Using Chinese Medicine to Treat Colds and Flus

Chinese Medicine treatments for winter ailments.

Winter has well and truly descended on us here in Melbourne and some of you might have started feeling sniffly and run down. Now, more than ever, we have to pay particular attention to our health and it’s worth looking to Chinese medicine to provide support in preventing and treating colds and flu.

If you have seen these posters around town you will be aware of the campaign to stop the use of antibiotics for treatment of cold and flus. www.nps.org


The cold weather leaves our immune system vulnerable to viral infections and several Chinese herbs are renowned for their anti-viral properties.

Prevention being better than a cure supporting the immune system is always beneficial.  Yu Ping Feng San is a classic defence formula comprised of Huang Qi (Astragalus), Bai Zhu (White Atractylodes) and Fang Feng (Ledebouriella Root). Huang Qi can be tracked down at asian supermarkets and used in your cooking. Andre recommends adding it to a big pot of nourishing chicken soup – warming as well protective. Weekly acupuncture treatments also helps strengthen the body’s immune system.

Chinese herbal remedies can also help treat the common symptoms of colds and flu. Chinese medicine views colds and flu as an invasion of wind – wind-cold, wind-heat or wind-damp. The symptoms you exhibit will indicate the type of invasion of wind your body is experiencing and your practitioner will prescribe the necessary herbs.

If you’re experiencing just minor symptoms, you might recover very quickly with acupuncture alone. If you have more severe symptoms like swelling, sore throat, respiratory problems, headaches, chills, fatigue, a herbal remedy will give you relief within a couple of days.

Slow down and take extra good care of yourself this winter. Get plenty of rest, avoid stress, stay warm and eat plenty of nutritious seasonal vegetables and fruits.

Winter Solstice

According to the philosophy of Chinese Medicine winter represents the upmost of Yin.

In it's very nature winter is a slow, dark, cool, inward moving season, all things Yin. It is associated with the water element and the energy of the Kidney, Bladder and adrenals. It is a time to slow down and conserve our energy, consolidating our Qi in preparation for the flurry of spring. It is a time of reflection, replenishment and rest.

In Chinese Medicine theory the Kidneys hold our body’s most basic and fundamental energy known as jing or essence. This is our inherit vitality, intricately involved in reproduction and ageing and is something we tend to burn at a rate of knots in our modern lifestyle. 

It is believed that by harmonizing oneself with the seasons we stay healthier and prevent disease, balancing our internal organs energy with the energy that surrounds us. As such winter is a good time to strengthen the Kidneys. Rest is important, being in bed by 10pm, sleeping in, working less. Practising nourishing forms of exercise such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong or yoga. Calming the mind with meditation and taking pleasure in creative activities such as writing, cooking, sewing or knitting all help to connect to the Kidney energy. It doesn't mean to say we can't go for blustery walks along the beach or excursions to the snow, it just means the scales tip more in the favour of rest.

‏This theory naturally extends to our diet, eating seasonally and locally will help nourish the Kidney essence. Winter foods include squashes, potatoes and all other root vegetables, winter greens, mushrooms, bay leaves, coriander, fennel, leek, nutmeg, pine nuts, rosemary, spring onions, apples, pears and citrus. Hearty meats (specifically lamb), black beans, kidney beans, walnuts, black sesame seeds, chestnuts and cinnamon are all excellent at nourishing the Kidneys.

‏In winter, our bodies need warming foods like soups made with hearty vegetables and rich bone stocks. This Lamb Shank and Barley Soup is a fabulous Kidney tonic.

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan and brown 6 trimmed lamb shanks. Remove and set aside. Add chopped onion, crushed garlic, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Return the shanks to the pan and add stock, water,  pearl barley, thyme, bay and rosemary. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

‏For those not into meat so much try this Mushroom, Lentil and Chestnut Stew. It's one of my favourites.

(For how to roast chestnuts visit here: www.thehealthychef.com)

 Method:

Cover the porcini mushrooms with 250ml freshly boiled water. Leave to soak. 

