Eat, Play, Live Lively

Happy New Year - Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-23T07:58:00.007-05:00

photo: image from Wikimedia commons image file

This should be one exciting year. Last time the year of the dragon rolled around (2000, the infamous Y2K) there were also predictions of the end of the world - computers were supposed to crash, death and destruction all around. Dragon is a powerful year and will bring about change.

The dragon is the only mythical animal on the Chinese zodiac. Unlike our idea of dragons in the West (as monsters to be slayed), in the East dragons are revered as divine and are symbols of luck and intense power.

People born in the year of the dragon (2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940, 1928, and so on in 12 year increments) are free spirits who don't like to follow rules. They tend to be extroverted and irrepressible. Confident and fearless, they are often successful. Famous dragons include Al Pacino, John Lennon, Sandra Bullock and Joan of Arc.

This is the year to think outside of the box. Let your imagination and enthusiasm go - think big and act on your ideas. 2012 is a water dragon year, the water will naturally add a calming element to dragon energy which will be balancing. Take chances, meet people, get your ideas out there and make something big and wonderful happen.

What are your big ideas and plans for 2012? Make them happen. If health issues or pain is getting in the way of your big plans, make sure you come in to The Birch Center to see us. Give us a call today (412) 381-0116. We want to see your ideas manifest - the world needs you!

In health,

~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

US Bridal Guide has more great information about Chinese horoscopes.

Smoothie Smackdown: 6 Steps to Elixir Nirvana

2012-01-10T19:34:00.008-05:00

smoothie made from wild paw paws

Smoothies have gone mainstream. So mainstream that McDonalds sells them. And even if you go to a juice and smoothie bar, how healthy is a smoothie that's sweetened with frozen yogurt and pasteurized juice...even if you "boost it" with spirulina? Hmmmmmm....

Have no fear. Stay home and make your own delicious smoothie. Of course add your favorite fresh and/or frozen fruits and maybe even some veggies like cucumber or carrot. But don't try to imitate the chains. We're going to skip the fro yo and frozen juice concentrate (or store-bought juice) Here are six ways to turn a not-so-great-for-you smoothie into a delicious health elixir!!

Junk the store-bought juice or juice concentrate. Why do that to yourself? At best it is just sugar water, at worst it may contain corn syrup from genetically modified corn and other additives or preservatives. But even when you get 100% organic juice, it has been pasteurized, destroying any life-giving enzymes, and greatly reducing if not also destroying all the vitamins and minerals. Plus...who knows what is really in those 100% organic juices? It wasn't long ago when it came out that those organic apple juices were found to be laced with arsenic. Alternatives? Sure!

Water - add good old fashioned water to your delicious smoothie! Maybe it doesn't need the extra sweetness. (and if it does, add a squirt of honey, maple syrup, agave or even stevia at the end.)
Coconut Water - from a young Thai coconut. Crack one of these open and pour that delicious clear sweet nectar right in. While you're at it, scrape out the pulp and add that to your smoothie as well. (Google "opening Thai coconuts" for more info.)
Fresh veggie or fruit juice that you juice yourself, in your juicer! Mmmmm.
Freshly made nut milk...or just add a few nuts and water to your smoothie and it will automatically blend up into a "milk" base.

To make nut milk just add 1/2 cup soaked nuts (almonds, cashews) and 4 cups of water to your blender with a pinch of sea salt and a little vanilla (those are optional.) Blend 'til nice and white. If using cashews you won't even have to strain it!
Herb tea. Maybe you've even harvested and dried your own nettles, or raspberry leaf. Steep it into tea and use that as the base for your smoothie.
Mushroom tea, from reishi, maitake, shiitake. I know...not as inviting. But mushroom tea is an ultimate health elixir: boosting immunity and even fighting cancer. Add some to your smoothie as a base, you can always add a squirt of honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (or stevia) if you need a little extra sweetness.

Drop Kick the Dairy. You don't need it. Skip the fro yo, non-frozen yogurt, milk or ice cream. Dairy causes congestion and dampness in the body. It may even be full of hormones and corn syrup. Yuck. There are plenty of other, healthier, ways to get calcium (see greens, below.) Leave the dairy to the cows.
Pitch the Protein Powder. Again, you probably don't need it. We are fed quite a line about needing X amount of protein, and as vegetarians or especially vegans we are often asked about getting enough protein. It's very likely we do, but if we do end up needing a protein boost skip the protein powders: Consumer Reports did a very thorough study and found most protein powders are contaminated with heavy metals: Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic. Some have quite a lot of all those things. In our country protein deficiency is not a big problem, even in athletes, though heavy metal toxicity is.

But if you need a boost of protein consider adding this instead:
- Whole hemp seeds - they will blend right up in your smoothie and are not only full of protein but omega fatty acids as well
- Chia seeds (my latest YUM!) also chock full of omega fatty acids.
- GREENS (see below) have surprisingly high amounts of protein and of course are low in fat.
- Algae like spirulina and blue-green algae are also high in protein.
- Quinoa, which is actually a seed rather than a grain. You can add it sprouted or cooked, it will blend splendidly and is high in protein.
Grab some Greens - Yes, say it loud say it proud! Adding leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, and swiss chard will add protein, calcium, vitamins, enzymes, iron, and so much else! Start with a handful of spinach...I promise you won't even taste it. Then you can add more and more and begin expanding to other greens.
Go Wild - For the ultimate elixir experience, add wild plants to your smoothie. Wild greens like nettles, violet greens, and chickweed. Flowers like black locust flower, dandelion and clover blossoms. Wild berries: mulberry, blueberry, huckleberry, blackberry. Wild plants trump even organically grown produce for their vitamin and mineral content, to say nothing of their wildly off the charts life force. Learn about one local wild edible and start with that. Make sure you are 100% sure you know what it is before adding it to your drink and never add wild carrot greens (Queen Anne's Lace) because although they are edible they can too easily be mistaken for the deadly poison hemlock. You want more info on wild plants? Pictures, identification, recipes?? Visit our sister site Food Under Foot. We've got you covered.
Presence, Joy, Gratitude. Look what you have in your hand! An amazing, delicious, totally healthy smoothie - nay, elixir - that you made yourself. You can smell the blended freshness. Take your time, enjoy everything. Visualize your cells being nourished with every sip. Cheers!

Here is a simple elixir smoothie recipe that you can play with:

Green Smoothie with Nettles

2 bananas
1 cup frozen mangoes
1/2 cup mulberries (or blueberries, fresh or frozen)
handful (a careful handful…don’t get stung!) fresh wild nettles
2 cups water (can add coconut water, herb tea, etc.)

Blend well. Nettles lose their sting when blended. This makes 2 - 4 servings, depending on how much you want.

In health,

~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Happy New Year! Reishi Give Away

2012-01-01T15:11:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

We have so many great things planned for 2012 - and they involve YOU.

Many of you know that we have such a big interest in using wild plants for food and medicine that we started our own educational website: Food Under Foot. 2012 is going to be the year that Food Under Foot gets happy feet! More on that later, but for now....

We are having our very first give-away! That's right, we want to send one lucky person 4 oz (1/4 pound!) of some of the gorgeous dried reishi mushroom (Ganoderma tsugae) we harvested this past year from the old growth hemlock forests of Northern Pennsylvania.

To enter:

Visit and like our Food Under Foot facebook page*

Find the entry that says: REISHI GIVE-AWAY

Under that entry leave a comment telling us where you are from, your favorite thing to forage (all the better if it's a local treat) and what you love to do with it/how you love to eat/use it.

Share so your friends and family can have a chance to win (one entry per person please.)

That's it! And please share the info with your friends and family so they can join in the fun (who knows, maybe if they win they will share, as I'm sure you'd do the same ;-) )

Reishi is a medicinal mushroom which you boil in water and drink the tea. Known in China as Ling Zhi - the mushroom of immortality, the tea is known for its health giving properties. It's been used for thousands of years in Asia. It boosts the immune system and is anti-cancer and is known for supporting overall wellness and vitality.

You have until Sunday January 8, 2012 to enter, then on Monday January 9, we will assign everyone who entered a number, and randomly pick a number from a hat and whoever matches that number wins!!

We will pay shipping for the US...if you are outside the US we still invite you to enter, but we'd ask that you please help us pay for shipping.

Good Luck!!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

* If you don't have a facebook account but would still like to enter, please send me your name, where you live, favorite wild edible and what you love to do with it...send it to Melissa@FoodUnderFoot.com, subject: Reishi Give-Away, and we will get you entered to win.

Is Dandelion Wine Medicinal?

2011-12-26T19:15:00.005-05:00

Historically, turning medicinal herbs into tasty wines was a common way to preserve the medicinal qualities of the herb year round. Making tinctures (soaking an herb in an alcohol such as vodka to extract the medicinal qualities) is much more common today, and a convenient way to market and sell herbal medicines. Herbal wines are similar, except that instead of simply soaking the herbs in alcohol, you make the alcohol yourself, using the herb (along with water, sugar and yeast.)

This year in May we made dandelion wine. We gathered a gallon of dandelion flowers,

Infused them into a strong tea, added sugar and boiled the tea with oranges, lemons, raisins and cloves.

We added yeast and fermented for weeks, bottled and left them to ferment for weeks more, until finally corking. The whole process and recipe can be found here.

We left the wine to sit until solstice, then we tried it. It is delicious: sweet, spicy with a kick. To keep the wine medicinal, the trick is not to drink the whole bottle at once! A common dose which cleanses the liver is a tablespoon to a small wineglass.

Some Europeans believed fairies were involved in the process of wine making: turning bitter medicine like dandelions into sweet wine. There is something magical about it! Herbal wines can be made from all sorts of herbs: roots and bark are decocted (boiled) into strong teas while flowers and leaves are usually infused (steeped in boiled water.)

It's a nice way to remember the freshness of spring during the darkest time of year.

Happy holidays and happy new year!!

In our sister blog Food Under Foot, you can read:

Making Dandelion Wine (May, 2011)
Enjoying Dandelion Wine (December, 2011)

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Read Our Past Newsletters

2011-12-08T19:16:00.000-05:00

I'm behind on the newsletter again!

In the meantime, here are some links to some of our recent ones in case you missed them.

November, 2011

Summer, 2011

Spring, 2011

If you are not on our newsletter email list, please sign up! You'll receive our free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health, along with great articles, recipes and special deals.

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Play it Forward Pittsburgh, Giving this Holiday

2011-12-07T18:24:00.008-05:00

Many of you may have noticed that I renamed this blog to "Eat Play Live."

Today I want to focus on the "Play" section...because it's the holidays!

Did you groan and roll your eyes when you read that, or did you get all excited, clapping your hands together in glee? Because if you didn't do the latter, maybe it's time to rethink your idea of "holidays."

This time of year many of us celebrate: whether it's Christmas, Chanukah, the solstice, Kwanzaa, there is something to celebrate! Decoration and lights surround us. But so does the message: "buy buy buy!" and that is definitely enough to bring us down during the holidays. The expectations. The buying of things.

Many of us feel like we have enough. The toy bin is overflowing...we don't need more toys (and yet there is a little birdie in your ear chirping incessantly about American Girl Dolls...or wait, that's my ear.)

One wonderful thing to do this time of year is to share our abundance with others less fortunate. Giving, truly sharing from the heart is enough to put a smile on almost anyone's face.

Recently I learned about what is now my new favorite best place to donate gently used toys: Play it Forward Pittsburgh. Started by local women this is an amazing idea which has grown with overwhelming support. The idea is to drop off your gently used toys (drop off locations all around town and beyond, to the North, East, South and West, too...but best of all for us there is a location right on East Carson Street, one block from The Birch Center, at Mullen's on Carson. And if you don't want to make the trip, bring your toys to the Birch Center when you have your appointment and we will drop them off for you at Mullen's at the end of the day.)

Here's the info, from a note on their facebook page:

Play it Forward will take your used toys and offer them to families in need. Simply drop off your toys to a local mom (see drop off helpers Note) before Thursday, December 15.

Then, on Saturday, December 17th from 9am - 3pm, families in need of toys for their children can come and "shop for free" at the Propel Braddock Hills High School Cafeteria at 1500 Yost Blvd. Each family is invited to take up to 5 toys per child for FREE. We anticipate collecting toys for all ages, infants to teens.

But wait, there is something in it for those who donate! From 3pm - 5 pm that same Saturday, we would like to invite families that have donated to come and shop for toys for their children for a small donation. All proceeds will be given to a local family charity.

Isn't that great? They've even added a second location: Freedom Fellowship Church in Carnegie. If you are on facebook you can check them out and find your closest drop-off, but remember, if you get your toys to us we will get them to Mullens Bar for you.

That's enough to put a smile on my face, knowing how many kids will have smiles on their faces this holiday season due to the incredible generosity of the people in Pittsburgh!

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Eat More Greens - Make Delicious Dressings

2011-11-29T11:03:00.007-05:00

One of the keys to good health is eating lots of greens. Greens like romaine (and other) lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, collards and mustard greens are rich in vitamins like C and A and minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium. They are full of vitamins, minerals, enymes, fiber and even protein, but are very low in calories.

A key to eating lots of greens is in making yummy healthy salad dressings. I bring my own dressing when I go out; dressings at restaurants are often full of strange gums and unhealthy things like corn syrup. Next time you go to a "healthy" sandwich shop ask to see their ingredient binder: I think you'll be surprised at how many things there (all the dressings for sure) have high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient! It's the same with dressings everywhere...don't be fooled into thinking a restaurant's "honey mustard" dressing is really made with honey! It may have a drop of honey in there, but really it's sugar and corn syrup just like everything else.

Here are recipes for two of my favorite easy and super delicious salad dressings that I always have on hand (and if I don't, they just take a few minutes to make) and I take with me to restaurants.

Both dressings are gluten-free and dairy-free. The honey can be replaced by agave nectar for vegan versions.

Real Honey Mustard Dressing

This only makes enough for a couple servings. It's so easy to make I just make it every couple times I have salad...the extra I store in the fridge.

1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Mustard (brown mustard is better as it usually contains no added sugar, make sure you check the ingredients of the mustards you keep in your fridge and consider a natural sugar free brand.)
Juice from one Lemon, about 2 Tbsp (you can use vinegar, but I love the light refreshing taste the dressing has when I squeeze a lemon myself)
2 Tbsp Olive oil (can be eliminated for a fat-free dressing, just add some water instead)
1/2 tsp Wheat-free tamari (or sea salt)
Optional spices: pepper, dried thyme, dried basil

Whisk all ingredients together. Spoon over salad.

Dairy-free Creamy Cashew Green Goddess Dressing

I made this for a gathering of women and called it a Goddess dressing, in honor of the gathering. It was a big hit.

I use raw unsalted cashews because they are a very soft nut, which blends easily into a creamy consistency. I use a vitamix, but if you don't have a high speed blender simply soak the nuts in water for at least 30 minutes first, which will soften them even more. They will then blend smoothly in any blender.

3/4 cup raw unsalted cashews (soaking them first will soften them, see above)
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp honey
Juice of 1 lemon (you can substitute apple cider vinegar)
handful fresh basil
1 Tbsp wheat-free tamari (or sea salt)
1 Tbsp mustard (brown is best, usually has no added sugar)
water to cover

Blend well (using a blender.) Taste, adjust seasonings...add honey if it needs to be sweeter, salt/tamari if salt is necessary.

This dressing is so good you will literally be making salads just so you can have more. And isn't eating more greens what this is all about? Win, win!

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

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Free Shipping on Vitamix Blenders!

Healthy Holidays

2011-11-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

The holidays are upon us! And while many of us are trying to eat healthier...often cutting out sugar, wheat, dairy, meat, even cooked food (!) for health purposes, sometimes our friends and family, who we love to gather with at this time of year, are not.

While it can be difficult to be around for many reasons: we may crave our old foods, or we may have given up something that we feel *everyone* should give up, I find it best to take a non-confrontation and non-judgmental attitude over the holidays, both with ourselves and our friends and family around us.

Over the years I have discovered some things that help:

1. Not making a big deal about different ways I eat. I find that even if I don't make a big deal about it, other people usually do. I just (try to) smile. This is not (necessarily) the time to convert others to my lifestyle!

2. Help in food preparation. It is nice to offer to make a vegetarian gravy, for instance, and vegetarian gravies can easily be made gluten-free by subbing potato starch for flour as a thickener.

3. Offer to make or just bring a dish or two that I know I can eat. Squash stuffed with rice and veggies looks beautiful, tastes delicious, and is often a hit with vegetarians and traditional eaters.

4. A big salad is often a healthy addition to a holiday feast, and not so very unusual (though sometimes lacking) so make and bring one!

The picture above is of a Raw Food Cranberry Sauce, which is delicious. It is gorgeous served in orange halves (the photo doesn't do it justice, it really is gorgeous!)

Cranberries are extremely high in vitamin C and A, and full of phytonutrients. When we do not cook them all their nutrition is preserved. To make the sauce above, I simply:

Juiced 3 oranges, saving the juice to add to the sauce and saving the orange halves to put the sauce in.

In a high speed blender (I use my vitamix), put

A package of fresh cranberries (washed)
Juice from the 3 oranges
6-8 dates, pitted
1-2 Tbsp raw honey
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Blend and fill the orange cups.

They are topped with Candied Pecans, which is simply chopped raw pecans mixed with maple syrup (not raw) and pumpkin pie spice. You can also use walnuts or even wild black walnuts if you have those around. (Here is a video of how we crack our black walnuts.)

I bet everyone at the holiday table will enjoy these!!

Happy Holidays!

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Medicinal Mushrooms Sprouting Up in Local Parks

2011-10-11T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ganoderma tsugae, a type of reishi

I love that mushrooms are their own kingdom - neither plant nor animal, they are uniquely themselves. Some are delicious, some supremely medicinal, some deadly poison. Interesting, beautiful, intriguing...we know comparatively little about fungi.

Above is a Ganoderma tsugae we found in June, up in Cooks Forest. This is one of the types of mushroom known as Reishi, an intensely healing mushroom prized in Asian medicine.

Medicinal mushrooms are said to benefit the immune system and many - like reishi (above), maitake (second below), shiitake, lion's mane (directly below) and turkey tail - have been proven to have anti-tumor properties.

