Blog
What is chronic stress?
I’m sure you get a feeling in your body when thinking about chronic stress. You know what it feels like, but what is it exactly? To better understand stress and its effect on the body, first we must understand something about our nervous system.
What’s keeping you up at night?
Good, sound sleep can be one of life’s greatest pleasures. However, when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, the hours spent trying to sleep can be incredibly frustrating.
Hidden Toxic Stressors We Don’t Think About, Part 2
In the last issue of Red Clover Clinic Newsletter, we introduced the topic of hidden toxic stressors, including signs your body is struggling with toxicity and if so, how to address toxicity.
Hidden toxic stressors we don’t think about, Part 1
We hear more and more these days about the importance of “clean living,” but what does that mean to you? Are you aware of the many sources of toxins you are exposed to on a daily basis? Do you think something is safe just because it is on a store’s shelf, or because your doctor or dentist recommends or prescribes it?
Slowing down … a different kind of New Year’s resolution
Many of us feel exhausted these days. It’s so common in our world of doing more and constantly being available. I know I feel that way of late, so I have decided to write a more personal article this month, because I think you might find yourself in a similar position: always in doing mode, and rarely in quiet mode. What ought we to do? Try to keep up, or make choices to take care of ourselves since no one else will?
Liver health – give yourself a fighting chance!
Our health depends on our body’s ability to cope with all we encounter: substances taken in through air, mouth, and skin; mental and physical experiences; and the substances produced by every biological process of our bodies. The main detoxifying organ we have is the liver. It does an invaluable service in filtering blood and breaking down and then packaging toxins for safe removal. To give ourselves a fighting chance against the rampant toxicity of modern life, we need to cleanse and nurture this wonderful organ.
Healthy skin is like a healthy garden
Keeping skin healthy is a lot like keeping garden soil healthy. I came to this conclusion as a result of two experiences: working on an organic farm and learning how to heal my own inflammatory skin condition with herbs, nutrition, and acupuncture.
Understanding supplements: synthetic vitamins vs. whole food concentrates
To achieve optimal health, my nutrition practice recommends a good organic diet with supplementation from whole food concentrates, herbs, and homeopathic remedies. I am often asked to muscle-test the various vitamins that people are taking to see if the body likes them. Whether inexpensive vitamins from Target or very expensive ones from the local coop, these vitamins are synthetic. In almost every instance, synthetic vitamins don’t test well. They actually stress the body over time.
How full is your rainbarrel?
I recently gave a talk about German auricular acupuncture at a health fair. Afterwards, a couple of people came up to me saying they could relate to a certain phenomenon that I had described. I’ve written about this topic in my newsletter in the past, but it’s been a couple of years, and I think it warrants being revisited now.
Keep your blood sugar balanced
The general public has become more aware of the fact that high sugar foods are bad for their health. There still seems to be a disconnect, however, between knowing that sugar is bad for health and understanding that most blood sugar-related diseases, such as type II diabetes and hypoglycemia, occur as a result of a high sugar diet. This means that you can avoid these diseases by getting the sugar out of your diet and managing your blood sugar.
Do you have a leaky gut?
In the May/June issue of the Red Clover Clinic Newsletter, we discussed the microbiome in your gut and how to attend to it. We used the label “dysbiosis” to describe a microbiome that is out of balance, that is, one with an abundance of harmful bacteria not managed by beneficial bacteria. The concept of dysbiosis leads us to the topic of this issue: leaky gut syndrome.
The wild world in your gut
You may have noticed the term “microbiome” being used more often in everyday discourse about health. What exactly does the word mean? What role does the microbiome play in our health? Let’s take a look…
The science of health – food as medicine
A couple of weeks ago I woke up to an episode of “On Being” on Minnesota Public Radio. Krista Tippett, the moderator, led a discussion between Mark Hyman, Penny George, and James Gordon called “The Evolution of Medicine.” In a nutshell, the show was about the transition of medicine from “a science of treating disease to a science of health.”
What is your definition of health?
In 1948, the World Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” I like that this definition is focused on overall wellness, not just on lack of symptoms and diagnoses.
Lick the Sugar Habit
Do you suffer from sugar cravings, mood swings, fatigue, aches and pains, digestive issues? Do you get sick frequently? All of these symptoms and many more are often related to too much sugar in our diets.
Life Without Bread
Paleo and low carb diets are the latest nutrition buzz. You might be wondering if avoiding carbohydrates is a way to lose weight, a healthier way to eat or just a fad? What exactly is a carbohydrate anyway?
Eat your veggies!
It’s summer! The growing season is at its peak. Farmers markets and grocery stores are chock full of locally grown vegetables in all colors, shapes, and sizes.
Why and how to do an elimination diet
The article on gluten intolerance in the last issue of Red Clover Clinic Newsletter got a great response—thank you! The most common comment was “Now I understand why gluten has become such an important health issue.” The demonstrated interest in gluten intolerance means the obvious topic to discuss next is the elimination diet.
Understanding gluten sensitivity
Eating gluten-free is all the rage. Have you jumped on the bandwagon, or are you a skeptic? In this article I will explain why gluten sensitivity is becoming a bigger and bigger issue for many people, and why to consider avoiding it.
Healthy blood, healthy body
From the perspective of both Chinese and western medicine, the health of our blood is essential to our overall health. What can we do to support the health of our blood?