Acupuncture and Depression - 4 Foods to Improve Mental Health

If you’ve ever felt cranky after waiting too long for a meal, experienced a “sugar high” or the post-Thanksgiving “turkey coma,” then you know how food can effect your mental function in the short-term. How food effects mental health in the long-term is a lot more complicated, but doctors, nutritionists, and Chinese medicine experts like myself all agree that there are certain foods that are brain-healthy and others that are not. If you or a loved one suffers from depression, anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, or any other mental health concern and would like to explore a more natural approach, diet (and exercise) is a great place to start, with counseling and complementary therapies like acupuncture and herbal medicine taking an important supporting role.

There are a lot of great books out there regarding diets for depression, as well as qualified nutritionists who will be happy to walk you through the process of making dietary changes to support mental health. The list below includes just a few of my favorite “medicinal foods” from the Chinese dietary therapy cupboard that are also safe enough to eat on a regular basis. Whether you suffer from depression or not, they have numerous health benefits!

Walnuts: Myelin – the “white matter” of the brain, is composed mostly of fat, so it makes sense that the brain needs fat to function. However, you have to be sure you’re consuming the right balance of fats in your diet to get the best benefits. Walnuts contain Omega 3 fatty acids, which are the so-called “good fats” that are less likely to cause heart disease. Walnuts, oddly enough, have been considered a brain-friendly food since the ancient times – because they look like little brains, the Chinese thought they were particularly beneficial to brain health. Turns out that’s true!

Lean meat and seafood - B vitamins are essential to the brain-healthy diet, and you can only get them from animal products like meat, seafood, and eggs. Strict vegetarians and vegans can get their B vitamins from supplements or fortified foods. The occasional meal with grass-fed beef is a great way to get the protein and B vitamins you need, and it also contains Omega 3 fatty acids. However, it has to be grass-fed, since corn-fed beef contains more unhealthy saturated fat.

Sweet Potato (and other orange veggies): Sweet potato is one of Chinese medicine’s favorite foods. Its sweet flavor supports the spleen-stomach network, which is responsible for converting food to Qi energy. From a nutritional standpoint, it is a superfood, rich in antioxidants and complex carbohydrates that give you energy without a sugar crash. It is great for any dieter because it keeps you feeling full and satiated, and gives a lot of nutritional bang-for-your-buck, in terms of calories.

Nettles (dandelion greens, or kale) – Mineral deficiencies have been shown to contribute to depression, and iron deficiency anemia can lead to brain fog, fatigue, and other depression-like symptoms. Lucky for us, dark green, chlorophyll-rich leaf vegetables like nettles draw minerals from the soil with their deep roots and make them available to us in their leaves. Nettles can be a little scary to deal with, since they have to be boiled to lose their sting. Handling them with gloves is smart and well worth it – nettle leaves are tasty and one of the healthiest things you can eat!

When you're depressed, changing your diet can be overwhelming, but you'd be amazed by how just a few small changes can make a world of difference. Combined with acupuncture, dietary changes have the potential to transform your life.

Have questions about how acupuncture and TCM Dietary Therapy can impact your depression? Email me! 

5 Ways Acupuncture Helps ADHD

Looking for a way to treat ADHD naturally? Or, maybe you’ve heard that ADHD responds best when it’s treated holistically. Whether you’re aiming for a completely drug-free treatment for ADHD or are looking for another tool to help you or your child feel better, acupuncture can help.

In order for the mind to be at rest, focused, and calm, the body must also be in a balanced  and peaceful state. According to traditional Chinese medicine, having either an excess or a deficiency of energy can unsettle the mind and lead to a lack of focus, anxiety, and other symptoms of ADHD. Unlike medication designed to simply treat the symptoms, Acupuncture treats ADHD by acting on the many different systems of the body that actually cause symptoms. Over time, the effects of treatment are more long-lasting, especially when combined with lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise.

Acupuncture calms the mind. Research has shown that acupuncture calms anxiety. Exactly how it does so is still unknown, but it is thought to be related to the release of endorphins – the soothing chemical that tells the brain, “everything is okay.” Acupuncture’s sedative effect is so powerful that it has been used – even recently! – as an alternative to anesthesia during surgery

Acupuncture enhances concentration.  Acupuncture relieves the “brain fog” often associated with ADHD. Studies have shown acupuncture can improve cognitive function and mental performance. If you’re suffering from problems with short-term memory or you’re finding it difficult to stay on-task, acupuncture is excellent for helping you restore focus and think more clearly.

