My partner has a collection, a rather large collection, of shot glasses. He's not really that big on drinking shots, but just picks them up when he travels. We also have a refrigerator covered in magnets from places near and far. Now he's moving on to masks and objects d'art for our house. With all that going on, I have to be careful what I bring home from my travels. One of my favorite things to collect while traveling are recipes. The following recipe is adapted from the Parsley Garlic Relish from the Stinking Rose Restaurant in San Francisco. I've made it for years and enjoy it on crusty bread, with any meat dish, with pasta or even by the spoonful. Bon appetite!
Parsley-Garlic Dip
Parsley 2 Bunches - for variety, try 1 bunch flat and 1 bunch curled
Cilantro 1 Bunch
Garlic 4-10 cloves to taste - start on the low end and work your way up
Olive oil - 2 Tbsp-1/2 cup - start with less, taste and adjust upwards - the amount of oil will also vary based on how you want to use the dip.
White vinegar - about 2 Tbsp
Rice vinegar - about 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp+ to taste
Pepper - 1 tsp+ to taste
Brown sugar (optional) - 2 tsp
Finely chop or food process greens and garlic. Mix all ingredients well. Serve at room temperature with meat, on crackers, mixed with beans dishes or pasta.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Garlic is Not Just For Repelling Vampires
I just read a great article in the New York Times confirming what my grandfather told me 30 years ago that GARLIC will repel colds and flu's. I'd rather smell of GARLIC than have a long lasting flu infection. GARLIC'S component allicin plays a role in fighting bacterial and viral infections. The first recordings of GARLIC used medicinally dated back 5000 years in Southwest Siberia. Hipocrates (460 BCE) used garlic for a variety of infections and intestinal disorders. There are many other uses medicinally for GARLIC - lowering serum cholesterol and triglycerides (Arun Bordia, MD Cardiologist) assists the body in dissolving clots and reduces high blood pressure. Amazingly interferes with the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells (Lau MD, PhD - microbiologist).
Dosing the amazing bulb: one clove a day keeps the doctor away. Fresh, local and organic is always the best. Break one clove away from the bulb and crush it which releases the peel and activates the healing properties (the enzyme allinase comes in contact with alliin which converts to allicin which converts further to diallydisulphide the antibacterial sulfur fragrant compound). Then chop, dice or squeeze the whole herb. Add GARLIC to eggs in the morning, salads at lunch , soups at dinner it can be eaten any time of day. GARLIC comes in many usable forms, raw cloves, dried powder, oil extract, capsules, tincture, juice (1/2 teaspoon thinned with water up to three times daily (Lust) and syrups. Recipe for the H1N1 epidemic:
Dr. Ziment's Garlic Chicken Soup for Colds and Coughs
1 quart homemade chicken broth
1 garlic head (15 cloves) peeled
5 parsley sprigs, minced
6 cilantro sprigs, minced
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
1 teaspoon curry powder
hot red pepper flakes to taste, sliced carrots, bay leaves (optional)
Place all ingredients in a pan without a lid. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes
Strain soup blend up the solids to a puree and return to the soup
Sever hot be sure to inhale the aroma during preparation (lung hydrotherapy)
just don't cough into and don't forget to wash your hands!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Warming Sock Treatment
It feels so good to be back at home in the Pacific Northwest. I spent 10 days this month traveling in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan visiting family and friends. During my trip, I got to talk a lot about acupuncture and naturopathic medicine as these therapies are not so common there. We're really lucky to have a naturopathic school in Portland and have so much access to powerful, natural remedies. One of the treatments I found myself describing often was the Warming Sock Treatment.
I prescribe the Warming Sock Treatment or the Warming Throat Compress fairly often for common colds, head and/or chest colds, sinus infections, sore throat, insomnia or circulation problems and sometimes even as a tonifying treatment. For colds and flu, this treatment will often help me feel better in one night, although it is recommended to repeat the treatment several nights in a row for best results. This treatment increases circulation, bringing immune system cells into contact with infectious antigens and often increasing the body's temperature to fight infection thermogenically.
When I feel the first signs of a cold coming on, I often do this treatment in conjunction with immune boosting herbs and vitamins and don't end up getting sick. Try it the next time you're feeling a seasonal bug and see how it works for you.
