Bring Wild Medicinal Foods to Your Garden

It is the season to pick the wild mushrooms again. Did you know that you can bring these nutrients packed delicious foods to your backyard so you can enjoy them more often? All you need is to dig a hole and plant them in your backyard, and they will blossom in your backyard next year. This is more sustainable and a great way to create a diverse garden for your health.

Two cancer-fighting mushrooms are worth mentioning.

Shiitake mushrooms extract has been used in herbal remedies for thousands of years in Eastern medicine. Like other fungi, shiitake mushrooms offer a variety of phytochemicals such as lentinan and laminarin, which are polysaccharides that have anti-tumor effects and promote the death of cancer cells, as well as lentinacin or eritadenine that have cholesterol-lowering effects. Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates containing two or more monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds. The unique polysaccharides in shiitake mushrooms were considered primary anti-cancer compounds such as lentinan and beta-glucan. But many non-polysaccharide compounds in shiitake mushrooms also have anti-tumor effects and work together to achieve these amazing anti-cancer results. Shiitake mushrooms are a very good source of antioxidant minerals such as manganese, selenium, and zinc, as well as other powerful antioxidants including L-ergothioneine, which is a remarkable antioxidant that protects cells from the damage caused by free radicals and strengthens your immune function, it also protects against neurotoxins that contribute to cognitive decline.

Agaricus mushroom is considered a “cure-all” herb in Japan. It is a Brazilian rainforest fungus that is among the premier immune system tonics of all known natural substances. It is the richest source of polysaccharides known as beta-glucans, which have been solidly established to be among nature’s most potent immune-boosting agents. Agaricus has double-direction activity on the immune system. In other words, it can be used to boost a weakened immune system, or it can be used to moderate an excessive system in cases of autoimmune disease and allergies. This means it is an immune modulator. It also helps suppress excess inflammatory cytokines and simultaneously helps boost cancer killer cell response in cancer patients.

The amazing health benefits of Agaricus mushroom include the following:

• Fight against cancers with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
• Relieve chronic fatigue and boost energy levels.
• Balance blood sugars for diabetes.
• An immune modulator that provides antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties. 
• Reduce high cholesterol and improve heart functions.
• An adaptogen that manages and balances endocrine functions. 

Are you ready to bring these powerful healing foods to your garden? It is time to take action. For more information on holistic health and natural remedies, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.

The Myth between Cholesterol and Heart Disease

Cholesterol has been blamed for the risk of heart disease for a long time. Cholesterol is essential for the body to make hormones; it also helps the body to move toxins out of the body. No correlation exists that the lower the cholesterol, the better the heart health. If you take medications to lower your cholesterol such as statins, they not only increase the toxicity in the liver but also deplete Co-Q10 in your body, which is a compound made by your body and stored in the mitochondria of your cells. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that improves heart function, increases ATP production, and limits oxidative damage. It protects the brain, heart, and muscles. There are more mitochondria needs in heart muscle cells than in any other area of our bodies. In addition to creating muscle weakness and pain throughout the body and promoting dementia symptoms with these drugs, heart attack risk is increased by starving the heart of CoQ10.  The source of coronary heart disease is not even cholesterol. It’s arterial inner wall inflammation caused by processed foods and excess sugars. It has nothing to do with saturated fats based on recent research. In other words, the cholesterol-lowering drugs you are taking do more harm than good to your heart in the long run. A healthy diet and an active lifestyle are far more important than drugs for your heart health.

What are the causes of chronic inflammation in the body? Toxins, parasites, and these two go hand in hand because toxins feed off parasites. Stress is another cause of chronic inflammation in the body that many have overlooked.

Based on my observation after working in healthcare for many years and doing readings since I was 9 years old. I have noticed that people who suffer from ongoing emotional stress are more prone to heart issues. This is because chronic stress triggers inflammatory responses in the body.

According to recent research, emotional stress can contribute to the development of chronic heart disease, or trigger acute cardiac problems in people who already have heart disease.

Did you know that the simplest and most effective way to manage your stress is your breathing? In a relaxed parasympathetic state, the body sends 50% of blood to the liver and kidneys. In a stressed and fight-to-fight sympathetic state, the body only sends 2% of blood to the liver and kidneys, there is also an 80% decrease in the blood flow to the gut. When your breathing is shallow, this is where anxiety and panic attacks come from. It also affects your gut health and weakens your immunity.
 
