Geri asks me: “Hi, I have been constantly sick for years, catching everything going. Immune system shot. Started Miso soup 3-5 days a week and didn’t get sick for months. But, gained 15lbs. Dr. advised i stop it, and lost 6 pounds within a week.
Would the miso have any benefit to me if i drank just 2 tablespoons a day instead of small bowl? Small amounts of vitamins and medications suit me, and am always told take the least of anything due to reactions.
What do you think?
Thanks very much. Geri “

So, lets see if we can’t help Geri and others raise their immune system in a healthy way. Hopefully we can do it in a way where no one is going to have a reaction!

I would like to start with the Miso Soup. Good job on picking up the miso and sticking to it. Well, gaining 15 lbs in a few months isn’t a medical problem so I don’t know why your doctor would intervene in this when you clearly made a good change and have not gotten sick! Seaweed and the minerals in miso soup are truly miracle workers in themselves. Seaweed is very alkaline which works to balance your body’s pH. Its a fact that people with higher acidic pH levels are more prone to getting sick. Seaweeds also balance your thyroid and metabolism as well. A problem I am seeing is the amount of salt in the miso soup! My suspicions here seem to be confirmed based on the fact that you lost 6 pounds in a week by not eating the miso soup. The saying goes like this “where sodium goes, water follows”. You have clearly built up quite a bit of water weight and your body has been able tore-balance itself when you stopped taking in the miso. You have taxed your kidneys a bit at this point in filtering the sodium out, but now you should be okay.

At this point lets talk about increasing immunity. In Chinese Medicine people don’t ‘catch a cold’. We believe that we are exposed to pathogens (germs) all the time. These external pathogens want to invade us all the time. It depends on the person and their defense system (wei qi or immunity) if they get sick or not.  This old Chinese Medicine way of looking at this has been proven by Western Science. In recent studies on ‘common cold’ or ‘rhino virus’ patients were planed with the rhino virus directly in thenostril . About 60% of the patients got sick. This study was used in very different ways, but as far as Chinese Medicine is concerned- What Happened to the Other 40%? Simply they had defense high enough to dispel the virus!

There are many herbs when used together to supplement the system they can raise your immunity! However, alone there is one that stands atop these called Astragalus or Huang Qi.  Huang Qi is well documented for this task and is recommend for everyone. This is a typical herb used through the Fall and Winter season. I would also note that Echinacea is also used to raise white blood cell count, but this herb should be used in no more than 10 day increments.

Immunity is best done by eating soups and such. Foods like Congee or Kicharee offer foods and herbs that are already cooked down. This allows your body to easily digest and assimilate the nutrients and foods. This really gives your body a break from working so hard on the foods we take in all the time. Also, making a soup or other food like this allows you to add herbs. Herbs for medicinal purposes need to be decocted down. Being in a crockpot and slow cooking for a few hours, you are also decocting these herbs!

Here is a recipe I would like you to switch to:
http://blogofherbs.com/herbs/energy-weight-maintenance-congee-recipe

This Congee recipe has many great herbs and is very uplifting to your energy and immune system. I want you to pay special attention to use the herbs Huang Qi and Dang Gui. If you can’t or aren’t able to source the other herbs that is fine! Huang Qi and Dang Gui together is going to supplement your body and immune system.

For ongoing immunity supplementing you can take pills for this as well! Lung Tonics, Yin Tonics, Immunity Tonics and such are essential here.
Dimmak Herbs sells a formula called ‘Immunity’. These pills contain Ginseng, Huang Qi, Dang Gui, Goji (Gou Qi Zi) Berries, Licorice Root, and about 5 other herbs that synergistically are used to raise your immunity to these external pathogens!

I think between alternating these other foods and maybe eating Miso once a week should be great. Also note the usage of seaweeds in the Congee recipe, add more if you like!

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Have you seen the commercials on TV or seen on the web about these Full Bars? You eat this bar and Drink 8oz of water 30 minutes before you eat and you will eat less food and lose weight. Are you kidding me? This is the biggest joke since the pet rock!

The logic has truth to it. By eating 3oz or so of natural food and a large glass of water and wait some time before you eat, you will eat less. Not only have you given your body a chance to take in a semi-filling meal, but you could also work to speed up metabolism. This isn’t really anything new, but some guy is now advertising a way to do it. I was thrilled at first, then I went to the web site. The bars are all natural, but really not full of much! There is soy protein added for protein, not a lot of fiber, a small anount of a few vitamins, and they are being sold for like $3 a peice! Are you serious?

The theory here does work, and I would advise people to try it but forget blowin $3 on that guys lame bar. Instead take a look a Clif Bar
http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_clif_bar/
When you are taking in less food you still need the same amount of Vitamins, Minerals, and everything else. Just from looking at the Clif Bar you can see all of the good stuff they have in there.

