Experiment #1: Flu Virus

This past year, I've been acting as a lab rat for my own health experiments.  If I was going to spend a good chunk of my life dedicated to holistic health care then I wanted to make sure I truly believed in it; and more importantly, I needed to see if it really worked for a variety of health conditions.

Every year around late-December, I'm in bed for about 2 weeks with a high fever; chills; body ache; ear ache; chest pains and migraines.  There have been a couple of winters when I had to be admitted to the hospital because my fever was so high.  Despite getting my annual flu shots in October, I'd still get the flu. 

This year, I opted to forgo the flu shot.  I wanted to see if there were conscious, mindful preventative care I could add to my life throughout the winter season that would prevent me from getting ill.

I didn't get the flu this year.

My main plan was to boost my normally weak immune system.  I have an extremely sensitive body and it's just something I've learned to accept.  As I've learned more about viruses and how they work, the notion of flu vaccinations doesn't seem to make much sense to me. 



In touch with my Inner-Nye

 Viruses, like the flu, is a protein that can't survive on its own.  To survive, it needs  to latch onto a healthy, host cell, dump all its genetic material and tell it to start reproducing. 

Our immune system is made up of white blood cells (WBC), that immediately responds to the viruses reproducing.  There are a variety of WBC, like T Memory WBC, which sole purpose is to remember the genetic codes of the virus.   Through memorization, the T memory cells can alert the other WBC to attack faster and quicker the next time the virus enters the body.  It's kinda like remembering every, single information about your lame ex-boyfriend so the next time you meet another "musician" - All those red-flags flash louder and faster.  Totally a hypothetical correlation, of course.

I spent the entire summer researching, reading and devising my "Master Plan: Anti-Flu 2010/2011".  Meh, it ended up being more like conscious reminders throughout the winter and always being aware of my lifestyle choices.

1. Clean - Schools, airports, train stations -- Post-modern petry dishes.  I became obsessed with washing my hands and carried around my hand-sanitizer everywhere.  I had to drill into my head, viruses are spread through liquid droplets.
2. Diet - Garlic, Lemon, Ginger, Kale, Salmon, Yogurt - I love eating clean, fresh, light food like Greek cuisine but for the winter, my body was craving hearty, warm meals.  Vegetarian chili, baked squash, ratatouille, bouillabaisse and delicious soups loaded with vegetables.  I ate more carbs and eased up a little on the protein but I was always conscious of eating complex carbohydrates.
3. Sleep - I stopped listening to the advice, an average adult needs X amount of sleep, and started listening to my body.  My body functions best at 9 hours of sleep in the winter.  As the hours get longer and the days are warmer, I sleep less but during the winter, 9 is perfect.




Kettle balls: Perfect for one-shoulder outfits


4. Exercise - This was hard but I continued the majority of the winter working out 5 to 6 times a week.  There were times when I skipped (and later, regretted) a couple weeks but I got back on it when I started getting depressed and feeling sluggish.  I tried new workouts that I never thought I would enjoy like plyometric training, boxing and kettle ball workouts.  I'm not a runner; and when I do, I prefer running a treadmill that instills the fear of falling on my face if I stop.  I do, however, really like interval training and that's what I did most of the time with a day of yoga/pilates.




Best fish tacos: Santa Cruz, California


5. Chill out - The more I learn about human body, the more I look towards nature for answer.  During the winter, animals either head South or hibernate.  I took a trip West and soaked up the Vitamin D in California.  I also gained a little weight and slowed it down.  I didn't work as hard during the winter.  I chilled out more.  I bought the most colorful "Fat Pants", hung out with my BFF and watched all the Karate Kid movies. 



Grind 'em up w/hot cereal tea.



I also embraced TCM and relied on it heavily.  I went in for more acupuncture sessions and took herbs whenever I felt weak.  My body is uber-sensitive, especially during the winter; and particularly when it's cold and windy.  I can easily become Yin Deficient as TCM states.  On the advice of my practitioner, I increased the amount of foods that were blue/black like black beans, mulberry teas, seaweed and black sesame. 