The mushrooms below (lion's mane or bearded tooth and hen of the woods or maitake) were found recently in Frick Park, right here in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to take a picture of them growing, but I did snap a few when I got them home (before eating them! Unlike Reishi (above) which is bitter, the mushrooms below are delicious edibles.)

lion's mane/bearded tooth or Hericium erinaceus

hen of the woods/maitake or Grifola frondosa

There is a wonderful movie about mushrooms called "Know Your Mushrooms" which we recently watched online, and captures the spirit of mushroom hunters well. You can watch it online here.

Enjoy the fall!

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Liver Toxins in Coltsfoot and Comfrey?

2011-09-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

Today I'm going to answer a question which I get every now and then:

"Are comfrey and/or coltsfoot safe to use? There have been alkaloids in both which are identified as liver toxins/carcinogens and they have been taken off the shelves in this and other countries. Yet there is a long history of both plants being used medicinally. I am confused...are they safe or harmful?"

Great question!

Ok, so, comfrey (Symphytum officinale) has a thousands-year long history as one of (if not THE) most useful herb in Western botanical medicine. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) has a similarly long history, used in both the East and the West to treat coughs.

Why are they so effective? asks modern scientific research/medicine. Let's take them apart and see! answers modern scientific research/medicine.

Instead of looking at the plants as a whole, science took it apart to find out what is the active ingredient. In both cases they isolated a specific alkaloid - pyrrolizidine - in the plants. Upon further research, when this alkaloid was fed to rats in large amounts, the rats developed liver cancer.

Now, please don't downplay the fact that comfrey and coltsfoot have constituents which can be harmful to the liver. In this day and age with the Standard American Diet (which has enveloped most the western world) of alcohol, greasy fast food, sugar, packaged food, and animal protein the last thing our livers need are more toxins to deal with. So yes, maybe it is best to avoid these herbs and reach for something else.

However, T. Colin Campbell in his book The China Study (please watch Forks Over Knives for a GREAT explanation of this...it's available as a "watch now" on netflix) discusses a study featuring another liver toxin: aflotoxin. This known liver toxin caused liver cancer in rats, yet when they fed the rats a diet of less than 5% animal protein the cancer would switch off!

So maybe there is more to getting liver cancer than eating something which may have liver toxins in it? Cancer is a relatively new disease, definitely a new epidemic, and our modern diet is a definite contributor. These plants have been eaten and used as herbs and medicine for thousands of years.

So, should you take comfrey or coltsfoot as herbal remedies? It's ultimately up to you. How much animal protein do you eat? How much of a Standard American Diet do you have?

My article Coltsfoot Cures Coughs Naturally shows how coltsfoot has been used historically in Eastern and Western medicine. But google "coltsfoot liver toxin" for the other side of the story. Similarly with comfrey. (I've included a link to the findings for toxicity for both herbs below.)

What do I do? I eat comfrey as a green. It grows in my yard and I add it to juice and smoothies. I love it. I also dry the leaves to make a tea and I make oil and salve from the leaves and root. I also use homeopathic symphytum (which is comfrey) as a bone healing remedy. I am more concerned with the pollution in the air and the water and the contaminants in our food (especially genetic engineering). But that is just me.

Also, using the herbs externally as oils and salves has always been considered safe, as has homeopathic use. Comfrey is very commonly used externally.

Check out:

Safety Issues Affecting Herbs: Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Coltsfoot Cure Coughs Naturally

The China Study

Forks Over Knives (movie)

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Testimonials - Send us Yours!

2011-08-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

We have gotten a lot of thank you emails and notes over the years. Sometimes we post them on our website, blog, newsletter, lately on facebook. It is such a privilege to work with all of you on your healing process!

Someone recently suggested we add a "testimonial" page to our website, and we thought we may just do it!

I can go through old emails, but I would LOVE to receive an email from you if you have been helped by the Birch Center and would like to share your results with others!

Please send us an email: BirchCenter@gmail.com with your testimonial and we will add it to the site! We usually include your initials and where you are from, but if you would prefer us to use first name last initial, full name, remain anonymous, etc just let us know.

Here is a letter we received just today:

I can't fully express how much of an improvement I am feeling in my condition after your wonderful treatment. Not knowing exactly what to expect from my first acupuncture experience, I never expected to be this satisfied. On the way home, I was most notably surprised at how totally relaxed I felt, and that the sharp pain I had been having was gone from my back; It still had some soreness, but the pain had been eliminated. It seems to be feeling even better as time goes by, and today I'm very pleased with how it feels, the soreness is also much less. We are now new converts to the wonderful world of acupuncture.

~ P. M., Beaver

Thanks so much for letting us know how you are doing!!! We are blessed to work in a wonderful field with so many fantastic clients.

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Beat the Heat with Watermelon, A Chinese Herb

2011-07-29T16:53:00.000-04:00

Though we often think of Chinese herbs as dark brown strong-tasting teas, when we look deeper we find the ancient Chinese also acknowledged and documented the tremendous healing power of fresh food. Watermelon is not only a delicious summer treat, but it is also a powerful effective medicine, which can clear a potentially serious condition known in Chinese medicine as "summerheat".

Food has long been used as medicine, a tradition strong in the East as well as the West. As temperatures rise across the United States and Europe, we look for natural healthy ways to cool our bodies without taxing the environment. Xi gua, or watermelon fruit, is not just a delicious food, but also a Chinese herb known to relieve summerheat. Similar to sun stroke summerheat is a condition with symptoms of fever, sweating, diarrhea and thirst.

Summerheat is described in Chinese medicine as a condition induced by overexposure to excessively high environmental temperatures. The symptoms described are similar to those of sun stroke and include:

* fever
* restlessness
* thirst
* sweating
* dizziness
* nausea
* poor appetite
* diarrhea
* sudden collapse

Watermelon, or xi gua, is listed in the Materia Medica as a sweet and cold herb, which not only clears summerheat, but also generates fluids. Watermelon is especially good when there is thirst and dark urine present. One cup of fresh or juiced melon is the dose given. Watermelon is so high in water content (92 percent by weight) that juicing is easy: simply blend watermelon pieces in the blender, no straining is necessary. For an especially cooling summer treat blend the watermelon with ice.

Watermelon is a good source of vitamin C, beta carotene and lycopene. Watermelon and watermelon juice are cleansing and are often used to detoxify the body. It is also a good choice of food or juice to help lose weight.

In addition to clearing heat from the energy pathways in which it enters - the stomach, heart and bladder channels, watermelon is shown to have a positive effect on the liver: it expels jaundice and has been used in treating specific forms of hepatitis. Other foods which are used as herbs to clear summerheat include lotus leaf (he ye), mung bean (lu dou), and young soybean sprout (dou juan).

This summer use fresh watermelon as a way to keep yourself hydrated and cleansed and your body temperature down. Eating fresh watermelon is a safe healthy way to stay cool in summer.

In health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The Birch Center for Acupuncture
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Cooling Wild Purslane is also Powerfully Medicinal

2011-07-21T21:43:00.001-04:00

(This article first appeared in Natural News. Here is a full list of all my Natural News articles. ~ Melissa Sokulski.)

Many plants which grow wild and are considered weeds are not only edible, but are also delicious, nutritious, and even medicinal. Wild purslane (Portulaca oleracea) which most consider a weed is actually a green vegetable with the highest amount of heart-healthy omega 3-fatty acids of any green. Purslane is also used extensively in Chinese Medicine as an herb which clears heat toxin.

Purslane is widespread across the United States, growing in fields, lots, lawns and gardens. It spreads along the ground, and it has fleshy leaves and a slightly sour taste. It is high in iron and has appreciable amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, which are more commonly found in seeds like flax and in fish. Purslane has .01 mg/g, a very high amount for land based vegetable sources. Purslane is excellent when used fresh in salads, and it can also be steamed or cooked into soups or added to dishes as spinach would be.

In Chinese Medicine, Portulaca oleracea is known as Ma Chi Xian. It is commonly used to treat dysentery, urinary infections, sores, and abscesses, and it is even used as an antidote for snakebites. More recently it has been used to treat post partum bleeding.

Extensive clinical research has been done on purslane in China, and it has been found to have extraordinary results:

Antibiotic and antifungal effect
Increases uterine contractions
Prevention and treatment of dysentery: purslane was found as effective as sulfa drugs, over 90% effective in acute cases and 60% in chronic cases.
Kills parasites: in one study of 192 patients, 80% were cleared of parasites in one month of treatment.
Treats appendicitis: a decoction (strong tea) of purslane and dandelion (known as pu gong ying in China) treated 31 cases of clinically diagnosed appendicitis (only 1 needed surgery; all others recovered with no medical intervention).

People are beginning to become more aware of the edible and medicinal uses of plants which are known commonly as weeds. Purslane is turning up in farmer's markets, so keep an eye out. Next time you are weeding your own garden, look for this delicious weed. When you pull it, place it in the colander instead of the compost pile and toss it in to your next salad.

In health,

Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Join us on facebook

2011-07-16T18:49:00.000-04:00

Have you joined us yet on facebook? If not, please do! We have regular updates, share interesting information about acupuncture in the news, recipes, specials, walks and workshops and up-to-date office info.

So please join Birch Center on facebook and tell your friends about us! Thank you!

How is your summer going? New posts (and newsletter!!!) to come. We are in the office with our regular hours this summer. Just call (412) 381-0116 to schedule an appointment.

See you soon!

In health,

Melissa and David Sokulski, Licensed Acupuncturists

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

It's windy again today

2011-06-16T13:58:00.000-04:00

It's windy again today. It's been a windy spring.

In Chinese Medicine, wind is associated with spring. It is associated with the wood element, and in our bodies: the liver and gallbladder. This is the season that if our liver is strained or out of balance, we may experience symptoms related to the liver: anger, headaches, dizziness, aches and pains (especially ones which move around), digestive complaints, menstrual complaints, insomnia. Depression and mood swings can also be prevalent when this element is out of balance. Even jaundice and hepatitis can flare up this time of year.

Acupuncture at the Birch Center is a wonderful way to balance the liver energy. There are powerful points such as Liver 3 on the foot and Liver 8 near the knee which move and smooth the energy of the body. Gall bladder points on the back of the head and neck can ease headaches and help us sleep more soundly.

At the Birch Center we carry Chinese herbal formulas such as Xiao Yao San (Rambling Powder) which help move liver energy, easing menstrual complaints as well as elevating the mood. Western herbs such as dandelion, burdock, milk thistle and motherwort can also work on balancing the liver and often grow wild all around the United States: here in Western Pennsylvania motherwort and burdock are currently in bloom. (For more information on Wild Edible Plants, visit our sister site Food Under Foot.)

The spring has a lot of wonderful energy too: growth, green-ness, creativity, movement! There is a lot to enjoy about spring, we hope you are out there enjoying spring (and now heading into summer) to its fullest!

In Health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

May Wild Edibles Walks!

2011-05-20T16:38:00.000-04:00

Our Next Walks are Scheduled:

The wild edibles walk in Beaver is postponed...date to be announced. But we'll still see you Saturday, May 28 at Frick Park! (see below.) Thanks!

Friday, May 27, 2011 6:30 pm

Join Melissa Sokulski of The Birch Center for an easy walk around Beaver, PA, identifying wild edible and medicinal plants.

We will begin at Sangha Center Yoga studio in Beaver at 6:30 pm. We will return to the studio for conversation and demo.

Where: Sangha Center Yoga (formerly Three Rivers Yoga Beaver)

428 Third Street, Beaver, PA 15009

When: Friday May 27, 2011, 6:30 pm

Fee: $5/person, children under 10 free

More information and registration at Sangha Center Yoga (formerly Three Rivers Yoga Beaver): Contact Andrea at (412) 901-6478

******* AND ********

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 11 am

Join Melissa Sokulski of the Birch Center/Food Under Foot and Leah Shannon of Pittsburgh Whole Food Nutrition Meetup Group as we walk around Frick Park identifying wild edibles.

Where: Frick Park Nature Center

2005 Beechwood Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15217

When: Saturday May 28, 2011, 11 am

Fee: $5/person, children under 10 free

More information and registration at Pittsburgh Whole Foods Nutrition Meetup Group

****

More information about Wild Edible Plants at our sister website, Food Under Foot.

We hope you'll be able to join us!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Wild Ally Workbook Available Now

2011-03-23T07:17:00.000-04:00

For all of you interested in learning more about Wild Edible Plants, I am excited to share this amazing new workbook with you.

It's called Wild Plant Ally Workbook, and it will take you through the process of learning all about wild edibles.

For more information on this book, please visit us here.

It has been wonderful having so many of you join us for Wild Edibles Walks over the years (the next one is scheduled for Saturday, April 16, 2011 - Earth Day at Frick Park, stay tuned!) One question I hear a lot is what is the best way to learn about wild edible plants?

That is why I put this book together. And I've made it accessible to all who are interested (you get to choose your own price!) Please go check it out now. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks so much!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Traditional Chinese Medicine Eases People Into Spring Without Allergies

2011-03-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

by Birch Center Acupuncturist Melissa Sokulski

Spring is full of warmer weather, beautiful flowers and more time outdoors. Many of us enjoy these signs of spring but some find them intolerable due to seasonal allergies. Prescription and over-the-counter medications are widely available but do nothing to help overall health and come with a host of side effects. Natural remedies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine can clear symptoms of allergies and bring the body to balance thus allowing for a higher state of health and well-being.

People with seasonal allergies react to the pollen of flowers in trees, grasses and weeds with symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. Medications are widely available, even over the counter, yet come with their own host of side effects including being temporary loss of smell and taste. Other side effects include headache, fatigue, wheezing and abdominal pain. Medications do nothing to improve health and prevent further allergies.

Allergies are a sign of an imbalance in the immune system. Balancing and strengthening the body can decrease or even rid oneself of seasonal allergies altogether. Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture and herbal remedies, does just this. Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine is two-fold: clearing the symptoms and balancing the meridians, thus improving overall health.

Acupuncture is excellent in treating the symptoms of allergies. Many allergy symptoms are located in the head (stuffiness, headache, itchy eyes) which reveals to the acupuncturist that the energy is not flowing smoothly from the head into the rest of the body, and vice versa. All the yang meridians flow from the hands up to the head and from the head down to the feet. Using needles on the head and neck opens the yang channels and allows the energy to flow. The use of traditional herbal formulas such as Bi Yan Pian (which we carry at the Birch Center) opens the sinuses and clears the head and eyes allowing for symptom relief.

Acupuncture also helps balance the body which improves overall health. This is done by taking a complete intake and assessment of every client who comes for treatment. At the Birch Center we treat very specifically and individually, making sure the underlying cause of allergies (or any other symptom) is cleared. When the body is in balance, symptoms disappear and health is restored. Along with needles herbal formulas may be given which are specific to each person to restore balance and health.

While allergies can put a damper on enjoying the best the season holds, there is natural relief for allergy sufferers. The relief need not be temporary: when the body is brought to a higher level of health renewed energy, flexibility and joy of living is restored.

For more information or to schedule and appointment, you can call us at (412) 381-0116 or email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Thanks!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

*****

More of Melissa's Natural News Articles Here

Wild Tree Water: Making Maple Syrup

2011-03-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, one of our passions is using wild plants as food and medicine. So much so that we have set up a separate website, Food Under Foot, on which we record our adventures.

For the past week we were fortunate to be able to tap maple trees in Western Pa and make the best maple syrup and maple sugar that I have ever tasted!

Above Dave and Ella are tapping a maple tree. Below we are boiling the water-like sap down into syrup.

Maple Sugar Candies:

You can read more step by step information on our adventures with maple tree tapping on Food Under Foot:

Fresh Maple Sap right from the tree is a wonderful elixir! If you have a maple tree on your property I urge you to go out and tap it, if only to taste the sweet wild water.

Thanks so much!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Groupons Honored Through Jan 31

2011-01-11T15:29:00.001-05:00

It's groupon week at the Birch Center!

Our groupon expires Jan 15 and it is wonderful to have so many people calling for appointments!

And now the snow....

So don't worry if you can't get in this week, we will honor the groupon through Jan 31, 2011.

Just give us a call to set up an appointment: (412) 381-0116...we see clients Monday through Friday, 9 am through 9 pm.

Thanks so much!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Sinus Issues Respond Powerfully to Traditional Chinese Medicine

2011-01-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

by Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac. of the Birch Center

Sinus issues and infections are a problem for many people. As the nose becomes congested from cold weather, allergies, a cold or the flu, infection and inflammation often occurs. Acupuncture points, herbs, and lifestyle suggestions can keep the sinuses clear and infection-free.

Sinus issues may be acute or chronic, and are typically considered viral infections which last ten days. Many people suffering from chronic sinus infections go for months with headaches, teeth and jaw pain, low energy, and nasal congestion, among other symptoms.

Acupuncture often offers relief. Using a combination of local and distal points acupuncture can clear the sinuses and boost the immune system making it less likely for sinus infection to return. Points on the arms and legs such as Large Intestine 4 (hand), Large Intestine 11 (outside elbow crease), Lung 7 (wrist), and Stomach 36 (leg, below the knee) can open the meridians which run through the sinuses as well as boost the immune system. Local points on the face such as Large Intestine 20 (side of the nose), Stomach 2 (on the cheek bone under the eye), and GV 23 (start of the hairline) help to physically clear the sinuses.

Bi Yang Pian is an ancient Chinese herbal formula which is available at the Birch Center. It clears the sinuses and relieves headaches and other symptoms such as red itchy eyes, sore throat and sneezing which can be related to sinus issues. Bi Yan Pian contains herbs such as magnolia flower, forsythia flower and chrysanthemum flower which are said to clear heat from the sinuses and help clear infection.

Using a neti pot to clear the sinuses with salt water can also clear the sinuses, improve overall health and increase energy. Using one cup of body-temperature water and mixed with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sea salt, pour gently into one nostril and have it flow through the sinuses and out the other nostril. This can be done throughout the day until the sinuses are clear, and then repeated once or twice a day to keep healthy, especially if prone to sinus issues.

If you have more questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call the Birch Center at (412) 381-0116.

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Four Pack of Acupuncture Treatments

2011-01-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

We have extended our special indefinitely!

You can continue to buy a 4-pack of acupuncture treatments for just $200, it's our new year's gift to you!

You can buy them below, on the store page or at the Birch Center (the website or the actual Center on East Carson Street.)

