Eat Yer Roots

As snowbanks pile fast around us, our local co-op grocery still carries a plentiful variety of locally-grown root vegetables, including parsnips, turnips, celeriac, golden beets, and sweet potatoes. I take particular delight in this seasonal crop! Eating roots in the fall and winter provides a complex and wonderful gustatory experience, and leaves the body feeling deeply satisfied.  

Digging around a bit for nutritional information on roots, I found quite a few resources. In general, they contain much fiber and nutrients such as beta carotene, with some protein as well. Many of these nutrients are especially useful in warding off colds and flus. Take a look at this sweet potato nutritional profile: calcium and other minerals, fiber, and loads of beta carotene (Vitamin A), which has been much studied for it's respiratory benefits. Turnips fare less well, though the greens add quite a bit of nutrient value. Parsnips feature high magnesium and potassium content, along with Vitamin K. 

On the downside, these vegetables are often high on the glycemic index, especially when cooked. Leaving the skins on some roots, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips, can help maximize nutrition and minimize blood sugar fluctuations. Joining them with protein sources such as walnuts will also slow down sugar uptake. Healthy fat sources, like nuts and vegetable oils, add further complexity and nutritional value to the flavor palette of roots. 

Along with hardy greens like winter spinach, roots are really the winter version of salad vegetables, fortifying us against the strong immune system challenges of the season. And they taste so good when it's cold! 

DIY Vitamin D?

I like to take my vitamins in food form. Still, it can be useful to supplement one's diet with processed vitamins from time to time, depending on your deficiency levels or unusual health needs. In recent years supplemental Vitamin D has gained prominence, especially for those of us in low-light climates where our natural ability to manufacture it is minimized, and many of us work inside through the meager daylight hours. It seems that many people, especially the elderly and vegans, are at risk for deficiency. The symptoms of low D levels may include osteoporosis, aches and pains, muscle weakness, and reduced immune functioning. Cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes may also be linked to deficiency. 

I interviewed Dr. Ruddy, N.D., a naturopathic physician practicing in Madison, WI, about this widespread problem, and what people can do to help themselves. He said, "I'd surmise that a good majority of us in the Midwest are low if not deficient or insufficient in Vit D, especially during darker seasons." He also added mood disorders to the list of common signs of low D levels. Unfortunately, without consulting a healthcare provider, it's hard to know if you are lacking in D or not, and so Dr. Ruddy recommends doing so if you have any suspicion that you are. If you do not have a known deficiency, 1000-2000 IU (International Units) of Vitamin D daily is generally considered to be a safe preventive level. But Dr. Ruddy cautions that a blood test is really the optimal way to know how much you need. 

So much for DIY on this one- unless you are not worried about deficiency, you'll need some help to get the right dosing. Some people even require injections at very low levels, so this is not something to mess around with! At least you can take control of your health by better understanding your D situation, and being proactive as we head into winter. And by getting some sunlight, and eating certain foods, you can increase your natural intake of it.

Six Resources for Self-Acupressure

Acupressure is a great tool for DIY Wellness practitioners. It benefits health in myriad ways, is simple to learn, and requires no equipment. It's also highly portable and flexible enough to use in situations ranging from stressful trips to the dentist to being laid up at home with the flu. In my experience it is especially powerful when dealing with muscle or joint pain, or high stress levels. 

The idea behind acupressure is that there are little points on your body that you can press on to influence health. While acupressure is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) like it's well-known sibling, acupuncture, there's no need to learn a bunch of theory before getting into the practice (and no needles, hence the "pressure" instead of "puncture). There are some basic safety tips to be aware of, and some ground rules to make it more effective. Fortunately, there are many resources available to the beginning practitioner: 

1)  Acupressure's Potent Points by Michael Reed Gach. This is a very complete beginner's guide, covering a variety of points and health conditions (arthritis, insomnia, colds and flus, etc.) It has rather cheesy but useful pictures of happy self-acupressurists showing you where the points are. It also gives you some safety guidelines.

2) Acupressure for Emotional Health by Gach and Beth Henning. This one is a follow-up to Acupressure's Potent Points, above, and goes into much more detail on subjects ranging from trauma to abuse to depression. Some of the "positive thinking" mantras were not my style personally, but still a good resource to keep handy. 

3) Acupressure.com, the website of Michael Reed Gach, also has videos and other resources on it. You will be entering the Cheese Zone when you take this link, just so you know. Make sure you check out the blog. 

4) Of course there's an app for that. In fact, there are many. While I am dubious about the quality, the price and convenience are both great for these. 

