Posts filed under ‘Seasons’
Fall Wellness Workshops
HOMEOPATHY 101: Acute Prescribing for Beginners December 3rd
Ever wonder if there is more to homeopathy than Arnica? Dr. Emily will diffuse the myths and explore the mystery of this gentle and deep acting form of medicine during this 2-hour workshop that has been frequently requested for by patients. After reviewing the history and principles of homeopathy, you will learn how to safely use common homeopathic remedies as adjunctive care for acute conditions. Homeopathic home kits will be available for purchase as well.
Date: Thursday December 3rd 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Seeds Classroom (3600 Roland Ave Ste 3)
Cost: $50 (individual) / $75 (couples)
Pre-registration Required: Contact Dr. Emily at dremilytelfair@gmail.com or (443) 226-7665
COLD, FLU & YOU! Natural immune Boosting Class Nov 12th & Nov 17th
Take a natural approach this cold & flu season and uncover the mystery behind Onion Earmuffs and Cold Wet Socks. This class will provide you with helpful home remedies for warding off illness and stopping infections in their tracts. Dr. Emily will review nutritional, herbal and homeopathic therapies that can both prevent viral infections and hasten the healing process.
Two Class Options:
CANCELLED – Thursday November 12th
Tuesday November 17th 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Still accepting registration)
Location: Seeds Classroom (3600 Roland Ave Ste 3)
Cost: $35 (individual) / $50 (couples)
Pre-registration Required: Contact Dr. Emily at dremilytelfair@gmail.com or (443) 226-7665
Flu Shot or Not?
This is a very difficult decision weighing on the minds of many Americans right now as seasonal flu vaccines are readily available and the new H1N1 vaccine is close behind. The decision to receive the vaccine for yourself or for your child is a personal one that depends on numerous factors such as underlying health conditions, access to medical care, environmental exposures, and personal belief systems. It is important to remember that receiving the standard flu vaccine does not necessarily mean you will not get sick this fall or winter, and being mindful of natural immunity boosting practices may further prevent your risk of illness.
Thimerosal is a preservative containing mercury that is used to preserve the flu vaccines. The CDC reports that up to 50 million thimerosal-free vaccine doses will be available this season. When possible, try to request a preservative-free vaccine. If you are concerned about avoiding a reaction to the vaccine, contact Dr. Emily to discuss simple homeopathic remedies such as Arnica or Ledum that may help prevent adverse effects from the shot. Additional remedies may be helpful if symptoms occur after the vaccine.
If you choose not to receive the vaccine or would like to consider additional ways to bolster your immunity this winter, here are few wellness tips for cold/flu prevention:
- Keep up the Vitamin D: If you spend most of your time indoors at work or at school, then you are most likely Vitamin D deficient. Elevated blood levels of Vitamin D3 are correlated with increased immune protection as well as cancer prevention.
- Eat the Rainbow: Enjoy a diet rich in a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds, and wild fish. Reduce or eliminate refined carbs, sugar, alcohol, & caffeine which may weaken the immune response.
- Hydrate your body & your sinuses: Bump up your water intake this winter to help your body flush out any exposure to toxins & rinse your sinuses regularly with a Neti Pot to prevent infections from establishing residence in your upper respiratory tract.
- Exercise: Carve time to move your body with yoga, cardiovascular exercise or moderate walking. Regular exercise can enhance well-being and strengthen the immune system.
- Cold-Rinse Showers: End your showers with a cool rinse for 15-30 seconds – especially over your thyroid gland (base of the neck) which stimulates metabolism and your thymus gland (center of the chest) which stimulates T-cell production.
- REST: Prioritize 7-8 hours for sleep each night. Much of our healing occurs while sleeping. Listen to your body and at the first sign of illness or feeling “worn out,” take time to rest.
(These statements are not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is important to consult with a healthcare practitioner if you experience symptoms of the flu or other illness.)
Fall Pudding Recipe
With the change of season comes a change in our “seasonal menus.” Welcome the crisp days of autumn with this delicious fall pudding that highlights hearty winter squash, natural sweeteners, and warming aromatic spices. (Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free) I just disovered this recipe in my new favorite cookbook listed below – wonderful for anyone who loves Whole Foods cooking!