I prescribe the Warming Sock Treatment or the Warming Throat Compress fairly often for common colds, head and/or chest colds, sinus infections, sore throat, insomnia or circulation problems and sometimes even as a tonifying treatment. For colds and flu, this treatment will often help me feel better in one night, although it is recommended to repeat the treatment several nights in a row for best results. This treatment increases circulation, bringing immune system cells into contact with infectious antigens and often increasing the body's temperature to fight infection thermogenically.
When I feel the first signs of a cold coming on, I often do this treatment in conjunction with immune boosting herbs and vitamins and don't end up getting sick. Try it the next time you're feeling a seasonal bug and see how it works for you.
Warming Sock Treatment Instructions
1. Be Warm
You should be warm, dry and comfortable before doing this treatment. Some people take a warm shower or warm foot bath before starting their treatment. This is especially important if your feet feel cold or you tend to be chilly. A warm cup of tea, soup or broth will also help from the inside out.
2. Wet Cotton Socks
Wet a pair of thin cotton socks and wring out excess liquid. I suggest using anklets so that only the foot is wet or wetting only the foot portion of a longer sock. When you first start this treatment, you may like to use tepid water to wet the socks, but as you get used to it, you can use cooler water temperatures for a more intense experience. Put the damp socks on.
3. Dry Wool Socks
Put on a pair of wool socks over the damp cotton socks. Thick hiking socks of other fibers also work, but breathability is very important.
4. Go to Bed - Stay Warm
Put on your warm pajamas and get into bed. Use plenty of blankets so that you stay warm and do not get chilled during this treatment.
In the morning, you should note that your socks are dry and hopefully that you feel a bit better! If you have a sore throat from illness, exposure or even too much speaking, try this modification:
Warming Throat Compress
1. Be Warm
2. Dampen a bandanna - wrap around neck.
3. Wrap a dry scarf around neck, covering bandnna.
4. Go to bed - Stay Warm.
Feel free to share your experiences with the Warming Sock Treatment or Warming Throat Compress in the comments section!
You should be warm, dry and comfortable before doing this treatment. Some people take a warm shower or warm foot bath before starting their treatment. This is especially important if your feet feel cold or you tend to be chilly. A warm cup of tea, soup or broth will also help from the inside out.
2. Wet Cotton Socks
Wet a pair of thin cotton socks and wring out excess liquid. I suggest using anklets so that only the foot is wet or wetting only the foot portion of a longer sock. When you first start this treatment, you may like to use tepid water to wet the socks, but as you get used to it, you can use cooler water temperatures for a more intense experience. Put the damp socks on.
3. Dry Wool Socks
Put on a pair of wool socks over the damp cotton socks. Thick hiking socks of other fibers also work, but breathability is very important.
4. Go to Bed - Stay Warm
Put on your warm pajamas and get into bed. Use plenty of blankets so that you stay warm and do not get chilled during this treatment.
In the morning, you should note that your socks are dry and hopefully that you feel a bit better! If you have a sore throat from illness, exposure or even too much speaking, try this modification:
Warming Throat Compress
1. Be Warm
2. Dampen a bandanna - wrap around neck.
3. Wrap a dry scarf around neck, covering bandnna.
4. Go to bed - Stay Warm.
Feel free to share your experiences with the Warming Sock Treatment or Warming Throat Compress in the comments section!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Getting Ready For Bed
Do you have a ritual that you go through each night before you go to bed? Or do you fall asleep while reading or watching television at various times of night? Do you notice the difference in how you sleep when you prepare for bed versus falling asleep unplanned? I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you do - having a regular routine of things we do before going to bed can have the effect of preparing our body for sleep, in much the same way that seeing and smelling food starts the process of digestion.
Your "getting ready for bed" ritual can and should be unique to you, but a couple of things that all bedtime rituals should include for optimal health and sleep hygiene are:
Your "getting ready for bed" ritual can and should be unique to you, but a couple of things that all bedtime rituals should include for optimal health and sleep hygiene are:
- Removing make up and washing your face
- Brushing and flossing your teeth
- No caffeine or sugary food or drink past a certain time or after brushing
- Turn off the television and stimulating music
Turning off the television and avoiding caffeine before bed are common sense, but we don't always do what our common sense dictates. I occasionally get caught up in a late night crime drama on television before going to bed, which often results in a restless night. Avoiding these and even stimulating music allows our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest functions) to kick in and for natural sleep to occur.
