Do you hear that?...That is the sound of the person sitting next to you in the coffee shop, on the bus, next to you on the couch sniffling. That’s right cold and flu season is upon us! Did you know that there are herbal formulas and acupuncture treatments that I offer that fortify the immune system and help combat colds, flus, and other respiratory viruses. When I talk about cold and flu in terms of Chinese Medicine, I’m talking about an external wind invasion of the body that moves through the respiratory and digestive systems. Wind carries these viruses into the body where they set up shop and wreak havoc on all your autumn plans.

            There are two traditional formulas that I use to treat this wind invasion, Yin Qio San and Gan Mao Ling. The sooner you begin taking one of these formulas the more effective they will be. Typically, a sore throat, ache and chill, or headache is the first indication of an impending invasion. You may be wondering which formula is for you? Wind blows hot and cold in real life and that translates into a virus. When we determine wind heat or wind cold, we can easily pick which formula to take to shorten the life of the virus. No reason to cancel the apple orchard outing on Saturday. However, during the impending cold and flu season, I urge you to stock both tinctures in your medicine cabinet!

            Yin Qiao San, commonly known as Honeysuckle and Forsythia, is an herbal formula taken upon the first signs of a wind heat invasion to totally prevent the cold from settling in the body or shorten its stay. How do you know if you have wind heat invasion?  If you feel hot with a sore throat or headache, grab some Yin Qiao San to clear that wind heat and fortify that immune system. Gan Mao Ling addresses both cold and heat invasion. When you feel achy muscles, particularly in your shoulders, and a chill reach for this formula.
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            The next time an unsuspecting stranger sneeze in your general direction, or your child comes home from the petri dish of a classroom, you don’t have to worry. You are prepared. You have your herbal medicine cabinet well stocked for the season.
           

   Anxiety. Cravings. Bloating. Aches and Pains. These and many more symptoms plague 3 out of 4 menstruating women, according to the Mayo Clinic. This poses the question, with over 90% of women suffering from painful and hard to manage periods, why is there no treatment beyond basic pain medication, heat, and birth control? 
   
    Women believe that the discomfort they experience is normal, but it shouldn’t be. To outline what a period should look like; we first have to breakdown what most women experience. An absurd majority of women experience some or of all the following symptoms: 

Physical: 
o Joint and muscle pain
o Headaches
o Fatigue
o Weight gain
o Bloating
o Breast tenderness
o Acne
o Bowel Changes
o Painful cramps and clotting
o Excessive/heavy bleeding
o In extreme cases, vomiting

Psychological/Neurological:
o Anxiety
o Mood swings
o Change in libido
o Cravings
o Insomnia
o Social withdrawal
o Irritability

   Periods often range from an inconsistent 21-35 days, according to the NHS. The simple act of being a woman should not leave you in a lurch once a month. 

   Now that we have a clearer picture of what most women deal with every cycle, the question remains: what menstruation ought to look like? A period lasting between 27-29 days with little to no changes in your mental and physical state is indicative of a well-balanced hormonal reproductive process. How do we, as women, find our way to this ideal cycle?

   Enter acupuncture and herbal medicine. When we add these tools to our toolbox, it becomes much easier to manage PMS and irregular cycles. At The Yellow Door, we believe and treat the whole woman using these tools. We use herbs like bai shao peony, zhi zi gardenia, dang gui angelica, and chai hu bupleurum to reduce inflammation, promote mood stability, prevent blood stagnation, ease pain, relax and warm the uterus, and calm the body for sleep—to name a few. 

    Sometimes it's hard to be a girl! It shouldn't be. We hope to help women with all menstrual issues and create a new normal: a predictable cycle free from unmanageable PMS.  

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat the oven to 340F (170C). Grease and line the bottom and sides of a 8 inch (20 cm) pan with parchment paper.
 
2.Prepare vanilla sponge cake. Separate whites from yolks.
 
3.In a medium bowl mix yolks with ½ cup (100g) sugar, until creamy and pale yellow colored. Gradually mix in oil and then add sparkling water.
 
4.In a large bowl mix egg whites with salt until foamy. Gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar. Mix in vanilla extract.
 
5.Continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
 
6.Gently fold a spoon of whipped whites into the yolk mixture and then gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped whites.
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7.Gradually sift the flour and baking powder over the egg mixture and gently fold them in.
 
8.Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
 
9.Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
 
10.Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.
 
11.Prepare Frosting: In a large bowl mix mascarpone until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until combined.
 
12.In another bow whip cream until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into Mascarpone mixture.
 
13.Assemble the cake. Divide the sponge cake into 4 layers. Place one cake layer on your serving plate.
 
14.In a bowl mix coffee with Marsala if using.
 
15.Brush the cake with coffee mixture. Spread evenly with Mascarpone frosting. Repeat with the second and third layer of cake. Add the last layer of cake, brush with coffee and cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting for crumb coating. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Cover the top and sides with remaining frosting.
 
16.Dust top with cocoa powder and chill to serve. Balance.
 

*Recipe originally posted on homecookingadventure.com 

Mind: A Journey to The Heart of Being Human, Dr. Daniel Siegel

Dr. Daniel Siegel is an attachment-trained research psychiatrist who emphasizes the connection between body (brain) and mind, and the role that relationships play in forming what we call ‘mind.’  According to Siegel (whose field is interpersonal neuro-biology), mind is something that is beyond the physical brain, as mind is relational.  Your awareness of your own awareness is the result of your relationships with others.  By focusing on the experiential aspect of your existence (as opposed to the rational or cognitive aspect of your existence), you not only develop a better sense of your own inner thoughts, but you develop the ability for empathic relationships, and you develop the union between mind and brain, as the very act of engaging in the kind of awareness described above (i.e., awareness of ourselves and others) actually forges new connections between different areas of the brain.

So many people in Western medicine have a limited view of the body and see it as just an objective, physical thing that inhabits space.  Dr. Daniel Siegel is refreshing, for he sees the body as a source of subjective life, providing us with sensation, experience, and the material for deep reflection.  As an acupuncturist, I appreciate Siegel’s recognition of what Traditional Chinese Medicine has practiced for over 2500 years:  The brain is just part of a complex system.  It is embodiedand it is relational.  The mind cannot be understood apart from the flow of energy and information through the body.  Rather, the mind is something that (to use the language of Western philosophers) is an emergent property of an embodied system; the mind is an emergent property of a flow of energy that organizes itself.  And a healthy mind is one in which that flow is optimized.  Acupuncture is a tool that aids in that kind of optimization; it helps to integrate and link differentiated parts. 

I’ll close with a personal note:  I’ve found this book particularly helpful in explaining what I do to my empirically-minded husband (who teaches philosophy at MSU and OTC), as he prefers the vocabulary of Western science.  And if he ever reads this, he will love that I used the phrase ‘emergent property,’ as that is the kind of language he uses when he teaches.  He will also appreciate my use of semicolons; provided, of course, that I used them correctly.  

Farewell and be well!

Jodie

Revive, Replenish, Restore at The Yellow Door.