Here's to BEST HEALTH in 2011!

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Flax Fenugreek and Fennel Strongly Protect the Lungs and Large Instestine

2011-01-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

I drank the 3-F Tea (flax, fenugreek, fennel...plus nettles and mint, I used spearmint) all day yesterday...it's delicious and makes me feel great! The recipe is at the end of the article.

Flax, Fenugreek and Fennel Strongly Protect Lungs and Large Intestine
by Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac. of the Birch Center

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the Lungs and Large Intestine correspond to the metal element. Drinking a tea made from three common herbs and spices - fennel, flax, and fenugreek, is a wonderful way to strengthen and rejuvenate these organs.

Signs that the lung and large intestine may be taxed and would benefit from rejuvenation include: (...read whole article, including recipe)

We have some great things for you coming up this new year! We are so excited to unveil our latest project...stay tuned!

What are your plans for 2011? Write them down, make them happen!

In health,

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Stay Healthy this Cold and Flu Season

2010-12-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

As with Western medicine, in Chinese Medicine colds and flu are considered to be an external pathogen invading the body. When our body's energy, or qi, is strong, we are able to fight off these pathogens. If our qi is weaker, we come down with symptoms of cold and flu: headache, chills, fever, body aches, cough, sore throat, etc.

To keep our qi strong and prevent colds and flu, it is important to:

eat a healthy diet full of fresh raw fruits and vegetables
cut out white and brown sugar, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, all of which lower our immunity
wash hands frequently with regular soap and water
get outside in fresh air, take walks and expose yourself to sunshine. It may be wise to supplement with vitamin D3 this time of year
receive acupuncture treatments which strengthens the qi, balance energy, keeping us healthy and helping restore us to health more quickly
herbal medicine, supplements and proper food choices keep immunity strong.

To keep the energy flowing smoothly and our immunity strong, it is important to make sure all meridians are balanced, but immunity often relates especially to the earth and metal elements, which show up in your pulse as your spleen and lung meridians.

An acupuncturist will often use points such as St. 36 to keep the energy strong, and Sp. 6 to make sure food is digested properly and nutrients are absorbed and turned into vital energy.

LI 11 is a powerful immune point. LI 4 and TW 5 are often used to help the body push pathogens back out. Lu 7 combined with LI 4 strengthens the body's defense against pathogens.

Often the earth and metal shu points on the back (Bl 13 and Bl 20) are needled to harmonize the body's energy and strengthen immunity.

In terms of herbal medicine:

Astragalus is an excellent immune tonic
Medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi and Maitaki can bolster the immune system, especially when the immune system is compromised
Four Gentlemen Formula - a classic Chinese herb formula to keep the Qi strong
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, a combination of ginseng and astragalus, used in specific cases to strengthen the body`s Qi
Gui Pi Tang is used when both qi and blood need a boost, with signs such as insomnia, irritability and anxiety

Once someone comes down with symptoms of the flu, the treatment focus switches from formulas that tonify the qi to formulas which expel the invading pathogen. There are western herbs and nutritional remedies such as Vitamin C and Echinacea, which are beneficial.

In Chinese medicine, classic herbal formulas are used, including:

Yin Qiao - This formula contains cooling detoxifying herbs such as forsythia and honeysuckle. It is used when just getting sick, with symptoms which include sore throat, headache, and a yellow tongue coat.
Gan Mao Ling - if you find yourself in the midst of a bad cold or flu

We carry these Chinese herbs and formulas at the Birch Center, and your acupuncturist can help you choose the formula which is right for you.

Please feel free to call us at the Birch Center if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment: (412) 381-0116.

Here's to your health...stay healthy and strong this season!

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Cinnamon, Ginger and Onions Strongly Protect Us from Colds and Flu

2010-12-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

Another recent article published in Natural News:

Cinnamon, Ginger and Onions Strongly Protect Us from Colds and Flu
by Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
(See other articles by Melissa)

(NaturalNews) In the fall as the weather gets cooler ailments tend to affect our Lungs in the form of coughs, sinus issues, colds and flu. In Traditional Chinese Medicine autumn relates to the metal element which corresponds to the Lungs. The taste that strengthens the Lungs is pungent: the spicy flavor of foods and spices like cinnamon, ginger and onions. Read full article.

Here's to Your Health!

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Holiday Acupuncture Special

2010-12-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

We are holding a Holiday Special!

Buy a package of 4 acupuncture treatments in December, and pay only $200 (savings of $60!) You may buy as many packages as you'd like, for yourself or as gifts.

Though you must purchase by December 31, 2010 to get the deal, the treatments don't expire until July 31, 2011!

Enjoy!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

How to Keep Cellphone (and other) Radiation at Bay...

2010-12-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

A recent article of mine was just published in Natural News. In case you missed it, here it is, enjoy!

An Apple A Day Keeps Cellphone and Other Radiation at Bay
by Melissa Sokulski, L. Ac. of Birch Center for Health
(see other articles by Melissa)

(NaturalNews) Common foods such as apples, buckwheat, and sunflower seeds strongly protect and detoxify us from radiation. We are constantly exposed to radiation from cell phones, computer screens, power lines, airline travel, and microwaves. Not only can radiation remain in our body for long periods of time, but even when it passes through it also causes free radical damage. Toxic doses like that of radiation therapy for cancer or of exposure from a bomb or power plant can cause severe burns or even death. Read full article, including Miso Soup recipe!

Here's to Your Health!

~ David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Pumpkins Remedy Seasonal Ailments

2010-10-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Autumn!

Here's some information about Five Element Theory, and the most seasonal healing food around this time of year: the pumpkin:

(Originally published in NaturalNews)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is represented by the metal element, which corresponds to the Lungs and Large Intestine. Weakness in this element shows up as ailments in the Lung and Intestines: allergies, asthma and constipation. The remedy can be found in this season's most notable food: the pumpkin or squash.

The pumpkin is round, orange and sweet. It corresponds to the earth element in the five element cycle. Earth is the mother of metal. In Chinese medicine there is a saying: ...(Read the rest of the article, including a delicious recipe for nourishing pumpkin soup.)

Hope you enjoy the fall!

In Health,

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Massage Available Saturdays at Birch Center

2010-10-12T08:36:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to offer Swedish Massage at the Birch Center on Saturdays, from 10 am to 4 pm!

Our new massage therapist Allisa Gay will be available by appointment starting this Saturday, October 16. See Allisa's bio below.

Please call the Birch Center

(412) 381-0116 to schedule an appointment.

Your first appointment with Allisa is $10 off, so even if you've had massage with us before, now is a great time to come back in.

Thanks so much!

Meet Allisa Gay

Allisa Gay, a long time resident of South Park, PA, brings a genuine inquisitiveness to the massage table. She loves interacting with people and connecting to them on their journey in life. It has been said of her that she's never met a stranger. The massage table is indeed one avenue in which she explores her interest in connectivity.

She also enjoys looking at alternatives in whatever situation she comes across, which means looking beyond trendy or widely enjoyed avenues of possibility. For her, this includes looking at alternatives in health care which is the seed from which her interest in massage grew.

"Massage can help a wide range of people. No matter what stage of life you are in or your current level of health, everyone can benefit from therapeutic touch," she says.

Massage is another means of learning, which is something she values in life. "To help someone, you have to have an understanding of how they use their body and apply knowledge of anatomy along with various massage techniques to achieve the desired goal. Every massage is a unique experience." She views massage therapy as a truly interactive form of healing and wellness.

Enjoy $10 off your first one hour massage with Allisa: Regularly $70, you pay $60

Call The Birch Center today to schedule an appointment:

(412) 381-0116

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Avoid High Grocery Bills and Enhance Health with Abundant Wild Foods

2010-09-17T19:52:00.000-04:00

We will be on vacation until Monday, Sept 20, but we're putting up some articles this week that have caught our interest. I hope you enjoy them!

Today's final article is one I wrote myself, published last month in Natural News. Enjoy!

Avoid High Grocery Bills and Enhance Health with Abundant Wild Foods

Organic greens like spinach and kale can be expensive at the grocery store or farmers market. Add a pint of fresh berries and an omega 3 supplement like flax or fish oil, and the grocery bill rises. Throw in fresh tropical fruit, organic nuts and wild mushrooms and it`s difficult to afford to eat healthy whole foods. Yet all of these foods grow wild and are available for free, even if you live in the city. (Read more.)

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Angst Over Not Vaccinating Unwarrented

2010-09-15T19:51:00.000-04:00

We will be on vacation until Monday, Sept 20, but we're putting up some articles this week that have caught our interest. I hope you enjoy them!

Here's an article on vaccination by Dr. Christian Northrup:

Angst Over Not Vaccinating Children is Unwarranted

In June 2010, there was an outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough) in California that reporters were calling the worst epidemic in 50 years. Although we’ve been vaccinating for pertussis for more than a half-century, California health officials’ answer was more vaccinations. (Read more here.)

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Cure for the American Diet

2010-09-13T19:49:00.000-04:00

We will be on vacation until Monday, Sept 20, but we're putting up some articles this week that have caught our interest. I hope you enjoy them!

The first is an article by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, MD.

The Cure for the American Diet: Nutrient Density

The American diet causes disease. It is composed of 25 percent animal products and 62 percent processed foods and only 5 percent of calories from fruits and vegetables.(1) We could not have designed a more effective cancer-causing, heart-attack-causing diet if we had scientifically planned it. (Read the rest of the article.)

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Vacation...But the Blog will be Going Strong!

2010-09-09T19:41:00.000-04:00

The Birch Center will be closed until Monday, September 20...but I have set up the blog so that interesting articles will be posted on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - I hope you enjoy them!

When we get back we'll send out our Fall newsletter, so make sure you sign up to our mailing list so you don't miss a thing!

We are also running a special through the end of Sept: buy four acupuncture treatments for just $200! See our website for details (and to purchase.) You have until the end of the year to use these treatments.

Have a great week!

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

New England Journal of Medicine Article: Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain

2010-08-05T16:40:00.000-04:00

The recent issue (July 29, 2010) of the New England Journal of Medicine contained an article supporting the use of acupuncture for chronic low back pain. Wow, the results they saw must have been overwhelming, for a journal like this to support acupuncture so much!

From the article:

...since extensive clinical trials have suggested that acupuncture may be more effective than usual care, it is not unreasonable to consider acupuncture before or together with conventional treatments, such as physical therapy, pain medication, and exercise. (Read the full article here.)

Chronic back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, elbow and knee pain, all these symptoms usually respond very well to acupuncture. At The Birch Center, we often treat people with these issues, including professional athletes, dancers and actors, with great results. Please visit The Birch Center website for a list of conditions for which The World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health have proven acupuncture to be useful.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss your condition further: (412) 381-0116, or email: BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Kristin Hersh Reveals Acupuncture Helped Her Overcome Bipolar Disorder

2010-08-04T21:35:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, acupuncture is amazing to treat mental/emotional disorders. Acupuncture works on many levels: body mind and spirit. Treating symptoms like depression, anxiety, worry, stress, etc, is really one of acupuncture's strongest points.

Please visit The Birch Center website for a list of conditions found by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization that acupuncture has been proven to be effective - I think you'll be surprised by what you find!

And since acupuncture treats the whole person not the disease, by bringing the body, mind and spirit into balance, there is no limit to what acupuncture can treat.

Here is the article about Kristin Hersh:

Kristin Hersh Reveals Acupuncture Helped Her Overcome Bipolar Disorder

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss your condition further: (412) 381-0116, or email: BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Thanks so much!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

July Wild Edibles Walk: Beaver, PA

2010-07-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Our Next Wild Edibles Walk is Scheduled!

Saturday, July 31, 2010 11:00 am
Beaver, PA

Join Melissa Sokulski of The Birch Center for an easy walk around Beaver, PA, looking for wild edible and medicinal plants.

We will begin at Three Rivers Yoga studio in Beaver at 11 am. The walk/talk will last approximately an hour and we will return to the studio for conversation and refreshments.

Where: Three Rivers Yoga Beaver
428 Third Street, Beaver, PA 15009
When: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 11:00 am
Fee: $5/person, children under 10 free
More information about Three Rivers Yoga Beaver: Contact Andrea at (412) 901-6478

More information about Wild Edible Plants at Food Under Foot.

To register call (412) 381-0116

Or Register Online:

July Wild Edibles Hike, Beaver PA

We hope to see you there!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Sun Safety

2010-07-04T17:09:00.000-04:00

Enjoy the Sun (and Leave Harmful Sunscreens Behind)
by David Sokulski, L.Ac.

The sun has many health benefits, and most sunscreens contain chemicals that are extremely damaging to your health.

The benefits of sunlight are many, including:

Supplies the body with vitamin D, which promotes the absorption of Calcium and transfers Calcium across cell membranes, thus strengthening the bones

Lowers blood cholesterol

Prevents infections from bacteria, mold, and viruses

Increases white blood cell count and gamma globulin count, thus enhancing the immune system

Strengthens the heart and cardiovascular system.

Sunlight aids in preventing:

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Osteoporosis

Depression and Anxiety

Type 2 Diabetes

Cancers of the bladder, breast, cervix, ovaries, colon, prostate and stomach.

However, you don't want to get too much sun, and avoid getting burned. Be careful to do this naturally, though, and avoid using commercial sunscreens, which are loaded with harmful chemicals that are not approved by the FDA (but don't have to be, since they are applied to the skin.)

One such chemical is called oxybenzone, which has been linked in studies to allergies, hormone disruption, cell damage, and low birth weight in girls whose moms were exposed during pregnancy. Oxybenzone is actually a penetration enhancer, which means it aids in helping get itself and other chemicals into your body through your skin.

The Environmental Working Group has put out their 2010 Sunscreen Guide. They list sunscreens for use by adults, children and even babies which contain oxybenzone. Among the worst on the list are sunscreens specifically made for babies, so please check this list out.

(This article has full details about oxybenzone and where to go for a list of safe sunscreens.)

Sunscreens, even organic sunscreens, may also contain titanium oxide, which can cause heavy metal poisoning and cell damage, especially in young children.

Things you can do to stay protected from sunburns but enjoy the sun's amazing rays and health benefits are:

Do not eat deep fried foods and fast foods. Unhealthy fats in our system enhance likelihood of sunburn.

Eat healthy oils, like coconut oil and omega three oils such as flax oil.

Avoid being out in the sun during the hottest times of the day.

If out and you feel you are getting too much sun, cover up with a long sleeved shirt and a hat.

Use a pure oil on the skin, such as coconut oil or jojoba oil. This keeps the skin from drying out and jojoba has a natural SPF of 15.

Be smart in the sun, but please enjoy this gift of summer (and all seasons), and learn to avoid putting toxic chemicals on your skin. It's better for you, your children, those around you, and the environment.

Here, again, is list of helpful references and links:

Environmental Working Group

Article: Is Your Child's Sunscreen Causing More Harm Than Good?

Article: The Health Benefits of Sunlight

iherb.com: where you can purchase healthy oils, and enjoy $5 off your first order by using coupon code MEL526 at checkout.

**********

July Acupuncture Special!

Buy a package of 4 acupuncture treatments in July, and pay only $200 (savings of $60!) You may buy as many packages as you'd like, for yourself or as gifts.

Though you must purchase by July 31, 2010 to get the deal, the treatments don't expire until December 31, 2010!

Enjoy!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

July Special: Four Acupuncture Treatments for $200

2010-07-03T16:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Summer!

We are holding a July Special!

Buy a package of 4 acupuncture treatments in July, and pay only $200 (savings of $60!) You may buy as many packages as you'd like, for yourself or as gifts.

Though you must purchase by July 31, 2010 to get the deal, the treatments don't expire until December 31, 2010!

Enjoy!

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Nature Lecture at Mushroom Club

2010-06-13T16:07:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather!

There is an event coming up Tuesday night that we thought some of you may be interested in: the monthly meeting of the Western PA Mushroom Club is featuring long-time naturalist Esther Allen (I've never heard her...but I've heard of her. She's in her 90's and has a wealth of knowledge about nature!) will be speaking. The details are below and for more information visit the Mushroom Club's website.

Monthly Meeting: June 15th
Title: What Fungi Do and How They Do It

Speaker(s): Esther Allen, Long-time Area Naturalist

Summary: Esther Allen has developed this new program which, rather than focus on identification or edibility, presents the essential role that fungi fill in the natural cycle of life. This is a timely topic which looks at how mushrooms function in our ecological systems. As always, she will share wonderful photographs and her phenomena wealth of knowledge of nature. A real treat.

Hope to see you there!

Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Warning: Protein Powders Contain High Levels of Heavy Metals

2010-06-11T20:40:00.002-04:00

The latest issue of Consumer Reports (July, 2010) published a study in which they tested 15 popular brands of protein powders or ready-made protein drinks and found detectable (and sometimes very high!) levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and/or mercury in every single one!

Solgar had the lowest, with just a detectable amount of just one metal. Muscle Milk Chocolate was the highest, with significant levels of all four metals. Here is my full article, originally published in Natural News:

Many common brands of protein powders and protein drinks contain high levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury according to the most recent issue of Consumer Reports magazine. All fifteen different powders and drinks tested contained measurable amounts, some quite high. Consumer Reports also argued that most people in the United States including athletes get ample protein in their diets. Heavy metal toxicity and excess protein consumption are both dangerous for one's health.

Proteins, whether from plants or animals, are broken down by the body into amino acids which are then used to form our cells and tissues. In the United States it is almost impossible to get too little protein.

Protein requirements set out by the World Health Organization range from a minimum of 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight to 0.8 grams protein per kilogram. It may increase 1 gram for endurance athletes. One pound equals 0.45 kilograms, so a 150 pound person would weigh about 68 kilograms. Excess protein can cause severe health issues such as dehydration and kidney failure.

Good vegetarian sources of protein include beans, grains such as quinoa, eggs, seeds such as hemp seeds, and even leafy green vegetables; they can give substantial amounts of protein when eaten in high enough amounts. One cup of cooked quinoa contains about 14 grams of protein. One egg contains about 6 grams of protein and one cup of raw spinach contains 1 gram of protein.

Whereas protein deficiency is not a common problem in this country, lead and other heavy metal poisoning is. Heavy metals get into tissues including the brain, heart and kidneys and are extremely difficult for the body to eliminate. Children are especially prone to heavy metal poisoning but everyone is at risk. Symptoms of heavy metal toxicity include fatigue, nausea, depression, decreased thyroid and adrenal function, and even seizures.

