Are you having issues with your ears or hearing now?

I must admit, this happened to me as well.

Turns out, I cannot eat as much ice cream, soy ice cream, coconut ice cream, and cold beverages as I want, and do just fine.

Started out with a little earache, then a little crinkle, then BOOM–I lost half my hearing in my right ear, and it feels like there is a wetness in there. Some pressure, and ringing, pain only when I push on it. But almost impossible to have a conversation!

What to do? Plenty of things, but most importantly, don’t rush to the doctor. Try it at home for a week:

1. Eliminate all cold foods, they weaken the kidneys (related to the ears). This includes ice cream, iced beverages, and super cold foods. If you want to cool down, jump into water, or use compresses, or AC instead.

2. Eliminate fruit juice, soda, alcohol, sugary snacks, and non-organic raw foods such as lettuce, strawberries, tomatos, peppers, bananas and mangos. Also reduce hard foods such as crackers, barbecued foods and hard-boiled or fried or baked eggs.

3. Boil some brown rice one day, and buckwheat the next. Eat for 1-2 meals, and eat Soba noodles as well. Avoid semolina (regular pasta) and other white flours. Also eat plenty of beans, especially azuki, garbanzo, black soy, and mung. Miso soup and sea vegetables and shiitakes are also good.

4. Use grapefruit oil drops, or sesame oil, or a natural ear wax softener, and an ear syringe to remove wax buildup. Give this a few days, and be gentle.

5. Get plenty of sleep, and sing fun songs every day. Do not listen to heavy rock or other loud music, and avoid loud noises.

Other ideas such as ginger compresses and kidney drink are very beneficial. Call me at 508-333-4153 for assistance.

Good luck!!

4.

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More Yin For Summer

Yin and yang are the universe’s guiding forces, known well in Asia but unfamiliar to most of us. Summer is time for more yin (expansion), relaxation, upward growth and fun! Support comes from salad, beans, long grain brown rice and quick-cooked or raw foods. Avoid BBQ, cheese, salt.

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Warming the body in winter

How to stay warm in winter? Three tips: 1-Don’t drink iced drinks; 2-Massage your ears; 3-Eat plenty of root veggies and boiled grains (oats, millet, brown rice, kasha). More at http://itunes.com/apps/kaganmedianet

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The Secret to Great Health…Grain!

Every meal should be centered around a whole grain, for optimal balance and health. Brown rice every day is good, there are 1000 ways to prepare it. Whole grain noodles and sourdough bread are perfect for the other meals. How does your day stack up to this?

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Crazy Night, Meet Mellow Morning

Greetings! The weekend is a wonderful thing, eh?

Like most of you, I took the opportunity on Friday night to be festive, i.e. to overindulge with food. First go around, I had a small plate of veggie lasagna (yes, it had cheese; but I was at my daughter’s shabbaton, a special one-a-year celebration at the synagogue; and this was the healthiest choice). A couple of tater tots, some rice pilaf and a cup of water were all fine. If only it had stopped there.

For whatever reason (I’d like to think it was because I had the stress of “behaving” and being polite to some of the least enlightened people I can think of), it was enough, and when they said we could go back for seconds, I got a fish stick, more tater tots, a small piece of (farmraised) salmon, and some apple juice (I wanted cola, but even in my weak state, I’m not going to put high fructose corn syrup into my body) and enjoyed every bite. Dayenu.

If only I had known the education program (on Israel’s “seven species”) also included tasting such foods as: barley beer, almonds, olives, chocolate covered pomegranite seeds, and fig newtons, I might not have overdone myself at dinner. Suffice it to say I was was overstuffed Jew by 8:30.

But by the grace of the universe, the sun also rises. I slept until 7:40, did ten minutes of do-in, stretches, breathing and affirmations, and I was motivated to take care of my body. Here’s what I went on to do:

1. Feed the cat and turn on the turtle light
2. Make miso soup: fill a small pot with water, add wakame flakes, turn on to boil. Chop some
scallions and collard greens, and mix a teaspoon each of white miso and chick pea miso (remember, I’m
trying to stay light, not be hardcore healing like I would with barley miso; it’s even called “mellow white miso”) 3. Take out yesterday’s rice, add a few drops of water and put on low heat.
4. Go outside and get the newspaper, doing a few more stretches and loosening up my liver with a few taps.
5. Back to the soup. Grab some warm water from the pot to create a miso slurry, add in the veggies to boil gently for one minute, add in the slurry and turn off after one minute. 6. Set the table.
7. Ring the bell.
8. Enjoy a wonderful breakfast with my darling wife and my amazing teenage son, while my ten-year-old daughter wakes up among good friends.