Source: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup small pearl tapioca
1 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
2 cups baked sugar pumpkin or butternut squash
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1. Place 1 1/2 cups water and tapioca pearls in a 4-quart pot and let soak for 1 hour.
2. Place cashews, water & maple syrup in a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes till creamy. Add squash, lemon juice, vanilla, sea salt & spices. Blend for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add blended mixture to the pot of soaked tapioca and whisk together. Bring to a boil while stirring. Turn off heat to low and simmer. Stir frequently for approx 15 minutes or until tapioca pearls are translucent.
4. Pour into small serving bowls & chill in fridge. Enjoy!
Garden Views: Feeding the Need
One of Baltimore City’s most bountiful urban gardens is now on display right in front of City Hall (Fayette & Holliday St.). This is not the typical ornamental garden of petunias and begonias that cover many city plots, rather the City of Baltimore has invested in a vegetable garden to feed the homeless with fresh in-season produce. Created by landscape designer Angela Treadwell-Palmer, this garden was also made possible by numerous donations of plants and volunteer support. To date, Angela calculates that 1,500 pounds of vegetables have already been harvested and donated to Our Daily Bread, a local soup kitchen that serves 700-800 meals per day. You may want to add this to your ”list of attractions” as you tour visitors around Baltimore this summer!
Do you have a garden story to share? Please send a photo and any comments about what inspires you to keep growing to dremilytelfair@gmail.com.
When Life Gives You Lemons…Just Add Stevia!
Beat the Baltimore heat this summer with a refreshing treat that will help balance your blood sugar level and curb your craving for sweets. Stevia-sweetened lemonade is my favorite new beverage for quenching thirst after digging around in the garden. The sour taste from the lemons balances strong sweet-tooth cravings and the plant stevia ,which grows easily in most gardens, is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. Fortunately, the sweet taste of stevia does not come with the calorie count or blood sugar spiking effects of the sugar cane plant. In fact, stevia is safe for use in diabetics since it actually helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. The key to using stevia is knowing that a little goes a LONG way. A small pinch is enough to sweeten a cup of tea and when baking with powdered stevia preparations, 1/4 cup of stevia can often replace 1 cup of sugar. Using too much stevia can shift the experience on your palate from sweet to bitter. Stevia is available at most health-food stores and through Dr. Emily’s dispensary.
Stevia-Sweetened Lemonade Recipe:
- Juice 3 lemons and add to 10 cups of filtered water
- Dissolve 4 tsp of powdered stevia into a small amount of warm/hot water
- Add dissolved stevia to water and lemon mix. Stir and chill.
Entire mixture contains approximately 36 calories
(source: Omnivite Nutrition, Inc.)
Adventures in Detoxing
I was first introduced to the practice of detoxification while in school for naturopathic medicine. As students we were encouraged to experience an “elimination diet” so we could better understand the challenges that would face our future patients. I remember scouring the internet for gluten-free, dairy-free recipes, the all-natural cookies I made that fell apart due to lack of a binder, and somehow developing a taste for foods that most normal humans would classify as “unpalatable.” Those days are all revisiting me now as I practice solidarity with the class of 8 willing participants who volunteered to take my Spring Detox Class. We have reached Day 11 of our 21 day detox program which consists of a progressive elimination diet and the incorporation of other naturopathic modalities such as exercise, hydrotherapy and mindful self-reflection.
When it comes down to it, detoxification is about coming back to what is simple and natural about living in this world. Unfortunately, it can take a lot of effort and planning to arrange for simplicity – waking early enough on a Saturday to make it to the farmers’ market, baking granola from scratch because all store-bought granola contains sugar, stopping to read labels at the grocery store and putting back on the shelf what you cannot pronounce. I am grateful for this time to remember the wonder of the human body and how it can rise to the challenge of the complex world we have created. It remains to be seen if my gluten-free baking skills have evolved as brilliantly as the liver’s detoxification system!