Blending hemp seeds, green leafy vegetables or cooked grains like quinoa into a home-made smoothie of fresh and frozen fruit and water is a much healthier way to get protein than supplementing with questionable store-bought powders and drinks.

For more specifics, browse through the July 2010 issue Consumer Reports, which is available at bookstores and libraries. It has a chart with all the findings. You can also visit Consumer Reports and find a detailed summary.

An alternative (and safer) way to get good vegetarian protein supplementation is Hemp Seeds. We make Hemp Seed Milk (recipe below), and add hemp seeds to smoothies, sprinkle on salads and other dishes. We use Nutiva Shelled Hempseed, which is 30% protein and 9% Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acid. We buy whole hemp seeds, not hemp protein powder. You can find this at a health food store, or online at iherb (where we often get ours.)

We found iherb to have great selection and great prices. They also have free shipping on orders of $40 or more. To get $5 off your first order with iherb, use code MEL526 at checkout.

Vanilla Cinnamon Hemp Seed Milk

1 cup raw hemp seeds
4 cups water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (or agave nectar, or about 5 pitted dates)

Blend well. You don't need to strain this nutmilk; the hemp seeds are soft and will be pulverized completely.

Enjoy!

Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Powerful Medicinal Mushrooms Grow Wild Across North America

2010-06-09T18:49:00.001-04:00

Here's my latest article which was recently published in Natural News magazine: Powerful Medicinal Mushrooms Grow Wild Across North America...

(Natural News) The West is catching on to what the East has known for thousands of years: mushrooms are beneficial to health. They increase immunity, provide vital nutrients, and have been shown to fight cancer. Many of the most powerful medicinal mushrooms like Reishi and Maitake grow wild right all around North America and are easy to find once one knows what to look for. (Read the rest of the article)

And these are only a few of the medicinal mushrooms which grow wild!

If you are in Western PA and interested in identifying mushrooms, check out The Western PA Mushroom Club. They now have chapters in Allegheny, Indiana and Washington/Greene counties!

Much love,

Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T20:53:00.000-04:00

Hope you all had a happy Memorial Day weekend. We'd like to send out our love and appreciation to all the people who have given their lives to defend our way of life, and to their families. We know a lot of our Birch Center family and friends have been touched by war and we extend our love and appreciation to you and your loved ones.

*****

Thank you all who joined us for our Wild Edibles Walk yesterday! In case you haven't seen it, we posted a recap of the walk and all the plants we saw on Food Under Foot. Please make sure you check it out! We'll schedule our next walks soon, so please stay tuned!

******

Stay tuned for posts later this week! You'll hear about

powerful medicinal mushrooms growing wild all around us (even right here in Western PA!)
Ways to greatly increase your vitamin D intake, like by drying shiitake mushrooms gills-up in the sun
A serious caution about protein powders and drinks: Consumer Reports has found they contain high levels of heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.

We'll get these and other stories to you soon!

Thanks again.

Peace,

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Welcome to the Birch Center!

2010-05-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

Slideshow of The Birch Center! Enjoy!

We hope you'll come visit soon.

We're available Monday through Thursday, 8 am - 9 pm, by appointment.

(412) 381-0116

Or email: BirchCenter@gmail.com

In Health,

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

What Can Acupuncture Treat?

2010-05-25T22:28:00.000-04:00

Hello lovely readers!

I just set up a blog page of the list of conditions that acupuncture treats (which is also below). BUT, on the blog page, I have also begun to link the articles and blog posts I've written explaining what acupuncture can do for you in relation to the specific conditions. It's a work in progress...I'm adding more links daily, but I hope you will check it out!

What Can Acupuncture Treat?

At the Birch Center for Health, we treat the person, not the disease, so really there is no limit to what acupuncture can treat.

Acupuncture helps the body regain balance thus alleviating symptoms and disease processes.

However, the World Health Organization has issued a comprehensive list of diseases and conditions which are treatable by acupuncture. Some of the more common conditions are:

Infections

colds and flus
bronchitis
hepatitis

Eyes-Ears-Nose-Throat

deafness
ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
menier's disease
earaches
poor eyesight
dizziness
sinus infections
sore throat
hay fever

Internal

hypoglycemia
asthma
high blood pressure
ulcers
colitis
indigestion
hemorrhoids
diarrhea
constipation
diabetes

Dermatological

eczema
acne
herpes

Musculo-Skeletal and Neurological

arthritis
neuralgia
sciatica
frozen shoulder
tennis elbow
back pain
bursitis
tendonitis
stiff neck
Bell’s palsy
trigeminal neuralgia
headache
stroke
cerebral palsy
polio
menier’s disease
dizziness
sprains

Genito-Urinary and Reproductive

impotence
infertility
pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
vaginitis
irregular period or cramps
morning sickness
Babies in breech presentation
List of conditions for Women's Health

Mental-Emotional

anxiety
depression
stress
insomnia

This is only a partial list. And remember, if you want to see the article links in relation to the conditions, you'll have to visit the conditions page. If you have any questions about what acupuncture can do for you, please give us a call at: (412) 381-0116, or email us at: BirchCenter@gmail.com.

We hope to hear from you!

In Health,

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Many Weeds Are Potent Chinese Herbs

2010-05-21T22:15:00.000-04:00

Many wild plants - which we consider weeds - are actually very useful as food and medicine!

The weeds above were found right here in Pittsburgh, and they are all in the Chinese Materia Medica and considered very powerful herbs.

Why buy expensive supplements from overseas with questionable ingredients, when you can find your medicine (and food) at your doorstep?

In Health,

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Mushrooms and Health

2010-05-13T11:48:00.000-04:00

Western Cultures are just catching on to what Eastern traditions have known for thousands of years: that mushrooms are beneficial to health.

Mushrooms have been proven to increase immunity, boost heart health, and are now being used to fight cancer. Mushrooms such as Reishi, Maitaki and Shiitake are well known, but did you know that both Reishi and Maitaki grow wild right here in Western Pennsylvania? Maitaki is known as Hen of the Woods, grows in the fall at the base of oak trees and is a very popular edible mushroom.

Right now we are on the tail end of morel mushroom season. (The yellow morel is pictured above.) Like other mushrooms, morels are endowed with healing properties as well as being a choice mushroom to eat. We were fortunate this year after joining the Western PA Mushroom Club and attending Morel Madness, that we have been able to recognize and find mushrooms all around Western PA this spring.

Most wild mushrooms must be cooked or else they are toxic, and morels are no exception. We have been documenting our morel adventures and finds, as well as posting recipes on our sister site Food Under Foot, and also on our Food Under Foot facebook page.

Here are a sampling of morel posts on the Food Under Foot blog:

Morel Madness - a recount of the great weekend put on by the Western PA mushroom club in Mingo Creek County Park, showing us all how to recognize, find and use morel mushrooms.

Morel Frittata - a recipe (with pictures) of a delicious frittata I made using morel mushrooms (pictured below)

Morel Potato Kugel - another recipe with pictures using the delicious morel mushroom.

Enjoy!

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Acupuncture and Arthritis

2010-05-12T11:21:00.000-04:00

As many clients of the Birch Center already know, acupuncture is extremely effective in the treatment of arthritis. Many kinds of arthritis can be treated with acupuncture: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis pain from chronic disease such as Lyme's disease or lupus.

The reason why so many different kinds of arthritis - pain and swelling of the joints - can all be treated is that acupuncture can help the body move the energy that becomes stagnant in the joints, reducing the swelling and pain. It really doesn't matter what the Western diagnosis is - even if you're not diagnosed with arthritis at all - acupuncture is so effective at restoring balance to the body and moving the energy from the aching joints that people experience relief, usually quite quickly.

Along with needles, we often use moxibustion, which is heating an herb over the area of the arthritis. This feels wonderful to people.

If you have arthritis or know someone who does, or have anything else going on that you'd like to talk about, you are always welcome to come in for a free 20 minute consultation with Birch Center acupuncturist David Sokulski. Just call (412) 381-0116 for an appointment. He is available Monday through Thursday, 9 am through 9 pm.

Live Science recently also published an article about how acupuncture effectively treats arthritis:

This Week’s Question: I have arthritis in my knee. I’m thinking about trying acupuncture, but my friends think I’m nuts. What do you think?

Several recent studies show osteoarthritis symptoms can be relieved with acupuncture. One Scandinavian study reported that 25 percent of patients canceled their plans for knee surgery after acupuncture.

About 15 million Americans have tried this needle therapy. The World Health Organization recommends it for more than 40 conditions as diverse as asthma and nausea from chemotherapy. The Food and Drug Administration regulates acupuncture needles.

So, no, I don’t think you’re nuts.

(You can find the article in full here.)

Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a wonderful day!

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Fresh Living Workshop

2010-05-09T16:20:00.000-04:00

It's spring and everything is blooming! What better time to learn about natural health and fresh living! Join us as we show you how you can easily incorporate healthy foods and natural healing practices in your life.

Fresh Living is the first series that covers wild edibles, raw food, aromatherapy and homeopathy in one enlightening workshop. Presented by four experienced natural health practitioners, the series give you the basics that you need to start living a naturally vibrant and deliciously healthy life!

Fee: $50, includes a wonderful raw food lunch, handouts and samples. Reservations suggested as space is limited. Please Register by May 14th.

May 22, 2010
10:30am – 2:30pm
Wilkins Community Center
7604 Charleston Ave Swissvale, PA 15218

To register call (412) 381-0116

*Please Register by Friday, May 14!

Schedule:

10:00 am – Registration and Morning Tea

10:30 am – Wild Edible Walk with Melissa
Start the morning with a walk around the park and discover nature's edible bounties that were always right before your eyes!

11:15 am – Raw Food 101 with Leah
What could be fresher than raw? In Raw Food 101, Leah will show you the basics of how to un-cook. As summer approaches, learn how to make refreshingly delicious raw meals (beyond salad!) From raw raviolis, soups, dips and desserts! We will also juice and use some of your finds at the Wild Edible Walk!

12:00 – Lunch (Raw Food and Wild Edibles)

1:00- Homeopathy 101 with Tara
Join Tara for an introduction to self-prescribing for the everyday complaints of a healthy family. These include coughs, colds, ear infections, sore throats, stomach disorders, flu, and first aid. She will cover the basic principles of homeopathic philosophy to provide a structure for understanding simple prescribing. She will also look at symptoms in depth to help guide you in observing illness. She will cover the most commonly used remedies for each of the above disorders as well as the basic principles of dosing and repetition of remedies.

1:45 – Aromatherapy with Cathy
Learn about the safe use of essential oils for household use and for physical and emotional health and well being. We'll discuss the use of pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils as alternatives to: toxic household cleaners, pet care products, insect repellents, pharmaceuticals and more. A wide variety of essential oils will be on hand to view/smell. Oils will be diffused in the room. We'll cover natural options that will build the health of our bodies and our environment instead of breaking them down. Samples will be provided for each participant to take home. Fresh water with therapeutic-grade lemon oil will be on hand for drinking.

About Us

Cathy Daniels
Cathy Daniels is the founder and owner of One Gentle Spirit Holistic Services, LLC, a Certified Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master/Teacher and Natural Health Educator, she has been sharing her passion, experiences and information regarding natural ways of bringing positive changes to the body, mind and spirit for the past 14 years. As well as providing private sessions for clients, Cathy holds classes and workshops on Hypnotherapy, Aromatherapy, Reiki, Natural Health and Nutrition Awareness.† She is the mother of 3 and is a retired La Leche League Leader.†Cathy is excited to be thriving on her path of health and wellness and joyfully sharing her experience with others.†
More information on Cathy can be found at www.onegentlespirit.com

Tara McElfresh
Tara McElfresh has been practicing and studying Homeopathy for the last 3 years. Her interest in naturopathy and alternative medicine began when her child was diagnosed with heavy metal toxicity after an adverse reaction to a vaccination. After consulting with an ND, her daughter showed incredible improvement with homeopathic treatment. Tara;s passion for homeopathy continues and she is currently working with a naturopath to deepen her knowledge and broaden her practice. She uses only natural remedies to treat her family's ailments. Tara actively writes about homeopathy and natural medicine in her blog naturalremedyhealing.blogspot.com

Leah Shannon
Leah Shannon, is a certified Integrative Nutrition Counselor and Food Educator. She received her training in Holistic Health from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and her Masters Degree in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Leah is an advocate for urban farming, healthy food accessibility, and food safety policy. Leah is the menu planner for Shepherd Wellness Community’s Friday Night Dinners and Holistic Health Counselor for Matrika Wellness Center’s Stress Reduction Programs. She serves on the board of Grow Pittsburgh whose mission is to demonstrate, teach and promote responsible urban food production. Leah lives in Stanton Heights adjacent to Mildreds’ Daughters Urban Farm where she teaches healthy cooking classes during the season.
More information on Leah can be found at www.befullwell.com

Melissa Sokulski
Melissa Sokulski is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist trained in the practice of Eastern and Holistic medicine. She received her Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology in 1996 from the New England School of Acupunture. She and her husband David are the founders and proprietors of the Birch Center for Health in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Melissa is well-recognized in Pittsburgh as an expert on Wild Edibles and Raw Food and regularly leads Wild Edible Walks around town.
More information on Melissa can be found at www.foodunderfoot.com and www.birchcenter.com

Thanks so much!

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Pittsburgh is the Most Livable City...Again!

2010-05-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

This year Pittsburgh was again chosen as the most livable city! We love Pittsburgh and the great opportunities that we have here.

Here are some of The Birch Center's favorite things about Pittsburgh!

We love our East Carson Street location, right near the corner of 20th! Pittsburgh's South Side is an awesome and fun place to be. We hold our Wild Edibles Hikes right on the south side river trail (the next one is May 30!), just a few blocks from our office. Sometimes we have time to grab lunch a few doors down at Thai Me Up, or get in a quick yoga class at BYS. And I can't seem to resist browsing right across the street at Utrecht Art Supplies every now and then!

When beauty or butterfies are what we are looking for, we jump across the river to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland, where the agave plant is literally through the roof right now!

Camping at one of the many state parks...year round!

Learning about wild mushrooms with the Western PA Mushroom Club, who hold mushroom walks every Saturday, and have informational meetings once a month, open to all! They now have Indiana and Washington County chapters. We just got back from Morel Madness weekend hosted by them...loads of fun. This group is so generous with it's knowledge...we love them!

Just a short list of some of our favorite things about Pittsburgh!

What are your favorite things here? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks so much!

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

64% off Cosmetic Acupuncture

2010-04-22T12:13:00.000-04:00

The Birch Center for Health is so excited to bring you another great deal in conjunction with Groupon! (We're the "side deal" today through this weekend, you'll find us on the sidebar.)

Today through Sunday, you may purchase a package of 3 Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture Treatments (also known as Cosmetic Acupuncture or "The Acupuncture Facial") for only $130, which is 64% off the regular price!

At only $43 per treatment, this is a great deal, even if you use it for regular acupuncture only! Our facial acupuncture treatments include:

a full consultation
whole body acupuncture treatment focusing on your specific symptoms, conditions and concerns
PLUS points on the face which help reduce wrinkles and blemishes, and bring energy and vitality to the head and face.

Birch Center Master Acupuncturist David Sokulski has been specially trained in facial acupuncture, and brings great care and skill to each treatment.

Many clients report additional benefits to these treatments:

increased memory
decrease in headaches, anxiety and depression
increase in energy and ability to sleep soundly.

Please don't miss this amazing deal!

Groupon Price: $130 for 3 treatments
Regular Price: $360 for 3 treatments
Savings of 64% (save $230!)

Purchase through Groupon today!

Thanks so much!

Sincerely,

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Wild Edibles Walks

2010-04-21T19:35:00.000-04:00

It was cold, but we still had a great turnout and great fun at both our walks at Frick Park Earth Day celebration last Saturday! Thanks to everyone who braved the cold!

We saw so many wild edibles...way more was up this year than last year, even though the event was held the same weekend last year! I guess our warm temperatures at the beginning of the month caused a lot more to come up.

Here are some things we saw:

Fiddleheads

Violets

Garlic Mustard

We also saw:

not

Please join us for our next wild edible walk, which is this Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 11 am at the south side river trail in Pittsburgh! It is $5/person (children under 10 free). For more information visit our events page. Please call (412) 381-0116 to register, so we know to expect you.

Thanks!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski, acupuncturists and herbalists

Food Under Foot
Birch Center for Health

(412) 381-0116

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Foraging Friday

2010-03-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

Food Under Foot is awake from a long winter nap!

Lots of stuff has been coming up around the 'burgh, and we are out taking pictures, harvesting, and making yummy wild things!

We document all we do with wild plants on our sister website, Food Under Foot.

Here are some highlights from this past week:

We walked around Hartwood Acres and spotted lots of garlic mustard popping up out of the ground.

We went to Frick Park to harvest some garlic mustard. I took it home and made a horseradish-like condiment from the roots. You can find the recipe and how-to here.

Today, we harvested a bunch of nettles (my fingers are still buzzing from nettles stings!) I've had a couple green smoothies and the rest is in the dehydrator. There's no post for that up yet, but there are pictures on our new facebook page!

If you're on facebook, please become a fan of Food Under Foot!

Have a great weekend and happy harvesting.

Let us know what you find.

Thanks so much,

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

2010 Spring Wild Edibles Walks Scheduled

2010-03-14T19:34:00.000-04:00

We've been getting lots of questions these days about an updated Wild Edibles Walk schedule this year....it must mean spring is really on the way!

In fact it is: I did my first wild edibles talk already for the Schenley Farms Garden Club, and Frick's Earth Day Celebration is right around the corner (2 free walks scheduled this year! See below.)

I've already seen onion grass, garlic mustard, wintercress, chickweed, mullein and dandelion out there! It's coming!! Dave and Ella finally spotted a couple robins the other day.

Here is the start of this year's schedule.

Wild Edible Walks in Pittsburgh, PA!

Join us at Frick Environmental Center for our first Wild Edible Walk of the year. This is part of Frick's Earth Day Celebration, which will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 11 am to 4 pm.

We will lead two walks this year: at 1:30 and 3 pm.

Hope to see you there!

