Minimize CRAP food.  This stands for Carbonated sugary drinks, Refined sugar, Artificial sweeteners, flavors & additives, and Processed foods.

Eat whole, minimally processed foods as much as possible.  Organic and locally grown foods have more Qi and contain more nourishment than conventionally grown or processed foods.  Eat seasonally available foods grown locally as much as possible.

Meals should leave you satisfied and full for at least 2-3 hours.  If you spend a lot of time thinking about food in between meals or have a lot of cravings, include more healthy fats in the diet such as full-fat dairy products, coconut oil, olive oil, or nuts.

Eating breakfast is important, don’t skip this meal!  Emphasis should be on proteins and fats to keep you satiated throughout the day and helps minimize sugar cravings later on in the day.  

Breakfast ideas:  boiled eggs, full fat yogurt or greek yogurt, full fat cottage cheese, eggs and bacon, apple or celery with nut butter, avocado on whole wheat toast, or a smoothie containing fat (a base such as coconut oil blended in water or full fat milk work well), add a leafy green vegetable and berries or other fruit as desired, whey protein is a great addition as well.

Eat in a relaxing environment, chew food thoroughly, and avoid other activities while eating such as reading or watching TV.  Don’t eat when stressed, rushed, or arguing, all of which stagnate qi and adversely affect digestion.  

Minimize cold or frozen foods and iced drinks as much as possible.  Drink a small cup of tea, broth, or warm water with meals to promote the “digestive fire” needed to transform food into nourishment.

Eat foods according to your Chinese Medicine pattern.   Ask your Chinese Medicine practitioner what your TCM diagnosis is to begin eating foods that will boost your vitality.Item description

Foods to Lubricate the Intestines:

Spinach, banana, sesame seed/oil, honey, pear, prune, peach, apple apricot, walnut, pine nut, almond, seaweed, whole raw milk, okra, beet, cauliflower, carrot, soy products, alfalfa sprouts, and gelatin

Flora Enhancing Foods:

Yogurt, miso, raw sauerkraut, raw pickles, acidophilus, kefir, chlorophyll rich foods such as dark greens, wheat grass juice, alfalfa greens, wild blue-green algae, and spirulina

Foods that Promote Bowel Movement:

Cabbage, castor oil, papaya, peas, black sesame seed, coconut, asparagus, sweet potato, fig, bran from oats, wheat, or rice

Demulcent Herbs (herbs to cool, soothe, and heal inflammation):

Licorice root, psyllium seed, flax seed, fenugreek seed, marshmallow root

Laxative Herbs:

Dandelion root, barberry bark, cascara bark, rhubarb root

Be sure to get a lot of variety in the diet, don’t eat too much of any of the above foods.

Great Recipe to Assist Cleaning out the Bowels:

Winter Market Salad - recipe from allrecipes.com

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (can substitute with olive oil if you prefer)

1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

1 beet peeled and grated

1 small celery root (celeriac), peeled and grated

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 small Macintosh apple, peeled, cored, and cubed (optional)

-Place oil, vinegar, mustards, and honey into a screw top jar. Seal and shake. Add salt and pepper to taste.

-Combine the remaining ingredients in salad bowl, add dressing, mix and enjoy! (I use our vitamix instead of grating the ingredients, it is a big time saver!)

Foods for Liver Qi Stagnation:

Onions, garlic, mustard greens, asparagus, watercress, cabbage, taro root, turnip, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, Jerusalem artichokes, brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, small amounts of citrus, turmeric, basil, mint, horseradish, pepper, cumin fennel, cardamom, dill ginger, small amounts of pickled vegetables

Small quantities of wine and coffee (no more than 1 cup/day)

Sprouted grains, sourdough bread, extra virgin olive oil, kumquats, tangerines, grapefruit, molasses, miso, soy sauce, rose and jasmine flowers

Bitter foods help resolve stagnation: dandelion, rapini, turmeric, dark chocolate, coffee (all in moderation!), bitter gourd melon, black and green tea.

Moderate amounts of the pungent flavor help to move the Qi out of stagnant mode. Foods such as onions, garlic, horseradish, citrus peels, and chili peppers

Tips and Tendencies for Liver Qi Stagnation:

People with this pattern tend toward an emotional disposition and are easily agitated and upset. They may also have swelling or enlarged lymph nodes as the Qi is responsible for moving the fluids throughout the body, when Qi is stagnant so are the fluids. Headaches and pain are also common complaints associated with this pattern.