I even have a better idea. Why don’t you try this tactic with a peice of bread that is very high in Fiber. Find the loaf of bread with the most amount of Fiber and some vitamins and such, eat a slice 30 minutes before you eat and see how you do.

Asian culture has been doing similar things in their daily diet for years. For example, the Japanese traditionally have Miso Soup and some type of salad like Sea Weed salad about 10-15 minutes before the meal comes out. In this case you are taking in some Fiber, warm liquid to warm the digestion, minerals in the soup and allows you to not start eating on a totally empty stomach.

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Shawn, 43, writes me “I have difficulty with the acid in coffee and have been searching for a substitute. I am also predisposed to diabetes. Dandelion interested me because of it affect on pancreas and liver function, but if it is used for constipation well…My question is… coffee drinkers tend to drink alot of coffee so, at what amount does dandelion coffee become harmful and how would it affect the bowel and other systems of the human body?”

Coffee substitution has become popular, as quitting isn’t as easy as it seems. Like smokers find out, even when you get over the nicotine its the habit that gets you. What a coffee substitution will allow you to do is continue your daily routine with a less harmful drink.

Shawn asks a great question here. Let me explain. Most people relate the negative effects of coffee to the really high content of caffeine. From a holistic point of view one of the bigger problems with coffee is the high acid content that people are ingesting into the body. But, lets get back to the caffeine first. There are little bags over your kidneys that hold your adrenaline, adrenal glands. This is your bodies reserve energy that has powerful effects on the body. In our competitive world we strive to highest levels and this, in most cases, make us push our bodies past the threshold. To get through the moment we find ourselves pouring some coffee or get an energy drink. This is fine for occasional use, but we often find conflict with moderation don’t we? Instead of making up our over-usage with rest, quality food, and light exercise we struggle through the day and continue to ingest caffeine. This leads to burnout over time and a serious complication. You find yourself in a state of fatigue and the only answer is to ingest more caffeine. At this point you are now seeking energy from a source that is actually going to make you tired. I’ve read a simple test to judge your adrenal exhaustion. Ingest a cup of caffeine or a 16oz energy drink and if you sleep is not effected (considering you sleep on normal schedule) you have something to worry about. But don’t put out that hit on Juan Valdez yet, I will have some tips to help out.

Lets talk about the Alternative Medicine view of coffee. First off is the high acrid levels of coffee which is also Shawn’s concern. High acid levels of the body lead to blood and digestive tract toxicity. This bring out alot of other problems like skin problems, acne, herpes outbreaks, digestive complaints, hemorrhoids and so much more. In Oriental Medicine caffeine has the effects of Heating and Dampening. When you heat and you dampen you create a very nasty effect on your body. Think of 100degree heat and 100% humidity, not good! Lastly, the adrenals are governed by the Kidney. The Kidney ‘governs’ our bodies Qi. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it helps in urination, and if your not suffering from water retention this can put extra strain on your kidneys. By overworking your kidneys you are already overworking your energy, or Qi, due to excessive urination.

Tips: Depending on the severity of your case, it will most likely take a month or more to recoup. First thing first is get a substitute and start drinking that instead. You may need to actually gradually cut down on coffee while gradually increasing your substitution. The BEST IDEA would be to start using Green Tea for caffeine. Green Tea first and foremost has anti-carcinogenic properties and the caffeine content is quite low. Also, Green Tea is also Cooling and Drying, the complete opposite as caffeine and can in turn help reverse the negative effects of previous caffeine usage.
Coffee Substitute:Can be made with dandelion and chicory. Roast the chicory the same way as coffee beans. Add 1 part dandelion root to 1/2 part roasted chicory root to a coffee grinder. Grind the mixture up and use this powder the same as you would some store bought coffee. This mixture brings the aroma, smell, and color your used to, but the taste is a bit different, but surprisingly close! It will also be a bit bitter tasting, herbally speaking, as that is common to herbs with liver affluence.
Dandelionhas nothing but good things here. High in Vitamin A, Iron, Potassium, and others. Dandelion treats dysentery and has positive effects on the digestive tract, but overdose can actually cause mild diarrhea. In the case of our recipe above you would be possibly in the overdose range in about 6 cups of coffee. As far as its effects on the body dandelion has properties that will help eliminate toxins in the liver and the blood, it has heat elimination properties, helps clear skin conditions (this is from cleaning blood), it aids in bile secretion so helps dissolve stones and regulate the bowels. Dandelion also has an interesting effect that Shawn will love, it regulates blood sugar levels which will help with diabetes and hypoglycemia!
Lastly Dimmak Herbs also sells a Herbal Remedy called BURNOUT that will help in this situation, you can also check out their line of products for fatigue.
I would also like to give one last comment regarding the blog post. Skin ailments are often causes of high acid levels in the body. Also, if you know that you have high acidity levels (greasy food, bad diet, caffeine) Seaweed is a great remedy. Kelp is easy to come by or get in a habit of having some Miso Soup daily. Interestingly enough Dandelion also works great for this as does Fennel, Slippery Elm and more.

