Tom sent this time-lapse video of Yosemite, and watching it had a tranquilizing effect. There are so many ways to meditate, I’m adding this one to my arsenal.

Here’s the one I reach for most often, from Bruce Frantzis, qi gong and ba gua teacher back in the day. He repeated over and over while we practiced (standing): “the mind moves the qi.” I prefer to do this sitting or lying down, justifying the increased ability to focus within.

Sit up comfortably on the couch or against the wall, legs crossed, or lie with head on a pillow, so your heart is propped up a bit.

Starting an inch or so above your head, do a slow sweep down your body, as if you were a block of water that is emptying out. When you inevitably reach a tight spot, acknowledge it, breath into it, then move on once it’s softened. If your mind wanders, go back to the last place you remember you were aware of and continue moving downward.

I try for 3 sweeps if it’s daytime- bedtime is another story, since this can put you to sleep when lying down. Sweep 1 is often full of tight spots and takes awhile, but 2 and 3 go much faster, and the luxurious sensation as the sweep goes down and out of your arms and hands, and legs and feet is something to experience.

Tight spots are places we hold tension, and could arise from many sources. Like any meditation, instead of pushing them back and glossing them over, when we look at them squarely, they dissipate. This takes time, but be patient. I’ve found some areas will actually get tighter right before they loosen up.

This is the opposite direction that yoga classes do in shavasana (corpse pose). The reasoning is it is more grounding, emotionally, to move our “stuff” down and out: as westerners/living in the 21st C, we’re all way too much in our heads.

photo courtesy of softchalk.com

The Lymph System

The immune system carries out part of its defense with components that move in a continual flow in the circulatory system (blood/hematic), and the lymphatic system. These cellular components are on the alert and ready to destroy foreign invaders should they be encountered.

The lymph system is a close relative of the immune system, producing immune players and assisting delivery of these cells through movement.

The lymph system has several functions: it drains specific wastes (extra protein in the interstitial fluid), transports fats, produces lymphocytes, and develops immunities. In Part II and Part III of this series, non-specific and specific defense was reviewed, respectively, with a review of the types of cells in each.

Anatomically, the lymph system is made up of vessels and nodes that cover almost all of the body. This massive circulation of the lymph system is similar to and closely follows the (blood/hematic) circulatory system.

photo courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh

Bone marrow, several organs (the spleen, tonsils, and thymus gland) are also structures of the lymph system. Immune cells are produced and grow to maturity in the bone marrow and thymus gland. The remainder of lymphatic tissue and organs trap and destroy antigens: the lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, appendix, Peyer’s patch in the intestines, and the mucous membranes of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive systems.

Most lymph is delivered through the muscle movement, pumping material through valves, into vessels, large and small. Proper breathing is another way to make lymph move well.

This is why exercises that promote inversion and even breathing, such as yoga, have excellent health benefits. Acupuncture has a stimulating effect that promotes movement in local areas, which is one of many reasons why it is great as a preventative medicine, but why it is contraindicated in the presence of tumors.

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems: Part IV

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

ACQUIRED IMMUNITY: WHERE AND HOW

Part III continues our series with a focus on specific defense. In a nutshell, the main immune players can be likened to different types military forces. Microphages and macrophages are the local police (see Part II), white blood cells are the standing army, at-the-ready, from all divisions, and immunoglobulins are the the special ops class, trained to react with precision in order to eliminate the enemy.

ANTIGENS AND ANTIBODIES: Immunoglobulins and White Blood Cells
Specific defense (acquired/adaptive) can be likened to the military’s special ops. The immune cells are found in the body tissue and on cell membranes, and their key function is to protect against pathogenic organisms or other sources of not-self. Specific defenses are unique responses (antibodies) to not-self elements (antigens).

1) Immunoglobulins
An antigen is a foreign substance that sets off an immune response. Antigens can be microbial (bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi) and non-microbial (poison plants, insect bites, and tree pollen). Our body creates antibodies to counteract each antigen.

Antibodies are proteins called immunoglobulins. There are five types of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE), to respond to different kinds of enemies (antigens), located in different types of body tissue and fluids.

Structurally, antibodies are shaped like a Y so that they can easily lock onto the target cell and enable other immune components to find and either destroy the antigen, or stop its replication mechanism.

2) Immune Cells
Like soldiers, airmen, and seamen on the front line, there are different types of immune cells to attack not-self from all angles. These cells are present and active in both non-specific and specific defense.