Warm the olive oil in a deep heavy bottomed pot on the hob.  Saute the garlic, leek, carrot, celery and mushrooms for ten minutes on a low heat to lightly soften.

Add the ground coriander, lentils and barley and sauté until the coriander is fragrant. 

Add the remaining ingredients including the porcini mushrooms with their water. (If the porcini's are looking too big chop them up a bit before adding to the pot.)

Bring to the boil then simmer on low, stirring frequently, until you have a thick glossy stew. It can be ready to serve in 1/2hr to 45mins, but the longer you let it cook the richer it becomes. You may need to add more water or stock if it starts looking too dry.

To serve ladle into a bowl and top with a soft poached egg and chopped fresh herbs. 

Enjoy!

The Fat Monk, A True Daoist

Daoism is a philosophical, ethical and religious tradition of China. 

It permeates every way of Chinese life, including it's traditional medicine. One of Daoisims core teachings is to live in harmony with all of those around us and the universe at large, a simple enough statement but surprisingly difficult to carry out. 

Being Chinese Medicine practitioners we all have varying degrees of understanding when it comes to the Dao, I personally have taken to it in fits and spurts, however one of our esteemed colleagues by the name of Xiaoyao Xingzhe has spent much time following and walking the Dao. He has written a series of articles for The Lantern (one of our Chinese Medicine journals) which he has now compiled together on a wordpress page. 

If you have any interest in the Dao or are just after some lighthearted, entertaining articles to read click on this link, it will be well worth your while : http://thefatmonk.wordpress.com

Happy Year Of The Horse

January 31 2014 marks the beginning of the Year of the Wooden Horse in Chinese astrology.

By all accounts it should start with an explosion of bright ideas and enthusiasm as the exuberant Horse energy comes in. People tend to work well together in Horse years, co-operation and team work will be the way to achieve goals. It should be easier to find common ground  and interesting  solution to problems while even having a little fun in the process!
It will be interesting to see how this plays out on a global scale with the advent of social media and the ever reducing size of the global village.

With all this fresh optimism it's easy to be impulsive and somewhat impatient, two big lessons for the Horse year, but with Wood energy encouraging  slow growth and practical solutions it should be easier to temper these impulses.
This year seems to be about embracing life in its fullest, taking chances and enjoying yourself. It promises to be a lighter year. Its all about love and respect, building and moving forward.

If your expecting, or expecting to be expecting, this year your little one will be energetic, warm and intelligent. If they don't like something they will kick up one hell of a fight but they will love you wildly.  Its hard not to think of my sister as I write this. She is born in the year of the Horse and is definitely happiest when let to run freely doing her own thing.  She will stomp her feet, toss her mane and get in a right royal huff when  she feels she's being made to do something she doesn't want to.


Change began early at Quiescence with three of our practitioners leaving for some of the different opportunities that life presents. Stephaine has moved to the bluer waters of Port Macquarie while Keren will be welcoming her second child into the world soon and Sophie is embarking on a new business venture setting up her own clinic. I am very sad to see them go, but with change bring new opportunity as we welcome 3 new practitioners to the fold.

Daniel Saulwick has 20 years of experience under his belt, he is sharing his time between us and his clinic in Castlemaine. Andre Tse comes to us from Portland, Oregon. He has recently spent the past five years working at the Kamalaya Koh Samui Wellness Sanctuary specialising in weight loss and burn out. And Rose is our newest recruit, some of you may have of met her at the IVF Support Clinic where she can been seen helping out over the past few years. They are all very lovely people and excellent practitioners who are looking forward to get to know you.

Ovarian Reserve

How useful is the AMH blood test?

There was a very interesting article in The Age that we though would be good to share. It’s about the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) blood test and its accuracy. AMH is a hormone produced by the developing follicles on a woman's ovaries. Recently specialists have been using the levels of AMH detected in the blood to give an indication of how many follicles, and consequently eggs are being produced during a monthly cycle. Low levels of AMH (<14pmol/L) indicate fewer developing follicles and fewer eggs. It is also linked to higher FSH levels which can be a problem for those undergoing IVF treatment.

