Tea to Help with Blood Sugar

I love getting muscle tested for a personalized tea blend at the Healing Arts Tea Bar. It is the holiday season and with that comes more treats so having a tea specifically to lower blood sugar can be helpful.  There are 8 specific teas we test for that can lower blood sugar.  When we make a personalized blend people usually test for 3 different teas that we then blend together before putting in the tea bag and serving.

If you don’t test for teas to help with blood sugar you may test for other ones.  We have over 25 different organic teas from around the world! Our tea menu is different than anything you have ever seen before.  We have the teas listed and you can pick one and enjoy it either stay at the tea bar or take it to go but what is different is on the back of the menu is a list of symptoms and you can choose the symptom you want to work on and then get muscle tested for which 3 herbs your body needs.  So you don't choose your tea but your body does!

Besides getting a cup of hot tea we can also make a container for you of your personalized blend that is 12 servings. Here is the list of teas we have that can help balance your blood sugar:

Black tea-Digestion, blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, brain health, heart health, improves blood pressure

Cinnamon- Blood sugar, anti inflammatory, lower cholesterol Robots

Nettle-Blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, pain relief 

Holy Basil/Tulsi - Digestion, blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, lower cholesterol, brain health, immunity booster, weight loss support, skin support, respiratory support, eye support, detox 

Marshmallow Root- Digestion, blood sugar, acid reflux, immunity booster, weight loss, women’s health, skin support, anti-aging, constipation, detox, liver support pain relief, heart support

Ginger  - Digestion, anti-inflammatory, lower cholesterol, brain health, immunity booster, weight loss, women’s health, pain relief, heart support, blood sugar

Green tea  - Heart support, anti-aging, weight loss support, immune support, brain health, anti-inflammatory, blood sugar

Anti-inflammatory Teas Now at Healing Arts Wellness Center

Everyone enjoys a good cup of tea or at least I do! The comfort and the taste is something I look forward to daily.  I have enjoyed herbal teas for years and was just enjoying it for the comfort and taste when last year I started using herbal teas medicinally.  When I say medicinally I mean I started to actually think about the tea I was drinking for the health benefits of the herbs. When I did this I saw my energy which was already good, skyrocket!  My digestion improved and the slight swelling I would get time to time disappeared.  I was definitely less inflamed overall.  I learned so much and using this knowledge I was so excited to open up the Tea Bar at the Healing Arts Wellness Center three weeks ago!

The tea menu I created lists all the herbs that we use but I wanted to write this blog post about the anti-inflammatory teas we have and can blend together for you.  Yes, that’s right.  We use muscle testing to test what 3 herbs you need in your tea and make the personalized blend right there for you.  Since I muscle test supplements for people all day long it was easy for me to think about muscle testing tea too.  The creativity came in when I didn’t just want to give a person one type of tea but create a medicinal synergistic affect with a few teas together and create their own tea blend.  We have 25 different teas to choose from.  Imagine how many combinations of blends we can create with that! You can get one cup of tea or we can make a container for you that is 12 servings. 

One reason why anti-inflammatory teas are so important to have at the tea bar is because I think the foundational problem of why dis-ease starts in the body is due to too much inflammation.  My goal with every nutrition program is to help the patient reduce inflammation so the body can heal itself.  Inflammation is a reaction the body has when trying to put itself into balance or what doctors like to say, homeostasis, against any pathogen or toxin.  These toxins can be food, physical injury, heavy metals, emotional stress or heavy chemicals.  These toxins create free radicals which cause cellular damage.  With enough injured cells inflammation starts to build up.  Acute Inflammation is mostly handled by the expansion and activation of blood vessels. Inflammation is commonly associated with the formation of new blood and lymphatic vessels from the pre-existing vessels that got damaged. Interestingly, while the activation of the blood vasculature has been reported to increase inflammation, lymphatic vessels generally appear to exert beneficial effects, by improving the clearance of excess fluid, thus reducing swelling and levels of pro-inflammatory cells as well as a number of immune cells. So keeping the lymphatic system healthy to keep inflammation down is key for a healthy body.

When acute inflammation occurs the chances of it turning into chronic inflammation is dependent on the lymphatic system and that’s why the Healing Arts Wellness Center offers lymphatic drainage therapy.  Lymphatic drainage therapy is done by a massage therapist with a machine called Lympstar that uses electrons to attract the sluggish lymph and help it move through the body.  All lymph fluid travels to the collar bones where it gets dumped back. Into the blood and lymphatic therapy can help with that movement.  

We have been experimenting for months and came up with some great blends when muscle testing for helping with inflammation.  Here is the list of teas we have that reduce inflammation and have other healing properties as well.

Cinnamon Blood sugar, anti inflammatory, lower cholesterol (for more on cinnamon, click here)

Echinacea Immune booster, respiratory health, digestion, anti-inflammatory, brain health, skin, anti-aging

Ginger Digestion, anti-inflammatory, lower cholesterol, brain health, immunity booster, weight loss, women’s health, pain relief, heart support

Green Tea Heart support, anti-aging, weight loss support, immune support, brain health, anti-inflammatory, blood sugar 

Holy Basil  Digestion, blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, lower cholesterol, brain health, immunity booster, weight loss support, skin support, respiratory support, eye support, detox

Lemongrass  Pain relief, sleep support, brain health, anti-inflammatory

Nettle Blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, pain relief

Peppermint Digestion, respiratory, anti-inflammatory, brain health, pain relief, sleep support, 

women’s health, weight loss, skin support, immune support, relaxation, brain health

Sarsaparilla Anti-inflammatory, immunity booster, skin support, liver support

Turmeric Pain relief, eye support, immunity booster, brain health, lower cholesterol, anti-inflammatory (for more on turmeric, click here)

We also have blends for digestion, energy, women’s health, brain health, high blood pressure and more.  So if you haven’t tried a personalized tea blend yet you must at your next visit!