Lymphocytes are the most common cells of specific immunity, and they are separated into two classes: T cells and B cells. Neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils are white blood cells. Other kinds of immune cells are monocytes, macrophages, denritic cells, natural killer cells (NK), and the major histocompatiblity complex (MHC).

3) Humoral Immunity and Cell-Mediated Immunity
Humoral immunity is found in body tissue and the blood’s plasma, on the lookout for invaders, and creates an antibody in response to an antigen. Cell-mediated immunity issues the clarion call that activates other immune players.

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems, Part III
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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Just the balance of a few ingredients make this salad irresistible

Consuming beets is one way to increase hemoglobin in the blood, and since the hemoglobin molecule transports oxygen throughout the body, and oxygen provides the energy that needed for all metabolic functions, one might say more is better (in this instance). Since I (Carol) am never one to pass up something that serves a dual purpose, eating something that tastes good and is good for you, has resulted in adding this recipe to my repertoire, year-round.

In this beet salad, neither starch nor vegetable is the star. Rather, they each take supporting roles, and the sum is a light, satisfying, cooked salad that can be served as a side, as lunch, or as a snack. It can be served warm, room temperature, or cool. If you like to plan ahead, you can double the recipe and freeze half, for it holds up to defrosting well.

This recipe is derived from one I found on food52; I’ve adapted it because I simply am a lazy cook, and if there’s an easier way to shorthand a recipe, I will find it. That said, it still takes a little extra work to bring it together, but in the end, the blending of flavors and textures will make you forget all about that.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds beets, removed from their stem and scrubbed cleaned and outside skin peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
Beet leaves, rinsed well, center stem removed, and chopped
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 oz orzo pasta
4 oz. feta cheese
2 T Olive oil
¼ cup chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)

1. Place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until done (can be pierced with a fork), about ½ hour.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a heated, oiled pan until golden, then add the beet greens. Add a dash of water if you need to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Put in large bowl and cover to keep warm.

3. When the beets are cooked, pluck them out of the water and place into the bowl, and put the orzo in the beet water (this will color them pink). Strain when done, add to the bowl, crumble the feta in, and mix well.

The ratio of ingredients is important to yield a salad that does not overwhelm with one flavor over the others. Two pounds of beets to ½ pound of orzo and 4 ounces of feta, which can be halved to 1: ¼: 2 is easy to remember once you’ve done this once or twice.

Beet, Beet Greens, Orzo, and Feta Salad

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

In Parts II and III we’re going to talk about the mechanics of our body’s defense system. Part IV will wrap up the physiology with a review of the immune system’s close relative, the lymph system.

The point of this series is to lay the groundwork for later topics as diverse as auto-immune and other disorders, nutrition, and health tips, and provide basic terminology if and when you are presented with information about common health topics such as infections and inflammation.

To begin, there are types of immunity: non-specific and specific, and there are different kinds of defensive cells: primarily white blood cells, immunoglobulins, and microphages and macrophages. Immunity is a way to protect against microbial and non-microbial invaders; while we refer frequently to living organisms, trauma from injury or as a result of disease are other primary factors that can rally the immune system into action.

Non-specific and specific defense immunity illustration courtesy of softchalk.com

Specific and Non-Specific
In a nutshell, non-specific (innate) immunity is the first line of defense against microbes and can tell the difference between “self” and not-self,” but cannot differentiate further. Specific (acquired/adaptive) defense can differentiateand respond to each foreigner uniquely.

Some of the players work in both innate and acquired immunity, some do not.

Part II: Innate Immunity: Where and How

1) THE SKIN AND MUCOUS MEMBRANES: mechanical and chemical defenses1) Anatomical: the skin and mucous membranes that line the gastrointestinal , reporductive, and respiratory tracts are the mechanical first-line-of-defense.

The tissue of the skin and mucous membranes are made up of densely packed cells and short of injury, prevent penetration of unwanted invaders.

Other mechanical barriers to microbes are tears, saliva, the hairs that line your nose, and the flow of urine.

In conjunctions with mechanical forces, chemical defenses prevent colonization of microbes by a shift in the acid-alkaline balance or through enzymatic action. For example, increased acidity in the stomach and on the skin, the presence of fatty acids in the oil glands of the skin, and the enzyme lysozyme in tears, saliva, and other body fluids.

