| Professional Edition Volume 1 Issue 11 November 15, 2007 |
Newsletter for Acupuncture Practitioners sponsored by Ashi Research |
Sea Kelp Ancient Healing Seaweed
By JD Stratis
Sea kelp is among the oldest surviving species on Planet Earth. Biologists think that marine algae may be the
roots of virtually all land vegetables we recognize today. The 1st recorded consumption of sea kelp as a nutrient
source dates back to 300 B.C. in China. Remainders of "Stone Age" sea kelp meals have been detected in South
Africa. Pythagorus, the Greek mathematician, touched on sea kelp in his dietary writings. Sea kelp has constituted
a pillar of the conventional Japanese diet for thousands of years.
Sea kelp remains have actually been detected in 10,000 yr old Japanese entombment knolls. Additionally,
numerous ancient Polynesian and Asian civilizations applied sea kelp as honorable offerings to gods and foods
appropriate for royalty. Sea kelp plays a useful role in industry, as well. In the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe,
Sea kelp was combusted for ash required to create glass and soap and fire industries throughout the continent.
Currently, sea kelp and ocean vegetables are exploited for drugs, including anticoagulants, antibiotics, antihelmenthes (anti-parasite),
antihypertensive agents, reducers of blood cholesterol, dilatory agents and insecticides. Deep-sea kelp has excellent nutritional qualities.
They send the vitalities of the sea kelp to a human body as an abundant source of nutrients. By weight, along with plant herbs, sea kelps
are greater in vitamins and minerals than any other food. Sea kelps are one of nature's most fertile reservoirs of vegetable protein, and sea
kelp provides full-spectrum densities of beta carotene, chlorophyl, enzymes, amino acids and fiber. The characteristic saline sense of
taste isn't simply "common salt," but a proportionate, chelated combination of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron
and trace minerals. Sea kelp assist in re-mineralizing us. They convert unstructured ocean minerals into natural mineralized salts that
meld with amino acids. Our bodies utilise these combinations as the perfect manner to assimilate useful nutrients for functional building
blocks.
Sea kelp contains all the requisite trace elements for living, several of which are deficient in the Earth's soil. Our body's organic structure
fluids have the identical chemical constitution as deep-sea water. The equivalent 56 constituents that circulate in the sea flow through our
veins. Sea kelp chemical makeup is so similar to humanlike plasma, many researchers believe the most important benefit from deep-sea
kelp is balancing our intestinal system. Sea kelp acts as the ocean's purifiers, and executes many of the same roles for our bodies.
The plentiful antioxidant qualities of sea kelp are efficient toxin scavengers in the case of detoxification. Sea kelps assist in alkalizing and
normalizing our bodies from the over-acid results of our modern-day diets. Sea kelp strengthens us versus disease, and thins out surplus
stores of fluid and fatty tissue. Sea kelp grows in green (blue-green algae), brown and red.
By JD Stratis
Sea kelp is among the oldest surviving species on Planet Earth. Biologists think that marine algae may be the
roots of virtually all land vegetables we recognize today. The 1st recorded consumption of sea kelp as a nutrient
source dates back to 300 B.C. in China. Remainders of "Stone Age" sea kelp meals have been detected in South
Africa. Pythagorus, the Greek mathematician, touched on sea kelp in his dietary writings. Sea kelp has constituted
a pillar of the conventional Japanese diet for thousands of years.
Sea kelp remains have actually been detected in 10,000 yr old Japanese entombment knolls. Additionally,
numerous ancient Polynesian and Asian civilizations applied sea kelp as honorable offerings to gods and foods
appropriate for royalty. Sea kelp plays a useful role in industry, as well. In the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe,
Sea kelp was combusted for ash required to create glass and soap and fire industries throughout the continent.
Currently, sea kelp and ocean vegetables are exploited for drugs, including anticoagulants, antibiotics, antihelmenthes (anti-parasite),
antihypertensive agents, reducers of blood cholesterol, dilatory agents and insecticides. Deep-sea kelp has excellent nutritional qualities.
They send the vitalities of the sea kelp to a human body as an abundant source of nutrients. By weight, along with plant herbs, sea kelps
are greater in vitamins and minerals than any other food. Sea kelps are one of nature's most fertile reservoirs of vegetable protein, and sea
kelp provides full-spectrum densities of beta carotene, chlorophyl, enzymes, amino acids and fiber. The characteristic saline sense of
taste isn't simply "common salt," but a proportionate, chelated combination of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron
and trace minerals. Sea kelp assist in re-mineralizing us. They convert unstructured ocean minerals into natural mineralized salts that
meld with amino acids. Our bodies utilise these combinations as the perfect manner to assimilate useful nutrients for functional building
blocks.
