Triphala: The Balancing Formula For Detoxification and Rejuvenation That You HAVEN'T Been Taking

Triphala is one of my most favorite herbal blends in Ayurvedic medicine and I wanted to take a moment to share with you the benefits found in this powerful formula.  It's comprised of three fruits native to India: Amalaki, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki and literally means "three fruits".

Triphala is recommended and used more often than any other Ayurvedic herbal formulation due to its ability to gently cleanse and detoxify the system while simultaneously replenishing and nourishing it.  When these three fruits are combined, they form a very powerful Rasayana.  A Rasayana is the most highly refined and powerful herbal combination known to promote long life and rejuvenation. 

Benefits of Triphala:

•  Assists natural internal cleansing
• Gently maintains regularity
• Natural antioxidant and rich in polyphenols which reduce oxidative stress on the body
• Supports healthy digestion and absorption
• Nourishes and rejuvenates the tissues
• Purifies the blood
• Lowers LDL cholesterol
• Reduces blood sugars
• Removes excess fats from the body
• Nurtures voice quality
• Strengthens hair roots
• Improves eyesight

Triphala and Weight Loss

In conditions of excess weight, triphala can be used as part of a weight loss system included with a healthy, vegetable-rich diet and exercise.  Proper digestion and elimination are important factors in achieving long-term success in maintaining an optimal body weight.  Triphala also promotes healthy eating habits and cravings by supplying the body with the full spectrum of natural tastes.  

How To Take Triphala:

Unlike some allopathic medicines, Triphala does not cause any serious side effects or ailments; a person can consume it on a regular basis without worrying about negative long-term health effects.  ***If you are pregnant or menstruating, DO NOT take Triphala.***

In Ayurvedic medicine, Taste is very important when it comes to the consumption of food as medicine, therefore, it's important to take this as a tea rather than swallowing the vegetable capsules these normally come in.  I normally open 2-3 capsules in hot water, allow it to settle and drink the tea slowly at night time before bed.  You don't need to take this three times a day; taking it before you sleep allows time for the body to let the Triphala go through and do its work.  Because Triphala works slowly, this herbal formula is meant to be taken long term as it has a deeply purifying effect.  It goes deeper into the physiology and releases the toxins at a much deeper level.

Any questions or experience with Triphala?  Comment below!  Have a healthful day- Collin

The Power of Broccoli Sprouts in Detoxifying Environmental Pollutants

Everyday, we are bombarded with environmental toxins- car exhaust, lead-wick/synthetic aroma candles/plug-in air fresheners, laundry detergents and dryer sheets, non-organic cleaning agents--the list goes on.  These man-made chemicals which are completely unnatural are not recognized by the body and unable to be properly broken down, resulting in toxic accumulation.  The effects that these environmental pollutants have on our health has yet to be fully known as not enough time has passed to see the long term effects- remember when asbestos used to be sold as fake snow for christmas?  It's important to rid your home of as many of these environmental pollutants as you can and detoxify your body before  you encounter serious health consequences.  

A diet of mostly whole, organically-grown foods is undoubtedly among the most effect ways to prevent disease and achieve optimal health, and sprouts may offer some of the highest levels of nutrition.

Recent research on "super foods" is finding that broccoli sprouts may help detox toxic pollutants.  As reported by Time Magazine:

"Broccoli sprouts specifically are a source of glucoraphanin, which creates sulforaphane when chewed or swallowed.  That compound accelerates the body's ability to detoxify from various pollutants..."

In China, a three-month long study among 300 Chinese men and woman living in one of themes polluted areas of China, a rural community in the Jiangsu Province, was performed where the test group drank half a cup of a beverage consisting of sterilized water, pineapple, and lime juice, with dissolved freeze-dried broccoli sprout powder ever day.  The control group drank the same drink without the powder.

After urine and blood tests were collected and analyzed, researchers found that the test group, who received the broccoli sprout powder, excreted far greater levels of two carcinogens.  Excretion of benzene increased 61 percent, and the rate of excretion of acrolein increased by 23 percent.

