Letha’s Asian Health Secrets

Soft drink sales are down. The Chief of PepsiCo’s beverage division, said Nov. 20 the company will use a compound made from stevia as an alternative to higher-calorie artificial sweeteners in some drinks as soon as the government gives “the green light.” Stevia was described as the world’s “sweetest” plant in a New York Times article in 1932. After Japanese businessmen took cuttings home nearly four decades ago, the partially refined leaf became a household product. It’s found in up to 40 percent of zero- or low-calorie sweeteners. See how I use stevia and spice sweeteners in Feed Your Tiger.

Continue reading ‘Coca and Pepsi find a sweet, old friend’

I send you warm, heartfelt greetings from New York, a city where we are free to thank God, celebrate the Goddess, take refuge in the Buddha, and praise The Great Spirit or Allah without fear. A large army of police, aided by their own intelligence network, protects that freedom. A Chinese herbal pill at the end of this article can save your life if you travel to dangerous areas and are shot, are seriously injured, or have surgery.    Continue reading ‘Little India, Big India’

Some people get headaches during the holidays. No one more than turkeys. They lose their head and feathers. Ayurveda, the home medicine from India, offers simple ways to treat headaches for anyone who loses too many feathers.    Continue reading ‘Happy Thanksgiving to You Too!’

Scallops are a very good source of a very important nutrient for cardiovascular health, vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is needed by the body to convert homocysteine, a chemical that can directly damage blood vessel walls, into other benign chemicals. Since high levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, it’s a good idea to be sure that your diet contains plenty of vitamin B12 to help keep homocysteine levels low. Homocysteine is also associated with osteoporosis, and a recent study found that osteoporosis occurred more frequently among women whose vitamin B12 was deficient or marginal compared with those who had normal B12 intake. Four ounces of scallops contains 33.3% of the daily value for vitamin B12. Continue reading ‘Scallops for your heart, asthma, and cancer-prevention’

Winter’s relatively colder weather, rich foods, inactivity, and pollution from heating with fossil fuels leads to complexion problems, including itchy dry rashes,  acne, and dermatitis. Soaps and creams do not address an internal imbalance. Blood purifying herbs make us feel fresh and clean from inside out and reduce many allergic reactions. The actions of many bitter, cleansing and astringent herbs are antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and liver stimulating. They increase wound healing and enable the body to eliminate wastes. With deep cleansing, the mind is also free to re-evaluate the year’s attachments and events.   Continue reading ‘Deep-Cleansing Ayurvedic Herbs for Skin’

Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) — A solution to the world’s energy problems may lie in a Chinese mushroom growing in Novozymes A/S laboratories. The Danish company’s scientists in China, Brazil, Denmark and the U.S. are testing mushrooms and lichen to find one that will turn corn cobs and sugarcane stalks into biofuel. An affordable alternative to gasoline made from plant waste would end concerns that global hunger for energy is driving up food prices worldwide. Novozymes said it should find the answer by 2010. In TCM traditional Chinese medicine we use medicinal mushrooms to enhance energy and immunity, and detoxify the body from environmental poisons.  Continue reading ‘More Good New about Mushrooms’

This year’s cold and flu season threatens to outdo last year’s sore throat, cough, fever, and chronic asthma, which became so widespread we nicknamed it The Mother of All Colds. Now is the time to protect yourself and family from catching and spreading it. Psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) and traditional Asian herbal doctors agree: Clean up your act by eliminating congestion and germs, and you are safer from colds and flu. Cayce recommended fasting, purging, and sweating treatments to reduce excess mucus and improve breathing and digestion. These may be weakening for people who are run-down, tired, and stressed. However a few adjustments in your diet and herbs can accomplish similar protection. Continue reading ‘The Mother of All Colds is Back’

Here’s a good one: A research scientist has tested brain health in adults over 40 by checking how quickly they can tap their finger. As we age a protein coating that protects nerves thins, which slows movement and other brain functions. But if we exercise regularly and exercise our memory it sends a “repair me” signal to the brain. Another reason to sit there and tap your finger. Here is the study. Other brain foods not mentioned in the article are nourishing black sesame seeds, walnuts, and maybe fish oils. During cold weather, I take cod liver oil capsules (vitamin D–good for circulation) along with fish meals.

This is the beginning of a new era of optimism, hope and growth. Today at one of New York’s best Indian restaurants Tiffin Wallah on East 28th street in Manhattan, friends in alternative medicine agreed we need to organize and meet regularly to discuss health problems that face the country. That Spirit has not been possible for a long time in America. A youthful confidence has found its way into public life and is committed to service.

Mention strontium to most people, and they may immediately think of strontium-90, a highly dangerous, radioactive component of nuclear fallout produced during atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons in the 1950s. But a different form of that mineral, naturally found in the body, now available in health food stores may be one of our best weapons against osteoporosis. It thickens and protects bones and teeth. It replaces calcium to some extent and should not be taken at the same time of day.