Sea kelp contains all the requisite trace elements for living, several of which are deficient in the Earth's soil. Our body's organic structure
fluids have the identical chemical constitution as deep-sea water. The equivalent 56 constituents that circulate in the sea flow through our
veins. Sea kelp chemical makeup is so similar to humanlike plasma, many researchers believe the most important benefit from deep-sea
kelp is balancing our intestinal system. Sea kelp acts as the ocean's purifiers, and executes many of the same roles for our bodies.
The plentiful antioxidant qualities of sea kelp are efficient toxin scavengers in the case of detoxification. Sea kelps assist in alkalizing and
normalizing our bodies from the over-acid results of our modern-day diets. Sea kelp strengthens us versus disease, and thins out surplus
stores of fluid and fatty tissue. Sea kelp grows in green (blue-green algae), brown and red.
Herbs "more helpful" than drugs for period pain
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A study involving nearly 3,500 women in several countries suggests that Chinese herbs
might be more effective in relieving menstrual cramps than drugs, acupuncture or heat compression. Australia-based
researchers said herbs not only relieved pain, but reduced the recurrence of the condition over three months,
according to the Cochrane Library journal. "All available measures of effectiveness confirmed the overall superiority of
Chinese herbal medicine to placebo, no treatment, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), OCPs (oral
contraceptive pill), acupuncture and heat compression," said lead author Xiaoshu Zhu from the Centre for
Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney.
Period pain affects as many as 50 percent of women of reproductive age and between 60 percent to 85 percent of
teenaged girls, leading to absences from school and work. While the cause is still under debate, it is believed to be linked to an imbalance
in ovarian hormones. Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat the condition for hundreds of years and women are increasingly
looking for non-drug treatments.
The survey involved 39 trials -- 36 in China, and one each in Taiwan, Japan and the Netherlands. Participants given herbal concoctions
were prescribed herbs that regulated their 'qi' (energy) and blood, warmed their bodies and boosted their kidney and liver functions. Some
of these include Chinese angelica root (danggui), Szechuan lovage root (chuanxiong), red peony root (chishao), white peony root
(baishao), Chinese motherwort (yimucao), fennel fruit (huixiang), nut-grass rhizome (xiangfu), liquorice root (gancao) and cinnamon bark
(rougui).
In one trial involving 36 women, 53 percent of those who took herbs reported less pain than usual compared with 26 percent in the placebo
group. But the researchers said more studies were needed because of the relatively small numbers of participants in each of the trials.
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A study involving nearly 3,500 women in several countries suggests that Chinese herbs
might be more effective in relieving menstrual cramps than drugs, acupuncture or heat compression. Australia-based
researchers said herbs not only relieved pain, but reduced the recurrence of the condition over three months,
according to the Cochrane Library journal. "All available measures of effectiveness confirmed the overall superiority of
Chinese herbal medicine to placebo, no treatment, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), OCPs (oral
contraceptive pill), acupuncture and heat compression," said lead author Xiaoshu Zhu from the Centre for
Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney.
Period pain affects as many as 50 percent of women of reproductive age and between 60 percent to 85 percent of
teenaged girls, leading to absences from school and work. While the cause is still under debate, it is believed to be linked to an imbalance
in ovarian hormones. Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat the condition for hundreds of years and women are increasingly
looking for non-drug treatments.
The survey involved 39 trials -- 36 in China, and one each in Taiwan, Japan and the Netherlands. Participants given herbal concoctions
were prescribed herbs that regulated their 'qi' (energy) and blood, warmed their bodies and boosted their kidney and liver functions. Some
of these include Chinese angelica root (danggui), Szechuan lovage root (chuanxiong), red peony root (chishao), white peony root
(baishao), Chinese motherwort (yimucao), fennel fruit (huixiang), nut-grass rhizome (xiangfu), liquorice root (gancao) and cinnamon bark
(rougui).