Fresh broccoli sprouts are FAR more potent that whole broccoli.  For example, tests have revealed that three-day old broccoli sprouts contained anywhere from 10-100 times the amount of glucoraphanin found in mature broccoli.  Glucoraphanin has also been shown to protect against cancer.  Other health-promoting compounds found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli sprouts (and mature broccoli) include:

• Glucosinolate glucoraphanin, which helps improve blood pressure and kidney function. It also boosts cell enzymes that protect against molecular damage from cancer-causing chemicals. 
• Sulforaphane, a metabolite of the glucosinolate glucoraphanin, has been shown to normalize DNA methylation — a crucial part of normal cell function that allows cells to “remember who they are and where they have been.” It’s also important for regulating gene expression, and this compound has been found to play a role in activating more than 200 different genes. Sulforaphane also has anti-diabetic and antimicrobial properties, and kills cancer stem cells, which slows tumor growth. 
• Isothiocyanate, a specific sulforaphane compound, has very strong cancer-protective benefits, sparking hundreds of beneficial gene changes. This compound activates some genes that fight cancer, and switch off other genes whose job it is to aid in tumor growth.

Incorporating broccoli sprouts into your diet through juicing or including them with salads and wraps is quick and easy as well as inexpensive- a large bag of them from my co-op cost $3.  They're delicious and add great texture to meals.  Have a healthy day! -Collin

Recover From Voice Loss or Improve Your Vocal Quality Quickly With This Chinese Herbal Tea!

I was recently asked by someone if there was anything Chinese Medicine does for loss of voice and I immediately recalled the time I couldn't speak after a cold where I was coughing a lot- I drank a Pang Da Hai tea throughout that day and my voice came back the next.

Pang Da Hai is a seed that can be found in most Asian supermarkets in packets of about 8 seeds.  You'll pour about 8-16 oz of boiling water over 1-3 seeds and let them sit for about ten minutes and watch the magic happen.  The seeds expand with a gelatinous membrane that is then mixed around in the cup and sipped.  You can remove the hard seed from within once it has expanded and drink this tea.  You'll want to drink this tea up to 3 times a day and swallow bits of the membrane as it deeply moistens, cools and heals sore throats and distressed vocal chords.  This tea is best for hot, sore throats and voice loss.  Have a great day and comment your success! -Collin

Why Does My Acupuncturist Feel My Pulse?

If you've seen an acupuncturist before, aside from our in depth intake and examination of your face and tongue, we take your pulse on both wrists. I think many of us who are in this field know why we use the pulse for diagnostic purposes but I don't think our patients fully understand the deep philosophy and science behind it. I found a piece of literature by Bob Flaws where he talks about this and thought this would provide some depth to those of us that practice this medicine and insight to patients unsure why we use this technique in our medicine-

"Pulse examination in modern TCM primarily means feeling the pulse of the radial arteries at the styloid processes of both wrists.  This is commonly called the "cun kou" or inch opening.  It is believed by practitioners of Chinese medicine that the pulses felt here can be read as a simulacrum of the flow of qi, blood, and body fluids of the entire body.  The first chapter of the Nan Jing (Classic of Difficulties) opens with the following question: All the 12 channels have sections where the movement in these vessels can be felt.  Still, one selects only the cun kou in order to determine whether the five viscera and six bowel harbor a pattern of death or life, of good or evil auspices.  What does that mean? The answer of why one can determine the health and disease of the entire body by feeling the pulses at the cun kou on the wrists that the Nan Jing gives is this: The cun kou constitutes the great meeting point of the contents passing through the vessels.  It is the section of the hand tai yin channel where the movement in that vessel can be felt.  When a normal person exhales once, the contents of the vessels proceed three inches.  When a normal person inhales once, the contents of the vessels proceed another three inches.  Exhaling and inhaling constitute one breathing period.  During this period, the contents of the vessels proceed six inches.  A person, in the course of one day and one night, breathes altogether 13,500 times.  During that time, the contents of the vessels proceed through 50 passages.  That is, they circulate through the body in the period needed by the clepsydra's dripping water to move down by 100 markings.  The constructive and defensive qi proceed through 25 passages during a yang period, and they proceed through 25 passages during a yin period.  This constitutes one cycle.  Because the contents of the vessels meet again, after 50 passages, with the cun kou, this section is the beginning and the end of movement of the contents of the vessels through the body's five viscera and six bowel.  Hence, the pattern of death or life, good or evil auspices harbored by the body's five viscera and six bowels may be obtained from the cun kou. Whether or how one chooses to accept this explanation aside, it is a fact that practitioners of Chinese medicine have been diagnosing and treating patients on the basis of pulse examination carried out at the inch opening for at least 2,000 years."

