How do we treat cough?

In the past two years we have been treating many patient complaining of a cough, especially during and after a viral/bacterial infections. Chinese Medicine has a long history of being very successful in treating cough! Not all coughs are the same and the power of Chinese Medicine treatment is when we are able to differentiate the type of coughs according to their clinical presentations. Below are some common cough patterns and common treatments.

Cough caused by external pathogens:

• Cold cough: often seen in cold weather. This type of cough gets worse with coldness, for example, cold food/drinks, cold air. Patient with this type of cough usually have white/clear watery phlegm, and perhaps a pale complexion, and are sensitive to cold air or cold food, muscle tensions. They might also have sinus congestion or post-nasal drips. Herbs such as ge gen, gui zhi, zi su ye, gan jiang, etc. are used to treat this type of cough.

• Heat cough: often seen in hot weather. This type of cough that gets worse with heat. Patient with this type of cough often have yellow or darker color phlegm. Patients might have more thirst, irritabilities, redder face or tongue, or even a sore throat, sweat more. Herbs such as sang ye, ju huan, sang ye, huang qin, she gan, xuan shen…etc are used to treat this type of cough.

• Dry cough: often seen in allergy season or during the recovery phase. This type of cough can be more common that you expect in the San Francisco Bay area as our climate can be quite dry in the summer and fall. The patient might have a scratch throat, dry air pathway, and feels irritable. Herbs such as bai he, mai dong, xing ren, sha shen, etc. are used to treat this type of cough.

Chronic cough: if a cough cause by external pathogens that was not treated properly, it can damage internal organ system and turn into chronic cough. this is an especially common cough after a viral/bacterial infection. Herbs such as bai he, xing ren, gan cao, zi wan, etc.

Food that should be avoided when you have a cough that can make it worse or harder to clear:

Cold food- can cause airway muscle spasm and can irritate respiratory system.
Greasy food- harder to digest and can instantly create more phlegm.
Raw food- especially raw protein, they are harder to digest.
Processed food and sugary food: can create more phlegm and cause more inflammation.
Seafoods: Fish and shellfish are potent allergens that can provoke serious IgE antibody-mediated adverse reactions in sensitive individuals, and that can make cough worse.
Spicy food: irritate the respiratory system.

Common acupuncture points used to treat cough are: Lung 7, Ren 17, Lung 9, Lung 3, Ding Chuan, Stomach 40, etc.

So next time if you or you know someone who is suffering from coughing, come get a treatment!

Restore Your Sensory Connection With Food

Over the past years, we’ve lost our sensory connection with food.

Do you smell the apple before eating it? How do you decide if a mango is ripe?

This article talks about how in a modern society, we lost our sensory connection with food, and that can create problems for our health. Eating is one of the most important thing to a healthy life, as we always promote “mindful eating” in traditional Chinese Medicine, we encourage everyone taking their time eating, smell the food, pay attention to the flavor and how the body feels when you eat.

“One of the most striking things about eating in the modern world is that we do so much of it as if we were sense-blind. We still have the same basic physiognomy as our hunter-gatherer ancestors, yet much of the time, we switch off our senses when choosing what to eat.”

“Our sensory disconnect from food is both cause and consequence of the fact that so many of us have poor diets.”

“Try to know your food with your ears, nose and hands as well as with your eyes. Smell it, touch it and look at it before you taste it.”

Read the entire article:

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/mar/29/how-we-lost-our-sensory-connection-with-food-and-how-to-restore-it

Tried And True Non- Toxic Cleaning Products

We are happy to share our long awaited article with a list of our favorite non-toxic cleaning products that we use at home over and over again. All of these products we have been using for a really long time, so we are confident you will like them too.

Force of Nature - a make at home electrolyzed water using just tap water, salt and vinegar and is as effective and fast as bleach for disinfection. This type of cleaner has been used for many many years in the food industry, dental applications, veterinary clinics and is often used in wound cleansing. It has a long history of safe use and is non toxic to the skin as well. This cleaner is on “List N” of approved cleaners proven effective for COVID 19. It works on almost any virus or bacteria you might worry about. When you purchase a kit the kit comes with a small appliance and special little capsules that contain the specific mixture of salt and vinegar. You add tap water to the appliance and the capsule and plug it in for a few mins and you will make a batch of cleaner that is at full active strength for two weeks. We have been using this in the clinic as our disinfectant of choice since it was introduced. We now liberally spray all surfaces; counters, chairs, door knobs, toilets, toilet handles, faucets, desks and let it air dry. We also love that once you have a kit, the waste is very tiny. Tip: use their spray bottles. other bottles seem to get stuck quickly and won’t work for long. They must have designed their spray bottles specifically for their cleaner. I imagine there is some small salt residue that slowly clogs conventional spray bottles.