In one trial involving 36 women, 53 percent of those who took herbs reported less pain than usual compared with 26 percent in the placebo
group. But the researchers said more studies were needed because of the relatively small numbers of participants in each of the trials.
| Ashi Pain Relief Products New Solution for Practitioners! Click here to order |
CONTENTS
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GastroIntestinal Reflux Disorder (GIRD) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
By Richard Heft
GastroIntestinal Reflux Disorder (GIRD) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) are two common digestive
disorders that share similar symptoms: heartburn (burning sensation and or pain in the stomach and or chest,
behind the breastbone), abdominal bloating, gas, nausea, shortness of breath and or acidic or sour taste in the
throat. Both are generally caused by poor diet: too building or too cleansing.
Digestion is a very simple process. Food is taken via the mouth, chewed, mixed with saliva and sent down via the
throat and esophagus into the stomach, where it is mixed with acid and enzymes. This mixture sits and ferments
(souring process) before being sent down into the small intestines for further digestion and eventual nutrient
absorption into the bloodstream.
The major symptom of GIRD and GERD is heartburn. Heartburn is usually caused by a back up of hydrochloric acid (HCl) into esophagus,
irritating and or burning sensitive tissues. HCl is produced by the stomach. Its back flow is generally prevented by esophageal sphincter
muscles that control the opening and closing of the valve, which connects the throat to the stomach. When these muscles become weak,
back flow, heartburn can occur.
Weak sphincter muscles can be caused by poor, anemic diet. Protein and fat build and fuel all structure and function. Everything else (fruit,
vegetables and grains) reduces, cleanses, cools and moistens. Low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate diets (grain, pasta, bread,
salads, raw vegetables, fruit, especially tropical, juices, etc.).
High carbohydrate foods, fruit, vegetables, especially when eaten at the beginning of the meal, tend to dilute and weaken digestive acid
and enzymes, producing abdominal bloating, gas, nausea, reflux and in the extreme, heartburn, acid indigestion.
Overeating, especially protein, fat and starch can also produce the same symptoms. The digestive tract, mouth, throat, stomach and small
intestines are more or less one long tube (25+ feet) that connects to another long tube, large intestines before exiting the anus. Food and
fluids, digestive energy moves down. Overeating can clog any part of the tube causing a back flow of energy, food and fluids, just like a
clogged drain that backs up and overflows. Back flow is generally prevented by valves in the throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestines,
etc. that open and close. Overeating, eating too fast or disorderly can clog, jam the valves causing reflux, heartburn, etc.
GIRD and GERD that are caused by poor diet can generally be cured by proper diet.
The following diet, meal plan will generally prevent and or cure most cases of GIRD and GERD. There are always exceptions.
1/3 Protein and fat (meat, eggs, chicken,. cheese, beans, etc.). One protein per meal.
1/3 Grain (rice, noodles, bread, etc.)
1/3 Vegetables, cooked (3-5), fruit (1)
Spices (cumin, coriander, fennel, etc.), tea
Reduce salads, tropical fruits, cold drinks, milk, yogurt and cottage cheese.
GIRD and GERD can also be caused by pregnancy, excess weight and or tight clothing.
Author, Hot and Cold Health; Acupuncture Physician (FL 1992-2002); Owner, operator Food and Thought, health food store, Hollywood, FL
(1984-2001); Questioned and counseled 30,000+; "What do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"; Cooking teacher; Chi gung
practitioner, daily, outdoors, since 1988; Web: http://www.hotandcoldhealth.net
By Richard Heft
GastroIntestinal Reflux Disorder (GIRD) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) are two common digestive
disorders that share similar symptoms: heartburn (burning sensation and or pain in the stomach and or chest,
behind the breastbone), abdominal bloating, gas, nausea, shortness of breath and or acidic or sour taste in the
throat. Both are generally caused by poor diet: too building or too cleansing.
Digestion is a very simple process. Food is taken via the mouth, chewed, mixed with saliva and sent down via the
throat and esophagus into the stomach, where it is mixed with acid and enzymes. This mixture sits and ferments
(souring process) before being sent down into the small intestines for further digestion and eventual nutrient
absorption into the bloodstream.
The major symptom of GIRD and GERD is heartburn. Heartburn is usually caused by a back up of hydrochloric acid (HCl) into esophagus,
irritating and or burning sensitive tissues. HCl is produced by the stomach. Its back flow is generally prevented by esophageal sphincter
muscles that control the opening and closing of the valve, which connects the throat to the stomach. When these muscles become weak,
back flow, heartburn can occur.
