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[post_content] => Many traditional systems of medicine consider our digestion and nutrition to be central to the maintenance of health and (when imbalanced) the development of disease. If you look up almost any health problem in a textbook of Chinese Medicine, one of the possible causes will nearly always be “improper intake of food and drink.” This covers a lot of things - eating too fast, consuming very cold drinks, overeating, eating the wrong kinds of foods for one’s constitution, skipping meals, eating while upset, and more.
I appreciate that Chinese Medicine explains the origin of health problems in this way, because it highlights the most fundamental issue - and shows us the way to get the maximum results by changing our behavior. Whereas someone suffering from acid reflux (heartburn) might simply take an acid-blocking drug and think that’s the end of it, such an approach would not get to the real cause – which might be a food sensitivity, overeating, eating too fast, a structural imbalance, stress, or something else. Addressing the cause is better medicine; anything else is just a band-aid.
While “improper intake of food and drink” is a very common root cause of health problems, I think we can actually go one step deeper. If we’re eating and drinking in a way that is damaging to our health, much of the time
we know this, but there’s a mental disconnection occurring. The disconnection takes one of two forms – a split within the mind, or a split between the mind and body.
When the mind is split, we allow ourselves to ignore what we know to be true. We might do this consciously, such as in telling ourselves, “I know I shouldn’t eat this whole container of ice cream, but I had a really bad day.” Eating the whole container of ice cream is harmful to us and we know it, but we justify it with a belief that having done something good or endured something bad entitles us to this indulgence. We may also do it unconsciously, by simply avoiding thinking about how our eating choices are likely to affect us. In either case, there’s a part of us that knows how to care for our body properly, and another part that pretends not to know. Playing this game never feels good.
When the mind and body are disconnected, we tune out the feedback we get from our body during and after eating. It is this split that allows us to overeat, to eat too fast. All bodies give clear negative signals when we do this. When we don’t pay attention to how our body responds to different foods and ways of eating, we miss out on valuable physical information. Not only does our body tell us when we’ve eaten in a manner that it dislikes, it also tells us when we’re treating it well. Unfortunately, the concept of “listening to your body” strikes many as some kind of kooky New Age practice. I would guess that the great majority of modern humans ignore all but the most dramatic messages from their bodies.
A good way to start healing these disconnections is through a practice of doing nothing but eating for one meal each day. Engaging in other activities while eating makes it easy for our consciousness to stray from the vital and enjoyable act at hand. It’s hard enough for many of us to eat consciously even when it’s the only thing we are doing. Why complicate it by trying to multitask while eating?
Relax your mind: let go of worries before you start a meal. If this is hard to do, try making a deal with yourself – tell yourself you can worry all you want at a later time in the day and put it in your calendar. Turn off the TV, put away reading material, keep conversation minimal and light, and turn off any music (or keep it soft and light). Relax your body: no driving, standing, or walking while eating, and no exercise for at least half an hour after eating.
Try to keep a portion of your attention (like ten percent) on how your body feels before, during, and after the meal. With practice, we can learn to perceive which foods our body likes and dislikes - often from the moment they touch our tongue. As we stay connected to our body, it becomes harder to eat more than our body wants. Think like an Okinawan. They are some of the longest lived people on the planet and they embrace a practice called Hara Hachi Bu, which means, "eat only until you're 80 percent full." You'll feel lighter and more energized as you leave the table.
Emotions can strongly affect our digestion and the ability to stay focused on the act of eating. The nervous system is densely “wired” into the digestive tract. It’s why so many people experience nausea, appetite changes, diarrhea, constipation, or other forms of digestive upset when they’re stressed. The
sympathetic division of the nervous system excites us, it raises our level of arousal, and it’s responsible for the “fight or flight” survival mechanism. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated – whether or not we’re in actual danger – blood is diverted away from the digestive tract (because digestion is less important to our immediate survival) and is sent instead to our lungs, heart, and sense organs. For this reason, thinking about the bills we need to pay, a recent conflict, or politics is best saved for a time other than during or just after a meal.
