 The leaves of fall are now fluttering around our feet, free from their lofty limbs and crisply scenting the air. Along with the orange construction cones that line the highways and byways we now have personable pumpkins popping up in our neighborhoods in anticipation of Halloween.
There's no denying that sweatshirt season is upon us. The change in season is always a good time to head on in to your acupuncturist's office. Seasonal changes leave us more susceptible to emotional ups and downs, colds, sinus infections, allergies and more. See AOM Day below for a little extra incentive to schedule your appointment soon! |
Consumer Wisdom
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Are you buying what you think you're buying?
The North Country Herbalist Guild (NCHG), of which I am a member and serve on the Board, recently hosted Carol Jacobs of Winona, MN to share her Consumer Wisdom with us.
Here are a few of the highlights from her presentation:
 Interpreting Labels: Reading labels is a must to promote good health. Two basics in label reading: if the label lists any ingredient as hydrogenated or artificial - don't buy it. The body does not know what to do with these artificial products. It's imperative to know the source and content of the food you are eating. The small labels on fruits and vegetables display 4 or 5 digit numbers. 4 numbers = Conventionally Grown; 5 numbers beginning with 9 = Organically Grown; 5 numbers beginning with 8 = GMO. A stylized flower symbol = Irradiated. When buying fruits and vegetables local is best. Fruits and vegetables that are shipped from a foreign country are picked green/unripe, and unripe fruits and vegetables haven't developed their phytochemicals yet.
Too often many of our food buying decisions are heavily influenced by marketing. Marketers are interested in making a profit - not promoting good health. A good example of this is soy. Soy only has health benefits if it has been fermented first as in products such as miso and tempeh. The fermentation process rids the soy of anti-nutrients (components that are harmful to your health). The Weston A. Price Foundation puts out a great Soy Alert! brochure that dispels the myths surrounding soy.
On oils: The best oils to include in your daily diet are olive oil and unrefined coconut oil. Olive oil is best unheated, and coconut oil is a great choice for cooking. Coconut oil's molecular structure isn't adversely affected by heat, and when heated it loses its coconut flavor. Carol doesn't recommend canola oil EVER! Her reason being that if the insects won't touch it neither will she. Canola oil actually scratches (however minutely) the inside of your arteries thus causing your body to lay down plaque to repair that damage, but then the excess plaque build up leads to coronary artery disease.
Health and Beauty products pose another area that is rife with unhealthy ingredients. Please check out the Top Ten Untouchables by Mary Scully to aid in evaluating the products you put on your skin. The skin, or integumentary system, is our largest organ, so we are highly affected by everything that is absorbed through the skin. Another ingredient (not found on the Top 10 list) that recently came across my radar that is NOT good for you at all is Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE). It is promoted as a "natural" anti-biotic. While pure grapefruit seed itself does not have any anti-microbial properties, once it is put through the chemical ringer it does have anti-microbial properties. Problem is is that the chemicals that result from making commercial GSE are quite the endocrine disrupters that we should be avoiding at all costs. Check out Jim McDonald's (a Michigan herbalist and teacher) compilation of GSE articles.
Carol's Recommended Reading:
Slow Death by Rubber Duck by Rick Smith & Bruce Laurie
(the dangers of everyday things)
The Whole Soy Story by Kayla T. Daniel
(expose of industrial soy products)
The Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle - book and film
(dark humored historical fiction about the cereal industry - Kellogg's, Post, etc.)
and one of my favorite books. . .
Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Plus my website contains many links to health and environmental sites.
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Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day
October 24th
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AOM Day, in its tenth year, is a national celebration of my chosen profession. Its aim is to increase awareness of the many benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Last week marked my sixth year in practice at Avenues of Health, and I have to say it just keeps getting more and more interesting by the year! It's very rewarding to see the positive changes in people's health after experiencing acupuncture.
In honor of AOM Day and my sixth year clinic anniversary I'm offering $10 off an acupuncture session. No coupon to clip - just wish me a Happy Sixth Anniversary at your next appointment, and I'll deduct ten bucks from your invoice. Offer expires 11/22/11. |
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As Always. . .
Your First Wealth Is Health, Katherine Krumwiede, L.Ac. Diamond Stone Oriental Medicine, Inc. 612 872 9133
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Quote of
the Month
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"Change. . .
it is the unchanging."
Confucious
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Newsletter Archive
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There's a wealth of health-inducing information contained in past issues of my newsletter.
Newsletter Archive
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Gift Certificates Are Available
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Give the gift of good health to your friends and family.
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The Benefits
of Acupuncture
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De-stress
Alleviate pain
Improve concentration levels
Lift the cloud
of depression
Get a better night's sleep
Improve digestion
Boost energy levels
Insure success with smoking cessation
Excellent preventative medicine
And many more. . .
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