The Healing Power of Weeds
You may want to think twice as you find yourself wrestling with the weeds cropping up in your garden this spring. In an effort to maintain aesthetics, you may be tossing valuable natural remedies in to the compost bin. Mother Nature has a way of surrounding us with medicinal plants even in urban settings. Weeds are persistant by nature and can grow under conditions of immense stress which gives testiment to the highly protective nutrients and antioxidants that they often possess. Here are a few “medicinal weeds” you may find growing in your own backyard:
Dandelion: Save money on toxic weed killers which will cause harm to your liver and instead dine on dandelions which protect your liver cells from free radical damage! Dandelion leaves add a bitter quality to salads which stimulates healthy digestion. Dandelion greens also have historic use as a mild diuretic for lowering blood pressure and the roots are often found in liver tonic formulas.
Chickweed: Creeping along close to the ground, this plant is another great addition to your salad bowl as it was used as a nutritious food by populations in Southeast Spain. Chickweed is often used in anti-itch formulas for treating eczema and other skin eruptions. Create a chickweed poultice by soaking the weed in hot water briefly, then removing it to apply to the affected area of skin once partially cooled.
Plantain: Usually found in the cracks of sidewalks and in park lawns, plantain has a broad flat leaf with a thin spoke-like flower rising from the center. Plantain is a great first-aid remedy for insect bites and stings. Just chew up a piece of the leaf and then apply directly over the inflamed area or chop up several leaves, soak in hot water and then apply to the skin.
Spring Detox Class at Seeds in Hampden
The cleansing energy of spring is a reminder to nurture and tend to our livers. The liver has the ever important task of filtering through all of the toxins that we encounter in our food and environment.
The term “detox” is often misused as a means of simply clearing out the digestive tract. Detoxification is rather a holistic process that recognizes all systems the body uses to release and reduce toxins – through the breath, digestion, skin and urinary tract.
The Spring Detox class is designed as a holistic approach to detoxification which will address diet and lifestyle factors that impact wellness. Each week will have a different focus:
Week 1: Love your Liver
Week 2: Healing the Gut
Week 3: Calming Down the Troops (lowering inflammation)
Week 4: Bringing it all Home – Detox in the Everyday
Each week different food groups will be eliminated from the diet to support the immune system and promote healing in the gastrointestinal tract.
Price of the class includes handouts, a rice-based protein powder which will enhance detox pathways in the liver, and an Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook.
Dates: Wednesdays April 29th, May 6th, 13th and 20th
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: Seeds Center for Whole Health
3600 Roland Ave Ste 4
Baltimore, MD 21211
To Register: Call Dr. Emily at (443) 226-7665
Class Limit: 10 participants (Minimum of 6 to hold the class)
Cost: $250 ($75 deposit required to hold your space)
Harvesting Your Health
As the season of holiday festivities draws closer, it is easy to let our attention drift away from personal health and wellness and towards over-indulgence, long to-do lists, and stress over material items. Fall and Winter, by their nature, give us permission to retreat and relax. The shorter days and longer nights encourage rest and stillness both physically and mentally.
Colds, Flus and Sinus Infections take advantage of our frenzied states forcing us to rest one way or another. Practice preventative medicine this cold & flu season by enjoying the holidays differently with a slower pace, shorter lists and more presence for the people you love most. Cutting back on sugar and staying well hydrated will lift additional stress on your body this winter. Also, keep your health a priority by following up regularly with your practitioners and prioritizing time for therapies that balance your response to stress such as massage, cranio-sacral therapy or acupuncture.
The Holistic Detox Series was such a success last month that I will be offering the class again in January 2009 at Seeds in Hampden. Stay tuned for more details regarding dates and costs. This would make a wonderful holiday wellness gift for yourself or someone you love!
Spring Into Wellness with Naturopathic Medicine
Spring marks a time of transition between the stillness of winter and the liveliness of summer with signs of new life emerging at every turn. In the last remaining weeks of this season, I encourage you to explore the seeds of wellness that may be taking root in your own life. As a naturopathic physician, my goal is to help connect my patients with their own innate healing potential using noninvasive natural therapies. Our bodies naturally want to move in a healing direction and once the obstacles which impose stress on our minds, bodies and spirits are removed, healing can occur. What obstacle are you ready to release to live a fuller, healthier life?
Here are a few tips to help convert your obstacles into wellness opportunities:
- Support your local Farmer’s Market.
- Replace coffee and colas with extra water or tangy herbal tea blends.
- Increase liver-loving foods in your diet such as green leafies, asparagus, onions, artichokes and broccoli.
- Practice daily gratitude for whatever brings you joy and inspiration in your life.
