Letha’s Health Secrets

I was reading one of my favorite nutritionists today, Dr. Bernard Jensen’s book Arthritis, Rheumatism and Osteoporosis: an effective program of correction through nutrition. He says people over age 50 feel joint pain worse because metabolism slows, which allows toxins to accumulate. I sure feel my joints in these rainy Vermont mountains no matter what my age. Joints ache with humidity or a passing storm when barometric pressure drops. I use homeopathic dulcamara 30C which I have nicknamed “pain in the rain.”  But  a deep-cleansing, rejuvenating approach does more than alleviate pain. Jensen’s holistic approach includes: speed metabolism and cleansing with kelp, a source of minerals especially iodine, to stimulate the thyroid, hawthorn to strengthen circulation, sufficient liquid intake (8 glasses) of water, KB-11 tea or juniper berry tea, a diuretic, to tone the kidneys, fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, foods high in calcium, sodium and potassium to neutralize acids, and vitamin D (and ultraviolet rays) from sunshine to increase calcium absorption. Add to that daily exercise (he likes gentle circular movements of all joints), sweating to cleanse impurities; and an “active, satisfying sex life”–and you’ve got it all–a holistic approach for joint rejuvenation. Here’s tonight’s recipe.

Continue reading ‘Arthritis Recipes: Artichoke with Kelp’

May 07, 2008: A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world raises the question of which has the most effect on the human lifespan: genetics or a healthy lifestyle or some combination of the two? Research reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to the longevity of a 114-year old Spaniard. The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and daily cycling until the age of 102 as the reasons for his excellent health.
Continue reading ‘Give me some red grapes, olive oil and a bike’

Everyone has heard of womens’ herbs such as golden seal, recommended for urinary and intestinal infections; or red clover and licorice, which are estrogenic. But no one, up to now, has investigated kitchen spices to treat female wellness issues. We spend significant time cooking or washing dishes, which presents an opportunity to use spices at hand to ease common complaints. For detailed information see Chapter 6. “The Taste and Energy of Foods” and Chapter 7. “Culinary Medicines” in Asian Health Secrets.

Continue reading ‘Womens’ Spices’

Here is the recent podcast “The Healing Power of Natural Chinese Remedies” I did talking about Feed Your Tiger healthy weight loss with Alex Green. He is a delightful, health conscious English professor in California. Wiredberries.com has lots of useful health and wellness information.

My brother, the baby of the family, is a busy hard-working chiropractor. He has had plenty of experience with pain and injury. He has won titles in body building and has suffered serious injury in motor cycle accidents that resulted in hospitalization, infections, and their complications. His simple answer to inflammatory arthritic pain is the same as some Asian martial artists–ice. One highly revered Chinese doctor I know once said, “Ice is like cortisone.” It reduces swelling pain. You can apply it locally. It cannot cause stomach ulcers. It is cheap and effective for temporary relief. Why is it important to avoid drug side-effects when treating inflammatory arthritis? See this quote from a recent Harvard study:

Continue reading ‘A Simple Answer for Arthritis’

New Delhi, June 18 - Saka Dawa (15th day of the 4th lunar month) is the most important festival in Tibetan Buddhism. It celebrates the birth and enlightenment of Sakyamuni and his entry to Nirvana. It is said that good deeds in this month deserve 300 fold in return and this leads to many people donating large sums to the religious orders, monasteries and beggars that gather at this time of year. Tibetans in Delhi commemorated the otherwise festive occasion at Jantar Mantar. The Tibetan Solidarity Committee, Delhi organized a Community Kitchen (langkar) that offered free food and lemonade to almost 2,000 people in the area.

If you’re traveling this summer you need a few simple, natural remedies to eliminate stress, fatigue, and travel-jitters. They are included in my “Champion Spirit Series: Gold Medal Karma - The Dalai Lama” Amazon Short available at www.amazon.com. It features adventure travelers who sought the Land of Snows during the 19th century, my own travel stories to Lhasa in 1985, a little background information on HH the Dalai Lama and practical travel tips that can greatly improve time spent in airports, cars and other stressful situations.

One of the most fun things I’m doing these days is writing articles for Heal India magazine published in Delhi. It feels great to be CONNECTED with Asia! Heal India is an eHealth innovation and information portal featuring medical and natural health advice articles. You can subscribe to Heal India magazine for 1 - 3 years. In the July Issue, I wrote about our friend neem. Neem trees grow wild all over India and are cultivated in south Florida. You can buy capsules of neem in your health food store to treat complexion blemishes and intestinal infections. Neem purifies the entire body.

My friend California acupuncturist Michel Czehatowski has just returned from China where he, his daughter Hannah and friend Mark visited great places, among them Chengdu and Emei Shan’s sacred temples, and collected ling zhi “immortality mushrooms.” He has started a wonderfully entertaining blog with photos click here. I also treasure my memories from the 1980s of a rainy weekend spent on Emei mountain, visiting Buddhist temples and spending the night in a guest house near a peaceful moonlit lake. Continue reading ‘Back From China’

Researchers with the highly respected Cochrane Collaboration — experts who identify and evaluate studies of health care interventions — say that scientific evidence supports daily consumption of cranberry products to reduce the likelihood of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The preventive effect is strongest in women with a history of recurrent UTIs — that is, three or more a year. Continue reading ‘Harvard Likes Cranberry for UTI’