Photo © 2015 Margaret Adie

“If you have embarked on this journey of self-reflection, you may be at a place that everyone, sooner or later, experiences on the spiritual path. After a while it seems like almost every moment of your life you’re there, where you realize you have a choice. You have a choice whether to open or close, whether to hold on or let go, whether to harden or soften, whether to hold your seat or strike out. That choice is presented to you again and again and again.” 

— Pema Chödrön, Practicing Peace

Consider: how often you shut down and close without giving another chance.

Do: The next instance today that you feel yourself close up, whether it be to a person or an idea or thought take a breath and pause. Follow a few cleansing breath cycles allowing yourself time to realize that you do indeed have a choice. Your response is not fixed—you can choose. Reach down into your heart and find some softness and remain open.

Last week I brought home a gorgeous bunch of freshly picked carrots from Boggy Creek Farms and knew they had to go into Heidi Swanson’s Simple Carrot Soup immediately. It was divine. The slightly sweet carrots were warmed to just the right degree with the addition of red curry paste and blended velvety smooth with coconut milk. I think I need to make this again.

So you have done all the right things—rested, drank ridiculous amounts of healthy fluids, taken your gemmos, even made yourself miso soup—and yet you STILL feel terrible. What’s the deal? Or maybe your problem is slightly different. It’s like this… you seriously just got over the last virus and now three weeks later here you are waking up with a sore throat AGAIN! Why is this happening?

The answers to both of these questions are timely and important. This year’s flu season has been a particularly rough one, so I have been asked these quite often. Here’s my response.

The answer to the first situation lies in your body’s ability to eliminate. Yes, I know, there is that word again, but compromised elimination is never more obvious than when acute inflammation symptoms are present and the body can’t seem to clear them out. Don’t get me wrong, even healthy people get sick with flus and colds now and then. It’s when illnesses linger more than a few days or a week, THAT’S when you should start to ask yourself, “What else is going on here?”

In a healthy body the lymphatic system (which is the most valuable player on your immune team) moves that inflammation downwards to deliver it to the bowels and kidneys to eliminate. If the bowels and kidneys are already stressed and strained—compromised in any way from your daily life—they aren’t going to be able to manage this extra flu duty so well. How will you know they aren’t happy and up for the job? For one, your lower back will ache and possibly the rest of your body as well. Your bowels will show their displeasure with any combination of bloating, constipation or urgent loose stools (in order to empty acids quickly). When illness strikes it only intensifies what is already an inflamed and overtaxed system. That’s why it takes so long to get well.

What to do? This is when a new gemmotherapy protocol or second homeopathic remedy can be called on to give more support while you are still in this acute state. What’s critical here is to notice that your elimination organs are struggling so you can get extra support early before a secondary infection takes hold in your lungs. Why the lungs? When the kidneys and bowels are compromised, the lungs are the body’s next line of defense to help clean up the inflammation. When the coughing starts, you can be sure your lungs are being pulled into the game and you could be on your way to even more unhappiness.

If you know you are prone to this pattern of lengthy colds and viruses, you will want to take the steps—when you are not in an acute state—to do some clean up work on your terrain, which I discuss below.

Now what about those of you who seem to go from one virus to another during the season? Like I hinted at in the last post, this is an issue of terrain. Dr. Claude Bernard, a 19th century French physiologist and contemporary of Louis Pasteur, introduced the theory of “terrain” debating Pasteur’s germ theory. Bernard believed that the body becomes susceptible to infectious agents only if the internal balance is disturbed. You can read more about their debate here. Along with my homeopath colleagues internationally, I support Bernard’s theory. The truth of the matter is we are exposed to countless germs day in and day out. It’s not the germ that makes us ill it is our susceptibility to illness (our terrain).

So what can be done? We simply need to clean that terrain. Today we call that detoxing. But I am not talking about a 3 day juice cleanse here. (If only it was so easy!) You need a systematic plan to clean your organs, beginning with those most directly involved with elimination. The most gentle yet effective approach is to adopt a diet filled with alkaline foods and a daily gemmotherapy protocol. These two simple steps promote and support lymphatic drainage which in turn helps your body properly and effectively eliminate toxins and wastes.

I hope this helps shed some light on what’s going on with your body’s processes and why you may not be getting the response you expect. If this sparks other questions for you and you’d like to know more, please be sure to ask!

“Breathe in such a way that you are nourished.” 

— Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Eat

Consider: The act of breathing. It is so automatic that we rarely stop to consider what the breath is doing for our body. The thought that it is actually nourishing is profound. Thich Nhat Hanh goes onward with this simple quote to say that we don’t only nourish ourselves when we breathe mindfully but we actually nourish those around us. It’s a win-win.

Do: Gift yourself and those whose lives you touch with ten mindful and nourishing breaths right now. Soak in all that each has to offer by following it through your body from the tip of your nose to deep in your belly. With each one feel your mind slow and your body relax. Imagine all who just benefited from that exercise, not to mention a more relaxed you.

Hearty Seasonal Dinner Salad anyone? Bring it on! There are so many good things to say about this delicious salad created by Choosing Raw author Gena Hamshaw I don’t know where to begin. Here’s hopefully enough teasers that should inspire you to add these ingredients to your next shopping list: make ahead, meal-sized, yummy tamarind vinaigrette. Need tamarind? Look for an organic tamarind paste at your local Whole Foods or online. This salad will be a crowd pleaser so be sure to make enough.