Acupuncture helps insomnia.  Many people suffer concurrently from ADHD and insomnia. If you have ADHD, it’s likely that you know how hard it is to settle down at the end of the day. Acupuncture can help you fall asleep, improves your quality of sleep, and helps you wake less during the night, which in turn makes it easier to focus during the day.

Acupuncture treats some of the side-effects of ADHD medication.  Make no mistake: ADHD medications are powerful drugs, not to be taken lightly. They are stimulants, meaning they are intended to increase your alertness, but they also increase heart rate, lower appetite, hinder digestion, and can make you feel even more anxious. The calming effects of acupuncture help soothe these symptoms without making you feel overly tired.

Acupuncture helps treat irritability, depression, and anger. Whether you’re feeling agitated, depressed, or tend to swing back and forth between the two, acupuncture can help balance your mood over the long term by regulating hormones, increasing energy, and even leveling blood sugar imbalances for those who are sensitive to hypoglycemia.

In my Minneapolis acupuncture clinic, I’ve been lucky enough to see first-hand how effective regular treatments can be. If you want to learn more about my experience treating ADHD with acupuncture, please email me any of your questions.

Treating Depression Naturally with Acupuncture

Did you know that acupuncture is great for treating depression naturally?

I feel lucky to practice acupuncture in Minneapolis, where people readily embrace acupuncture as an effective alternative to medication for many of their common health issues, from back pain to headaches. However, some people still react with a degree of surprise when I tell them I specialize in using acupuncture for depression ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions, particularly in teens.

You probably think of acupuncture for pain relief - and, don’t get me wrong, it’s great for that, too! But the fact that it is gentle, relatively noninvasive, and almost entirely free of side-effects makes it an ideal natural treatment for depression in teens, or for anyone who is interested in treating depression without medication, together with their medication, or if other treatments have failed in the past. 

Acupuncture has a normalizing effect on the body and mind. Some of our most cutting-edge medical technology is slowly revealing some of the mysteries behind how acupuncture works, and what we’re learning is that effects nearly every system of the body, including:

·      Hormones

·      Nerves

·      Muscle Fibers and connective tissue

·      Immune Function

Acupuncture can address all of the complex and far-reaching symptoms and causes of depression, especially when combined with other forms of treatment. Integrating acupuncture into a holistic approach to dealing with depression enhances its effect many times over. It’s easy to understand how acupuncture -  with its ability to address many of its underlying causes and symptoms -  can have a subtle but powerful effect on depression and other psychological conditions. Using acupuncture together with medication, or with other forms of therapy, can be truly transformative.

Top 5 Spices for the Next Generation of Comfort Foods

Here's the thing about comfort food. Usually, the reason it's "comforting" is that it's so heavy and rich and full of fat, that it wraps your mind in a soothing fog that briefly helps you forget your troubles. Sometimes, we all need a dose of this type of comfort. But the so-called comfort foods, like fried chicken, lasagne, onion rings, mac n' cheese, or (my favorite) stuffing, tend to rely on fat rather than flavor for their appeal. I like to think that I've mostly evolved past falling for this trick, although I will occasionally give in to a craving for something heavy and rich. However, I've also learned to seek comfort in much healthier food, ever since I discovered the wonderful world of spices.

Growing up, vegetables were something to be suffered through. They were flavorless filler on the plate, served for nutritional value and nothing more. I don't blame my mother for her lack of ingenuity when it came for preparing veggies; she comes from a Swedish background where salt, pepper, and dill are primarily the only seasoning to catch on. I can envision my grandmother's spice rack with its set of Schilling brand powdered spices, untouched since the 70's. I still love my grandmother's cooking, but I'm not sure how she pulls it off. My guess would be butter, and lots of it.

When I became a vegetarian (and now, as a pescatarian) I had to quickly learn how to blend flavors together so that our staple meal (vegetables, protein, and some kind of starch) wouldn't become boring when served night after night. While going to school for Chinese medicine, I was excited to learn that certain spices have medicinal qualities as well.

Here are my top-5 favorite spices, their uses, and a little bit about what they do for you!

 Cinnamon

In Chinese medicine, Cinnamon is a go-to herb for fighting off colds and infections. It's also a so-called blood mover, relieving pain and preventing clots (aka: blood stasis), aiding in the prevention of heart disease. These effects have recently been backed by modern research, and it's also known to help stabilize blood sugar. I add cinnamon to pretty much everything, especially Southwest or Mexican-inspired dishes, like chili, for it's hint of smokey sweetness. Many of my mornings start with oatmeal that has been heavily spiced with cinnamon.