2) ANTI-MICROBIAL SUBSTANCES: Complement, Factor P, and Interferon
Complement is a group of proteins present in blood serum. It is so named because it complements the immune system by enhancing its ability to recognize, attach and destroy invading microbes. Complement is activated in both non-specific and specific immunity.
Properdin, or Factor P, is another protein in blood serum that works with complement. Properdin triggers the inflammatory responses, enhances phagocytosis (see below), and neutralizes bacterial or viral invaders.
Interferons are proteins that communicate between cells, signaling a call-to-action and tracking locator for other immune cells to come find and fight.

3) PHAGOCYTOSIS
In a nutshell, the body produces cells that envelop and destroy foreign, invading substances, via a two-part mechanism, adherence and ingestion: the cell membrane of the phagocyte attaches to the microbe, traps it, engulfs it, and destroys it. Microphages and macrophages are the key immune cells of the phagocytic system, found all over the body, in the blood, bone marrow, tissue, lymph nodes, and organs (liver, lungs, brain, and spleen).

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems, Part II

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Trigger Point

A trigger point is an area of the muscle where normal physiologic activity has become disrupted, causing local pain and sometimes in an adjacent area. I (Tom) frequently see that trigger points in the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle at the front of the neck responsible for causing headaches on the side of the head. Trigger points also can reduce the normal range of motion in a muscle or cause it to be weak.

Trigger points can be caused by overuse or continuous contraction of a muscle, poor posture, traumatic injury, and even emotional stress. Let’s say for example, that when you sit at your computer, you are continually gripping your mouse. The muscles involved in this action stay shortened an unnatural length of time, and this creates trigger points that may produce carpal tunnel syndrome.

The only diagnostic test for a trigger point is palpation. When examining through touch the muscles that might be involved, a nodule (tightly bound area) or taut band of tissue is found to be exquisitely tender, evoking a response of recognition- as in, “yes, right there.”

Anatomy of a Muscle
A muscle contains many muscle fibers or cells that runs from its origin to its insertion. A nerve axon is attached to each muscle fiber. The area of attachment is known as the motor endplate or motor point. Motor points are usually found in the body of the muscle. Normally, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is released at one end of the motor endplate across the neuromuscular junction, to connect the muscle fibers, but where there is a trigger point, no acetylcholine is making the jump. Acupuncture with electrical stimulation invigorates this mechanism, effectively restarting it and knocking out the trigger points.

Most trigger points are usually found in the body of the muscle or at its origin or insertion. Every muscle has an origin and an insertion. The origin of a muscle attaches to a bone and does not move that bone. The area of insertion is where the muscle attaches to another bone, and when the muscle contracts, the insertion area moves closer to the origin. Muscles usually crosses a joint, this is what allows muscles movement.

Most trigger points are near motor points, and interestingly, a lot of acupuncture points are also located on or near motor points.

Trigger Point Types
There are two types of trigger points, active and latent. An active trigger point is the full manifestation of symptoms, from local and referred pain, to muscle weakness. A latent trigger point may show as loss of range of motion to a muscle, and may be accompanied by some local tenderness in the muscle.

Here’s where it gets tricky and why it’s important for an experienced practitioner to assess your problem: active trigger points can set off latent trigger points in the same area and become active, and this cascading effect can cause much discomfort. The aim is to knock them all out with treatment, not leave some behind!

Case Study
A patient came into my office complaining of sciatica pain down the back of her leg. I had her lay face down on the table, and proceeded to palpate her lower back and gluteal muscles. I found a taut band and exquisitely tender knots on her gluteus minimus muscle that elicited the pain that she had been feeling down the length of the leg. Based on experience, I knew it was a trigger point problem, and treated this muscle with acupuncture and electrical stimulation. The sciatic-like pain was gone after 3 treatments of releasing the trigger point and allowing her neural pathways to adjust.

Conclusion
Trigger points do affect the quality of our life in one way or another, but this does not have to be, for they can be treated easily and affectively with acupuncture. One way to prevent trigger points is through injurious habits. Be aware of repetitive movements at work and play that put unnecessary stress on muscles: this includes postural habits you may not be aware of.

It is important to see a western doctor for tests to rule out the origin of the pain, because trigger points sometimes mimic other conditions. Diagnostic tests for pinched nerves, slipped discs, or arthritis can determine if there is another underlying problem.

Why suffer with physical pain if you don’t have to? Put yourself on a pain-free path by taking care of you, through by proper exercising, diet, and receiving bodywork when needed. Be well!

