All posts by rebecca

Rebecca Wong has a BA in Honours English Literature from the University of Waterloo and has been working in the herbal business since 2000. She studied at the Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine under respected authorities Paul Des Rosiers and Vu Le, and graduated from the East West School of Planetary Herbology under Michael Tierra. She received training as a yoga teacher at The Branches in Kitchener/Waterloo, and is currently studying to be a Therapeutic Yoga Teacher, specializing in yoga for depression, anxiety and burnout.

Heart Problems? Avoid “The Plank”

plank

“The Plank” has become a very popular – even trendy – exercise recently. It’s a yoga pose touted for its ability to strengthen deep abdominal muscles, the pelvic floor, and the transverse abdominis, which supports your back. Fitness trainers will often recommend that the pose be held for as long as possible each day, as it can be a powerful tool used to strengthen your core.

However, Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo says this recommendation is a bad one. Holding the plank for too long can cause back pain, and because it increases pressure in your abdomen, it can also cause blood pressure to rise. For people who already suffer from high blood pressure, or other heart and circulatory problems, sustained holding of plank can be bad for your health.

Rather than holding the plank steadily for 1-5 minutes, Professor McGill recommends holding it for just ten seconds three times in a row. After that, you can take a short break before holding the pose for another ten seconds twice in a row.

While being able to hold plank for more than one minute is a sign that your core is strong, it also means that the plank is no longer giving you much of a challenge. In that case, you can try alternately lifting up one arm or one foot, or doing a side plank instead.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4575458/Why-plank-bad-blood-pressure.html

A Novel Way to Remove Kidney Stones

rollercoaster

If your idea of summer fun includes a few rides on that big, record-breaking roller coaster at your local amusement park, you may be getting more out of it than you thought.

Dr. David Wartinger, urological surgeon and professor emeritus at  Michigan State University, was frequently regaled with intriguing anecdotes from his patients who claimed to have passed kidney stones after a vigorous ride on a roller coaster.  The ride most often mentioned was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.  When one of his patients claimed to have released not one, but three separate stones during successive rides on this coaster, his interest was piqued.
He decided to conduct an experiment, requiring a clear, silicone kidney made from a 3-D printer, a container of real urine, a trip to Disney World in Florida, and no less than 200 rides on Big Thunder Mountain.  The results of his experiment will be of great interest to anyone currently suffering from the pain of kidney stones.  Dr. Wartinger found that by riding the roller coaster with his special silicone kidney, kidney stones could indeed be passed naturally after a ride on Big Thunder Mountain.  In fact, Big Thunder Mountain was not the only roller coaster ride which provided these benefits; any moderate-intensity roller coaster accomplished the same trick.
For maximum results, the back seat works better than the front seat.  Kidney stones were passed 63.89% of the time when the silicone kidney was placed in the rear seat of the roller coaster, compared with only 16.67% when it was placed at the front.  It’s also important for the kidney stones to be small.  Stones too large to fit through the ureter, the duct which connects your kidneys to your bladder, won’t be able to move out with this method.  Still, it’s intriguing news for people who suffer from kidney stones and would prefer to avoid the excruciating pain, and the potential danger of an emergency room visit.
Now that Dr. Wartinger has compiled these preliminary results, the next step is for real humans with real kidney stones to get involved.  Patients included in the study will need to have before and after ultrasounds taken to confirm their results.  But if the new study is successful, there will be a new reason to include an annual roller coaster ride on your list of summer activities.  Not only is it fun and invigorating, but it may improve the health of your kidneys too!

Using Black Pepper to Protect Against Cancer

blackpepper

Meet the spice that will now allow you to enjoy barbecued food guilt-free: black pepper.

If you’ve been avoiding barbecued food for years, you know it’s because of its carcinogenic properties, which have long caused health advocates to label it as a big dietary no-no. These carcinogenic properties are due to the presence of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, that form on the surface of meat or vegetables whenever you cook them over high heat on the barbecue.

A long-time lover of barbecued food, Dr. J Scott Smith of Kansas State University has found a solution to this problem. Through his research, we now know that the application of ground black peppercorns to your food can halt HCA production almost completely. That’s right! The carcinogenic properties of barbecued food are almost completely eliminated just by sprinkling enough freshly ground pepper on it.

For anyone who knows a thing or two about black pepper, this is not terribly surprising. Known for centuries as the “King of Spices”, black pepper was so coveted by the people of Europe that it was also called “black gold” and was even used as currency. In the fifth century, Attila the Hun agreed to stop attacking Rome if more than a ton of black pepper was delivered as ransom. Europeans were in such a frenzy for the spice that they accidentally discovered North America while searching for a faster way to get it.

This love of black pepper quickly extended into traditional healing systems as well, with black pepper fast becoming a favoured and well-used component of ancient medicine. In Chinese and Ayurvedic healing traditions, black pepper has been valued for its potent warming, and circulatory stimulating effects, so much so that the Sanskrit name for black pepper is “Maricha”, which means “the sun”.

