November, the eleventh month of the year 2011. It's been fun writing the date with all those 11's. Have you ever noticed how many times it is 11:11 when you look at a digital clock? I wonder if we're drawn to those vertical tick marks because they harken back to our earlier days as cave men and women just learning to count. . .
One thing I like to do is count my blessings - of which there are many. November is known for its thank-filled holiday. Thanksgiving dinner is a meal that is highly anticipated in our family. We prepare a different menu every year, but always highlight vegetables that Dan has grown in our garden.
Among my other blessings are the topics of this month's newsletter: pleasurable and powerful pedicures, the warmth of Cyclone Cider, the Great American Smokeout Day, a dear friend's art opening, and the ever festive Annual Silent Auction and Presentation at the North Country Herbalist Guild. The recipe of the month features the creamy and divine Gingery Butternut Squash Soup that will have your guests coming back for more!
|
The Pleasure of a Pedicure
| |
So, when was the last time you felt your body smile from head to toe? If you can't remember when, then you are ready for a smile-inducing pedicure.
Although our feet take us everywhere we want to go - they don't often get much TLC. A home pedicure is wonderfully relaxing and easy to do. Pictured above are a few of the things that you will need to treat your feet.
The basic equipment for a pedicure:
1. Small tub your feet will fit in comfortably - I use an old dish pan.
2. Epsom Salts - a magnesium salt. Magnesium is well known for its relaxant effect, and it is available at most health/drug stores.
3. Pumice stone - used to exfoliate the rough skin from your feet.
4. Lavender essential oil - a few drops added to your soaking water will enhance the relaxing effect on both body and mind.
5. Nail trimmer - to keep your nails in good shape.
6. Foot moisturizer - it took a long time to find an effective foot moisturizer, but I have found a super moisturizer from Linda Conroy's Moonwise Herbs called Comfrey-Cedar Lotion Bar. You just rub the bar on your feet and it melts to moisturize your feet.
7. Bath towel - to dry your feet.
Fill the small tub about 1/2 full with warm water. Be careful not to use water that is too hot because it can damage the nerves in your feet - and besides it doesn't feel good. Add 1/2 cup of Epsom salt and 3 drops of Lavender essential oil. Swish the water around to dissolve the Epsom salt. Place a towel on the floor in front of a comfortable chair. Put the tub in front of the chair, have a seat and immerse your feet in the water. You might want to have a good book or cup of tea to sip while you soak your feet. Soak feet anywhere from 10-30 minutes.
Once you're done soaking, dry your feet, trim your nails, and use the pumice stone to remove the rough skin. The pumice stone services another purpose besides removing dead skin. It stimulates all of the reflexology points on the feet. Our feet are grossly understimulated because we wear shoes and walk on hard, smooth surfaces the great majority of the time. The entire body is represented on the feet.
Massaging the moisturizer into your feet will also stimulate the reflexology points. Lace your fingers through your toes for a nice stretch.
Then wiggle your toes and smile. |
Cyclone Cider Season
| |
 Cyclone Cider is tasty heat to aid your digestive fire and thus strengthen your immunity. Cyclone Cider is a blend of horseradish, garlic, ginger, onion, a bit of cayenne, raw apple cider vinegar and raw honey. The pungent herbs are steeped in the raw apple cider vinegar for 6 weeks, then the mixture is strained and sweetened with a bit of honey.
A dropperful will do you good on a daily basis. 2 oz and 4 oz sizes are available at the clinic or you can make your own.
|
Great American Smokeout Day - November 17
| |
Stop in for complimentary auricular acupuncture from 5:00-6:30 pm, Thursday, November 17th
Walk Away For The Day
Kick The Butt In The Butt
A Day To "Butt Out"
No matter how you phrase it, the point of the Great American Smokeout is to stop smoking for ONE DAY. And, if you can quit for a day, who knows? You could quit for many days.
To help ease the cravings and crabbiness associated with smoking cessation I'm offering auricular (ear) acupuncture for all who are going smoke free on Thursday, November 17th. No appointment necessary - arrive anytime between 5:00 and 6:30 pm. Plan on staying for approximately 45 minutes for best effect.
There are a few other things you can do to
support yourself on this day:
- Breathe deeply
- Drink tea
- Go for a walk
- Chew on sunflower seeds with the shell on - no need to actually swallow the shells. A component in the shell binds to nicotine receptors to reduce cravings.
