is silly: You still haven’t dealt with the mucus in your lungs that’s now growing and spreading. This can develop into PCP pneumonia. Coughing, to a certain extent, is an ideal reaction you should not artificially oppress unless it could trigger a problem. After abdominal surgery, sneezing and coughing can rupture stitching.
Lay with your head on your chest over the bed edge. Have a friend gently pound on your middle back for about 15 minutes every 2-3 hours to release mucus from your system. Add Tiger Balm or Vicks Vapor to the bathroom handwash sink, let the hot water run with a towel over your head, and inhale the steam.
Kidney Stone (read my blog): Gulping apple cider vinegar has been promoted for millenniums to help reduce kidney stones. If you need help determining what kind of stones you have to, consult a medical professional before you start medicating yourself wrongly. Apple cider vinegar helps the body to create more betaine hydrochloride. When we age, the hydrochloric acid that breaks down foods is less sufficiently produced in the stomach. These are parietal cells in the stomach lining (fundus). So adding a little vinegar, half an hour while you eat can help you digest better.
Timing! Learn!
Apple Cider Vinegar, however, is high in acetic acid and antimicrobial substances, which prevent your (diminished) digestive enzymes from breaking down foods correctly. In that scenario, the small intestine being stressed causes the kidney to filter more substances that can cause stone formation. Yup, a milder choice is fresh lemon juice as a salad sauce. Preserved lemon juice is a “dead material” to your digestive system.
Back to the kidney stone problem. Taking apple Cider vinegar to aid stone dissolvement requires a fasting system. Take it to treat cystine or oxalate stones in the morning—one spoon and a big gulp of water!
Papaya contains digestive enzymes similar to those produced by humans, which help digest foods. Older people who have indigestion or suffer constant chronic diarrhea should eat a little bit daily. You don’t need much; a spoonful daily is enough.
And back to the kidney stones. If you want to prevent them, eat a bushel of parsley once a week. It’s as simple as that. Next time you go to a restaurant, eat the decoration on your plate. It will prevent your kidney from developing crystalized debris.
Diabetic Tip: We evolve in a food-crazy world, resulting in diabetes. Type 2 is the most common one, but Type 1 diabetes is on the rise as well. Here are a few generalized suggestions: Up your niacinamide (nicotinamide) household. Your body, in a diabetic state, can’t synthesize or store it. It is a form of Vitamin B3 found in meat, fish, eggs, veggies, and cooked grains.
These nutrients shield islet cells from harm. Consuming Vitamin B3 is now confirmed to elevate the risk of heart attack and stroke (It is still added to Vitamin-enriched milk)… If you lack natural B3, drink less water while you eat. Exercise 45 to 75 minutes daily and get your heart rate way up there. You might even snap out of needing insulin. Try it.
I have had clients who came off insulin medicine and diabetic medicine by simply following lifestyle changes.
Oil Pulling: And let’s do one more. Let me share the technique of oil pulling. It’s mystifying but a practical, simple way for oral health. Take a sip of olive oil and swish it in your mouth. Force it between your teeth and all over the gums back and forth. Don’t gargle with it, but smush it around in your mouth. Do that for a minimum of five (long) minutes: Think of the discomfort of mouthwash, giggle, and keep doing it! Yup, oil-pulling is growth. Interchange quality oils every two weeks for one round.
Sesame-, olive-, coconut -and sunflower- oil.
And why you should ask?
Unrefined coconut oil contains lauric acid, an antimicrobial microbial. It also reduces inflammation and plaque formation. That prevents gingivitis.
Sesame oil is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It contains sitosterol and sesamoid (not the foot bone). Sesame has anti-arthritis properties, is detoxifying, and releases antioxidants. It’s also cheaper and more potent than Chlorhexidine when treating gingivitis.
Olive oil. Prevents bad breath. And it also inhabits plaque formation. Choose an extra virgin brand, or from a source, you know. If you have plaque buildup (streptococcus mutans) – you should adopt a two-week routine of ten minutes of oil pulling daily. Try it; it will make your dentist marble!
Sunflower oil has anti-inflammatory properties and reduces the risk of oral infections. Sunflower is rich of tocopherols (Vitamine E) that protects free radical injury in your brain.
Side Note: Sunflower oil is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and contains NO dietary cholesterol!
Play around with different oils if you’re unclear about their benefit. It’s a tremendous bi-weekly habit that might reduce dental expenses in the long run!
Let me know if these “short stories” keep you inspired.
TCMchef Raphael