According to TCM, these foods help boost and rebalance the Yin.  In Western terms, this is very similar to the endocrine system.  The nervous system responds mad quick; whereas the endocrine system responds very slowly but has an extremely long-term effect.  Western medicine doesn't really talk that much about the endocrine system because it's not as "sexy" as some of the other systems.  Holistic medicine is very concerned with this system because there are many diseases that begin with the imbalance of hormones, lymph fluids and lymph nodes.  It may takes years for the symptoms to manifest and affect other systems which makes preventative care imperative. 

It's now spring and I can't believe I went through an entire winter without getting sick.  I had a few days of mild colds but nothing that kept me bedridden for 2 weeks.  It wasn't easy, especially on those cold days when all I wanted to do was wear my hoodie, flannel pants & fuzzy socks.  But it wasn't that hard either. 

Truthfully, it was just... Eh... Annoying.  I didn't do anything that was vastly different from what I've been told for years - Wash your hands; exercise; eat right; blah blah blah.  We know these are the things that keep us healthy but we get lazy.  We ignore our health until it debilitates us; until it becomes a distraction.  It's such a warped way of thinking. 

I got tired of getting sick every winter and having my body take so long to recover.  I weighed out my options: Quit being lazy and work mindfully towards my health through preventative care or Get sick... Again.  I decided to put my health at the forefront of my consciousness.  I have to say, I'm pretty amazed at how my strong my body felt all throughout the winter season but I'm stoked to see how this will continue and how it will affect my long-term health.

Stress: My Creepy Pervy Neighbor

In NYC, you're not living unless you're dying. 

It's a twisted concept in which only a group of determined people can theorize; and honestly believe in the paradoxical truth.  It's hard to just live in the city when there's so much to do if you want to have an art gallery showing in Brooklyn or raise funds for your 2nd feature film or register your kid for PS 39... Even though he has yet to be conceptualized.

Tell a real New Yorker, you've decided to take a "personal day", due to stress.  Your statement will cast an uncomfortable blanket over an unexpected conversation you both regret having which will ultimately, be followed by an equally awkward response, "O-kaay.  Um... Well... Good luck with that."  By the end of the week, all of Manhattan will know you as "the one" who took a "personal day" which sounds a lot like "the one" who "gave up". 

Everyone is completely stressed out but it's something no one really talks about.  Sure, you get a lot of people moaning, "Ugh, I'm so stressed out."; but it's never an actual acknowledgement.  It's more of a statement that people like saying because it makes them feel like they're actually doing something productive.

It's something you accept as a by-product of living in the most amazing city in the world -- Like accepting to pay $2500 for a shitty basement studio-turned-1BR that allows only sunlight from 7:03 to 7:35 AM; has a hissing-racking-steaming radiator that never heats; and a water-pressure that feels like an urinary tract infected 88 year old is pissing on you  Dripdripdripdrip... Dripdripdrip... Drip... Drip...  Dripdripdripdripdrip...Drip............Dripdrip...  All because it's below 23rd Street. 

Stress is something you learn to accept but it's a given you don't do anything about it because admitting you have a problem is the first step to... Well... Admitting you have a problem.

My Stress: Personified

I have a habit of personifying the difficult situations in my life because it's easier for me to deal with them.  "Stress", is the neighbor across the street who I desperately try to avoid eye-contact because he is also a registered sex offender.

I know he's there.  He knows I'm here.  I don't particularly like that he's there but I can't afford to live in a posh "Pedophile-Free Zone" neighborhood; and he can't quite afford to live a little closer to a park with colorful jungle gyms.  But we're both here under a circumstance larger than us.

I think I'm excused from saying, "Hey, Jack!  Beautiful Saturday we're having!" but I have to acknowledge him; and more importantly, I've got to keep my tabs on him.  

That's how "Stress" is in my life.  It's there.  Lurking behind the trees ready to pop out any minute at the most inappropriate times like Halloween or when the Girls Scouts are selling boxes of Thin Mints.  I realize I'm not the prime target but I can easily be the innocent by-stander of some creepy episode that will leave me with a tainted, gross feeling.