In this article Dr Clarke (the medical director of Sydney based IVF clinic Fertility First) says that the blood test is an unreliable indicator of ovarian reserve due to it being sensitive to a number of factors including having been on the pill.

It makes me happy to read this as we have long believed this test causes undue panic, primarily as its something we have found improves with Chinese Medicine treatment (as do high FSH levels).

Have a read of the article here: http://www.theage.com.au/national/unreliable-fertility-tests-are-misleading-wannabe-mums-20131123-2y2s1.html

If you have been diagnosed with low AMH I would highly recommend asking for an antral follicle count for a more accurate indication of your ovarian reserve.

Plus concentrating on your lifestyle, herbs and acupuncture treatment to improve those results!

Phase Two - The Follicular Phase

Yin Rising

The second phase of the menstrual cycle is all about yin essence in Chinese Medicine. The feminine, cool, moistening energy.
It is when the follicles are growing, oestrogen is being produced and the endometrial lining is slowly thickening, getting ready to receive an embryo in the luteal phase of the cycle.

It is interesting to stop and think about the process that is happening at this point. As we all know women are born with a set number of eggs. These eggs reside in individual ovarian follicles which, when 'initiated', will grow over the course of about a year until they are mature enough to be selected for ovulation. Each menstrual cycle approximately 5-7 follicles are recruited to compete for the honour of being released at ovulation. The first follicle to reach a certain stage of development will become dominant,  the rest die away leaving the dominant follicle to mature and release its egg into a fallopian tube where it will hopefully be met by healthy sperm and create an embryo.

As you get closer to ovulation cervical mucus starts to be produced, reducing the naturally acidic or 'hostile' environment of the cervix, providing a safe pathway up to the fallopian tubes. Cervical mucus is the clear stretchy 'egg white' vaginal discharge many women experience for up to a week before ovulation occurs. It aids in lubrication during intercourse and contains the nutrients  and trace elements needed to keep sperm alive for days while they wait for the egg to enter the fallopian tubes.

If we want good quality eggs at ovulation we must nourish the environment the follicles are developing in. In Chinese Medicine terms this means nourishing the Yin and fluids.

Yin nourishing foods include pork, eggs, honey, tofu, seaweeds, apples, pineapple, kidney beans and black sesame seeds. Blood nourishing foods will also continue to be beneficial at this time so don't forget the bone broths, soups and stews. As we need extra hydration to help produce the slippery cervical mucus soups and stews are fabulous  meal choices.

Here is a link to a ham hock soup that ticks all the boxes for the follicular phase of the cycle:
http://thedesignfiles.net/2013/06/tasty-tuesday-smoked-ham-hock-rye-and-cavolo-nero-soup/

For the vegetarians floridix is a beneficial supplement during the whole of the follicular phase, while spirulina smoothies can be a great addition during these summer months for those with strong digestive systems. Miso soup is another great option, fill it up with plenty of tofu, nori and buckwheat noodles for a nourishing meal.

Heres a bit of a treat recipe from River Cottage. Its an apple crumble with the added goodness of walnuts and almonds: http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/apple-and-walnut-crumble/
 
Heat tends to dry Yin up, as such anything that creates too much heat in the body is worth avoiding. This includes things like coffee, alcohol, chilli, greasy foods, smoking, emotional and physical stress that is not released and of course 'burning the candle'. So while warmth is super important, heat will reduce the amount of cervical mucus and potential cause an early ovulation with an immature egg.

To sum all this up, if you want your egg to be the best quality it can you need to nourish in the days leading up to ovulation. Look after yourself, do things that make you feel happy 'open the heart' and the rest will follow.

Phase 1 - The Menstrual Flow

Going With The Flow

The menstrual flow speaks volumes about the state of our reproductive health.  It is a concept that is simple to grasp, in fact you would think it was almost an unnecessary statement, however it is something we vary rarely stop to think about.  It varies wildly from woman to woman, and so too do ideas of what is normal.  However, whether it’s a non-event or a debilitating monthly occurrence, the state of the flow gives us an indication of what your fertile health is like. 

