Enjoy Eating Again! 10 Tips for Avoiding Heartburn

If you suffer from heartburn, here are some easy suggestions for effective food therapies. 1. Avoid tomatoes, dark chocolate, raw onions, fried food, mint teas, and red wine.2. Drink demulcent teas such as slippery elm, marshmallow and licorice. Fennel tea is also good. Stay away from peppermint tea, which relaxes the esophagus and can actually contribute to reflux. 3. Drink carrot juice (1-2 cups/day). Carrots are alkaline-forming and anti-inflammatory and help many digestive problems. 4. Eat fresh papaya or take papaya enzymes. 5. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.6. Take acidophilus or other probiotics, or drink kefir. 7. Drink other fresh vegetable juices such as cabbage, celery and even raw potato (leave skin on). 8. Avoid eating for at least 3 hours before bedtime.9. Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen, which can aggravate heartburn. 10. Reduce carbonated beverages and caffeine.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are also great for reducing heartburn as they can resolve "Stomach Heat," the most common Chinese diagnosis for heartburn and GERD.

Follow these guidelines for a month and see how much better you feel! You might even be able to eat a bowl of spaghetti bolognese again without worry.

Melatonin: A Simple Migraine Preventative

Taking the hormone melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime can help prevent migraines. That’s because headaches may be related to disturbances in our biorhythms, and melatonin can help regulate our sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin taken nightly for 1-3 months reduces the frequency, intensity and duration of migraines that may occur, but melatonin cannot treat migraines that have already started. In Chinese medicine a propensity for migraines usually signals a pattern of excess and deficiency where the Qi (“chee”) or energy of the body is hyperactive and shoots upward instead of flowing smoothly. Our treatment focuses on subduing the Qi, and tonifying and regulating the blood in the channels that flow to the head. Acupuncture also relaxes muscle tension in the shoulders and neck and relieves spasms by increasing circulation throughout the body.

Astragalus Is Your Best Cold-Season Immune Boost

Astragalus, or huang qi, is to Chinese medicine what echinacea is to the North American materia medica. It is the Chinese herbal practitioner's number-one herb to boost Qi (pronounced "chee" and translated as "energy flow" or "breath"), in people who are frequently sidelined by colds and the flu. In Chinese medicine, when someone gets sick we say that their "protective Qi" is deficient, and astragalus acts to stabilize this protective Qi running along the surface of the body. How do you know if you have a weak immune system? Exhaustion, food allergies and depression can all leave the body vulnerable to infection, leading to persistent colds or flu, frequent skin infections, and/or chronic fatigue — all key symptoms.

Astragalus also helps a number of other problems, including spontaneous sweating, low appetite, and recovery from long-term illness, and can improve immune function in people with cancer and HIV.

Note: One should not use astragalus during an acute illness — only as a preventative. For this reason it's best to take it under the care of a licensed acupuncturist, who can make a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.