Most people think of medicine as coming in a little box with a complete list of interactions and warnings on the side. However, some of the most potent and effective remedies can be found no further than the kitchen cupboard. Having a list of home remedies that are easily prepared, effective, and cheap is a great way to take your family’s health care into your own hands. An oxymel is a mixture of honey, water, vinegar, and plant, boiled to a syrup. Garlic oxymel is great when used at the first signs of a cold or flu, so be sure to prepare this remedy ahead of time!

Ingredients:

• 1 pint mason jar
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2/3 cup local honey*
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp of either; sage, lavender, rosemary, or thyme (optional)

Instructions:

• Add 2/3 cup of honey and vinegar to pint mason jar and mix well.
• Peel garlic cloves, smash them under the flat edge of a knife, and coarsely dice.
• Immediately put garlic (and any optional herbs) into honey/vinegar mix.
• Mix well, cap and set in a dark and cool area of the house for 2-3 weeks. Agitating the mixture daily will help the vinegar pull out more of the medicinal qualities of the garlic and herbs.
• Strain mixture and keep in the refrigerator.

Drink 1 tbsp diluted in a small amount of water in the morning for general cold/flu prevention. Drink 2-3 tbsp 2-3 times a day at the first signs of a cold/flu to facilitate its resolution. Oxymels may be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.

*do not give honey to children under 1 year old.

As soon as we start to transition from summer to fall and all the delicious fall produce is available like winter squash and shallots, I start to crave butternut squash soup! This particular recipe is dairy free, as many of our patient’s have dairy allergies including myself. Substituting coconut milk for cows dairy works out great when a little lime juice is added. Interestingly, the lime juice cuts the coconut flavor and the coconut cuts the lime flavor, leaving creamy and smooth texture you get with cows dairy.

Ingredients

• One 2-3 pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 cup of thinly sliced shallots
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock (make it veg by using vegetable stock)
• One 12 oz can coconut milk (light or regular)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• salt to taste
• Cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. With a large baking sheet drizzle it with the olive oil and place the squash halves, cut side down. Scatter the shallot slices and garlic cloves around the squash pieces, tossing to coat in oil.
3. Roast the vegetables for 40 minutes. Use a spatula to remove the onions and garlic from the pan and place them in a bowl. Set aside. Return the squash to the oven and roast another 20 minutes or until easily punctured with a knife.
4. Allow the squash to cool slightly, then scoop the flesh out with an ice cream scoop or large spoon. Put the squash flesh, onions and garlic in a pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend until smooth. Alternatively, put the soup in a blender in small batches, cover with a towel and blend until smooth. Always be careful blending hot liquids because they can explode. Big mess. Also, ouch.
6. Return the soup to the original pot over medium-low heat and stir in the coconut milk, ground ginger, and nutmeg. Heat through, then remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

If you’re looking for Naturopathic, Holistic, and Alternative Health Care options come see us in the beautiful Fairhaven district in Bellingham, WA.

Most of my practice is filled with male patients looking for alternative options to manage their hypertension, diabetes, and prostate disorders. Most of the time they don’t see me until these conditions are far advanced, however, there’s nothing that will get a man into see his doctor faster than faulty equipment down south. I see many cases of erectile dysfunction and when it’s the reason they’re coming in, it’s always a recent development.

Low libido and erectile dysfunction (ED) are two separate conditions, but are often found together, especially if ED came first. As an example, a man who is having difficulty maintaining an erection will often become depressed and embarrassed around the thought of sexual events which can lead to a loss of libido. In my practice, when low libido is the primary complaint and independent of ED, it’s often simply from too much stress.

The reason stress can effect libido is due to an endocrine phenomenon called “pregnenolone steal”. Libido is largely controlled through hormones and these hormones are affected greatly by stress. In order to manufacture the androgens necessary for a healthy libido you need a hormone called pregnenolone. As you can see in the diagram to the right, pregnenolone goes through a series of enzymatic reactions to become testosterone. Of course, pregnenolone can also become cortisol if the enzymatic reactions are pushed to the left side of the diagram.

