healing

Combat stress with the practice of Qi Gong

There are many factors that affect our health.:

The food we eat

The air we breath

The water we drink

The quality of our sleep

The exercise programs we adopt and

The how we handle stress in our lives.

One great way to combat stress is through the practice of Qi Gong.

Qi Gong, pronounced “Chee” Gong is an ancient Chinese practice that has been described as moving meditation. Combining gentle flowing movements with conscious breathing, Qi Gong brings balance to an over stimulated nervous system. This standing practice is ideal for those who have difficulty sitting in meditation making it an alternative for quieting the mind and reducing stress.

Qi means Life Force Energy and Gong means practice or skill. When we are under stress, our internal Qi, or energy, can be used up. The practice of Qi Gong restores balance by bringing external Qi into the body. Just as it is said that healing Prana in Yoga rides on the inhalation of the breathe for healing purposes, Qi moves in the same way.

But how often do consider the quality of our breath?

It is said that our breath controls our nervous system. Shallow rapid breathing activates the fight or flight response or the sympathetic nervous system, where as slow deep breathing activates deep relaxation or the parasympathetic nervous system. The quality of our breath greatly affects our emotional and physical state making our breath the cornerstone of our health and wellbeing.

Stop for just a moment and place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Do you feel your breath moving mostly in your chest or your belly? Is it rapid and shallow or slow and deep?

Today we are faced with processing more stress than ever before. The subtle movements of Qi Gong combined with long deep breathing gently guide us out of stress and into relaxation. With stress linked to all of the health challenges we face today, one can easily see the benefits of adopting such a lovely calming practice.

Make Your Own Kimchee!

Why? First of all because it tastes amazing, not to mention its long list of health benefits. According to the Journal of Applied Microbiology cultured foods, like Kimchee:

-Reduces overall inflammation in and out of digestive tract

-Boost immunity

-Increase nutrient absorption

-Lowers blood pressure

-Reduces risk of cancer

-Lowers cholesterol

…and the list goes on and on believe it or not.

I started making Kimchee when I was a farmers market vendor over 10 years ago for my customers who were recovering from cancer treatments. They were trying to build up their damaged immune systems from chemo and radiation treatments.

My version differs from the original Korean condiment by not having fish sauce, red pepper paste or sugar. The cabbage cut is more like sauerkraut and I use serrano peppers,carrots and lemon segments, but the bottom line is you can add any other raw veggies that you like. Get creative with beets, turnips, fennel bulb, onion etc. The only essential ingredients are veggies, salt and water for the fermentation process. It also helps to have a ceramic crock as it must sit for 10 days to two weeks.

You will pay as much as $6 to $7 dollars for a pint of Kimchee in the health food store and can make a gallon and a half for the same price. Yes this will make a lot of Kimchee, but you can gift it to friends and family in the spirit of promoting good health.

Use it to garnish any of your savory dishes and your body will thank you for it. Just go to the recipe tab for more info on making your own powerful healing kim chee.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates

Growing your own Ginger Root

Several months ago I was given a large terra-cotta pot from someone moving out of my apartment complex, so I decided to plant some ginger root to see how it would do on my porch. I use it daily in my smoothies and thought it would be nice to grow my own. It was slow to start but eventually the shoots began to surface. I had grown it during my farming days in Louisiana in my restaurant garden and it did well if I kept it heavily mulched through the winter, but I had never grown it in a pot.

Just about the time that it was looking healthy enough to spare some of its root, I happened upon Jenica and David of Bear Creek Farms at the Barton Creek Farmers Market.

Funny how that happens, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

They were selling beautiful young ginger and turmeric and I asked them how to harvest small pieces of it without disturbing the plant. David said to take one stem, insert a knife in the soil, and just cut through the root. Out came a perfect little young piece of ginger.

Yesterday, I went back to the market and asked a few more questions for this blog post. I was told it grows as a perennial in Austin and will go dormant in the brief winter months we have, then come back. It likes to be wet, grown in well drained soil, and in the shade. These two wonderful farmers will be at the market for two more weeks if you would like to stock up on some for the winter months.

As always support your local farmers, but I encourage you to grow your own as well. It is one of the powerful healers of the plant world. The Chinese have used ginger tonics for thousands of years. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and cancer fighter and is also used for pain relief, nausea, and cold and flu symptoms.

Share with me what edibles you have grown in your own garden!

A Cancerous Diagnosis

My 92 years young father began having difficulty swallowing in April of 2016. The ENT discovered a large B-Cell Lymphoma and encouraged him to begin treatment with radiation and chemotherapy which he declined due to his advanced age.

I approached my Dad with an alternative food based plan. Jeff Primack’s Ultimate High-Phytochemical Food-Healing System. It is based on a dietary principal that people with cancer can activate the body’s immune system army to fight the disease. It would require him to give up many of the foods he normally consumed and to drink copious amounts of liquids, approximately 32 oz of diluted mushroom extract and 50oz. of 3 horsepower blended smoothies.

After many consultations with me concerning what would be involved if he were to choose this program, he agreed to give it a try for 45 days. He stuck to the protocol as recommended despite it’s rigorous demands. The elimination of sugar in all forms with the exception of a few fruits allowed in the smoothies was the most challenging for him but he did it. His willpower amazed me.

My father walked into his appointment with his Conquering Any Disease book tucked under his arm. His blood work results were excellent and the doctor asked him what he had been doing. He pointed out the cancer protocol in the book. His physician was familiar with the cancer fighting mushroom extracts widely used in Japan. This impressed my Dad. When asked how he was able to follow such a difficult program he stated that he was trained as a U.S.A.F fighter pilot and therefore, he could do anything. The doctor’s recommendation was “keep doing what you are doing.”

The next appointment was even more astounding.The ENT specialist could scarcely believe what he was (or wasn’t ) seeing. He stood in front of the video screen of the laryngoscope. The strange mass of tissue that had been so evident in April was GONE in November. The Large B-Cell lymphoma, verified by biopsy, had evidently disappeared due to the Food Healing Cancer Protocol he had diligently followed for 45 days.

Two follow-up laryngoscope exams have still been completely clear,and the ENT, Internist, and all of the assisting nurses and technicians shake their heads and offer congratulations.

This is indeed a powerful and inspiring story. My father continues to drink his morning grapefruit smoothie and pay close attention to his food choices. As his daughter, I could not be happier and more proud of my Dad’s clean bill of health and his dedication to fighting this disease with an alternative plan at his age.