Most important approach is to eat simply and lightly. Diets rich in vegetables (as many as you can handle) and moderate in fruits (1-2 pieces) will resolve stagnation.

Pay attention to good posture and minimal tension during and after eating.

Start your day out with a cup of tea or coffee to help move the Qi (if you have a “hot” pattern in addition to Liver Qi Stagnation go for tea vs. coffee)

Foods for Yang Deficiency Diet:

Warming spices: ginger, cinnamon, clove, basil, cardamom, fennel, horseradish, rosemary, angelica, dill, anise, caraway, cumin, carob, black pepper and small amounts of all hot peppers. Eat a variety of these spices and strive to incorporate some in every meal. Warming sweeteners to have in small quantities include molasses and rice syrup

Warming grains and seeds: spelt, quinoa, oats, sunflower seed, sesame seed, walnut, pinenut, chestnut, sweet brown rice and mochi. Neutral grains are acceptable as well: rice, buckwheat, rye, and corn.

Warming vegetables and fruit: parsnip, parsley, winter squash, mustard greens, kale, onion, sweet potato, leek, garlic, chive, scallion, citrus peel, cherries, and dates.

Warming animal foods: butter, anchovy, trout, mussel, chicken, beef, and lamb.

Prepare black beans, aduki beans, or lentils with dried ginger in pressure cooker.

Avoid cold and raw food.

Tips and Tendencies for Yang Deficiency:

Yang becomes deficient through frequent exposure to cold weather, through intake of cold food and drink or too much raw food, and through weak constitution (common pattern for the elderly).

Gentle exercise on a regular basis is key for this pattern, it is difficult to get the yang moving without body movement.

Keep the abdomen, low back, legs, feet, and hands warm (movement helps!).

People with this pattern tend to be cold, may have loose stools with undigested food and body excretions in general are copious and clear. May have intense fixed pain, or tight contracted muscles. This pattern is common in those who have recently become vegetarian and can last several months during the transition period.

Blood Deficiency Food Recommendations:

Blood nourishing foods include eggs, dark red and black beans, cherries, dates, beets, spinach, blueberries, collard greens, apricots, molasses, eggs, meat, and fermented soy products (miso, tempeh, tofu), bean sprouts, chlorella, spirulina, nettles, molasses, grapes, huckleberries, wheat grass, and whole grains

For sever blood deficiency animal products or supplementation may be necessary: royal jelly, gelatin, carp soup, oysters, mussels, liver of beef, lamb, or chicken

Good sources of iron: algae, seaweed, micro-algae such as spirulina, liver, red meat

Good sources of folic acid**: chlorella and spirulina, sprouts, leafy greens, & liver. Folic acid is easily lost during cooking, so only lightly steam sprouts and greens.

Good sources of B12: liver, algae (such as chlorella, spirulina, & seaweed), yeasts (such as Brewer’s yeast), and raw fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, kim chi, pickles, miso, tempeh, yogurt, sourdough bread, etc.)

Good sources of Vitamin C: bell peppers, cabbage, sprouts, parsley, broccoli, and rose hip tea. Nearly all fresh fruits and vegetables contain Vitamin C when eaten within a couple days of picking.

Good sources of Copper: apricot, swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, kale, squid, crab, lobster, oysters, shiitake mushrooms, brazil nuts, cashews, aduki & garbanzo beans

Blood Deficiency Tips and Tendencies:

People with this pattern may have: pale complexion, lips, nail bed, & tongue. There may be spots in the field of vision, premature graying or thinning of hair, hair loss, dry hair & skin, trembling or numbness in the arms or hands. Disorders associated with blood deficiency include nervousness, anemia (although if you are blood deficient you are not necessarily anemic), low back pain, headache, menstrual pain, amenorrhea.

2 principles to follow to build up blood through nutrition:

Increase the absorptive energy of the digestive tract: build the Qi energy and reduce any dampness conditions (see Spleen Qi deficiency diet and Dampness diet).

