The Immunity Roll-on is a combination of essential oils that specifically target respiratory health. This combination of lemon, clove, cinnamon, thyme and tea tree essential oils has been combined with jojoba oil to make this a ready-to-use topical that will support the immune system to defend against incoming pathogens as well as to help you to breathe easy and clear your sinuses.
I like to use it when I travel on a plane or if I am around people who might sick. I think of it as an added immune buffer. My son often gets congested when he gets sick and he likes to roll it on his chest and neck, and he finds it effective to just sniff it to help his nasal and sinus congestion.
Essential oils do not need to come into direct contact with microbes to kill them. Many essential oils release volatile compounds into the air which can inhibit or kill them. When diffused into the air, some essential oils can act on airborne microbes, reducing their viability, and some are capable of breaking down biofilms, even from a distance.
Vitamin D is well-known for helping the body fight illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer. It can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses and decrease the risk of autoimmunity. To know how much you should take, get your levels tested next time your doctor does bloodwork. Many lab ranges say that above 30 ng/mL falls within the “normal” range but I highly recommend blood levels of 80-100 ng/mL as ideal for optimal health, based on the vitamin D research of many doctors I follow who have been studying the immune system.
The best way to get vitamin D may be through UV rays of the sun, but that only works if you are out in it, ideally with your torso exposed to its rays. Needless to say, we in Vermont don’t see much of the sun during our long winters and many of us spend most of our time indoors even in the warmer months. So, supplementation is crucial.
5000-10,000 IUs is the recommended dose for vitamin D when trying to increase blood levels. Some people need to take even more to get their levels to where they want it, so testing is vital because we are aiming for 60-90 ng/mL and we don’t want the levels to be too high – over 100 or 120 ng/mL.
I carry several forms of supplemental vitamin D – capsules, gummies or liquid. We want to use D3, which can come by itself or along with A and K in ADK. I like to have both D3 and ADK on hand because I am trying to get at least 10,000 IUs in per day but we don’t need extra A and K, so I take 5000 IUs in the ADK blend and then take another 5000 IUs of just D3.
As for testing of vitamin D, when I had my levels tested in the spring, after taking 2-3000 IUs all winter, my levels were very low – 28 ng/mL. I increased my dose to 10,000 most days and by mid summer I was up to 53 – nearly doubled! I’m still working on it – I am aiming for at least 80 ng/mL. I like to keep a few different types of vitamin D on hand, just to mix it up. Currently I take the ADK in the morning, I put the liquid vitamin D in my smoothie or straight onto my tongue, and I have some caps at the office as well. I’m going to try the zero sugar gummies next.
I am putting together an immune bundle that includes vitamin D – additions or substitutions for different forms are available. I will be stocking ADK as well as the ones in the picture. My vitamin D collection will change or grow as I explore different brands as I’d like to stock dosages of 5000 and 10,000 IU (so you don’t have to take 5 caps of 1000 IU).
Once or twice a decade I need a fix of quantum mechanics and I like to see what’s out there in the literature. Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself had been on my shelf for a few years and it was finally time to read it and I’m glad I did.
Many of you have heard me talk about this book, and recommend it. It’s basically quantum physics applied through meditation where you create the future that you want. It’s pretty cool stuff.
I first heard of Joe Dispenza ten years ago when an angel-friend gave me a copy of You Are the Placebo. I love his work and I’m not alone. Close to half of the people I mention him to have heard of him. He has written 4 books so far. I’m currently reading Becoming Supernatural, Joe Dispenza’s most recent book.
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself is a great place to start. It starts with the science of the quantum field and then gets into how to apply it to our lives. What emotions and thoughts are not serving us and can we do without? What do we want our future to look like? Let’s make it happen with the help of the quantum field.
I’m currently on my way to a week-long Advanced Retreat with Joe Dispenza in Nashville Tennessee, so I’m doing it!
My quantum field itch has not been fully satisfied, so The Field by Lynne McTaggart on audible is on deck for my trip home. I started this one and found it very interesting and now I can’t wait to pick it up again.
