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Summer 2010 Find us on Facebook
News/Specials
Beat the Heat
Clean Eating
Sun Facts
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Don't Let The Heat Beat You Down!
 
Summertime and the living is easy, and so is getting overheated.  We've had great weather this Spring and Summer and we're hearing everyone talk about being outdoors, soaking up the sun, working in the garden, and exercising in the great wide open.  We applaud that and gently remind you to stay hydrated.  Heat exhaustion and heat stroke happen every year and can be avoided.  Here are a few good rules of thumb to remember for how much water your body needs.
 
  • Take your body weight, divide it in half and drink that many ounces a day.  For example, a 135 lb woman should take in 68 ounces (a little more than 2 liters) of water a day on average.  
  • If you are exerting yourself in any form of physical exercise, add 8 oz of water before, 24 oz of water during and another 8 oz of water immediately following your workout. 
  • Being thirsty is the first sign of dehydration.  Don't wait until your thirsty to drink more water. At this point, you are already dehydrated!
  • Sugary juice drinks, soda and caffeine actually DEHYDRATE you more.  Opt for water.  If you need a flavor boost, add some lemon or lime wedges.  Want something totally new?  Try a spa favorite of cucumber water.  Add a few slices of cucumber, with lemon or mint to a pitcher of water and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.  A combination of cucumber, herbs and lemon or lime is also refreshing!
  • Another way to spruce up your water: take 4 peppermint herbal tea bags and make 4 concentrated cups of tea. Pour into a pitcher, add cold water and serve.
 
Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke:
 
  • Heavy Sweating
  • Paleness
  • Muscle Cramps
  • Tiredness
  • Weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Nausea or Vomiting
  • Fainting
Bug off naturally!
 
Natural Alternatives to Insect Repellent
 
DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is a powerful insecticide found in over 400 insect repellents.  DEET can peel paint, damage rayon and spandex, and melt plastic.  Over half of DEET applied to the skin enters the bloodstream.  Reactions to it include skin rashes, lethargy, muscle spasms, nausea, and irritability. Extreme reactions including seizures and even death.  So unless you're someplace with high rates of insect-borne disease or you experience severe allergic reactions to bites and stings, it's better to use natural repellents.
 
Essential oils that can effectively replace chemical insecticides include but are not limited to geranium, cedar, lemon grass, peppermint and citronella. Burt's Bees and California Baby offer commercial sprays. For those put off by spray, Badger offers an anti-bug balm and Bite Blocker manufactures herbal wipes. Into making your own and saving some cash? Add 20 drops each of peppermint, eucalyptus, and citronella to 1/3 cup of distilled water for a spray or 1/3 cup olive oil for a rub.
 
Remember to apply and re-apply frequently and go play!!
How Clean Is Your Plate?
 
There's a lot of talk about "Clean Foods," a new twist on a basic idea.  In 1996 the director of the Trends Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, Gerald Celente, described the clean food diet as a "new standard for health and reliability."  He went on to explain clean foods as "foods free of artificial preservatives, coloring, irradiation, synthetic pesticides, fungicides, ripening agents, fumigants, drug residues and growth hormones."  
 
If this feels overwhelming, think simply:  Eat real food.  Buy as much organic as you can.  The closer you can come to a 'from-the-ground-to-the-plate' ratio, the better.  Shop in the produce section and at the meat and fish counter.  Stay clear of the center aisles.  If you have to look at the back of the box for an ingredient list and there are things on it you can't pronounce or do not know what they are, stay away from it.  
 
We have an abundance of farmer's markets in Rochester (click here for a short list of Monroe County Farmer's Markets) and now is the time to stock up on greens to eat now and/or preserve for later consumption.  Blanching vegetables and freezing them is fantastic for ensuring good fresh nutrition all year long.  Collard greens, arugula, spinach, kale, mustard greens, bok choy and swiss chard are all coming in by the bushel.  They pack the biggest health punch per pound.  Packed with Vitamins C, K, E and B and loaded with iron, calcium, folate and fiber, you can't go wrong with eating dark leafy greens every day.  Greens help reduce the risk of breast, lung, colon and cervical cancer, repair damaged cells, and help prevent arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and atherosclerosis.  But the abundance doesn't end with greens. Look to squash, green beans and peppers to fill up your family's plates.  Need help with some quick recipes?  www.epicurious.com is a great resource.  
 
Want to read up more on clean food and eating best for your body and your world?  Check out The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan and Clean Food by Terry Walters. 
Sun Rays: Soak or Screen?
 
Quick facts about sun exposure
 
In our region, we tend to be vitamin D deficient. Our bodies manufacture 75% of the Vitamin D we need just by sunlight touching our skin. Exposing arms, legs and face to the sun 10 - 20 minutes daily is enough to boost our mood and encourage the liver to convert cholesterol into Vitamin D.
 
What's all the hype with sunscreen recently?  The FDA revealed that sunscreen could increase risk for skin cancer due to the vitamin A in some anti-aging and sun protection products.  Any overexposure to a synthetic vitamin or chemical will in time cause symptoms of toxicity, such as cancer. Chemicals that have been linked to increased risk of cancer include PABA, dioxybenzone and oxybenzone.
 
 Opt instead for products that are free from additional additives. Mercola.com is a good resource for demystifying the sunscreen controversy. Seek out shade and cover areas of the body that tend towards over-exposure with clothing. Pack an extra outfit when your day is guaranteed to leave you in direct sunlight. Areas that are especially susceptible to melanomas are the face, back and calves. You have had enough sun exposure as soon as your skin turns the lightest shade of pink.
A note from Acupuncturist, Jean Dombroski
 
The heat and humidity can really cause us to feel hot and heavy, like a wet sponge.  In Chinese medicine, we call this "damp heat", or "summer heat" and there are a whole host of symptoms that go with it such as headache, nausea, diarrhea, irritability and insomnia.

Here are a few suggestions for helping to keep cool and avoid that heavy, hot, sluggish feeling.

Heat combined with cold foods (ice cream, iced drinks) causes the stomach to constrict thus causing digestive problems and holds in the sweat which in turn, holds in heat.

Drink warm/hot water of cooling beverages (mint, chamomile, chrysanthemum or other flower teas) to produce a light sweat that helps to cool the skin.  I have dried chrysanthemum (ju hua in Chinese), call if you'd like to purchase.

Start the day with a cup of warm water and a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.  Citrus actually helps to alkalize the system.

Some cooling foods are: apple, celery, cucumber, tomato, mung beans (soup or tea), sprouts, barley, tofu/tempeh. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain which is an anti-inflammatory and digestive enzyme.

Adding a little spice to meals helps to produce a sweat and cooling effect - hot peppers, fresh ginger, black pepper in *small* amounts added to salads, sautéed or steamed veggies.

Avoid heavy foods - meats, eggs, excess nuts which can cause sluggishness on hot days.

Taboule salad (couscous, tomato, cucumber and mint) is available as a box mix. Just adding fresh veggies is a simple cooling combination. Add garbanzo beans and it's a great main dish. You don't even have to turn on the oven!

While it's tempting to sit in front of a fan or air conditioner, cold wind blowing directly on you, especially when sweating, can cause muscles to constrict causing headache, and muscle aches.  Waking up with a stiff neck is common this time of year.
 
Jean Dombroski, MSAOM, L.Ac. 
 
 
P.S. Please be sure to check up on our elderly and pets this time of year. They are especially susceptible to the ill-effects of heat.
 
A growing number of our staff and patients have strong allergies; we respectfully ask that you refrain from wearing perfume and cologne to your office visit.  
Thank you!