Aspen Clean Powder Scrub - Great for tubs and sinks. Works almost as well as soft scrub with bleach on tough stains.

Public Goods Surface Spray - Great glass cleaner with a Fresh beachy scent. Our Favorite!

Public Goods Bathroom Spray- Our Favorite! This is really magic on the tub. It quickly dissolves soap scum and often can bypass scrubbing. Woo hoo! It has a light eucalyptus scent which is a plus for us. We love their concentrated refills since it helps us create less waste and it’s just $2.75!

Seventh Generation Disinfectant Spray - eucalyptus/spearmint/thyme is our preferred scent. This works better than windex for glass and the same disinfection power for COVID 19, colds and flus, but it needs to remain wet for 10 minutes. Check your “kill time” on each of your disinfectants. The scent can be a bit strong when spraying it, but much better than windex!

Seventh Generation Disinfectant Wipes - Non toxic disinfecting wipes for a quick clean up. Remember that the “kill time” for this product (as well as Clorox and lysol) is 10 minutes. If you really want to disinfect, make sure the surface remains wet that long.

Seventh generation Free and clear detergent - a non negotiable if you have anyone with sensitive skin or allergies in the house. It is far superior to other free and clear detergents and Suzanne has found at home that other brands will aggravate eczema while this one does not.

Better Life Dish Soap - No complaints about this pleasant scented dish soap. Works great.

Public Goods Dish Soap or Grab Green Dish Soap - budget friendly choice for dish soap. Large bottle lasts a long time.

Tile or porcelain floor cleaner - Force of nature works great, just spray it on and mop with hot water.

Aspen Clean Floor Cleaner - Cleans very well and leaves a soft shine on hardwood floors. Aspen clean products are verified non toxic by the EWG. Some floor cleaners we didn’t like were eco me, Aunt fannies, and truce . We found the vinegar cleaners and those with essential oils slowly removed the finish on hardwood floors.

Caffeine Free Teas

One of the most common questions that we get is “what kind of non-caffeinated tea do you recommend that would ALSO be good for me?”

Here is a list of our favorite teas that are non caffeinated and great for you!

Mushroom hero - Great for stress, insomnia and anxiety without causing drowsiness. Suzanne enjoys this tea during long days when she needs a boost of focus without the caffeine. Many coffee lovers like this strong flavor. You can purchase this a rishi tea online.

Roasted barley tea- supports the digestive system and helps to prevent cavities. Many people enjoy it as a non caffeinated option to coffee.

Dandy blend (roasted dandelion and chicory root)- has a similar flavor to coffee. It contains many antioxidants and can help to support a healthy blood pressure and blood sugar level. Supporting the liver and immune system. According to Chinese medicine, Dandelion clears heat and smoothes liver qi.

Rose tea: light, delicious and promotes a good mood. According to Chinese medicine, Rose clears heat and smoothes liver qi. This is a go to for stress. Many people add this as part of their beauty routine as rose is high in antioxidants and benefits the skin.

Pukka Brand- Love Tea: chamomile and rose. Excellent for stress or at bedtime. A favorite in our clinic.

Gou Gi Berry and Date Tea: a sweet nourishing beverage that warms your heart :-)

Gou Gi Berry and Chrysanthemum - A tonic for your eyes. A favorite for those needing to use the computer for long hours or read for extended periods. It helps with eye fatigue and can also help seasonal allergies that cause dry, itchy and tired eyes.

Pukka Brand - Echinacea and Elderberry - a good choice when preventing and treating colds, flus and allergies.

Ginger Honey Lemon Tea: a must have in winter and great to have around after overeating or if you have an upset stomach.

Nettle tea - Rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, calcium, iron and vitamin A. It is traditionally a spring tonic and can help with mild allergies. Many say it it helpful for aches and pains.

Caffix - a great coffee substitute. You can prepare it just like you would you coffee. Suzanne prepares it much stronger than the instructions to get the same taste as espresso. 

Numi Brand or Trader Joes Moroccan Mint Green Tea

Aside from local markets, Suzanne’s favorite place to purchase tea is Rishi Tea online. They have many organic and non caffeinated choices. They offer organic and very high grade speciality teas that are often seasonal and sell out quickly. We appreciate their different choices in packaging; single wrapped sachets, unwrapped sachets or loose. Many blends come in all options.  They offer generous samples for $2 for most of their regular blends and this is a great way to try something new.  We highly recommend their blog if you are interest in learning more about tea, it is fantastic!

What are your favorite caffeine teas?