To summarize what is being said here, we are using the pulse as a diagnostic measure as it's painting a picture of the entire ecosystem within the body. Each position and depth is related to an organ and its pair. If you have specific questions, feel free to comment below! -collin (Bob Flaws, The Secrete of Chinese Pulse Diagnosis)

Experiencing Seasonal Allergies AGAIN? Here Are a Few Great Tips!

Here in New Mexico, the end of summer means a few trees are finishing their blooming while a few others are starting up; it can be a difficult time for many people who suffer from allergies.  There are a few preventative things you can begin doing for the future and a few things you can do right now to reduce your symptoms and discomfort.

If you've had seasonal allergies your whole life and are tired to taking flo-nase or other over-the-counter medication, I highly recommend you see a naturopath or acupuncturist who specializes in herbs as there are powerful and natural ways to ease your discomfort and prevent allergies for the future.  

Seasonal allergy symptoms seen in most people are low energy, red/dry eyes, nasal congestion with yellow/green mucus, poor appetite and dry nose/throat.  In Chinese Medicine, we would see this as a Lung Deficiency (fatigue, low energy, poor appetite) combined with an External Heat (red/dry eyes, yellow/green mucus, sore throat).  We would want to Tonify the Lung/Spleen Qi and clear the heat.  Here are a few things you can do right now to reduce your allergy symptoms though!

1.  Wash Your Hair and Pillow Cases Daily-  If you find that you experience the most congestion at night and in the morning, it's often from the pollen/dust you've collected on yourself throughout the day.  Even if we wash our hair, often our pillows will have allergens, making sleep difficult with congestion.  Use a fragrance-free, eco-friendly detergent, as the chemicals and fragrances can irritate an already inflamed airway.

2.  Reduce Spicy, Sweet and Difficult to Digest Food-  Spicy food might temporarily clear your nasal passages but this heat unfortunately is drying out the Lung more.  In Chinese Medicine, we say that Spicy/Pungent is the flavor of the Lung- therefore "A Little Tonfies, A Lot Disperses."  The heat of spicy food will 'burn up the yin of the Lung' as the Lung likes to be warm and moist.  Sweet foods and difficult to digest foods will contribute to the mucus production.  Hard breads, cheese, raw/uncooked foods and desserts- all of these are going to continue the mucus production.  Food needs to be cooked, not heavily seasoned and easy to digestion- you want to support your Spleen and Lung right now, not give them hard work when they're already sick.  I highly recommend a fresh (not dry) ginger tea throughout the day as well; this will nourish the Spleen and warm up the Lung gently.  If it's summer, let the tea cool off but do not drink ice cold.

3.  Chinese Herbal Formulas- If you have an acupuncturist who also sells herbs, let them know you're having allergy symptoms so they can look at your signs and symptoms to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the perfect formula for you.  One of my favorite formulas for when someone is in the midst of allergic symptoms is Jia Wei Xin Yi San (Xanthium & Magnolia Flower Formula) from Golden Flower Herbs.

4.  Neti Pot!  For a long time, I wasn't a fan of the Neti Pot; I didn't like water going through my nose as it reminded me of swimming and getting water in there.  But I've experienced how well it can clean the nasal passages and allergy sufferers NEED to do this.  Using a Neti Pot gently irrigates the nasal passages and helps the body to rid itself of the pollen and allergens.  If you suffer from nasal congestion, please go and buy a Neti Pot.  They are very inexpensive and along with washing your hair and pillow cases, your allergy symptoms could be reduced by 80% alone.

The biggest reason I see with patients with chronic seasonal allergies is their diet.  I highly recommend that you look at your diet and examine what could be impairing your body's natural ability to shield itself from pathogens- often it's poor food combinations or the wrong diet for our bodies.  If you have any tips that you'd like to share that have worked for you, comment below!  Have a healthy day- Collin

Long Term Health Benefits of Daily Tea Drinking

Many people have some sort of morning ritual involving either coffee or tea, but studies have shown time and time again the health benefits of teas, from reducing inflammation to cancer prevention.