Where: Frick Environmental Center, Pittsburgh, PA
When: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm
Cost: Free (The city is paying for this one!)
No pre-registration necessary, but arrive early, space will be limited.

Wild Edible Walks in The 'Burgh!

Join herbalists Melissa and David Sokulski, of The Birch Center for Health, for a wild edible walk.

We'll learn which wild plants (weeds) are edible, and discuss how to use them. Wild plants often have more nutritional value than even organically grown food.

Where: South Side River Trail, by the river under Birmingham Bridge, Pittsburgh, PA.
Cost: $5 per walk, kids under 10 free
Register: Call (412) 381-0116
When: Sunday, April 25, 2010 11 am - 12 pm, and Sunday, May 30, 2010 11 am - 12 pm, 11 am 12 noon,
For more information call: (412) 381-0116.

Invite Melissa Sokulski to Lead a Walk for Your Group or You and Your Friends!

Do you wonder what is growing in your own backyard? How about those weeds you pull from your garden...maybe they're edible!

Melissa can lead you and your friends on a tour of your area, yard, or garden. She'll help you identify edible plants, show you how to harvest them and suggest some great uses and recipes!

Cost: $150 for 1 1/2 hour walk and talk, plus travel fee. ($50 per additional half hour)

Thanks!

Thanks so much,

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Wild Edibles

2010-03-10T11:49:00.001-05:00

Getting ready for a new season of wild edibles!

above: early spring Burdock from last year...haven't seen it this year yet.

Tomorrow I'm doing a presentation for the Oakland Garden Club, (Wild Edibles in the 'Burgh) and the first Wild Edible Walks of the year are now scheduled!

Saturday, April 17, 2010
Frick Environmental Center
Earth Day Celebration
2 FREE walks: 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm.
These are very easy walks, where we mostly meander along and observe and discuss wild edibles we find. I'm sure we'll see onion grass, garlic mustard, burdock, dandelion, fiddleheads, cresses....it will be great fun!

I hope you join us!

We'll have our full spring schedule up soon, along with lots of other exciting things.

Stay tuned!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Today Only! $30 Acupuncture Treatment and Consultation

2010-02-16T05:01:00.000-05:00

~ Today Only ~
$30 for Acupuncture and Consultation at The Birch Center
with Groupon!

UPDATE:

*** Hi everyone: Thanks so much for participating!! Our deal is now over (I'm writing this Thursday, Feb 18), but if you want to view it, click here.

The other groupon links in this post will take you to the current groupon deal...which is potentially fabulous, so check it out!

Thanks again!! *****

We have exciting news to share with you today! The Birch Center, working with Groupon, is able to offer new and returning clients 54% off your next acupuncture treatment - including consultation! That's only $30 when you buy today. This coupon with only be available through midnight tonight, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010. You have until November 1, 2010 to come in for your treatment.

Make sure you buy yours today! If you've never come in before but have been wanting to try acupuncture for a while, now is the time! Remember, you have until November 1, 2010 to schedule your session, but you must buy today. Limit one per client, but you may buy multiples to give as gifts! So if you've been wanting to get acupuncture for a while, but haven't taken the plunge, today is the day! (And remember, you can come in anytime until November 1, 2010.)

We are so excited to be able to offer this to you! Please feel free to email your friends, post this on facebook or twitter...let your friends and family know. We don't know if we'll be able to offer this to you again, so please take advantage of this amazing deal today!

Thanks so much,

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Happy New Year! Year of the Tiger

2010-02-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

The Chinese New Year was yesterday, February 14, 2010.

Happy New Year!

It's the year of the Tiger!

2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938, 1926, 1914, 1902

Tiger years are very exciting! People born in Tiger years are lively, dynamic, compassionate, and passionate. Tigers are fearless. They pursue their dreams with impulsive, reckless abandon. They are not held back by fear or concern for material wealth or security. Tiger people are also compassionate: they love babies and care deeply for endangered, orphaned or sick animals.

The fearless Tiger sign also wards off the three main dangers to the home: fire, thieves and ghosts.

Whether you were born in a Tiger year or not, this is the year to follow your dreams! Tiger energy is in all of us, and will be stirred up this year. Uncover the dreams you had as children, you may have to search deeply and dust them off, but this is the year to recover them. If you need help remembering, I highly recommend acupuncture at The Birch Center, (I'll post an article on this in the next couple days) and the book The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron.

Tigers are also compassionate. Your compassion will also be stirred this year: what do you care deeply about? What causes are closest to your heart? This is worth giving thought to, as this year you may be able to offer time, talent or money to causes that matter most to you.

Welcome Year of the Tiger! It's going to be a great year...enjoy it to the fullest!

(Above images are from Wikimedia commons, a database of freely usable media files.)

Happy New Year!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

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Safe Nutritious Purslane Proves as Powerful as Western Meds

2010-02-10T12:52:00.000-05:00

Though we are blanketed in snow (with more falling as I write!), we know that spring is on the way!

In the meantime, here is my most recent article for Natural News: Safe Nutritious Purslane Proves as Powerful as Western Meds. I hope you enjoy it! I have confidence we'll all be enjoying fresh purslane soon!

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream. ~ Barbara Winkler

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

David Sokulski in the Trib!

2010-02-09T15:39:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, Birch Center acupuncturist David Sokulski was recently featured in The Link column of Pittsburgh Trib PM!

The article is about how Dave became interested in acupuncture, and what acupuncture can do for people. Read the article here.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Snow, Snow, Snow...but Birch Center is Open

2010-02-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

Lots and lots of snow!

Dave WILL be in the office tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 9), and parking is available on East Carson and the parking lot on 20th and we have heat, so we are open.

Of course, if you are still snowed in and can't make your appointment, please give us a call: (412) 381-0116 and it can be rescheduled.

But Dave will be there all day...so if you'd like an appointment, just give him a call!

Thanks, and enjoy the snow!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Pumpkin Seeds Expel Parasites

2010-01-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health

Pumpkin Seeds Expel Parasites....my newest article on Natural News:

(NaturalNews) In ancient China, people used an herb called Nan Gua Zi - pumpkin seeds - to expel parasites, especially tapeworm and roundworm. Today parasites may be more of a problem than commonly thought. In Healing With Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford writes, "Various parasites infect a major percentage of the population." (1). He mentions that pinworms, roundworms, and tapeworms can proliferate in a weak digestive tract. ...read the rest of the article

I've now had nearly 20 articles published on Natural News! Make sure to check them out!

Thanks so much,

Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Boost Health and Vitality with Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices

2010-01-08T19:03:00.000-05:00

With fresh fruit and vegetable juices, you are able to start the new year rejuvenated and full of energy. Making juices yourself at home enables you to concentrate vitamins and minerals from heaps of produce into a refreshing drink.

While fiber is excellent for your health in general,juicing actually removes the fiber, allowing the vitamins and minerals to enter your bloodstream fast. The sugars enter quickly, too. I like to water down all my juices (which are usually a combination of fruits and vegetables) so they are not too sweet.

The Center for Disease Control recently updated it's recommendation of "Five Fruits and Vegetable Servings a Day" in recognition that we all have different body types and needs. However, fresh fruits and vegetables are vital in all of our diets, and the CDC now often recommends more than five, based on age, gender, and level of activity. Juicing is a great addition to any diet, allowing you to easily get your servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Some people even embark on juice fasts (or juice feasts), in which they drink only fresh fruit and vegetable juice for a given time: I've completed one for 42 days! When only drinking juices for a long period of time, it's important to drink a lot of vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, which contain a lot of minerals and protein. Having celery in juice is important, too, as it contains natural sodium which allows your nervous system and brain to continue to function at it's best.

Juices can be made at home in a variety of ways. First, you can purchase a juicer such as a Jack Lelane or the more expensive Champion or Green Star. Or you can use a blender and then strain it to remove the pulp (fiber). The ingredients should be very well blended, I usually add a bit of water to help things blend better. Then strain through a jelly bag, cheese cloth, or even a paint straining bag, which can be picked up at a hardware store for just a couple dollars.

Here are a few of my favorite juice recipes which have come from my juice feast and beyond:

Winter Warmer

3 Apples
5 Carrots
1 cup fresh Cranberries
1 inch knob of Ginger

Wild Earthy Juice

I love to harvest wild edible plants, and the following juice contains burdock root, which can be harvested anytime the ground isn't frozen, as long as the plant leaves are green and hasn't shot up a flower stalk (or is dead and brown with burrs.) But it's also sold at health food stores
and Asian markets (where it is sometimes known by it's Japanese name, Gobo)

3 inch piece of burdock root
3 apples
half lemon, (with peel if organic)
1 inch ginger

Tabouli Juice

When I was on my long term juice feast, I craved savory juices, and so made juices based on my favorite dishes, which is how I came up with this one:

2 Tomatoes
4 stalks Celery
1/2 Cucumber
handful fresh mint leaves
handful Parsley
1/2 Lemon (with peel if organic)

Love,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

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Winter and Traditional Chinese Medicine

2010-01-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

Winter is the time of year which corresponds to our Kidneys and Bladder. It is the Water element, the color is black (or blue), and the emotion is fear.

Symptoms which may be associated with the Water element include

bladder and/or kidney infections
low back pain
knee pain
cavities in teeth
weak or broken bones
infertility
premature gray hair or hair loss
ringing in the ears
increase of phobias or fears

To strengthen the Water energy and keep the body in balance, it's important to keep yourself warm. Wear scarves around your neck and extra layers or scarves around your mid-section (in Japan, this is called a haramaki, or belly warmer: a tube of material which can be quite fashionable, which goes around your midsection to keep your abdomen and kidneys warm.)

If you are on a high raw or 100% raw food diet, you can add spices such as ginger to your juices and cinnamon to your foods. You can gently warm soups, and make sure to eat plenty of well blended food, as these meals are easier to digest. Fresh cranberries also make a nice addition to juices or purees this time of year, and help protect the bladder and kidneys from infection as well (especially if you are prone to this type of infection.)

Here is one of my favorite winter juice recipes:

Juice the following:

5 carrots
3 apples
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 inch knob fresh ginger

I usually add water to the juice, especially because this one is so sweet.

Warm miso soup is also a wonderful meal: heat the water and let it cool back down to ninety or one hundred degrees (warm to the touch.) Add scallions, sliced mushrooms, wakame (a sea vegetable), grated ginger and carrots, and miso, which is best first made into a paste with warm water and then added to the soup. Enjoy this soup warm.

In macrobiotic cooking, aduki beans and black beans are beneficial for the kidneys (these would be cooked beans; the macrobiotic tradition cooks the food.) Millet and winter squash are also good choices for balancing energy this time of year.

Herbs which benefit the kidneys are nettles, he shou wu (also known as Foti root), and the formula Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, or Rehmannia Six.

Now is a wonderful time of year to get acupuncture, especially if you notice any of the above symptoms. Points such as K3 and K6 on the ankle are helpful to boost the Kidney energy, as well as bladder points along the spine on the back. Moxibustion is wonderful this time of year to help add heat to the body via the acu-points, abdomen and meridians.

As always, we are happy to answer your questions. Please comment below, email us at BirchCenter@gmail.com or give us a call (412) 381-0116.

Thanks so much!

Love,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

2009 Highlight: Dave Goes Cacao Crazy!

2009-12-31T00:05:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve!

Here's a highlight from 2009 that is only now appearing for the first time on this blog!

We made this video for our friend's blog (www.PureJeevan.com), and it got a bit silly!

Hope you enjoy it!

Best of 2009: Acupuncture Treats Peripheral Neuropathy

2009-12-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

Here we are, inching closer to the end of 2009!

We hope you received our Season's Greetings and special offer...if you're not on our mailing list, please sign up today!

In 2009, Birch Center acupuncturist Melissa Sokulski became a citizen journalist for Natural News, publishing many articles ranging from medicinal uses of wild edible plants, to benefits of acupuncture on different conditions.

Here is one that was a favorite: Acupuncture Treats Peripheral Neuropathy, first published in Natural News on May 6, 2009:

(NaturalNews) Neuropathy, or Peripheral Neuropathy, is defined as having numbness, tingling or pain in nerves apart from the spine or brain, often in the hands and feet. It is a fairly common symptom, occurring in people with spinal injuries, diabetes, and genetic conditions such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome. Acupuncture can be an effective way to treat these symptoms, bringing energy, life and feeling back into the extremities. (...More)

Thanks so much for reading, and we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!

Love,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Acupuncture Produces Amazing Results In Reversing Infertility

2009-11-12T09:54:00.001-05:00

Recently, Mike Adams of Natural News put together interesting research and findings about how acupuncture often successfully treats infertility.

Of course, it may not be a secret to those in the Pittsburgh area...many people diagnosed with infertility find their way to the Birch Center! We can attest that acupuncture treatments have a very high success rate for reversing infertility.

Here is an excerpt from Mike's article in Natural News:

(NaturalNews) Of all the available treatments for infertility, acupuncture isn't one that people usually think of first. But as you'll see here, it's actually one of the safest and most effectiveness treatments for infertility known to modern science.

Why does it work so well? Because infertility isn't usually a physical problem. It's often an issue related to circulation or energy channels that govern the vitality of your body's organs (including reproductive organs). Rebalancing those bioelectric channels can create enormous healing changes in the function of your reproductive organs.

Read the rest of his article here.

To make an acupuncture appointment at The Birch Center, please call us at (412) 381-0116.

If you are wondering what acupuncture can do for you, feel free to take advantage of our no-cost no-obligation 20 minute consultation with Birch Center Acupuncturist David Sokulski. Call (412) 381-0116 to set up and appointment for that as well. You can also send us an email: BirchCenter@gmail.com.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Buy Gift Certificates Online!

2009-10-26T21:55:00.001-04:00

You can now buy gift certificates to the Birch Center for Health online!

You can purchase a specific service or package, or choose an amount and let the recipient decide on which services they'd like! (If you'd like an amount different than what is offered, simply call us at (412) 381-0116 and we can take your order over the phone.)

Give the gift of health: Buy a Gift Certificate from The Birch Center Today!

Thanks and enjoy!

Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Use Traditional Chinese Medicine to Prevent or Treat Swine Flu (H1N1)

2009-10-21T19:34:00.000-04:00

Birch Center's own acupuncturist Melissa Sokulski's article on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Swine Flu was published in Natural News:

(NaturalNews) There is a lot of fear of Swine flu (H1N1) this season, but Traditional Chinese Medicine has effective techniques both to boost immunity and recover from flu, which are thousands of years old.

In Chinese Medicine, flu and colds are considered ... read more

In case you missed it, we did a 4-part series on Swine Flu and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) right here on this blog! Check it out if you missed it:

Part 1: Prevention of Swine Flu with TCM
Part 2: Treatment of Swine Flu with TCM
Part 3: Chinese Herbal Treatments of Swine Flu
Part 4: Building Immunity with Fermented Vegetables

We hope you enjoy the information we provide on our blog and newsletters. If you have other questions, especially specific questions about your own condition or health, or would like an appointment, please contact us online or by calling (412) 381-0116.

Thanks again,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Sign up today and receive your free gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Health Right Now. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Chinese Herbs Show Promise For Diabetes Prevention

2009-10-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

An article by Amy Norton was recently published in Reuters about Diabetes Prevention and Chinese Herbs.

Here is an excerpt:

A number of traditional Chinese herbs may help control blood sugar levels in people at high risk of diabetes, a new research review suggests.

The review, which examined 16 clinical trials of 15 different herbal formulations, found that the herbs generally helped lower blood sugar levels in people with "pre-diabetes" -- those with impaired blood-sugar control that can progress to full-blown type 2 diabetes. (Read the full article here.)

How exciting that studies like this are being published in the mainstream media!

We carry many Traditional Chinese Herbal Formulas at The Birch Center for Health, and are happy to assist you choose the right one for you.

There are many other things that can be done to control one's blood sugar, including:

Eating a diet high in raw vegetables, especially leafy greens
Cutting out white and brown sugar, white flour and white rice from one's diet
Reducing (or eliminating) alcohol consumption
Drinking Green Vegetable Juices
Acupuncture treatments are an excellent way to balance the body's energy and optimize health

If you have specific questions about your own health condition or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at (412) 381-0116, or send us an email: BirchCenter@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the information we provide on our blog and newsletters. If you have other questions, especially specific questions about your own condition or health, or would like an appointment, please contact us online or by calling (412) 381-0116.

To Your Health!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Keep Your Heart Healthy and Strong with Traditional Chinese Medicine

2009-10-18T13:45:00.000-04:00

At the Birch Center for Health, we offer Traditional Chinese Medicine to keep the Heart healthy and strong, even when a person does not have typical symptoms of heart disease.

Heart health is fundamental to whole body health. Many people have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure. The standard American diet contributes to high rates of heart disease in this country. Some people have symptoms correlating to heart conditions: heart palpitations, heart pain, shortness of breath, fatigue after light exertion. Hypothyroid conditions can also put us at risk for heart disease.

Yet many people do not know if they have heart weakness. With Chinese Medicine, one does not need to already have symptoms of heart disease for heart weakness to be detected and corrected.

Historically physicians in China were paid to keep people well; when someone became sick it meant the physician did not do their job.

At The Birch Center, we consider all symptoms: sometimes even insomnia or anxiety can be indicative of a weakness of heart energy. They also look at the tongue (the heart reflects at the tip, and the color of the tongue indicates the state of the blood in the body), and feel the pulse: the first position on the left side reflects heart energy. When a weakness is felt in any meridian, needles are placed to help the body balance the energy and correct the weakness.

There are also powerful Chinese herbal formulas which can help the energy and blood of the heart meridian and whole body. We carry these formulas at The Birch Center, and can help choose the correct formula:

Si Wu Wan: to boost the body's blood
Ba Zhen Tang: to help the whole body's qi(energy) and blood
Gui Pi Tang, when the energy and blood of the Heart and Spleen are effected
An Mian Tang: when the Heart weakness shows up as insomnia

Other remedies can also help the heart. Hawthorne Tea and CoQ10 are two important supplements to take. We often purchase supplements such as these at www.iherb.com. With coupon code MEL526 you will receive $5 off your first order.

Leafy green vegetables also play an important role in heart health. Chlorophyll, found in dark green leafy vegetables (the pigment which gives plants their green color), is excellent to build our blood.

