Spring Equinox 2018

This year it seemed as if spring was waiting behind an end of winter that just wouldn’t quit. Multiple Nor’easters formed out of nowhere pounding with relentless inclement weather week after week. Yet, Mother Nature’s transitional show only made the anticipation of spring that much more sweet.

Now, you can breathe a sigh of relief as the western hemisphere turns toward the sun for a welcome roll into the warm blossom and fragrance of this vernal time.

Build On Your Hibernation

Hopefully, you were able to recharge your batteries with warming foods and reflective hibernation during the frigid winter season. Now is the time to tap into those reserves and leap forth into a season that welcomes with open arms.

Start with a plan to:

• Consume nutritional upward energies (see recipes below!)
• Start a physical activity program
• Spend more time amongst nature
• Do creative projects
• Take time to ramp down such as: meditation, yoga, etc.
• Resolve anger issues

By committing to these affirmations you inevitably strengthen your liver and gall bladder the main organs affiliated with spring. You also tap into other seasonally associated principles such as the emotion of anger, the color of green and the taste of sour.

Stimulate Your Meridians

With the beginning  of every season comes a transition not only in weather but in your health constitution as well. Just like a tune up or even an oil change for your car, balancing your system for the upcoming growth and movement of spring, both physically and mentally, starts with acupuncture.

After one acupuncture session sometimes you see a change, but a protocol of subsequent visits, in most cases, will certainly encourage less pain, less fatigue and less stress. In place of these health challenges, acupuncture attempts to increase energy, enhance mood and bring pain-free mobility by stimulating your meridians aka life energy channels.

Classical Chinese Medicine has followed the philosophy that your meridians often become sluggish or stuck, blocking essential energy flow. Acupuncture, massage, acupressure, yoga and several other natural modalities have observational studies and, in many cases, published scientific research on the significant benefits they offer, particularly acupuncture.

In a pilot study cited in Oncology Nurse Advisor (previously reported by Supportive Care in Cancer), it was exhibited that,

“Results showed significant improvement in CRF [cancer related fatigue] after 2 weeks….Patients also reported significant improvements in their quality of life, This pilot study demonstrates that acupuncture may be a safe and effective alternative to pharmacotherapy in managing CRF.”

If acupuncture can have beneficially effects on those struggling with cancer, chances are using it for a seasonal meridian stimulation or just a personal ailment will be worth your while.

A Word on Spring Allergies

Acupuncture has also shown highly effective results when applied for spring allergy relief.

In a study of 422 people who tested positive for pollen allergies and had allergic nasal symptoms such as a runny nose was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (as reported by CNN 2/17) it was found that,

“The participants who received the real acupuncture treatments with their antihistamines showed a greater improvement in their allergy symptoms and less use of antihistamines compared to the other groups [sham and pharmacological]”

Alongside acupuncture, working with a naturopathic doctor to apply a variety of hand-picked, peripheral remedies can be highly effective. Some of these remedies would consist of botanical medicine (plant and herb sources) as well as nutraceuticals (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc) choices.

US News reported in 2017 on the ‘The 5 Best Herbs for Spring Allergy Relief’ which were:

• Butterbur
• Garlic
• Stinging nettle leaf
• Rosemary
• Turmeric

Don’t suffer this spring through boxes of tissues, medicine that may have side effects or just fatigue from dealing with allergies and go acupuncture/naturopathic medicine instead.

Seasonal Eats: Grab Responsibly

It’s easy to fly into the quickened pace of a warm spring day and forget your healthy choices. Instead, you might grab whatever tickles your fancy, more than once. Before you know it you could feel like you’re dragging around a weight, or worse yet, be accumulating toxins that may cause problems later. Sure, it’s okay to indulge now and again but this spring step up your game and eat for the season to enhance your resilience, clarity and mood.

Sticking to foods that strengthen your liver and gall bladder is optimal. These include above ground energy plants and some root vegetables like antioxidant rich dark leafy greens, dandelion, quinoa, sprouted grains, beets, citrus (especially fresh lemon and lime), and milk thistle seeds.

Morning Kickoff – Coconut and Blueberry Overnight Oats

½ cup gluten free oats
½ cup coconut milk or coconut water
1 tbsp dried coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 tsp chia seeds
¼ cup frozen blueberries

• Combine oats, coconut milk, coconut, cinnamon and coconut sugar in a bowl or glass jar
• Mix well and place in a fridge overnight
• In the morning, mix in blueberries and chia seeds
• Top with extra coconut and blueberries to serve

Benefits: In Chinese Medicine, the ingredients in this recipe promote harmony within your body, particularly during the early spring morning. Coconut aids in Qi (chee) deficiency and extinguishing liver wind. Oats also bring harmony through ridding the body of liver wind.

Add banana to help with deficiency in yin and promote expelling excess heat from the body,  which is perfect for heading into the warmer weather of spring and summer.