A plant-based diet can help shield you from cancer.   Plants are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances that help them (and us) withstand exposure to ultraviolet radiation, air pollution and other noxious substances.  Oxidative damage and inflammation promote cancer in addition to other chronic diseases.  Some plant chemicals even enhance the body's detoxification systems,stimulate the immune system and have direct anti-cancer effects.

Black, green and oolong tea all come from the plant Camellia senesis.  Population studies link higher tea consumption with a reduced risk of gastrointestinal, pancreatic, bladder, prostate, ovarian,uterine and breast cancer.  Green tea is particularly rich in the polyphenol epigallocatechin gullet.  In lab research, it inhibits cancer cell formation, proliferation, invasiveness, and metastasis and provokes cancer cell death.  Aim for two to three cups of green tea a day.

In Chinese Medicine, tea is believed to counteract the damage inflicted by greasy foods.  Westerners began to take notice of tea's healthful effects when a Dutch study in the early 1990s showed that the anti-oxidant flavonoids in tea reduce the risk of heart disease.  Many subsequent studies have shown that tea protects the heart.  It's high in antioxidant compounds that prevent- and undo- the cell damage at the root of heart disease (and most cancers).  Researchers at the University of North Carolina analyzed 17 studies of tea and heart disease.  Their conclusion:  Three cups a day (black, green, oolong or other varieties) reduces heart attack risk by 11 percent.

If drinking tea in the afternoon makes it difficult to fall asleep, make your last cup before noon.  Green tea has the least amount of caffeine and is higher in flavonoids than black tea, making this ideal.  I like to drink green tea in the summer when it's hot as it has a cooling quality to it and during the winter, moving to the cook teas like black, Earl Grey or Oolong.  If you currently drink coffee everyday and are worried about the caffeine crash in switching over, try a strong black tea (double bag even) in the morning, it can make a smoother transition and you don't have to feel guilty about having a second cup later.

4 Daily Tweaks that Reduce Inflammation

A healthy diet goes a long way, but add in these simple everyday changes and you can help get inflammation under control for years to come.

1.  Get More Sleep:  Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta found that sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality raises inflammation in the body.  "Sleep- at least seven and a half to eight hours a night- is extremely useful of recharging the body and decreasing inflammatory hormones like cortisol and adrenaline," says doctor Jeffrey Morrison, author of Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind.  "It's these stress hormones that make the body more susceptible to inflammation."   Finding it hard to sleep at night?  Don't use electronic devices (including TV, computer or your smartphone) for at least two hours before going to bed.  Studies have shown that the blue light emitted by these devices can interfere with the production of a key sleep hormone, melatonin.  Also, shut off your Wi-Fi before you go to bed; some experts believe the signals can interfere with our bodies; own electrical impulses during the night-making us more agitated or anxious and unable to sleep soundly.

2.  Maintain a Healthy Weight:  Fat causes inflammation, says New Jersey-baed integrative doctor Kristine Gedroic.  "Your fat is not the product of your inflammation; it becomes the source of your inflammation."  For good health, we must keep our weight within a healthy range.  Excess weight around the middle, particularly, is an active source of hormones and inflammatory compounds.  When we lose excess weight, our bodies' inflammation levels decrease.  One study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that when overweight or obese women dropped at least 5% of their body weight, they had measurable declines in markers of inflammation.

3.  Exercise Regularly:  A University of Illinois study found that exercise seems to help heal chronic inflammation in the skin- a benefit that could be extrapolated to the entire body, the researchers say.  the study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, found that exercise helps increase blood flow in the body and decreases the amount of inflammatory molecules released in the body.  Another study- conducted by Mark Hamer, an epidemiologist at University College London- found that just two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week (about 20 minutes a day) reduced markers of inflammation by 12%.  The reason?  When we exercise, our fat and muscle tissues release bursts of proteins called cytokines into our bloodstream, helping inflammation to drop.

4.  Reduce Stress:  Chronically high levels of stress hormones can lead to the release of excess inflammatory chemicals.  This is why finding ways to lower your stress every day (such as breathing exercises, yoga, mediation or a daily tea ritual) is key to staying healthy.