Health Archives - Page 4 of 4

Winter: the Kidneys Season

Written by ahatucson on May 2, 2019. Posted in Health, Informational.

Winter: the Kidneys Season –Tucson Acupuncturist Juan Tejada

The Kidneys are more sensitive in the winter, they don’t like the cold. So avoid sitting or standing in cold wet places. It is also a good idea to eat foods that increase our Kidneys energy; so we can be healthy through the winter and prepare for spring. Our Kidney/Bladder system is responsible for many functions in our bodies, the most important are; reproduction, development, bone and marrow production and the management of the water metabolism.

The following article by Diane Joswick, L. AC, MSOM has some great suggestions on how to take care of the Kidneys.

Short cut to Health and Harmony

Oriental Medicine is based on the balance of the “QI”. As the saying goes “Go with the flow”, by flowing and following the “QI guidelines,” a person can maintain and improve his/her health throughout the year. Each season of the year has a specific energy; winter is the season of the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder system.

Water-Winter-Cold
This is the time when Yang Qi becomes weak and Yin Qi becomes stronger; so we need to conserve energy and build strength to be ready for spring. Storing our reserves is vital for the strength of our kidneys. It is advisable to eat more food with salty, sour, and bitter flavors. Eating excess glutinous, uncooked, and cold food damages the kidneys, spleen, and stomach, and should be taken in moderation. Foods with more oils help to retain warmth.

The energy of the Kidney is in charge of reproduction, development, bone and marrow production, the water metabolism, plus many other functions. To keep this system healthy we can eat what makes our Kidneys strong. For example; the salty taste nourishes kidney Qi as in sea veggies, sea salt, black kidney beans, adzuki beans, black soybeans, burdock root, pork, salt water fish, walnuts, black sesame seeds, dark leafy greens, figs, kombu tea, shiitake, cucumber, reishi, and daikon. When the kidney Qi is deficient, nourish it with combined sea and land vegetable dishes such as dried daikon in stew or dark leafy greens in fish stew.

A person with a weak Kidneys system tends to be fearful, weak willpower, insecure, aloof, and isolated and feels cold all the time. There is not enough energy to pursue her/his dreams and goals, or to share with others, and has little faith or confidence in his/her ability to make things happen.

A balanced Kidney system manifests as strong desire/will, and courage to make important changes in her/his life are. Self-confidence is known to be housed in and reflected by our kidney Qi which becomes strong from foods, exercises such as Qi-Gong, and spiritual growth, as well as the courage to find, believe in, and move towards our higher goals and dreams. When we positively activate and direct water energy the planning and manifesting the life’s goals becomes easier.

So by adjusting your diet for the Seasons and doing exercise like Qi-Gong, you can be well and balanced year round.

Acupuncture for Depression

Written by ahatucson on May 2, 2019. Posted in Health, Informational.

Juan R. Tejada L.Ac., MSOM – Tucson Acupuncturist – American Health Acupuncture

ACUPUNCTURE FOR DEPRESSION

Depression is easily and successfully healed with Traditional Chinese Medicine!

Why do I say that? Because my daughter Sara was healed several years ago; thanks to that episode in my daughter’s life I became an Acupuncturist and have successfully helped many patients suffering from it.

Unfortunately the anti-depressive medications do not work and the illness becomes more complex and difficult to treat.

In our practice at American Health Acupuncture we help effectively those suffering from depression using the Oriental Medicine principle that balance is the key to health. We use several approaches depending on the condition, among them Acupuncture, Medicinal Chinese Herbs, Hypnotherapy, Hypnopuncture and Life Style Counseling. If you, a family member or a friend is suffering from this condition, good news, that there is a way to heal yourself naturally.

Food Helps Back Pain – Tucson Acupuncturist Recipe

Written by ahatucson on April 4, 2019. Posted in Health, Recipes.

7130 North Omar Drive Tucson AZ 520-544-6603

Food Helps Back Pain – Tucson Acupuncturist Recipe By Juan Tejada | Acupuncturist

I work with a lot of patients suffering from low back pain. In Oriental Medicine the lower back is the Kidneys’ territory. So if no trauma is reported by the patient, we treat the kidneys to reduce the pain and with time, heal it. There are several reasons why the kidneys can cause low back pain. For example: Energy (Chi) Deficiency, Kidneys too cold or too hot… Of course you can help yourself with medicinal food. So here is a recipe to get and keep your kidneys strong and healthy with this Food Helps Back Pain Tucson Acupuncturist recipe.