5) Local classes on self-acupressure. These have the advantage of helping you find some of the more elusive points, as well as question-and-answer interaction. If you're around Madison, WI, I do many workshops in this area- here's my events page.

6) Getting professional sessions of acupressure and Asian bodywork. There are many styles out there, but getting work from a pro is a good way to get a better idea of how to work on yourself, and many practitioners teach their clients techniques for self-care. Getting work from someone else is often more powerful than yourself, so it's useful for serious conditions.

Kitchen Herbalism

People sometimes tell me that herbalism is total bunk, that herbs have no effect, etc. My favorite reply is, "Do you drink coffee or tea? Do you think they effect your state of well-being?" Obviously, coffee is a prime example of herbal use: grinding up part of a plant, then extracting components of it using boiling water, and drinking the result. There are arguments back and forth about whether coffee is good for you in the long run, but there is no doubt that it can lift mood and alertness in the short run. Green tea may be a better example, as it has long been known to have health benefits.

So the point is that herbs do have an effect on mind and body. Many of these herbs, a.k.a. spices, reside in your kitchen. You may have heard of some of their benefits: ginger for nausea, turmeric to fight inflammation, fennel to sooth the digestion. Many companies have tried to extract components of herbs and spices to sell in  convenient, high-dosage forms. Unfortunately, the complexity of the plant often gets lost in the process, along with health benefits. (This also happens with decaf green tea extracts- the caffeine helps activate other components of the plant!) This can be helped by taking "whole food" supplements from a reputable company like New Chapter. Personally, I prefer to simply eat and drink my medicine when possible, saving money and building my DIY ethic. 

How do you get started becoming a kitchen herbalist? Fortunately, there are many good resources. Herbal primers by David Hoffman and Rosemary Gladstar are nice foundations which include kitchen spices along with other, more exotic plants. And of course there are a slew of websites of varying quality that give a basic run-down for you. 

One important tip: both taste and quality are improved when buying fresh! I get my herbs from my local co-op's bulk herb aisle to ensure this. The turmeric and paprika shine vibrantly, and taste amazing. Don't buy so much that the spices begin to loose their punch, either. Some things, like nutmeg, can be grated at home for added freshness. 

Unshouldering the Burden

The number of people who come to me for help with shoulder and upper back problems is probably around 70% or so. Partly, this comes with the territory in a society dominated by sedentary, sitting work stations. It also reflects the fact that our shoulder is an inherently unstable joint. So we are susceptible to rotator cuff problems, torn ligaments, and generally tension and stiffness throughout the shoulders, neck, and upper back.

Unfortunately, most of us have trouble keeping this joint open, and use ineffective approaches like pulling the arm back in the doorway, which gets into the joint between the shoulder and arm that doesn't usually need stretching (although you might feel a bit of relief when yanking on it). These approaches can actually do more damage than good, by overstretching ligaments, which is something you really do not want to do!

So, along with bodywork therapy, I usually show clients one or more techniques to provide self-care. These include acupressure points and stretches along with explorations of body posture and breathing. Here are a couple of those techniques, used to balance the shoulders in a more complete way. The first one is from Ida Rolf, the founder of Rolfing Structural Integration:



And here's a classic stretch for after desk work:



For this second one, I like to breathe in as I bring my hands together, and out when I lower, not holding but moving slowly and repeatedly. I also bring the tips of my fingers together overhead, but it's more important to start by maintaining good position rather than forcing it!

Exercise - How Much?

How much exercise do you really need? Many of my clients struggle to start or maintain a fitness program, finding it daunting or time consuming. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that hard. Recent research has found that the first 20 minutes of exercise are the most important for one's health, physically and mentally. This is as easy as taking short walks a few times in a week. Of course, you can add in things like weight training, and whatever fancypants suspension-Russian kettle bell-cardioyoga-etc. thing you want to, but the point is to do anything active.

On the other hand, hardcore training can also lead to burnout and wind up being worse for you than watching Hunt for the Red October reruns on the couch. Some purported impacts of "overtraining syndrome" include fatigue, muscle pain, prolonged weakness, and even weight gain as our metabolism tries to protect us from our own excess! This is not surprising to us Asian bodywork therapists, who advocate a balanced exercise protocol. In Asian medicine, we often advocate that sufferers moderate their exercise, and include nurturing forms of activity like qi gong and tai chi, which serve as a good crosstraining methods if you're doing a more draining exercise like distance running or weightlifting.

So, basically, just do anything, and be sane. That's it. Enjoy yourself, and you'll be likely to continue for it's own sake.