Yang naturally sprouts upward in the spring and that upward flow can get blocked creating stagnation. Help it flow smoothly by moving your body, being outside in nature and getting your creative juices flowing.
Wood is the element related to spring and which is the beginning of the new cycle of life when yang emerges. This is the year of the yang wood dragon and the dragon’s natural is inherently earth. So wood and earth are themes this season, specifically yang wood and yang earth.
Acupuncture is awesome this time of year to balance the wood and earth energies. Read on to learn about three wood – earth Chinese herbal formulas.
Yang Earth & Yang Wood
When wood energy is constrained (aka Liver Qi stagnation) it can build up and eventually over act on the earth element.
Earth is connected to the digestive system, which can be affected by emotion – notably stress/anger/frustration, which corresponds to wood element stasis. If earth is weak to start with, it will be more susceptible to attack by wood.
Keeping emotions inside also leads to constraint of wood energy, which can build up inside until it bursts. So don’t do that!
Three Wood-Earth Formulas
The wood-earth combination puts me in mind of a well-known modern Chinese herbal formula called Free and Easy Wanderer. Just like it sounds like, the formula keeps things moving smoothly. It’s based on the next classical formula.
Free and Easy Wanderer
Chai Hu – Bupleurum
Dang Gui – Angelica Sinensis
Bai Shao – White Peony Root
Bai Zhu – White Atractylodes
Fu Ling – Poria
Zhi Gan Cao – Honey Fried Licorice
Gan Jiang – Dried Ginger
Bo He – Mint
For the pattern of Wood overacting on Earth, or in TCM terms Liver Qi stagnation and Spleen Qi deficiency with dampness and blood deficiency.
Minor Bupleurum is a classical wood – earth formula. It is even more focused than Free & Easy Wanderer on wood and earth. It has both Bupleurum and Scutellaria to treat the wood element, ie course the Liver Qi (Shaoyang). It also has several herbs for the earth element (Taiyin) – Ginseng or Codonospsis, licorice, dates, ginger.
Minor Bupleurum
Chai Hu – Bupleurum
Huang Qin – Scutellaria
Ban Xia – Pinellia
Ren Shen – Ginseng
Sheng Jiang – Fresh Ginger
Da Zao – Dates
Gan Cao – Licorice
Excess wood constraint and xu wood constraint
Wood constraint (liver qi stagnation) can come from chronic stress which is ubiquitous in our modern world, and is commonly seen in the clinic. Qi stagnation often presents as physical pain or emotion unease or irritability. People with wood constraint may notice that they need to exercise a lot to feel better, since exercising moves the qi and blood.
Wood constraint can come from taxation – this would be a deficient wood constraint pattern and would imply/indicate blood deficiency. It may come with cold.
Wu Mei Wan is a classical wood – earth formula for a deficiency wood pattern with major stagnation in the earth. In this pattern the yang cannot descend normally and instead shoots upward as in headaches, vomiting, insomnia with digestive symptoms and cold hands and feet.
The main ingredient is a prepared sour dried plum (Wu Mei) which gives moist nourishment to the liver blood (wood) so that the holding can relax and function returns to normal.
Nutrition and Lifestyle recommendations for Spring
Regular movement/exercise – 30 min 3-4 x weekly – don’t over do it – include strength training
Sour is the flavor and green is the color of wood. Eat sour foods. Eat greens.
Protect neck from cold and wind. Don’t take off your jacket to early this spring.
Spend time in nature. Green is the color of wood. Hiking, walking, forest bathing.
Earth grounding. Meditations on mother earth.
Let it go exercise – imagine a tube to the center of the earth. Drop excess thoughts and stuff down the tube to recycle back to the earth.
This is part three of the Magical Mystery Soar 2024 series.
This is the year of the yang wood dragon. The wood element is related to spring and the sprouting up and opening of new life (yang). Green is the color that symbolizes spring and wood, which is considered the beginning of the 5 element cycle.