I wouldn't say this is how all New Yorkers perceive stress.  In fact, I know they don't because there are  people, some good friends of mine, who manage to get through year-to-year without missing a beat or taking a moment to blink.  It's fascinating to see the focus of their determination to succeed in whatever it is they want to succeed in.  



"Personal Day" in the jungle.


I just don't have that sort of drive.  If NYC is a jungle, my specie would have been eaten a long time ago.  Clearly, I'm barely hanging from extinction.  I'm a vegetarian, unwilling to eat another animal, and I'm more focused on finding a way to do what I love while still making time to take photos, collect boxes, surf and have Taco Wednesdays for my good friends. 

Last week, I took a "personal day" (fortunately, "crazy people" are legitimately excused from being ostracized for taking care of themselves) which ended up more like "personal hours" throughout the entire week. 

I spent most of those hours just f*ckin' around. 

• Playing my ukulele and singing until my voice was hoarse
• Listening to guilty-pleasure music I secretly enjoy but would never admit -- "Hangin' Around" by Counting Crows
• Listening to guilty-pleasure music that reminds me of my childhood -- The entire album, Great Escape, by Blur

• Eating a Twix chocolate bar
• Blaring Marlena Shaw on my Ipod and going for a 5 mile jog
• Listening to more music that reminds me of my childhood -- Elastica -- and dancing in my underwear (clearly, I had a Britpop phase)
• Watching terrible, crappy movies starring Anne Hathaway
• Picking up a book of fiction
• Playing hooky and spending time with my BFF
• Dreaming big-ass dreams out loud and laughing hysterical at the absurdity of it all
• Making other people laugh and laughing at them laughing at me
• Drawing as if I could really draw
• Finding a creative-writing pseudo editor

It's been a week and I can honestly say, I feel refreshed.  I found the root of my imbalance, as TCM states, and now I can focus on finding ways to just get back in harmony.  I realized I was putting all my energy on school and neglecting the other aspects of my identity. 

I tend to think this is a New York thing.  I don't think other people in other parts of the world identify themselves by their career.  I don't think they allow it.  I think they define themselves by all the stuff they do -- Career, hobbies, personal relationships, day dreams, goals, holidays, passions...

It's a concept that resonates with me but one which will take time to fully comprehend.

The Story Within the "Story"

When I chose my concentration, screenwriting, in 2nd year of film school, I was reminded,

"Every Story has been told."  

This wasn't big a deal because I never enjoyed "telling Stories".  I wasn't good at it.  I found the commitment of having long-term relationships with my characters incredibly exhausting.  By the end, I not only wanted to never hear from them again; I wanted to kill them. 

However, I was good (and liked) telling the little bits and pieces, or as my thesis professor commented, "The tiny slices of life that make up the big Story."

My hero: Scout

I'm excited to see Tom Shadyac's documentary "I Am" when I head back out to California next month.  Shadyac is a big-whig director who shares the same story as mine.  The same damn story Joseph Campbell coined as the "Hero's Journey".  The same story Holden Caulfield never finished but the same story Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) triumphantly accomplished.

I find many people who pursue the health-field, more specifically, the alternative health-field (Because, you've had to really lost your damn mind to even consider something so unconventional), is they've all gone and completed their so-called "Hero's Journey". 

Girl and 3 friends find crystal-meth and become full-blown addicts.  3 friends die and Girl is the only survivor of the drug.  Girl seeks treatment which includes methadone and acupuncture.  Girl survives her addiction, lives to tell about it and applies to Oriental medical school to help others. 

That's not my story.  It's a story I heard from "Girl" when I visited Portland.  It's the same story I've heard from cancer survivors, heroin addicts, husbands of wives living with Parkinson's, wheelchair-bound ex-surfer...  Same story with uniquely different bits and pieces.

In science, many stories haven't been told yet which makes it fascinating because I can actually be an active part in creating the real bits and pieces.  The paradox of science, for me, is that I can concentrate all I want on the bits and pieces; but they don't mean a damn thing if I can't string them together and discover the real story. 