The molecule of chlorophyll is almost identical to a molecule of hemoglobin, except instead of iron at its center, chlorophyll has Magnesium, which is highly beneficial to the heart.

Swiss chard, collard greens, and kale are high in chlorophyll, as are wild edibles such as dandelion greens and lambs quarters. As winter approaches, we also like to use green powders, such as Vitamineral Green, an amazing raw food powder by Healthforce Nutritionals which we are pleased to now carry at The Birch Center for Health.

Ways to get greens more greens into your diet include:

Salads
Green Smoothies
Green Juices
Blended Salads or Energy Soups

Recipe for Green Juice:

Feed the following vegetables and fruits through a juicer for a delicious, green, heart-healthy juice:

3 stalks celery
1 small cucumber
1 handful parsley
1 large apple
1/4 organic lemon, with peel

Q and A: Answering Your Questions

2009-10-16T13:48:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take some time to answer some questions we've been receiving for the benefit of everyone who may be wondering about these things.

The first one is about the coupon we've been giving out:

Hi,
Saw the coupon for $5.00 coupon at iHerb.com (coupon code MEL526). Are you at the Birch Center, recommending these products?
Want to order a few, however, hesitant about ordering these supplements on line without know anything about them.I am assuming you are, as they were in your newsletter, however, just wanted to confirm.

Would appreciate your input before I order anything.Trusting your opinion.

Hope to hear from you.

Thanks so much for the question! Sorry I didn't make that more clear:

Yes, we order our supplements online from iherb. They have a huge range of brand names, so if you have other questions about specific products, let us know and we can try to help. We are very happy with iherbs prices, discounts, service and selection. We have bought all sorts of vitamins and supplements, as well as sea vegetables like nori sheets, cacao (raw chocolate), goji berries, green powders, essential oils, bath salts and homeopathic remedies.

Just let us know if you have other questions, but I do recommend them. They ship very fast and the customer service has also been very nice and helpful to us (when we needed it) as well.

The coupon we offer is for $5 off your first order, and it is with coupon code MEL526.

The second question was also supplement related:

Hi Melissa/Dave,

Dave mentioned taking a mix of mushrooms, as a supplement to help my immune system. Is there a specific product that you recommend?

By the way, thanks for recommending iHerb - I'm finding all the vitamins and supplements I'm looking for on this site, and they do have the best prices I've found on the web.

Thanks for sharing all the good info on this blog!

Thank you for the compliment and the question! The product Dave mentioned is called Immune Renew, and it's from NOW Foods. We actually carry this at the Birch Center. It is a blend of medicinal mushrooms plus the Chinese herb astragalus, which is greatly beneficial for the immune system. This time of year is an excellent time to take this supplement, as we described in Part 3 of our 4-part series about Swine (and other) Flu and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Make sure to take the Immune Renew when you are feeling healthy to keep yourself strong. If you find yourself with symptoms of cold or flu, it is often best to switch to an herbal formula specific to that, such as Yin Qiao, Gan Mao Ling, or Echinacea. More information about herbs to keep yourself healthy during flu season can be found here.

As we mentioned, Immune Review and the Chinese herbal supplements are now available at the Birch Center, but Immune Renew, Echinacea, Emergen-C (the vitamin C supplement we love) and other supplements can also be found on www.iherb.com, and coupon code MEL526 gets you $5 off your first order.

Thanks so much for all your questions, please keep them coming!

We hope you are enjoying the information we provide on our blog and newsletters. If you have other questions, especially specific questions about your own condition or health, please contact us online or by calling (412) 381-0116.

Thanks again,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Swine Flu Part 4: Building Immunity With Fermented Vegetables

2009-10-14T13:20:00.000-04:00

Here is the final part in our 4-part series on Swine (and other) flu and Chinese Medicine.

In Part 1, we discussed flu prevention.
Part 2, we discussed what to do to recover from the flu quickly.
Part 3 was Chinese Herbal Medicine and Remedies
And now we have Part 4: Building Immunity with Fermented Vegetables.

Our body's immunity is enhanced by having the proper intestinal flora. Often, if we have taken antibiotics or have otherwise compromised our bowel health (balance), yeast has overgrown and we suffer symptoms such as poor immunity.

We have many dietary tools at our disposal to help remedy the problem:

drastically reduce our sugar intake; sugar causes yeast to flourish and impedes our immunity more,
take probiotics to restore the “good bacteria” in our intestine,
eat cultured or fermented products, which are filled with live cultures which are beneficial to our intestinal flora and our health.

Some products which contain live cultures include

unpasteurized miso (and when you make miso soup, do not boil the miso or the live cultures will be killed, see part 2 for a miso soup recipe)
raw sauerkraut (often called cultured vegetables)
raw pickles
raw kim chi
yogurt
kefir
kombu
rejuvelac (a fermented beverage made by soaking sprouted wheatberries in water overnight.)

These live foods restore balance to our bodies and greatly enhance our immunity.

Many of these foods are eaten in the East, and are a staple in Macrobiotic cooking – a healing style of diet which has its roots in Japan. Kim chi is a hugely popular spicy Korean style of fermented vegetable, and pickles are very common in the East and West, though many of the ones you buy in the store are made with cooked cucumbers and then pasteurized, so there is actually no live culture in them.

Real pickles are simple to make. I prefer using the pickling cucumbers and cutting them into fourths lengthwise.

I put them in a canning jar and fill the jar with filtered water. I also add two peeled and crushed garlic cloves and about a Tbsp of dill seeds. I've also read that adding a grape leaf (if you have one on hand, which we do have growing in our garden) will keep the pickles crispier. Finally, I add a couple Tablespoons of sea salt, and check it for taste.

I usually cover with the regular canning top, but the next day I will open the jar and taste one of the cucumbers to test for saltiness: usually I add more salt at this point. I taste them every day and in only a day or two more you have delicious live dill pickles, better than you will find at any store!

Coming up I will share a step by step pictorial of how to make cultured vegetables and kim chi: equally as simple, healthy and delicious as the pickles were to make. I'll also post a book review of my favorite book on the subject: Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, which we now carry at the Birch Center, along with canning jars (and sometimes we even have extra SCOBYs for making kombucha!)

Thank you for tuning in to our series on Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Swine Flu. I hope you feel more empowered to take control of your health this season, and know the healthier you are the less you have to fear about what goes around.

If there is any topic you'd like to see us cover on the blog, please comment below or send us and email to BirchCenter@gmail.com. Also, if you'd like to make an appointment for a health consultation or an acupuncture treatment, please call us at (412) 381-0116. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. We'd love to stay in touch. Thank you!

Swine Flu and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Part 3

2009-10-08T19:29:00.000-04:00

Part 3: Herbs and Supplements to Keep you Healthy and Strong During Flu Season

Welcome to Part 3 of our 4-part series on Swine Flu and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Part 1: we covered Prevention
Part 2: we covered what to do if you find yourself with the flu

Today we will discuss herbal ways to keep yourself healthy and strong during flu season.

One thing we want to stress: receiving acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal supplements for whatever symptoms you have, will only bring you more in balance, and make your immunity stronger.

You may find yourself giving an herbal supplement not mentioned here: that is ok. Chinese medicine is specific and unique to each individual. The herbs mentioned here are general recommendations, if you want to find out the best supplements or herbal medicines for you, please give us a call at (412) 381-0116 to set up and appointment. We would love to see you and take the time to personalize a program for you.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the actions the herbs have on your body is very important. The herbs we mention to strengthen immunity should not be taken if you already have a cold or the flu. Instead, it is important to switch to herbs which will expel the exterior, which means push the invading pathogens out. We will mention herbs for both situations below.

If you are in generally good health and what to stay that way, one supplement we have available at the Birch Center is called Immune Renew. This is a combination of the Chinese herb astragalus, reishi and other medicinal mushrooms. This combination is excellent for the immune system, and is often recommended to people with lowered immunity in general, for example people going through chemotherapy, or have immune deficiency syndromes.

Chinese herbal formulas which are good to tonify qi include:

Immune Renew: discussed above
Four Gentlemen, which is a basic formula to boost the qi
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan, boosts the body qi but also has a "lifting" action, if there are sinking symptoms such as bleeding and prolapses
Gui Pi Wan - boosts the qi and blood, when there are also signs of blood deficiency, which may show up as anxiety, irritability and insomnia

These all help boost general qi and affect the immune system, but in slightly different ways. Again, there are other formulas which may be more beneficial to you based on your individual symptoms. The one that matches you best is the best one for you to take to make you stronger and boost your own immunity. If you would like to consult with us, we'd be happy to see you. Just call (412) 381-0116 to set up an appointment.

If you find yourself coming down with something, feeling a bit run down but no general symptoms, you can take Echinacea and vitamin C. We love the brand Emergen-C, which has 1000 mg of vitamin C, plus B vitamins, magnesium and a few other things, and mixes into water for a delicious beverage. These products can be found at health food stores, or can be ordered online through www.iherb.com. Use coupon code MEL526 for $5 off your first order with iherb. We order from iherb regularly, their prices are awesome!

Another option is the Chinese herbal formula Yin Qiao Wan. This is especially good to take if you notice signs like sore throat, headache, thirst, or yellow tongue coating.

If you find yourself with a full blown bad cold or flu, Gan Mao Ling, is a wonderful Chinese remedy.

We do carry both Yin Qiao and Gan Mao Ling at the Birch Center.

Nutritionally, we mentioned miso soup yesterday, with scallions, garlic and ginger, all of which have the action of pushing the "invaders" out of your body.

The miso has the added benefit of being a live fermented food: tomorrow we will talk about how beneficial fermented (or cultured) foods like cultured veggies, sauerkraut, natural pickles, yogurts, etc are for your immunity. We'll talk to you then!

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment for Acupuncture or to discuss a program of herbal medicines or supplements, or come by to pick up any of the herbs we mentioned, please call us at (412) 381-0116 or send us an email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs
Birch Center for Health
Pittsburgh, PA
(412) 381-0116

Swine Flu and Traditional Chinese Medicine: Part 2: Recovery

2009-10-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Part 2 of our 4-part series on Swine Flu. Yesterday we discussed ways to prevent the flu and keep our immune system strong and healthy. Today, we are going to discuss what to do if you happen to find yourself with the flu.

Symptoms of flu include sore throat, fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, and digestive upset. In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, these are symptoms of an "external pathogen invading the body." The symptoms you feel are signs of your body fighting to expel it.

Steps you can take to help yourself get better, faster include:.

Rest, but allow yourself fresh air, consider opening windows to air out a room
Miso soup with ginger, garlic, onions/scallions (recipe below)
Acupuncture: to help the body release the external invasion.

There are excellent points such as TW 5 (on the forearm) and LI 4 (on the hand) which can help the body expel the pathogen. We also typically include points such as Sp 6 and St 36 (both on the legs), which strengthen the immune system and settle digestion. At the Birch Center we also include local points and manual treatments such as moxabustion (heating of an herb on or above the skin or on acupuncture needles), cupping, gwa sha and massage to help your body expel the pathogen, symptoms diminish and energy increase.

To schedule an acupuncture appointment, or come in for a free 20-minute consultation (with no obligation) please call (412)381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Chinese Herbal Formulas such as Yin Qiao and Gan Mao Ling (both available at the Birch Center).

Yin Qiao is often taken at first signs of the flu, especially when a sore throat is present, and Gan Mao can be taken if the flu has settled in, causing cough, stuffiness, and eye symptoms. We can help you choose depending on symptoms and how long you've had the flu.

Recipe for Miso Soup

Soup is always comforting when we are sick. Miso soup is beneficial on many levels, including the addition of unpasteurized miso (can be picked up at Health Food Stores), which contain live cultures full of beneficial bacteria which help strengthen our body's immune systems. It's important not to boil the miso, as this will kill the bacteria.

In addition to the miso:

sea vegetables such as wakame (purchased at Asian food stores or natural food stores) are also extremely strengthening to the system

onions, garlic and ginger all help expel external pathogens

Directions:

Heat 4 cups of water in a pot to just above body temperature: from 105 to 115 degrees. It should feel hot to you, but you should not burn your finger when testing the water.

To this heated water, add:

3 Tbsp chopped scallions
1 clove crushed or chopped garlic
2 tsp dried wakame seaweed (if not already in small pieces, cut the dried seaweed into tiny pieces with a scissors before adding it to the water. It will expand greatly and soften once it's in the water)

In a bowl, take a heaping Tbsp of miso and mix with some of the warmed water until it's a thin paste, then add it into the pot of soup. Taste and season with dried ginger and sea salt, if necessary.

Enjoy.

Tune in tomorrow when we discuss in more detail the herbal remedies and supplements that can help you prevent and recover from colds and the flu.

If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, please call The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Thank you!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Swine Flu (H1N1) and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Part 1: Prevention

2009-10-06T19:31:00.000-04:00

There is a lot of fear of Swine flu (H1N1) this season, I thought I'd take a moment to give our take on Swine Flu, flu in general, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This post got very long, so we decided to do it as a series this week, and break it into parts.

Today will be:

Part 1: Prevention: Keeping the body's immunity strong

The rest of the week you will see:

Part 2: Recovery and Swine Flu: What to do if You Get the Flu
Part 3: Chinese Herbal Medicine and Swine Flu: A Review of Some of the Best Herbal Formulas and Supplements to Keep you Healthy and Strong
Part 4: Fermented Vegetables: The Way to Health

We hope you enjoy this series. If there is anything specific you'd like to see addressed, either about Swine Flu or any other condition, please comment below or send an email to BirchCenter@gmail.com.

Part 1: Prevention

Much of the hype and fear around this flu has thankfully settled down, as it turns out this flu does not seem to be any more deadly than any other flu. If you are in good health, your chances of coming down with the flu are decreased, and your rate of recovery is faster.

Please do not feel the need to rush out and get the vaccine. This vaccine contains mercury in the form of thimerisol (preservative), and has not been widely tested. For more information with a cautionary view of vaccines, please check out 9 Reasons not to Give Your Child Get the H1N1 Vaccine by Dr. Mercola, and at the end of this post is an interview with an MD (on Fox news) cautioning against this vaccine.

In Chinese Medicine, flu and colds are considered an invasion of the body of external pathogens, usually cold or heat. Cold often turns to heat in the body, and we have signs of sore throat, fatigue, achiness, cough, and stuffiness.

When our body's Qi (Energy) - especially Wei Qi (Immune Energy) is strong, we are able to fight off these invasions. The energy pathways responsible for keeping the Qi strong are the Digestive energy and Lung Energy (which controls the Wei Qi.)

To keep our Qi strong and prevent the flu and common cold:

Eat a Healthy Diet, full of fresh raw fruits and vegetables
Cut out sugar, especially white and brown sugar, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. These lower our immunity
Wash your hands frequently with regular soap and water (here is why we do not recommend anti-bacterial soap)
Get outside in the fresh air. Take walks and expose yourself to sunshine (Vitamin D).
Acupuncture - Acupuncture is fantastic to strengthen the entire body, balance energy, and strengthen the Qi and Wei Qi. Even if someone does not have other symptoms, they can still use acupuncture to help boost their immunity. Also, when someone is coming in for other symptoms, the balancing of the body done during acupuncture will impart an increase in immunity, even if that is not what we are working on specifically during the treatment.

To schedule an acupuncture appointment, or come in for a free 20-minute consultation (with no obligation) please call (412)381-0116, or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.
Herbal Medicine and Supplements to keep immune system strong. We carry quite a few Chinese herb formulas at the Birch Center to strengthen immunity and keep one strong, including:
- Immune Renew, which contains the Chinese herb astragalus and medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi and Maitaki
- Four Gentleman - a classic herb formula to keep the Qi strong
- Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, a combination of ginseng and astragalus, used in specific cases to strengthen the body's Qi

Additional Ways Keep Digestion Strong, which will in turn keep the whole body's Qi, including Immunity, strong:

Fresh Raw Foods, which are full of natural enzymes
If trouble digesting foods, can take enzymes with food
Bao He Wan is an excellent Chinese herbal formula to help with digestion, especially if there is a feeling of fullness, bloating, gas and slow digestion after eating (we also carry this at the Birch Center.)
Fermented Vegetables
Probiotics: supplements, yogurts, kefir, fermented/cultured veggies, miso
Acupuncture to Strenghten Digestion: Control Points such as Spleen 6 and Stomach 36 keep the digestion strong and flowing

Please check back on Thursday for Part 2: Recovery: What to do if you find yourself sick with the flu this season.

Here is the video of an MD explaining why he would NOT give his own children the H1N1 vaccine:

If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, we would love to hear from you. Please give us a call at (412) 381-0116 or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.

To purchase any of the formulas mentioned, please call our office at (412) 381-0116. You may stop by Monday through Thursday, but please let us know first, that way we can make sure someone is there to help you.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski
Acupuncturists
Birch Center for Health

(412) 381-0116

Raw Food Potluck and Wild Edible Walk Sunday

2009-10-02T14:26:00.000-04:00

If you are interested in raw foods and wild edible plants, please join us in Schenely park this Sunday, October 4 at noon (Steeler game is not until 8:20 pm this Sunday, so you won't miss a thing!)

Black Walnuts - still in their green hulls - which we will likely see on Sunday

This event is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Raw Food Meetup Group, so if you'd like to attend (it's a free event), please join the meetup group (there is no charge to join) and RSVP on the meetup invitation page. This way you will be contacted if there are any last minute changes (weather!), and given the full information about the whereabouts and who to contact with questions. We hope to see you there!!!

If you are new to raw foods: this is a potluck, so please bring a dish containing only raw (uncooked) fruits and veggies...a simple fruit salad is always welcome (no canned fruit, though, only fresh.) If you are feeling adventurous, check out some of the many raw recipes on sites like www.goneraw.com or the wonderful recipe page of the All Raw Directory. If you are really inspired, you may want to check out some of the raw "cook" books we recommend in the raw food section of our bookstore.

Here is a simple recipe I am preparing tonight:

Garden Fresh Tomato Salad

5 Garden Tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed (or finely chopped)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or you can use fresh thyme or oregano)

Mix all ingredients together well and serve...delicious!

See you soon!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

Autumn: The Metal Element

2009-09-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

Autumn is here! In Chinese Medicine, the fall corresponds to the Metal Element (of the Five Element Cycle). The metal is the element of the Lungs and Large Intestine (paired organs.) The emotion is grief and letting go, the color is white.

