Living with Vitality

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Living with Vitality: Healthy Living 101

Written by Penelope Sullivan

“…Be careful about reading health books. You
may die of a misprint…”
~Mark Twain

Attaining and supporting health is simple, but we make it complex.

From Hippocrates to many modern day natural healers, the basics of health have stood the test of time. Our bodies are fueled by life-force, so it is life-force filled substances and activities that stimulate this energy that promote longevity.

What stimulates and is full of life-force?

Pure water

We want it. We need it—inside and out. Internally, our bodies crave pure water—not fluoridated or chlorinated. Beverages such as fresh juices, pure water, and herbal teas are life enhancing. Coffee drinks, alcohol, carbonated beverages and heavily processed and pasteurized juices do not enhance our life-force.

“…All in all, cold water can tonify the nervous system and help cleanse the organs and lymph of toxins…”

 

Externally, our bodies crave pure water as well. According to Dr. Mercola, ”….On average, you drink about 1-2 gallons of water per day…but you expose yourself to 25 gallons of water when you shower. As concluded by the American Journal of Public Health…up to two-thirds of harmful chlorine exposure can be due to skin absorption and inhalation while showering. You can easily absorb as many toxins in 1 shower as you would drinking tap water for an entire week…..” That being said, shower filters are great.

Another wonderful tool to use, in regard to waters and showers, is the hot and cold shower. As I have shared before there are different opinions on how to do this. Some people advocate for going back in forth between hot and cold, while others discuss the benefits of ending with cold water; Yogi Bhajan, a master of hydrotherapy, discusses the entire art of taking a cold shower. All in all, cold water can tonify the nervous system and help cleanse the organs and lymph of toxins.

Pure Air

We can live without food for weeks and we can even make it a few days without water. On the other hand, the world record though for holding the breath is 17 minutes—and that for many, besides perhaps great masters, is a stretch. We need pure air. We need to BREATHE. Internally we can enhance this with deep breathing and aerobic exercises. We can also be aware of what we put on our skin both in the form of clothing and lotions, etc. We do not want to obstruct the free flow of oxygen in and out of our body. This means natural fibers and natural skin products. Think cotton, hemp, linen, silk, wool. Also, use skin care products whose ingredients you can pronounce and understand, like coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, etc.

Externally, we want to consider the air that we breathe. While we cannot control every situation, our home, workplace, or any place that we spend any consistent amount of time in, needs to have high quality air. At home, if we use a woodstove, this may mean getting an air purifier, or putting a pot of water on the stove for humidity. If we use gas appliances, we need to make sure that they are properly maintained. Cracking the windows slightly year round is very helpful for ventilation. Plants such as spider plants,goldenpothos, aloe, and ivy can remove a good deal of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde (which can also be a result of woodstove and gas usage).

Essential oils add a wonderful healing quality to any room. On the other hand, synthetic air fresheners have many dangerous chemicals in them that adversely affect our health. While essential oils actually enhance the air quality, most aerosols deaden nerve cells so that we do not sense bad smells.

“…Due to this right, companies can list very benign ingredients such as water while not disclosing other ingredients that may be cancer causing or damaging to the brain…”

Those fresheners combined with toxic household cleaners greatly pollute our indoor air quality. And if we do not crack our windows while using these types of products, they do accumulate. Many experts agree that indoor air pollution can be quite high. Even products such as Windex contain neurotoxins. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution can even be 2-5 higher than outdoor air pollution. http://www.understanding-learning-disabilities.com/indoor-air-pollution.html. The key is to realize that most of the products that we use will eventually affect our blood stream. It is important to know that chemical companies do not have to divulge what ingredients they use to create their products. They can claim proprietary rights. Due to this right, they can list very benign ingredients such as water while not disclosing other ingredients that may be cancer causing or damaging to the brain.

We have the choice to choose that which strengthens our life force or that which weakens our life force.

