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As winter moves into spring |
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In my years of
practicing nutrition and foot reflexology I have met many allergy
sufferers. Those with allergies are feeling the affects, runny noses,
itchy eyes, wheezing and fatigue. When the body is having an allergic
reaction it produces Immunoglobin E (IgE). This antibody (protein) coats
the surfaces of mast cells, found in our skin, stomach lining and upper
airways. When this happens it creates granules, within the mast cells,
which promotes the release of inflammatory substances such as histamine,
and prostaglandin, promoting an allergic response.
Allergies may be caused by too much stress on the Liver, effecting Digestion and the Immune System. I also find many people have the worst bought of allergies during the Spring. In Chinese medicine the liver/gallbladder is most active during the Spring Season. It is the wood element, is most active from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Its sensory organs are the eyes, tissues, tendons and sinews. The emotions of imbalance are anger and impatience, the quality of the voice is shouting and the fluids emitted are tears. The liver is a complex system that works hard keeping us clean from toxic build up, cleans the blood, clears out excess hormones, and helps us digest fats and proteins. When the liver is overburden with too many toxins it may incite irritability and anger, accompanied by digestive problems such as heartburn, bloating, gas, nausea, pre-menstrual syndrome, arthritis, tendon, connective tissue or ligament problems. I have learned, through my own experience, and with my clients that using herbs and foods to maintain a healthy liver is one of the easiest and best ways to neutralize air borne allergies, food allergies, skin conditions, joint pain, hormonal imbalances and digestive problems. A healthy liver also means good energy, relaxed muscles, strong vision, good circulation, balanced hormones, a confident radiant personality and a healthy immune system. Liver herbs and foods tend to be more bitter and sour. The bitter herbs, like dandelion root, Oregon grape root, barberry root, golden seal root, and burdock root, help break down fats. Essential fatty acids from raw nuts, seeds and oils, such as flax seed, hemp seed, borage seed , evening primrose , and fish produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Cooked, altered and hydrogenated fats produce inflammatory prostaglandin’s. Bitter herbs also clean out the toxins in the liver as well as cleanse the blood, which provides healthy lymphatic drainage. Herbs that aid in the cleansing process are red clover, cleavers, and Echinacea. Sour foods feed healthy bacteria in the small and large intestines. Some good sources of sour foods is unpasteurized Sauer kraut, yoghurt, kefir and fermented foods such as apple cider vinegar, tempeh, Miso, and Rejuvalac. Milk thistle seed is a liver regenerating seed. It regenerates liver cells, metabolizes fats and provides lots of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help protect the cells from destruction and mutation. Using foods and herbs to maintain a healthy liver is quite simple. First, of all, drink at least 1 cup of warm lemon water, mineral tea or liquid chlorophyll daily. Have one or two freshly juiced pesticide free vegetable juices daily. Have at least one cup of liver tea, digestion tea and lymphatic tea daily. Eat hormone free, non-medicated meats and pesticide free fruits and vegetables. Try to eat 5 serving of vegetables daily, 2 servings of fruit, 3 serving of grains, legumes, or sprouted breads. Eat 2-4 tablespoons of raw nut and seeds and have one to two servings of a Green food drink daily. Avoid excessive caffeine especially too much coffee or black tea. Keep away from toxic chemicals i.e. house cleaners, cosmetics, laundry detergents, and personal hygiene products such as deodorants with aluminium and parabens. Pharmaceuticals have to be detoxified through the liver and if the liver has to detoxify prescription and over the counter drugs it can create an unhealthy liver. Be kind to your liver for your liver works very hard to keep you healthy! |
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Enzymes and the Immune System |
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It seems so easy to
eat fresher and healthier in the spring, summer, late summer and early
fall. Fresh food is abundant and for a good reason. Winter takes a lot of
energy, where as the rest of the seasons provides us with plenty. Fresh
food, fresh air and sunlight keep us alive. Winter is also the time of
rest and regeneration, but in today’s world we don’t really slow down much
using even more of our reserves. It is very important in modern times to
replenish our reserves and build our nutrient stores. When our body stores
are full our emotional state is stable and clear and our physical state is
