Dr. Pamela Maloney Blog

Heart Healthy Foods

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Here are some suggestions to support your heart healthy lifestyle.

Green Tea
Green tea contains several powerful antioxidants that reduce bad cholesterol and boost good cholesterol, improving an individuals overall cholesterol profile. Drinking green tea also seems to enhance cardiovascular health by improving the consistency of platelets in the blood and may even lower blood pressure.

Garlic
Just one clove a day–or 300 mg, three times daily–reduces the risk of a heart attack at least three ways: It discourages red blood cells from sticking together and blocking your arteries, it reduces arterial damage, and it discourages cholesterol from lining the arteries and making them so narrow that blockages are likely.

Fruit
Oranges contain folic acid that helps lower your levels of homocysteine, a heart attack risk factor. Grapes are loaded with flavonoids and resveratrol, both potent antioxidants that may discourage red blood cells from clumping together and forming an artery-blocking clot. Pomegranate juice is chock-full of potassium and polyphenols, which promote heart health and have been shown to help lower cholesterol

Vegetables
Make sure that cruciferous vegetables such as kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage, which are a gold mine of antioxidants and other heart-saving phytochemicals, are part of your heart health diet every day.

Fish
Fatty fish such as salmon and anchovies are foods loaded with the omega-3 fatty acids that will help your heart maintain a steady rhythm. Having even one fish serving a week could reduce your risk of death from a heart attack by fifty two percent.

Flaxseed
Flaxseed is one of the most potent sources of heart health-promoting omega-3 fats. Studies indicate that adding flaxseed to your diet can reduce the development of heart disease by forty six percent while helping keep red blood cells from clumping together and forming clots that can block arteries. Sprinkle 2 Tbs flaxseed a day on your cereal or salad.

Nuts
Studies have found that those who eat more than 5 oz of nuts a week are one-third less likely to have either heart disease or a heart attack. Just don’t overdo it–nuts can pile on the pounds.

Red Wine
Scientific studies overwhelmingly show that a daily glass of wine can reduce your risk of a heart attack. Both plant compounds called saponins and antioxidants in the “fruit of the vine” work to protect arteries. Researchers have found that red is much more effective than white for improving heart health.

Tags: Food
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Acupuncture Point for Mental Clarity

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Feeling a little foggy? Having trouble concentrating?

Massage the acupuncture point, Du 20 for some mental clarity.

Du 20 is located on the top of the head, midway between the ears. It is used to clear the mind and improve focus.

Stimulate the point with your index finger for 30-45 seconds for a quick “brain boost”.
Healthy Brain Habits

Here are some steps you can take to help optimize brain health and sharpen your memory:

Eat More Produce – Studies that focus on food and memory show that the more produce you eat, the better. One 25-year Harvard Medical School study of more than 13,000 women showed that the participants who ate relatively high amounts of vegetables over the years had less age-related decline in memory. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage) and leafy green vegetables had the biggest effect on helping women retain their memory during the course of the study. In another study, the phytochemicals, anthocyanin (found in berries of all colors and cherries) and quercetin (found in onions, kale and apples), actually reversed some of the age-related memory deficits in laboratory animals.

Heart Health – A healthy heart makes for a healthy brain. Because oxygen and nutrients are carried in the blood stream, anything that impedes blood flow will starve those all-important brain cells. Review your blood pressure and cholesterol level. Know your numbers and if they are elevated, take immediate measures to bring them down.

Sleep – When we sleep, the brain has time to recharge. Studies show that 7-8 hours of sleep a night helps to strengthen memory. Acupuncture is effective at treating sleep problems, so please let us know if you are having trouble sleeping.

Exercise – Regular physical activity has been shown to decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by about half. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps regulate blood sugar levels; both of which improve brain function and memory. Aim for 30 minutes a day.

Challenge Your Brain – Keep your mind active and challenged. Brain function decreases with age. Studies show that cognitive exercise can improve blood flow to the brain. Spend at least 15 minutes each day on a mental exercise such as a crossword puzzle, journaling or learning a new language to slow memory loss.

Tags: Acupuncture, brain, Food
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Recharge Your Battery this Winter with Acupuncture

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

If you feel tired and drained, you are not alone. “Lack of energy” is one of the top five complaints that doctors hear in their offices. According to Oriental medicine, the cold months of winter are the perfect time to recharge your battery and generate vital energy – Qi – in order to live, look, and feel your best.

The ancient Chinese believed that human beings should live in harmony with the natural cycles of their environment. The cold and darkness of winter urges us to slow down. This is the time of year to reflect on health, replenish energy and conserve strength.