The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. If it is not properly positioned, it puts strains on the cervical muscles that affect the neck and shoulders. The tongue should be in a relaxed position and touch the roof of your mouth, and the tip of the tongue should touch the back of the front teeth, this tongue position has been addressed by the ancient wisdom of TCM for thousands of years, now, we just understand why. Did you know that the number one cause of oral cavity is the habit of mouth breathing? It affects the oral microbiome and PH level. Breathing through the nose also prevents dry mouth. Nose breathing also improves the oral microbiome which helps increase nitric oxide, which is a vital molecule produced in your body that impacts many aspects of health. It helps blood vessels dilate to promote proper blood flow and provides various health benefits, including improved exercise performance, managing diabetes, lowering blood pressure, and better brain function. It can boost heart health by making blood platelets less sticky. It is the number one anti-aging compound that also has antiviral and antibacterial properties, it also enhances your heart function and boosts your libido.
 
Did you know that you can use your hands to reduce high blood pressure effectively? Two blood pressure spots on your ears can effectively lower your blood pressure if you massage them regularly. Please check the post below for locations. I hope you enjoy the information, for more information on holistic health and self-healing tips, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.

Detox and Weight Loss

Did you know that fat cells are a storage room for toxins? When our bodies are overburdened by toxicity, it can lead to not only feeling drained energetically, but it can also contribute to weight gain. These toxins affect our body functions and slow down our metabolic rate. 

A healthy lymphatic system is critical for successful weight loss because it provides efficient drainage to help remove toxins and waste from the body. Many people are aware that the liver is the detoxification center, but your lymphatic system helps move the toxins and sweep them quickly out of the body through the colon. When our body is loaded with pesticides, fungicides, drugs, xenohormones, GMO food, petroleum-based cosmetics, petroleum-based solvents and detergents, pollutants in the air, toxic heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals, they not only make the liver overwork and also contribute to a sluggish liver, these toxins are dumped into your lymphatic system and fat cells. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, fat is considered waste built up in the body due to a weak spleen meridian, which totally correlates to an insufficient lymphatic system. And the most favorite place for the fat cells is in your belly because abdominal fat is highly inflammatory, it mobilizes easily into the bloodstream and contributes to heart disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammation.

The hepatic portal vein is a blood vessel that carries blood from the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen to the liver. The liver and intestine are tightly linked through the venous system of the portal circulation. Consequently, the liver is the primary recipient of gut-derived products, especially dietary nutrients and microbial components. It functions as a secondary “firewall” and protects the body from intestinal pathogens and other microbial products that have crossed the primary barrier of the intestinal tract. The intestinal barrier damage increases the detrimental microbial exposure to the liver, so the liver is closely connected to our gut health. When you cleanse your colon, you also help cleanse the liver.

Toxins don’t only come in the form of chemicals. What about emotional toxins, or toxic energies, that can affect our ability to lose weight? From energy medicine, excessive weight is the manifestation of layers of emotional baggage and limiting beliefs.

How to treat the body as a whole and detox more efficiently and lose weight easily? Please check my recent video.

Why Should You Take Care of Your Lungs Now?

There are 24 seasons in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which works with the body more closely. Now we just entered the Fall season based on these 24 seasons. The energy is peaking in your lung meridian. This is the time to take care of your lungs and strengthen your lung function to prevent a cold or flu during the cold winter. Food with white colors soothes your lungs based on TCM, such as pears, cabbage, cauliflowers, and mushrooms. Lobok is a great lung healing food that treats and prevents coughs. 

Have you heard about horseradish? Horseradish root is packed with nutrition and is rich in many key nutrients, including calcium, fiber, zinc, Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. It is also rich in antioxidants, which can help protect your body from cellular damage. Many studies suggest that horseradish helps prevent the growth of colon, lung, liver, and stomach cancer. Horseradish tastes hot and spicy. It originated in south-eastern Europe, where it was once called “red cole” in England and “sea radish” in Germany, and eventually, it spread all over the world. Horseradish is cultivated primarily for its large roots, which have brown skin and pure white inside.