Eat foods that boost blood and contain the necessary nutrients to build blood. Nutrients most often needed to build blood include iron, folate, vitamin B12, copper, and Vitamin C. I have seen anemic (blood deficient) patients who have iron levels off the chart in their hair analysis. They were actually low in the vitamins needed to absorb iron (copper was extremely low). After proper supplementation of folate and copper their iron levels went up.

Blood deficiency is extremely responsive to dietary changes and usually occurs along with a Spleen Qi deficiency (the Spleen is the source of Blood, check out this diet too). It takes 120 days to fully renew the Blood, so dietary changes need to be maintained at least 4 months to have full effect.

**There is a widespread genetic mutation of MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) which is an enzyme that activates folic acid by adding a methyl group (it is then folate and it can transfer methyl groups to other parts of the body, necessary for energy production & detoxification). For those with a mutation of MTHFR methylation doesn’t happen and the folic acid backs up the liver (where the methylation occurs in those without the mutation) leading to a variety of health complaints (fatigue, irritability, anxious, brain fog, and increased risk of cancer). Because of this, folic acid supplements and fortified foods are damaging to those with this mutation. Stress also adversely affects methylation of folic acid, which leads to improper methylation throughout the body. This is a complex mutation which is effectively treated through diet and supplementation.

Spleen Qi Deficiency Recommended Foods:

Soups and stews with root vegetables are great for this pattern. Carrot, rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, garbanzo beans, black beans, peas, sweet potato, pumpkin, yam, orange and yellow squash, well cooked rice (congee), onion, leek, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg, ginger. Small amounts of sweet foods such as molasses, barley malt, and rice syrup as well as cooked fruits such as dates and cherries.

Animal products in small amounts: chicken, beef, mackerel, tuna, halibut, anchovy, beef liver or kidney, turkey, or lamb. Butter is the only recommended dairy product.

Foods to Avoid or Minimize:

Eliminating sugars, starches, and grains is the most important thing to focus on with this pattern.

Minimize pasteurized dairy products, raw dairy contains natural enzymes which aid digestion and ease the burden on the Spleen and are usually fine for those with Spleen Qi deficiency. Some people will have to completely eliminate dairy while others with this pattern can handle a couple servings per day. If you also have dampness or phlegm, avoid dairy altogether until dampness resolves.

Avoid added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, honey, and all other sweeteners. Grains such as wheat, rice, and oatmeal damage the Spleen Qi unless cooked for a long time into a congee. Starches (potatoes) impose a heavy burden on the Spleen.

Avoid hydrogenated fats, fried foods, and most vegetable oils which burden the Spleen and lead to phlegm formation. Healthier cooking fats are butter, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and olive oil.

Avoid uncooked and cold foods. Cooking is a form of “pre-digestion” and helps the Spleen transform food into nourishment.

Ice drinks are especially harmful to the Spleen. If you can train yourself to like beverages at room temperature, you will be better off! This is especially important if you have symptoms of Spleen Qi and Yang deficiency such as loose stools, fatigue, aversion to cold, dizziness when standing up, and cold hands and feet.

Tips and Tendencies for Spleen Qi Deficiency:

In addition to a constitutional deficiency (born with), this pattern can result from poor dietary habits of processed and refined foods, high fructose corn syrup, and consumption of GMO foods. Spleen Qi Deficiency is the most prevalent disharmony among those eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).

General symptoms include fatigue, physical and mental stagnation, nausea, poor appetite, abdominal bloating, hard lumps in the abdomen, loose stools. May be overweight without overeating or thin with difficulty gaining weight.

This pattern does best with regularly scheduled meals followed by downtime to allow digestion. Constant snacking or grazing makes this pattern worse. Pay attention to posture while eating and after eating. Avoid scrunched over positions to optimize digestive energy. Avoid overeating and get light exercise on a daily basis (including stretching or yoga). Light walks 15-20 minutes after eating help aid digestion.

Kidney Yin Deficiency Diet

Foods to tonify yin: millet, barley, wheat germ, teff, quinoa, amaranth, seaweeds, micro-algae (chlorella and spirulina), black beans, tofu, mung beans (and their sprouts), kidney beans, beets, string beans, asparagus, persimmon, dark colored fruits such as: grapes, blackberry, raspberry, and mulberry.

