Pungent Therapy

Choosing foods that taste pungent is one of the main ways to enkindle "Agni," or digestive fire, and burn away Ama, or toxins. While many of us look to eating this food or that food, in reality, we can eat just about anything if we prepare it correctly to balance its overall affect on digestion.

When digestive fire is low and the immune system is compromised by all of the undigested toxins that haven't been eliminated, the tongue will become coated; appetite decreases; some fluids like tears decrease, while other fluids like mucous from the sinuses, increase.

"Pungent herbs and spices are stimulating, promote digestion, increase appetite, increase sweating, removes phlegm, kills parasites. It promotes circulation generally increases all bodily functions while reducing all foreign accretions in the body. Be sure to be fully hydrated when embarking on pungent therapy." (from The Yoga of Herbs by Dr. Vasant Lad)

The pungent taste arises mainly from various aromatic oils. Pungent tastes can include acrid, spicy and aromatic tastes.

Typical pungent herbs include: basil, bayberry, bay leaves, black pepper, camphor, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ephedra, eucayptus, garlic, ginger, horseradish, mustard, onions, oregano, peppermint, prickly ash, rosemary, sage, sassafras, spearmint, thyme.

For the most part these herbs are a pretty safe level of intervention. You can expect good results quickly with no real side effects that you have to worry about, unless of course you overdo, and then all you have to do at that point is stop taking them!

Pungent herbs are used for:

Constipation; bad breath; really really smelly feces; tongue coating; abdominal pain and distention, especially if aggravated by massage; intestinal gas and cramping pain; low appetite; heaviness; slow pulse; cloudy weather; yellow feces; heaviness in stomach; sour taste in mouth; skin rash; brain fog; saliva threads; tonsil stones; mucus in stools and urine; generalized pain; fatigue.

An easy way to get your dose of pungent herbs is to drink ginger tea.

Fix foods like pasta with plenty of garlic, oregano, rosemary and basil - yum! Throw plenty of thyme and sage in your chicken soup, make your pancakes with a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, powdered ginger, or cardamom.

You can also include more pungent foods in your diet. Here is a list of foods that are pungent in post-digestive effect:

• Onion
• Radish
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Castor oil
• Safflower oil
• Mustard
• broccoli, cabbage, carrot, celery, lettuce, okra, spinach, zuchini, pumpkin

The American tradition of eating mustard with hot dogs, and German tradition of eating sausage with horseradish and sauerkraut, are great examples of what I call Pungent Therapy – or just plain good balanced eating! It makes that difficult, fatty hot dog a cinch to digest and assimilate.

The Japanese usually have a small dish of ginger and wasabi (Japanese horseradish), and another small dish of pickled cabbage. Yummy and great for digestion. Then the bland rice makes sure you don't get too much heat. Other cultures spice the rice with cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and make it pungent too. It certainly is tasty that way!

It is quite common to feel thirsty after a pungent meal because of their astringent affect on mucus membranes. Still, wait for a good 30 minutes before you give in to your thirst with a large glass of water. Until then, just sip slowly a bit of warm tea. Use tea cups that are the size of Japanese tea cups rather the huge coffee mugs.

Setting Up Your Consulting Team

When it comes to managing your health, you cannot expect to know everything. It is important to make full use of the resources available to you, including setting up a team of professionals and knowledgeable non-professionals whose skills, philosophies and methods complement and contrast each other.

If you are very comfortable with one kind of medicine and only use that one expert, you will be missing out on other valuable opinions and ways of looking at the issues. So even if you've found the best expert in the world your data will still be incomplete.

Smart project managers don't hire a bunch of “yes men.” They hire people with strong opinions, confidence, people who are ready and willing to disagree with them.

Have at least one person from whatever health care system is orthodox in your country, a general practitioner and a specialist if you have ailments that fall under a certain specialty.

Have at least one person who is from a more holistic, naturopathic or osteopathic type modality, preferably one who can do live blood analysis.

Have at least one person who understands the more advanced, energetic forms of healing and diagnoses such as applied kinesiology, flower essences, Qi Gong, or using a machine to detect blockages in Chi.

Have at least one person who is specialized in homeopathy, acupuncture.

Have at least one person who is specialized in posture, structure, the spine, soft tissue and movement, such as a chiropractor, Rolfer, Feldenkrais instructor, a physical therapist, Pilates, Yoga, Dance or Gymnastics instructor.

If you cannot afford a professional, at least consult their books.

Working with Health Care Professionals Overview

One of my pet peeves is when people give their trust to professionals who promise to help and cure, but mostly focus on ways to relieve them of their hard-earned cash. They come to me still sick, still dis-eased, no closer to their goals, often with additional complications from the pharmaceuticals such as systemic candidiasis due to antibiotics, and usually totally broke. I feel like the Statue of Health - give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be well.

So how does anyone know before hand whether they're getting a true healer? What I look for when I look for a partner in my health goals are:

Passion and enthusiasm. Although some of my best healers are very mellow people, they still have a passion for their work and would rather be doing what they're doing than anything else.