It is the time of year to harvest what we have sown (in the garden and life), clean out the garden beds, tidy up. It is a wonderful time of year to let go of things: that which is cluttering our space (I was just in the garden, pulling lots of overgrown weeds, making space for some paw paw seeds and kale...can you tell?)

Speaking of Paw Paws (pictured above), fall is the time of year for some wonderful wild edible plants! Take a look over at Food Under Foot, where I have posts about two of my favorites: paw paws and black walnuts.

Back to the metal element, the change of seasons is a great time of year to come in for an acupuncture tune up. Changing seasons often bring to the front any small imbalances we may have going on...this time of year we may notice (all which may be related to the metal element):

allergies
asthma
acne
sinus issues
constipation
sadness or depression

as well as other imbalances coming to the forefront:

difficulty sleeping
low energy
headaches, etc.

Sometimes just coming in four or five times a year (at the change of seasons) is all an otherwise healthy person needs to keep themselves on track and functioning at their best.

If you'd like to come in for a treatment give us a call at (412) 381-0116. We're back in Pittsburgh and regular office hours have resumed: Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 9 pm, by appointment.

If you are wondering about acupuncture and what it can do for you, please take advantage of our 20 minute, free with no obligation consultation with acupuncturist David Sokulski of the Birch Center for Health. He will be happy to sit down with you and discuss your questions and condition, and offer his thoughts about acupuncture and other health options for you. Just call us at (412) 381-0116 to set up an appointment.

And if you are in the Monroeville area, you can meet David on Friday evening, September 25, from 4 pm to 8 pm, at a FREE Wellness Fair, hosted by Palms Therapeutic Massage, LLC. The Fair will be held in the Parkway Office Complex (upper level – right above Palms Therapeutic Massage, LLC.) The address is: 4280 Old William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146.

Thanks so much! We hope to see you soon!

Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

Acupuncture Effectively Treats Insomnia

2009-09-08T20:57:00.000-04:00

Acupuncture treats the person, not the disease, therefore there is really no limit to what acupuncture can treat. Acupuncture helps balance the body's energy, strengthening weak areas and moving energy where it's stuck.

That being said, there is a large and growing list of conditions which acupuncture has been proven to help, as published by the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health.

In this series of articles, we'll be addressing these conditions and more, explaining how acupuncture and Chinese medicine, including massage, herbs and lifestyle adjustments, can bring balance and relief safely and effectively.

If you'd like us to address a specific condition, you are welcome to comment below or email BirchCenter@gmail.com.. You are also welcome to take advantage of our 20 minute free health consultation, with no obligation, with Birch Center Acupuncturist David Sokulski. Call today to schedule that appointment: (412) 381-0116.

Acupuncture and Insomnia

Insomnia is a common condition we see at The Birch Center. Sometimes people come in with insomnia as the main complaint, other times it is revealed that they have insomnia (or difficulty falling or staying asleep) during the in-depth questioning we do as part of the intake.

The burning of the herb mugwort on the heel of a person who has difficulty falling asleep.

Insomnia can have many causes; figuring out the cause is an important part of diagnosis and treatment. For instance, pain can cause insomnia because the person is not able to get into a comfortable position for sleeping and the pain wakes them up. In that case we treat the pain (pain management with acupuncture often has excellent results.)

Eating late at night is also a common cause of insomnia. When people stop eating after 7 pm, sleep often comes much more easily and is more peaceful.

Other causes we see are yin deficiency, and imbalance of yin and yang, spleen deficiency and stagnant liver qi.

At the Birch Center for Health, we take a detailed history which includes questioning, pulse and tongue diagnosis, which gives us a more complete picture of that person as a whole. So even if it is determined that two different clients have insomnia as a result of over-thinking/spleen deficiency, their treatments may still be different, depending on each person's constitution (strength and type of overall body and health), and other factors.

This is what makes acupuncture so individualized and effective: there is no one prescription for a condition. Each time you come in, you are re-evaluated, and each treatment is selected specifically for you. This is also why it is so common to see all sorts of symptoms clear up - not just the one someone has come in to treat. We are never just working on a symptom alone; in every treatment, the whole person is being addressed and treated.

We hope you enjoy this series! If there are other conditions you'd like to see addressed, please to comment or email us BirchCenter@gmail.com.
If you'd like to come in, please call (412) 381-0116 to schedule an appointment. If you just want to ask us questions about your condition, you can call or schedule a 20 minute free consultation, which is a more in depth personalized way to really address your issues.

Thanks so much!

Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

September Travel and Birch Center Hours

2009-09-02T17:23:00.000-04:00

Lots of exciting things going on this September! We just returned from Raw Spirit Festival outside Washington DC. We were happy to hear Dr. Brian Clement of Hippocrates Health Institute, and Paul Nison (among others) speak, have a tasty raw food demo from chef Kepra Anu, hear amazing music like the kirtan from Kamaniya and Keshavacharya Das and screen Jenna Norwood's awesome new movie Supercharge Me.

Birch Center Acupuncturist David Sokulski hooping it up at Raw Spirit Festival

Wild Edibles came up A LOT during the festival: how intensely nutritious and amazing for you they are, and how most people know so very little about them, and what we can eat. For LOTS more information on this, visit our new website, devoted entirely to Wild Edible Plants: Food Under Foot. You'll be in the dark no more!

Next we are heading to Maine to attend my cousin Elijah's wedding. Elijah is an amazing musician...you can hear his music on his myspace page.

The Birch Center is open and we are seeing clients the following days:

Tuesday, Sept 1
Wednesday, Sept 2
Thursday, Sept 3
Wednesday, Sept 9
Thursday, Sept 10
Friday, Sept 11

We will then be closed for a week, but will return to our regular hours on Monday, September 21.

Please do call us if you'd like to talk or schedule an appointment (412) 381-0116. We will be checking messages and will return your call. Computer time, however, will be sporadic if at all, so it may take us a bit to return an email, but we will get back to you!

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa and David

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

Walking with the Western PA Mushroom Club

2009-08-16T14:23:00.000-04:00

Mushrooms!

Today Dave, Ella and I did something new: we went for a hike with the Western PA Mushroom Club!

Our two day camping trip to Raccoon Creek State Park prompted our interest in mushrooms. While there to get a glimpse of the Perseid Meteor Shower away from the city lights, we noticed an abundance of mushrooms! We stopped in to the nature center at the Wildflower Reserve, and the woman brought us out some great books on mushrooms that we poured over.

One thing we learned was that although mushrooms can be extremely dangerous and deadly, not to be afraid to dig them up and take a look at them. (I have always been too afraid to even touch anything!)

So we took pictures, took notes, went back to the books and found a huge amount of interesting information! By observation, I noticed some mushrooms had “gills” and others “pores.” When we returned to town we looked up the Mushroom Club, found that they walk just about every Saturday morning from spring through November, and so we set out with them today.

Mushroom Hatching from an "egg".

Many Amanitas are deadly poisonous, and some people just avoided them.

Old Man of The Woods, edible, turns black when picking (we did not eat yet)

Chanterelle Harvest (edible!)

Identifying the mushrooms after the walk

The exciting thing was the harvest of tasty chanterelles! Look for our entry on them coming soon on Food Under Foot!

A few good books we found for identifying mushrooms are
North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi , and National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.

Visit our store for all our book recommendations!

Please check out Food Under Foot for future entries on how we prepared the chanterelles, Old Man of the Woods, and other mushroom adventures.

Mushrooms are powerful medicine so check back here for entries on there healing qualities.

Love,

Melissa and Dave

Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com
Have fun, stay safe!

Article About Us in City Paper!

2009-07-16T18:34:00.000-04:00

There's a great article about us in this week's City Paper, if you haven't picked one up yet you can read it here.

It's mainly about our new website, Food Under Foot, and the bounty of Wild Edible Plants (especially these warm summer days.)

Check it out if you get a chance.

Thanks!

~ Melissa and Dave Sokulski

Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

Fundraiser for Daniel Patch: Screening of God Grew Tired of Us

2009-07-08T15:03:00.000-04:00

God Grew Tired of Us, The Movie
Film Screening and Fundraiser for Daniel Patch

We noticed a lot of interest in a flyer that was posted in our office, about a fundraiser that is coming up Saturday, July 11. It is a screening of the movie God Grew Tired Of Us, and Daniel Patch - one of the film's subjects and someone many people know from Whole Foods, where he works in the produce department - will be in attendance to talk about his experience. The hope for the fundraiser is to help Daniel bring his family safely to American from the Sudan, and if you want to attend the screening or help in any way, the information is below.

July 11, 2009 7 PM

2534 Mount Royal Road
Squirrel Hill, 15217

RSVP: Cayce Mell at (724) 689-5790

Please join us for a screening of the powerful film: God Grew Tired Of Us.

Daniel Patch (one of the film's subjects, some may know him from Whole Foods where he works in the produce department) will be in attendance to talk about his experiences.

Our hope is to raise funds to help Daniel reunite with is family members who survived the war in Sudan, and to assist Daniel in bringing his family to safety here in America.

RSVP: Cayce Mell, (724) 689-5790
* If you can't make the screening but would like to help Daniel by offering a donation, please call Cayce at the number above. 100% of the proceeds go directly to helping Daniel and his family. Thank you.*

Enjoy the Sun (And Leave Harmful Sunscreens Behind)

2009-07-06T15:56:00.000-04:00

Supplies the body with vitamin D, which promotes the absorption of Calcium and transfers Calcium across cell membranes, thus strengthening the bones

Lowers blood cholesterol

Prevents infections from bacteria, mold, and viruses

Increases white blood cell count and gamma globulin count, thus enhancing the immune system

Strengthens the heart and cardiovascular system.

Sunlight aids in preventing:

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Osteoporosis

Depression and Anxiety

Type 2 Diabetes

Cancers of the bladder, breast, cervix, ovaries, colon, prostate and stomach.

However, you don't want to get too much sun, and avoid getting burned. Be careful to do this naturally, though, and avoid using commercial sunscreens, which are loaded with harmful chemicals that are not approved by the FDA (but don't have to be, since they are applied to the skin.)

One such chemical is called oxybenzone, which has been linked in studies to allergies, hormone disruption, cell damage, and low birth weight in girls whose moms were exposed during pregnancy. Oxybenzone is actually a penetration enhancer, which means it aids in helping get itself and other chemicals into your body through your skin.

The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database web site lists 1270 sunscreens for use by adults, children and even babies which contain oxybenzone. Among the worst on the list are sunscreens specifically made for babies, so please check this list out.

(This article has full details about oxybenzone and where to go for a list of safe sunscreens.)

Sunscreens, even organic sunscreens, may also contain titanium oxide, which can cause heavy metal poisoning and cell damage, especially in young children.

Things you can do to stay protected from sunburns but enjoy the sun's amazing rays and health benefits are:

Do not eat deep fried foods and fast foods. Unhealthy fats in our system enhance likelihood of sunburn.

Eat healthy oils, like coconut oil and omega three oils such as flax oil.

Avoid being out in the sun during the hottest times of the day.

If out and you feel you are getting too much sun, cover up with a long sleeved shirt and a hat.

Use a pure oil on the skin, such as coconut oil or jojoba oil. This keeps the skin from drying out and jojoba has a natural SPF of 15.

Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database
Article: Is Your Child's Sunscreen Causing More Harm Than Good?
Article: The Health Benefits of Sunlight
iherb.com: where you can purchase healthy oils, and enjoy $5 off your first order by using coupon code MEL526 at checkout.

Also, please visit our blog for the latest links and information.

Thanks!

David Sokulski. L.Ac.
Birch Center for Health

Herbs East and West: Mulberries

2009-06-29T17:12:00.000-04:00

I've been having an interesting online conversation with someone who read my article about mulberries in Natural News, and felt that mulberries don't cure tinnitus, since he has tinnitus and he's eaten huge amount of mulberries...sometimes as much as a pound a day.

So I've been thinking about this, and it brings up the difference between the way Chinese herbs and Western herbs are used.

In the West, we think of a specific herb to treat a specific condition. For example: Headache? Try skullcap. Migraines? Give feverfew a whirl. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Why is this?

I believe the answer lies in the East. The way Eastern herbs are used is not symptom-specific. Instead, the root cause of whatever is going on is what the herbs are given for.

So, if someone does have tinnitus, we don't just say: Try eating some mulberries. Instead, we ask more questions about the onset, the pitch of the ringing (high or low.) Is it constant or does it come and go? We also ask about other things: how is the person's digestion? Emotions? Other symptoms? And we look at the tongue and take the pulse, all to truly get an idea of what is going on with the person.

Mulberries don't treat tinnitus, per se. Mulberries help tonify yin and build blood. Often tinnitus is caused by Yin and Blood deficiency, and if so, perhaps eating mulberries will help. However, sometimes tinnitus is caused by Liver congestion, sometimes a trauma to the ear, and there are other causes as well.

In Chinese Medicine, we try our best to get to the root cause of the person's total imbalance, and then we prescribe herbs (usually in formulas, less often singly, which is also a difference between Chinese and Western herbal medicine.)

I've studied herbal medicine in both traditions, and this is one of my favorite topics to think about and discuss.

There is also much more to learn. Please feel free to keep sending in (or writing in the comments) your thoughts, ideas and questions about this.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa

Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

Upcoming Events

2009-06-19T19:04:00.000-04:00

We have a couple things coming up within the next week you may want to know about:

Saturday, June 20, 2009, 3 pm:

Wild Edible Walk
Hunker, PA
Maggie's Organics Farm Festival (Festival is from 1 pm - 8 pm)
Admission to the Festival is $10 adults, $5 children
Click Here for more information, or call Maggie's Organic Farm: 724-925-9474

Thursday, June 25, 2009, 7 pm:

Acupuncture and Natural Treatments of Seasonal Allergies

East End Food Coop, 7516 Meade Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Join Acupuncturist David Sokulski of the Birch Center for Health as he discusses acupuncture and other natural treatments for seasonal allergies.

David is a PA licensed acupuncturist and owner of the Birch Center, located in Pittsburgh's historic South Side.

The talk is free and open to all, call the coop at (412) 242-3598 for more information.

We hope to see you there!

~ Melissa and Dave

Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

Acupuncture Treats Depression, Anxiety

2009-06-18T23:03:00.000-04:00

One of the most common questions we get these days is if/how acupuncture can treat depression and anxiety.

Acupuncture is often very useful in both these conditions.

Health, in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) depends on the smooth flow of qi (energy) throughout the body. This is important for mental health as well as physical health. In fact, problems in the energy flow often show up first as difficulties in mental health, whether it is feeling stuck in a current situation, not being enthusiastic about life, to experiencing anxiety and clinical depression.

When someone comes in for an acupuncture treatment or consultation, we assess the energy flow in the entire body and see where the cause may be for any symptoms (physical, mental or emotional) they may be experiencing. Often even seemingly unrelated symptoms may have a similar root in Chinese medicine. We find where energy flow may be blocked, weak, or not flowing in the proper direction.

There are many ways to address these imbalances. Of course, acupuncture - placing small, sterile needles in specific points on the body designed to balance energy flow, is one safe effective method we use at The Birch Center.

We can also address the root of the problem with herbs. For example, if smooth flow of energy needs to be restored, we may prescribe a Chinese formula called Xiao Yao Wan. Other formulas, which calm the Heart and settle scattered qi, can often address anxiety and sleeplessness. Depending on each person's specific case, formulas can be given to strengthen digestion, or the overall yin or yang of the body.

We also may discuss lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, modifications of which can often be extremely helpful to a person's mental and physical well-being.

Finally, we can look at what is available around us. Blooming all around Pittsburgh right now is St. John's wort (pictured above), which is a traditional European herbal treatment for depression. St. John's Wort is used in Germany and other European countries much more often than the prescription medications we use in this country. St. John's wort can be taken as pill, tincture or tea, and is fun to gather yourself, once you learn to identify it.

So if you or someone you love is struggling with depression, anxiety, or other issues, please know that acupuncture can often be a great help.

You can call our office to speak with an acupuncturist directly (412) 381-0116, and can even schedule a free 20 minute consultation with David Sokulski, our head acupuncturist.

For more information about herbs and plants growing locally, please visit Food Under Foot.

Thanks so much!

In Health,

Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Ac
Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

The Podcast is Up!

2009-06-16T23:01:00.000-04:00

The Podcast is up!

Now you can listen to our interview with Rhio on NY Talk Radio for free, at your convenience.

We know you'll enjoy this interview! It's light and humerous, and full of interesting information. Rhio is an excellent interviewer...I think we covered everything from Birch Center to Food Under Foot to Wild Edibles to Raw Pregnancy (and more)!

Please listen when you get a chance, and let us know what you think by commenting below.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa

Wild Edibles Walk for Folks from MAFA

2009-06-08T23:35:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of leading the folks of the Middle Atlantic Folklore Association on a wild edibles walk.

Their annual meeting was close to Pittsburgh this year, and they brought me in to do a walk, talk, and food demo (wild green smoothies, of course!)

We were about 1 1/2 hours south east of Pittsburgh (in the Laurel Highlands) and our walk was around a little pond. We did see the usual suspects: plantain, dandelion, clover, garlic mustard, violet, chickweed, and burdock, but we saw some other things as well:

skunk cabbage (not edible, though some books say otherwise…it is used to make medicine, though)
cattail
horsetail
daisy
wild raspberries
wild blackberries

They were also interested in herbal aspects of the plants, so I got to talk about that, including the differences between Chinese herbal medicine and Western botanical medicine (one of my favorite topics.)

I demonstrated a wild green smoothie using bananas, mangoes, water, ice, plantain leaves and red clover flowers and leaves:

I also did some chair massage for them:

It was such a nice meeting with a wonderful group of people. Thanks so much for having me!

~ Melissa

*** To schedule a walk or chair massage for your next function or event, please view our services page for details, or call The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116. ***

Reshape Your Life/Redesign Your Destiny

2009-06-02T21:53:00.000-04:00

by Trish Casey
of Serenity Yoga

August 7-9, 2009

Pittsburgh will host the World Renowned Yogi Amrit Desai at California University Campus.

Don't miss this opportunity to spend in-depth time with a living master of yoga!

