COVID-19: We Are In This Together

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Staying Calm & Carrying On

Boost Your Immune System with Movement

I wanted to reach out and share some thoughts about COVID-19, and its potential impact on our local and global community and on your healthcare in general.
As I’m sure you know, our understanding of COVID-19 continues to shift and evolve rapidly. That is the nature of a global pandemic.

If you haven’t already, check out one of my colleague’s, Chris Kresser, recent podcast with infectious disease specialist Dr. Ramzi Asfour. It’s a good summary of what this virus is, how it’s different than influenza, SARS, and MERS, what you can do to protect against infection, and some ideas for support if you do become infected. Click here to listen to the show or read the transcript.


I am following this closely, and will continue to report any new or significant developments that I think may be helpful for you to know about.


We’re fortunate to be a holistic healthcare clinic that offers effective immune boosting support. This has allowed us to continue operating at full capacity, and we hope to be able to continue to do that even as the number of COVID-19 cases grows.


It’s also a blessing that some of our healthcare services can be offered via phone and video. This will enable you as patients to continue to receive healthcare tips, diet, and lifestyle recommendations during this challenging time.

We Are Here For You

Meditation for stress relief

We are committed to providing you care during this time of uncertainty,  and our clinic remains open to serve you.

We are taking the following precautions in light of the coronavirus outbreak:

  • Frequently touched surfaces are sanitized several times a day, including door handles, countertops, desktops, water dispenser, and faucet handles.
  • Cancellation fees have been waived to allow patients to cancel as needed.
  • Any patient or staff member that has a cold, flu, or possibly the coronavirus has been advised to stay home. 
Social distancing:
  • Our clinic allows people to maintain social distancing
  • There are only 2 people in our clinic at any given time
  • Patients are in a private treatment room for most their time in our clinic
  • We have always allowed 15-30 minutes in between patient appointments, which means there is no need for anyone to sit in the waiting room if you do not arrive early.

In addition to getting enough sleep, eating nutritious whole foods, exercise, meditation, and fresh air, acupuncture will boost your immune system, relieve stress, improve digestion, and increase vitality. You can book online here.

There are supplements that will also help to boost your immunity and relieve stress, which we carry in our clinic and make available on our online dispensary at 25% off:

  • Vitamin C,  1000 mg 2 x day
  • Vitamin D-3 with K2, 10,000 iu 2 x day
  • Zinc, 20 mg, 2 x day
  • Stress B-complex, 2 tabs, 2 x day

In addition, we have a full Chinese herbal pharmacy and are making individualized custom formulas for boosting the immune system and treating colds and the flu this season.


Make no mistake: we’re facing difficult times ahead. Yet I believe that this experience will bring us closer together as a community of people that is dedicated to preventing and reversing disease and cultivating more health and resilience in the world. 


This is a time for us to be kind, patient, and compassionate; slowing down and being mindful in our social interactions will benefit us all.


From our home here at Lotus Leaf Acupuncture and Wellness Center to wherever this message finds you, we send the very best wishes for you, your family and our community’s health and well-being.


Please let us know if you have any questions.

Yours in health,
Cally

 

Are Endocrine Disruptors Harming Your Fertility?

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Why More Than Acupuncture In Needed for Increased Fertility

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help regulate your hormones and support increased fertility outcomes, but these therapies must include healthy lifestyle choices. One of the most important lifestyle choices you can make is to reduce endocrine disruptors in your household and personal care products.

The video above was created by the Environmental Working Group–you may remember them because they put together the fantastic resource for us called the “Dirty Dozen”  and the “Clean 15,”  a shoppers guide to pesticides in produce.

What the Science Says:

Are Endocrine Disruptors Harming Your Fertility?

Endocrine disuptors interfere with the body’s endocrine system by producing adverse developmental, reproductive (especially if you have been diagnosed with PCOS), neurological, and immune effects in humans, abnormal growth patterns and neurodevelopmental delays in children.

Here is the research (click on the highlighted links) showing the potential harm endocrine disruptors are creating in our health. These scientific studies strongly correlate endocrine disruptors with the rise in infertility in males, and infertility in females, cancer, and neurological disorders, to name a few.

Endocrine Disruptors:

Here are 12 of the worst hormone disruptors. Click on this pdf file to find out how they do their dirty deeds, and for some tips on how to avoid them. Here is the quick reference list of the endocrine disruptors we all need to avoid:

  1. BPA
  2. DIOXIN
  3. ATRAZINE
  4. PHTHALATES PERCHLORATE
  5. FIRE RETARDANTS
  6. LEAD
  7. ARSENIC
  8. MERCURY
  9. PERFLUORINATED CHEMICALS
  10. ORGANOPHOSPHATE
  11. PESTICIDES
  12. GLYCOL ETHERS

3 Things Can We Do:

Is there anything we can do to help protect ourselves, our children, and our loved ones? YES! The first and most important step we can take is to inform ourselves, but here are a few more steps to empower you to take action.

  1. Read the research articles on the links above, and watch the video above too.
  2. Clean out your toxic household cleaning products, including your personal beauty products.
  3. Buy only safe, non-toxic natural products and avoid the toxic ones. Click here, or on the link above.

