Immune Boosting Chicken Soup

·         6 cups organic chicken broth

·         2 cups water

·         1 organic chicken breast

·         2 – 3 organic chicken thighs

·         1 large onion chopped

·         5 cloves of garlic chopped fine and left to sit for 10 minutes

·         1 inch of minced ginger

·         1 tsp turmeric powder

·         ½ tsp black pepper

·         1/4 cup lemon juice

·         2 heads of baby bok choy chopped

·         or a small napa cabbage chopped

·         4 cups of organic baby spinach or chopped bunch of kale

·         2 teaspoons coconut oil or 1 tablespoon olive oil

·         ¼ cup of chopped flat leaf parsley

·         Salt to taste

Finely chop the garlic and let it sit for 10 min.

After 10 min heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or a tablespoon of olive oil in a stock pot and let it get hot (not smoking). Add turmeric powder and black pepper.  Let it sizzle for 10 – 20 sec and then add onions, garlic and ginger.  Add a splash of chicken broth and sweat the onions till they are softened.  Then add the remainder of the chicken broth and the chicken pieces.  Add salt to taste.  Let the soup simmer on medium low heat till the chicken is tender (about 30 min).  Put the chicken on a cutting board and shred it chicken with two forks, pulling apart the fibers into bite size pieces.  Put the chicken back in the pot and then add the bok choy or napa cabbage.  Once it is tender, add the lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and simmer till flavors are incorporated.  Add prewashed organic baby spinach or and turn the heat off.  Cover the pot to keep the soup hot.  Add parsley before serving. Serve with organic toasted bread with olive oil.

I have added cubed potatoes and carrot to this soup as well.  If you choose to do this, add them after the broth is added so they can soften by the time the soup is ready.

For a VEGETARIAN VERSION, use vegetable broth and add cubed and broiled tofu instead of chicken.

Serves 8

fun MEDICINE facts:

1. Garlic needs to sit for ten minutes after being crushed or chopped for the enzyme alliinase to be activated and stimulate its anti-cancer and bactericidal properties.  If garlic is not allowed to sit for 10 minutes and is fried soon after it is chopped, its health benefits are lost.
2. The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger are well known.  It relaxes the walls of the intestines relieving intestinal spasms, has anti-colon and ovarian cancer properties and boosts the immune system.
3. Frying black pepper with turmeric with black pepper in oil increases its absorption by 2000 fold. Turmeric has powerful anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and also regulates blood sugar levels..
4. Bok choy as a super food is high in fiber, Vitamin C and folic acid.
5. Parsley is high in Vitamins K, C, A and contains a small percentage of iron and folate.  It also cleanses the liver.
6. Kale is one of the most nutrient dense greens available.  Some are worried about the high concentration of oxalic acid (forms kidney stones) in kale.  When heated or cooked, the oxalic acid concentration diminishes decreasing its likelihood for kidney stone formation.

I made up this recipe for chicken soup when I came down with a bad sinus infection this year.  I did not want to take antibiotics so I proceeded to my chemistry lab (my kitchen) to concoct a soup that would give my immune system a boost and clear my sinuses.  After three bowls of this and a good night’s sleep, I awoke with a significant reduction in my symptoms and a return of my vitality and resilience.

So far, many of my patients used this recipe when they had colds and it miraculously healed them!

Enjoy this soup when you are sick or just to comfort you after a hard day’s work.  It will nourish your body and soul.

Food is Medicine!

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep is essential for health.  The lack of sleep stresses the adrenals and reduces vitality. It causes an acceleration of the aging process.  The three most powerful ways to promote health and slow down aging are:
1. A plant based wholesome diet rich in antioxidants
2. 6 – 8 hours of sleep per night
3. Regular aerobic exercise (at least 20 minutes 5 to 6 times per week)