Trigger Points

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

photo courtesy of the Mayo Clinic: normal bone (A) osteoporotic bone (B)

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone density loss. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is determined upon findings of at least 30% loss of bone mass. The test of choice is the DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry). The hip (at the femoral neck) and the mid-low back (lumbar vertebrae) are the most commonly affected areas, so these are the areas that are tested. The DEXA test is painless and quick.

Major risk factors for osteoporosis are:
Genetics- family history
BMI below 25% (<22kg/m2)
History of fracture in adulthood
History of cigarette smoking & current cigarette smoking

Additional, lesser risk factors are:
Lifelong inadequate calcium intake (a relatively weak risk factor)
Never pregnant
Caucasian
No physical activity
Leanness
Early menopause
Alcoholic
Long-acting benzodiazepines

Prevention is key, and treatment with calcium supplements and exercise can reverse osteoporosis if detected early. The rate of decline in bone density is most rapid in women within 2 years of menopause. The average age of menopause is 51, but depending on several factors (genetics, exercise, lifestyle, diet, and menstrual history), you might arrive there earlier or later. Therefore, while the medical establishment recommends having a DEXA scan at age 65, requesting one at menopause or shortly thereafter will indicate if you need to take preventive measures.

The recommended dose of calcium is 1,500 mg. Also recommended is drinking 48 ounces of water a day, limit alcohol intake (1 daily glass of wine), reduce sugar in the diet, and generally eat whole foods, something we admonish you to do on this site on a regular basis.

Exercise needs to be “pounding,” such as walking or jogging. The reason is that in osteoporosis, osteoblasts- the cells that build bone- are outnumbered by the osteoclasts- the cells that break bone down – and your activity is designed to increase the number of osteoblasts as the body’s natural response to the pounding on the pavement or a treadmill.
Yoga pulls at bone and creates a good stress {see Maximizing Potential], yes, but not as radically and efficiently as does plain old walking.

Food sources of calcium include the seaweeds kelp and dulse; greens: collards, kale, turnip, dandelion; seeds and nuts: almonds, sunflower; dairy: cottage cheese; brewer’s yeast; vegetables: watercress, edamame, olives, string beans, sweet potato, broccoli, carrots; dried fruit: apricots, figs, dates, raisins; grains: barley, brown rice; cooked dry beans; tofu; oranges.

Osteoporosis: Catching it Early

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

slow cooked fall vegetables and chops

As we transition into cold weather, the denser fall vegetables need to cook longer in order for their flavors to meld together. Not too much longer: 15-30 minutes additional time of slow-cooking gets the job done.

Meat is optional- it’s really all about giving your body the vegetables and grains in endless combinations of complex carbohydrates. This recipe is a template: the vegetables in this recipe were in the fridge, well-stocked from a recent trip to the store. You can make any combination of vegetables that pleases your palate, adjusting the flavor accents and quantities to your taste

Ingredients:
½ onion, sliced thinly then chopped into 1” pieces
1/8 medium kabosha (or any winter) squash, sliced thinly then chopped into ½” pieces
½ cups daikon or turnip, chopped as above
1 ½ cups brussel sprouts, quartered (to cook faster- they’re fresh and dense)
3 plum tomatoes, chopped in small chunks (can use canned)
10 small mushrooms, sliced and quartered
1 red pepper (we had small sweet peppers in yellow, orange, and red- in the market for a limited time and the priced to move), sliced lengthwise then cut into 1” pieces
1 small sweet potato, cut to ¼ inch cubes
4 cups washed greens, chopped and put aside until end
1 cup grain- this night we had ½ cup brown jasmine rice mixed with two different blends that have lentils and other grains such as oats, barley, and sweet rice in small amounts

2 boneless pork chops, marinated ahead of time for 2 hours in fridge
Marinade: olive oil (2 T), lemon (2 T), onion chopped (1/4 C), garlic- 4 cloves minced, cumin (2.5 tsp), turmeric (1/2 tsp), paprika (1/2 tsp), dash of chili powder (1/4 tsp), cilantro- dried (1/2) tsp

1. Heat oil in pan at medium heat, add onions and cook ‘til golden; add mushrooms, drizzling in a little water if the vegetables start to stick; add peppers and sauté until begin to wilt
2. Move vegetables to sides of pan and add pork chops; depending on thickness (these were about 1”), cook approximately 5 minutes each side.
3. Add the vegetables and pour over them any leftover marinade; add ¼ C water and cover, and lower flame to medium-low for a slow simmer.
4. Check every 15 minutes for fluid and turn the vegetables over so they are evenly cooked. About ½ of the vegetables will be above the fluid but after awhile they will throw off their juices and shrink into the spaces around and between the chops. Could have let these cook longer, will plan for that next time.
5. When vegetables seem ¾ done, add the greens and continue cooking.

