Glow Herb Infused Mayan Abdominal Oil

Do you have abdominal pain? Painful periods? Digestive issues? This divine herb and essential oil infused oil might be for you. Our newest product offering was formulated using the esteemed Arvigo Techniques and contains 9 sacred Mayan herbs and essential oils of Ylang Ylang, Orange, Lavender and Lemongrass. This oil helps to restore the body to its natural balance by correcting the position of organs that have shifted and restrict the flow of blood, lymph, nerve and chi energy. We love it in combination with Castor Oil Packs. Stop by the clinic to pick some up!

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Seasonal Eating: Baked Squash

Today I got two beautiful winter squash in my CSA box. I had other veggies that needed to be eaten but I could not resist roasting them up for dinner tonight. I love the comforting, warming smell of baking squash!

The importance of eating seasonally cannot be over stated in harmonizing our health with the seasons. Squash is packed with vital nutrients including vitamin A , C, and B. It is also a great source of dietary fiber making it a wonderful in promoting good digestion.

 

Cooling in nature according to Chinese medicine it is used for detoxification. It quenches thirst and is used to relieve urinary difficulty and treat edema. It relieves irritability and benefits the skin.

 

Squash supports the Earth Element and the organs of Spleen and Stomach.  A healthy earth element leads to good digestion and is the basis for proper immune function. It also is the foundation for the production of Blood. Eating squash drains dampness and warms and supports the core.

 

Cooking squash could not be simpler. Today I choose to just split and seed my butternut squash and place each of the halves cut side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet with a small amount of water. I preheated the oven to 450 degrees and baked for 45 min adding water as needed so the squash did not stick to the pan.

 

For the Delicata, I split it, took out the seeds and cut into ½ slices. These I laid on a lightly greased cookie sheet and roasted, flipping once for 30 min. With both pans I used coconut oil which can withstand high temperature cooking. I’ll be eating these tonight with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Yummy and healthy.

Try these serving options:

Goat cheese and honey

Crispy sage leaves and chopped bacon

Toasted walnuts and sauted mushrooms

 

Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Clinic Director at Glow Natural Health in Madison Valley and West Seattle and Seattle Fertility Acupuncture. She is passionate about healthy, happy living and a regular blogger. For an appointment call Glow at 206 568 7545.

 

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for kids

Pediatric Acupuncture is not new. It has been used to treat children for thousands of years.  It can successfully treat a wide range of conditions in babies to adolescents.  Our acupuncture for kids is safe, nearly painless and has many needless options, including cold laser. We also use pediatric tui na (Chinese massage), diet changes and supplements.

For children, acupuncture focuses on relief of symptoms, treating the root cause and prevention of future illness. Parents have an opportunity to influence their children’s future health now.  You will be introduced to the Chinese Medical way of viewing health. Acupuncture supports each stage of a child’s development and addresses inherited imbalances. Treatments often involve a dietary assessment of the child (and the breast feeding mother if applicable). It’s not just what you eat but how fresh it is, the way the food interacts with the child’s constitution, and how and when you are eating.

Lifestyle factors are very important in acupuncture for children. Our modern busy lifestyle can have a profound impact on the health and development of a child. Chinese Medicine can offset these effects. Supporting the child through acupuncture is especially important if the parents have gone through ART or if the parents were older at the time of conception.

Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Clinic Director at Glow Natural Health and Seattle Fertility Acupuncturist. She is passionate about healthy, happy living, food and is a regular blogger.  For an appointment call Glow at 206 568 7545.

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Kombucha for Detoxification

The most common New Year’s resolutions involve living healthier and losing weight. My favorite way to start the New Year is with a cleansing diet. It’s no secret that I love me some Kombucha. I drink Kombucha almost daily but, I especially enjoy it as a treat during a detox. It’s bubbly and refreshing and provides a little afternoon pick me up when my energy is dragging.

Ancient Drink with Modern Health Benefits

Kombucha is a drink that has been around for thousands of years made from fermented tea. The Kombucha mother or SCOBY is added to green or black tea with sugar. The synergistic combination of yeast and bacteria that makes up the Mother then eats the sugar and transforms the tea into a healthful beverage. It’s rich in probiotics, glucaronic acid which aids the liver in detoxification and b vitamins which promote nervous system health.