Juan’s Beef (Bone Marrow) Soup

3 lbs. of beef bones with marrow, (Bison- is our preferred favorite)

2 lbs. of beef soup meat (cubed)

1 organic lime or lemon (may substitute ¼ cup raw Organic apple cider vinegar)

3 bay leaves

1 lb. of organic red potatoes (cubed) – we substitute yucca root

3 medium size organic carrots (sliced)

1 bundle of organic collard greens or kale (cut in half inch length)

1 medium size organic Onion (cubed)

7 cloves of organic garlic (minced)

1 tbsp of organic ginger (grated) (Ginger warms the spleen, so the digestion works better.)

Put the bones in 7 cups of water, squeeze the juice of the lime/lemon in the water and then add the bay leaves. (Note: The juice of lime or lemon is very important to help the extract the calcium from the bones.) Bring it to boiling and lower the heat to simmer for two hours. Then remove the bones & Bay leaves. Add the soup meat and let come to a boil.

Now add the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, ginger and the greens in the boiling pot. At this time, add salt and your favorite seasonings, like; Mexican, Italian, Hindu (I make it a different flavor each time) and so on. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, let it cool a bit and serve! ¡Buen Apetito!

4 easiest ways to cook your bone marrow bones:

1- Our Preferred method: Electric pressure cooker with a timer (no evaporation and only 4 hours on high temp) Note: the Longer you cook them the more your leach the good stuff out from them. We usually set our Electric pressure cooker on the highest (canning) setting and cycle it several times for about a total of 6 hrs and then overnight on slow cooking setting for 12 hours. Yeah- about 18 hours- might as well get all the benefits!

2- Slow cooker- 12 hours approx. (monitor water levels)

3- On the side burner of your grill (boil 3-4 hours monitor water levels)

4- On your stove top (boil 3-4 hours monitor water levels)

(Hint: I prefer to cook outside – keeping my home free from food odors from the above 3 examples.)

(Remember to always add and cook the 3 Key Ingredients “Holy Trinity” to your broth- whether making it with other ingredients or not to remove the acidity from the beef bones. The Holy Trinity is also known as: onion, garlic, and ginger.)

Bone Broth or Bone Marrow Broth, it’s a good natural medicine. For over 22 years our Tucson Acupuncturist Juan Tejada has shared his recipe with thousands of his acupuncture patients.

Recently- a wave of Bone Broth products have come out on the market. This has created some confusion to what is the best for our patients. Juan says 1st and foremost recommends:

1- Natural real beef bones with marrow prepared into his broth recipe and then used in soups or consumed as liquid/broth are the absolute best way to get all the nutrition and health benefits. (Source your meat and bones from pasture raised and pasture finished)

Note VERY IMPORTANT: Juan’s Bone Broth recipe – uses Traditional Chinese Medicine’s ancient knowledge of using lime/lemon juice to boil the bones to extract the calcium from the bones. AND utilizes 3 key ingredients to take out the acidity from the beef bones.

2- Do not use chicken bones- they are too hot – especially for women.

So needless to say- There are no shortcuts to good health! Just take a little time and do it! Make the real deal and gain the benefits. YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Learn more about real Bone Broth: https://www.ahatucson.com/ancient-traditional-chinese-medicine-facts-about-bone-broth/

What Hydrates – What Dehydrates

Written by ahatucson on February 28, 2019. Posted in Health.

Acupuncturist Juan Tejada gives an example of nutritional counseling included during a New Patient Exam Consultation which all acupuncture patients receive when beginning their wellness process at our local Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Clinic.

What hydrates – What dehydrates!

Many times patients come into our office asking our acupuncturist about ways to feel better. The conversation covers many subjects, but one of the big key factors to health is our body’s hydration.

Our patients share with us the amount of soda, coffee, and sports drinks like Gatorade that they drink. Many do not know that these beverages dehydrate the body so they need to drink more water to be hydrated.

Some experts say that we need to drink at least 1/2 gallon of water to keep our bodies hydrated.
You will actually need to drink equal amounts of water that you consumed in soda or coffee just to flush out the sugar and caffeine, then drink the daily portion of water just to remain at your optimum best.

Think of your body as an automobile… if you don’t put the right amount of fluids (gas and oil) in it…it will begin to run badly and eventually die. The body is the same, it needs water to function correctly. Our blood gets thick when not fully hydrated, our heart works harder to pump this slush and the extra effort causes heart palpitations or worse. Also, the brain doesn’t get enough blood and gets hot…so headaches or migraines can happen.

We want you to be healthy so we encourage you to drink filtered water instead of sodas, sports drinks…
In case you dislike the unflavored part of drinking water, squeeze a little lime or lemon juice and ad an small pinch of sea salt in a glass of water. This will help your body to process the water better and keep you hydrated!

Juan Tejada L.Ac., offers several choices of treatments at his Tucson Acupuncture clinic where he practices Traditional Chinese Medicine. Learn more about this natural medicine and why we are…
So much more than just needles!

Category: Health