Someone who explains clearly their reasoning and approach; someone who looks healthy and happy. I prefer healers who are open minded, still learning, willing to try new things, aren't dismissive of my complaints, and can keep track of who I am.

A good manager must have a talent for picking a good team. Managers don't have to know everything, but they do have to know how to spot competency and ferret out the losers who only talk a good game. So on your first interview with a health professional, be sure to go in with a list of questions. Test them on things you know for sure, see if they know the same answers and can elaborate even further.

Orthodox Medical Doctors

If you go to your HMO doctor with a cold or flu and they prescribe an antibiotic, run. Don't take it. They're practicing the ancient art of “give the patient anything just to shut them up.” Antibiotics will do nothing for a virus.

When I had systemic candidiasis and thyroid problems, doctors would all the time try to put me on Zoloft or Prozac. I had to insist they take a thyroid panel. When I mentioned the constant yeast infections, they said Monostat was over the counter now, wasn't that great? As if it was normal to get a yeast infection every single month after my period. I spent twenty dollars a month on it for a year before I accurately self-diagnosed myself with systemic candidiasis.

Doctors have since stopped doing this, but they used to have new patients fill out a card of symptoms. I suspected they never read it, so I checked a lot of things “yes,” including bloody stools and other red flags for cancer. I went in to my first visit with this new doctor and he never even mentioned it. It's so sad that doctors no longer even have you fill out these cards - how can they know what's really going on with you if all they do is read the notes their assistant takes down? Which are usually just blood pressure and temperature, and whether you drink or smoke, as if that encapsulates your entire health story!

But I've also had wonderful doctors who actually prescribed super-green supplements, healthy diet, creative visualization techniques. Doctors who believed me when I said I was super-sensitive to all drugs and adjusted the dose accordingly. I check everything prescribed in the Physician's Desk Reference, read the drugstore receipt for side effects, and now with the Internet, it's easy to look things up, find out how it works, what it does, the common side effects, etc.

Lab Tests

One of the things that allopathic, orthodox medicine does best is their blood tests. These can be extremely misleading of course, because they are based on statistical norms, and that leaves a lot of room for “normal” to actually be “sick.” So my best advice to anyone who can afford to see a doctor regularly - try a walk-in clinic, they give great cash discounts - is to get physicals once or twice a year and keep a copy of the lab results. I have my doctor FAX them to me. That way, I can compare them and see what's rising or reducing.

A basic metabolic function lab panel should include things like cholesterol, red and white blood cell counts, creatinine, liver enzymes, BUN, TSH, etc. Also get your urine done. All of these can be looked up on the Internet for the high and low numbers, normal ranges, and what these mean. The more you know, the more you can be an active partner with your doctor.

Naturopaths & Oriental Medical Doctors

Some Naturopaths are actual medical doctors who went to a four-year post-graduate medical school, did their term as residents, and obtained a license granted by one of the five states that recognizes this license. Others are just people who took a correspondence course. Make sure to find out the difference. Both of them focus on helping the body to achieve a balanced state as naturally and holistically as possible.

Oriental Medical Doctors are basically acupuncturists and herbalists certified as doctors by schools following traditional Chinese practices. Chinese medicine has a history behind it, much longer than orthodox physicians, and can be a great help, but beware of taking estrogenic herbs if you have hormonal issues such as endometrioses. Chinese medicine never really discovered hormones and what hormones do, so they can get you into trouble should you take estrogenic herbs long-term.

Chinese medicine has not updated their list of herbs and recommendations to root out superstitions. For instance, it is still common practice for men to eat shark and parts of a tiger to increase virility. They also still prescribe herbs that are known to be toxic to the kidneys. Women who took herbal weight-loss pills from a clinic are now on dialysis.

Live Blood Microscopy

Some naturopaths study how to do this and it's great fun – not to mention very accurate! They take a drop of blood and put it on a slide under a microscope, which is fed into a television monitor so you can both look at it and discuss. They know what to look for as the red and white blood cells dance across the screen, such as whether the red blood cells are sticky, how many immune response cells there are, and the microbes that gradually culture and become visible like yeast and protozoa. I had this done while recovering from candida imbalance just to check in and see if I was on the right track, and I learned a lot and got great validation that I was coming along just fine.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture uses needles, acupressure does not, both work on pressure points in order to stimulate energy flow and balance systems and organs. This can be wonderfully effective, but not so much if you still have toxins that need cleansing. Try to find a doctor who uses moxibustion, which is a way of heating the needles. This really helps to strengthen major organs. Some of them will also use a “cupping” technique to increase blood flow to the muscles and skin, helping toxins release through the skin and blood. You can own your own set of cupping tools, actually, they're nice to have around.

Acupuncture has been studied by doctors specializing in nutrition, and they have recently discovered that acupuncture does cause physical changes throughout the body involving how the body releases and absorbs minerals and other nutrients. Basically, a good acupuncture treatment can ensure that your body absorbs more minerals like zinc and utilizes them for balance and repair. So it's not just energy correction, it works on a physical level too.