Weak sphincter muscles can be caused by poor, anemic diet. Protein and fat build and fuel all structure and function. Everything else (fruit,
vegetables and grains) reduces, cleanses, cools and moistens. Low protein, low fat and high carbohydrate diets (grain, pasta, bread,
salads, raw vegetables, fruit, especially tropical, juices, etc.).
High carbohydrate foods, fruit, vegetables, especially when eaten at the beginning of the meal, tend to dilute and weaken digestive acid
and enzymes, producing abdominal bloating, gas, nausea, reflux and in the extreme, heartburn, acid indigestion.
Overeating, especially protein, fat and starch can also produce the same symptoms. The digestive tract, mouth, throat, stomach and small
intestines are more or less one long tube (25+ feet) that connects to another long tube, large intestines before exiting the anus. Food and
fluids, digestive energy moves down. Overeating can clog any part of the tube causing a back flow of energy, food and fluids, just like a
clogged drain that backs up and overflows. Back flow is generally prevented by valves in the throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestines,
etc. that open and close. Overeating, eating too fast or disorderly can clog, jam the valves causing reflux, heartburn, etc.
GIRD and GERD that are caused by poor diet can generally be cured by proper diet.
The following diet, meal plan will generally prevent and or cure most cases of GIRD and GERD. There are always exceptions.
1/3 Protein and fat (meat, eggs, chicken,. cheese, beans, etc.). One protein per meal.
1/3 Grain (rice, noodles, bread, etc.)
1/3 Vegetables, cooked (3-5), fruit (1)
Spices (cumin, coriander, fennel, etc.), tea
Reduce salads, tropical fruits, cold drinks, milk, yogurt and cottage cheese.
GIRD and GERD can also be caused by pregnancy, excess weight and or tight clothing.
Author, Hot and Cold Health; Acupuncture Physician (FL 1992-2002); Owner, operator Food and Thought, health food store, Hollywood, FL
(1984-2001); Questioned and counseled 30,000+; "What do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"; Cooking teacher; Chi gung
practitioner, daily, outdoors, since 1988; Web: http://www.hotandcoldhealth.net
Medicinal uses of pumpkin
Expel intestinal parasites:
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a long history of the use of pumpkin seeds (peeled raw seeds) to expel intestinal parasites such
as tape worms, round worms, and schistosomiasis. A popular remedy for parasitic worms in the digestive tract is to mix pumpkin seeds
and onion with a little soy milk. To make this remedy, use a blender to liquefy three tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, one-half of a small
onion, one-half cup of soy milk, and one teaspoon of honey. Take this mixture three times daily, three days in a row. It is a very safe remedy
for children and pregnant women.
Prostatic hyperplasia:
Pumpkin seed oil has been used to effectively reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate, or prostatic hyperplasia. Researchers have
suggested the zinc, free fatty acid, and plant sterol contents of pumpkin seeds might account for their benefit to men with prostatic
hyperplasia. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is classified into two stages. Stage 1 is manifested with frequent urination and numerous
interruptions of sleep during the night. Stage 2 shows symptoms include urgency and incomplete emptying of the bladder. Pumpkin seeds
are considered an alternative treatment for both stage 1 and 2 benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Kidney stones:
Studies have found that eating pumpkin seeds as a snack can help prevent the most common type of kidney stone, called a calcium
oxalate stone. Pumpkin seeds appear to reduce levels of substances that promote stone formation in the urine and to increase levels of
substances that inhibit stone formation. The active constituents of pumpkin seeds responsible for this action have not been identified. As
much as 10 grams per day of pumpkin seeds may be needed for kidney stone prevention. In addition, pumpkin seed has been used to
alleviate an irritable bladder. Animal studies have shown that pumpkin seed extracts can improve the function of both the bladder and
urethra.
Impotence:
Pumpkin seeds contain substances that stimulate sex hormone production. The seeds contain large amounts of zinc, magnesium, iron,
phosphorus, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin B. Eating a handful of Pumpkin seeds a day may, therefore, help prevent impotence. Bulgarian
mountain dwellers, Hungarian Gypsies, Anatolian Turks, Ukrainians, and Transylvanians all eat Pumpkin Seeds as part of their everyday
diets. Originally intended to prevent prostate ailments (probably due to the high zinc content), Pumpkin Seeds have been found by all of
these cultures to prevent impotence as well.
