Happy Autumn!

To get our channels open and clear, I'm doing a workshop for interested groups.

Opening Our Own Channels of Communication:

A healing workshop for healers

Non-profit and social change work is political and healing work. All too often to our detriment, as we fight for change on a systemic level, we take on the stress and trauma of those with whom we work at the individual and group levels.

Discover powerful tools that we have in our own hands to combat vicarious trauma, burnout, adrenal fatigue, and other conditions.

During this 90-minute workshop, learn how to identify, contact, stretch, and breathe into the 12 Channels of East Asian Medicine to increase your body’s vitality, decrease your stress and fatigue, and heal trauma from within.

Cost: $5-25 per person

If you and or organization are interested in hosting this workshop, please let me know! Email me at tjagernauth@gmail.com or call me at 773-749-9101

For more on Autumn and Traditional Chinese Medicine correspondences, check out this article from Diane Joswick, L.Ac, MSOM.

Michael Pollan on Heath Care Reform

Yes. 'Nuff said.

I couldn't resist...

Thinking about Autumn Eating got me super excited about eating round, seasonal foods, so of course I began salivating about butternut squash soup! Here's an amazing recipe I am going to try from Vegetarian Times as reposted on YogaJournal.com

Try adding some of the following items to make it a medicinal treat:

• astragalus (huang qi): boosts the Lung Qi, can help to prevent illness
• sweet potatoes: boosts the Spleen Qi, drains dampness
• pearled barley (yi yi ren): boosts the Spleen Qi, drains dampness
  

Vegetarian Times Issue: November 1, 1999 p.38

For an extra-special touch, toast the squash seeds to sprinkle over the soup. Rinse seeds, pat dry with paper towels, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing occasionally. This make-ahead soup can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Ingredients

8 servings

• 3 medium or 2 large butternut or acorn squash (4 lbs.)
• 2 (14-oz.) cans vegetable broth (1 qt.)
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
• 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil or 3 Tbs. vegetable oil and 1 Tbs. walnut oil
• 24 fresh small sage leaves
• 4 slices firm-textured white bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds; save seeds for toasting if desired (see above). Place squash halves cut side down on large baking sheet with sides. Bake until skins are browned and squash is tender, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Scoop cooked squash from skins and transfer to large saucepan. Mash well with potato masher, then stir in broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Soup should be as thick as tomato sauce–add up to 1 cup more water to thin if necessary. If you prefer a finer texture, cool slightly then puree soup in a blender or food processor. Let cool completely, transfer to container with lid and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
3. Up to 4 hours before serving, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook until lightly browned, turning once, about 1 minute. Using tongs, transfer sage to paper towels to drain. Reserve oil in skillet.
4. Trim crusts from bread, discarding crusts. Cut each bread slice diagonally into 4 triangles, then cut each triangle in half to make 32 croutons total.
5. Heat reserved oil in skillet over medium heat. Add half the croutons and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet and cook remaining croutons as before.
6. Rewarm soup over low heat, stirring occasionally. Ladle soup into bowls and scatter 3 toasted sage leaves over each portion. Garnish each with 4 croutons and serve hot.

Autumn Eating

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is thought that disease comes from the conflict when a body or being struggles against the flow of change, whether that change comes happens within the microcosm of a person's life or the macrocosm of changing seasons. As we move into Autumn, I am suggesting to my patients that we begin eating the foods of Autumn.

Dr. Maoshing Ni, L.Ac., D.O.M., Ph.D, author of Secrets of Longevity Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100 suggests some great foods to consume this autumn. I've reposted his article from Acupuncture.com here:

Autumn marks the turning point between the heat of summer and the cold of winter. The cooling weather ushers in the harvest and heralds the dying cycle in nature. The seasonal change also causes the respiratory system to constrict, leading to cough, asthma, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. Chinese medicine has always associated autumn with the lungs and large intestine. The Yellow Emperor advises early to bed and early to rise, practice breathing exercises, avoid pungent flavors but increase sour ones in the diet, drink fluids and eat soups, and remain calm and relaxed to avoid the diseases typical of autumn.

Some Important Autumn Foods

Apples

The apple, a universally loved fruit, has long been a symbol of passion and temptation – and now, scientists have confirmed that it also contributes to a healthy heart. Eating two to three apples per day results in decreased cholesterol levels, thanks to the fruit’s rich pectin content. Pectin also helps prevent colon cancer, which ranks among the top causes of death in adults over the age of sixty.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

These powerhouse foods contain higher amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin C than carrots, more protein than wheat and rice, and more fiber than oat bran. Sweet potatoes and yams also happen to be a rich source of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). This is a precursor hormone – a substance that remains latent until it converts into a hormone that the body needs. DHEA can become estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone, all essential for your body’s ant-aging defenses to work. As one ages, however, the body’s level of precursor hormones like DHEA drop precipitously.

Oats

Oat bran, the outer coating of oats, contains high concentrations of soluble fibers, which help trap cholesterol and move it quickly through the intestines. Unfortunately, most people eat their oats in the refined form, which contains very little of the precious bran that contains beta-glucan and saponins. Whole oats are also rich in the antioxidants that stop cholesterol oxidation, the process that enables it to stick to artery walls.

More benefits: oats prevent colon cancer by binding toxic minerals and acids; they balance the body’s blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates; and the saponins in oats increase production of “killer cells,” a critical part of the body’s immune surveillance system. Try substituting a warm bowl of whole oats for your cold cereal in the morning. Your body will thank you – for years.

You probably noticed that these are foods that tend to feature prominently in Autumn soups, stews, and morning breakfasts or porridge or oatmeal. Slow cooking is the way to go during the Autumn. It imparts extra energy into the food and begins the digestion process in the pot. This means your body has less work to do. During the Autumn, it's a fantastic idea to begin conserving your energy for the harsh winter ahead (especially if you live in Chicago).