Light and Savory – Minty Green Beans

Bunch of string beans, blanched (dropped in boiling water for 30 seconds)
Small bunch of fresh mint
4 – 5 sliced pieces of ginger (optional)
Juice and zest of ½ lemon
Salt to taste
2 Tablespoons oil
Handful of sliced almonds (optional)

• Heat oil in a wok
• Toss in sliced ginger and almonds
• Cook until ginger is slightly golden
• Add salt to blanched string beans
• Stir fry in wok 3-4 minutes
• Squeeze lemon juice over and stir through zest
• Serve

In the Glass

In addition to food recipes there are several beverages you can prepare to give your system that extra seasonal zest it craves. These are easy, rapid dose, mini meals guaranteed to cleanse and rejuvenate for spring support.

Metal Detox Juice (prepare for the wood element of spring)

3 stalks celery
1 cucumber
Handful of parsley
Handful of coriander
½ fennel bulb
1 lemon, peeled

• Wash all ingredients
• Peel lemon
• Put all ingredients into a blender
• Blend, pour, enjoy!

Benefits: Often metals can become stuck in our bodies, often on our cells, causing waste to be retained. Allow these carefully selected ingredients, especially celery and cucumber, to flush the metals out of your system and restore balance.

Blood Purifying Juice

1 apple
¼ inch piece of ginger
1 beetroot, washed, stem removed
2 large carrots

• Wash all ingredients
• Put all ingredients into a blender
• Blend, pour, enjoy!

Benefits: Beetroot is the perfect food to improve your circulation, by tonifying blood flow and preventing blood stagnation. Beetroot also benefits the large intestine and digestive system overall, as the large intestine is responsible for filtering good fluid from bad and removing the bad from the body. Ginger also benefits the body through its warming qualities, particularly for the lungs, spleen and stomach.

(recipes and benefits courtesy of Natural Harmony)

Spring Constitution Tips

As spring is associated with various elements, emotions, and tastes it is in your best interest to take note of these and how you can use them to your advantage. This is a quick checklist of what to look for in the more prominent spring constitutions so you can stay the course.

Anger – The emotion of spring is anger. Most people think of anger as a bad thing however this is only true if it is bottled up. This spring use your anger constructively, channeling it into a more positive direction. Just like a thunderstorm clearing the air before the rain nourishes the plants and washes away the toxins.

Liver and Gallbladder – The liver is said to be “like a general who leads an army and excels at strategic planning” and the gallbladder the “wise decision maker”. Keeping these two in balance with diet and exercise is essential.

Wood Element Imbalances – Wood is the essential element associated with spring. It represents gentleness, persistence, and creative potential. When wood is imbalanced you may experience ailments such as:

• Muscle tension, prone to have tendon and ligament injuries
• Sciatica (radiating pain from lower back into buttocks and down the leg)
• Headaches, especially migraines
• Irritability and outbursts of anger
• Visual disturbances
• Menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids
• Digestive disturbances, including heartburn (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers
• High blood pressure, with tendency toward atherosclerosis

Nourish your wood element by detoxifying heavy metals (see metal detox tea above) and keeping your liver and gallbladder strengthened. A strong wood element will enhance the most cherished parts of yourself.

News and Noteworthy

A few notable mentions that have currently come to light in the world of naturopathic medicine.

Beetroot Juice Kudos

As recommended above, beetroot juice is also in naturopathic news. NDNR (Naturopathic Doctor News and Reviews) recently reported that,

“Two recent studies on beetroot juice supplements support their use in certain disorders of the heart, and as protection for the kidneys after radioactive isotopes are used for imaging techniques. Specifically, beetroot juice was found to enhance the exercise capacity of individuals with heart failure.”

Rapid Vegetable Pesticide Detection

Someday, you won’t have to guess if your organic choice is truly organic. All you will have to do is gently swipe a vegetable and enter the residue into a special device that will immediately report any pesticide level. Prototypes are quickly reducing the wait time to eventually enable speedy detection.

Also reported by NDNR,

“a research team at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed an innovative new technique for screening of pesticides in vegetables.1 The new technique, which is able to detect extremely minute amounts of pyrethroids in foods, uses magnetic nanoparticles and has reduced the screening process to under 2 hours.”

Naturopathic Medicine is Growing in U.S. Medical Centers of Excellence

Good news is on the horizon for naturopathic medicine in the United States. As the alternative remedy or CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) movement continues to mobilize in mainstream circles, naturopathic medicine is rising to the top.

According to PR Newswire,

“More Americans are seeking complementary and natural health care providers, as they focus on wellness, prevention, and whole-person care. Increasingly, consumers can find licensed naturopathic doctors as members of the professional clinical teams at medical centers of excellence around the United States. Twenty-eight prominent health systems, hospitals, and cancer treatment centers now have one or more licensed naturopathic doctors on staff at their facilities. Today there are approximately 6,000 licensed naturopathic doctors practicing in the U.S. Twenty-three U.S. states and territories currently license naturopathic doctors.”

At Integrative Med Solutions, we will design an acupuncture and naturopathic treatment program that works for you. In many cases, insurance covers portions of the acupuncture treatment. Allow us to support you to achieve optimal health.  To make an appointment or find out more about how acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can benefit you, please call our office at 914.337.2980 or Click Here to schedule an online appointment.

*Please Click Here to see a current list of Insurance Companies that commonly carry acupuncture benefits for its members. Please call 914.337.2980 or securely email.