Arthritis:
The healing properties of pumpkin seeds have also been investigated recently with respect to arthritis. In animal studies, the addition of
pumpkin seeds to the diet has compared favorably with use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin in reducing
inflammatory symptoms. Importantly, though, pumpkin seeds did not exhibit one extremely negative side effect of indomethacin i.e.
pumpkin seeds did not increase the level of damaged fats (lipid peroxides) in the linings of the joints, a side-effect that actually contributes
to the progression of arthritis.
Other Therapeutic Values
Pumpkin seeds are said to be a diuretic and help in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Ethiopians chew pumpkin seeds as a natural
laxative. Pumpkin Seeds and husks also aid milk production in lactating mothers, and are used to reduce postpartum swelling of the
hands and feet. There is a case report on pumpkin seed as a remedy for gout.
- In North America, the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day is the season
colored by pumpkins. The fruits represented historically a good harvest and its resulting
happiness. Pumpkins were said to be at the first Thanksgiving feast shared by the pilgrims
and Indians in 1620. The Pumpkin’s flowers, leaves, and fruit are all edible. Pumpkin
flowers and young leaves can be used to make soup, or cooked with meat and other
ingredients. The pumpkin fruit can be steamed, stewed with meat and potatoes, or baked
into pumpkin pies. The best part of a pumpkin is the part most people throw away while
carving a Jack O' Lantern for Halloween or preparing a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving
dinner. It is the pumpkin seed. Pumpkin seed is enriched with vitamins, minerals, amino
acids. Roasted pumpkin seed is a nutritional snack. Pumpkin seeds also have therapeutic
Expel intestinal parasites:
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a long history of the use of pumpkin seeds (peeled raw seeds) to expel intestinal parasites such
as tape worms, round worms, and schistosomiasis. A popular remedy for parasitic worms in the digestive tract is to mix pumpkin seeds
and onion with a little soy milk. To make this remedy, use a blender to liquefy three tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, one-half of a small
onion, one-half cup of soy milk, and one teaspoon of honey. Take this mixture three times daily, three days in a row. It is a very safe remedy
for children and pregnant women.
Prostatic hyperplasia:
Pumpkin seed oil has been used to effectively reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate, or prostatic hyperplasia. Researchers have
suggested the zinc, free fatty acid, and plant sterol contents of pumpkin seeds might account for their benefit to men with prostatic
hyperplasia. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is classified into two stages. Stage 1 is manifested with frequent urination and numerous
interruptions of sleep during the night. Stage 2 shows symptoms include urgency and incomplete emptying of the bladder. Pumpkin seeds
are considered an alternative treatment for both stage 1 and 2 benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Kidney stones:
Studies have found that eating pumpkin seeds as a snack can help prevent the most common type of kidney stone, called a calcium
oxalate stone. Pumpkin seeds appear to reduce levels of substances that promote stone formation in the urine and to increase levels of
substances that inhibit stone formation. The active constituents of pumpkin seeds responsible for this action have not been identified. As
much as 10 grams per day of pumpkin seeds may be needed for kidney stone prevention. In addition, pumpkin seed has been used to
alleviate an irritable bladder. Animal studies have shown that pumpkin seed extracts can improve the function of both the bladder and
urethra.
Impotence:
Pumpkin seeds contain substances that stimulate sex hormone production. The seeds contain large amounts of zinc, magnesium, iron,
phosphorus, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin B. Eating a handful of Pumpkin seeds a day may, therefore, help prevent impotence. Bulgarian
mountain dwellers, Hungarian Gypsies, Anatolian Turks, Ukrainians, and Transylvanians all eat Pumpkin Seeds as part of their everyday
diets. Originally intended to prevent prostate ailments (probably due to the high zinc content), Pumpkin Seeds have been found by all of
these cultures to prevent impotence as well.
Arthritis:
The healing properties of pumpkin seeds have also been investigated recently with respect to arthritis. In animal studies, the addition of
pumpkin seeds to the diet has compared favorably with use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin in reducing
inflammatory symptoms. Importantly, though, pumpkin seeds did not exhibit one extremely negative side effect of indomethacin i.e.
pumpkin seeds did not increase the level of damaged fats (lipid peroxides) in the linings of the joints, a side-effect that actually contributes
to the progression of arthritis.
Other Therapeutic Values
Pumpkin seeds are said to be a diuretic and help in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Ethiopians chew pumpkin seeds as a natural
laxative. Pumpkin Seeds and husks also aid milk production in lactating mothers, and are used to reduce postpartum swelling of the
hands and feet. There is a case report on pumpkin seed as a remedy for gout.
