Simon Acupuncture and Nutrition

The pain is on your left side but your acupuncturist has started putting needles on the right side. Wasn’t she listening when you told her your problem? Or maybe he’s so tired he already forgot!

Or maybe she really knows what she is doing. There are times when treating the opposite side is the appropriate treatment and will give great results.

If you’ve just had surgery, treating the opposite side can help relieve post surgical pain.

If an area of the body is too inflamed, treating the opposite side can reduce the inflammation thereby reducing pain.

An experienced acupuncturist will know when such a treatment is called for.

Two lovely plants, delicate and innocent. But are they really so innocent? One causes intense allergy symptoms and the other gets blamed for it.

The top picture is ragweed, which is the true source of hay fever. You will barely notice its nondescript green flowers that send their pollen on the wind to pollinate its neighbors. On its way, the pollen enters the noses and eyes of people standing in the way causing sneezing, itchy eyes and wheezing---hay fever!

The bottom picture is goldenrod, drawing your attention with its graceful yellow flowers. Demure goldenrod quietly shares its pollen with insects, removing the need to send its pollen out on the wind. But it has the misfortune to bloom around the same time as ragweed and so takes the blame for those nasty hay fever symptoms.

Whatever the cause, however, acupuncture can help to relieve allergy symptoms.

Summer has arrived and with it will come the bounty of the garden and/or the farm stands and farmers' markets. With our cool weather thus far this season, what's growing in my garden is lettuce and arugula and so I am eating lots of salads. But salad doesn't have to be just lettuce and tomatoes with a slice or two of carrot. My salads are a cornucopia of vegetables! I start with lettuce, add some mesclun and arugula (spicy and crunchy) and add on from there. I slice red cabbage, sometimes thinly in shreds, sometimes a little thicker if I want a stronger crunch. I frequently add broccoli or cauliflower flowerets as well as carrots, mushrooms and peppers. Salad is also an excellent place to use up leftover steamed asparagus which is also in season (or any other leftover steamed vegetable). This week I added chopped sugar snap peas that I bought at our farmers' market in town. Some sliced onion, red or my new favorite vidalia, and you have a real SALAD. 

To make a meal of this collection of beautiful vegetables, just add some lean protein. Three ounces of grilled chicken breast or tuna (fresh or from a can), 1/2 cup chick peas or 1/4 cup of humus and a sprinkling of toasted sunflower of pumpkin seeds and you've done it! Add a slice of whole grain bread or a couple of whole grain crackers and a colorful and satisfying meal is ready for you. Just top it with a tablespoon of light salad dressing or make you own. At our house, one of my sons makes balsamic vinaigrette for the family. His recipe is 

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

Shake and serve!

Enjoy the fruits of the garden this summer and let your imagination fly when it comes to salad.