I love the image of the green laughing dragon – expansive + bright + joyous like an exuberant child. Inquisitive. Testing boundaries. Exploring. Like toddlers or teens expanding their worlds.
Young dragons are not self-conscious, even though they can be clumsy and do not know their own strength. Be like a green dragon. Don’t take yourself (or others) too seriously, laugh it off, and focus on the positive things about yourself.
Use this year as an opportunity to about learn more about yourself. Love who you are now. Accept the gifts your body and mind have given you thus far. Let go of the rest. You are already awesome!
Now is a great time to think about some affirmations that you can say to start replacing negative self talk. You can write one or many. Say and visualize them daily or even hourly.
This will help you get your footing and feel grounded as you fine tune your direction.
Take a chance. Relax and ride the dragon.
This is part two of the Magical Mystery Soar 2024 series. I’ll be sending daily(ish) short articles about the Year of the Dragon over the next week or so.
This post was inspired by a conversation on the podcast for acupuncturists: Qiological – episode 342 – Laughter of the Universe with Gregory Done.
Today is the first day of the Yang Wood Dragon year. Happy Lunar New Year to you all.
The mysterious magical affable dragon symbolizes connection, transformation & freedom.
Dragons have a strong sense of purpose, feel connected to their path and have trust in their way of being and seeing. We can all borrow that energy this year and see what’s possible.
Last year was a Rabbit year and it was about security, introspection and going deep. It’s time to come out of our holes…
This year brings yang light, expansiveness and a wild card to use as you desire.
Trust yourself, let go of baggage, chose a path, relax and go in that direction. Ride the dragon’s momentum. Aim and soar.
This is part one of the Magical Mystery Soar 2024 series. I’ll be sending daily(ish) short articles about the Year of the Dragon over the next week or so. I’m excited to share the year of the Dragon with you.
James Nestor’s book is a non-fiction page turner. I recommend it if you are interested in potentially improving your health by simply breathing a little better, and the learning about the history and scientific insights of pulmonauts from around the world over the last couple centuries. He reviews the anatomy of the nasopharynx and jaw and the changes in our anatomy with our modern lifestyle, and he gives lots of examples of people who have changed their health trajectory… nasal congestion, sleep apnea, snoring, anxiety, high blood pressure and more. Improved blood circulation, lung capacity and immune system It may not be the panacea for everything that ails us, but might be worth giving it a go to see if you notice changes with this low investment life hack.
Breathe through your nose. The main point, for which Mr. Nestor gives historic and scientific background, is to breathe in and out through your nose to the extent that you can. If you tend to breathe through your mouth, build up by inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth when you need to. If you are congested, do the best you can and over time you will be able to breathe more and more through your nose. The author experimented with taping his mouth shut at night – and in some cultures, parents gently close a baby’s mouth while sleeping to help instill the habit of nose-breathing.
Slower longer exhales + pause between breaths. As it turns out, too much oxygen isn’t best for anxiety, for example. In fact, a higher ratio of carbon dioxide can help anxiety. Who knew!?! Well, maybe the yogis and Taoists knew. Maybe that’s why we were told to breathe into a paper bag when in a panicked state.
Basic breathing exercise. Gently breathe in through your nose for a count of 4 – then exhale through your nose for a count of 4 – you can extend this to a count of 6. Repeat three times or more. No need to count once you get the rhythm.
These breaths need not be big deep breaths, just gentle natural breaths. I recommend breathing into all directions of your lungs and rib cage – not just the front of the body but also feel the subtle movement of your gentle breath into your back and sides without added effort.
Once you’ve got that, you can add a pause after your exhale for a count of 2-4 or more.
I recommend doing this breathing exercise each morning and night – plus during the day from time to time, especially if you feel anxiety coming on. Just three breaths a few times a day is a good way to get the habit going. Also, throughout the day, notice if you are breathing through your nose, if not, close your mouth. The goal is to breath like this naturally.
