Acupuncture Health Insights » Food Therapy

The Food Stagnation Blues

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:43:16 +0000

In Chinese medicine, they have this condition called food stagnation, in which the food you have eaten just doesn’t move. I have had food food stagnation only once, but it was memorable. It happened after a long and difficult airline flight with my children when they were small, and all the food I had eaten during that day just sat. It was like my stomach was closed for business, and the food wasn’t moving. I went out and ran a little, thinking I’d get . . . → Read More: The Food Stagnation Blues

The Nine Biggest Weight Loss Mistakes

Lynn Jaffee — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:25:17 +0000

Several years ago, I worked with Ralph, a guy in his mid forties who was experiencing back and leg pain. Ralph came for acupuncture once a week for quite a while. After his treatments, his back and legs would be better for a few days, but the pain always came back. The problem was that Ralph was carrying around a beer gut that had to weigh about 50 pounds, and it was putting an incredible strain on Ralph’s back and the back of his . . . → Read More: The Nine Biggest Weight Loss Mistakes

Is This Food?

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:40:03 +0000

If you think you’re getting one of your five daily servings of fruit and vegetables from the blueberries in your bagels, think again. This morning I read an article in the paper about how the blueberries in bagels and some breakfast cereals are nothing more than a carefully crafted blend of sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, artificial flavors, and a your favorite food dyes. Not blueberries? WTF?

What’s worse, the pictures on the packaging of these products suggest that the food inside is fruit-filled . . . → Read More: Is This Food?

What You Need to Know About Inflammation

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:27:00 +0000

What do heart disease, stroke, arthritis, colitis, fibromyalgia, lupus, MS, diabetes, chronic fatigue, and Alzheimer’s have in common? Well, yes, they’re all diseases, but the A+ answer is that they are all caused by or associated with inflammation.

Scientists are finding that the common cause in a long list of illnesses is an inflammatory process that’s run out of control. Inflammation is controlled by a group of hormones called prostaglandins, some of which promote, and others that reduce inflammation. You can affect these hormones . . . → Read More: What You Need to Know About Inflammation

Obesity, Dampness, and Chinese Medicine

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:40:50 +0000

Imagine for a moment a farmer’s field in the countryside that’s green and rolling. With the right amount of sunshine and rain, the field produces healthy crops. In fact, when it rains, the plants in the field are nourished and turn a little greener and grow a little taller. But then it rains some more. And it keeps raining. And raining. After awhile that field becomes saturated. The moisture settles in puddles in the low spots, creating muddy areas. The plants in those muddy . . . → Read More: Obesity, Dampness, and Chinese Medicine

The Chinese Restaurant Diet

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:56:57 +0000

One of the components of Chinese medicine is food therapy. This means that I frequently talk with my patients about their food choices. Occasionally, a patient will ask me, “Exactly what should I be eating?”, and my answer is to eat lots of veggies, a little protein, and whole grains. However, more and more frequently my answer is to eat like you’re in a Chinese restaurant.

You may not think that the deep fried sesame shrimp from your local Chinese restaurant is the healthiest, . . . → Read More: The Chinese Restaurant Diet

Thirteen Truths About Weight Loss

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:53:49 +0000

Weight loss is a popular topic and a multi-billion dollar industry for a reason. I have found that it is the rare person who is perfectly happy with their weight. Most people are either trying to drop a few pounds, lose a lot of weight, or trying hard simply to maintain their current weight.

Why are so many people struggling with the numbers on their bathroom scale? There are so many answers—we live in a land of abundance, we eat the wrong foods, we . . . → Read More: Thirteen Truths About Weight Loss

Heat Wave!

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:45:37 +0000

Baby, it’s hot outside, and some of my patients are starting to show the strain. Hot flashes are worse, people are hot and thirsty, and tempers are flaring.

Much of Chinese medicine is based on the idea that we humans are part of the natural world, and as such, we’re greatly affected by our environment. Seasonal changes and extreme weather can by physically stressful and wreak havoc with our health. Therefore, when it’s dry outside we get dry conditions, such as a scratchy sore . . . → Read More: Heat Wave!

Eat to Feed Your Heart

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:00:18 +0000

The Chinese view food as medicine that you get to eat three times a day. Food can nourish, heal, and give you energy.

Simple, right? Well, maybe not so simple if you are trying to lose weight, maintain your weight, cut out carbs, ditch the fats, or restrict your diet in ways that are unhealthy. If this is the case, then for you food may feel a little bit like the enemy.

My initial topic for this post was truths about weight loss. However, . . . → Read More: Eat to Feed Your Heart

My Twenty Best Weight Loss Tips

Lynn Jaffee — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:42:47 +0000

I have certain articles of clothing in my closet that shrink every winter. They fit me when I wore them the previous summer, but after a long winter, during that first whiff of spring when the sun beckons me to wear something other than corduroy or fleece, every pair of shorts I own have betrayed me by not getting past my hips.

Okay, I admit that I have a hand in this, and while it seems unlikely to have happened to me (!) the . . . → Read More: My Twenty Best Weight Loss Tips