Rosalind Franklin

Case in point, the Oh Snap! story of Rosalind Franklin:

Rosalind Franklin was a total "bitch", according to the all White-male world of Science back in the 1950s.  More importantly, she was a leader in crystallography which became the exact images Watson & Crick needed to reinforce their Lego-building DNA molecule structure theory in order to publish a paper which would later grant them a big fancy award and mark their place in history. 

Enter this clown: Maurice Wilkins, who not only worked for Franklin, but hated her with a deep passion only a misogynist could appreciate.  Wilkins had an inkling the Franklin's photographs of X-ray radiation bouncing electrons might have something to do with DNA structure.  He steals her work and slyly passes to Watson & Crick.  Watson & Crick publish their renowned paper in 1953 and the 3 Amigos (Watson, Crick and Wilkins) win the Nobel Prize in 1963.  Franklin, who spent years exposing herself to radiation in the name of science, dies in 1958, making her illegible for the prestigious award.  No one hears her story for the next 20 years. 



Clowns

Aside from the total anti-feminism moral to this story, the other aspect is Franklin, who was so consumed with just the crystallography, she couldn't see the big, mutherfuckin' story -- DNA.  I should probably preface, in the 1950's, hundreds of chemists and biologists, all over the world, were working on the DNA structure.  All the facts, the bits and pieces of the structure, were collected since the late 1800s.  They just didn't know how, the story, fit together.  It took one thief, Maurice Wilkins, to make the connection. 

How did this happen?!  How did Franklin, who also despised working with Wilkins, not see this jerk creepin'?

When you have a hammer, everything starts to look like nails. 

Oriental medicine (OM) requires practitioners to find the hidden symptoms of the deep-rooted "disease" (condition).  They're constantly touching, listening, feeling for the little bits of pieces that make up the story.  This protocol is vastly different than conventional medicine in which practitioners limit their physical interaction with their patients.  Heart beats and blood pressure are now determined through the facilitation of devices; rather than a direct-to-direct interaction from the patient to the practitioner.  The diagnostic procedures of OM (aka TCM) reinforces the theory: Every individual is unique.  Sure, there are similar aspects, like we all have DNA but how these genes are expressed varies greatly depending on not only gene expression but all those freakin' environmental factors which create the imbalances from lower back pains to addiction to Autism.



Diagnostic TCM procedure

The thought of being trained to listen and describe the various types of: heart beats; blood stagnation; tongue color; etc., in thousands of individuals, overwhelms me.  But this is what I enjoy doing.  This is what I'm good at.   I live to analyze the bits and pieces.  

However, I need to strengthen my Story-telling skills.  I need to remember these bits and pieces, at the end of the day, must be strung together in order to see the cohesive story -- The single, unique health story, of one individual. 

Keep It Simple, Stupid. Breathe.

Photo by: Gwarf.

Sometimes, I forget to breathe.  It's the very reason why I want to get the word inked on my skin like a permanent Post-It note. 

I've gotten much better but I do find myself gasping for air from time to time.  The major difference is, I catch myself a lot sooner before I black out.  This is a huge.  It saves me from purchasing another one-way ticket to <insert random country I can barely find on the map>. 

The first thing every human-biology student learns is the concept of homeostasis - The body's ability to regulate, within a range, its inner environment in response to the fluctuating outside environment.  "Within a range" is the imperative phrase because "fluctuating" follows it.  It's fluid.  The body temperature doesn't have to be an exact 98.6 F.  It can be 98.2 F and the shit won't hit the fan.

TCM has the similar theory about the importance of staying within a range of balance.  In fact, the word "disease" is not even used.  The body is never "sick" or "healthy" -- It's imbalanced or balanced.

The older I get, the more I realize this concept is critical to not only my health but to my moment-to-moment of living.  At times, it's quite difficult.  It seems against my nature.  I'm the type of person that gets excited over Excel sheets.  I prefer my coffee black.  I like order and solids look better on me.  It's funny how it's always the same -- I find myself overly-confident, struttin' around like I got my shit all planned out.  Only to get bitch-slapped.  How I choose to get back up, dust off my knees, check my heels and re-apply my lipstick is a new experience every damn time.  