Breathing through your nose during exercise can be difficult at first, but you can work up to it. For example, if you are hiking, you can keep your pace slow enough that you can breath through your nose, slowing down or pausing when necessary, and exhaling through your mouth sometimes too is totally fine. Over time you will get better at this. If you are huffing and puffing at the end of a work out, there may be a better way…
As we head towards winter, one way to strengthen our Qi is with the use of moxibustion, which is the burning of the herb Artemesia vulgaris ( mugwort Ai Ye). November is fall moxa season, during which time moxa can penetrate more deeply than usual into the “Life Gate” or Ming Men (aka Lower Dan Tien or the lower belly) because it is open during this time. This is great for preventing illness by strengthening your system. February is winter moxa season, another time in which we get extra benefits from moxa.
Moxa strengthens the constitution and immune system, builds Qi and Blood, increases the energy and circulation of the whole body, can help pain due to cold and damp, and can soften lumps.
Plus moxa feels great. In addition to the traditional way of applying moxa, which is to light a moxa stick or cone and warm the skin at particular acupuncture points, I have been using moxa heat packs. Moxa heat packs are activated by shaking and squeezing the pack – once it is warmed up you can apply it to your low back or belly, or other areas – when you are done you put it in a jar with a lid. The next day you can take it out and reactivate it. You can get about 15-20 hours out of these – and once they no longer self-activate, you can heat them in a microwave.
My clients are loving these. I just ordered a few more boxes, so let me know if you want one (or two). They are $4 each – or you can buy yourself a box of 10 online.
I also do Japanese moxa treatments which involve treating acu-points with little moxa cones. I recommend this for clients who haven’t regained their energy back after being sick, or for those who have chronically low Qi or fatigue. Usually I do it as an add-on to acupuncture or Zero Balancing sessions for $20. If this interests you, let me know and we can talk about if it is an appropriate for you.
Tomorrow until September 14, I’m offering 20% off on all supplements in my Fullscript dispensary. You will have access to the whole catalog, and you can check out my Favorites.
Fullscript ships fast, stocks professional-grade trusted products, and ensures your supplements are safe and effective. Make sure you sign up for your free account to shop the sale!
Last fall I wrote all about supplements that are great to have on hand during the fall and winter. Check out Cold Season Medicine Cabinet. Many of these supplements I mention are available through Fullscript but the Chinese herbs are limited – for most herbs you can contact me. You can check out my Favorites – including Cold Season Medicine Cabinet – which has multiple versions of many of the supplements, such as vitamin C, D, zinc, NAC, and Quercetin. You’ll even see Cinnamon Twig formula there! With 20% off, now is a great time to stock up on your immune boosting supplements.
You can check out my other Favorites, such as Gut Health, where you will see my favorite high quality spore-based probiotic – Microbiome Lab’s MegaSporeBiotic (which includes 5 strains including HU28) – and also HU28 (which only contains 1). For most people who want a probiotic, MegaSporeBiotic is a good place to start, but for people with more serious gut issues, starting with HU28 is recommended.
I offer 10% off of the whole Fullscript catalog for all of my patients everyday, but for the next two days during the September Supplement Sale, September 13-14, everything is 20% off.
I just got back from a spectacular backpacking trip at Pharaoh Lake in New York. The lake is the largest undeveloped lake in NY and is just 2 hours away. While I heard it rained all weekend here in Burlington (except during Art Hop Friday night), we had perfect weather. Thundershowers only a night.
We had a 5 mile hike in and spent two nights in a lean-to, did a bunch of swimming, lounging on the big rock and hammock-ing. There are canoes available on the lake, so we also enjoyed a paddle, too. Paradise.
I’ll be back this fall for either another backpacking trip or at least a day hike. I want to hike up Mt Pharaoh as well as do the Treadway Mountain hike, which is 7.5 there and back from Putnam Lake and supposedly has the most amazing views of the lake. Here’s a link on Alltrails: Treadway Mountain Trail.
One of the things I like about the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness area is there is low bear activity, compared with the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. We were there the weekend after Labor Day and saw very few people. I’m not sure how busy it gets over the summer, but I can’t wait to go back for foliage season. If you go, let me know what you think.