Everyone is either getting over it, coming down with it or trying to avoid it like, well, the plague. Whichever category you fall into I’d like to share my insider tip and why it works.

In my practice, gemmotherapy extracts play a primary role in client protocols for both acute and chronic symptoms. Because gemmotherapy has the ability to clean organs and provide nutrients for healing, it is by far the most potent plant based therapy yet developed. When it comes to healing flu symptoms and preventing complications of the flu, I think it is unmatched. Let me tell you why.

When fighting off an infection our body needs a strong adrenal boost and an optimized lymphatic system. The gemmotherapy combo of Black Currant (Ribes Nigrum) and Oak (Quercus Pedolanta) do just that. Frequent and alternating doses of each support exactly what the body needs to fight off a viral infection.

Black Currant provides intense anti-inflammatory action which relieves body aches and brings down fever. At the same time it feeds the adrenal glands which have been called into action to ward off this virus.

The Oak dose, which would follow the dose of Black Currant when fighting the flu, provides deep lymphatic support by activating lymph fluids to move that inflammation right out of the body. Oak also supports the adrenal glands and helps with the symptoms of exhaustive states we experience.

The key to supporting the body’s natural healing process is to begin a protocol upon the first sign of symptoms. It’s similar to attending to a burning building at the first sign of smoke. The longer you wait the more damage and the more effort it is going to take to put out that fire. Do you want to put it out with a hose or a team of firetrucks? In your body all of the effort needed equals energy, so waiting and pushing through symptoms rather than giving your body immediate support can leave your body in an exhausted and depleted state which then often leads to secondary infections.

So the message here is to use the two great tools readily available, Black Currant and Oak gemmotherapy. Have them on hand and respond quickly to support your body’s natural immune process.

There’s so much more I’d like to share about the flu with you so  be sure to check back next week. I”ll discuss  why some people tend to develop secondary symptoms even though they are doing all the “right things” and what makes some of us more susceptible than others during outbreaks of the flu virus (hint: see what Claude Bernard had to say about the terrain). You don’t have to wait until my next post to take action to support your terrain. You can begin right now with an all fruit breakfast and begin to reap the benefits.

“Every mindful moment in which generosity displaces greed, compassion takes the place of hatred, and insight dislodges delusion is a moment in which we are awake.” 

— Andrew Olendzki, “A Tough But Not Impossible Act to Follow”

Consider: What a beautiful world this would be if we would each choose to do our part replacing the negative emotions that arise. Whether that emotion is directed at your partner, your child, or the grocery check, that conscious shift on your part can change everything.

Do: Catch yourself today as negativity in the form of greed, anger, or impatience takes a hold of your thoughts. Realize you have a choice. As the emotion rises place your focus on your breath and the opposing positive emotion rather than the story line that reinforces the hate, anger, or greed. Stay there until you are awake and present.

It’s gray and it’s cold and we all are craving something warm and hearty for dinner, right? Here’s the perfect solution that uses the gorgeous, in season, and locally grown savoy cabbage. Sweeter and milder than other cabbage varieties, savoy is quite family-friendly. Steaming and filling these bundles is not as time consuming as one would think and pre-made rolls store well overnight in the fridge providing a pop-in-the-oven-meal perfect for any weeknight. The combinations for fillings are literally endless but most are lentil or grain based along with finely chopped sautéed vegetables and seasoning. Check out this inspirational recipe that calls for a quinoa filling.

Ingredients:
1 medium head of savoy cabbage (savoy cabbage is milder in flavor and more tender making it easier to roll)
2 c. cooked quinoa
1 1/2 c. walnuts, ground
1 – 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 small turnip, finely chopped
2 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt (with a little extra for sprinkling)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. arrowroot starch (or tapioca flour, potato starch, or cornstarch)
2 cups of tomato or pasta sauce

Full Instructions Here

If you already feel the weight of your New Year’s resolution, how about trying something a bit more sustainable? Simply consider experimenting with one new idea each month that would support your overall health and well being. Need some ideas? Here’s just a few to prompt your own creativity:

Be…

…kind to yourself and start out each day attending to your own needs so you can be more available to others.

…your authentic self, anything else drains your energy and leads you off the path you were born to follow.

…present so you don’t miss the gift of the moment while you are planning tomorrow.

Find…. 

…a new place or two to experience nature. Austin is bursting with opportunities to be out of doors right in our city limits and there are countless more once you leave town. Check out this guide to Texas State Parks and this recreation guide by the Lower Colorado River Authority.

…a restaurant or two that you enjoy AND can eat healthy. Here are three of my go to favorites: Koriente, The Steeping Room, Counter Culture. Each will go out of their way to help you stay gluten and dairy free.

…a like minded colleague who shares your desire to lead a healthier lifestyle as a walking and/or sack lunch buddy.

Try…

…a new weekly exercise class whether its yoga, pilates or cross-fit that will provide you with a like-minded community to support your commitment.

…cooking at home 5 nights out of 7. Here’s why Mark Bittman says this may be the most radical step you can take.

…to experiment with a new recipe a week to add to your repertoire.  I love perusing Pinterest with tags for plant based or gluten free + dairy free meals or for the vegetable I decide to feature.

“Even when you think you have your life all mapped out, things happen that shape your destiny in ways you might never have imagined.” 

— Deepak Chopra

Consider: Applying the lesson in this quote on a daily basis by acknowledging each morning that all the highly structured plans that lay before you are just that and in each crash or crumble may be a plan better than you could have created yourself.