Food

“…food is meant to be whole, fresh, chemical free, unadulterated, free of dyes and preservatives…”

Next we come to food, a hot and debatable topic. Because diet has been made into such a complex discussion, we will focus more in-depth on it in the next edition of the newsletter. For now, suffice to say that whether you are a hard core vegan, a proponent of Nourishing Traditions, or a Type A or a Type O, food is meant to be whole, fresh, chemical free, unadulterated, free of dyes and preservatives.

Many health experts have suggested consuming a large percentage of uncooked food. Paramhansa Yogananda suggests consuming approximately 80 percent raw food and 20 percent cooked. More and more information is being discovered about the components that make up the nutrient density of food. I appreciate emphasizing greens as they are one of the most nutrient dense foods, high in vitamins, minerals, and a very wide variety of phytonutrients that we are now just beginning to understand.

These days the purity of our food supply is well under attack. To stay abreast of latest actions that you can take to protect our food see http://www.organicconsumers.org/.

Sunlight

Sunlight is required for our well-being. The key to healthy sun use is to not sunscreen but rather to gradually build up exposure to the sun so as to not burn. This for sensitive people can be a slow process but one that is well worth it. Also, sunning at times of the day when the sun is less strong can be helpful and is especially important, during the beginning of exposure.

It is beneficial to get year round sun exposure, if at all possible, on a daily basis. In fact according to naturalnews.com, a 2007 study showed that by not getting enough sunlight we can increase our chances of cancer by 70%. http://www.naturalnews.com/022889.html. For more information on the benefits of sunning see http://www.raw-food-health.net/sunrays.html#axzz1pQJOWDmE .

Love

One last common thread that is shared by many, in regard to natural healing, is the idea of love. I am not referring to a passing infatuation which usually has fleeting thrills, but rather the development of inner resources which help us be more resilient as we experience the myriad and inevitable of ups and downs in life. Deep friendships which inspire us; activities which spark our creative forces and bring joy; and meditation, all build and support a feeling of love and of feeling inwardly nourished. Recreational and pharmaceutical drugs which give the allusion of fulfillment can never replace what truly builds a sense of inner contentment.

Conclusion

As you can see there is not one magic bullet to health, and at the same time what supports health is so simple, it almost seems too simple. I have seen how the incorporation of these basic principles radically shift states of well-being, even in the face of serious illness. So, before being overwhelmed by what it takes to get and stay healthy, you have the option to assess your life and choose to utilize some of these tools that are at your disposal—many of which are free!

 

Penelope Sullivan is a Certified Family and Nutritional Herbalist/B.S. Holistic Nutrition

 

Wild Californian Rose Hips: A Native Local and Traditional Chinese Plant Food Medicine!

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WILD CALIFORNIAN ROSE HIPS, A.K.A. JIN YING ZI:

A Native Local and Traditional Chinese Plant Food Medicine!

Written by Anna Wederitsch LAc

Ah, the rose. Though most cherished for its intoxicating heart nourishing and heart opening (and heart qi moving) essential oil, few realize the potent medicine that is contained in its fruit, hips, or haws as some call them. Many of you are familiar with rose hips for tea, but have you had them as FOOD? Yes, food! There are accounts of it being eaten with salt and butter!

Native American people have used this fruit in stews, soups, teas, and raw as snacks, to support their health through local available foods. When I see rose hips while hiking and foraging, my kids and I enjoy snacking on the softer hips for they are sweeter.

“…Native American people have used this fruit in stews, soups, teas, and raw as snacks, to support their health through local available foods…”

The rosacea family has fed and healed us with over 3400 plants: apples, apricots, peaches, cherries, pears, plums, blackberry, raspberry, hawthorn, agrimony, cinquefoil, and mountain ash, to name a few. Many of these plants were brought in by settlers as they came to new lands, because the plants were so valued for food and medicine.