One mellow morning, resulting in a great day.

(message here–give yourself regular healthy habits, and they can make a big difference)

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Powerful Plant Foods

This morning, we had some leftover Kinpira with our miso soup and brown rice. Besides being delicious,

kinpira is very strengthening. Sort of like an sausage egg mcmuffin, but without the cancer-causing pesticides,

anger from the pig and chicken, and pancreas-crushing yang energy.

Kinpira is usually made with matchsticks of carrot and burdock root, sauteed in sesame oil then simmered in water,

with a dash of shoyu and some ginger juice. Today’s batch included some rutabega, which I love. With the energy

from this dish, I can accomplish the planning, writing, communicating and assisting friends, family and clients, at least

until lunch, with no suffering.

 

If you want to learn more, get in touch at david@kaganmedia.net

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Taking A Day Off

Yesterday, my mother-in-law Mary Rosen finally passed away, after almost 20 years with Parkinsons. We are very thankful that we got to say goodbye, although being without her is difficult to imagine.

Although her life was very difficult for 10 of those 20 years, she never once complained. She was always unselfish, thinking about those around her quick to make a funny comment or helpful suggestion.

Today I’m going to eat lightly in her honor, and to prepare for the possibility of eating some of the salty and protein-rich foods typically found at any jewish shiva.

Here’s an example of what I might eat when I’m on a healing diet…small amounts, chewed very well:

Breakfast

-Miso Soup

-Brown Rice

 

Lunch

-Sweet Vegetable Drink (no-sodium broth made from sweet organic vegetables, ask me for the recipe)

 

Dinner

-Fried brown rice w/veggies (use a small amount of sesame oil, with tofu and veggies)

-kinpira (sauteed burdock root and carrot)

-shiitake tea

-pickle

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How I Wake Up Every Morning

The beautiful serenity of a good night’s rest can be quickly shattered by an alarm clock or an uptight spouse.

I have taken many classes in meditation, yoga, d0-in, and have developed a morning routine that works well for me. Here’s what I normally do…

1) Open the shade and window, and breathe in deeply while gazing at the rising sun in my woodsy backyard (I am lucky)

2) Sit up straight and breathe, then give myself a masssage from my head and face to my neck, shoulders, arms and hands, to my shakras (7 altogether), to my legs and feet.

3) Then I do a frog stretch, and a table with extension, then give myself a footrub, while breathing consciously.

4) Then I do hip flexors, jump up and do exercises for my shoulders with rubber bands, as I do my 12 line affirmation that I keep on the dresser.

5) After putting on breakfast (usually miso soup and rice, sometimes with sauteed veggies), I go outside to get the newspaper, and do more breathing, stretching, a little more do-in, and walk either a few paces or a full :15 (if I have time and kitchen coverage). Otherwise I do a nice walk in the woods a little later

6) Finally, I do a body rub (read The Great Life Diet for a full description, http://www.skyboard.net/greatlife/) before my shower, which opens up the pores, gives attention to my body, and helps get rid of dead skin.

All of this takes less than :40, but keeps me happy and healthy and motivated.

What is your morning exercise routine?

 

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Too weak to enjoy physical work?

Met someone today who is so beautiful and caring, but she’s up against it fiscally, and facing

changes in life which require a lot of mental energy. Trouble is, she’s not eating well.

I want to help her, to cook for her, because I know she can tackle her challenges with some more of nature’s goodness and a little meditation.

If this also fits you, consider making this for dinner…

 

1. Brown Rice with Lentils or Chestnuts or Black Beans (2 cups water, 3/4 cup rice, 1/4 cup beans, pinch sea salt, boil for :45)

2. Stir-fried carrots, broccoli and onions (or leeks), with sesame oil. Add shoyu/water and steam toward the end. Ginger makes it even yummier.

3. Add Gomashio (sesame salt; Eden makes a fine one or you can make it yourself) to taste.

4. Eat a real pickle at the end

Chew well, no dessert. Sing a song or look at pictures and laugh after dinner.

Good luck!!

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