Recipe: Carrot Soup

The past few days in Denver have been unusually cool and cloudy for summer. It has felt more like the mid-spring or mid-fall, with temperatures in the 60s. Maybe because of this, I made one of my favorite comfort foods - a simple carrot soup that tastes a bit like marinara. One of my friends, incidentally, hates cooked carrots to the point of getting sick if he eats them. He tried this soup and pronounced it "okay." For someone who can't stand cooked carrots, this was the most amazing, ringing endorsement I could have hoped for!

The carrot is one of the most common vegetables out there - and as it happens, it is also one of the biggest nutritional powerhouses as well. The most common conception about carrots is that they are excellent for eyesight (which is why rabbits don't wear glasses, so the joke goes). This is because of the high vitamin A content - over 20,000 IUs per cup! (The most prevalent form found in carrots is, appropriately enough, beta carotene, and the optimal daily dose of vitamin A in this form is 25,000 IUs.) It's because of this vitamin A content that, aside from supporting vision, carrots can also support growth and bone development in children; optimize immune responses to bacteria, viruses, and parasites; support reproductive processes; and even may be used to aid in the treatment of cancer. Incidentally, carrots also contain significant amounts of folic acid, vitamin C (only when raw), vitamin B6, vitamin K, potassium, and fiber.

Carrots are often juiced as well, which makes for a more potent blast of nutrients and enzymes than when eaten alone. However, as a juice, carrots also provide a high dose of sugar that's easily absorbed by the body and can cause a sugar spike and crash. Because of this, I don't recommend carrot juice alone for diabetics or those at risk for diabetes. Unjuiced carrots, because of their high fiber content, are better.

So here is the recipe for carrot soup, taken from Mollie Katzen's New Moosewood Cookbook, one of the classic vegetarian cookbooks of all time. Be generous with the herbs. For a light dinner, enjoy the soup on a chilly evening with freshly-baked or warmed bread and butter. Or spoon it on top of pasta. It's even better the next day, once the herbs have had a chance to infuse the soup more.

Carrot Soup
2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
4 cups stock or water
1 medium potato, chopped
1-2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram or oregano
1 tsp basil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Place carrots, water and potato into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion in the butter/oil and salt until the onions are clear, about 5-10 minutes. Add the thyme, basil, and marjoram/oregano, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and garlic, and sauté a few minutes more.

Puree everything together in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Oil Pulling

It's a bit hard to discuss oil pulling without making it sound sensationalistic, or without sounding like a huckster hocking the latest miracle cure. I'll do my best to ground myself here.

Oh, what the hey. If you have any sort of gum disease, bad breath, cavities, or tooth pain, you REALLY need to read this. This therapy will drastically help you! And if you have asthma, diabetes, arthritis, migraines, chronic sinus infections, or some other chronic disease, you still need to read this. You might find this a great help.

Oil pulling is one of the simplest natural health therapies I've yet discovered. Here it is in a nutshell: When you wake up, take 1-3 teaspoons of oil and put it in your mouth. (The most common oils recommended are sesame, sunflower, olive, or coconut.) Swish it around for about 15-20 minutes. Spit the oil out in the toilet or the trash once you're done, so you don't clog up the sink. (Spit ONLY in the trash if you use coconut oil, which solidifies below 76 degrees Fahrenheit.) Don't swallow it. If you want, you can repeat it again before meals or just before bed. That's it. Seriously.

Why in the world would you want to do this? Read on.

Oil pulling is a safe and effective natural therapy that has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. The successes that people have enjoyed from oil pulling are vast. Perhaps the most common one is the rapid healing of tooth, gum, and mouth diseases, such as abscesses, gingivitis, halitosis, and toothaches. Many have successfully used it to whiten their teeth. Some people have even claimed that unsightly tooth gaps have closed up as a result of oil pulling. But remarkably, if we believe the (literally) hundreds of testimonials about oil pulling, both online and in surveys done in the past, many other diseases and conditions far removed from the mouth have been healed by this simple therapy.

There's some positive scientific evidence for oil pulling, from studies that have been published within the past two years. The first study demonstrates that Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium responsible for tooth decay and cavities, is indeed significantly reduced after at least a week of oil pulling; this benefit is even more pronounced after two weeks. The second study showed that plaque was reduced, and gingivitis healed as well. Both studies were done using a chlorhexidine mouthwash as a control, and both studies showed that oil pulling produced beneficial results that were similar to chlorhexidine. (Chlorhexidine is an antiseptic agent very effective at killing Streptococcus mutans.)

There's also a wealth of evidence linking oral health to the health of the body. The mouth can indicate diseases ranging from heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome to AIDS and cancer - not just by appearance, but often by the bacteria present. And infections can spread quickly and easily from the mouth throughout the body. Dentists who treat patients with a history of rheumatic fever know this...they require that such patients take antibiotics before dental procedures to prevent life-threatening heart infections.