Another reason to avoid being unsettled or engaged in other activities while eating is that it degrades something that should be a thoroughly enjoyable event. The frequency with which we do it doesn’t make eating any less special an act. When we eat, we are doing for ourselves what our mother did for us in the womb, and then while cradled in her arms. Later, she or another family member cooked meals for us and offered them with love. Eating reconnects us to these deep memories of being nourished and engaged with family. We put life-giving sustenance into our bodies and it keeps us alive; it makes us feel good; it gives us energy; it physically connects us with the earth, sun, plants and animals. So, when we eat while talking on the phone, while driving, or while working, we
miss out on something important – a level of sustenance that goes beyond the food itself.
Why not try this week to have one meal of
just eating each day?
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
Want to know more?
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[post_content] => It’s almost time for the Thanksgiving feast, and I know many people feel it’s a challenge to avoid gorging themselves and feeling guilty. So I’d like to offer some thoughts on the subject, along with a great recipe for a vegetarian gravy that’s (somewhat) healthier than the usual stuff but every bit as delectable.
This recipe came originally from my wife Briana’s grandfather John Moore, passed down by her dad, also John Moore, to her, and by association to me. There’s something special about following these family recipes – even if they change over time. At the start, deliciousness was the only guiding principle. Then Briana wanted to make it vegetarian, and I wanted to make the flavor a bit more complex and add some spices that might even help to balance digestive-overwhelm.
First let’s talk about overeating and feeling guilty. I’ve written about this in the past, and I’ll say it again: the single most healthful change a person can make to how they eat is to stay fully present during the act of eating.
More than keto or intermittent fasting or veganism or any other diet, being totally engaged and conscious while eating will automatically change how you eat, what you eat, and how you feel afterwards. Furthermore, it will teach you what does and doesn’t work for your body, and it will add a whole new dimension of depth and connection to the act of nourishing yourself. I’ve known people to spontaneously abandon unhealthy behaviors like gambling and codependent relationships when they became more awake to their nutrition and allowed themselves to experience all facets of that process – being both the loving giver and the grateful receiver of their own loving care.
I know there’s going to be good conversation and an abundance of excellent food. Staying conscious while eating doesn’t mean you can’t have it all. In fact, you’ll actually have a more fulfilling experience of all of it – both the food and the company – if you stay present. It might take twice as long to eat half as much food, but you’ll be able to walk away from the table rather than hobbling.
Now for the recipe. As it’s presented below, it contains gluten and dairy, but it can easily be modified to have neither.
Ingredients:
- Butter – ¾ to 1 cup (a stick of butter is a half cup) – or ghee, or coconut oil, or vegan butter substitute
- Onion – half to whole, depending on how much you like onion – finely diced
- Mushrooms (optional) – any kind, though I prefer crimini or another variety that isn’t chewy – approximately 1 cup, finely diced
- Garlic – 5 cloves, crushed
- Flour (normal or gluten-free) – ¾ cup to 1 cup – roughly the same amount of flour as the amount of butter you used
- Vegetable broth – 4 cups (have a few more cups on hand). I like the Better Than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base and Organic Mushroom Base, and I often mix the two together. It comes in a glass jar and one jar makes many cups of broth, so it’s tasty, compact in your fridge, and eco-friendly.
- Soy sauce or tamari (gluten free soy sauce) – 4 tablespoons
- Worcestershire sauce (optional) – 1 to 2 teaspoons – note, it usually contains anchovies
- Rosemary, chopped – approximately 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
- Sage, chopped – approximately 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
- Fresh ginger – finely grated – approximately 1 tablespoon
- Nutritional yeast (optional) – 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Good quality salt and black pepper
Directions:
In a large deep pan over medium heat, sautee the onion, mushroom (if using), and garlic in the butter (or butter alternative) until it begins to brown (about 5 minutes).
Slowly add the flour, soy sauce or tamari, nutritional yeast (if using), and worcestershire sauce (if using). Work it with a spoon or spatula to form a smooth paste. Stir occasionally, allow it to become evenly browned.