Is Oxy Pulling Better Than Oil Pulling?

I love the health benefits I get from oil pulling and suggest it a lot to my patients.  Whether for oral health, cleaning the lymph, or detox support oil pulling is helpful in so many ways.  I have just recently come across oxy pulling thanks to one of my patients who brought it to my attention and so I have something new to add to my daily health routine!   Good news is oxy pulling only takes 30 seconds to do.  Oxy pulling was developed to replace oil pulling and that's what my patient wanted to do, stop her oil pulling and do oxy pulling instead but when I did my research I actually had her do both.  It is more beneficial to do the oxy pulling first and then the oil pulling, then brush your teeth.

While you sleep and throughout the day, your mouth is producing live organisms that are not only harmful to your overall oral health, but to your body as well. These organisms can cause a plethora of disease within the body if swallowed. Therefore it is very important that these organisms are not allowed to accumulate and thrive in your mouth. The most opportune time for these organisms to develop and grow is when we are asleep and after we eat.
Similar to what happens during the oil pulling process, swishing the oxy pulling oral rinse around in your mouth will activate enzymes, allowing toxins and bacteria to be drawn out from the body.  The only Oxy Pulling solution I know of is Garner's Garden.  

The following are the key ingredients that are used to make oxy pulling so effective:

1% or 2% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide, H2O2: Helps by inhibiting the reproduction of bacteria and also kills fungal spores. H2O2 is also able to penetrate periodontal areas between the teeth and gums by its foaming action; this is how oxygen is released to inhibit the growth of bacteria while creating a whitening/bleaching effect for the teeth. Another benefit is the ability to remove and repel plaque from the surface of the teeth for prolonged periods of time. Think of how wax is applied to a car. When water touches the car’s surface that has had wax applied to it, water will bead up and roll off of the car. This is along the same premise of H2O2 and plaque – there will be some accumulation of plaque over a couple of hours of daily activities, but a large majority of the plaque will be repelled and not accumulate on the surface of the teeth.

Other Ingredients that can be in Oxy Pulling Solutions -

Activated Charcoal: Assists with the whitening of teeth and it also traps and removes toxins that are present in the mouth.
Peppermint Essential Oil: Kills germs, helps with pain, and highly effective at preventing bad breath.
Cinnamon Essential Oil: has the greatest antimicrobial potency against streptococcus mutans, the bacteria responsible for tooth decay, and lactobacillus plantarum, one of the bacteria responsible for gum disease.
Tea Tree Essential Oil: Contains terpinen which is responsible for giving this oil its healing properties. Tea tree is known to kill fungus and bacteria.

got milk? 8 Reasons to start Drinking Golden Milk and How to Make It

Having recently written about turmeric helping with weight loss I wanted to talk more about the health benefits of turmeric because there is so much more!  It was in that blog I talked about taking turmeric pills in order to have high doses of curcumin, which is the main anti-inflammatory ingredient in turmeric.  Turmeric can be used in cooking, especially Indian dishes.  It can easily be added to a healthy shake as well.  I wrote how it can be used in a health drink with apple cider vinegar here and now I am going to talk about its health benefits and making another delicious healthy drink called golden milk.  For all my nondairy drinkers out there, don't worry, you can use seed or nut milk as well.  My favorite way to make golden milk is with coconut milk.  But first, here are 8 reasons to start adding it in to your diet:

1. Turmeric milk helps build immunity
2. Helps sleep
3. It is a good remedy for digestive problems.
4. It supports the liver.
5. Helps fight cancer
6. Clarifies the skin.
7. Gives relief from autoimmune diseases
8. Good for fighting Alzheimer's disease

When adding it to your diet you need to know that adding black pepper to it helps turmeric become more bioavailable.  Which is another way of saying your body can absorb more turmeric if you add black pepper with it.  Drinking golden milk before bed can help sleep because turmeric reduces inflammation, lowers your blood sugar levels, helps your liver to detoxify, boosts your immune system and eases your digestive system – all of which help you to get to sleep faster, to sleep better, and to wake up feeling refreshed.

How do you make golden milk?
Serves 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup warm water
• 1 cup coconut milk (or any milk you prefer)
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp virgin coconut oil
• ½ inch ginger knob, peeled and grated
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper or 2 black peppercorns, crushed
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp nutmeg powder
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• *Optional 2 tsp raw organic honey or pure maple syrup for the vegan version

Preparation

1. Whisk coconut milk, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, honey, coconut oil, black pepper, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
2. Do Ahead. Golden milk can be made 5 days ahead and reheated.

Golden milk powder with the exact ratios of spice can be bought at the office or here.  Just add a teaspoon to simmering coconut milk or almond milk and you're done!

A great place to buy a golden milk latte with almost any type of milk you want is at Dr. Smood with the closest one to the office being on Lexington Ave at 47th St.