Colonicists

A colonicist is anyone who can perform colonic irrigations. Don't worry if they don't have a license, just ask how many hours of experience they have on their particular machine and try to find someone with more than 50 hours. The AMA likes to come down on colonicists for practicing medicine without a license, so it's safer for them to be unlicensed in many states. Make sure you're comfortable with them, as this is one procedure that requires a relaxed state! J

Your technician should work out a plan with you as to how you're going to let them know it's time to release because the pressure is getting to the point where you have to void. With my colonics tech, I just said “release” and she did. They should offer discounts for a series of colonics, and offer to implant live acidophilus for a minimal fee to replace the microbes that are washed out.

Chiropractors

Make sure they studied other techniques once they completed the regular, 4-year degree. The best chiropractors I've had went on to study for a fifth year more modern methods including one where the adjustment was a single pencil-shaped piece of plastic applied with almost no pressure. The adjustment happened slowly over the next 24 hours. Another studied soft tissues, which makes a lot of sense as most adjustments go out of place almost immediately because cartilage pulls them back out. She had me on a torture device 3x a week to lengthen the tendons at my neck after I was in a car wreck.

A chiropractor with integrity should go over a plan with you, rather than just automatically assume you'll be seeing them 3x a week for the rest of your life. They should give you some idea as to what the total program will be, when it will change from 2x a week to 1x a week, how much out-of-pocket expense there will be. These are of course guestimations but better than nothing. A good partnership means stating everything above-board, while a poor partnership means you the patient end up getting taken for a wallet ride.

I also appreciate chiropractors who have you take medical questionnaires or use applied kinesiology and offer supplements to offset deficiencies and weaknesses. Some supplements that chiropractors offer are just MLM schemes, but some, like Metagenics, are from good manufacturers with a solid background in nutrition and herbs.

If all they do is give you an adjustment – without an x-ray first even – and send you on your way with a “see you tomorrow,” run .

Massage Therapists

Most massage therapists know very little about health and healing beyond basic anatomy, but manage to do a lot of good anyway if they have the right energy for the work. The more intelligent and well-read therapists can really help you with your health goals. Query them on things you know and see if they have the same, or more comprehensive, answers.

I appreciate silent therapists who remind me to breathe, don't gossip, aren't too hard or too soft, really know how to counter-act the effects of my computer work. One of the more skilled types of massage therapists are those who have studied physical therapy or neuro-muscular massage rather than just Swedish massage. Shiatsu is also good. If the massage doesn't help you feel better, or the effects seem to wear off in 24 hours, switch therapists.

Homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies are based on the body's tendency to react to irritants and the intelligence of a compound. They give you a little bit of poison so the body reacts more definitively. I've yet to have any real, lasting results from homeopathic medicine. For short-term, immediate application and relief uses such as poison oak or other rashes, it can be very beneficial; but if a homeopathic doctor gives you a bunch of things with Latin names in order to cure a systemic issue like candida, digestive upsets or weak liver, think twice about handing over your money.

If the program sounds like it's what you need, set some definitive goals and see if you reach them. Ask them how long they think it will take before results can be expected, whether the remedies will bring on a healing crisis, what other things you could be doing, and see what they say. Most homeopathic remedies should only be taken for 3 months or less.

The principles behind homeopathy are very sound thanks to the properties of like healing like. The practice, however, can leave something to be desired for some ailments because it's not comprehensive enough, yet some homeopathic practitioners will neglect to refer you to other health care professionals as needed.

Rolfing

Rolfing should go hand in hand with chiropractic and even sometimes be done in place of chiropractic. Rolfing is a deep-tissue massage technique created by biochemist Dr. Ida P. Rolf. Dr. Rolf understood that the body will tighten up to give aid to weaker areas and temporary injuries, but may not be able to loosen up again once the injury has healed. Connective tissues aren't that flexible. A Rolfer will study your posture and try to establish a better one by massaging the connective tissues. It's painful but worth it.

Rolfers are best chosen by experience. Try to find a certified Rolfer who has been rolfing for at least five years. They should tell you how many visits you need – you should have to commit to a series to get any real good accomplished, and they should take photos of your posture at each visit to track the changes. Expect to do a series of sessions, usually ten. This is physical therapy, the treatment is work.

Qi Gong, Reiki, and Other Energetic Methods

Energy healing is just that - healing via energy. Is it real? Of course! We have an electric-chemical system that feeds into the nervous system via the brain. I have seen fantastic results from Flower Essences, which act on this principle, and some of my friends swear by crystals.

Some healers use a machine, there are several types out there now that promise to repair meridians much the same way acupuncture does without the needles. I haven't tried any of these myself, but my Internet friends have had success from them. If you're open to this, give it a try, but don't expect it to be a cure-all. You can energy cleanse a dirty floor all you like, but you'll still have to mop up the mud!

Qi Gong and Reiki can be a wonderful part of a holistic course of therapy. You may want to wait until you're through the cleansing stage so the work can really be maximized. Like Acupuncture, these techniques are best savored when you're in the rebuilding and tonifying stage. But just in case you still have emotional/energetic issues causing physical distress, get checked for flower essences or Reiki at the very outset of your cleansing protocol so that the past remains in the past and you can move forward with your healing.