Studies show that 8 hours of sleep per night are needed to produce enough melatonin and healthy neurotrasmitters to maintain health. Hormonal changes in women in midlife, particularly a reduction in progesterone can disrupt the sleep cycle. The lack of sleep has become a chronic problem of our time.  The stress of our fast paced life and constant busyness, coupled with fast food, brain stimulation with computers, texting and television, all contribute to insomnia and disturbed sleep.  The brain has a hard time shutting off and resting at the end of the day with all the over-stimulation it experiences.  The brain needs energy to function and needs a good 8 hours of sleep to replenish its circuits before another day of activity begins.  Deep breathing and meditation help immensely but most people do not take the time to do this.  Doing 10 minutes of abdominal breathing every night, or alternate nostril breathing (Pranayama), relaxes the brain enough to allow for its rest and rejeuvination.
The regular intake of alcohol, inflammatory fast foods (nutrient poor), caffeine and regular tv or computer use have an additive effect in overstimulating the brain.  I advise my patients who have difficulty sleeping when they first come to see me, to eliminate or minimize alcohol and wheat,  increase their intake of whole, plant based foods, omega -3 and exercise.  With these changes, the vast majority begin sleeping better.  Not watching television or using the computer before bed also helps as the glare from the screens has deleterious effects on brain activity before bed.

Supplements:

1. Magnesium 250 mg before bed.

2. Lavender oil pills, Lavela, which have shown similar efficacy as prescription sleep aids (available at The Ommani Center)

3. Melatonin 5mg.  No more than 5mg should be used as a sleep aid, only on an as needed basis as melatonin is a hormone.  Any hormone taken by mouth regularly will suppress the production of the body’s natural hormone production.  It has been shown to help people that work night shift as melatonin production is reduced with lack of darkness during night hours (even a night light in the bedroom at night will reduce the brains production of melatonin).  A decrease in melatonin production by the body has been correlated with increase in the incidence of cancer. The data on melatonin supplementation is mixed and this should not be taken on a long term basis as a sleep aid until conclusive evidence demonstrates its safety.

4. Valerian is an herb that is commonly used for insomnia.  The data on its effectiveness and my experience of it with my patients remains mixed.

5. Omega-3 Fish oil. Omega 3 and the amino acid tryptophan together increase serotonin in the brain.  Seratonin is a precursor to melatonin which aids in sleep.  Salmon, sardines, oily cold water fish and eggs all increase serotonin in the brain.  Make sure your omega-3 supplement is of pharmaceutical grade, mercury free, micro-distilled and supplies at least 300 mg of DHA and 300 mg of EPA per capsule.  2 to 3 capsules per day are needed for a therapeutic effect.

6. Bio-identical progesterone is extremely effective to restore sleep in midlife women whose hormones are out of balance.  This must be done with the aid of a physician skilled in hormone balancing, who also monitors blood levels of hormones to ensure safety.


Foods:

Bananas, almonds, warm milk, cherries, decaf green tea, oatmeal, salmon, cold water fish and eggs are all recommended to enhance sleep.

I always tell my patients to try eliminating the unhealthy foods and behaviors they are engaged in for a few weeks and then resume them.  See what happens.  Experimenting in this way releases the pressure that they may feel of ‘being deprived.’  Instead, they approach this experiment with curiosity and take cues from their body instead of my directive.  The majority of patients who have approached it in this way have successfully resumed a healthy sleep pattern.

Complementary Medicine:

1. Acupuncture is a very successful modality in restoring sleep patterns.

2. Massage relaxes the muscles and produces serotonin in the brain and body.

It takes time to develop an unhealthy sleep pattern so it takes some time to develop a healthy one.  Food takes time to restructure the cells and re-calibrate the good chemicals in the brain and body that promote health.

Food is Medicine.  It is not a quick fix.  It is however a lasting one.  Supplements are just that – supplements to our diet and lifestyle, not substitutes for healthy food and exercise.

Nature has everything within it we need to support our health.  If we live a balanced life from its basic principles, we can minimize disease and maximize our body’s regenerative potential.  The good news is that we always have a choice to do this.  The fun of trying healthy behaviors and see how our body responds. This is the basic premise of any scientific study.  We can do our own study and learn from our body’s wisdom at any time.

The choice is always ours.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/03/5-ways-to-get-old-fast/

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/220

http://www.tatianasadak.com/userfiles/2607091/file/LavelaBrochureFull.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16162447

http://www.cbn.com/health/naturalhealth/drsears_depression.aspx

http://www.ommanicenter.com/bookstore - Becoming Real by Rose Kumar M.D.

http://www.ommanicenter.com/womens-health