Gradually add the broth, using a whisk or hand blender to blend it with the flour paste.
Add the ginger, sage, and rosemary, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer, and simmer low for about 5 minutes.
At this point the gravy should be delicious and an ideal consistency.
If you need to thin it, add more broth or (if you don’t want to make it more salty) hot water.
If you want to thicken it, add more flour to a small amount of broth in a bowl and whisk or hand blend to make smooth, then add and continue to whisk into the gravy until the desired consistency is achieved. If it’s much too thin, this could also be achieved with corn starch or arrowroot powder – mix 1 tablespoon at a time in a small amount of water or broth until dissolved, then add to the gravy and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Repeat as necessary to thicken further.
If you want to give it more kick, add extra ginger, garlic, black pepper, or crushed red pepper.
If it’s not salty enough, add either more salt, or (if it needs more body altogether) add more soy sauce or tamari.
If it lacks body, you may add additional nutritional yeast, a little powdered clove, or a pinch of garam masala.
Serve abundantly over virtually everything or drink by the glass. If you make this gravy I’d love to know how it turns out – along with whatever of your own modifications made it even better! And if you experiment with eating mindfully, I would love to know what’s different about the eating process and how you feel afterwards. Also, when you practice mindful eating, what obstacles do you encounter?
Be well,
Peter
[post_title] => Mind-Blowingly Good Vegetarian Gravy – and How to Leave the Table Feeling Good
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About 25 years ago I worked for a company that made high end sports goggles. Though the front of the building was covered with posters of pro swimmers and skiers and often felt like a party, my days were spent in a back office, sorting and filing paperwork. It was disappointing, but I met a nice guy there and our conversations helped break up the monotony.
Then he started missing work. A day here and a day there. Then a few days at a time. Then he was absent more than he showed up. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to pry. Finally, on one of his rare appearances at work he told me he had been having severe migraine headaches. They were so crippling he was considering quitting his job.
This was just before I started grad school in Chinese Medicine and I didn’t have anything useful to say. I just remember feeling bad for him and being surprised that migraines could be that debilitating. I wish I knew then what I know now. I believe most cases are completely treatable with natural medicine. Here are some of the key treatments that can make a huge difference:
-
- Acupuncture. I’d estimate I can control 80% of migraine cases with acupuncture alone. Other acupuncturists may fare better or worse than that. (You might ask if this is an area of focus for an acupuncturist you’re considering.) Migraines can result from several underlying patterns, but there is always a condition of stagnation in the head (and sometimes neck and upper torso) – which acupuncture is excellent at releasing.
- Massage. Get regular deep tissue massages. Have them focus on your head overall (including your face, jaw, and the base of your skull), the sides and back of your neck, your upper back and chest, your hands, feet, lower back, and abdomen. Between massages do self-massage with a lacrosse ball. Lie on your back on a carpeted floor with bent knees, and place the ball under you, against the inside edge of your shoulder blade. Moving the ball inch by inch, find every single tender spot, and relax into the ball for a minute or two before moving onto the next one.
- Hydrate. Divide the number of pounds you weigh in half and drink that many ounces of water each day, evenly over the course of the day. (For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water a day.)
- Avoid Caffeine. Even though caffeine is an ingredient in some headache medications (because it constricts the blood vessels in the head, making them smaller) it’s also a known trigger of migraines for some people. Many migraine cases improve when caffeine is cut out altogether.
- Figure Out What Foods You’re Sensitive to and Avoid Them. The most reliable way to figure out your food sensitivities is by doing an elimination diet (there are numerous books and websites that explain the process) and then systematically reintroducing foods, one at a time, to see what your reaction is. It’s a good idea to reintroduce foods at least 2 days apart, since the migraine may be delayed by a day. Figuring out your sensitivities and eliminating those foods is often a total cure for migraines. It’s worth the work.
- Clean Up Your Diet. Cut out processed foods and eat more live, fresh, healthy, chemical-free foods, prepared by you or someone with a good heart.