Horseradish has exceptionally high vitamin C content. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that boosts your immune functions and enhances the detoxification abilities of your liver. The anti-cancer properties of horseradish come from its bioactive component allyl isothiocyanate, which is known to prevent various cancers. Allyl isothiocyanate also offers antimicrobial properties that can offer protection against a variety of microbes. For instance, roast beef added with horseradish essential oil displayed the most resistance against bacterial growth. Other compounds in horseradish, such as glucosinolate and sinigrin, also possess chemo-preventive effects. Horseradish is known to treat respiratory disorders, the antibiotic properties of the root can play a major role in treating respiratory ailments. including mucus from a cold and sinusitis. It has been used in traditional medicine for treating bronchitis, cough, common cold, and sinusitis. Studies have shown that horseradish has an antibacterial component called allyl isothiocyanate, which help treat urinary tract infections (UTIs). This is because it has both antibacterial and diuretic properties. It also contains natural chemicals called isothiocyanates, which promote weight loss by increasing your metabolism naturally. Horseradish is part of a group called cholagogues because it triggers the gallbladder to release bile that aids digestion.

Here Are some amazing health benefits of horseradish.

• Clears sinus passages and clears out mucus.
• Helps treat UTIs due to its antibacterial and diuretic properties.
• Promotes weight loss due to its low calories and high fiber content.
• Aids digestion.
• Prevents hair loss and boosts hair growth.
• Reduces age spots.
• Increases the liver’s ability to detoxify toxins.
• Prevents cancers and boosts immunity due to its rich antioxidant content.

How to use horseradish externally to reduce age spots? You can make horseradish paste and apply it to the affected areas. Leave it on for about 20 minutes and then wash it off with water. You can try this tip a few times a week. Alternatively, you can grate a piece of horseradish root and mix it with a small amount of apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to sit for about two weeks and strain it. Use a cotton swap to apply it to the affected areas. Follow this remedy three times a day for about a month. This is way cheaper and more effective than expensive cosmetics out there to reduce age spots. 

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What Is the Best Navel Remedy in Summer?

Why did ancient TCM focus so much on the navel? The navel is life itself. The "Pechoti" is behind the navel, which has more than 72,000 veins. The total amount of blood vessels in our body is equal to double the circumference of the earth. It is unbelievable! Isn’t it?

The navel is also known as the belly button, which is in line with twelve meridians and six internal organs in TCM. Did you know that the shape of your navel spells your health conditions? Here are some common shapes of the navel.

Round shape: The navel is round like a full moon, and the skin texture around the navel is firm and elastic, this indicates good physical and mental health, and healthy digestive and reproductive functions. 

Upward triangle: The umbilical shape is like a top-up triangle, which suggests a predisposition to digestive and urinary disorders such as common stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, and kidney issues. 

Downward triangle: the shape of the navel is extended downwards like a triangle with the top downward, which indicates the person is prone to digestive issues, such as gastritis, gastroparesis, constipation, and reproductive issues for women. 

Twitching to the left: this is often seen in hypertension, right limb hemiplegia, or gastrointestinal dysfunction. 

Twitching to the right: this is often associated with Qi deficiency, hypertension, left limb hemiplegia, or gastrointestinal ulcers, hepatitis, and so on. 

Shallow and small: the navel is too shallow, the umbilical ring is small and not round, and the umbilical skin is thin, which may indicate low reproductive functions, low hormone levels in the body, or in people with a long-term illness that leads to chronic fatigue and weak immune functions. 

Sea serpent: The area around the navel is like a sea snake, which is a common sign of liver diseases such as cirrhosis. 

Protrusion: this is likely associated with inflamed tissues within the abdomen, adhesions are commonly associated with tuberculous peritonitis.

Ancient TCM practitioners have been using the navel both as a diagnostic tool and treatment center for thousands of years. The Yang energy is releasing in summer; this is the best time to release the old stubborn health issues that have been bothering you for so long. What is the best remedy for the navel treatment in summer? You guess it, it is ginger. Why? Your health starts from your gut, when you take care of your gut, you take care of your digestion and your immune system because over 70% of immune cells are produced and located in your gut. Ginger is known to boost gut health and improve blood circulation.

When you apply some chopped fresh ginger to your navel, you will notice the following benefits after a week.

