diet Archives - Acupuncture in the Park

Dry Skin Solutions

I love being an acupuncturist, except for one thing. Every fall and throughout the winter, my hands dry out from all the washing in between patients. It’s only October, and already my hands are chapped. They catch on everything I touch, and no amount of lotions seems to rehydrate my skin completely. Furthermore, when I get out of the shower, my skin itches in places that have no business itching. I slather on lotion and cover up my cracked fingertips and itchy patches in the hope that this winter, things will be different.

The good news is that as soon as the humidity ramps up, the heat goes off, and I can open a window, my skin will be happy again. The bad news is that there are some people who deal with perpetually dry skin no matter the weather or time of year.

Is dry skin a big Minneapolis acupuncture clinic deal? Well, it can be if you consider that your skin is the largest organ in your body. Chronically dry skin can be a signal that something is going on deeper in your body. In Chinese medicine, your skin is related to your Lung organ system. While that
may not make much sense, remember your Lungs are considered to be the most exterior of your internal organs, because with every breath, the inside of your body comes into contact with the outside world. In addition, when you breathe on a mirror, you can see the moisture from your Lungs. So, as the keeper of all things external, the health of your Lungs can give off clues to the condition of your skin. For the clearest example of this, just look at the skin of heavy smokers, which is dry and prematurely aged.

In Chinese medicine, there are a number of reasons your skin can dry out. As mentioned above, your environment can have a huge impact on the condition of your skin. Environment plays a role, and living where it is dry, such as a Minnesota winter or the southwestern United States, can be a challenge. In addition, your skin dries out as you age–it’s a fact of life that most of us spend a lot of money trying to reverse.

Beyond aging and living in a dry place, there are a number of patterns in Chinese medicine that are associated with dry skin. Some causes include a change in hormonal status, recent illness, surgery, chronic dehydration, and not getting enough healthy oils in your diet.

The good news is that there are some fixes for your dry skin, especially if it is seasonal and superficial, and all of them are related to nourishing yourself. Among them:

–Use foods to nourish your skin from the inside. Healthy oils (olive, coconut, flax, fish, Evening Primrose, etc.) and oily plant-based foods, such as avocadoes and nuts are a good place to start. If you’ve been ill or have had a recent surgery, you may also need an herbal formula to help replenish your Yin and Blood, which act like nourishing coolants in your body.

-Moisturize your skin on the outside, too. As soon as you step out of the shower or tub, slop on moisturizer. It will seal in the moisture that you soaked up, and keep your skin protected from dryness for the entire day. My recommendation is to look for a really good skin cream that isn’t loaded with fragrance, parabens, and other harmful ingredients. If you’re unsure what to buy, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website for safety ratings of skin care ingredients.

-In a dry environment, add moisture to the air so it’s not drawn out of your skin. Use a humidifier, lots of plants, or even a shallow dish of water placed near your heat register.

-Avoid bathing in very hot water. No matter how good it feels in the cold, dark days of winter, very hot showers or baths strip the natural oils from your skin, making it dry and itchy.

-Avoid harsh, alkaline soaps. In fact, unless you’re particularly sweaty or dirty, you can get away with very little soap at all and still be squeaky clean.

-Drink plenty of water. While water won’t actually moisturize your skin, being chronically dehydrated will give your skin the appearance of being dry.

-If your skin is dry and flaky year round, accompanied by dry, brittle nails, and/or dry hair, you will likely need a little more help. Chinese medicine can offer a specific diagnosis plus acupuncture, herbs, and food therapy, and may be just what you need to change your skin from dry to glowing.

The Chinese Restaurant Way to Good Health

Many people are familiar with acupuncture, however many may not know that there are a number of other methods of treatment that come under the umbrella of Chinese medicine. One of the most commonly used is food therapy—essentially using food to heal.

I frequently talk with my patients about their food choices. Occasionally, a patient will ask, “Exactly what should I be eating?”, and my answer is to eat lots of veggies, a little protein, and whole grains. However, lately my answer has been to eat like you’re in a Chinese restaurant.

Clearly, the deep fried sesame shrimp from your local Chinese restaurant is the healthiest. However, there are many traditions that are still in place in your neighborhood Chinese restaurant that are in fact pretty healthy.