I finally registered for my Anatomy and Physiology II class.  A class I was hoping would start in June and discovered it actually starts in July.  This leaves me 2 months of muckin' around and this tiny little shift has made me spiral out of control. 

I get like this.  A minuscule "problem" grows into this insane, unrealistic predicament, like worrying about what sort of education my kids will get while living in Hawaii.  Oye, chica!  Loca en la cabeza!   And... This is when the giant frying pan needs to smack me across the face while a warm, yet stern, voice tells me,

"Keep it simple, stupid.  Breathe." 

One of my dear friends who I met traveling in South East Asia reminded me I need to get to the core of my issue, or rather, "imbalance"; and figure it out before I do something really stupid.  I've been using this and that as an excuse to my mini-panic attacks but the truth is, it's entirely something else.  Something I don't particularly want to deal with right now for whatever reason but something I need to if I want to start breathing properly again. 

Prior to "finding enlightenment", I would have called up my friends, the ones without any last names or have never seen during the day, to party up a storm of whiskey, hip hop and a complimentary buffet of drugs.  I would have found the one who just got out on parole.  I would have bought a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes and justified, in delusion, they "grounded me".  And I would rinse and repeat. 

At 30, it's kinda lame... And boring... And pretty exhausting.



Tin -Tin

La Roux

I need to find a way to de-stress and chill out.  I'm fortunate to have real friends who are intelligent, empathetic, dignified and badass.  They let me rant like an idiot without offering any advice on how to "fix" my problem.  I put on some Timberland and do yoga.  And, though I haven't ran in a year, in the last week, I've been running like I'm Forrest freakin' Gump.  It helps.  All I can focus about is how much I hate running so I don't even have the mental capacity to worry about anything else.  La Roux blasts in my ear and then I start thinking how it'd be awesome if I could pull off that swoosh Tin-Tin hairdo. 

Clearly, I'm neglecting an aspect within myself and "Its" starting to get really jealous.  I get it.  For the past year I've had my blinders on and not even a cute, witty, smart architect could steer me from getting my education on.  Perhaps this is the reason.  I'm about to embark on some major Geek-Chapter of my life and I can't help hear Cute Architect's voice in my head as he sums up his PhD program, "The only risk is that you might end up hating what you spent all those years studying."  It's a big risk, fully acknowledged, which is probably the reason why I'm so hell-bent on making sure I don't neglect the side of me that chases waves, strums the uke or writes stories about characters that make me fall in love. 


Family Room Community Acupuncture - Pacifica, CA


I'm heading for a community acupuncture treatment this week.  Personally, I've found community acupuncture to be perfect for these kinds of situations.  It's like therapy -- Minus all the crying and blaming your parents for everything.  I get poked, cooked, fall asleep and wake up with a sense of clarity and peace to calm the f*ck down... And breathe. 



Man The F*ck Up

Man-up!" is a phrase I have used occasionally.

"Man-the-f*ck-up!" is a phrase I use quite often.

Until recently, I've associated this issue of masculinity as purely sociological and psychological.  Do I really need to break down the difference between grown-ass men shedding tears over grown-folk issues vs. crying over spilled milk?  I have very little patience for hyper-sensitivity -- It's the very reason why I'm not interested in baby-sitting 2-year olds or dating men with warped perceptions of love. 

Lately, I've been thinking, there must be a biological component to the decline of "Men".  Lucky me, while discussing the chemical formula of cholesterol in A&P class, we got on the subject of funky hormones.

Stereotypical gender roles are fascinating, particularly since psychological issues are always intertwined with biology. If the feminizing of men extends beyond psychology, then there has to be biological "proof" why men are losing their masculinity.  Could this be due to the dropping levels of testosterone?

Enter our good friend, BPA. Even the least environmentally-conscious person can now call himself an environmentalist thanks to the BPA hupla. We know it's toxic and dangerous, right?  But why?


Highest level of BPA: Receipts.

BPA is an endocrine disrupter which creates xenoestrogens. 

Endocrine Disrupters = Molecules that disrupt hormones.

Xenoestrogen = Compounds chemically different from natural estrogen but act very similarly to it.

The molecular formula of a testosterone hormone is nearly identical to an estrogen hormone. 