Ideally we are looking for a period that is something like this:

·      The flow starts during the night of the 27th day, or the morning of the 28th day (although a cycle between 26 and 30 days is considered normal providing it is regular). 

·      The menstrual blood starts fresh red (the same as if you had cut your hand and were bleeding) at a moderate flow (needing to change a light sanitary napkin/tampon every 4 hours).

·      The flow continues to get heavier until a regular sanitary napkin/ tampon needs to be changed approximately every 3 hours. 

·      The heavy flow is present for 1-2 days then tapers off and finishes cleanly, still fresh red in colour on day 4 or 5.

Clots, pain, bloating, mood changes, sore breasts, changes in bowl movements, headaches or fatigue before, during or after could be considered normal due to the fact that many people have them, but these symptoms are not ideal for optimum menstrual health.

Any deviation from the ideal will show us where we need to focus our attention.  For example, if there are large clots and/or pain, the endometrial lining is unlikely to be smooth, potentially causing implantation issues if you are trying to conceive.  A very light flow can indicate that the lining is too thin, again potentially causing implantation issues; while an extremely heavy flow can indicate a structural problem (eg fibroids) or an energetic imbalance.

During the period, there is a natural tendency to withdraw and take it easy.  Pain and emotions aside, it is the perfect time to sit and meditate, reflecting on the month that has past.  Take a break from your usual exercise routine and do some gentle yoga.  Sakshin Ghatastha www.muktiyoga.com.au and Iyengar yoga both have a lovely menstrual sequence.  It involves sitting on the floor in gentle forward bends and back bends, encouraging the body to open and allowing the blood to flow. Getting into nature with a slow walk through a park, by the creek or ocean can do wonders too.  Just remember to stay warm!  Cold naturally constricts and can cause a world of pain.

In Chinese Medicine there is a great analogy comparing the endometrium to being like a garden bed.  We need to nurture the soil, ensuring that it is rich and fertile, balanced in its nutrients.  Diet, plus our wonderful Chinese herbs and acupuncture, are the best way to achieve this.

At the beginning of the menstrual flow it is important to encourage the blood to flow.  This is where light exercise and acupuncture can be really beneficial.

Eggplant, turmeric, spring onions, leeks and crab are all examples of blood moving foods.

As the blood flow starts to taper off its important to start replenishing blood and fluids.  Organic red meat and soups made from bone stock are the most efficient way to do this.  Slow cooked meals such as osso bucco, lamb shanks and stews are the best option as the meat is easy to digest and the nutrients are “locked into” the sauce.  Here is a link to an aubergine and lamb recipe by Jamie Oliver, perfect for both nourishing and moving blood: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/roast-leg-of-lamb-with-aubergines-and-onions.

In addition, here is a link to Sarah Wilson’s recipe for “Bone Broth”. It comes with a long list of why it’s so good for you and a clear and easy “how to”.   If you want to go a little more hard-core Chinese Medicine with this we’d be happy to give you some blood moving and nourishing herbs to put in towards the end of the cooking process, just to give the whole thing even more oomph!

http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2012/01/how-to-make-bone-broth-and-why-you-should/

If this is a bit much, then chicken stock is a good alternative. (Back to Sarah Wilson again for this one!) http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2013/04/my-crispy-roast-chicken-5-reasons-why-its-the-smartest-way-to-eat-a-chook/

If you’re not so big on the whole meat thing, then it is even more important to be aware of replenishing your blood energy.  Beetroot is the king vegetable with which to do this.  Tempeh, kidney beans, eggs and seaweeds are also considered good blood nourishing foods, as are any fruits or vegetables that are good sources of iron.  Here is a link to Maggie Beer’s wonderful Beetroot Risotto. She has a bit of bacon in the recipe, but it’s easy to leave out if you want.  I love to serve it with some Meredith’s Goats Cheese and a side of sautéed silver beet.

http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/recipes/beetroot-risotto

Regardless of whether you are trying to conceive or not, having an awareness of your cycle, embracing the monthly flow and looking after your menstrual health will serve you well for years to come - and by this I mean menopause, but that’s for another post!