Garlic

Most people already know about the wonders of garlic. It is antimicrobial, meaning it fights infections, and its chemical constituents can regulate fat formation and reduce inflammation. It also helps relax the blood vessels to reduce hypertension. Nutritionists recommend using garlic in at least one meal a day to maximize it's benefits. Again, I find that garlic helps boost the flavor of pretty much any meal I make, and it's part of nearly every sauce I throw together. However, I am a garlic-lover and not everyone is in that same boat. Roasting or boiling garlic before you add it to your dish will help reduce its pungent bite.

Ginger

Ginger is ubiquitous in Chinese herbal formulas, used fresh, dried, powdered, juiced... even applied to skin and hair. The reason it is included so often in formulas is because of its ability to soothe the intestinal muscles, prevent gas and stop nausea, thereby making the other herbs easier to digest. It has been proven effective as a preventative against motion sickness, morning sickness, and other conditions where vomiting is a symptom. Its anti-inflammatory properties are currently being studied and there are big implications for arthritis sufferers. Ginger is at home in Asian-inspired dishes. It is not a flavor that hides in the background, so you kind of have to build the rest of your meal around it. Or, you can always have a cup of ginger tea or a capsule of powdered ginger if you're not a fan of ginger-based dishes (sorry, gingerbread doesn't count!).

Hot Peppers

Spicy peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which acts on the pain and heat receptors in our mouths (or eyes, or noses, if we're unlucky!). Even though it seems counter-intuitive, this chemical actually reduces inflammation and has a positive effect on the sensory nerves. Studies have found that rats fed a diet containing spicy food suffered less from arthritis symptoms and neuropathy. It also lowers the risk for Type II diabetes and obesity. Furthermore, spicy foods make you eat slower and induce the release of endorphins, which can leave you feeling satiated after a meal without having to add a ton of fat. If you feel like you can't handle much spice, the trick is to build up a tolerance slowly. Try adding just a few pepper flakes to your meal, then keep upping the ante. You don't need to be sweating to get the full benefits, but you should feel a little bit exhilarated when you put the fork down!

Basil

There is no flavor quite like basil. For me, it is the quintessential smell of summertime, and I rarely include it in my cooking during the months I can't go out and pick it fresh from my garden. It has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxident properties. Its smell also has a positive effect on mood. The same can be said for many of the other herbs that are commonly used fresh: oregano, rosemary, sage, etc. I add basil liberally to pizzas, Italian sauces, and Asian-inspired stir-fries, and I also bake it into bread, put it on sandwiches, and eat it up with plain tomatoes. 

The bottom line is this: herbs and spices tell our brain "this tastes good!" and add to the satisfaction we feel when a meal is finished. When we add flavor, we can cut down on fat and still keep a meal interesting. This helps prevent us from reaching for a snack an hour later.

Want to know more? Here's the site I referenced for compiling this list! The World's Healthiest Foods.

Happy Lammas Day!

In Minnesota, we jam so much activity into these few short months of summer that it seems as soon as we have a moment to breathe, there's already frost on the ground. I'm sure I'm not the only one who turned the page of the calendar today, totally amazed that it's already August first!

In my garden, we're picking beans, zucchini, and a second round of sugar snap peas that have been appearing on the otherwise dead-looking vines as if by magic. The kale is still going strong, even after repeated pickings that started in May, and we're getting our first few tomatoes. On the whole, my garden has fulfilled my needs: I've been able to supplement our meals with fresh, pesticide-free produce that has been doted on from seed to harvest, and it's been providing me with the "soil time" I need: giving me the satisfaction of tending the tiny piece of land that's been entrusted to me.

However, this garden of also mine serves as a reminder of the fact that I am not, and probably never will be, capable of feeding myself on what I alone can produce. To keep a garden that would sustain just myself and my husband might be possible on our city lot, but to manage all of the logistics would mean a major lifestyle change for one of us, unless I can find a job that will let me take days off for all the canning, planting, drying and harvesting that would be required to see us through the winter.

Today is Lammas, the pre-Christian holiday celebrating the official start of the harvest season. Regardless of your faith, I think it's a great day to pay homage to the food we eat, and everything that goes into bringing that food from seed to table. The sad reality is, most of us wouldn't know how to feed ourselves if society suddenly collapsed one day; many of us don't pay much mind to the food we're putting in our mouths at any given mealtime. But even that bag of Doritos started as an ear of corn, which relied on soil, sun, and water to grow. Even though it might feel weird to say "grace" over a bowl of Doritos, the delicate balance that allows life to exist on this planet is worth being thankful for.