One of the primary simulators of cortisol manufacture is stress. Stress comes in various forms; such as emotional, mental, and physical stress. During periods of mental and emotional stress it’s very common to have a decrease in libido, due to excessive cortisol production “stealing” pregnenolone from androgen production. In this case, the cure for low libido isn’t libido enhancing herbs or ED pharmaceuticals like Viagra. It’s finding a way to better manage stressors. The best way to do this would be of course to liberate yourself from those things that cause you stress, however, this isn’t always going to be possible. This is where natural therapies such as; adaptogenic herbs, meditation, and diaphragmatic breathing become essential to resolving low libido.

If you’re looking for Naturopathic, Holistic, and Alternative Health Care options come see us in the beautiful Fairhaven district in Bellingham, WA.

I love eating green leafy salads in the summer. This salad recipe is not only delicious and nutritious, but hydrates and cools your body on these hot summer days. Speaking of which, be sure to select a salad as your side when dining out or a salad as the main dish. Digestion requires lots of water, especially when you eat something more dry and heavy; like breads, meats, and fried foods. As well as providing lots of nutrients, raw salads such as this one come with their own water to support digestion and leave you feeling light and clean!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of organic chard, stems discarded and leaves sliced into 1″ strips
  
• 1 organic apple, variety of your choosing, cubed or matchsticks
• 1-2 organic carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 cup organic red onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

One of the most common complaints we hear from our patients is an inability to sleep through the night. The causes for insomnia are so varied that we could see 10 patients with insomnia and there will be a different cause for each. Lack of sleep affects our ability to work, our mood, concentration, immune system, and in general our overall health. As a new mother insomnia can be particularly stressful, as you’re already overworked from your new baby’s needs. We’ve had many successes with insomnia and the cure will typically include learning some better sleep habits, which I’ve written about here. However, I would like to highlight a recent case that reminded me to always think back to physiology, after all, it is our job as clinicians to return our patients back to normal physiology.

Serotonin & Melatonin Needs B12

Our patient in this case is a mid-thirties new mother to a beautiful 6-month old daughter. The mothers main complaints are of anxiety and insomnia. She had sought treatment from her PCP and tried various herbs and vitamins, some of which helped on the surface, but still left an underlying anxiety and inability to sleep. If we ask ourselves, “what is necessary for sleep”, we may come up with many answers, one of them hopefully being melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that, among other things, will contribute to the sleep-wake cycle by causing drowsiness and a lowered body temperature. Melatonin is manufactured using serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for intestinal motility, mood, blood pressure, etc. Lack of serotonin during the day will create symptoms of anxiety and if there isn’t enough serotonin to manufacture melatonin at night you will see both these symptoms together. What these two chemicals have in common, among other things, is that they both require vitamin B12 to be produced. B12 deficiency is quite common, especially in vegetarians and vegans. The mother in this case ate meat, but not often and when she did not in large amounts.

Nature Favors the Young

There are several ways to test for B12 deficiency that go beyond just looking at serum, B12. A discussion on the different ways to test for B12 deficiency is beyond the scope of this article, however, upon testing our patient she was found to be mildly B12 deficient by utilizing an uncommonly ordered lab test. If it were not for breast feeding, this mother may never have shown symptoms of her very mild B12 deficiency. However, nature always favors the young, so the B12  was favorably being given to her baby through breast feeding, leaving the mother with anxiety and insomnia.

Sleep & Calm at Last

Sublingual methylcobalamine (B12) has been shown to be just as easily absorbed and utilized by the body as intramuscular injections of B12. The effects of sublingual B12 were immediate. She felt the anxiety melt away and started sleeping 8-9 hours again. It’s unlikely that this deficiency would ever have been found due to insomnia being a common symptom for new moms. What could have been easily explained away as post-partum depression was actually a an easily remedied vitamin deficiency.

If you’re looking for Naturopathic, Holistic, and Alternative Health Care options come see us in the beautiful Fairhaven district in Bellingham, WA.

