A Simple Remedy to Avoid Getting that Cold!

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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 over 30 years 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 at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: Conditions Treated, Health Tips, Nourishing You, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems, Part 1: Inflammation in a Nutshell

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courtesy of digital thermal imaging, showing back pain originating from inflammation in the (R) kidney

Large or small, inside or outside, wherever injury occurs the body’s defenses set off a cascade of players to deal with the tissue damage (inflammation system) and keep strangers out (immune system). Whether you bump your elbow, get a splinter, or have an autoimmune disorder, the same sequence unfolds, aimed to restore order and heal you, naturally.

This series will cover the major components present where injury to tissue occurs. It’s a fascinating, complex process, with a lot of moving parts in a rapid sequence of events. We begin with a discussion of inflammation, and move on to immunity, inflammatory conditions, health tips, and related topics in future posts.

Inflammation is characterized by four cardinal signs:
Redness
Pain
Heat
Swelling

The inflammatory response serves to stop bleeding and wall off the injured area to prevent further damage to the local tissue. This unfolds as a natural process beginning with acute-phase and transitioning into chronic-phase responses.

1. Acute-phase response has active two stages, the vascular stage and the cellular stage.

a. During the vascular stage, the blood vessels first respond by constricting, then rapidly dilate (enlarge). The blood vessels that supply the area also dilate to allow fluid and plasma proteins to move out of the vessels and into the surrounding (interstitial) spaces, causing the swelling, heat, pain, and redness associated with acute-phase inflammation.

b. During the cellular phase, the capillaries become permeable for the delivery of immune factors, nutrients, and blood-clotting factors.

Chemical mediators produce the signs and symptoms of inflammation at both the vascular and cellular stages. These mediators perform an array of functions that keep the intricate process moving forward step-by-step, with the ultimate purpose of stopping the damage and returning the system to homeostasis. We will cover some of these in future posts.

2. Chronic-phase responses can become long-lasting if not treated. Some chronic-phase injuries are local (shoulder pain) and some are systemic (autoimmune disease). Foreign substances, both living (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites) and non-living (example: splinters) can also underlie chronic inflammation.

Chronic-phase responses put an additional demand on the body’s resources, hence the reason why we stress the importance of quality nutrition that supplies the raw material for all the body’s functions.

The Inflammatory and Immune Response Systems, Part 1: Inflammation in a Nutshell

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years 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 at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, All Things Food, Conditions Treated, Health Tips, Nourishing You, Stress Busters, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Preserving Hot Peppers

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hot peppers from the greenmarket

Update: Ha! Since I wrote this post we’ve moved to Colorado, where hot peppers abound. Costco has a pounds of scorched-and-peeled green chilies in the freezer section. Comparatively, the trend is just beginning to take hold in New York.

There’s something addictive about the inside-out flavor hot pepper can impart to a dish, and the greenmarket is full of them right now, so my thoughts (Carol) began to percolate about preserving them to have that flavor in the coming winter months.

Casting about for a proven method, it seems from reviews across the internet that the freeze-raw method is the most popular, but I tried two methods: the freeze-raw method with the small and skinny ones, and the roast-then-freeze method with the larger and rounder ones.

Preserving hot peppers takes minutes to prep. I recommend you use gloves to avoid the onerous effects you can get from even washed hands near your eyes, nose, or face.

1. Start by cleaning the peppers and letting them dry.

2. Cut off the ends, slice lengthwise, and remove the pulpy core and seeds.

3a. To freeze: place on cookie sheet or flat plate in batches and freeze, then put in a freezer bag for storage

3b. To roast, then freeze: place in 375-degree oven until darkened, about 1 hour, check every 20 minutes to be safe; skin while hot, let cool, and freeze as above

In both instances, freezing the peppers on the flat surface keeps them from sticking together for longer storage. Pack tightly to avoid the icy buildup that comes with months in the freezer.

Preserving Hot Peppers

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years 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 at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: Nourishing You Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Official Fifth Season: Late Summer

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keep a scarf on hand in case it gets cold, as the weather changes from summer to fall

Late summer is the period of transition from the heat of summer to the coolness of fall, that brings with it sudden changes in temperature and climactic conditions. Late summer is a time when dampness and heat prevail first, then give way to fluctuations that bring wind and dryness with the cooling off from high temperatures.

We have been entering the fifth season in New York City since early August this year, though late summer generally runs from late August to late September or early October (as in “Indian summer”).

At this time, our bodies are challenged more than the usual to adapt to these changes. All summer long we have already been in been in and out of (natural) heat and (unnatural) air-conditioning, and this continues into the late summer season.

Asking the body to keep regulating itself, back-and-forth, can tire us out, and leave us susceptible. An analogy might be the walled cities of yore: the gates were guarded, but if a gate was accidentally left open, invaders could easily enter and cause mayhem.

Chinese medicine has a correlate to the western immune system, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s say this time of year often brings sudden onset-type illnesses which resolve quickly with the appropriate intervention.

Our best bet to keep the gate of our immune systen well-guarded during this season is to double-down on our health practices, including quality nutrition (easy to do when fresh vegetables are plentiful in the markets), extra vitamin C & D, and adequate rest. Also, carrying an extra layer- shirt/sweater/scarf- when you leave the house will help you adjust to the sudden climactic changes.

The Official Fifth Season: Late Summer

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years 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 at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: Conditions Treated, Health Tips, Nourishing You, Theory Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salsa Verde

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Salsa Verde

There’s nothing in the world quite like freshly-made green salsa, and once you make this, you’ll never want to spend a fortune on the jarred version again. It’s also super-easy to assemble.

Green Salsa Verde

Green Salsa Verde

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of tomatillos- look for small and uniform size to make broiling easier
1-2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup of chopped cilantro, or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Pre-heat the broiler. Slice the tomatillos in half and place in roasting pan (see photo). Broil 4-7 minutes (depends on your broiler).

2. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Voila!

Green salsa will last about a week in the fridge stored in a sealed glass container, and
can be used in a burrito or on top, as a dip with chips, and as an accent flavor with fish, pork, and stir-fry’s.

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/salsa-verde

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years 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 at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Food, Cooking Basics, Health Tips, Recipes, Uncategorized, You Are What You Eat Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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