Chinese Medicine is based on Taosim, which teaches us that we are all part of one great reality; things cannot and should not be separated. By this logic, whatever we do to the earth is the same thing we do to our own bodies. Today is a day to remember that, especially as we eat. Eating mindfully and thankfully also helps us slow down and therefore eat less, make smarter choices, and feel more satisfied. A fresh carrot eaten on a picnic blanket beneath a shady tree will be far more pleasurable than a Big Mac scarfed down behind the wheel of your car, I guarantee it!

Bread is the traditional food of Lammas, as corn and wheat are traditionally harvested at this time. However, many people are intimidated by yeast breads, and gluten sensitivities make wheat-based breads problematic for so many. So, here's my favorite recipe for banana bread! It is (relatively) healthy, and if you're willing to add dark chocolate chips, it will satisfy your dessert craving while giving you a lot of nutritional bang for your buck!


Lammas Day Banana Bread 
(adapted from this recipe)

Dry
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour (or gluten-free alternative)
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
2 T flaxseed meal (this is the secret ingredient!)
2 T corn meal
1 t cinnamon
pinch salt

Wet
1/4 t almond extract (optional - I am obsessed with almond extract!)
1/4 C vegetable oil (can sub applesauce)
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1 C mashed bananas (about two whole bananas)
1/2 C Milk (or water)

1/2 C Chopped Nuts and/or chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. 

Smash the bananas in a larger bowl and add wet ingredients, mixing until well-blended. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a little at a time, mixing all the while. Add the nuts and chocolate chips if you'd like.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Gardening your Business

I've been meeting a lot of women lately that are also in the process of building their business. I've found that the favored metaphor for building a business is building a house. Authors write about laying your foundation, putting up the frame, et cetera and so on. However, since I'm not much of a carpenter, I find myself thinking of my own business as a garden. Every day I try to plant a seed, through networking, blogging, putting up a flyer, that will hopefully help my business grow. I also tend to what I've already planted, by contacting the people I've connected with or taking the time to brush up on my knowledge of Chinese Medicine.

Gardening - and I mean actual gardening, not the metaphoric kind - has become sort of a meditation for me. I think of my growing business whenever I plant a new seedling, and I feel like it's helped me clarify some of the lessons I've heard repeated by my mentors and teachers throughout this process. Here are a few things I've learned.

When in doubt, go for a sure thing. When I first started gardening, I loved the idea of growing things that nobody else had - rare herbs, strange fruits, weird heirloom varieties that were on the brink of extinction. I ended up with a lot of things that didn't even sprout, or weren't suited for my climate, or yielded one or two sad little fruits after taking up valuable space in the garden. There's a reason why certain things are popular - they work! I find this applies to my business as well. We're always being told to "think outside the box" and dream up some new way of doing things, and yes - a certain amount of experimenting can pay off. But there's no shame in investigating what your peers are doing (how they're marketing, what services they're using, how their websites are laid out) and then adding your own personal touches.

I buy the same seed mix for lettuce every year from Pinetree Seeds. It's always the firs thing I plant.

Don't take on too much at once. Looking at the seed catalogs when they arrive in January, I get the itch to buy just about everything I see. I always have to remind myself that I have limited resources, and if I plant too much at once I'll get burned out. It's better to make a more modest start and be able to fully tend to your small plot than find yourself strapped for time, cash, and energy, letting everything get taken over by weeds. There will be time to take on more next season.

Lady's Mantle, or Alchemilla. Any easy-care, attractive perennial with medicinal qualities.

Invest in perennials. An asparagus bed takes 8 years to get established, but once it does it requires very little care. Likewise, strawberries rarely yield the first year, but are one of the first and most reliable things to come up once the snow melts in the springtime. If you're planning on being in business for years to come, it's best to think in the long-term. Maybe you place an ad or run a promotion that doesn't exactly pay off right away, but you never know when someone will need your service and happen to remember your name, months or ever years later. You never know when a seed you planted will suddenly bear fruit.

"Provider" Bush beans ready to be transplanted

Don't give up on the runt. On the same token, don't give up on something just because it's looking a little scraggly. I've heard again and again that consistency is key when it comes to starting a business. For instance, maybe you're having misgivings about the location you chose. It takes a long time to start getting clients in the door, and when you decide to pick up and move, you're basically starting over at square one. As someone who's always tempted to move on to the "next big thing," I often repeat this as my mantra: "When you want to reach water, it's better to pick one spot and keep digging than to dig 100 shallow holes." Give things a proper chance to run their course, and you're more likely to be rewarded.