Translation:  It really doesn't that much "stuff" (toxin) to alter the function of the male hormone into the female hormone.  This is not only the biological foundation of the decline in masculinity in men but also the reason why men are starting to look more feminine.  There has been a significant drop in testosterone levels in men in the last 60 years.  It's the reason why we're starting to see intersex amphibians.  (Yup,1 frog - eggs in the testes.)  And the reason why Puerto Rico is starting to see girls as young as 2-year olds prematurely developing breasts.  (What happens to these 2-years old as they continue to develop prematurely - Menstruation, menopause, osteoarthritis?) 

I won't even divulge in the heavy biological impact this has on the psyches of males and females and the sociological influences...  Because Newsweek did it so well.   

Back to balls...

Aside from BPA, many other toxins are also known as endocrine disrupters, such as, the drug-dujour, Anti-depressants. Although the media refers to my generation as "Gen-Y", I think the "Prozac-Generation" is far more candid. In addition to prozac, the majority of my friends growing up were doped up on one or more of the following: Lithium; Xanax; Ritalin; Adderall; Dexedrine; and other wonderfully colorful, mood-altering, pills. 

The major concern for parents back then were how these pharmaceutical drugs would affect their kids 5 years down the road. 10 years? 20 years? How long will they have to pop that Xanax? Yet, no one was wondering how these drugs would directly affect every other human-being on this planet.

Q: Where do all the chemical remnants go?
A: Urinated by the doped-up kids, and flushed into our water system for everyone to enjoy.

I would hardly consider myself an Ed Begley Jr. disciple but I try to do my part.  For the last year, I've become incredibly interested in environmental issues because I've recognized the undeniable correlation between the environment and health. 

I can't commit to the health field without consciously being aware of the environmental factors. I have to be concerned with how these drugs are altering the health and wellness of unsuspected individuals.

It's obvious, we've become a pill-popping culture simply because it's more convenient than digging deep and getting to the core issues.  But at what cost?  The diluted concentration of these chemicals found in our water system is having a huge impact on the genetic coding of the entire human race.  Yeah, I said it... And what?



NADA w/acupuncture needles.



Ear seeds.

There's a deeper moral and ethical question to consider; particularly if alternative treatments are available.  I've had auricular therapy and the NADA protocol used to alleviate my stress, depression and addictions.  Treatments varied with the use of acupuncture needles and "ear seeds" (tiny metal balls that stick directly to the ear). 

Personally, my choice to use acupuncture instead of pharmaceutical drugs was purely based on the the fact that I am an addict with a highly addictive personality and I can't afford to take another drug (albeit, "prescribed by a health official") to treat some other disorder.  Rehab wasn't fun the first or second time around and I doubt Round #3 would be any different.  Just as important, I don't like the idea of chemically altering my physiology; and no one could give me a definite answer on the long-term effects. 

As I'm learning more about the environmental factors on heath, I can't advocate pharmaceutical drugs as the first option without mentioning all the other options available today.  We need to recognize the everyday choices we make in our own lives have a severe, global domino-effect.  Purely, based on just wanting to be a better human-being, we need to really reconsider all our options, thoroughly, before making a decision that will impact, not only our lives but the lives of others.

In Love with Joe



Best Coffee in the US

Coffee is my vice.

I need it.  I crave it.  I want to make love to it. 

This is just one reason why I'm actually stoked at the possibility of living in Portland, Oregon.  (On my recent visit, I made friends with Talin, my soon-to-be-local coffee-guru at the Mecca of Coffee, Stumptown.  I heart him and his vast knowledge of the dark bean.)

Unfortunately, I drink waaaay too much of this stuff.  It affects my sleep (erratic) and my stress levels (increase).  But most importantly, the sweet caffeine nectar affects my body physiologically: Dehydration.

Dehydration goes far beyond being thirsty.  Extreme dehydration can lead to complications with joints, kidneys, blood circulation, etc.  The human body is about 75% water and if it's dehydrated, important organs can't function properly.  Look at me, I'm writing this as I'm having my 5th cup of coffee!  I'm working on it. 

