by ancientCurrent on July 3, 2010
Are you one of the countless women who started shedding hair by the truck-load at 4 months postpartum? It can be so ridiculously scary and even funny. I remember when my little sprigs started growing back around my hairline and I felt like I was four years-old again.
From a Chinese medicine point of view hair is considered “the odds and ends of blood”. Hair loss then is due to blood deficiency, a by-product of donating the best of your nutrients to your child while you are pregnant for ten months. Nursing too is a major drain to your system- a positive drain in my opinion-but one that needs to be treated with proper food.
Chinese medicine also has a notion of “jing” or essence, which is essentially a battery reserve that you are given at birth. The strength of this battery comes from the health of your parents at your conception. If you are run down or not eating the proper foods you start to pull energy from these so called batteries and start using up our jing. Pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation are considered to draw upon one’s essence so it is essential to replace what has been lost through adequate nutrition.
The following list of foods are recommended by Paul Pitchford for replenishing blood and essence:
• Red meat-best absorbed with adequate vitamin C-ex. meatballs and tomato sauce
• Beef Marrow, ox tail
• Seaweeds: Hijiki, kelp, wakame
• Spirulina, Green Magma, Wheat grass-literally the “blood” of plants
• Root vegetables-sweet potato, turnip, parsnip
• Fish Oils
• Chicken soup
• Black sesame seeds
• Berries: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
• Pomegranate
• Molasses
• Drink lots of H2O!!
Laurel Axen Carroll can be reached at Laurel@ancientcurrent.com or 917-862-7589. Offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
by ancientCurrent on June 10, 2010
"Come out of the circle of time and into the circle of Love" ~Rumi
Tlthough summer is not officially here yet the heat has surely arrived! My two year-old daughter has been non stop naked for about a month now. I have the hardest time keeping clothes on her and since we live at the beach I have just given up. She is completely uncensored with her emotions she manifests pure joy, abounding excitement, crude frustration and raw misery.
Thinking about this I decided to write this newsletter about the HEART, the Emperor or the coordinator of the entire body. When the Heart is balanced one manifests Propriety, Sage-like qualities, Intimacy, Insightfulness and Mastery. Out of balance one may feel chaotic, vulnerable, apathetic, delusional, guarded, greedy and controlling.
On a physical level heart imbalances manifest as insomnia, agitation, palpitations and worry. Read on to learn about some beneficial foods or treatment protocols to help nourish Heart Blood and move Qi in your heart meridian.
Foods to Nourish the Heart
Summer is season celebrate the YANG aspects of your life such as expansion, growth, movement, creativity, and outward movement. In keeping with the season, the YANG aspects of your personality should be nurtured with foods that compliment the nature of expansion.
Add Spices
Spices used in moderation allow the body to perspire to cool down naturally. Some suggestions are:
- Red and green hot pepper
- Cayenne
- Ginger
- Horseradish
Replace Minerals that have been lost through sweating:
Emergen C is a great mineral replacement.
Create bright, beautifuly colored meals with a diversity of color.
Red foods directly affect the heart and blood such as:
Cherries, Pomegranate, Mulberries, Beets, Red Pepper, Watermelon
Saute and steam instead of baking and frying.
Use light cooking oils such as Walnut Oil
Add Cooling foods to your diet such as:
Apple, Lemon, Lime, Watermelon
Avoid Cold and Frozen Foods
Cold and frozen foods are difficult to process by the stomach. This often leads to bloating, sluggish digestion and belching.
Shaoyin Heart Channel of Hand (手少阴心经)
There are five main organs in traditional Chinese medicine they are the Heart, Liver, Spleen, Kidney and Lung. Every organ has its specific role in maintaining balance, when one falls out of harmony so do the rest. I see a lot of people in my office with some issues affecting the heart organ and meridian. This usually manifests as insomnia, agitation, difficulty falling asleep, palpitations and suspicious thinking.
One important aspect in treating the heart is to nourish heart blood. Many points along the heart, spleen, stomach and liver meridian help nourish the blood to anchor the mind or shen to help people feel more grounded.
Typical course of treatments are about one month of weekly treatment for every year that you have been experiencing the symptoms.