There’s no set time to cook: mainly the vegetables should hold their shape yet gently soften and blend with each other.

Serve vegetables over the rice, spooning out some of the liquid for the rice to absorb. Serve pork chops on a separate plate (have a thing about scratching up our nice everyday bowls).

What’s for Dinner? Pork Chops with Vegetables and Rice

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

last night's pizza

Last night was a late work-night, when the prospect of making anything elaborate was out of the question. So we made pizza!

We have found home-made pizza has the benefits of being a substantial but light meal, and it’s healthy when loaded with the right ingredients. And, so far we’ve never had a flop- it’s that easy to do.

The main trick is using a pizza stone, good dough, and pre-heating the oven to 500 degrees for an hour. When the oven is that hot, the pizza stays in for only 10 minutes, essentially flash-roasting it, including uncooked meat such as sliced chicken sausage, and creating a crispy-crunchy crust.

We’re not purists enough to make our own dough but prefer a local pizza place’s dough to frozen store-bought. The toppings are chosen based on ingredients we have on hand. Please note: we are pedestrian in our tastes, but there’s no limit to topping combinations more sophisticated palates concoct.

We recommend the Gourmet Pizza Made Easy pizza kit because it has everything you need to get started: a pizza stone, a foldable bamboo paddle, a rolling cutter, and a how-to instruction book with recipes to get you started, and the price- about $35- makes it a steal. Here’s their site, where you can buy directly, or you can pick one up at Barnes & Noble or Borders.

Everything we learned about making pizza we learned from the Gourmet Pizza Made Easy people: how to work with the dough to maximize it’s flavor and make it easy to transfer from prep to oven and out when done, plus different toppings combinations.

And there’s more on their site we yet to try. But really, once you get the knack- and the learning curve is short- you have another malleable go-to recipe for busy weekends or late nights.

For last night’s pizza, the ingredients were, all in small handful portions:
leftover homemade tomato sauce
string beans
cherry tomatoes
garlic
onions
mushrooms
chili peppers
olives

We have learned, through trial-and-error, that a little goes a long way on a pizza for two. To keep it light and to limit dairy, most of the time we use a shredded soy or rice-based substitute for cheese. The same goes for sausage: a spicy soy-based sausage provides the kick without the heavier meat correlate.

The dough is hand-pressed into its shape (which comes out differently, each time), not over-handling, as the directions recommend. It is HIGHLY recommended to use parchment paper- that kitchen-god’s gift to mankind- under the dough, and use that to transfer the uncooked pizza onto the stone. You can put a little olive oil on the dough and/or some tomato sauce (jarred is perfectly fine), add your toppings, aiming for evenly-spaced but no need for perfection here, then put in the oven, setting the timer for 10 minutes.

Pour a glass of wine to get started, use the paddle to take the pizza out of the oven, and let it “sit” a few minutes before slicing, then enjoy!

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/q-whats-for-dinner-a-pizza

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

dried orange and tangerine peels with rock sugar

People always ask in a panic what they should do when they feel a cold coming on, and honestly, I (Carol) forget just as easily the minute those telltale signs appear. This year it seems cold season started earlier, in August, and this week I managed to fight one off using my arsenal of remedies.

I wrote about this simple remedy of dried citrus peel and rock sugar last year, but it’s worth sharing again, because everyone can keep this on hand, and it works. The dried citrus peels are loaded with vitamin C.

All you need is a handful of dried citrus peels from the orange variety (tangerines, mineolas, navels), a little rock sugar to take the slightly bitter edge of the citrus, and a couple of cups of water. Boil, then lower to a simmer for 30-45 minutes and drink this decoction: it soothing and yummy, an irresistible combination!

If you haven’t begun to save your citrus peels, start this fall and winter when they are plentiful:

• dry them in a brown lunch bag
• store them in a jar
• substitute honey or agave if you don’t have rock sugar on hand, which, incidentally, is found in the markets in Chinatown

A Simple Remedy to Avoid Getting That Cold

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice in two New York City locations: Flatiron & Greenwich Village.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.