Research studies have laid out the benefits of coffee and its powerful benefits of protecting against diseases from cancer to Parkinson's; but it is also a highly caffeinated beverage and like everything, there's a limit.  (*sniff sniff*)

According to the trusty ol' Mayo Clinic, we shouldn't be drinking more than 2 to 4 cups of coffee/day to avoid addiction and symptoms such as: Nervousness, irritability, muscle tremors, etc.  I'm far passed that limit which probably explains why I often find myself cotton-mouthed like I've just been trekking through the damn Sahara.

Last year, I visited the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) in San Francisco to check out their program.  Whenever I visit a school, I make it a habit to sit-in on a class and make an appointment with the clinic.  During my visit, I opted to volunteer for a diagnostic clinical class (Translation: Clinic class in which an instructor and 4 students diagnose and treat 1 patient) to treat dehydration, stress and apparently (didn't know at the time until the doctor noted) constipation. 

After my acupuncture treatment, the doctor prescribed herbs to treat my dehydration.  I've taken herbs before, typically in the form of a brewed, thick black tea or pills.  I'm going to be totally honest and admit most Chinese herbs don't really taste all that great to me (Yuck).  The thick black teas taste "earthy" (Take that however you like).  Yet, I can't deny the incredible healing effects (Not for nothing, Pepto-Bismol sure don't taste like hot cocoa neither).  My parents put me on herbs when I refused to drink milk at 3 years old; back in 2007 when I lost my ability to walk, I drank herbal teas as a supplement to my treatment plan; and the only medicine I brought to South East Asia for 2 years were herbal pills that treat digestion problems (Even shared them with my Hmong trek-guide, Sue, in Sapa, Vietnam when she became ill with severe abdominal pain.  Worked like a charm!)


Licorice Root


In SF, I stopped by the ACTCM herbal clinic and received 5 mixed-herb packages of: Licorice root; chrysanthemum flowers and goji berries.  These weren't the leaf-version but real things I could see and they looked gorgeous in a huge tea cup.


 After the first cup, I could actually feel the moisture in my mouth reappear.  The tea was delicious.  It was very light with a slight hint of licorice.  The goji berries plumped up and had a tint of sweetness to them. 



Seriously? SO good!



Goji Berries



I don't have the accessibility to an herb clinic but I can easily find these items at the grocery and for sure, down in Chinatown.  Licorice root can be found at Asian supermarkets and possibly health-food stores but chrysanthemum tea (FYI: Def grab a can of YEO'S if you ever see it.  It looks like a canned soda but is actually cold chrysanthemum tea and delicious!) is available widely in teabags and even Whole Foods carry goji berries.



Chrysanthemum Flowers

The main ingredient of the tea is the chrysanthemum flowers which infused, is so light everyone will enjoy.  If you don't like licorice or can't find goji berries, forget them.  I've drank just chrysanthemum tea and have had similiar effects.  The tea is especially useful when drinking gallons of water just doesn't cut it and the thought of drinking sugary sports drinks for those "electrolytes" isn't worth the calories.  It also reminds me herbs aren't all weird, funky medicine but they can be delicious and just as effective.



Side Note:  Hiked 10 miles on Sunday and thought of a yummy iced version for the summer, I'm gonna call it:

"Beach Peach Spritzer"

Ingredients

• Infused Chrysanthemum tea (chilled)
• Fresh lemon and juice
• Fresh mint
• Teansy bit o' sugar
• Agave syrup
• Fresh ginger (diced)
• Georgia peach (diced)
• Club soda
• (Optional for alcohol-luvers: Cold sake, rum OR vodka -- Don't get crazy and mix)

Directions

• In a shaker, muddle fresh mint, ginger and sugar into a paste.
• Add peach, agave syrup, lemon (squeeze the juice and throw the whole thing in there) and muddle.
• Fill shaker with ice and chrysanthemum tea (Optional alcohol insert here).
• Channel-in your inner mixologist and SHAKE!
• Strain and pour into tall glass with ice, top off with club soda and garnish with a piece of mint and a nice, thick juicy piece of peach.