Winter Solstice Festival (Dong Zhi 冬至)

Today is Winter Solstice, also called Dongzhi Festival 冬至, It is one of the 24 solar terms and is one of the most important Chinese and East Asian festivals.

The origins of this festival can be traced back to the Yin and Yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. Yin represents darkness and cold and stillness, thus the longest day of winter, Yin is at its most, Dongzhi marks the return Yang with longer daylight, and the slow ascendance of light and warmth, this also symbolizes the opportunity for renewal, a shedding of bad habits and negative feelings, and an embracing of hope amid darkness as the days once again begin to grow longer.

Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. In many areas, it is also the best time of the year to take tonic foods. Dumplings are usually eaten to celebrate in some East Asian cultures.

In southern regions of China, one activity that occurs during these get-togethers is the making and eating of tangyuan (湯圓) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion.

It is also a great time to nourish the body with warm soups, protect yourself from coldness, get plenty of restful sleep to restore the Yang in your body.

Happy Holidays!

Today we received such a lovely gift from one of our patients. We are so grateful to have so many wonderful people surrounding and supporting us. 2020 has been an extremely challenging year for most of us, we also witnessed how strong we can be when we help each other. Thank you for all the support and we look forward to supporting you for many years to come.

We also invite you to support local small businesses for gift ideas. Sharing is caring :-)

Here are a few of our favorite local businesses to find gifts ( please share if you know more!):

San Francisco and Marin

Urban Farm Girls - living wreath, plant decor, garden design and garden care services.

Mayumix Botanical Design - Botanical Print using real plants and natural dye, beautiful scarves, and accessories.

Heath Ceramics - Ceramic dinnerware and accessories made in the Bay Area.

Stemple Creek Meat - pasture raised directly to your door

Fig Garden - Unique gifts for those impossible ones on your list

Amphora Olive Oil - Highest quality olive oil and many great gift sets

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Black Bean Soup : Build Blood

If you like this recipe, check back. We plan to post a video and photos soon. This recipe is a favorite to strongly build blood. We often prescribe this recipe to patients in our clinic as a way to consume liver and other blood building ingredients in a daily medicinal amount over a couple of days. Typically we instruct our patients to make a batch and eat it over 3-4 days and then reassess if another batch is needed. Its easy to freeze for future use and is actually very fast to make from all frozen ingredients. I call it one of my “fast food tonic” recipes! With the addition of liver, it is a fail proof way to get your prescribed amount of liver (a medicinal amount) without ever tasting it. If you are vegetarian or vegan, don’t worry. You can make your tonic using shiitake broth (blend those bits of mushroom in too) instead of bone broth or liver.

INGREDIENTS

Cooked black beans (canned is ok, but from scratch is best)

1 Organic/Pasture Raised Chicken Liver (leave out for vegan version)

1/2 Onion

2-4 Garlic (How much depends if you like garlic!)

2-4 tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt + pepper

1-2 Dried Bay leaves (fresh is great, but is a stronger flavor so use less)

Bone Broth or shiitake broth (optional, but a supercharged addition). bouillon or boxed/canned stock work in a bind too.

For a fast version of this, use store bought or frozen broth and canned beans.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan and warm. You just need enough to coat the onions and garlic.

2. Once the olive oil is warm, sautéed onion until translucent about 1 -2 minutes. Add garlic at the last 30 second.

3. Add the liver and season with plenty of salt and a little pepper. Cook until browned on each side, just a few minutes. Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside. (leave out this step for the vegan version.)

4. Add beans to your blender and add enough liquid (either bone broth, shiitake broth, water or stock) to make sure the liquid is level with the beans in the blender. Add the liver and blend until very smooth. If you soup is too thick, add more broth. It should be thin, it tastes better this way. Once blended, set aside in the blender.

5. Warm 1-2 tablespoon olive oil in a pot large enough for your soup.

6. Saute 1/3 cup of chopped onions in the pot until translucent. Add 1-2 cloves of garlic smashed, bay leaves and sauté until the onion and garlic are browned.

7. Add blend black beans/broth/liver mixture and bring to a low/medium simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt if needed. All ingredients are fully cooked at this point and you may enjoy.

TIP: It is best to use pasture raised chicken liver. Organic liver is a ok second choice. Avoid conventailly raised chicken liver as they may be a super dose of unhealthy things those chicken eat or are exposed to in their environment. If you are having a hard time finding pasture raised chicken liver, buy a whole chicken and use the one that comes with it.

TIP: When trying to conceive or pregnant, check with your acupuncturist if it is ok for you to have liver. ALWAYS avoid beef liver when trying to conceive or pregnant as it has too much vitamin A.

FIX:

Tastes like liver: You shouldn’t taste liver in the end soup. If you do, add another bay leaf and simmer for another 15 mins. That should do the trick.

