Health

Congee: a healing comfort food

Rice is a staple grain in China, and except for some regional variations, is the base of most meals. Congee is rice cooked with 3-5 times more water than usual. But this simple variation transforms rice into a healing culinary jewel. Likely first cooked just to extend a meager supply of rice in times of famine, congee has since become a jewel of rice cuisine. It’s a common breakfast food and also an important healing food. Many of China’s cancer hospitals serve congee to their patients. It is soothing to the gut mucosa, provides easily digested nutrition and can be a enhanced with herbs or other foods to increase its medicinal effect. I like it for breakfast, lunch or dinner with ginger, scallions and chicken or seafood. Add a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil and you are in heaven. I use a pressure cooker, but it can be made on the stovetop.

For a more medicinal congee, use more water, at least 10 parts water to 1 part rice. Cook until the rice grains are disintegrated. Don’t forget the ginger!

Here is an easy to follow recipe for the pressure cooker. https://iamafoodblog.com/make-instant-pot-chicken-congee/

Summer Solstice

During the summer solstice your yang energy reaches its peak. It is important to harness the peak of this yang energy, because as summer shifts into fall yang energy will decline. This great abundance of yang energy will translate throughout your body because during this season you are active and growing.

According to five element theory, during the summer the organ that receives extra energy is the heart. When the seasons change so do the organs we should focus on in the body. You should focus on the heart during summer. Feed the heart heart-nourishing foods and make sure to remain active so the heart receives positive energy. continue reading »

Fighting Flu Season with Acupuncture

While the flu is actually not a season, we have become programmed to think of it as the months of November through March. On average, the flu hospitalizes thousands every year, especially the young and elderly. There are also a number of deaths related to the flu, mostly due to people already having compromised immune systems.

The flu, also known as influenza, is a highly contagious respiratory infection that is caused by a number of viruses. To date, there are approximately 26 to 30 different known strains of the flu virus. This is one of the reasons the flu vaccine has only mild efficacy. The flu vaccine itself, typically only covers five to seven strains of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever, coughing, a sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, pains, runny nose and watery eyes. continue reading »

Nutrition for Heart Health OM Nutrition & Hypertension

Oriental medicine (OM) nutrition combines ancient wisdom with modern science. OM nutrition is a holistic approach, which aims to balance all five flavors within most meals with one or two flavors being emphasized for therapeutic purposes. OM nutrition for a hypertension emphasizes bitter flavors, sour flavors and energetically-cooling foods.

OM theory states the bitter flavor benefits the heart in moderation but an excess is harmful as it has a drying effect; for example, coffee is bitter. In moderation coffee acts as vasodilator increasing circulation but in excess it can raise blood pressure and has a diuretic effect. Modern scientific research has discovered while the human genome has 25 bitter taste receptors 12 of these are expressed in the human heart. continue reading »

7 Ways to Communicate Healthy Habits to Your Kids

As the school year kicks back into gear so should the healthy habits that you and your children have before practiced. Notice how I said “practiced,” because we all know during the summer-vacation months we tend to indulge a little. Maybe you have had one too many backyard barbecues, or three too many trips to the favorite ice cream shop down the street. Whatever your summer vice may be don’t worry about it, you can regain those healthy habits from before and introduce them into your children’s lives! continue reading »

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3622 Lyckan Prkwy
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Durham, NC 27707

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Testimonials

I highly recommend Jon as an acupuncturist, and for much more as well. For, although acupuncture is at the heart of Jon’s practice, he is as well a longtime student of many branches of Asian medicine, and if you go to him with a specific complaint, Jon will look at you as a whole person and will suggest a variety of treatments that he thinks are likely to deal with your specific complaint by way of improving your overall health.... Read more »

I’m a sixty two year old woman, healthy and physically active. I’ve been dealing with chronic insomnia for over 25 years.

Last fall, after having tried other approaches, I finally decided to try acupuncture. Over the years, I had relied on various pharmaceuticals to help me sleep through the night, and had now been using Ambien nightly for over 15 years. I knew this was a poor choice for sleep, and toxic for my body, but I felt panic at... Read more »

I found your ability to listen uncanny and despite being a man, really in tune with some of the issues and concerns I was facing as a mother and woman in general. Your guidance was always helpful and gentle with notes of giving myself some room for error and cutting myself some slack. I thought your care was extremely informative and educational – I always left knowing something new about my body and natural ways to address my concerns. I’m... Read more »
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