Black pepper is known to dry up wet, dripping mucus conditions, expel phlegm, and stimulate digestion. In fact, the application of black pepper to your food will increase the bio-availability and absorption of nutrients by an astounding 154%.

It also has well known detoxification properties, with the ability to fight bacteria, and protect against staph and E. coli infections. If a small amount of black pepper is taken at the first sign of a cold or flu, it can halt its progression.

Black pepper can even be used to prevent the depletion of glutathione in the liver, thereby protecting against liver damage.

If that isn’t enough, black pepper is also packed with antioxidants, and due to its circulatory effects, it can be used to increase your libido. Quite simply, black pepper is a wonder spice that has been taken for granted in the modern age, even while it retains a perpetual place in our spice cupboards.

To raise the effect of black pepper against HCA production to nearly 100%, blend it with other antioxidant-rich spices like oregano and garlic. We’ve forgotten that many of the spices we regularly apply to our foods, like basil, dill, or turmeric, have health benefits of their own that can be used to your advantage, in addition to enhancing the flavour of your food.

So, this summer, fear the barbecue no longer! Generously sprinkle a combination of freshly ground black pepper and other of your favourite spices onto burgers and steaks, and enjoy that magnificent barbecue flavour guilt-free.

http://www.cbc.ca/…/barbecuing-still-linked-to-cancer-but-a…

Time to Put Down That Glass of Red Wine

redwine

Warm, summer weather has finally arrived! What better way to enjoy it than eating a sumptuous meal outdoors with a group of your friends, an alcoholic beverage in hand? After all, red wine is good for you, right?

Unfortunately, it appears not. Previous studies have declared a daily glass of red wine to be beneficial for your health, but a closer examination of those results reveals that the group of people most likely to be drinking that glass of red wine were of high socioeconomic status. That means they also ate more vegetables, were more likely to exercise daily, and be of a healthy weight. These are the most likely causes of their longevity as a group, not the red wine.

Any health benefits commonly attributed to red wine, such as a high amount of anti-oxidants, can also be found in grapes themselves, or in grape juice. The alcohol is not a critical element and may actually counteract some of the positive aspects of the grapes within it.

Worse, in other new studies, a daily glass of red wine was found to increase the risk of breast cancer by 9%, and raise the incidence of rosacea by nearly 50%, while also increasing the risk of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat, which can lead to heart failure.

All this being said, what this new meta-analysis also shows is that if you eat plenty of vegetables, exercise regularly, and keep your weight down, it can mitigate most of the negative effects of the alcohol in red wine. So, as long as you are taking good care of your health in other ways, a glass of red wine may not be so bad. Just don’t consider red wine a tonic for your health. At best, it’s a toxin that should be enjoyed sparingly.

New Thoughts On Depression

depression

Freud was wrong. People who suffer from depression don’t do so as a result of past trauma, but because they have a bleak view of the future.

Difficult life experiences make most people stronger. But those who suffer from depression continue to struggle with past events because they over-predict failure and rejection in the future.

The key to resolving feelings of depression then, is to train sufferers to imagine positive outcomes more often than they dwell on what might go wrong.

In Chinese medicine, depression is said to be caused by “blocked liver energy”. When the liver becomes stagnant and its ducts are congested with old and hardened bile, there is a natural lack of movement. This lack of movement causes all sorts of blocked and negative feelings, like anger, frustration, resentment, and depression.

In a way, one might think of a healthy liver as a facilitator for a better future. When it is functioning well, and bile can flow smoothly, it is easier to be optimistic. When the liver is blocked and stuck, past events loom larger. We can’t seem to move beyond them and the future looks bleak. Its blocked ducts don’t just block our digestion, but also our ability to anticipate and hope.

In this way, cleansing of the liver and gallbladder can be seen as an act of faith. For those who suffer from depression, doing a yearly liver and gallbladder flush can clear away pessimism and doubt, and restore confidence in a brighter future. No wonder the liver is so named.  A healthy liver does nothing less than restore buoyancy to life, both physically and psychologically.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/opinion/sunday/why-the-future-is-always-on-your-mind.html?_r=0

The Idea of “Fat but Fit” is Wrong

overweight

In a new study of 3.5 million people, those whose BMI classified them as obese were 50% more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease and 7% more likely to suffer from cerebrovascular disease than people of normal weight, even if there was no evidence of these diseases at the start of the study.

This suggests that the idea of being “fat but fit” is wrong.

Dr Rishi Caleyachetty, who led the study, states: “The priority of health professionals should be to promote and facilitate weight loss among obese persons, regardless of the presence or absence of metabolic abnormalities”.

While physical fitness is a great goal, as a society, we need to find other ways to encourage weight loss among overweight individuals. Perhaps it’s time to place greater regulations on food manufacturers who add extra sugars and fats to our foods to make them more addictive. The increasing rate of obesity in most first world nations shows that many people simply can’t summon the willpower to avoid them, and as a result, our collective health is suffering.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/17/obesity-health-no-such-thing-as-fat-but-fit-major-study

New Hope for Sufferers of Insomnia

insmonia

A recent study published in the journal Radiology has revealed that people who suffer from insomnia have damaged white matter tracts in their brains. White matter tracts are bundles of axons that connect different parts of the brain.