What about washing your face, brushing and flossing? Also seems like common sense - most parents make their children do this every night before bed. But it's also vitally important for adult health and most important to do before going to bed at night. At night, our mouths are drier. With no salivary enzymes to kills them and no food and drink to pass them through to our digestive tract, bacteria growth overnight is high. Brushing and especially flossing helps remove the last traces of food and sugar that fuel these bacteria before we go to bed. Removing these substances also helps prevent the accumulation of tarter.
Likewise, washing your face before bed clears off environmental exposures, make up and excess oil before going to bed, allowing your skin to breath and regenerate. Many of the body's healing and regenerative functions occur overnight in response to hormonal events precipitated by sleep. But these functions can be hampered when the surface of the skin is covered or coated with dirt, oil, make up and even night creams.
Try practicing a bedtime routine for a week or so and see how it affects your sleep. Turn off the TV/radio or turn on some light classical or instrumental music, turn down the lights, clean up and put on your pj's and get a great night's sleep.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
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Thursday, September 3, 2009
Office Closed for Holiday Weekend
True Health Medicine will be closed from Thursday September 3rd at 1pm until Tuesday September 9th at 9am for the Labor Day holiday weekend. Please feel free to leave us a message at 503-691-0901 and we'll get back to you next week.
I'm heading out camping for the holiday weekend and have been working hard all week to plan for a healthy movable feast for the long weekend. In addition to many fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks, I hit upon the idea of making and bringing a new snack favorite for a crunchy, salty treat for the weekend. If you haven't yet learned to love kale, consider these kale chips a different food altogether and try them! Before these (and a raw kale salad from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet), I ate my kale because it was good for me - now I eat it because I love it!
Sundried Tomato Kale Chips
Amounts are approximate, adjust seasonings to taste.
Note: for best results, a dehydrator is needed.
1-2 bunches kale
1/2-1 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup tahini
1-2 cup nut or rice milk or tomato soak water
1 Tbsp oregano
1-2 Tbsp basil
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
(available in the bulk department at New Seasons, also delicious on toast or popcorn)
Soak sundried tomatoes in enough water to cover. While tomatoes are soaking, prepare kale. Rinse kale and cut out central vein. I have left this in before, but we usually ended up eating around it, so I cut it out now for easier eating. If the vein doesn't extend to the tip, you can also cut off the end of the kale (up to where the vein starts to get thick) as a separate chip. These "tip chips" are always my favorite. Usually after cutting out the vein, you're left with two halves. I cut these in half again for chips that are about 1/4 the size of the original leaf. You could also cut them smaller.
By the time you finish preparing the kale, the sundried tomatoes will have soaked long enough. Mix tomatoes, tahini, spices and 1/2 liquid (rice/nut milk or soak water) in blender until tomatoes are well blended. Pour mixture into bowl. You may add the remaining liquid now or as you go. Mix well.
The next step is to get the tomato mixture onto the kale leaves and there are many ways to accomplish this. You can pour many leave into the mixture and mix with a spoon or clean hands or you can put the leaves in one at a time. In any event, you will likely be removing the kale from the mixture and squeezing off excess dressing with your hands. You want the kale to be covered with the dressing on both surfaces without using it all up on a couple of leaves. After dehydrating, the flavor is more concentrated, so it doesn't take much dressing per leaf. As you get to the bottom of the dressing bowl, you may need to add more liquid, even water, to thin and extend the dressing. Use a spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl, too. I have not found that "marinating" for any length of time is necessary - just cover the leaves by whatever method you prefer and then lay the leaves out on a dehydrator tray.
Depending on your dehydrator, it may take more or less time for the chips to be ready. It takes mine about 4 hours until they are mostly dry. If I'm eating them pretty soon, I may even leave them slightly moist (still dry and crispy, but not completely dried out). If you don't have a dehydrator, you can also try baking these in a low oven. I would set the oven as low as it will go and either leave it slightly open or pulse the oven on and off to keep the temperature low as it doesn't take much heat for these to dry.
These are my favorite, but you can also make them with any other dressing you can think of. I've even made them with apple cider vinegar and salt and they were delicious! There's no limit - enjoy!