strong and well. The most vital part of eating fresh (80% living and cooked 20%) foods is the body will receive the appropriate amount of FIBRE, ENZYMES, VITAMINS (crucial vitamins: B and anti oxidants A,D,E,C for healthy cells.), AMINO ACIDS and MINERALS. Eating mostly (90% or more) whole foods is a great way to prevent illness. The immune systems needs enzymes in order to protect our body from foreign invaders such as viruses and parasites, we must have enzymes to live, there is no way around it. One of the main reason people and animal friends get digestive disturbances is they are not eating enough ENZYME rich foods. ENZYMES convert other nutrients into their active form, so they can all do their jobs such as ward off foreign invaders, keep our hormones in balance, clean out toxins… keep us well and alive. ENZYME Replenishing Recipes Vegetable Juice Blend Blood Cleansing juice: 1 red beet, ¼ cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk, 1 cucumber (From: Siegfried Gursche Juicing for the health of it) Fruit Juice Blend (this blend is full of every nutrient needed to alkalize, mineralize, and especially energize the body, clear and feed the brain). 1 cup blueberries, ½ banana, 1 cup papaya or pineapple, 1 cup amazake rice drink, 1 cup apple juice or water, 1 TBSP Freedom Greens or any other superfood blend, 2 serving of a protein mix such as rice protein, fermented soy protein,and 2TBSP flax, hemp, or EFA oil blend, ½ tsp ginger powder or fresh grated. (makes 2 drinks) Vitality Soup (this soup has lots of minerals, sulphur “the beauty mineral” enzymes, vitamins and fibre) Make a soup broth out of any vegetables that have been sitting for more than 3 days in the crisper. Add onion, garlic, celery, Optional: chicken, chicken necks and back, fish, beef. Place into a 1 quart pot add vegetables and water to cover vegetables. Simmer for 40 minutes. Take fresh vegetable such as broccoli, kale, chard, chopped up finely and place at the bottom of your bowl. When soup broth is done add flavouring such as miso, bouillon cubes, herbs and spices to taste Pour hot soup over vegetables, and add in options. Let set for 5 minutes and serve. Optional: Add rice, noodles, fish, chicken, beef Herbal Tea Blends: Mineral Tea replenishes minerals and support enzyme activity Digestive Tea helps to activate enzymes and aid in digestion Liver Tea helps active enzymes to digest fats as well as clean and regenerate liver cells, and provides powerful antioxidants. All of these foods and herbs are easy to digest and absorb. They are living foods. Living foods retain their nutrition, providing us with many nutrients especially Antioxidants and Enzymes. These two nutrients are key to Healthy Cells and a Healthy Immune System. |
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Fall the time of Lung and Large Intestine |
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The Fall Equinox has
just passed and we are preparing the harvest and getting ourselves ready
for Winter. Thanksgiving is our time to share the harvest. The harvest
feast is a beautiful array of colours, orange, yellow, red, green, purple
etc., providing us with so many vitamins, minerals and enzymes. ( Variety
of food is part of the key to health and longevity). The abundance of
earthy foods keep us warm, by moving us inward and down (grounded). The Autumn foods nourish our lungs and strengthen our digestion so we may be prepared for the cold winter. In many cultures food is used as medicine. In Chinese Medicine using food and herbs to heal and strengthen the body and mind is very common. The Chinese doctor uses the five flavours and four directions of food to aid in the balancing or healing of their patients. The four directions of foods are upward, downward, outward and inward The flavours are sweet, sour, pungent, bitter and salty. Sweet/Pungent flavors help us move inward and upward for the cold Winter season. Our diet should consist of most sweet/pungent foods such as Sweet: whole grains, sprouted over night and slowly cooked (brown rice, millet, quiona, wild rice), legumes sprouted and or soaked well and cooked (mung beans, split peas, lentils), vegetables, nuts, seeds & fruit. Pungent: garlic, onions, anise, turnips, ginger, horseradish, cabbage basil, cinnamon, chamomile, cayenne. Eating and living with the season provides us with just the right amount of nutrients for this season and the next to come. In Chinese Medicine, fall is the time of the Lungs and Large Intestine (colon). Their element is Metal, the season is Autumn and the time they are most active are between 3a.m. Lung and 7a.m. Large Intestine. The lungs are about “receiving and releasing” and the Large Intestine is about “letting go”. When we have too much sadness and grief in our lives our lungs and digestion can become weakened. Which in turn affects our whole being. It has been said that when someone has lung and colon problems there is sadness that hasn’t been cleared and needs to be released. Using food and herbs as our medicine and the beauty of nature and spirit we can learn to balance our lives in these modern time so we can continue to feel well. A great way to prepare yourself for the flu & cold season is to eat lots of living foods such as lightly steamed vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, raw or lightly roasted nut and seeds. Make salad dressing with Omega rich oils such as flax seed, hemp seed oil, or an oil blend rich in essential fatty acids. Add in eggs, poultry, fish (make sure the fish is not loaded with heavy metals. The Sierra Club has a list available), raw cheese and goat milk for protein. A nice mix of complex carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Protein from hemp, tempeh, legumes, dairy, eggs, fish, poultry or meat Fats & oils from avocado, walnuts, sunflower seeds, hemp oil, fish oil and olive oil, provides us with all that is needed for a strong healthy immune system and digestion. A healthy balanced body has no pain or discomfort. This applies to people and animal friends. Stay well through prevention….Natures Cures |
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Carola Schleuss is a nutritionist and certified massage practitioner at Simple Remedies Herbal Solutions. |