A typical stir fry at your local Jade Garden will include a variety of vegetables with smaller amounts of protein, served over…um, white rice. White rice is not a whole grain, and has been eaten in China only for a couple of hundred years. It was considered to be finer than brown rice, and was served to the emperor and the wealthiest Chinese. In the countryside, the healthier brown rice was still common fare among the regular folks like you and me. Many Chinese restaurants now offer you a choice between white or steamed brown rice, and for the purpose of what I like to call the Chinese Restaurant Diet, choose the brown rice.

Other traditions that make the Chinese Restaurant Diet a healthy way to eat include:

The food is fresh! Some authentic Chinese restaurants have aquariums in which your dinner is still swimming until the moment you order. And all those vegetables you see in your stir fry—broccoli, carrots, onions, scallions, cabbage, peppers, mushrooms, etc.—they didn’t come out of a can or the freezer section of the grocery store. They’re fresh, and most likely came from the farmers’ market that very morning.
You usually don’t get iced drinks, unless you ask for them. In Chinese medicine, ice cold drinks can bring your digestive process to a halt. It takes a lot of your body’s energy to warm your stomach back up after downing a glass of ice cold anything. That’s why you’re more likely to find room temperature water or tea with your meal.
In a similar vein, you’re unlikely to get much raw in a Chinese restaurant, also for a good reason. Food that is cooked, even slightly, is easier to digest than a plate full of raw food. Hence, the stir fry—cooked slightly, but still crunchy vegetables.
Your meal in a Chinese restaurant is frequently served family style, in which everyone shares. This is a good thing in that you will get a wide variety of foods, which translates into a wide variety of nutrients.
Dessert is minimal. You get a fortune cookie—no chocolate turtle walnut berry cheesecake for you. A little sweetness helps you digest your food—a lot of rich sugary food is a just a gut bomb.
What you won’t get is also important. You’re unlikely to find any kind of dairy products in a Chinese restaurant. The Chinese believe that milk is for babies and baby animals. In addition, something like three quarters of the world’s people are lactose intolerant, and in Chinese medicine, lots of dairy just creates phlegm. In fact, when I have a patient who has problems with phlegmmy lungs or sinuses, the first thing I tell them is to dial back on the dairy. (Don’t get me wrong, a little dairy is probably fine, but huge amounts of milk and cheese can create problems.)
Also, good luck trying to order a filet mignon at your local Chinese restaurant. You might get a filet of whatever fish is available, though, served up on a bed of vegetables.

If you steer clear of the deep fried food and the white rice, the Chinese Restaurant way of eating can be pretty healthy, and you can put it into practice at home—you don’t need to eat out at the Panda Buffet every night.

Is Stress Causing Your Weight Gain?

There was an article in my local paper last week about the relationship between stress and weight gain. The gist of the article was that during the current economic crisis many people who are stressed about their financial situation turn to food as a way to cope.

Medical experts know that stress and other strong negative emotions have an impact on your body’s hormonal balance, specifically the balance of adrenaline, cortisol, and insulin. In addition, it’s known that hormonal changes caused by stress can be responsible for weight gain around your middle, and can increase your risk for certain cardiovascular health problems. Your doctor may describe this phenomenon as the difference between being pear shaped (good) versus apple shaped (not so good).

In Chinese medicine, this same phenomenon would be described as a Liver/Spleen disharmony, or a case of your emotions upsetting your digestion. Your Chinese Liver is the organ system that regulates the smooth movement of everything in your body, including your emotions, circulation, menstrual cycles, and digestion. The function of the Spleen system is to efficiently turn food into nutrients, energy, and blood—in other words, all aspects of digestion. You know your Spleen isn’t up to par when you have signs or symptoms related to your digestion, including food cravings or a loss of appetite, constipation or loose stools, stomachaches, nausea, and weight gain. You might think that if you’re gaining weight your digestion is just fine, thank you very much, but in reality, weight gain is a signal that your digestion is impaired in some way.

How can acupuncture or Chinese medicine help? There are a couple of answers. First, acupuncture is an excellent way to soothe your emotions. It can effectively help people who are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. It seems odd that the insertion of a couple of needles can affect your emotions or mood, but research has in fact documented that acupuncture alters brain chemistry in a good way.

Secondly, using a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and food therapy, a practitioner of Chinese medicine can help you get your weight under control. Not only can it help you with food cravings, but Chinese medicine is an incredibly effective treatment for digestive problems.

If stress is impacting your health or causing weight gain, think about acupuncture. It’s safe, effective, and organic.

Share and Enjoy !

Share and Enjoy !

Share and Enjoy !