What Teas are Good for Digestion

I have loved switching to iced tea at the Healing Arts Tea Bar this summer.  We have found a way to do personalized iced tea for your enjoyment and have loved the feedback from everyone, especially on our digestion tea blends.  Whether it's indigestion, bloating, IBS, constipation etc. using tea as medicine can really help especially if taken on a daily basis.  Food is medicine and I enjoy tea so much that I forget that it can actually help your body too.

Our tea menu is different than anything you have ever seen before.  Yes, we have the teas listed and you can pick one and enjoy it to 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 iced or hot tea we can also make a container for you of your personalized blend that is 12 servings. Before opening the Tea Bar we experimented for months and came up with some great blends when muscle testing for helping digestion.  Here is the list of teas we have that can help your gut and other things as well.

Bergamot    Digestion, lowers cholesterol, brain health, acid reflux, immunity booster, energy booster, weight loss, skin support, constipation, hydrates

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

Cat's Claw   Digestion, brain health, immune support, improves blood pressure

Earl Grey     Digestion, brain health, immune booster, energy booster, weight loss, hydrates, skin support

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

Fennel          Digestion, weight loss, immunity booster, energy booster, women’s health, respiratory health, eye support, detox, improves blood pressure, diuretic 

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

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

Jasmine       Liver support, relaxation, brain health, digestion

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

Mugwort      Diuretic, women’s health, energy booster, brain health, digestion

Peppermint Digestion, respiratory, anti-inflammatory, brain health, pain relief, sleep support, women’s health, weight loss, skin support, immune support, relaxation, brain health

Rose            Hydrates, respiratory support, skin support, sleep support, women’s health, immunity booster, brain health, digestion 

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

We also have blends to help inflammation, 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!

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!

Healing Arts Lifestyle: NYC Restaurants

There is no question about it: ditching bad habits and adopting healthier ones can get challenging. Here at Healing Arts we are all about lifestyle changes that help you get your health back on track and allow your body to heal itself. Food changes like cutting out grains and sugar or switching to organic produce can allow the body to cleanse itself, but sometimes this leaves patients unsure about where to go if they want to eat out or grab a bite on the run. Well, stress no more! I have eaten my way through a small fraction of New York City to come up with a list that can help you navigate what can sometimes feel like a maze, so you can feel comfortable and healthy when stepping outside your kitchen.

For lunch and snacks:

Minigrow

Brought to you by honeygrow, they have wonderful zucchini noodles and organic greens with delicious homemade sauces 

Hu kitchen

I love their hot bar and they make the best grain-free and sugar-free pancakes. Not to mention their chocolate (which we sell at the office)!

Dr Smood

They have tasty treats and great salads to grab if you on the go. Their Greek salad with cashew feta is delicious!

Ancolie

Thoughtful meals prepared in glass jars. Their menu is constantly changing so you’ll never get bored at lunch.

Inday

Indian-inspired nourish bowls. They make yummy cauliflower rice.

Juice Press

Organic juices and soup—how can you go wrong? Tasty salads, too.

By Chloe

Vegan, plant-based meals with full flavor. Their air dried sweet potato fries are seriously good.

Spring Bone

Organic bone broth with no additives. I love their broth with zucchini noodles as an option for lunch.

Brodo

Homemade organic bone broth that packs a flavor punch. My favorite is their oishi oishi.

Cafes:

Café Clover

Local, organic and elegant. Their quinoa tagliatelle is delicious.

Dimes

Californian vibes with yummy fruity and savory breakfast options.

Hearth

Local, organic meals. Try their beef tartare—extremely tasty. Think meat, veggies, fish, broth.

The Butcher’s Daughter

They have great avocado toast and it’s a great place to sit and work with mint water on tap!

Abracadabra

Organic and sugar free. They make tasty homemade chocolate and nourishing savory plates.

Restaurants:

ABC V

Vegan/vegetarian share plates exploding with flavor—in my top 5! Try the avocado dosa, whole roasted cauliflower and the slow roasted beets. They are rocking the breakfast scene.

ABC Cocina

Local and organic. Their salmon and charred octopus is a must-try.

Mulberry and Vine

Clean eating with lots of salad and snacks. Try their Thai curry.

L’estuidio

Local Mediterranean and Latin cuisine. Their scrambled eggs and potato rösti is a must-try for breakfast.

This is the beginning of what will soon be a long list of healthy options that will make you feel satisfied and comforted. These options offer meals and snacks that are healing and in line with your new lifestyle changes. Don’t be afraid to go out and adventure yourself—you may just find some on your own.