Just when all plants have withered and dropped their energy deep down into the earth into their roots, out pops the rose hip, containing 5x the vitamin C contained in oranges. Up here in the Sierras where citrus is rare, may Rose Hips be our C of choice! During World War II, the whole of England turned to rosehips for their vitamin C during a crippling citrus shortage. All rose hips are edible, but most abundant right now is the Wild California Rose hip.

WESTERN MEDICAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE ROSE HIP

Most recent research and use has been in effectively alleviating pain and stiffness in the knees, hips, and other joints, associated with osteoarthritis. Its anti-inflammatory properties are attributed to its ability to reduce the C-Reactin protein (CRP) and creatinine, inflammation markers. Lower CRP levels are also associated with heart health and decreased triglycerides. It is rich in vitamin C, tocotrienols, beta carotene, pectin and many other health enhancing ingredients that protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease.


JIN YING ZI, A CHINESE MEDICINE

Rosehips are considered one of the most important Chinese health tonics. They are highly valued by the Chinese, both as a food and as medicine. Rose hips are sour, astringent, and neutral; they go to the Bladder, Kidney, and Large Intestine. It stabilizes the Kidneys and retains Jing, which is our primordial essence, or battery juice if you will. If the Kidneys are weak, our lower gates will not be strong enough to contain our essence. We can lose Jing through excessive vaginal discharge, seminal emissions, and night time urination. Jin Ying Zi also functions on the Intestines, part of the lower gates. It binds the Intestines to stop chronic diarrhea from spleen deficiency. For most of these functions Jin Ying Zi will be combined with other herbs.

“…Rosehips are considered one of the most important Chinese health tonics…”

This herb is contraindicated in cases with excessive fire or fever, or excessive pathogenic factors (cold/flu/virus) and is better as an immune tonic. Long-term use may result in constipation.

RECIPE FOR ROSE HIP SYRUP

Pick after the first frost, as the hips are softer and come off easier. Before I begin picking, I check in with the plant, asking if I may use its fruit to make medicine for my family and community. Then I talk and sing to the plant, whatever song comes out, whatever else I wish to share in that moment with the plant. It is also a common courtesy to return to the plant just for a visit, to share with it how your concoction came out, who you shared it with, how its medicine worked.

Mince 1lb of rosehips in a blender, and empty straight into 3 cups of boiling water. It is important to put the hips in the boiling water immediately after mincing to minimize the loss of vitamin C. Stop heating and let stand for 15 minutes. Filter the mixture through a jelly bag. Put the mixture remaining in the bag back in the saucepan, add 3/4 pint of boiling water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and then filter thorough the jelly bag again.

It is important to remove all the hairs that cover the seeds as these will be an irritant if swallowed. The recipe suggested re-filtering the first cupful of juice to make sure all the hairs are removed.

I add equal parts raw honey to the syrup and a bit of alcohol, about a 1/4cup, as a preservative. Even with these ingredients, it may ferment slightly, but it will definitely have a longer life. The fermentation can contribute to the medicine! Refrigerate. It may gel up, due to the high pectin content. Use it as a jelly! In Europe, traditionally a tablespoon a day was given in the winter months to the whole family. If you don’t have the time to make your own, we have a divine Wild California Rose Hip Syrup available at HAALo!

 

Anna Wederitsch LAc: Anna has been talking with plants since she was three years old. Her plant relationships guided her to become an acupuncturist and herbalist. She was the co-creator of Well Women Acupuncture in Los Angeles where she successfully treated thousands of women with infertility and hormonal challenges. She has finally been transplanted to her native Northern California soil with her husband and two boy seedlings. She practices acupuncture and herbal medicine in Nevada City.

Modern Misconceptions

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Modern Misconceptions – Part I

Written by Victoria LaFont, NTP

Your body has evolved, physically, to eat meat and fat. When I say meat, I am referring to organically raised, pastured and grass finished meat. And when I say fat, I mean organic coconut oil, pastured butter, and pastured ghee for cooking; organic cold pressed olive oil, almond oil, peanut oil or avocado oil for VERY light sautees or salad dressing; organic cold pressed borage, evening primrose, black currant seed, or pumpkin seed oil kept refrigerated in a dark bottle for daily supplementation.

