You may have heard me wax lyrical on the benefits of a good home made broth, bones simmered with veg for hours to be transformed into a nourishing base for soup that is good for body and soul. Patients who visit me at the clinic in Percy Street are regularly prescribed a visit to Tonkotsu for their life affirming (and giving) ramen, made with a silky home-made stock that makes me feel like Popeye eating spinach. Friends have also been admiring and laughing in turn at my latest obsession with going home with doggy bags from restaurants, but it's ticking all my boxes this winter as I try and save for a big holiday later this year. I don't want to cancel all the nice cosy lunches and dinners with friends that make the first three months of the year not just bearable but fun, but it's all about balancing the books. So here's my official acupuncturist advice: a) go to lovely, possibly spendy pub or restaurant for lunch or dinner. b) Order a nice cut of meat on the bone. Shin of beef at the Canton Arms? Bag up the bones. Baby chicken at Shoreditch House? A nice wee take home box. c) 50pence worth of veg and 3 hours later and you have a hearty stock for soup, i.e. lunch for a couple of days that leaves your kidney qi is all a quiver with love for you.
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Most acupuncturists are going to tell you that if you are a coffee drinker you should think about cutting it back, if not out altogether if you are trying to conceive. Why? It's so delicious, coffee shops are great places to hang out (free wifi, spendy cakes, hot baristas), it can be good for you, no? Well yes, there can be benefits to drinking coffee, hell I love a good brew, but like everything else it is all about moderation. Coffee gives you a lift because it buzzes your adrenal system. Now our adrenal system can't differentiate between a cup of coffee and a herd of buffalo bearing down on you, so it goes into the 'fight or flight' state. Your adrenal glands release adrenaline, cortisol and other hormones to keep you active, awake, alert, responsive. Brilliant! I had a bad nights sleep/big night out/a big meeting to prep for, so why not? Well if you keep taking out of your bank of energy, without ultimately giving it time to recharge you are going to burn out, physically and mentally. Common sense, rather than rocket science. Research is still being conducted, of course, but studies have shown that ultimately that caffeine has a real effect on the reproductive system, affecting sperm motility and quality, delaying pregnancy rates (more than one cup a day halves chances of conceiving per cycle), it can be linked to miscarriage rates, exacerbates endometriosis and excessive consumption is going to weaken the immune system. In 'fight or flight' the body sends energy to the muscles rather the gastrointestinal tract, slowing it down, which can lead to indigestion. Alright, that's not so serious, but think about it if you don't go anywhere without a box of Rennies. Quite simply, like any stimulant, you can use or abuse so if you are feeling depleted, keep getting colds and bugs, or you are trying to conceive then cut it out altogether if you can. It's not forever! At the very least cut it down to no more than one cup a day and give your system a chance to reboot. Oh and a note on decaff. This is made by basically washing the coffee beans with formaldehyde to absorb the caffeine. Yum. A few of my patients are due to give birth over the coming months so it seemed like a good time to talk about mother roasting, a truly lovely post partum treatment that can be easily done at home and which can really help a new mother recover. Let's face it, she has worked pretty hard to get that baby out, internally everything has had a bit of a workout and this warming, nourishing treatment can help with a healthy recovery. Simply, a moxa stick is used to warm the lower abdomen and lower back in the fortnight following the birth. New mothers should also keep their belly and lower back warm - which can easily be done with either enormous knickers or a scarf wrapped round the midriff. Finally, eat well - a new baby can turn things upside down, especially eating, but getting the right kind of nourishment is crucial for the production of breast milk, the energy you need to get through and blood building. Making a batch of beef bone broth ahead of time is easily done and perfect for this. Breast milk is essentially blood, so if there has been a significant blood loss at birth an additional iron supplement such as Floradix, which I recommend to so many people, should also be considered. Aaah, the restorative powers of Beef Bone Broth. Not only is it super cheap, but it is deeply healing. Rich with minerals, gelatin, amino acids and all kinds of other good stuff, it helps the body by giving it some of building materials it needs to repair, regenerate and heal. It also supports the adrenals (and therefore hormone production), nourishes the kidneys and supports the qi and builds the blood. Fi fi fo fum indeed! Here's what you need to do: ask the butcher for a bag of beef bones (please make sure from a happy cow), roast them in the oven until they are cooked through and browned, let them cool a little, stick them in a pan and cover well with cold water then add a tablespoon or two of white wine, or apple cider vinegar and leave for an hour. This is important as it helps draw out the good stuff from the bones. Bring it to boil, then simmer for at least 6 hours, but for a long as possible - I like to spend a whole weekend simmering away, adding carrots, an onion, a couple of sticks of celery, maybe a leek, a bay leaf or two, some black peppercorns and a large pinch of salt. Simmer for another 2-4 hours once you have added the veg anyway - topping up with hot water if the level of the liquid goes below the bones - and when you are done, drain it and leave it to cool. You should be left with a layer of fat on top, which you can skim off (some people like to cook with this fat). You now have an amazing broth which you can use as a base for soup, or to drink a cup of every day. Mmmmmm. Honestly! And for anyone doing the 5:2 diet plan this is a belter, you can use it to make a very low calorie, nutritious and filling soup of smugness. Menstruation is something most women take for granted, a monthly irritation. But what can we do if your periods have stopped, or your bleeds are long and unpredictable? In my practice, I have been seeing a patient whose periods could last up to 3 weeks, with severe pain and other symptoms. Managed through medication for most of her adult life, she came to me to see if acupuncture might help this in a more natural way. We have seen her cycle improve month by month since we started working together, to the point where they are almost normal and we expect they will continue to improve. As you can imagine this has been liberating. Her energy levels have improved, she can exercise properly again and she can actually think about trying to get pregnant when the time is right. This was not a 'quick fix' - the changes have been effected over several months, but given this has affected her since her teens this is not surprising. Acupuncture works with the body to help it naturally come back into balance - and part of this balance is the body's natural rhythms and cycles. There are several other conditions that can affect the monthly cycle, the most common include PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and endometriosis. Please do contact me if you would like any more information or a telephone consultation regarding your monthly cycle. http://www.hipandhealthy.co.uk/from-high-profile-pr-to-acupuncture-claire-dabreo-talks-us-through-how-she-made-the-jump/
A patient asked me how she should feel after an acupuncture session. As I treat many patients with fertility issues this is not such an odd question - other than a so far frustrated desire to fall pregnant they think they feel fine. In fact if you delve a little deeper there is often a lot more going on. It's the same for most of us - until we feel noticeably unwell or unhappy, it is amazing what we learn to live with or accommodate.
At its best, acupuncture makes you feel like you are the very best, 2.0 version of yourself. To feel truly right in yourself is all too rare for many of us. But if you are firing on all cylinders, then no matter what life throws at you, not matter what obstacles appear, you know you will be ok. That you are metaphorically cruising life's highways with the roof down and the wind in your hair, enjoying the ride. And who wouldn't choose that? |
Claire DabreoPassionate about the pins. Archives
March 2024
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Please contact me if you would like to book a free telephone consultation. You can also follow me on social media via the links below.
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HoursMonday / Tuesday: 10am - 2pm SOUTH NORWOOD
Wednesday: 2pm-9pm CRYSTAL PALACE Friday: 9am-2pm CRYSTAL PALACE |
Telephone+44 (0) 7958 916722
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claire@thelondonacupuncturist.co.uk
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