• Enhance your digestion.
• Improve your sleep quality.
• Regulate your bowel function.
• Prevent motion sickness and nausea.
• Improve your blood circulation.
• Boost your immunity.

If you want to give it a try, make sure you do daily care for your navel because it is the energy center of your body, avoid using a cold towel to clean your navel, and use an alcohol swab to clean your navel daily to prevent bacteria growth, also gently treat the skin around the navel to prevent irritation, take a break if you find that ginger irritates your skin or use less. The best time to apply this is at night and remove it and cleanse your navel the next morning. Listen to the message from your body and be flexible with your approach. For more information on holistic health and alternative medicine, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.  

How to Resolve Digestive Issues Easily during the Hot Weather

Hot summer is here, as we are encountering heat waves in the past 2 weeks, it is common to experience digestive issues, such as nausea, loss of appetite, constipaton or diarrhea. The energy is peaking in the heart meridian in summer, this is the time to take care your emotions and balance excessive fire in your heart meridian because it is associated with the fire element in TCM.

Neiguan (PC-6) Acupoint is an important acupoint in the Pericardium meridian. Massaging it regularly can help prevent heart problems and also resolve digestive issues quickly and easily.

Location: 2 CUN (3 finger width) above the wrist crease between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis.

Massaging it regularly can provide amazing healing benefits including the following:

• Improve heart functions and prevent heart disease.
• Relieve nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, and digestive issues.
• Reduce stress and improve sleep quality.
• Relieve arrhythmia, chest pain, and asthma.
• Reduce high blood pressure and improve blood circulation.

Massage method: Use your thumb to massage the point on both hands in a pressing and releasing motion 100 to 200 times each time.

I hope you enjoy the information, for more information on holistic health and alternative medicine, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.

How to Boost Your Emotional Health in Relationships?

When it comes to the definition of health, many people focus on physical health. A healthy state of a human being includes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. According to TCM, negative emotions such as sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, and depression are the root causes of many health challenges. Each of your internal organs is also associated with different emotions, for example, anger can damage your liver function, and grief can weaken your lungs.

Our mental and emotional health determines our overall well-being. If we are depressed mentally and emotionally, it can suppress our immune system and affect our overall health. Relationships are one of the most important areas in our lives that impact our emotional well-being. Many people suffer from depression and heartbreaks after a painful breakup with their partners. A healthy relationship can not only bring emotional satisfaction but also enhance our longevity.

How to determine potential long-term healthy relationships? There are five key elements that determine a healthy relationship.

1.     Mutual Respect

Any healthy relationship is based on mutual respect. According to a study by psychologists at the University of California and the University of Washington, 93% of divorce is caused by contempt, criticism, and defensiveness.

2. Similar Wavelength

We attract what we vibrate at. If two of you have a lot in common, the energy together will be amplified. If the result of combining is a general increase overall, you have found a compatible partner. Here is another example, we all have growth patterns. If you and your partner are on a similar wavelength for growth, you two can swim together through the ups and downs in life harmoniously. According to numerology, every 9 years is a growth cycle. For example, when you are in your year 5 of the 9-year cycle, which may trigger your yearning for freedom and adventure, while your partner is in his year 4 of the 9-year cycle, he is busy getting the work down. One wants to travel and another one wants to work, this conflict can affect the harmony and balance in a relationship.

3. Assertive Pressure

The power struggle is a common cause of relationship breakups. If both of you have a strong personality and dominant nature, the power struggle between the two of you can be an issue in the relationship, it takes lots of intellectual understanding and diplomacy to prevent conflicts. For example, if you are an alpha female, maybe it is not a good idea to find an alpha male or both of you are aware of this challenge and make adjustments accordingly if you are really attracted to each other. Some men have a controlling issue, which may be associated with immaturity.

4. Trust and Honesty

Trust and honesty are the foundation of a lasting relationship. The first question you should ask yourself is whether you are honest with yourself and others. Being emotionally honest with both yourself and your partner is a very good starting place when developing a healthy relationship. This requires making your actions match your words and accepting your partner as a separate person. If your partner doesn’t see things the same way as you do. It just means that you are two people who observe the world from different perspectives. This will save lots of energy for conflicts in communication. 

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