In more extreme cases of yin deficiency animal products may be helpful: eggs, clam abalone, sardines, oysters, fish, duck, beef, or pork. Dairy products such as cow’s or goat’s milk, yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese are also beneficial. If you have a dampness pattern in addition to yin deficiency, avoid eating much from this list of animal products until the dampness resolves.

Soups and congees are great ways to enhance the yin promoting property of foods.

Those with a yin deficiency pattern can usually tolerate larger amounts of fruit and carbohydrates than other patterns.

Avoid coffee, alcohol, and spicy foods.

Tips and Tendencies for those with Yin Deficiency Patterns:

This pattern usually results in “go-go-go” people who have difficulty turning off the mind to relax the body. There is a tendency toward deficient heat symptoms such as night sweats, headaches, and toothaches. It is important for those with yin deficiency to make time every day to relax and turn inward. Great ways to facilitate this are through yoga, meditation, walking, biking, prayer, or listening to music.

Rest and nourishment through food and mindfulness are important for this pattern

Avoid too much time in front of the TV or computer (electromagnetic fields deplete yin), and in excessively air conditioned or heated environments which also depletes yin.

Kidney Essence Deficiency Diet:

Foods to tonify the essence: seeds, nuts, seaweed, bone broth soup made from beef or chicken bones (from free range animals if possible), organ meats such as liver and kidney, almonds, milk, clarified butter (ghee), steamed nettles, royal jelly, bee pollen

Tips and Tendencies for those with Essence Deficiency Patterns:

Signs of this pattern include developmental delay, birth defects,, weak, painful knees or low back, dizziness, ringing in the ears, inadequate brain function, weak legs and bones, impotence, infertility, premature aging signs such as loss of hair or teeth, & poor memory

Things that deplete essence include stress, fear, insecurity, overwork. Too much semen loss for men or women who have had multiple pregnancies. Intoxicants such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, coffee, and tobacco deplete the essence, as do heavy metals.

In addition to pain management, acupuncture has been found to regulate the autonomic nervous system and is effective in managing blood pressure and autoimmune conditions.

“Acupuncture is probably the most popular alternative therapy practiced in the United States, Europe and many Asian countries. It has been applied clinically for more than 5 thousand years according to the ancient oriental medical theory. A great deal of acupuncture research has been achieved, with particular efforts toward understanding the pain control effects. In addition to the analgesic effect of acupuncture, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that acupuncture treatment can control autonomic nerve system functions such as blood pressure regulation, sphincter Oddi relaxation, and immune modulation. Although only a limited number of controlled studies have assessed the efficacy of acupuncture, increasing clinical evidences support that acupuncture treatment is effective for various immunological diseases including allergic disorders, infections, autoimmune diseases and immunodifficiency-syndromes. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2010.03.010

“Acupuncture Alleviates Rheumatoid Arthritis by Immune-Network Modulation” from the American Journal of Chinese Medicine

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune inflammatory and debilitating disease that involves the systemic imbalance of the immune network. Previous studies have shown that acupuncture can help treat RA. The present study was designed to clarify the mechanisms of acupuncture acted on RA via immune network modulation. Results revealed that manual acupuncture (MA) could alleviate the inflammation and pain of infected joints. Moreover, MA could effectively stimulate the innate immune cytokines and adaptive immunity cytokines as the main part of the immune response and repaired damage of RA.”

https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X18500520

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Facial Acupuncture has potential to rejuvenate skin, minimize wrinkles and other effects of aging.

“While injectables, lasers, and surgical interventions have traditionally been used to reverse the changes associated with facial aging, other alternative therapies such as facial acupuncture and facial exercises are now being studied for facial rejuvenation. In this paper, we both summarize the concepts of facial acupuncture and facial exercises, and review seven studies that evaluate the efficacy of these modalities. Data from these studies suggest that both facial acupuncture and facial exercises have the potential to improve the skin laxity, wrinkle length, muscle thickness, and pigmentary changes associated with aging. Patients frequently reported improvement and experienced very few side effects.”

Cold laser therapy (aka low-level light therapy) stimulates skin healing and tissue repair and relieves pain and inflammation.

“Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) is a fast-growing technology used to treat a multitude of conditions that require stimulation of healing, relief of pain and inflammation, and restoration of function. Although the skin is the organ that is naturally exposed to light more than any other organ, it still responds well to red and near-infrared wavelengths. The photons are absorbed by mitochondrial chromophores in skin cells. Consequently electron transport, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) nitric oxide release, blood flow, reactive oxygen species increase and diverse signaling pathways get activated. Stem cells can be activated allowing increased tissue repair and healing. In dermatology, LLLT has beneficial effects on wrinkles, acne scars, hypertrophic scars, and healing of burns. LLLT can reduce UV damage both as a treatment and as a prophylaxis. In pigmentary disorders such as vitiligo, LLLT can increase pigmentation by stimulating melanocyte proliferation and reduce depigmentation by inhibiting autoimmunity. Inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and acne can also benefit. The non-invasive nature and almost complete absence of side-effects encourages further testing in dermatology.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4126803/

Cold laser therapy (aka low-level light therapy) activates mitochondrial signaling, and covers a wide spectrum of clinical applications.

“Photobiomodulation utilizes monochromatic light in the electromagnetic region of 600∼1000 nm for the treatment of soft tissues in a nondestructive and nonthermal mode. It is conceivable that photobiomodulation is based upon the ability of the light to alter cell metabolism as it is absorbed by general hemoproteins and cytochrome coxidase (COX) in particular. (....) Other investigations demonstrate that PBM can activate regenerative responses, alone or associated with stem cell therapy (Desmet et al., 2006; Karu, 2008). Recent effects also focused on the dentistry (Carroll et al., 2014), degenerative neuronal disorders (Wong-Riley et al., 2005; Ying et al., 2008; Quirk et al., 2012), and metabolic syndromes (Reddy et al., 2001). Therefore, the advent of PBM is likely to cover a wide spectrum of clinical applications. The finding that irradiation of external electromagnetic energy can increase and substitute for endogenous ATP production, provide a theoretic background to account for the potential of PBM.”

https://www.biomolther.org/journal/view.html?volume=22&number=6&spage=491&year=2014

doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2014.083.Epub 2014 Nov 30.

Are you struggling to reach your wellness goals, or embarking on a wellness journey? Save yourself time and guesswork with a look at your mineral profile using a hair sample. Minerals are the building blocks of life and are necessary in the proper ratio for optimal functioning of the endocrine, digestive, neurological, and circulatory systems. Your life depends on them!

Minerals are Keys to Wellness

A glimpse at the role minerals play for the endocrine system is a great way to understand the value of mineral balance. The function of each endocrine gland is dependent on an enzyme specific for that gland. These enzymes are comprised of a protein linked to a mineral. The mineral in this enzyme varies for each gland. For example, a prime mineral in the enzyme for proper thyroid function is iodine, the thymus is zinc, the ovaries and testes is Manganese, and the adrenals is potassium. Mineral balance is integral for the health of all systems and is a very dynamic thing. Minerals can oppose each other (negatively affect absorption of another mineral) or they may be necessary for the use and assimilation of other minerals.

Dynamic Mineral Relationships

An example of an important mineral relationship is that of Calcium and Magnesium, which is analogous to a see saw. They have seemingly opposing functions. While Calcium stimulates nerves, Magnesium soothes them. Calcium contracts muscles,Magnesium relaxes them. Calcium hardens and strengthens bones, while Magnesium promotes elasticity. Calcium cannot be absorbed without adequate Magnesium. Most Cal-Mag supplements have a 2:1 ratio (Ca:Mg), which is good for most people, but not everyone.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mineral+relationships&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwino9qO9YjTAhWD4IMKHaZXBtoQ_AUIBigB&biw=748&bih=894#imgrc=WbHMp5K-32zZxM:

This link is an image of dynamic mineral relationships.

Something to Consider

A difficult factor with mineral supplementation is that excess symptoms of that mineral often mimic deficiency symptoms. Do you need to be taking all the supplements you’re taking or are you doing more harm than good? The best way to determine mineral supplements needed is to do a trace element hair analysis through a practitioner working with a certified lab.

Hair Sample

The hair must be free from chemical treatment (perm or color) for at least 6 weeks. Any body hair can be used for the sample, although scalp hair is most desireable as it tends to grow the fastest. The root hair sample is collected and I use Trace Elements Certified Laboratory in Texas. The patient’s report includes the mineral profile, metabolic type. Dietary and supplement recommendations are included in the report as needed to balance the mineral profile.