Oil pulling works simply. Consider that the mouth is the ideal place for bacteria to thrive. It's warm, humid, and at a constant temperature. In fact, the human mouth contains more bacteria than a dog's mouth, and more bacteria than the population of the whole world. Oil pulling dramatically reduces the bacteria in the mouth, much more than just brushing your teeth - and as the study above indicates, just as much as strong chemical mouthwashes. As you swish the oil in your mouth, it attracts the oily surface of bacteria away from all surfaces of the mouth and teeth. As it decreases the billions of bacteria in your mouth, the gums become tighter, stronger, and are less likely to bleed. The mouth becomes a stronger barrier against harmful bacteria. And as a result, the body can concentrate more of its energy toward eliminating infections and diseases that are harming itself.

Oil pulling is one of the very cheapest natural remedies for health. You could start today without even spending a penny on a kitchen ingredient you probably already have in your cupboard. Healing and even potentially cures from disease may come quickly or may take months; it often depends on how long you've been dealing with a condition, how severe it is, and how healthy your lifestyle is. But even if all you want to do is make your teeth whiter, you have nothing to lose! Here's to your health!

Other sources:
Oil Pulling Therapy, by Bruce Fife, CN, ND
http://www.earthclinic.com/
http://www.oilpulling.com/

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

Video: John Williams is the Man!

Here's another great video. The plot for Star Wars (at least the three movies that were released first), sung to music by John Williams. Only here's the catch: none of the music is from Star Wars. It's all from other films!

Although this video is not the original, and he actually lip-syncs the whole thing, I find his the most fun. So enjoy!

"Are naturopathic doctors worth it?"

Here was an excellent question recently posed by someone from around Detroit, Michigan, and who stumbled onto my blog as a result. So...are naturopathic doctors worth it? Absolutely.

A popular view of naturopathic doctors is that the cost of seeing us is very high. Indeed, I have had a number of people call, ask me about what I do, then get excited about how I might be able to help them. Then they ask about my rates, and their enthusiasm often wanes. Then they say they're gonna shop around, and I usually don't hear from them again.

Let's look at what allopathic (or conventional) medical doctors charge, in comparison. A few years ago, I went to see my primary care physician (an MD) to get a prescription refill. I forgot my insurance card, so I was billed for my quick, 5 minute visit. How much? A whopping $89! Compare this with an initial visit with a naturopathic doctor, where the cost may be anywhere from $120-$250 for an initial visit, but you see the doctor for up to two hours. You may also be paying for research done outside the visit, so that you can get a thorough treatment plan. Taken in this perspective, naturopathic care is an excellent deal. (If we go by the scale of $89 for a 5-minute visit, a 2-hour visit would cost over $2000!)

Many people ask whether I take insurance. This is a legitimate question. But in a state like Colorado, where naturopathic doctors are not regulated, the question really should be "does insurance take you?" At this time, unfortunately, the answer is almost exclusively "no." Insurance offers reimbursement for services provided by a licensed practitioner, and as long as the practice of naturopathic medicine is not regulated in Colorado, insurance will not cover services provided by a naturopathic doctor. (Incidentally, I often tell patients that I do take insurance, but strictly for chiropractic services only.)

Here are some reasons why seeing a naturopathic doctor really is worth it.

First, naturopathic doctors aim to address the fundamental causes of disease. When you see a naturopathic doctor, most likely, you will not just be given a supplement or a drug that simply acts as a band-aid, covering up symptoms that warn us of potential major health issues. Rather, you will see a doctor who actively probes, researches, and questions exactly why you ended up with the health condition or malaise that you currently have - often outside of your visit as well as during your visit. Let's say you have insomnia. It could be caused by any number of things - a neurotransmitter imbalance, too much light in the room at night, drinking too much caffeine late in the day, or even an emotional trauma. Simply giving sleeping pills does not address the cause of your disease.

Second, naturopathic doctors often offer a wealth of information on preventive care. Notice that I did not say "a wealth of supplements for preventive care." There are some naturopathic doctors that do use a lot of supplements, and some get great results. And often, if you are dealing with a severe health condition, you may expect a fair number of supplements to jump-start you on the road to health again. But the best naturopathic doctors will also provide information for patients that will empower them to take charge of their own health. For example, I often provide handouts on simple hydrotherapy treatments that patients can do at home to help boost the immune system. I also provide information on ways to make eating organic food easier; this might include pamphlets on local farms that provide an abundance of organic produce in exchange for a relatively inexpensive share on the farm.

Third, naturopathic doctors take the edict to "first do no harm" very seriously. This entails two things. First, the best naturopathic doctors support the body's health and its innate tendency to heal itself when given the right conditions. With this strategy, it is difficult to do much harm; frequently, this results in no harm done at all. Second, naturopathic doctors will use the least invasive therapies first. Eliminating obstacles to cure, establishing a healthy daily regimen, and providing gentle treatments like homeopathy, hydrotherapy, and simple botanical medicines to support health can and regularly do work wonders. Often, this is all that needs to be done to help a person heal.

Fourth, visits with naturopathic doctors tend to be longer than with conventional physicians. You get more individualized care, with all attention devoted to you for the entire visit. Naturopathic doctors are interested not just in your disease. They want to get to know you as a person, how you got to the state of health you are at during your visit, and what makes you tick. What excites you? What irks you? What foods do you like? How's your sleep? You get the idea.