I'm heading out camping for the holiday weekend and have been working hard all week to plan for a healthy movable feast for the long weekend. In addition to many fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks, I hit upon the idea of making and bringing a new snack favorite for a crunchy, salty treat for the weekend. If you haven't yet learned to love kale, consider these kale chips a different food altogether and try them! Before these (and a raw kale salad from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet), I ate my kale because it was good for me - now I eat it because I love it!
Sundried Tomato Kale Chips
Amounts are approximate, adjust seasonings to taste.
Note: for best results, a dehydrator is needed.
1-2 bunches kale
1/2-1 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup tahini
1-2 cup nut or rice milk or tomato soak water
1 Tbsp oregano
1-2 Tbsp basil
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
(available in the bulk department at New Seasons, also delicious on toast or popcorn)
Soak sundried tomatoes in enough water to cover. While tomatoes are soaking, prepare kale. Rinse kale and cut out central vein. I have left this in before, but we usually ended up eating around it, so I cut it out now for easier eating. If the vein doesn't extend to the tip, you can also cut off the end of the kale (up to where the vein starts to get thick) as a separate chip. These "tip chips" are always my favorite. Usually after cutting out the vein, you're left with two halves. I cut these in half again for chips that are about 1/4 the size of the original leaf. You could also cut them smaller.
By the time you finish preparing the kale, the sundried tomatoes will have soaked long enough. Mix tomatoes, tahini, spices and 1/2 liquid (rice/nut milk or soak water) in blender until tomatoes are well blended. Pour mixture into bowl. You may add the remaining liquid now or as you go. Mix well.
The next step is to get the tomato mixture onto the kale leaves and there are many ways to accomplish this. You can pour many leave into the mixture and mix with a spoon or clean hands or you can put the leaves in one at a time. In any event, you will likely be removing the kale from the mixture and squeezing off excess dressing with your hands. You want the kale to be covered with the dressing on both surfaces without using it all up on a couple of leaves. After dehydrating, the flavor is more concentrated, so it doesn't take much dressing per leaf. As you get to the bottom of the dressing bowl, you may need to add more liquid, even water, to thin and extend the dressing. Use a spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl, too. I have not found that "marinating" for any length of time is necessary - just cover the leaves by whatever method you prefer and then lay the leaves out on a dehydrator tray.
Depending on your dehydrator, it may take more or less time for the chips to be ready. It takes mine about 4 hours until they are mostly dry. If I'm eating them pretty soon, I may even leave them slightly moist (still dry and crispy, but not completely dried out). If you don't have a dehydrator, you can also try baking these in a low oven. I would set the oven as low as it will go and either leave it slightly open or pulse the oven on and off to keep the temperature low as it doesn't take much heat for these to dry.
These are my favorite, but you can also make them with any other dressing you can think of. I've even made them with apple cider vinegar and salt and they were delicious! There's no limit - enjoy!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Reminder: Last Raw Food Talk!
Don't miss our last Raw Food Talk of the summer season. Tomorrow, Thursday August 27 at 7pm at New Seasons Market Happy Valley. Call 503.558.9214 to reserve your spot today.
Our other raw food talks have been well-attended with great feedback from people with no experience in raw food to people who have made and enjoyed raw gourmet meals. We discuss the health benefits of raw food and how to get started with this fresh, live, wheat and sugar free cuisine. This Thursday, we'll be teaching in the Happy Valley cooking school, so we'll be doing a live demo showing how quick and easy it is to make a raw dessert.
If you're interested in raw diet/cuisine and can't make it to this talk, please send us a note or leave a comment. Dr. Devo will be teaching some raw un-cooking classes starting in January and we'd be happy to send you a reminder when that is on the schedule!
Our other raw food talks have been well-attended with great feedback from people with no experience in raw food to people who have made and enjoyed raw gourmet meals. We discuss the health benefits of raw food and how to get started with this fresh, live, wheat and sugar free cuisine. This Thursday, we'll be teaching in the Happy Valley cooking school, so we'll be doing a live demo showing how quick and easy it is to make a raw dessert.
If you're interested in raw diet/cuisine and can't make it to this talk, please send us a note or leave a comment. Dr. Devo will be teaching some raw un-cooking classes starting in January and we'd be happy to send you a reminder when that is on the schedule!
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