May 2013 Newsletter
Topics: Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Cinco de Mayo, Herb of the Month (motherwort,
daisy, lily, red raspberry), Class theme(s), Women's health, healthy aging, new mothers
to grandmothers, etc.
Article 1 - Healthy Aging: Lots of concern about this area of general health. And
rightfully so. So many Americans are taking pharmaceutical medications for chronic
health conditions. [Insert data, CDC, NIH, etc]. Ask yourself, do you want to live a long
time or do you want to live well? Both? Are you looking for a long, simple, quiet life or a
long, adventurous, activity-filled life?
Is this really how we want to live the rest of our lives? My patients worry about how
their skin, their hair, their bodies, are handling the test of time. Women ask me how to
deal with and prevent wrinkles, why their skin is drying out, how to lose the weight that
suddenly appeared at their midline with menopause, how to keep their hair healthy and
how to stay active with achy joints and back pain.
The truth is, anything that’s worth having is worth planning for. Good health, at any age,
doesn’t just happen. And there really is no miracle diet, workout regimen or mantra that
keeps us from aging. Those people who seem to enjoy good health at 60 and 70 and
older have established lifelong habits and practices. They invite routine, a certain
amount of discipline and a measure of self-love into their daily lives. There’s plenty of
room for good times and good foods, but ‘moderation in everything’ is a pretty good
maxim.
1) Work – do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life
2) Let it go – don’t hold onto grudges and things you have no control over – AA
prayer is appropriate here
3) Approach life with curiosity
4) Be flexible – adapt quickly to change, especially where death is concerned
5) Easy on the sugar
6) Eat food that looks a lot like it does where it grows
7) Get moving – adopt a daily practice and stick to it. Qi gong is one of the best.
Yoga is also excellent. But even walking, swimming, tennis or
8) Laugh at yourself – when you take yourself too seriously, you drag yourself and
everyone else down
What can you do from an herbal or natural standpoint to maintain good health?
 Nettle tea
 Green tea
 Red clover
 Adaptogens: Ashwaganda, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, Damiana, Ginseng
 Drink water, but don’t go crazy
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Eat your vegetables, lots of color
Use a smaller plate – eat less, especially if weight gain is your concern
Cut back on coffee, especially if you’re loading it with sugar and cream
Article 2 – Healthy Moms are Happy Moms
Mother’s Day, birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day. That’s 4 holidays, maybe, we moms
spend any amount of time allowing ourselves to receive love, attention and nurturing.
We spend the other 361 days of the year virtually on-call to the needs of our children,
spouse, parents, school, job, and 100 other forces pulling on us for attention.
“That’s what I signed up for when I became a mom,” you’re saying. Really? Where does
it say that popping a child out of your vagina means an end to your spiritual life, a
workout routine, good eating habits and regular time with friends? Of course it’s harder.
It takes some effort to stay connected to a community, to family, and to the person
you’re here to be. Your priorities definitely shift. It’s normal to put kids’ needs before
your own sometimes.
But here’s what I wish someone had told me 20 years ago: it’s ok to get your basic needs
met as a new mom. Radical, I know. What kind of person puts a fussy baby in the hands
of a babysitter and leaves to get a massage? A healthy one, I’d say.
It’s not your responsibility to fulfill every need for everyone all the time, not even your
baby, your partner or your parents.
You might be a mom now, but you still need sleep, friendship, sex, healthy food, time
off, and exercise. Probably less for a while. And that’s ok. But if you neglect these needs
for too long, you’ll find yourself overweight, unhappy, burned out and probably in a
stressed out relationship. Make time for yourself and your body will thank you. Your
children will thank you. Your partner will thank you, if they’re paying attention. And
you’ll be setting a good example for your children – you know the old saying…if momma
ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. It’s still true. Take care of you. The rest will take care of
itself.
You’re gonna thank me for this.
Herb of the Month: Red Clover
I started taking this because I knew it was in all the old-timey herbal formulas for cancer,
and that it’s considered a premier blood ‘purifying’ herb. Then I realized that red clover
is not only that pretty purple (not actually red) weed we used to pull apart and suck on
for its sweetness as a child. And all the female herbalists I admire say it’s a women’s
herb (well, sure that makes sense, since it’s a blood purifier and we women, we have a
love-hate relationship with our blood). And then when you REALLY get thinking about it,
if an herb is known to do anything to improve the quality or function of blood in the
body, it has to be good for the heart, which pumps all that beautiful red stuff around
and makes sure we get plenty of it in the right amounts. And blood, like any fluid in the
body, is naturally going to wash over, lubricate and drop its nutritional load into the
organs and tissues it surrounds. So that means that healthy blood gives our organs and
tissues good nutrition for healthy functioning. And all that from a little flower I knew as
a kid…hmm.
Sharon Tilgner: Sweet, cooling. The mental picture is a debilitated person with
spasmodic cough, salivary gland congestion, pharyngeal inflammation and chronic skin
eruptions. Specific for swollen hard nodes, a stiff neck and cramping in sternomastoid
muscles relived by heat and massage. Not for pregnant women or those on blood
thinners (due to the presence of coumarins).
Michael T: Sweet, salt, cool, Isoflavones, flavonoids, coumarins, resins, minerals,
vitamins. Alterative, antispasmodic, expectorant, antitumor. For the treatment of
tumors and cancers of various types. Effective for skin eruptions, psoriasis and
eczema…useful for coughs, colds and diseases with mucus congestion.
David Winston: Long history of use in cancer formulas. Contains ‘genistein’, which
inhibits cancer cell growth. Mild lung, lymphatic and liver remedy for irritable cough,
whooping cough, cough from measles, lymphatic congestion and tonsillitis.
Susun Weed: “world’s safest and most respected anti-cancer herb. 2-4 quarts a week.
She says it helps men with LUTS – Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms like frequent
nighttime urination, weak flow, difficulty urinating, urgency with little result, dribbling,
straining and incomplete emptying.
Aviva Romm: Teen acne, conjunctivitis (tea), coughs, whooping cough. Menopausal
symptoms, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, Osteoporosis prevention, hypercholesterolemia,
acne and chronic skin disease. Acute and chronic cough, asthma and pertussis.
Do you need a speaker or presentation for your business, church or school? Some topics
I’m excited about right now include: Herbal First Aid for Summer, Sassy Savvy Health for
Women Over 50, and Creating Your Herbal Medicine Chest from 10 Herbs. I’m
passionate about natural healing and healthy living – I’d love to speak to your small,
medium or bigger group!
Short Quiz:
1. How many hours of sleep does the average mother of a newborn get?
2. How many hours of sleep does the average menopausal woman get?
3. How many hours of sleep does the average 45 year old male get?
4. How many hours of sleep do the Chinese, Ayurvedics and European medical
professionals say is a healthy amount?
Here are some of my personal herb & food favorites:
Drink Nettle leaf tea - 2 cups a day
Take red clover -read about this one below. It's my herb
of the month!
Easy on the sugar - sugar suppresses the immune
system, our body's best disease prevention tool
Eat real food that looks a lot like it does where it grows
Adaptogens: herbs like Ashwaganda, Rhodiola,
Eleuthero, and Damiana help the stresses of daily life
take less of a toll. And they can gently boost energy
without a buzz
Drink water, but don’t obsess about it. I like to keep a
glass of water on my desk to remind me
Eat a colorful plate of food (yellow and brown don't count
as much as green, blue orange and purple :)
Serve yourself on a smaller plate – and you'll eat less
Cut back on coffee, especially if you’re loading it with
sugar and cream