Foods That Help With Stress and Anxiety

Most of us are under tons of pressure lately. Whether it’s health, finances, climate change, politics, family or all of the above getting you down, these are tough times. But there is a way out of it.

Taking a pill is the way a lot of people are coping with anxiety and high levels of stress. The bad news is most of the time those pills don’t work or cause side effects that suck. And guess what? Popping a pill rarely, if ever, fixes the problem. So why not get help naturally? Eating the right foods can do wonders. Chinese and Western nutrition look at food very differently. While Western medicine analyzes nutrients and what they do, Chinese medicine views food energetically. Chinese nutrition views anxiety and stress as kidney and liver imbalances. There are plenty of foods to nourish these organs, reducing anxiety and stress.

Eat plenty of:

Root veggies – yams, radishes, parsnips, beets, carrots, potatoes. I like to bake yams, potatoes and beets; juice beets and carrots with greens below; and cook parsnips in a soup with lentils and leeks.

Dark, leafy greens – chard, kale, spinach, arugula, watercress. You can use any of these greens in a salad or juice.

Sea vegetables – kelp, nori, wakame, hijiki, dulse, kombu. Sprinkle some in your salad, or add to sushi with brown rice and avocado or to miso broth.

Black beans, black sesame seeds, tofu, mung beans, millet. Use black beans in chili; sesame seeds on salads or with steamed veggies; sprouted mung beans in curry or in salad; millet instead of rice and tofu with steamed veggies and quinoa.

Blackberries – Use in fruit salad, smoothie, or mixed with coconut kefir or almond yogurt.

Also make sure to get enough of the following nutrients:

Folic acid (found in: brown, red and wild rice; beans; oranges; dark greens) and Vitamin B12 (found in: sea vegetables, nutritional yeast, miso, fortified and fermented foods). People with Vitamin B deficiencies are more likely to have severe depression.

Magnesium (found in: wheat and oat bran, brown rice, nuts, molasses), which supports brain function and is helpful for mood disorders, including PMS and bipolar disorder.

Omega-3 fatty acids (seaweed, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, borage oil, primrose oil), which build healthy brain cell membranes and help facilitate neuron-to-neuron communication.

Chromium (found in: broccoli, grapes, oranges, whole grains), which lessens depression, particularly in people who are also craving sugar. Chromium is a blood sugar stabilizer.

Zinc (found in: beans, nuts, oatmeal), which helps metabolize omega-3 fatty acids in the brain. Low zinc levels are often found in those suffering from postpartum depression.

So, if you’re having a hard time, please use the above information to at least get started. There is a way out. I hope this information helps lift your spirits!

Live natural. Live well.

Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac., an animal rights activist for 25 years, has been in private practice for over 15 years as an acupuncturist, herbalist, nutritionist and Reiki master. Her weekly radio show, “Live Natural Live Well,” covers a wide variety of health topics, as well as how to get more involved in your community and saving the planet.

Photo credit: kyle tsui

Love List: Build a Pitt Crew

Champion,

Last week I shared my daily practice. This week I want to clue you in on my monthly self-care plan. I admit, my daily practice doesn’t happen every single day, but it happens more days than it doesn’t. So you do the math. If there are seven days in a week that means that I check in with myself at least four mornings per week. Remember, we’re spiritual athletes and we need to warm up, aka tune in and turn on! Your daily practice is a way to get to know yourself more, to key in to your gut wisdom, to get in the driver’s seat of your mind and most importantly … to make room for vision. When you make room for vision you become a visionary. Goose bump city!

In addition to a regular tune-in/turn on, it’s helpful to have a Pitt Crew. Staying on track can take a village. Let me ‘splain. I like to compare myself to a well-oiled machine, a finely tuned race Carr with a powerful engine. Successful race Carrs need Pitt Crews – essential soul mechanics that keep them sharp and competitive (the game of life demands that). I do my best to check in with my Pitt Crew on a regular basis. Though it’s impossible to do it all each week, (not enough time or money) I prioritize and rotate team captains.

Meet my crew. I visit these people…

My chiropractor, Emily Bobson. Emily keeps my body in alignment and my nervous system balanced. She also makes me laugh and feel totally heard and loved.