Now, I haven't made this yet but in my past life I was hired by numerous bars/clubs/restaurants to create specialty cocktail drinks sooo... I gots the skills to back it up & say this is gonna taste gooood. 

Oh, Baby!

Penelope Jagessar Chaffer

I was catching up on some local news (Okay, waiting for The Simpsons to come on) when a feature story on NBC caught my ears: Acupuncture and infertility (Watch here).  As if that wasn't enough for me to stay tune -- The woman in the feature was Penelope Jagessar Chaffer, a documentary director (Toxic Baby), the first African-American woman nominated for a BAFTA award and one of the panelist from the Endangered Species Summit I attended a few weeks ago.

I remembered her specifically because she seemed so calm and relaxed in the midst of raging feminists.  Oh yeah, and her new-born baby she was holding on stage (under the bright, hot lights; cameras filming and hundreds of people staring back) didn't cry or make one peep during the entire 45 minutes of stage time.  I barely could keep my concentration on the other speakers because I kept waiting for this baby to explode and vocally display her lungs' capabilities because well... Uh... Isn't that what babies do? 

Not this one!  And now I'm wondering if this babe's acu sessions were the reason why she was so chilled-out. 

I've got a few months until I start the nitty-gritty of TCM and I've been thinking on-and-off about how I would like to practice and utilize my education.  Similiar to the Western medical field (Surgeons = Cocky.  Pediatricians = Big kids.  Dermatologists = Expensive shoes and designer lab coats), TCM is also broken down into smaller and specialized segments.  I've known for quite some time, infertility is a hot spot -- Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, a school I'm considering, received a $1.1M research grant fund from the National Institute of Health in 2005 to study invitro-fertilization and acupuncture.

Celine Dion

Mariah Carrey

If celebrities are a reflection of society, then Mariah Carrey and Celine Dion (Both have stated using acupuncture as a complementary fertility treatment) are DIVA examples of the complications of fertility and the great demand for complementary medicine. 

I'm taking baby steps into the world of reproduction.  I'm not going to front like I go goo-goo-ga-ga over babies and children.  Recently, I met an old college friend who mentioned a mutual acquaintance of ours has a kid who's 5 years old and my immediate response was, "Oh my God, it's like a human!"  The idea of having the largest tissue in my body stretched out into unimaginable width, all the while having something that resembles and functions a lot like a parasite, scares the beejusus out of me.  Don't even get me started on the ridiculous concept of pushing something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a lemon.  It's enough to make me reconsider the notion God may actually be a Man. 

With all that being said, my A&P professor is a geneticist and he's been breaking down my least favorite organ system into something that truly fascinates me.  I finally get the term, "The Miracle of Life".  This isn't some Lifetime episode, it's a real, freakin' miracle that one sperm can swim upstream, dodge bullets, manuever through crazy pH changes and finally get to that one egg!  Invitro-fertilization is an uniquely special modern miracle in itself.  I'm also beginning to realize it's not fair for a woman to be reprimanded for choosing to have a family later in life.  If anything, she should be applauded for making the decision to wait until she's financially and emotionally more capable of raising decent human-beings. 

I'm a strong believer in holistic integrative treatments - the integration of using traditional and conventional medicine specifically for each unique individual.  Medical studies from the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation to published books have varying results on how exactly acupuncture works in terms of infertility.  That's natural considering TCM has a vastly different theory on physiology compared to Western medicine.  Theories from, increased blood circulation in the pelvic region to stimulation of neurotransmitters, have been part of the results; however, the core foundation of any real treatment is to help the body return to its natural and preferred state of homeostasis in order to function properly (Translation: Help the body chill-out).

"Pregnant Women" by Steve Gribben

The thing I really like about acupuncture as a combined fertility treatment is that it is a cohesive and fully integrative system.  It requires the balanced and co-dependent relationship of the non-invasive procedure and modern technology to help people.  Recently, studies have shown acupuncture help men and their sperm production and function; which reinterates it does take two to tango.  More personally, it emphasizes the importance of research studies on new disorders that are appearing due to the direct social changes within society.  It's fascinating to see something that was used thousands of years ago still have such powerful effects today.