Yours In Good Health~

Cally

Welcoming the Season of Autumn

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The Season of Letting Go

Fall is the season Chinese medicine associates with the Metal Element and the Lung organ. The emotional feelings of sadness naturally arise during the onset of autumn, considered to be the season of letting go. Just as the leaves fall to the earth to decompose, this season often brings up feelings of loss, and is a reminder of the cycle of life and our own human fragility and vulnerability toward death. If our sadness is left unattended, or suppressed, this can lead to depression.

Therefore, with the darkening days and cooler temperatures it is imperative that we be mindful and support our body and mind with some important healthy dietary and lifestyle choices. Here are a few tips to help us manage this transition into autumn.

Consolidating Our Energy For Autumn

Just as we prune fruit from the harvest of summer, this is the time of year we prune away the excesses of summer. It is now time for consolidating our energy, slowing down from the frenetic activity of the summer, and focusing on what is most important, conserving our energy as we prepare for winter. Yes, this means that it is time to curl up by the fire and read a good book!

Resting with Warm Cup of Tea

Our Lungs are vulnerable during the season of fall, which is why it is easy to catch a cold or flu. There are many natural ways to strengthen our immune systems to protect ourselves, including rest, enjoying delicious and healthy food to nourish our Lungs, and making sure we visit our acupuncturist for a tune up and autumn Chinese herbal formula to tonify our immune system.

Visiting our local farmer’s market at this time of year offers plenty of foods to help our bodies fight the effects of polluted air, especially after breathing in the smoke and particulates from all the wild fires this summer. The exposure to pathogens is on the rise with poor air quality.

However, we need not despair as there are plenty of things we can do to counteract these environmental factors especially, with foods from the garden. Root vegetables and spicy foods are known to be protective for the respiratory system.

Root Vegetables to Strengthen the Lungs

  • radishes
  • turnips
  • cabbage
  • squash
  • sweet potatoes
  • yams
  • potatoes

Common Culinary Spices to Strengthen the Lung

Ventilate the Lungs With Aromatic Herbs

  • chilies
  • onions
  • garlic
  • turmeric
  • ginger
  • fennel
  • rosemary

Research has validated that our grandmother’s remedy of chicken soup really works for fighting respiratory infection.  By adding garlic and chilies to this soup, we not only make it more delicious, but potent for protecting our Lungs.

Pears and Asian pears are another traditional remedy for Lung irritation from illness or pollution, and can help soothe a dry cough.

The Nut Harvest Brings Benefits to Lungs

Fresh nuts offer a great source of vitamin E and essential fatty acids (EFA). Vitamin E has been shown in numerous studies to help protect the lungs from the ill effects of breathing contaminants. Look for nuts that grow in your area, and buy them freshly shelled or shell them yourself to get the most benefit.

  • walnuts
  • almonds
  • pecans
  • hazel nuts

Soaking nuts overnight before roasting, grinding or cooking them into foods will make them easier to digest and increase their nutrient value. Cold-pressed oils such as sesame, olive, walnut, and avocados (available at the farmer’s market in many areas) are other good sources of vitamin E.

Selenium is an immune-stimulating, cancer protective mineral. It is found in many whole foods, especially those grown in selenium-rich soils.

Good sources of Selenium include

  • liver
  • butter
  • lamb
  • nuts
  • brown rice

Ellagic acid, related to flavonoids, blocks the cancer-causing actions of many airborne pollutants, but is destroyed by heat. It is abundant in raspberries and blackberries and also found in other berries, most fruit, and nuts, such as walnuts and pecans.

Fiber is found in most whole foods and helps to eliminate some pollutants, although excess fiber, as from fiber supplements, can block mineral absorption. This is why I always prefer whole foods over the use of supplements.

Mushrooms: My Favorite Autumn Immune Booster

Medicinal mushrooms have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. We can use them as mini-vaccines against inflammation, viruses and even cancer.

Let’s look at Reishi. This popular fungus is one of the world’s most favored medicinal mushrooms, and for good reason. Reishi has been shown to aid in weight loss, keep the immune system healthy, and even fights cancer cells.

However, what makes this mushroom unique is its mood enhancing properties, which is why I like to prescribe it during the autumn season when so many struggle with depression and sadness.

Reishi excels at supporting these emotional swings due to one of its constituents called triterpene. These special compounds help calm anxiety, alleviate depression, and promote better sleep. Triterpenes’ positive effect on the nervous system goes beyond this. Reishi has been shown to promote healing and sharpen mental concentration and focus, as well.

Delicious Mushroom Soup

Mushroom soup is a great way to add mushrooms to your diet with a flavorful and nourishing meal on a cold rainy day.

Reishi Mushrooms Can Help With

  • anxiety
  • depression
  • sleep
  • concentration & focus

As you can see, there are many things we can do to support our immune system, protect our Lungs, and work with our tendency toward sadness and depression this fall. Slowing down, resting, visiting our acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and cooking meals that are focused on whole foods from quality sources like our local farmer’s market will help keep us healthy into the fall and winter months ahead!

Yours in Health,

Cally

Please contact us with any questions, we are here to offer our support as you navigate this transition into the autumn season.