I think it’s time we got specific.

I sat down to eat at our local co-op a few days ago, and noticed a flyer announcing that Michael Pollan is rereleasing his book Food Rules with illustrations, in order to reach a wider audience. I was impressed with his book Omnivore’s Dilemma. He brought Joel Salatin’s incredible farming techniques to light, as well as tastefully and judiciously exposing more information about big food corps such as McDonalds. I picked up the flyer to read about Food Rules:

“Fact 1: Popluations that eat a so-called Western diet-lots of processed foods and meat, added fat and sugar, refined grains, and few fruits, veggies, and whole grains-suffer from high rates of “Western” diseases”: obesity, type II diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer. Four of the top ten killers in America are chronic diseases linked to this type of diet. Scary, right?”

Mr. Pollan’s is a common mistake that consistently makes me cringe. He, along with a myriad of other food journalists, food gurus, chefs, and even nutritionists continually group healing foods such as meat and fat (the specific types I listed above are the meat and fat that I am referring to) with other disease causing ‘foods‘ such as sugar, processed foods, and refined grains. Over the past 150 years meat, and specifically saturated fat (butter, coconut oil, and yes even lard and tallow) have been lumped together with disease causing processed foods. This motley crew of foodstuffs has been erroneously labeled “the Western diet.” This is undeniably incorrect.

“…High quality meats and fats have been eaten since time immemorial creating incredibly healthy cultures…”

Pastured, grass fed meat, and the nutritious fat attached to it, usually saturated fat, are NOT ‘the Western diet’ that leads to ‘Western diseases such as type II diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer.’ Processed sugar and improperly prepared and processed grains are the real culprits that cause inflammatory illnesses, type II diabetes, heart disease, adrenal disfunction, immune system illnesses, etc. High quality meats and fats have been eaten since time immemorial creating incredibly healthy cultures. Problems with ‘Western illnesses’ began to occur when processed foods hit the scene, beginning with the processing of sugar about 400 years ago. The Industrial Revolution, occurring in the 19th century, followed by the formation of food giants such as General Mills in the 20th century, led us down the primrose path of nutrition.

Processed sugars and grains

This article will be two parts due to the fact that I would like to look closely at the harm caused from sugars and processed grains, and the health created by appropriate meats and fats.

Meat and fat have taken the nutritional hit that should have been reserved for our sweet tooth, another evolutionary quirk. The incredibly occasional sweet foods once found through foraging satisfied our need for quick carbohydrate energy. Today that slight occasion has turned into a multi-million dollar business, a market that even ‘health’ foods have manipulated in order to sell foods such as Envirokidz organic Gorilla Puffs cereals, or *gasp* organic Nature’s Path Toaster Pastries (organic Pop Tarts).

Humans do need sweet tastes as part of a balanced diet, but not the constant barrage that we daily endure. The part of us that is 99% the same as our hunting/foraging ancestors (yes, you read that correctly – we are 99% EXACTLY the same as the folks before us that were hunting and foraging for, you guessed it, meat, root vegetables, some nuts and seeds) is constantly lured by these sweet foods, and the sweet foods‘ allure is winning out.

“…One in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become diabetic…”

On January 9, 2012, NPR covered this study at Yale:

“A new study from researchers at Yale suggests that [diabetes], which currently affects nearly 8 percent of the U.S. population, could have significant non-medical costs to society as well. The study, which appears in the January issue of the policy journal Health Affairs, suggests that young people diagnosed with the disease are more likely to drop out of high school and to forgo or fail to finish college. As a result, they’re likely to earn less than those without diabetes.”

Additionally, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a study in June 2003 that estimated that, on average, one in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become diabetic. These predictions are about triple the American Diabetes Association’s current estimates.