- Avoid Aspartame (Nutrasweet / Equal). Some migraines are triggered by this artificial sweetener. I recommend avoiding it even if it doesn’t give you headaches.
- Consider Avoiding MSG. Although it’s been demonized for decades, most people have no trouble at all with MSG. That said, some find they have fewer headaches when they avoid it. You might see it listed in the ingredients as monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein or soy, or yeast extract. Analogs of MSG also occur naturally in many foods, including hard cheeses, tomatoes, soy sauce, and even breast milk.
- Avoid Getting Hypoglycemic. Many migraines are triggered by a drop in blood sugar. This is common a few hours after eating a meal with lots of simple carbs or sugar. In some folks, the blood sugar goes way up and then comes crashing down, in what is known as “reactive hypoglycemia.” Besides potentially triggering migraines, reactive hypoglycemia can be an early precursor to diabetes, so there are multiple reasons to get this under control. Eat protein with every meal, and eliminate juice and sweets.
- Reduce Your Stress Level. Exercise, breathe, meditate, do yoga, have fun, get counseling, take breaks, get acupuncture and massage . . . just do whatever you have to do to reduce the impact of your stress.
- Try Magnesium. Many migraine sufferers have low levels of magnesium. Try taking 600 mg (you can gradually go up to 1000 mg) in divided doses over the course of each day. The easiest form for most people to take is dissolvable powder such as Natural Calm brand and others. (Watch out for bowel loosening. If it gives you loose bowels, reduce the dose, spread it out more evenly over the course of the day, or try the form known as magnesium glycinate, which is easier on the digestion.)
- Try Direct Pressure on Your Head. One study had participants with migraines wrap an elastic band (with Velcro at the ends so that it could be secured tightly) around their head, covering the most tender spots. They would then place soft rubber discs under the head band at the places of greatest discomfort to apply extra pressure to these spots. 80% of the people reported a major improvement.
- Take a Good B Vitamin Complex. Several of the B vitamins have been shown to be useful for migraines. Just take all of them in one capsule, once or twice a day.
- Try a Chinese Herbal Formula. A practitioner who specializes in Chinese herbal medicine can write you a personalized formula (usually consisting of 8-12 herbs) to resolve the specific underlying pattern(s) implicated in your migraines. I’ve had many patients report great relief or total resolution of their migraines with a good, customized herbal formula.
- Take Frequent Breaks When Looking at Screens. Eyestrain and overexposure to bright light, especially in the blue range, is a common trigger of migraines. Sometimes blue-blocking glasses can help.
- Improve Your Posture. The mechanical stress of poor posture can cause tension in the head and neck that contributes to migraines. This is especially common when looking down for hours at a phone, laptop, tablet, or book. Tuck your chin slightly, drop your shoulders and bring them back, relax your chest, and imagine you’re being lifted by a string from the very top of your head (in line with the tops of your ears).
If you get migraines, I hope these tips are helpful. They aren’t the only useful approaches, of course. I had a patient who used to stick Q-tips up her nose – the whole way up – and felt that made a huge difference. Others like essential oils, cold compresses, or decapitation. I encourage you to give my suggestions a try. Then let me know what happens, or share your own favorite remedies in the comments section below.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
[post_title] => 16 Ways to Treat Migraines Naturally
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[post_content] => Many traditional systems of medicine consider our digestion and nutrition to be central to the maintenance of health and (when imbalanced) the development of disease. If you look up almost any health problem in a textbook of Chinese Medicine, one of the possible causes will nearly always be “improper intake of food and drink.” This covers a lot of things - eating too fast, consuming very cold drinks, overeating, eating the wrong kinds of foods for one’s constitution, skipping meals, eating while upset, and more.
I appreciate that Chinese Medicine explains the origin of health problems in this way, because it highlights the most fundamental issue - and shows us the way to get the maximum results by changing our behavior. Whereas someone suffering from acid reflux (heartburn) might simply take an acid-blocking drug and think that’s the end of it, such an approach would not get to the real cause – which might be a food sensitivity, overeating, eating too fast, a structural imbalance, stress, or something else. Addressing the cause is better medicine; anything else is just a band-aid.