Posture Should Be Easy, Part 3: "Chair Disease"

In Parts One and Two of this postural mini-series, I gave some basic tips on sitting and standing posture. But a major problem with any chair sitting, as you may have heard, is that it wasn't something we humans were made to do for long periods of time.. We didn't have computer desks or couches in ye olde wilderness, and we would have likely spent much more time standing, or squatting. (Really, squatting flat-footed may be the ideal form of sitting, but it's hard for most of us Westerners to maintain for any length of time.)

Since sitting in our modern styles goes against so much of our nature, it isn't the greatest thing to do for long periods, even with "perfect posture." Sitting for extended periods of time daily may impose serious health risks, including an almost 50% increased risk of death, according to the Mayo Clinic! This is the case even when someone gets regular exercise. A fascinating recent study showed that prolonged sitting (in front of the TV) may be worse than moderate smoking, although it would be hard to compare the two. In particular, sitting seems to radically increase the rate of cardiovascular disease. Having super-ergonomic chairs doesn't seem to help, either.

Why is this? For one thing, we burn less fat when we have a sedentary lifestyle. And there is speculation that somehow, our body shifts metabolic modes, leading to conditions like diabetes, if we sit for an hour or more.

Anyway, it's enough to make me slightly paranoid about even sitting down to type this. Of course, there are many things you can do to reduce the risks of long-term sitting. Obviously, you want to get up and move around, even briefly, at least once per hour. Another, if your work situation permits it, is to do work at a standing desk, or even walking on a treadmill if you have a lot of energy.

So why does sitting feel so good? My guess is that it's like why high-sugar foods taste good: Our bodies evolved in a time when sugar was scarce and love of sugar was a survival tool. Back in the day, we also wouldn't have had the luxury of sitting all the time, so we would want to take advantage of being able to sit sometimes and save energy, and the pleasant sensation evoked by sitting would have encouraged us to do it. So we need to adapt ourselves to this chair-rich environment in order to find our balance.

Men and Hip Mobility

This post is inspired by the number of males I see, both in my practice and on the street, who seem to have a problem letting their hips move from side to side when they walk. When you start looking for this walk, you'll see it everywhere: shoulders swinging side to side with every step, throwing the upper body's weight back and forth. It's sort of like an upside-down pendulum.

My point is not to make fun of this problem, but to point out that it is a low-efficiency, unbalanced walking pattern, which stems from a lack of mobility in the pelvic girdle, causing the shoulders to make up for it. If your hips are allowed to move over whichever foot you're currently putting weight on, you will have more lower body balance, and more core strength.

But is it a "woman's walk?" This is a cultural issue we sometimes get caught in, thinking of hip mobility as something men should not have. However, the men who excel at professional sports do not adhere to this gender stereotype. To illustrate this, watch this video of Atlanta Falcons wide receivers in training. Between drills, these guys (except the injured one) are very loose in the hips compared to many amateur athletes who hold tight in these spots. This despite the fact that they're doing intense leg and hip training at the time. Hopefully it shows you how powerful this mobility can be- the same holds true with high-level basketball players, taiji practitioners, etc.



Getting the hips to move freely can be difficult if they've been stuck in place for a long time. Good bodywork therapy comes in really handy for this, as does taiji (tai chi) or certain yoga poses. It may take some doing, but the rewards are great.

Autumn, The Stressing Season

I have this theory that because our ancestors had to scramble every fall to get the harvest in, we still have some residual panic in us that makes us run like mad to beat the snow every year. At any rate, this is definitely the time of year when everyone gets insanely busy and stresses out in anticipation of the coming holiday season, etc. I can relate to wanting to harness the dwindling daylight, but we need some perspective.

Stress is a huge problem for health. The Mayo Clinic estimates that 80% of disease conditions are somehow related to stress, and links it to a wide range of symptoms. And Traditional Chinese Medicine has much the same view- Asian bodywork therapy like the kind I practice spends a lot of time calming and relaxing people to benefit overall health. So it's probably a universal problem, and people who say, "Stress is for other people" may be at the greatest risk, since Type A behavior and repressing emotions are known risk factors for stress-related problems. Heart attacks are notably common among this population.

Fortunately, stress relief can take many forms, including meditation, yoga, bow hunting, or just cutting things out of your schedule. So you can be aware of when you're overloading yourself, and take appropriate measures. Learning to lighten up a little, to laugh at yourself when you're too serious, can also go a long way. These simple things are what we often forget when life speeds up.