If this all sounds enticing, then by all means, naturopathic doctors are worth it.

However, you may not be a good candidate for naturopathic care. Here's some possible reasons:

• If you are looking only for quick fixes that provide symptomatic relief, naturopathic care might not be what you should look for. (Keep in mind that naturopathic doctors often do provide symptomatic relief, but that's not where they stop.)
• If you are only looking for a source for supplements without consulting a health care professional, naturopathic care may not be for you. (I once had a woman call me just to ask if I carried strontium to address her osteoporosis; she did not want to come in for a consult. To be blunt, this is what health food stores are for.)
• If you only want your disease treated, you may be better off seeing a disease specialist. Naturopathic doctors usually specialize in health, not disease. (There is a big difference between just getting your disease treated and actively becoming healthier.)
• If you are simply looking for an herbal or nutritional supplement that takes the place of a drug, you may want to reconsider your options. For example, naturopathic doctors may give St. John's wort or 5-HTP to address depression, but this is not merely to replace Prozac or Paxil. You can expect more out of naturopathic doctors.

To the reader in Detroit who originally posed this question...I hope you came back, and I hope you found this enlightening! To everyone reading this: best wishes for health and happiness!

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

"How much water should I drink?"

Good question. Let's ask Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj. (And while we're at it, let's just call him Dr. Batman. A lot easier, right?) But why ask this guy?

Dr. Batman is the author of Your Body's Many Cries for Water, a highly-regarded book in naturopathic circles. He claims to have treated over 3,000 prisoners in Iran in the late 1970s suffering from stress-induced peptic ulcer disease with water alone. His research on the subject was published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in 1983. Since then, he has been a strong advocate for the use of water to treat the many symptoms of what he calls "chronic unintentional dehydration." The symptoms, he says, can include simple body pain, which he views as perhaps the first sign of dehydration (a dry mouth is about the last symptom). But he includes even debilitating chronic diseases like asthma, arthritis, hypertension, angina, type 2 diabetes, lupus and multiple sclerosis.

His motto? "You are not sick, you are thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medication."

Of course, I love the concept of drinking water instead of relying on pharmaceutical drugs. It supports all the tissues of our body, all of which are composed of significant amounts of water. Here are a few examples:

Bones: 25%
Muscles: 75%
Brain: 76%
Blood: 82%
Lungs 90%
The human body in general: 60%

If water composes so much of our body, it only makes sense to ensure that we support it with water! But again, how much water should we drink?

According to Dr. Batman, we should aim to drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight. So let's assume that you weight 150 pounds. According to this rule, you should drink 75 ounces of water. This ends up being about 9 cups of water a day.

Maybe you're not terribly keen on drinking so much water, or have a hard time doing it at first. Or you're used to drinking flavored beverages like soda pop or coffee. If this is the case, why not make water flavored, too? Use fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs! Here are some great ideas.

• Oranges
• Grapefruit
• Lemons
• Limes
• Apples
• Melons of all sorts
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Kiwi
• Cucumbers
• Mint
• Lavender
• Lemon balm

Slice any combination of what you like in the morning, and throw it in a water bottle or two before you leave for the day. The fruits, veggies, and herbs will make a delicious infusion and you'll want to drink more water.

Raise a glass! Here's to your health! *clink*

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen

Any naturopathic doctor worth their salt will tell you that eating organic food is in your best interest. You ingest far fewer cancer-causing pesticides (none, actually, if the food you eat truly is organic) and many more nutrients. Moreover, from an environmental standpoint, you're reducing the levels of pesticides that not just you, but all manner of plants and animals are exposed to.

Still, for many people, eating solely organic is a bit too much to ask for from the monthly budget. You want to be as healthy as possible, but the dollar can only stretch so far, right? Turns out that you don't have to sacrifice one at the expense of the other.

The Environmental Working Group has determined the 12 fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residue on them - the "dirty dozen." It's estimated that if you only eat the organic versions of these fruits and vegetables, you will reduce your pesticide exposure by up to 80%! So for your health's sake, purchase and eat these ONLY ORGANIC whenever possible:

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (imported)

On the other hand, there are the "clean fifteen" - the fifteen fruits and vegetables that you could buy conventionally (i.e., nonorganic) and eat without significantly increasing your exposure to pesticides. Here they are:

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangoes
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potatoes
15. Honeydew

It's good to have this list available when you need it (like when you go shopping), so here's a link to a list you can print out and carry in your wallet.

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Do you have health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by conventional medicine? Naturopathic care may be the answer you're looking for. Visit my website for more information about naturopathic medicine, and begin your journey toward optimal health!

The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody

It's been a long time since I've contributed to this blog. This is a trend I hope to end. So why not do it with some fun?

Here's a hilarious video I recently saw of the Muppets performing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." In my opinion, Gonzo's part at the beginning is the least interesting. And any video where Gonzo's part is the least interesting has to be great, right?

Enjoy!