Spring time is here and it’s time to unpack your favorite picnic recipes! Picnic recipes are typically full of simple carbohydrates and empty calories, but this one is full of protein and antioxidants! Chicken salad is one of our favorites for a Spring picnic in the park. This salad is delicious eaten by itself, however, you can also put it on bread, croissants, and even wrap it up in a tortilla with lettuce. There are plenty of ways you can manipulate this recipe, like substituting different dried or fresh fruits, so get creative!

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise or vegannaise
  
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 4-6 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast and/or thighs
• 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, or 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
• 3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

Have you ever wondered what a particular plant was when out for a hike or trail running? Well, now is the time to find out! The Koma Kulshan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society is sponsoring introductory plant identification walks. The Kulshan Chapter says that people of all ages and experience levels are welcome and that you should dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes that may get wet. Each walk stands alone, but if you attend them all you can get a free mini-course on plant identification. Please click on the title of each plant walk to see event details.

Wild Foods of Chuckanut Bay

Learning plants is fun when you can eat them too! The picturesque forests along the beaches of Chuckanut Bay are rich with wild edibles. Trip leaders Abe Lloyd and Katrina Poppe will share identification tips, traditional Native American plant uses, and their favorite recipes for enjoying nature’s bounty. Rubber boots are recommended.

Spring Plant Walk at Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve

This week is Native Plant Week and the walk is sponsored by the Whatcom Land Trust and the Washington Native Plant Society. The forest floor at Point Whitehorn is carpeted with small wild-flowers in the spring. Join us for a walk and learn about the flowers, shrubs and trees of this forest on the edge of the sea. The walk will take us to the beach. At this time you may choose to linger on the beach or return to the cars.

Backyard Habitat Fair Padden Lagoon Walk

Join WNPS at the Backyard Habitat Fair. We will walk from the fair area down the City Greenways trails around Padden Creek to see a variety of fun native plants. Make sure to stop at the fair before the walk to purchase some native plants.

Hidden Forest Foray

Explore the plants of the Sehome Hill Arboretum, a “secret” natural area in the heart of Bellingham with guidebook author and Arboretum board member Mark Turner. Sehome Hill was logged in the early 20th century and is now developing a mature second-growth forest. We’ll look at trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and a vine or two. Learn what’s native and what’s not.

Downtown Plants

Enjoy an evening walk investigating native plants in the urban environment. We will follow the Native Plant Teaching Trail in Maritime Heritage Park along Whatcom Creek and learn about the plants, their names, and uses in native Salish tradition. The walk will be led by anthropologist Allan Richardson, co-author of Nooksack Place Names.

For more information: Contact Vikki Jackson at 319-6988 or via email at vikki.jackson8@gmail.com. Below you will find a description about the identification walk from the Koma Kulshan Chapter.

If you have ever suffered from insomnia or interrupted sleep patterns you know how powerful it’s effects are on your day-to-day health. Long-term health depends on healthy sleep. Sleep is a time when your body regenerates itself. Most notably, it does this through growth-hormone that is secreted while you sleep. Growth hormone stimulates tissue healing, liver detox pathways, lean muscle repair/ building, fat store breakdown, and blood glucose normalization. Symptoms of inadequate sleep may include; fatigue, decreased concentration, drowsiness, impaired mood, inability to cope with stress, and lowered immune system. Below I’ve listed some healthy sleep habits, however, these recommendations are not intended to replace professional assessment. Please contact your healthcare provider if you or your loved one is experiencing sleep problems.