Researchers suspect that these white matter tracts become damaged due to loss of myelin, the insulating, protective coating around nerve fibres which helps them to function more optimally.

In Chinese medicine, this decrease in thickness or effectiveness of myelin sheaths is said to be caused by “yin deficiency”, and interestingly, yin deficiency is also known to be a common cause of insomnia. This may be why yin tonics have been so effective at improving sleep over the thousands of years that they have been in use.

Our Shou Wu Plus tincture and our Shou Wu Tea contain longevity herbs that are also known as yin tonics, and have improved the sleep of many of our customers. Our Fem-Mate tincture also contains yin tonics, and may be used by our female customers to improve sleep, while also balancing their hormones and helping to relieve menopausal symptoms.

Further research is needed to clarify why changes in white matter integrity negatively affect sleep. But in the meantime, it appears that the traditional technique of using yin tonics to improve sleep has now been supported by Western science. If you struggle with insomnia, you should consider giving some of these remedies a try.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/people-with-insomnia-might-have-damaged-brain-connections-mri-scans-show_uk_57065bfee4b01e4956fd18ac

New Thoughts on Salt

salt

According to Chinese medicine, too much salt weakens the kidneys. This theory has gone hand in hand with Western thinking, since salt is known to increase urinary output so that excess sodium is excreted, and the proper amount can be maintained in the blood.  This increase in urination places greater stress on the kidneys and can weaken them over time.

However, a new study testing Russian cosmonauts for their ability to handle long-term space travel has shown that this thinking is faulty. While there is increased urinary output when high amounts of sodium are eaten, it’s not because you drink more fluids. You may -feel- thirsty when you eat too much salt, but this study shows that you do not actually drink more water – you eat more food.

It now turns out that the high urinary output after salt ingestion occurs because glucocorticoids from the adrenals break down muscle and fat tissue for their fluid content. This break down of tissues also uses up more energy, which leads some scientists to suggest that increased salt intake may actually help with weight loss.  Previously, they had assumed that increased water intake after eating too much salt would cause you to gain water weight, not lose it.

It is not yet clear if increased ingestion of salt will help with weight loss, but even if it is, it would not be the best long-term solution for weight problems. Increased adrenal output of glucocorticoids would only weaken kidney/adrenal functioning in the long run. Since you actually feel hungrier when you eat more salt, the weight loss effect could also be blunted if you eat more calories than you use.

Read the original article on the NYTimes website for more details.

The Magic of Berberine

berberine

Berberine is a plant extract known for its strong yellow colour and bitter taste.  It’s present in high quantity in many well known bitter yellow herbs, like goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape root, Chinese scutellaria, and phellodendron.  Herbalists all over the world recommend plants containing berberine for their potent digestive effects.

In scientific studies, berberine has been proven to lower blood sugar, reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, and aid with weight loss.  Because berberine strongly stimulates the flow of bile, it can also be used to help relieve constipation and aid in the removal of excess hormones from the body, thereby relieving symptoms of conditions caused by hormone imbalances.

Our Coptis tincture contains the Chinese herb coptis, also known as goldthread, which has one of the highest amounts of berberine of any herb in the Chinese medicinal pharmacopia.

Excerpt:  “Several studies show a benefit of berberine in resetting PCOS. Taking berberine 500 mg three times daily for 3 months can reduce fasting plasma glucose, markers of insulin resistance, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, testosterone levels, and waist-to-hip ratios. Furthermore, berberine can increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sex hormone binding globulin in women compared with placebo. In addition, berberine is superior to metformin, a common prescription for PCOS, at improving lipid parameters, reducing waist-to-hip ratio, and increasing SHBG in PCOS patients”.

http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/for-the-love-of-berberine-what-it-is-and-why-i-take-it-to-lower-blood-sugar-bad-cholesterol-and-weight-plus-5-faqs/

Transform Your Pain, Heal the World

sitting

Negative emotions are painful. They’re also frightening. Even though everyone has experienced emotional pain, we’ll do virtually anything to avoid it.

A recent study done by social psychologists at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville found that 67% of men and 25% of women would chose to electrically shock themselves rather than sit quietly by themselves.  It’s when we sit quietly by ourselves that painful thoughts and emotions become hardest to avoid.

It’s understandable to want to avoid our thoughts and feelings, but by preventing them from being felt, we create a lot of stagnation in our bodies. This stagnation occurs particularly in our liver, which is the most emotion sensitive organ.  Prolonged denial of our emotions can make us sick.

If, however, we allow those emotions to be felt, if we sit and allow the pain to wash over us, we can transform it. Pain that is felt is no longer destructive. It becomes compassion, empathy, and understanding. Pain that is felt also becomes less frightening, and when we no longer fear pain, we are more capable of accepting the pain of others.

When we open ourselves to the pain of others, we begin to change the world.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/07/people-would-rather-be-electrically-shocked-left-alone-their-thoughts