Winter is ruled by the Water element, which is associated with the Kidneys, Bladder and Adrenal Glands. The Kidneys are considered the source of all energy or “Qi” within the body. They store all of the reserve Qi in the body so that it can be used in times of stress and change, or to heal, prevent illness, and age gracefully.

During the winter months it is important to nurture and nourish our Kidney Qi. It is the time where this energy can be most easily depleted. Our bodies are instinctively expressing the fundamental principles of winter – rest, reflection, conservation and storage.

The Nei Ching, an ancient Chinese classic, advises people to go to sleep early and rise late, after the sun’s rays have warmed the atmosphere a bit. This preserves your own Yang Qi for the task of warming in the face of cold.

Eating warm hearty soups, whole grains, and roasted nuts help to warm the body’s core and to keep us nourished. Sleep early, rest well, stay warm, and expend a minimum quantity of energy.

Seasonal acupuncture treatments in winter serve to nurture and nourish kidney Qi which can greatly enhance the body’s ability to thrive in times of stress, aid in healing, prevent illness and increase vitality. Call now for more information or to schedule your seasonal tune-up

Here are some dietary suggestions that can lead to an increase in vitality and radiant health.

Water – The Kidneys are associated with the Water element. Drink ample water, at room temperature, throughout the day.

Kidney Shaped Foods – Black beans and kidney beans are excellent examples of kidney shaped foods that nourish and benefit Kidney Qi.

Blue and Black Foods – The colors blue and black correspond to the Water element of the Kidneys and are thought to strengthen the Water element. Include blueberries, blackberries, mulberry and black beans in your diet.

Seeds – Flax, pumpkin, sunflower and black sesame seeds relate to fertility and growth which is governed by Kidney Qi.

Nuts – Walnuts and chestnuts have been found to be especially effective for increasing Kidney Qi.

Vegetables – Dark, leafy green vegetables are the best choice for Kidney Qi. Other Kidney Qi boosting veggies include asparagus, cucumbers and celery.

Tags: Acupuncture, Food
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Boosting Health With Local Food

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

There is an interesting article in the New York Times about a new study.

A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a grant to study the public health impact of moving toward a local, sustainable food system. An increasingly vocal local food movement calls for consumers to try to buy and eat foods produced within 100 miles of their homes.

Tags: Food, Living Well
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FOOD-whew!

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

I have been writing a second book of the challenge to maintain health in the USA. Both physically and socially there are continuous obstacles to pursuing a pristinely healthy lifestyle.

I ran into a great explanation of how our food is so nutrition deprived and contaminated with toxic chemical pollution unless certified organic. You can read it at:

Synergy Synapse, The Official Newsletter of The Synergy Company

It is a concise explanation of something that has been going on our entire lives. To expand on the idea that the toxic waste products from wartime are placed into our food more fully, there is a great book Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats which exposes the origin of many of the mysterious ingredients found in our manufactured foods. You can find this book thru my Pam Maloney Products Section linked thru any of the books and searched.

Truth be told, we were volunteered to be the toxic waste containers for the toxic waste from war time which could not legally be disposed of in the oceans or ground. We were volunteered without our knowledge or permission. The sophistication of this practice has caused mass marketing to convince the naive public that these ingredients are “good for you”, necessary, desirable, irressistable. The wide profit margin for the marketer has perpetuated the practice as there is a lot of money to be made from it.

Almost all the products marketed on television are created from toxic petrochemical synthesis.

Check out the Pure Synergy – The Ultimate Superfood Formula, they fill in the missing links caused by this health tragedy in America.

Tags: Food, Toxins
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Why Is Organic Always The Right Choice?

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

There are increasing concerns about food safety and the fact that many processed foods are made from genetically modified products, irradiated foods, and non-organic food sources.

Organically grown foods have been grown on land that is absent of any chemicals for a minimum of 3 years. The crops are grown without the use of pesticides, chemically produced feritlizer or any chemicals whatsoever. Organic foods are processed and packaged without the use of artificial preservatives, colorings, irradiation or any other additives.

The liver and kidneys take the hit from ingesting pesticides, artificial preservatives, colorings, and petrochemical created fertilizers. It is a great strain on them to process these substances. Some non-organic ingredients are stored in the fatty tissues of the body so as to keep them out of the blood stream and away from the overtaxed organs. They get dumped out later when you loose weight and the fat breaks down. This is a toxic situation for the body.