Diabetes is not the only disease brought on by by the carbohydrate rich diet that the FDA and, surprisingly enough, the American Diabetes Association advocate. Know anyone on a statin drug for high cholesterol? A diet high in processed grains and sugars, even some carbohydrates such as *gasp again* brown rice, cause blood sugar issues, fatty acid imbalances, and mineral absorption problems that lead to inflammation and cellular damage.

“…As Americans have cut back on saturated fat and cholesterol-rich foods, rates of heart disease have gone up…”

Dr. Mary Enig, a brilliant nutritional science PhD reports that as Americans have cut back on saturated fat and cholesterol-rich foods, rates of heart disease have gone up. In fact, many studies show NO relationship between diet and cholesterol levels. Those who have cholesterol levels just below 350 are at no greater risk than those whose cholesterol is very low. For elderly men and for women of all ages, high cholesterol is associated with a longer lifespan. And the effect of statin drugs, such as Lipitor, are horrifying. Liver and heart damage top the list of ‘side effects.’

Victoria LaFont, NTP
Nourish Nutritional Therapy Grass Valley, CA 530-277-9707

www.nourishsystem.com

Digesting Prosperity 

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Digesting Prosperity 

Written by Hari Simran Khalsa

In the recent issue of Vanity Fair, (the one with Lady Gaga in a flaming red hat on the cover) I came across an article that really inspired me. Normally I find articles on the economy a bit dry but I couldn’t put this one down.

Now that’s the sign of a good writer. Take an Ayurvedic practitioner/herbalist, and get her interested in economics? Way to go Joseph E. Stiglitz! 

 

I couldn’t help but read this article and relate it to health in every way possible. According to the article, there are some 23 million Americans needing full time work and 6.6 million fewer jobs since the bursting of the housing bubble and the onset of the recession. This comes as a heavy burden to most of the American public and a huge strain on the government both local and nationwide. We are seeing budget cuts being made across the board from big corporations trimming their work force to cuts in public school funding. This whirlwind of “set backs” in the economy has stoked a fire in the minds of individuals wanting leadership in the direction of a change that in the words of the influential 50’s singer Sam Cooke, “is gonna come”. 

Let’s get factual here. The economy is experiencing change and change always requires some flexibility whether you are ready for it or not. The only way to heal from the damage of change is to address the root of the problem as Joseph Stiglitz explained in his article about the economic crisis:

“The problem today is the so-called real economy. It’s a problem rooted in the kinds of jobs we have, the kind we need, and the kind we’re loosing, and rooted as well in the kind of workers we want and the kind we don’t know what to do with. The real economy has been in a state of wrenching transition for decades, and its dislocations have never been squarely faced.” 

If health can be related to the economic crisis then our bodies are screaming for a change. Getting to the root of a disease can essentially save us time, anxiety, money and constant visits to the doctor. “Occupy Wall Street” is more than a protest against big government spending and massive company takeovers. It’s more personal than that. It is a call for honest inspiration, caring leaders and effective economics. Lives change in the mere presence of a true leader and courage comes to those with unlimited, unconditional devotion to that which inspires them. 

We all want health, prosperity and happiness and the choice to be free of struggle. This is the ultimate human desire but we are all here in this life to learn and grow; the struggle is part of life and therefore must be addressed as part of you. This is where holistic medicine digs deep, pulls at your core and releases you of the pain. I like to think of holistic medicine as taking out the middleman and getting right down to business. It’s  ”de-bugging” your system, stripping it clean and exposing the true essence of your nature. Sound scary?   Maybe, but it produces true and lasting results moving closer towards what we in Ayurveda call Sattva: the pure joy, prosperity and fulfillment that is You and that is your birthright. 