7 TIPS ON IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY

1. Be consistent with your sleep and wake cycle. An inconsistent schedule is stressful for your adrenal glands and can even signal the release of adrenaline. If you do not already have a routine for getting ready to go to bed, create one. Having a ritual that tells your brain it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep is essential.
2. Give yourself a reason to be tired at the end of the day. This means avoiding “naps” throughout the day and doing some kind of activity that creates the need for recuperation. If you sit at a desk during the day and on the couch at night, there will be little need for you to feel tired.
3. Ask yourself; “what is the bedroom used for”? If you answered anything other than sleeping and sex, you may be loosing sleep due to associating it with activities such as; watching TV, reading, or ruminating over the days events. If the bedroom isn’t being associated with being tired, then you’re not going to be tired when your in there.
4. If you’re lying awake more than 15 minutes ruminating on things that happened during the day or events to come, get out of bed. Doing this every night can create an association with rumination and bedtime. Do something mundane, like reading your refrigerator manual instead, this should put anyone to sleep.
5. Have the right environment for sleep, think about caves. Your bedroom should be dark, cool, and quiet. Remove or reduce ambient light from devices such as; alarm clocks, stereos, TV’s, and computers. The hormone melatonin is secreted when there is dark.
6. If you don’t have any trouble falling asleep, but notice yourself waking up in the middle of the night it could be due to low blood sugar. Try having a small protein snack right before bed, such as a handful of nuts/ seeds, or cottage cheese.
7. Avoid stimulants; such as caffeine (present in tea, coffee, and chocolate), nicotine, energy supplements, and weight loss products. Please consider that caffeine’s stimulating effects can last up to 10 hours for some people.

If you’re looking for Naturopathic, Holistic, and Alternative Health Care options come see us in the beautiful Fairhaven district in Bellingham, WA.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure is a term used when a persons blood pressure has exceeded a healthy level. Chronic hypertension increases your risk for a stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and more. It is estimated that 41% of the people in the world aged 35-70 years have hypertension, and only 46.5% of those people are aware they have it. Like most conditions we treat, hypertension should be looked at from an individual perspective. The causes for hypertension are varied and in order to prescribe the proper treatment it’s important to know the unique reason a particular person has hypertension. Below I have recounted a hypertension success story to show how proper assessment leads to proper treatment.

GRADE 3 HYPERTENSION AND ANXIETY

I recently had a patient with grade 3 hypertension, with a systolic reading above 180mmHg (normal is ~120mmHg). She also complained of hot flashes and anxiety. The anxiety can be a problem, since it can be a cause for elevated blood pressure. What all these symptoms had in common were that they can all be affected by a chemical we produce during stress called catecholamines. The way catecholamines affect blood pressure is that they affect the part of the nervous system that causes your vessels to constrict. When vessels constrict this increases blood pressure. But this branch of the nervous system also contributes to anxiety, and both anxiety and high blood pressure can trigger hot flashes. Based on this observation, I prescribed an herbal formula, which decreases the amount of circulating catecholamines that produced in the body.

HERBAL THERAPY

After a few days of taking this herbal formula the patient’s blood pressure returned to normal, anxiety went away, and she stopped experiencing hot flashes. While this patient was able to see normalization of her blood pressure with an herbal treatment, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes the best treatment is pharmaceutical, lifestyle, or diet related treatments. Understanding a case helps us to choose the most effective long term approach to a particular condition.

This case shows a couple things; that finding the cause helps pick the right treatment and that herbs can have powerful effects. This means that if herbs are prescribed incorrectly, they can have serious side effects.  If you have hypertension and you’re wondering if alternative treatments are indicated, please see a qualified medical professional.

If you’re looking for Naturopathic, Holistic, and Alternative Health Care options come see us in the beautiful Fairhaven district in Bellingham, WA.

I’ve always loved split pea soup, and if lentils are hard for you to digest, split peas are a great hearty alternative to lentils in a soup.

Split peas are about 25% protein and 25% fiber and in a soup are a warm and comforting way to get in your vegetables.  Below is a delicious recipe I recently made which I loved from the first bite to the last. If you want a little extra flavor and like meat in your soups, add some chopped pieces of cooked bacon at the beginning of the recipe.

Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  
• 3 medium stalks celery, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2- 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 7 cups vegetable/ chicken stock
• 2 cups dried split peas
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 medium carrots, sliced and diced

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• 1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups shopped fresh spinach
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound of bacon, cooked and diced (optional)

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