We also experience the “side effects” of the non-organic substances in the plants we end up ingesting. We may not remember where the effects came from. Perhaps from the salad we ate, or the nutritional supplements we take everyday. The symptoms may be subtle, and the origins are forgotten, or hidden within several ingredients of the products we ingest. It is a strong concern, and very important to keep yourself from ingesting toxic or non-organic substances.

Choosing organic over non-organic will allow your body to function the way God designed it. Our digestive tracts and organs were specifially designed to process the natural, organic plant products that grow on the earth. The physical human system was not designed to assimilate the non-organic substances in pharmaceuiticals, pesticides, artificial coloring, artificial flavor, irradiation, genetically modified, and chemically created fertilizers.

Staying with the consistent choice of pure, natural organic products will eliminate as much as possible the excess use of your energy and overtaxing that the organs have to do when challenged by the necessity of processing non-organic ingredients.

1) You will experience the benefit of more energy available to you for your life as your energy is not tied up in assimilating substances the body is not designed to know how to process.

2) You will look younger and

3) You will radiate vitality as the natural, organic ingredients of foods and food supplements are easily and speedily assimilable, go directly to the blood stream, and show up on the skin. This look demonstrates what is going on in all of the organs and tissues. Pure, immediate vitality.

It is definitely a no brainer best choice possible to choose organic food and supplement sources.

Tags: Food, Green
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IMPORTANT: Soak all grains, nuts, and seeds!

Sunday, September 10th, 2006

During my acupuncture education I was taught by a Tibetan acupuncturist who specialized in Cancer that it is absolutely necessary to soak all grains, nuts, and seeds overnight before eating. This seems like an inconvenient process, but once you start doing it you will appreciate the benefits.

These food products are in a dormant, dried state. They come alive when soaked, literally. It is the same as soaking any seed and seeing it sprout. Life is there! You will think that you will just be cooking the life out of it again in the case of grains, but I will tell you why it is still important to soak your grains overnight.

Enzymes! The natural enzymes present in the grains will release when soaked. These enzymes were created not only to assist in the new life growing from the seed, but to also assist in the specific digestion of that grain in our digestive tract. Even when cooked, the release of this enzyme assists to break down of the grain it came from. Allowing the natural enzyme in the grain to come alive will let your body take a break from having to produce some enzymes of it`s own in order to digest the grain. My Tibetan teacher taught us that not having the natural enzymes in these foods caused so many different and not quite right enzymes to be produced in the stomach, and he felt it was one of the causes of Cancer. He stated that all ancient, traditional peoples knew this by instinct and practiced soaking always. We have lost the practice in the modern world, and suffer the health consequences.

I was amazed to find this out, began the practice, and have not looked back. I actually prefer the texture and taste of soaked nuts. They become more like a vegetable in aliveness and crunch. If you prefer them dried and toasted, you can do that after soaking them. The grains are easier to chew, and have a better, smoother flavor.

Cultivating a practice and a taste for soaked grains, nuts and seeds is essential to your healthy eating practices. You will definitely notice the difference, and ejoy the digestion benefits. It allows the elderly to enjoy eating these foods longer into their lives without digestive problems. It allows the younger to ease the burden of digestion, make it as efficient as possible, and gives us more alive energy from the foods.

Now, when I eat any of these foods without soaking, out at a restaurant or at an unaware friend’s home, I notice the taste difference, get gas immediately, experience some brain fog, and can feel my own system bogged and slowed down with the excessive job I have asked it to accomplish.

So, jump on board! Give it a try. I know you will find the difference enjoyable and adopt this new habit. The unsoaked foods are always available and you can choose to have them whenever you like. Let yourself try something new that is really good for you.

Tags: Cancer, Food
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What do I put in my mouth?

Saturday, September 2nd, 2006

Diet is such a vast subject, but what I want to say about it is that everything we ingest through our mouths, lungs, and skin becomes the food for our cells, all of our cells. No one ever talks about those three ways of taking in our environment together, but I will now.

Everything we make a conscious choice to eat, drink, inhale, or put topically on our skin goes immediately to our bloodstream. Most of us know this, we are somewhat conscious of it, and make choices most of the time as to what we want to put on the inside and outside surfaces of ourselves. We forget, or do not notice the invisible things in the air we breathe all day and night, and the water we bathe and shower in, as well as any lotions, perfumes, deodorants, etc. These go into our bloodstream too, and are assimilated and used the same as food.

Important stuff, important concept.

I will be having a complete chapter on this and many more topics in my upcoming book “Alternative Health Wealth”. The angles to this approach to health are fresh, and every referral is to natural approaches. It is exciting to me to present this to you in the near future.

Coming soon….

Tags: Food
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