 

There are so many success stories related to health and healing and the triumph over disease using every form of medicine. No one is saying that one modality of healing is better than the other. Rather it is focus and intention from both the health care practitioner and the patient that really counts. It is ultimately the practitioner’s job to provide the best health care in their field so that each patient is able to fully heal with no strings attached.  Let’s get away from the concept that effective medicine has to cause pain, and unbearable side effects. Let us practitioners provide the best pain relief and health improvements with healing science that involves more than popping a pill. 

The world is changing and with every change there comes both the struggle and the triumph. In this age of unlimited information we must learn to remain calm, collected and clear. It is already a burden to find the best support whether it is in the form of a health care professional or a financial consultant. In my experience the best way to save money, feel better and walk tall is to STICK with your clear decision, to take care of your whole self, feel good about it and do it 100%. We’re in a new age now, and how you do anything is how you do everything. 

Hari Simran Khalsa is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda. She is a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, Pancha Karma Specialist and Kundalini Yoga Teacher. She is currently serving clients and teaching yoga in Nevada City, California.

Letter From The Director

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Hello HAALo Friends!

As Spring is coming upon us so uncharacteristically early with new growth and early budding of our perennials and fruit trees this season, I suppose it is only fitting that HAALo too, seems to be growing quicker and “earlier” than we could ever have expected. Just as our plant friends are responding to the light filled days and warm weather a month early, we are finding ourselves in a flow of abundant opportunities for growth that weren’t quite expected. As many of you have seen, we have outgrown our little herbal shop within months of opening as we have bathed in the “sunlight” of our amazing community. We are currently in negotiation with the city of Nevada City to acquire the APPLE building just a few feet from our current location. As we are one of two businesses being considered and we hope to persuade the city that we are, indeed, a worthy and necessary asset for our community. Please keep your fingers crossed and add us to your prayers and meditations.

On another note, we are beginning our spring educational classes for our 20 farm and family growers who have been selected to grow our 2012 herbs! We would like to open the intermediate to advanced level growing classes to anyone who would like a deeper understanding of starting, growing, harvesting, and drying herbs. Our instructors for this season will include Daniel Nicholson, Marc Williams, Kathi Keville, Peg Shaeffer and Leslie Gardner. Each of these instructors brings a minimum of 15 years of growing and herbal experience to share, all have been actively involved in their local communities for creating change and sustainability, almost all have published books and guest lecture around the US and each is deeply committed to the preservation of our plant medicine and supporting our growers in deepening their knowledge.

Our first class starts next Sunday, March 25, 12:30-4:30 “Growing Medicinal Herbs in the Sierra Part 1” with Daniel Nicholson and Marc Williams. Please RSVP with Catie at harvestingvitality@gmail.com  530.615.6606 or go to our Facebook or website www.HAALo.org  for more info. These classes are highly recommended for anyone wishing to begin growing their own herbal gardens or helping the future needs of our community by supporting local herb farmers. We hope to see you all there! Please visit our website for their biographies www.HAALo.org . Future classes will be posted as we receive class curriculums.

Also, we have ongoing classes in the shop weekly that range from basic beginning use of herbs to more experienced grass roots medicine. We post our classes on our Facebook page weekly as well as on the website. Our Facebook page also announces ongoing classes we think you might be interested in, happening throughout the community or taught by master herbalists such as Kathi Keville, a gold mine of plant medicine information living right here in our community! It is important that you “LIKE” us one time on the Facebook page to receive our notifications as we post them. Thanks for your support!

Finally, we would like to remind you of the seven practitioners that we have working behind the counter Monday thru Saturday, who are here to help you navigate the herbal world and if needed, set up more in-depth appointments to help bring vibrancy back into your life. We have three Traditional Chinese Practitioners: Nhimsa Champaneri, Anna Werderitsch and Kalub Jarosh; three Ayurvedic Practitioners: Rexanne Diehl, Hari Simran Khalsa, and Nhimsa and two herbal nutritionists: Catie Pazandak and Victoria LaFont. They are here in donated service to our community, each on their weekly days and look forward to visits from regular and new customers! Please take advantage of their offerings.

With many blessings,

Shea