My acupuncturist, Eric Tischler keeps the energy moving in my God pod. Our physical body and our emotional body make up our energetic body. Physical toxins and trauma weaken our system, as do emotional dramas and stinkin’ thinking. Acupuncture keeps me in flow. It helps me undo the knots.

My massage therapist, Debb Reuss. Debb rubs the stress out of my ass and keeps me grounded and sane. She also reminds me to walk the talk cause she watches my dang vlogs each week!

My EFT coach, Annie Siegel. I love Annie. She’s moved mountains I didn’t even know I had!

My life coach, Karen. She helps me plot, plan and strategize. Karen doesn’t take new clients anymore, but I bet you could find a good coach near you. I love coaching! Check out my friends at the Handel Group. Also, my pal Terri Cole is launching some some great group coaching. Check it out!

My yoga teachers, zumba leaders, trainer (OK, I don’t have a trainer yet but sure want one – slap that shit on the vision board!), and my army of amazing fitness DVDs!

My peeps tweak, tune and polish me so that I can unleash a fire hose of sunshine on the world. And so that I, me, lil’ ole Kris can be truly madly happy and comfortable in her glowing skin. Now that is priceless.

Who’s on your Pitt Crew?

Love & tune-ups,
Kris Carr

Photo Credit: 1, 2, 4

How I Saved My Dad’s Life

One morning five years ago, I received a phone call that would change my life forever. My brother called to tell me that our father had slipped on ice, fallen and was at that moment being taken into emergency surgery. He continued to tell me our dad had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and his chance of survival was very small.

As miracles go, we were graced with a grand one when my dad survived the surgery. Unfortunately this was only the beginning of a long journey fraught with many experiences that were surreal. My father was in a coma and had been on life support since the surgery. It seemed that his medical team had given up on him. We were advised almost daily to pull the plug. In the bleak hours of the night, this was at the forefront of everyone’s minds and we did not need reminding.

We all felt it was getting close to the end. I started searching every corner of my memory for anything I could remember from my years of studying holistic medicine. There had to be something that might possibly help him that Western medicine could not offer. I then remembered a conversation I had with my acupuncturist a few years before. I have no memory of why we were having this conversation, but she told me about emergency points used in traditional Chinese medicine to bring people out of a coma.

First I asked permission to bring an acupuncturist into the hospital, but it was against hospital policy, and I was refused permission. I returned back to my home in a neighboring state to have my acupuncturist show me in detail what I needed to do to treat my father myself. This was not a comfortable thing for me to even think of doing. I had no experience with acupuncture, and my dad was in the intensive care unit, across the hall from the nurse’s station, in a room with many windows. However, I was desperate and willing to do anything.

The acupuncturist knew of my angst at the thought of treating my dad. The method of bringing someone out of a comatose state is to lance the tips of all 10 fingers and 10 toes. She suggested that first we try to do three of the emergency points using the eraser end of a pencil before moving to the lancets. She said to do this for five minutes every hour, 24 hours a day. Three days after using the noninvasive method, my father opened his beautiful brown eyes.

Although out of the coma, my father was still struggling and barely hanging on. One day, out of boredom, I picked up a can of the feeding tube formula that had been my dad’s primary source of nutrition for more than a year. I read the ingredients and could not believe what I saw. In my opinion, there was nothing in this “food” to heal my dad. It contained many different forms of sugar and a lot of chemicals, but not one ingredient was real food. We could certainly do better, I thought. I immediately began looking for an organic whole food feeding tube formula. To my amazement, I could find nothing. I searched the Internet, local health food stores and markets but came up empty handed.

I am a chef and have worked with organic whole foods my entire career. I felt perfectly equipped to make a feeding tube formula for him if that is what I had to do. I started figuring out a formula for him that would not only address the brain injury but also the numerous other secondary complications he was being treated for as a result of the injury. Thus began my immersion into food as medicine.

One day I picked up a copy of the book “Healing with Whole Foods,” by Paul Pitchford. His approach to healing was just what I had been looking for. Within the volumes of information contained in the book, I found exactly the foods that would specifically treat all of my dad conditions. I used grains, legumes and tons of veggies. I also added some Chinese herbs and supplements. We juiced daily with veggies specifically for each condition and gave wheat grass shots through his feeding tube. We started by slowly replacing his regular formula with Liquid Hope (as my family began to refer to my formula), slowing working our way to the point where he was getting only my formula.