While “improper intake of food and drink” is a very common root cause of health problems, I think we can actually go one step deeper. If we’re eating and drinking in a way that is damaging to our health, much of the time
we know this, but there’s a mental disconnection occurring. The disconnection takes one of two forms – a split within the mind, or a split between the mind and body.
When the mind is split, we allow ourselves to ignore what we know to be true. We might do this consciously, such as in telling ourselves, “I know I shouldn’t eat this whole container of ice cream, but I had a really bad day.” Eating the whole container of ice cream is harmful to us and we know it, but we justify it with a belief that having done something good or endured something bad entitles us to this indulgence. We may also do it unconsciously, by simply avoiding thinking about how our eating choices are likely to affect us. In either case, there’s a part of us that knows how to care for our body properly, and another part that pretends not to know. Playing this game never feels good.
When the mind and body are disconnected, we tune out the feedback we get from our body during and after eating. It is this split that allows us to overeat, to eat too fast. All bodies give clear negative signals when we do this. When we don’t pay attention to how our body responds to different foods and ways of eating, we miss out on valuable physical information. Not only does our body tell us when we’ve eaten in a manner that it dislikes, it also tells us when we’re treating it well. Unfortunately, the concept of “listening to your body” strikes many as some kind of kooky New Age practice. I would guess that the great majority of modern humans ignore all but the most dramatic messages from their bodies.
A good way to start healing these disconnections is through a practice of doing nothing but eating for one meal each day. Engaging in other activities while eating makes it easy for our consciousness to stray from the vital and enjoyable act at hand. It’s hard enough for many of us to eat consciously even when it’s the only thing we are doing. Why complicate it by trying to multitask while eating?
Relax your mind: let go of worries before you start a meal. If this is hard to do, try making a deal with yourself – tell yourself you can worry all you want at a later time in the day and put it in your calendar. Turn off the TV, put away reading material, keep conversation minimal and light, and turn off any music (or keep it soft and light). Relax your body: no driving, standing, or walking while eating, and no exercise for at least half an hour after eating.
Try to keep a portion of your attention (like ten percent) on how your body feels before, during, and after the meal. With practice, we can learn to perceive which foods our body likes and dislikes - often from the moment they touch our tongue. As we stay connected to our body, it becomes harder to eat more than our body wants. Think like an Okinawan. They are some of the longest lived people on the planet and they embrace a practice called Hara Hachi Bu, which means, "eat only until you're 80 percent full." You'll feel lighter and more energized as you leave the table.
Emotions can strongly affect our digestion and the ability to stay focused on the act of eating. The nervous system is densely “wired” into the digestive tract. It’s why so many people experience nausea, appetite changes, diarrhea, constipation, or other forms of digestive upset when they’re stressed. The
sympathetic division of the nervous system excites us, it raises our level of arousal, and it’s responsible for the “fight or flight” survival mechanism. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated – whether or not we’re in actual danger – blood is diverted away from the digestive tract (because digestion is less important to our immediate survival) and is sent instead to our lungs, heart, and sense organs. For this reason, thinking about the bills we need to pay, a recent conflict, or politics is best saved for a time other than during or just after a meal.
Another reason to avoid being unsettled or engaged in other activities while eating is that it degrades something that should be a thoroughly enjoyable event. The frequency with which we do it doesn’t make eating any less special an act. When we eat, we are doing for ourselves what our mother did for us in the womb, and then while cradled in her arms. Later, she or another family member cooked meals for us and offered them with love. Eating reconnects us to these deep memories of being nourished and engaged with family. We put life-giving sustenance into our bodies and it keeps us alive; it makes us feel good; it gives us energy; it physically connects us with the earth, sun, plants and animals. So, when we eat while talking on the phone, while driving, or while working, we
miss out on something important – a level of sustenance that goes beyond the food itself.
Why not try this week to have one meal of
just eating each day?
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
Want to know more?
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