Not enough flavor, not tasty enough. Add a little bouillon to tune up the flavor at the end.

How to prevent maskane (Mask acnes)

Wearing a mask has become a regular part of our daily life. Some people notice more breakouts on their faces lately, here are things you can do to prevent getting maskanes (mask acnes)

• Change your mask frequently. Bring a backup mask if you are going out for a long period of time.

• Wear less makeup. - Keep it simple, especially the covered area.

• Clean your face soon after you arrive home and removed the mask.

• If you wear reusable fabric masks, choose masks with a lighter color, because darker color fabrics have more dye that can irritate your skin. Also, try to choose organic cotton if you have sensitive skin.

• Enough sleep, healthy diet, and regular exercise.

• Manage your stress. Don’t forget that your mental health is just as important as your physical health, connecting with your loved ones when you can’t hug them, give them a call, set up a zoom party, express your love!

• Facial massage and acupressure can improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation.

• Acupuncture and Herbal treatment(topical and/or oral) improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation, they can also support the body on regulating hormones. The treatment is customized depending on individual conditions.

Let us help you staying health!!

A Smoke and Beauty Solution: Steamed Asian Pears - Soothe Lungs, Stop a cough and Beautify Skin

As the fires in our area continue to rage, we are sending prayers to those families that have been affected and send deep gratitude to all of our front line heroes. As we face weeks of smoke exposure in the Bay Area, steamed asian pears are the the perfect preventative food and medicine dish as a treatment for smoke exposure. This dish is one of my favorite Chinese medicine recipes. You could say it’s a healthy dessert.  This is a traditional remedy for lung problems and is often prepared for children with a cough. It can have immediate effect on improving coughs, asthma, or any common lung issues. It is the perfect preventative dish as we faces weeks of smoke exposure in the Bay Area. This is also a great dish for the fall time and may be part of your home care prescription for us each fall.

There's a little bit of a funny story about how this became one of my favorite dishes. In Chinese medicine school my teachers would always talk abut this recipe and how good it tastes.  I tried it a few times with a Bosc pear and dutifully gulped it down.  It was so mushy and flavorless! I thought to myself that my teachers must really be missing out if they think this is great!  Then one day my son had a bad cough and I remembered this recipe.  I was out of pears, but I had a few Asian pears so I cooked them up for him.  I tasted a small piece before serving him and it was like heaven on earth!  Of course!  An Asian pear is just a pear in Asia!  I had been using the wrong fruit all along!  I hope my American patients can now enjoy the truly traditional recipe though my trial and error.

Another common reason to eat steamed pears is to beautify the skin. So many reasons to enjoy this healthy and sweet dish.

When I choose ingredients for this dish, it is worth going to the farmer’s market or the store where you find the freshest produce. Those extra large asian pears you find at Costco or those from stores that don’t carry great produce i’ve found will result in a bland lack luster dish. It will still help your lungs, but you won’t be dying to make it another time.

Honey is a good choice for any constitution. If you have yellow or green mucous, rock sugar would be more medicinal.

Steamed Asian Pear Recipe

1 Asian pear for each person

Honey or Rock Sugar

1 piece of orange zest (optional)

A steamer insert or double steamer pot

Core the pear and remove the seeds.  Leave the base on the pear so that the center becomes a small cup so that the honey stays inside throughout the steaming process.  It will end up looking like this.

Don’t cut too big, you only want to remove the seeds and tough part of the core.  Add the honey until the center is about 1/2-3/4 full depending on how big of a hole you have made.  If you made the whole really big or have a big pear, you should only add about a regular kitchen spoon or so of honey.

Add plenty of water to the base pot of the steamer.  Steam for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the pear. Cut up and enjoy along with the broth. This makes a healthy dessert as well!

Mango the parrot says ENJOY OFTEN!

Study says no safe level of coffee drinking for pregnant women.

We encourage our patients who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant to avoid coffee.
Missing the warming morning routine? Don’t worry, there are many excellent alternatives out there waiting for you to explore!!
Roasted dandelion tea is a good substitute if you miss the bittersweet taste of coffee. If you need a pick-me-up, bone broth nourishes the body and can give you more energy. Honey lemon ginger tea is perfect to soothe morning sickness and moisten your throat. Camomile tea promotes better sleep.
What’s your favorite herbal tea?

For more detail of the study, please read the original news report,

No safe level of coffee drinking for pregnant women, study says

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/24/no-safe-level-coffee-drinking-pregnant-women-study-says?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1vPQqwDUnMdxz-UKzbx6YX8dAnoVnDtxZDrEO6vMKUdWHVdiQ843aBkvc#Echobox=1598306004