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I’ll spare you the false hopes of losing 30 pounds before Christmas. Ill let the magazine rack, that you no doubt have passed since November, tell you how to lose 25-30 pounds of weight in a month. Honestly I would like to see some healthy proof of these claims, but we will save the magazine bashing for another day. Instead I am going to give you some help on keeping up your metabolism and hopefully not gaining any, if only 5 pounds, this Holiday for those who actually have family and will be visiting. For those of you married, you have 2 stops (and there are a  few of us that have 3 stops because of a parent separation) so thats 2-3+ meals your gonna have to deal with. Most of these suggestions will seems simple and some may be obvious, but I am trying to convey some less orthodox tactics that you can add to your arsenal!
Eat some soup of drink broth before the meal.This is essential in China relating to Chinese Medicine to keep your body temp regulated. Yes, this what we are trying to do! By taking in warm broth before the meal your metabolism fires are roaring, and a simple cup will work great. If there is enough time passed before you eat after the soup you will actually feel yourself getting quite hungry. I know Miso Soup isn’t a Thanksgiving Day traditional item, but Miso Soup can be bought in little convenient packets and just add hot water. The Miso Soup has seaweed in it and allot of other minerals that increase metabolism further! This is why the Japanese have Miso Soup before meals (not exactly the fattest country).
Avoid Cold Drinks Before the Meal. This is an extension of the previous tip, and you should be able to understand why after reading the previous tip. However, drink lots of fluid after the meal. Warm fluids would be best, but go ahead and drink up after!
Choose Your Food Wisely. Sorry but I have to be obvious here. If you make your own Thanksgiving meal change to fresh produce and steam it, take it easy on the sugar, and substitute or reduce when able. For example Yams and Sweet Potatoes are pretty sweet by themselves. Try reducing sugar and marshmallow here. Not cooking, just make good choices. Wheat rolls, baked turkey, green beans, and the such are all quality choices here.
Take Herbs with Mild Laxative Properties. Heard the supermodel laxative diet plan? Well, I would imagine that would work but I will never condone taking a laxative unless a doctor is giving you one. Herbs with laxative properties are different so let me explain. When a herb has laxative properties it promotes bowel movements naturally by lubricating, stimulating bile excretion, and stimulating peristalsis (the rhythmic contraction of your bowels). Commercial laxatives simply turn your bowel contents into liquid, which weakens your bowels and creates dependency AND causes griping! Now, what I am not telling you to do is eat and overdose on some Senna and sit on the toilet waiting. I’m simply suggesting that if you plan ahead, this WILL work and here are some specific examples.

• Possibly the BEST suggestion I have is visit Dimmak Herbs Herbal Supplements and buy a bottle of DEUCE or REGULATOR. Take 1 pill/capsule morning and night through the entire holiday season. since this is really only a little over a month this would be okay to do especially since the formulas are safe but incredibly effective. REGULATOR actually being a bowel TONIC is quite beneficial here.
• Of course I can never get away from those wanting the EASIEST opinion. Go to any grocery store and go to the pharmacy section and get a bottle of Castor Oil. This bottle will be small and fit in your pocket easily. Castor Oil is absolutely gross to most people thanks to the texture but is really effective and is really soothing. For this suggestion only do this on the days of big meals, don’t make a big habit out of Castor oil. Your dosage will be a tablespoon after the meals, close to the evening time so your bowel movement will be in the market.
• Aloe Vera Gel is a wonderful herbal supplement. Aloe is close to Castor oil properties and is excellent for your body. Aloe can be found as gel or juice in grocery stores and health food stores. Get the highest amount of aloe you can 90%+. Your dosage will be 1oz morning and night throughout the season.

There should be one option there you can deal with. Let me tell you what NOT to do. Do NOT take Senna, never take senna. Senna is NOT a good herbal laxative and is not good for your bowels. Do NOT use commercial laxatives, EVER. Avoid ‘colon cleanses’ and ‘colon blow’ and whatever the hell else people are throwing out there. Only use products that are well trusted. I will review products for anyone interested, but with herbal supplements not being regulated you never know what is being formulated in those products. Many products also like to use popular herbs, some of which turn our to not be good additives to formulas (although not surprising to herbalists).

I hope some simple tips here go a long way in the next month or so for you. Stabilizing yourself now will save you from paying a bunch of money for that gym membership that doesn’t get used! Help save your new year’s resolution on something a little more special that your weight, again.

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