My dad was nonresponsive when we began to give him my formula. Then to everyone’s amazement (except my own), he gradually started to improve. He became a different person than the one six weeks earlier that had been taken to a doctor’s appointment flat out on a stretcher unaware of anything in the outside world.

Weekly blood tests were used to monitor my dad’s condition; he had been a very sick man and was close to renal failure. We had been advised that he was probably headed for dialysis. The blood tests confirmed that he was getting better and his condition stabilized. Going into the injury, my dad (like many other folks) was on seven different medications for things such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. After the injury he was on seventeen.

Throughout the process of giving my father the best diet he had in well over 40 years, he became physically healthier than he had been in a very long time. We were eventually able to get him off all but two of his medications. One of his doctors even phoned to tell me that it was a “miracle” what I had done for my father. “Not a miracle,” I replied, “simply nutrition.”

Robin Gentry McGee is a wellness coach, whole foods chef, bio-identical food ™ consultant and motivational speaker. She believes the in the innate healing power of the body and stood strong in this conviction when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She has just completed her first book “A Turn for the Worst,” a journey through her father’s traumatic brain injury and a search for answers that were not offered by traditional medicine. Functional Formularies™ line, a vegan meal replacement based on Robin’s feeding tube formula, will be available in fall 2011.

Photo credit: Jeff Cushner

Living Pain-Free through Chinese Medicine

Many people are surprised to hear that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are keys to improving health and quality of life for cancer patients. Acupuncture is great for treating and preventing pain, and it will help put an end to daily doses of ibuprofen and other pain medications. An added bonus is that there are no negative side effects.

Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and proper nutrition can help other cancer-related symptoms, as well as side effects of Western treatments, including nausea/vomiting, fatigue, weakened immunity, stress, anxiety, pain, bruising, post-operative swelling, hair loss, anemia, skin issues, hot flashes, digestive disorders, loss of appetite, and detoxification/elevated liver enzymes.

A lot of people ask me how acupuncture works in general and how it reduces pain. Acupuncture reduces inflammation, stimulates nerve conduction, increases blood circulation, releases endorphins, and relaxes muscle tightness and spasm.

Quite often, pain gets overlooked or undertreated because the focus is on treating the cancer. Many of my patients also frequently ask why so many cancer patients experience pain to varying degrees while others don’t experience any pain at all. The level of discomfort depends on many factors, such as the type of cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient’s tolerance. Pain in cancer patients can result from the following:

-Tumor putting pressure on a nerve
-Blocked blood vessels causing poor circulation
-Bone fracture due to metastasis
-Infection
-Inflammation
-Psychological or emotional distress
-Anemia leading to lack of nourishment to muscles and tissues
-Side effects from Western cancer treatments

Thirty percent of cancer patients experience pain, and up to 90 percent of patients with advanced cancer experience severe pain. As many as 50 percent of patients may be undertreated for cancer pain, yet not all cancer patients feel pain, and pain is rarely a sign of early cancer. No matter what the cause of discomfort, if you are experiencing pain, muscle tightness and spasms, numbness, and loss of muscle strength, acupuncture will help.

Cancers that are more typically painful include tumors of the bone and the organs of the abdomen. Cancers of the blood, such as leukemia or lymphoma, rarely cause any pain.

Pain can also increase due to the emotional stressors related to cancer or any chronic illness—fear, financial worries, or feelings of isolation. How a patient emotionally handles their illness and gets support does affect pain levels and threshold.

Studies at the National Institutes of Health on the benefits of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response and reduced pain levels. In one study, a majority of patients were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or reduce their dosages. Several clinical trials have shown that acupuncture reduces nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, surgery, anesthesia, and morning sickness.

Another added benefit is that nutritional and herbal support boosts immune response in cancer patients, along with minimizing the immune and white blood cell suppression that occurs with most chemotherapeutic agents.

For those of you seeking support in pain management, cancer prevention or the prevention of a reoccurrence, please find a qualified acupuncturist or herbalist. Being free from illness is how we’re meant to live. Being proactive in regard to your health will naturally make you feel better too.

Live natural. Live well.

Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac., an animal rights activist for 25 years, has been in private practice for over 15 years as an acupuncturist, herbalist, nutritionist, and Reiki master. At her clinic in Santa Monica she treats a variety of ailments, specializing in pain management, gynecology, mental health and addiction, & digestive disorders.  Her patients range from newborns to the elderly, celebrities to college students. Her weekly radio show “Live Natural Live Well” covers a wide variety of health topics, as well as how you can get more involved in your community and saving the planet.  As a well-respected physician, Heather’s unique holistic approach to healing encompasses all aspects of her patients’ needs, allowing for the best possible results.

Photo Credit: SqueakyMarmot

Acupuncture: How, When, and Why?

Today I want to talk to you about one of my life’s passions: Acupuncture. Acupuncture, one of the oldest healing practices in the world, is an alternative healing modality used to restore and maintain health. Fine sterile needles are placed at specific points of the body, which stimulate qi (life force energy). Acupuncture can be used for many ailments but must be performed by a qualified practitioner to be safe and effective.

Our body is made up of yin and yang aspects with yin being inner, soft, slow, cold, and weak. Yang is the opposite: outer, hard, fast, hot, and strong. As opposite as they are, they are inseparable forces that maintain the body in a balanced state. This balanced state is HEALTH. The opposite of health is, of course, disease. Disease is a stagnation of energy leading to blockage of qi along the 12 regular meridians and 8 extra-ordinary meridians. So what can acupuncture treat? Stress, pain, digestive problems, fertility, neurological issues, orthopedic disorders, and more!

I have been an acupuncturist since 2002 and have seen it change so many lives. Coming from the conventional world of medicine, it was hard for me to believe that these little needles with such a fine prick can actually change things. My eyes have been opened and my patients have seen the results. In my practice, I use acupuncture alone or in conjunction with other modalities to get different desired benefits.

Many patients may not think it’s important to reveal certain medications, recreational drugs, or medical conditions, but these are very important for the practitioner to know before treating you. I treated a young man years ago who held back the information that he smoked marijuana before coming in for a treatment. Well, the treatment I was giving him was for pain, so I was increasing circulation intensely. In Chinese medicine, pain is caused by stagnation of qi (energy). This patient ended up getting a serious high and passing out, which was quite frightening. Fortunately, he came through and promised to reveal all information in the future.

I personally have treated various types of conditions with acupuncture. I remember when I was called to turn my first breached baby. I had only known of the condition in theory and wasn’t sure what to expect. I still remember everything about that first session. The client was lying face up, and I proceeded to calm her and place needles in her pinky toe. This is an empirical point for turning breech babies. The patient had seen her doctor and was slated for an inversion, an invasive procedure, if the baby didn’t turn on its own. She did not want such an invasive procedure and opted for acupuncture.

I placed needles at two points to increase qi and blood flow in a smooth manner and at another point to cause the bearing down effect. With needles in place, I took pole moxa, which is the AiYe (motherwort) herb, in a cigar shape and lit it. This herb, along with the pecking motion of the moxa, starts the qi movement. After a few minutes of pecking and circling in a clockwise position, I saw her abdominal area start to move. “Ah ha,” I thought, “I’m getting somewhere.”

Although this was the desired effect, it was both scary and exciting to see the baby move vigorously inside. I continued this for 30 minutes, and then the baby decided to go to sleep, presumably tired from all the activity. Needles were removed and the session ended. Sometimes you can turn a breech baby in one session, but most of the time it takes a few sessions.

Day 2: The patient stated she did not sleep well because there was a lot of movement. Did the baby finish its turn? I palpated the abdominal area and found the baby to be horizontal. I repeated the session from Day 1 with needles and moxa to finish the baby’s turn. MASSIVE MOVEMENTS! It looked as if the baby was going to come out right there. Now I didn’t mention it previously, but moxa smells like marijuana and leaves you feeling quite relaxed. Being in the home of a prominent attorney, with the neighbors smelling this well-known aroma, was not easy. After the session while in the elevator, a neighbor shot me a “how dare you” look, which left a little smile on my face to end my day.

Day 3: The client went to see her doctor and, yes, the baby had turned. Our lovely baby girl was born almost a week later through natural childbirth.

Health inside and out,

Tracy Piper, L.M.T., L.Ac., C.H. C.C.T