Yogi Amrit Desai, lovingly known as Gurudev, is widely recognized throughout the world as one of the leading authorities of yoga. He began teaching in the 1960's and is one of the earliest masters to bring the practice of yoga to the West. Author of several books on personal growth and transformation, Gurudev is the founder of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the largest center of its kind in North America . Thousands of teachers are certified in his methodology and teach in more than 33 countries throughout the world.

Yogi Desai's teachings are filled with insight and depth. His special gift as a teacher is to present the most profound essential truths in a joyful light-hearted manner. These teachings are great in impact yet easy to understand. His presence radiates warmth, joy, wisdom and a spiritual energy which is the outward expression of an awakening consciousness. Thousands have experienced the power of shakti embodied by Yogi Desai.

Aimed at deep personal expansion, this program includes satsang, guided Yoga Nidra meditation, intention, yoga, chanting, pure living foods instruction, art, dance, film performances, and transformational discourse with Yogi Desai.

What is Yoga Nidra?

The focus of this workshop is Yoga Nidra. The literal translation of Yoga nidra is yogic sleep. It is an ancient form of meditation that will take you to the deepest levels of relaxation while still remaining fully aware. When practicing the Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra, your brain waves drop into the alpha and theta states. It is from this unified state that visions become reality and you gain acess to the extraordinary powers of your own intuition, creativity, health, and abundance.

This workshop is designed to help you:

Clarify and act on your purpose in life
Promote healing in the body and boost your immune system
Release blockages that hold you back from living life joyously and fully
Let go of destructive habits and beliefs with ease rather than with struggle
Revitalize your personal and professional relationships

Program Cost:

The cost of the program is minimal and has been kept so to allow Gurudev's teachings to be accessable. The program is only $259.00 which includes:

workshop sessions with Yogi Desai
2-nights/3-days lodging at California University Campus
six meals
yoga classes
dance instruction
art instruction
evening drumming and chanting sessions
film performances
pure living foods demonstration
access to fitness facilities

Continuing Education Credits (CECs) are available for Mental Health Professionals, Yoga Instructors, and Body Workers.

Please note: free space is available for participants who wish to advertise, sell products, or offer services. If you are interested in table space, please contact Trish Casey at 412-580-3287 or trishcasey@verizon.net to reserve an area.

For registration: Please contact Trish Casey: (412) 580-3287, or trishcasey@verizon.net

Wild Foods and Wild Times at the Birch Center

2009-06-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

We had an exciting weekend at the Birch Center for Health!

On Saturday morning, we had our Wild Edibles Workshop, which was a blast! We took a walk in Frick Park and saw:

garlic mustard
burdock
chickweed
cleavers
motherwort
mugwort
plantain
wild raspberries (not yet ripe)
prickly lettuce
dandelion

Then we returned to our beautiful Squirrel Hill location and we all made garlic mustard vinegar:

We sampled delicious food made with wild edibles, including Red Clover Apple Cookies, Plantain Crisps and Dandelion Wine. Melissa demonstrated Wild Green Smoothie, Mint and Lamb's Quarters Pesto, and Burdock-Apple-Ginger juice. (Recipes are available in our free eBooks, which you get when you sign up at Food Under Foot.)

It was a great time with great people! Thanks to all who attended.

Then, on Sunday morning, we were interviewed by Rhio, of NY Talk Radio!

Our interview - about both The Birch Center and our new Wild Edibles endeavor: Food Under Foot - will be on Hooked On Raw this week, and available for podcast ever after. We'll put in podcast link as soon as it goes up.

Our monthly newsletter will be out soon - full of very exciting upcoming events and in depth articles - if you're not on our email list, please sign up.

Also, if you are interested in Wild Edible Plants and haven't received our free 5-eBook series (starting with Burdock!), please visit Food Under Foot and sign up there.

Thanks and Live Healthy!

~ Melissa

Interesting Tidbits Shared at Food Coop Talk

2009-05-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone who attended our talk at the East End Food Coop last night! What a great and interesting crowd. If you missed it, here are some tidbits that people shared:

One gentleman, upon his return from Vietnam, found he had developed hay fever. He ate a few comfrey leaves and his symptoms diminished by 50%. Now, if he gets a bout of hay fever, he'll eat some comfrey leaves and always gets at least a 50% diminishment of his symptoms.
Another gentleman hangs a large stalk of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) in his room at night, and reports very vivid dreams
Quickweed is a delicious green edible, enjoyed not only by people, but ducks love it.
To treat poison ivy: (this is a remedy reported from Countryside magazine) Put some water in the bath tub and add 1/2 cup sea salt, and 1/2 cup Epsom Salts. Sit in the water for 30 minutes and sponge (or use wash clothe) to splash the water on.
pouring vinegar on poison ivy is a way to kill the plant
chewing plantain leaves and applying them to the skin is a great remedy for stings, bites, cuts, itchy rashes. Some people call these "fairy bandaids."
Comfrey (Symphytum officialis) is also referred to as "knit-bone" and external poultices on broken bones will help heal the bone
Homeopathic Comfrey is called Symphytum, and is also taken to help heal broken bones
The crown vetch (Securigera varia) that is increasing common all over Pennsylvania was created by Penn State extension. The variety is called Penngift and was created to prevent soil erosion, with mixed results. Crown Vetch is actually a perennial from Europe and is in the legume/pea family. Some consider it an invasive weed.
The verdict on the toxicity of Crown Vetch is still out (the master gardners at Penn State extension are only in Monday through Thursday mornings), but we did find out (online searches) that it contains high amounts of nitroglycerides, especially in the seeds, and is toxic to horses and other non ruminants (animals with one stomach, like people.) Cows and other ruminants can eat the crown vetch because their 4 stomachs convert the nitroglycerine into a nontoxic substance. Symptoms of toxicity include paralysis, high heart rate, and even death.
Comfrey leaves (Symphytum officinalis) can be added to compost to speed up composting. It can also be made into strong tea in large garbage pail (steep for two weeks), which is an excellent fertilizer for gardens; just be sure there are no seeds in the tea or you'll find yourself with lots of new comfrey plants!

Plus, we shared interesting recipes, enjoyed discussion of many plants, and enjoyed the delicious Red Clover Apple Cookies.

If you missed our talk but are available this weekend, please come to our Wild Edibles Workshop this Saturday morning, from 10am to 1 pm. Check our wild events page for more information.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa

Coop Talk Tonight; Wild Edibles Workshop Saturday

2009-05-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

If you are in Pittsburgh, PA, please join Melissa and David Sokulski tonight - Thursday, May 28 at 7 pm - at the East End Food Coop. We're going to be talking about Wild Edibles in Pittsburgh (and sampling a few treats made with wild edibles!) The talk is free and open to all. For more information or to register, call the coop at (412) 242-3598.

On Saturday, May 30, we hope you'll join us for what promises to be a fantastic Wild Edibles Workshop! We'll start with a Wild Edibles walk around Frick park. We'll all make garlic mustard vinegar to take home. Melissa will demonstrate recipes using wild edibles, and we'll sample those plus other previously made yummy treats.

On the menu are:

Wild Pesto
Red Clover Apple Cookies (pictured above)
Dandelion Wine
Plantain Crisps
Wild Green Smoothie
Lemony Ginger Burdock Juice
Various Vinegars made with Wild Edibles

Each participant will get a full color identification guide of all the wild plants used, along with the recipes.

The class is from 10 am to 1 pm, and is $35.

Please call us at (412) 381-0116 to reserve your space! (Please call soon by Friday, space is limited!)

More information can be found on our wild events page.

We hope to see you soon!

~ Melissa and Dave

Join Us for a Wild Edibles Workshop on Saturday

2009-05-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

Join us this Saturday, May 30, at 10 am to 1 pm for a Wild Edible Workshop.

We found the perfect location in Squirrel Hill...it's easy to find and abuts Frick Park, where we will take a Wild Edible Walk and identify and gather wild edible plants together.

Then we'll all make our own Garlic Mustard vinegar to take home. Melissa will demonstrate recipes using wild edible plants, and we'll all get to sample those recipes and ones that she will have made in advance.

On the menu are:

* Lemony Ginger Burdock Juice
* Dandelion Wine
* Wild Green Smoothie
* Red Clover Apple Cookies
* Plantain Green Crisps
* Wild Pesto
* Various Vinegars mad with Local Wild Edibles
* Red Clover Mint Iced Tea

All participants will also receive a full color handout with identification information of all the plants used, and recipes of all the dishes demonstrated and sampled.

Space is limited, so please call today (412) 381-0116 to reserve your space with credit card.

Give us a call to register or if you need more information visit the Events Page on our website.

Hope to see you soon!

Location: 2534 Mt Royal Rd, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Time: 10 AM - 1 PM
Cost: $35
Register: (412) 381-0116 - call to register or for more information
* Please register by Thursday, May 28, 2009*

Walk With Us Sunday

2009-05-15T21:07:00.001-04:00

We hope you'll join us this Sunday, May 17, at 11 am on the South Side River Trail for a Wild Edible Plant Walk!

This weekend, we are looking forward to seeing Black Locust Flowers. This amazing edible delight is only available a few weeks every year. The flower is the only edible part of this tree, and they are delicious:

Please give us a call: (412) 381-0116 for more information, or to register for the walk.

The cost is $5. Kids are welcome with adults, and children under 10 are free.

****

If you can't make the walk, make sure to check out our Wild Edibles Workshop on May 30 from 10 am - 1 pm. This promises to be a great workshop! We'll go on a walk, harvest edible plants, make garlic mustard vinegar (we'll each make our own so you can take yours home). I will also demonstrate some recipes. We'll sample delicious food made with wild edibles including:

Juice
Smoothies
Cookies
Green Chips
Vinegars
Dandelion Wine
Pesto

Each participant will also receive a packet of all the recipes sampled and demonstrated, and a picture guide of wild edibles used.

The cost of this workshop is $35, please register early, space is limited! This workshop will be held in Squirrel Hill (location will be sent once you register). Call (412) 381-0116.

We hope to see you soon!

~ Dave and Melissa
The Birch Center for Health

***Also, please check out our new website, Food Under Foot, which is devoted entirely to wild edible plants! There are pictures, videos, free eBooks and more!!***

Acupuncture Clears Seasonal Allergies

2009-05-13T19:49:00.000-04:00

by David and Melissa Sokulski, Licensed Acupuncturists

While the best thing about spring may be open to debate: the warmer weather, beautiful flowers, picnics; the worst thing is nearly always unanimous: seasonal allergies.

Prescription and over-the-counter medications are widely available, but do nothing to help overall health and prevention of allergies, plus come with a host of side effects.

Natural remedies such as acupuncture, however, not only clear symptoms of allergies, but they also help the body come into balance: clearing the underlying condition causing allergies and improving overall health.

Seasonal allergies occur when someone reacts to the pollen of flowers in trees, grasses and weeds, and causes symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue.

Although western medications are available, even over the counter, they come with their own host of side effects: one I recently heard was loss of smell and taste (hopefully temporary).

Allergies are a sign of an imbalance in the immune system. Balancing and strengthening the body can be the best thing to decrease or even rid oneself of seasonal allergies altogether.

Some natural tips include:

Eat local, seasonal foods. This keeps us in tune and in balance with the natural cycles around us.
Eat local honey, and - if you do not have a reaction to it, test by having only a tiny granule at first - local bee pollen. The local honey and bee pollen is made from pollen of local flowers, in a form that is utilized by the body. Thus, when the body is later exposed in the environment, the immune system does not see it as an invader and react against it.
Take a regular multivitamin/mineral supplement year round to ensure that your body is functioning at its best.
Eat more raw foods, especially in the warmer months. This puts us in tune with the seasons, and helps our body function at its best.
Take a homeopathic allergy remedy. Homeopathic medicine works by matching the vibration of your symptoms to a particular remedy. When the vibrations match, they cancel the symptoms out and improve overall health.
Receive acupuncture.

How Acupuncture Helps Treat Allergies

Acupuncture is a great way both to treat symptoms of seasonal allergies, and to bring the body into balance so one need not suffer seasonal allergies in the future.

Acupuncture helps the sufferer of allergies in two main ways:

Alleviates symptoms such as itchy eyes, stuffiness, headaches and fatigue, and
Brings the body into balance.

Symptom Treatment

Acupuncture is excellent at treating symptoms of allergies. Many allergy symptoms are located above the neck, that is, in the head (stuffiness, headache, itchy eyes, etc.) This means the energy is not flowing smoothly from the head into the rest of the body, and vice versa. All the yang meridians flow from the hands up to the head, or from the head down to the feet. We need to open the channels in the neck and shoulders and allow the energy to flow.

Acupuncture can also treat the symptoms very locally: by placing small, sterile needles right on points of pain or symptoms like the head or side of nose, allowing the stuck energy to dissipate and move more smoothly throughout the body.

Root Treatment

Secondly, though most importantly, acupuncture helps balance the body in general. This is done by taking a complete intake and doing a complete assessment of every client who comes for treatment. At The Birch Center for Health, we treat very specifically and individually, making sure the underlying cause of allergies (and any other symptoms) are cleared. When the body is in balance, symptoms disappear and health is restored. This is the main benefit of acupuncture: bringing a person into balance so that the body may heal itself of any ailment physically, mentally or emotionally.

While allergies can put a damper on enjoying the best the season holds, there is natural relief for allergy sufferers. And the relief need not be temporary. In fact, when the body is brought to a higher level of health, we enjoy renewed energy, flexibility and joy of living.

The original version of this article appeared in Natural News, where Melissa Sokulski writes health related articles that appear weekly or so.

Acupuncturist David Sokulski, of The Birch Center for Health in Pittsburgh, PA, is currently offering free 20 minute health consultations. If you'd like to talk to David about your condition and/or acupuncture, please call today: (412) 381-0116.

Thanks so much!

~ David and Melissa Sokulski

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Happy Mother's Day with Raw Chocolate and Personal Training

2009-05-10T04:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!

If you love chocolate dipped strawberries on Mother's Day, but pass them up for health reasons (too much sugar, corn syrup and who knows what else!), you may get your wish this year. There is a great company, based in Pittsburgh but ships everywhere, that sells a wonderful raw cacao sauce, full of all natural ingredients, called Love Street Living Foods. (The chocolate sauce is shown in the picture, with the strawberries, yum.)
They also sell wonderful superfood items such as Goji Berries (click here for our post on them), maca, dried mulberries, and other yummies. Definitely a website worth checking out.

And if you are in Pittsburgh: Jon-Michael Kerestes, the owner of Love Street Living Foods, extends this offer to you: Personal Training at a price you can afford. Here is his email to me:

If you ever run into clients that want to lose weight using physical exercise, I'd be happy to work with them. I used to train with the Olympic Training Center judo team for 2 years in Colorado Springs. I started a new pricing structure where I work by however much they think it was worth. The main goal is to try to make as big an impact as possible and not letting money get in the way.

I have a friend who is training with him now and she loves it. But let me tell you, it is hard work! He is serious about helping you reach your goals and seeing results.

So please visit Jon-Michael's website, his contact information is on there. (And let him know we sent you!)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! And remember your own moms, wherever they are. Have a joy-filled day.

Love and Light,
Melissa Sokulski
The Birch Center for Health

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Kombucha

2009-05-06T20:01:00.001-04:00

Tonight we bottled our first batch of kombucha!

We've made it before, but had since lost our SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) which ferments the black tea and sugar into the ancient Chinese elixir known as kombucha.

This time, since we had no starter SCOBY, we bought a bottle of plain, organic live kombucha, and poured it into a half gallon of cooled black tea (using and removing 4 organic black tea bags) and 1 cup organic sugar. (This was last Monday, April 27, 2009.)

We covered the 1/2 gallon jar with a paper towel and rubber band. We watched day by day, waiting to see if our SCOBY would form. It did! A thin-looking film appeared on top of the tea. When we poured it off today, it looked like this:

Here it is, poured into bottles, which will sit out at room temperature for a few more days, to ferment further and build up fizz (though it is pretty fizzy now):

Meanwhile, we are cooling a gallon of black tea (8 tea bags, steeped, removed) and 1 1/2 cups sugar, When it is room temperature or just above, we'll add the SCOBY and a couple cups of the kombucha from this batch to start the next one.

According to the bottle of Synergy (TM) organic, raw kombucha, kombucha supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, and healthy skin and hair.

Here's our little kombucha lover enjoying today's batch!

*Kombucha is a lightly fermented, non-alcoholic beverage that is regularly sold in health food stores, and can also be made safely at home.

Cheers! To your health,

Melissa and Dave Sokulski, L.Ac
Birch Center for Health

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www.BirchCenter.com

Yin and Yang, The Basis of Chinese Medicine

2009-04-29T21:27:00.001-04:00

Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine - Yin and Yang
by David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

The concept of yin and yang is fundamental to Chinese Medicine.

The Chinese character for yin can be translated as the shady side of the hill, and so corresponds to dark, night, rest, coolness. Yang is the sunny side of the hill: light, day, activity, warmth.

What makes the idea of yin and yang so unique to Eastern thought, is the idea of relativity. Nothing is purely yin or yang, in fact nothing is yin or yang on it's own, it is only in relation to something else. For example, if heat is considered yang, is Florida considered yin or yang? It's climate is yang compared to New York's, but yin compared to areas on the equator. Nothing can be considered by itself, nothing is either one thing or the other.

Similarly, yin and yang are always transforming into each other. Day changes to night, and back into day. Summer to fall, winter, spring and back to summer. Even high noon is not purely yang, it has a seed of yin that grows and allows day to give way to evening and night.

The concept of yin and yang is extended to the body, health and Chinese Medicine. In fact, at it's most basic, Chinese medicine can be reduced to yin and yang, and treatment techniques can be thought of in these terms:

strengthening yin
strengthening yang
eliminating excess yin
eliminating excess yang

depending on what kind of imbalance is occurring within the patient.

Yet again, it is not as simple as it appears. If a person has a condition of heat: fever in the evening, night sweats, rapid pulse...do we consider this excess yang or insufficient yin, both of which would lead to heat? The distinction is vital in terms of treatment. In this case the heat is likely due to insufficient yin (fluids which cool the body) because the fever and sweats occur only at night, so the treatment principle would be to strengthen the yin rather than clear away yang.

Sometimes it is helpful to pare things down to the basics, to begin to understand the simplicity, yet depth and wisdom of ancient medicine.