So remember, there's no harvest to bring in, unless you happen to be one of our awesome local farmers. When the dark and cold settle in, learn to cut back a little on your activity levels, instead of ramping up, and you'll save more energy down the road.

Posture Should be Easy, Part Two: Standing

Ok, now we've covered some sitting posture basics, and we'll go into standing. Fortunately, healthy standing posture does not have to be a military exercise! It does take some awareness to get the hang of, and here are some things to get you started:

1) Don't be super tense. If standing straight is a matter of arching your back, stiffening your neck, and clamping your shoulders down and back, you're not going to be able to move very freely. So stay relaxed, and don't worry too much about getting exactly straight.

2) Pay attention to the weight on your feet. Is it more on your heels, balls, inner or outer arches? Shift yourself into a place where your whole foot is in comfortable contact with the ground. Imagine that the bottoms of your feet are soft, able to sink into the ground, or into your shoes. Your weight doesn't need to be precisely balanced for this, because it's more important to bring awareness into the whole bottom of your foot so it can work with the ground to support you.

3) Knees straight and relaxed. Yup, straight. Having slightly bent knees is good for some activities, but generally having straight legs maintains the health of your cartilage. To find your relaxed position, lock your knees by overstraightening, then relax the muscles around your knees.

4) Hips in neutral. Many people try to straighten their neck and shoulders, but have their hips pushed forward, which makes the whole thing really difficult. To find neutral, push your hips forward and back, rocking like a swing, a little less each time until you come to rest slowly. This gives you some idea of where neutral is, although it can take some bodywork therapy to allow you to get a true sense of it.

5) Head lifted up. To do this without adding tension, first put your index fingers right behind your ears, pointing upwards. Draw a line with both fingers across to the top of your head, where they meet together. Imagine a rope pulling slightly upwards at this point, which will slightly draw your chin in and lengthen the back of your neck. You may find you need to relax the front of your neck to do this- think about using as little energy as possible to keep your head up and see if this allows the muscles to release.

6) Shoulders soft. Let any tension in the shoulders flow down into the ground through your feet. Tension may be holding them up, forward, or in some cases back. It may take some serious bodywork or movement therapy to get your shoulders to really relax.

You can see from this that posture is a whole-body concept, beginning with your feet! So be wary of the temptation of thinking only of your head and shoulders when standing, as it can often make things worse.

Posture Should be Easy, Part One: Sitting Pretty, Pretty Easily

What is it about good posture that is so difficult for so many people? Most of us were told/nagged to sit up straight as kids, but even as adults we have all kinds of trouble maintaining the habit. Mostly, our problem is a lack of awareness of how to find good posture in the first place, without it becoming an endurance sport. Since we have to work so hard at posture, it's no surprise that our attention span and muscles eventually give out, and we end up slumping through our days.

Nonetheless, poor posture may result in all kinds of health problems, ranging from headaches to compromised breathing and digestion. Besides, we look and feel more effective and alert when we are upright and at ease, whether we're sitting or standing. And it does feel good when you get the hang of it.

Here are a few tips to get you started with sitting:

1) Sit on your "sit bones," technically called the ischial tuberosities- here's a good picture. They're the big rounded bones in your butt which can easily support your weight. Sitting on these instead of back toward your tailbone will automatically make it easier for the rest of your body to balance. Sometimes you need to slide your butt backwards a little to really get over them. You can roll forward and back a little on them to see what is comfortable for you.

2) If you have an adjustable chair, get it as flat as possible, so you're not leaning back. This goes along with tip number one- if you are balanced in the first place, your shoulders and neck won't feel the need to sneak steadily forward.

3) Better yet, use a regular chair, and don't use the back of it except for slouching breaks.

4) Get your feet flat on the floor, and your hips slightly higher than your knees. The idea is that you could roll a pencil down your thigh if you were so inclined. This helps your feet and legs participate in your posture a little bit, giving support to your core and spine.

5) If you have a chair that makes you lean back, as in a car, get one of those little travel pillows at a drug store (they should run under $5), and try placing it across your back, just below the bottom of your shoulder blades. This is different than a lumbar support approach, because you want to angle your whole body into a more upright position. It helps take pressure off of your neck and shoulders, and trains your big core and spinal muscle crew to do their jobs effectively.

Try these out, and also remember that there is no one perfect posture for us humans- as vertical animals, we're built to move around a lot, and our desk jockey ways of life are a recent and someone problematic invention. So feel free to change postures frequently, cross your legs sometimes, etc. Awareness is your friend: notice what really works for your body, and you'll have a much better time.