I almost gave up on my tulips this year - they came up much later than the other tulips around the neighborhood! But lo and behold, they popped up just in time for the gorgeous spring weather

There's only so much you can do. At the end of the day, you have to trust that the seed, the soil, and the sunshine know what they're doing. Same goes for marketing - sometimes you just have to toss your seeds into the wind and hope for the best. There's no use fretting over what you can't control.

So that's the metaphor that works for me! Do you have any good ones?

Finding the Motivation to Get Motivated

In spite of my best efforts to stay "in the moment" today, my mind keeps wandering to thoughts of summer and - naturally - riding my bike. In Minneapolis, we love to bike and many of us do it in all kinds of weather, but I'll admit that my bike is more of a "fair weather friend." Although I can generally handle the cold, I'm not much for navigating the ice floes that form along our residential streets during the winter.

I'm eager to get back out there to explore my neighborhood on two wheels. I'm also thinking that this is the year I finally tackle some longer rides and get out of the city a bit. I'm excited to start to build up my endurance and get back in shape after this long, long winter hibernation. Admittedly, I haven't been so great about keeping up with my exercise routine this winter, and I'm trying to find the motivation to get up and start being more consistent.

Here are some quick tips - and web resources - that I've found from my own experience and others' advice that will help you build your motivation to whip yourself into shape.

1. Have a goal. Make it as concrete as possible, with a specific deadline. Most people can have the best intentions ("I want to be healthy for my children," "I want to feel better about myself," etc.), but such vague - albeit well-meaning - goals can be tough to measure and it's hard to know when you actually get there! Make it quantifiable: it can be a certain amount of pounds you want to lose by a certain date, or that you want your cholesterol and blood pressure to be down to a healthy range by your next doctor's visit, or that you want to be able to run a 5K. There's a fantastic website called 43things.com that is all about goal-setting. You can create a list of as many as 43 goals, then post entries about your progress and interact with people who are working on the same goal as you. It's awesome!

2. Create accountability. So let's say you want to run a 5K. Find out when there will be a 5K in your area and sign yourself up. Tell everyone you're doing it. Invite friends to come see. By the time you've done so, you'll definitely be motivated not to back out. You can also hire a personal trainer or health coach to help keep you on track - there are a lot of great people out there doing this good work, and you can surely find someone you'll be happy to work with. Here's a website where you can find the top-rated health coaches in your area.

3. Do something you actually enjoy. If someone comes into my clinic and says, "I want to get in shape, but I hate working out," I ask them, "What do you like to do that's active? Anything?" Usually I can draw out at least one thing that the person enjoys doing that also gets their heart pumping. Then I say, "Do more of that!" You don't have to start lifting weights and doing squats to be healthy and do your body a lot of good. You can improve your health and increase your lifespan by doing just 15 minutes of cardio a day! It's unlikely that you'll be shedding pounds quickly or getting six-pack abs at this pace, but everything helps. Just pick what you like to do and do it for a half-hour every day - walk, bike, dance, chase your dog, garden, swim... If you find something you like to do, you'll start to look forward to doing it!

Hiking is better with a few dozen of your best buds!

4. Buddy up. You may notice that while some of your friends are wonderfully supportive of your efforts to get healthy, others seem almost determined to steer you woefully off-course. And with so many of our social gatherings revolving around food and drink, swearing off your vices can make you feel like a social pariah. As a response to this, my friend created an awesome group called Buds of Spring, in which he asked his friends to join him in taking a month-long pledge to exercise for 30 minutes a day and abstain from alcohol, coffee, and smoking for one month. From March 20th to April 20th, he hosted fun events, posted encouraging words and member profiles on social media, and even got sponsors. This year - their 3rd - 150 people took the pledge! Try reaching out to your own friends to join you in taking a similar pledge. Even if it's just two of you sharing recipes and workout tips on Pinterest, at least you won't feel so alone!

A little donut burger action for your "cheat day." Why not, if you've been doing everything else right?

5. Reward yourself. When something is forbidden, it gains a certain power over us. This is why I hate fad diets that are built around the central concept that one food group must be completely avoided. At no point will that food hold such an allure as when you know you can't have it! It's better to teach yourself to enjoy things in moderation. Pick one night a week where you will go out for a glass of wine (or whatever your chosen weakness may be), and a really nice dinner. Or take a walk with the kids to the ice cream store on Saturdays and indulge in the good stuff. Make it a ritual and really enjoy every bite. You will feel so much more satisfied if you eat one chocolate eclair with complete presence of mind rather than sitting in front of the TV snarfing down an entire bag of chips. 

These tips are just the beginning. What have you learned about staying motivated to work out?