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Family Acupuncture Log
with Kay Madsen, Licensed Acupuncturist
December 2014 Edition, Part 4
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Enjoying the Family Acupuncture Log?
Click Here for Prior IssuesAltogether Now:
"Twelve Early Bed Times
Eleven Water Filters
Ten Fists Full of Vitamins
Nine Crazy Detox Practices
Eight Herbal Remedies
Seven Meals Free of Gluten
Six Eye Shades for Sleeping
Five Hairball Barfs
Four Winter's Naps
Three Fire Cups
Two Neti Pots and
A Grass Fed Bison Burger in an Organic Pear Tree."
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Happy New Year. I hope this finds you happy, well and still standing.
Please enjoy my last newsletter of the year.
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The Twelve Days of Quirky Christmas
Part 4
Confessions of a Health Nut
Ah, here we are with the final installment of my self revelations. Over the past few weeks, I have shared an updated version of my husband's tribute to my oddities - all in the name of good health. So, without further ado here is the conclusion of my health inspired insanity.
On the ninth day of Quirky Christmas, I will give to thee . . .
"Nine crazy detox practices"
Admittedly, some of the most off beat things I have tried are in the name of "detoxing." Although I am usually a skeptic of health fads, I have to admit that we do get exposed to ample toxicity on a daily basis. While government standards might limit the likelihood of immediate death, we really don't know the long term ramifications of routine exposure to the "safe levels" of all the toxins combined. We can make efforts to avoid some toxins. While I try to use only toxin free products, it is tough to stay away from things like water, air and car upholstery.
Given the daily barrage, our bodies' natural detoxifying systems likely get overwhelmed, leaving many of these toxins retained in the body. So, what to do about it? There are a lot of detox products and programs out there. You know me, I find most of it to be bunk. Over the years, I have narrowed my own detox practices to those I feel are supported by clinical evidence and the biological realities of liver and kidney function. In addition to intensive seasonal cleanses, I have adopted several more routine detoxing habits. These are my main choices:
Lemon water "tea"- Juice from half a lemon in hot water. Especially nice first thing in the morning. Lemon is alkalizing to the blood and is a mild liver stimulant.
Milk thistle, dandelion root - Supports toxin release and aids in liver function.
LiverCare herbal formula (Himalaya Brand) - A combination of Ayurvedic herbs clinically demonstrated to enhance the liver's detoxifying function.
Dry skin brushing - Stimulates lymphatic circulation. Use a dry stiff bristled bath brush, stroke from the extremities inward toward the heart.
Modified citrus pectin - Binds to heavy metals, including mercury. Also may play a role in cancer prevention.
Celtic sea salt - A natural, unrefined salt, containing all the trace minerals the sea has to offer. Helps the kidneys excrete bromine, chlorine and fluoride. Use liberally on food or place 1/4 to a 1/2 teaspoon in a glass of water. I drink this every day, often to the dismay of my daughter and her friends. ("Miss Kay, why do you put salt in your water?")
Coffee enemas - You read that right. Even after examining the research, it took me many years to go ahead and try this. Beyond the effects of a traditional enema, compounds in the coffee jump start the liver's natural detoxification pathways (by upping production of glutathione and bile) and stimulate immediate, um, removal. Not for the faint of heart, for sure and done behind a locked bathroom door. (There is only so much my poor family can take!)
On the tenth day of Quirky Christmas, I will give to thee . . .
"Ten Fists Full of Vitamins"
Given all the supplements I have previously mentioned, one might think that I already take too many pills. The other stuff I've previously mentioned isn't used every day. While the depiction of ten fists full is hyperbole, I do take a small pile of high quality vitamin and mineral supplements daily without fail. My explanation for this is simple. In an ideal world, we would get all the essential nutrients we need from our food. We don't live in an ideal world. I think there is far more medical evidence to support the notion that we routinely fall short than there is that we satisfy our daily needs. Furthermore, the USRDA only accurately identifies our true needs if you agree that the lack of scurvy defines optimal health.
At times I struggled with the idea of being a pill popper. But I'm also a bottom line kind of gal. I have resolved some of my own health issues (as documented by blood analysis and other medical testing) almost exclusively by correcting certain nutritional deficiencies. So yes, I supplement. And I do so with a belief that I am doing more than "creating expensive urine," as most doctors suggest. I also make my daughter swallow a daily fistful. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and it seems worth the cost of her enriched urine.
On the eleventh day of Quirky Christmas, I will give to thee . . .
"Eleven water purifiers
filters"
There is stuff in our water supply that I don't want to ingest, some of it from pollution and some added intentionally. And it is probably pretty clear by now what I think of the government's opinion on "safe levels" of anything. Don't get me wrong. Chlorine kills cholera and that's a good thing. But once the cholera is dead, I'd like the chlorine removed. I also don't want lead, other heavy metals or fluoride. I believe the volumes of reputable science that identifies fluoride as a potent toxin and a major health risk. Banned in most of Europe, water fluoridation is a giant public lie. The problem is that most water filters don't remove it. Reverse osmosis and distillation do. Currently, I have a table top water distiller and use this as much as possible for my water consumption. Ideally, I would like to shift to a whole house reverse osmosis system. Hey, Santa. Maybe next year?
On the twelfth day of Quirky Christmas, I will give to thee . . .
"Twelve Early Bedtimes"
When my daughter was very young, my husband nicknamed me The Sleep Nazi. I guess I was a little obsessive and typically vetoed any plea to let her stay up late "just this once." I'm sure that I have the sympathy of any mother who knows what it is like to deal with a small child the day after too little sleep. It's really, really bad!!!
While we might be attuned to the hours of sleep required for a growing child, somehow we think it's okay to short change our adult selves. The truth is our health is very dependent on getting enough shut eye. We may be done growing, but we are never done repairing, regenerating and healing. Everything from depression and anxiety to weight gain, autoimmune diseases and chronic pain have been linked to inadequate sleep. Basically, insufficient sleep makes every health problem worse.
This raises the issue of what exactly constitutes "enough" sleep, a factor that we tend to think is individually variable. It isn't. Whether we approach the matter from the ancient Chinese medical prescriptions or the modern scientific research, adults need about 8 hours of nightly sleep. So, figuring out the appropriate bedtime is simple math. I routinely get up at 7 am. Eight hours back from that is 11 pm. To be asleep by 11, I go to bed around 10:30. Boring and strict, maybe, but simple. And to those who think that five hours a night works just fine, I offer a sleep challenge. Try getting eight hours a night for just one week and see how much better that feels.
It's been fun sharing my idiosyncrasies. I hope that you have found them amusing, if nothing else. Maybe even helpful. May 2015 be the healthiest and most prosperous year for you and your family!
Peace and joy!
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ABOUT ME
After leaving behind a decade of practicing as an attorney, I received my Masters of Acupuncture in 2002 from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, Maryland. It certainly was an interesting career shift! Every day I am increasingly grateful to do this amazing work. I guess I still use some of my old attorney skills to piece together every patient's experiences to create a new picture of their health concerns from a Chinese medical perspective. From there we fashion a strategy toward healing together. It never gets old to watch a person's sufferings unravel. Sure beats interpreting government regulations for a living!
I keep balance in my own life by sharing my love of outdoor experiences with my husband and daughter. Camping, hiking and critter watching are much loved family activities. It's important to me to see that my daughter learns to attune herself to the movement of the seasons and the many lessons they offer, so that she can appreciate balance from an early age.
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Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906
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Kay Madsen, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM)
Licensed Acupuncturist
13415 Connecticut Ave.
Suite 204
Silver Spring, MD 20906
(240) 393-5420
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Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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