Careful! Booze! Some of you might remember when Kombucha were pulled from the shelves due to alcohol content a few years ago. I wrote a post about it I was so upset that it was gone! Commercial products now been reformulated to have lower alcohol content or are labeled as an alcoholic beverages.  Those with very low alcohol levels or the homemade variety are a perfect special treat for your detox. Because raw, unpasteurized Kombucha is a living drink it will continue to ferment and create alcohol when left at room temperature. I like to take mine out for a few hours before I drink it for this very reason 😉 To maximize the health benefits and minimize the alcohol store your Kombucha in the refrigerator until you are ready to drink it.

Making Kombucha yourself is intimidating but easy and cheap. More info and buy supplies here.

Basic recipe click here.

Here is Seattle are lucky to have some delicious pre-made options if you aren’t ready to make your own. Some of my favorites are GT’s Synergy, Grape, and Supergreens.  I also like Dr. Brew out of Portland.

Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Clinic Director at Glow Natural Health and Seattle Fertility Acupuncturist. She is passionate about healthy , happy living and a regular blogger. For an appointment call Glow at 206 568 7545.

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Intro to the Elemental Detox

We take the idea of cleansing and reinterpret it through the lens of East Asian medicine. It’s called Elemental because it’s basic yet essential. Change your diet and your eating habits and enjoy better health. This 3 week, food based cleanse, is an opportunity to transform your body, habits and health. It supports your needs for individualized, optimal wellness.

Why Detox?

Traditional Medicine has a history of cleansing as a path toward greater health. Our environment and diets have become more and more polluted and un-natural. Processed foods, environmental toxins, and hormones in our meats are just a few things that place a heavy burden on our body. Our pathways of elimination including our digestion, liver, skin, and urination can become sluggish and less efficient in ridding our bodies of toxins. This can in turn affect a variety of things including hormones, reproductive health, mental health, allergies, digestion, skin and musculoskeletal (pain) complaints. A cleanse gives the body a break from additional stressors coming in and allows it to process and eliminate stored up toxins. The results can be incredible.

The beauty of East Asian medicine is that it is always evolving. It’s a system that can adapt to new information, adjust, and add value. When this medicine was first created there was not the level of toxicity and stress that we face every day in modern society. But now there is. Looking at the modern client it is easy to see that their systems are overwhelmed. They also often have combination patterns from an East Asian Medical view. Meaning, for example, they may be deficient (frequently cold, pale, and low energy) but also excessive (sluggish digestion, irritable, with headaches.) This situation lends itself well to treatment though the Elemental Detox.

Habitual Choices vs. Conscious Choices

This program allows you to get down to basics and align your body, mind, and spirit. It takes 3 weeks to begin a new habit. The goal is to give the body and mind a reset button. It can provide a fresh start and a clean slate that can make other aspects of treatment with acupuncture and herbs more effective. It takes commitment, but countless patients have done it and succeeded with great results.

The plan includes coaching  with Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP (billable to insurance for those with acupuncture coverage), supplements, recipe packet, and daily health recommendations.

Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Clinic Director at Glow Natural Health and Seattle Fertility Acupuncturist. She is passionate about healthy , happy living and a regular blogger. For an appointment call Glow at 206 568 7545.

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Pain relief and other health benefits of Turmeric

By Lindsey Lawson MS EAMP, Acupuncturist and Clinic Director

Being an avid cook I am always looking for easy, delicious and healthy ideas to pass on. Right now I am loving turmeric!! It’s got a mild taste, warming nature and anti- inflammatory properties that make it an excellent choice for healthy living. This bright orange herb is one of my favorites with garlic for a quick chicken dish or on a side of veggies. I love to make soup with the left-overs too ( of course I add more tumeric!). It feels so hearty and nourishing. I try to add it near the end of the cooking process to preserve the health promoting qualities.

Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and has been used in East Asian Medicine and Ayurveda for centuries to treat digestive and liver disorders, skin diseases and as an anti-inflammatory. The west is beginning to discover it as well, touting it’s antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer abilities. Combine it with black pepper to make it even more bioavailable. (1) The active ingredient Curcumin is a component of many natural anti-inflammatories and pain relievers. This compound also shows promise in treating Rheumatoid Arthritis. (2)

The raw herb is available in bulk at Glow and  we also carry Phyto-Curcumin which contains the anti-inflammatory Curcumin derived from Turmeric.

1 Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS.

Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in

animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-356.

2 Funk JL, Frye JB, Oyarzo JN, et al. Efficacy and mechanism of action

of turmeric supplements in the treatment of experimental arthritis.

Arthritis Rheum. 2006;54(11):3452-3464.

Other resources on Turmeric:

Turmeric extracts containing Curcuminoids prevent experimental rheumatoid arthritis.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Curcumin.

This is a comprehensive article on Turmeric from the University of Maryland

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