If you can quit for a day and would like support for your continued smoking cessation I offer smoking cessation packages.
|
Sarah Wieben - Artist Open House
| |
At the Birchwood Cafe, Wednesday, November 30th 5-7pm
 Many of you have admired the artwork that hangs in my clinic space, and now you'll have a chance to purchase a painting for your own home or office.
My friend, Sarah Wieben, is the talented artist who is responsible for the lovely works of art that grace my walls. Sarah was at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) at the same time as I was studying Chinese medicine at the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She was studying the external arts while I was studying the internal arts.
Sarah is excited about showing her work at the Birchwood Cafe. Long before Sarah went to MCAD, Tracy Singleton (Birchwood's owner) had invited Sarah to show her work at the cafe. This current showing is a bit of a homecoming for Sarah, and she'll have landscapes (for which she is most well known), abstracts and possibly a portrait or two.
She will be the featured artist at the Birchwood Cafe for a month beginning November 27th, and her Open House will take place Wednesday, November 30th from 5:00-7:00 pm. Come to check out her works of art and then treat yourself to a tasty dinner from the Birchwood Cafe - Good Real Food.
|
NCHG Silent Auction - Wednesday, December 7th
| |
featuring Ethnobotany with Sara Sherva
 The North Country Herbalist Guild (NCHG) will once again host its annual fundraiser on Wednesday, December 7th starting at 6:15pm. I just love Silent Auctions - especially when there is a bidding frenzy over highly desirable auction items. Items up for auction include hand-crafted herbal items, soap, jewelry, birdhouses, and gift certificates galore. All are welcome to attend this event. It's a great start on holiday shopping and especially for hostess gifts.
Ethnobotany with Sara Sherva Plants have, in a very real way, shaped the world as we know it. It is likely that civilization sprang from the beginnings of agriculture. Exploration to new lands was almost always seeking exotic spices, food, and plant based textiles. The initial exchange, and subsequent use of coffee, tea, and coca have influenced politics, class barriers, and information exchange. But plants may have shaped our inner landscapes as well. Did our first intimation of deity come from psilocybin mushrooms? What is the mystical plant called Soma, mentioned in the Rigveda, that was considered the god of gods? Around the world indigenous peoples have used plants as a tool to experience and be in communion with the sacred. These plants, in the hands of shamans, curanderos, medicine men and women, and midwifes, have provided healing and divination. We will be talking about some of these psychotropic plants/ power plants/sacred plants, in the context of culture, ritual and history. We will also talk about the science behind these plants, how they are being utilized in research and in therapy settings. About Sara I am a plant person and collector of plant knowledge. I have studied herbalism for about a decade, including time with Lise Wolff, Matthew Wood, and Stephen Buhner. More recently I entered the world of academia, where I created a degree with a foundation in health sciences, combined with ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology. I studied with Prof. Dennis McKenna and Kathleen Harrison, and was able to do ethnobotany course work in Hawaii. I have a B.S. degree in Health and Wellness, with a focus in Spirituality and Healing. |
Recipe of the Month
| |
Gingery Butternut Squash Soup
 
When you get this much squash from one squash plant, you'd better have a great squash soup recipe! We've made the Gingery Butternut Squash Soup quite a few times already this fall, and it is always very well received. The soup is from Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. As the name of the cookbook implies, the recipes are arranged by seasons - a bonus for gardeners.
The recipe calls for vegetable or chicken stock, and the quality of your stock makes a huge difference in the tastiness and nutrient content of the finished soup. Rebecca Wood's Vegetable Stock from The Spendid Grain is my favorite Vegetable Stock. Rebecca calls for roasting the onions and carrots first before adding them to the stock pot. The roasted vegetables give the stock a lovely amber color.
For meat stocks my go-to cookbook is Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. The Nourishing Traditions way is to simmer the stock for 6-12 hours to extract all the goodness from the bones. When you make a big batch of chicken stock or beef stock you can freeze it in canning jars to have on hand to enhance all of your soup recipes.
|
|
As Always. . .
Your First Wealth Is Health, Katherine Krumwiede, L.Ac. Diamond Stone Oriental Medicine, Inc. 612 872 9133
|
|
|
Quote of
the Month
|
- On Thankfulness:
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
-
| |
|
Newsletter Archive
|
There's a wealth of health-inducing information contained in past issues of my newsletter.
Newsletter Archive
|
|
Gift Certificates Are Available
|
Give the gift of good health to your friends and family.
|
The Benefits
of Acupuncture
|
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. . .
|
|
|
