Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

HEPATITIS C - USA (02): (FLORIDA) TRANSPLANT RELATED
****************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Thu 23 Sep 2010
Source: Sun Sentinel [edited]
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/os-mayo-clinic-infection-20100923,0,7542514.story

Mayo worker put patients at risk for hepatitis

The [registered] letter in her mailbox on Wednesday [22 Sep 2010]
surprised a Tavares woman, but not nearly as much as its contents.
While she was a patient at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, a rogue
employee in the radiology department was injecting himself with a
potent painkiller intended for patients and refilling the syringes
with saline. He had hepatitis C, a potentially deadly virus that
attacks the liver. “Apparently, he did this for many years before he
was caught,” said the former patient, who asked not to be named
because it might stigmatize her.

She is among 5000 former patients at the Florida branch of the
renowned Mayo Clinic to receive the warning letter, which has been
mailed out in 2 waves this month [September 2010]. “I have never felt
more safe than I was at the Mayo Clinic,” said the Tavares woman, who
underwent heart and kidney operations at the Mayo Clinic in 2006 and
2007. “For this to happen, I think is horrible.”

snipped...

Dr William C Rupp, chief executive officer of Mayo
Clinic in Florida. “We want to cast as wide a net as possible to make
sure we’ve included any possible patient.” That, Rupp said, has
included tracking down every patient who had a procedure on the days
the technician was working and in the section of the hospital where
he was working. Most of the affected patients are from Florida, Rupp
said, but letters also have been sent to several living in the
Southeast and a few who live abroad.

The former employee has tested negative for hepatitis B virus and
HIV, Rupp said, but the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, as well as the Florida Department of Health, urged that
former patients be tested for those viruses as well. So far, 3
patients have been diagnosed with cases of hepatitis C that are
genetically similar to the type the technician has, Mayo officials
said. One of those patients died from the virus [infection], another
died from an unrelated illness, and the 3rd remains alive. Hepatitis
C virus attacks the liver but often doesn’t cause symptoms for years.
Left untreated, it can cause severe problems, such as cirrhosis and
liver cancer.

snip.

Among the new
safeguards: Mayo nurses will now initial every syringe when it’s
drawn so that it can’t be switched without notice.

[Byline: Linda Shrieves]

—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Brent Barrett

[The initial report in ProMED-mail on 24 Aug 2010 of 3 cases of
hepatitis C virus contracted from a radiology technician at the Mayo
Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, did not explain the circumstances
surrounding this incident. It is now revealed that the affected
individuals were surgical or transplant patients, one of whom died
subsequently as a result of hepatitis C virus infection. These
patients, and possibly others (up to 5000 are being contacted), were
infected by the actions a single technician in the radiology
department who was injecting himself with a potent narcotic intended
for patients and refilling the syringes with saline. Subsequent
analysis revealed that the employee was a hepatitis C virus carrier.
It remains to be established whether any other patients at risk have
been infected. At the time of the incident the errant technician
tested negative for both hepatitis B virus and HIV infection.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Florida, showing the
location of Jacksonville, can be accessed at
http://healthmap.org/r/03Bg
. - Mod.CP]

[see also:
Hepatitis C - USA: (FL) transplant related, RFI 20100825.2995]
...................................cp/mj/mpp

Actors Ben Affleck and Rebecca Hall in a community garden in “The Town”

Based on a novel by Chuck Hogan called Prince of Thieves, Ben Affleck’s The Town
is a violent crime story set in the Charlestown area of north-east Boston, which
boasts more bank and armoured car robbers than any other square mile in America.

Forty years ago one might have been surprised by this, as to outsiders Boston was
thought of as a sedate city, rich in revolutionary history and the setting for respectable
novels of upper-class manners.

Paparazzi alert! Garner photographed in the community garden next to City Farmer’s
garden in 2005

Along 6th Avenue in Vancouver, next to our Compost Demonstration Garden, is the
Maple Street Community Garden on city boulevard land next to the no-longer-used
CPR railway tracks. In July, 2005, Jennifer Garner and crew turned up to film a
segment of “Catch And Release”.

Of course we were there, gawking from the rooftop of our building. I got a few zoom
shots off before they spotted me and yelled “stop”. The larger versions of the photos
include a good number of unusual models of compost bins that we’d donated to the
gardens over the years.

A reverse-urbanism at work

Our cities are growing. Growing, that is, in the horticultural sense. Recent years
have seen a minor infestation of urban gardens and inner city allotments, typified
by MUF’s recently opened Dalston Barn (formerly Dalston Mill) and Union Street Urban
Orchard on London’s South Bank. What both these projects have in common, along with
a certain ad-hoc, DIY charm, is a desire to invert urban/rural distinctions and
bring aspects of the countryside into the city.

A bloody lesson for backyard chicken enthusiasts

Reporting from Columbia, Mo. - Fluffy, white broiler chickens pecked around the
backyard while a group of two dozen people - a set of knives laid out before them
- eyed them warily.

Jordan Dawdy, his arm bearing tattoos of chickens and other farm animals, gave the
crowd the run-down: Snap the neck, cut off the head, drain the blood, pluck, gut,
done. He has the whole process down to seven minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All stories here:
City Farmer News [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=fclqmpbab&et=1103720580750&s=1304&e=001EA1kc252h3IebMj5k_rynaqBya7XnfDGcp8mIkIAi7kpsBKaxVPVNtEkQtC-BWqCSxShv-k6d694Zhf5CIbh7nMdWA_Zd3kc1EUs0mTxIvX9X4iN-KZa7A==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture

Great deal on two heritage rasberry plants today at Lowes...half price! They are about 3 foot tall and in fair conditon. My question is when do I plant them and where? I know they need sun but what else do I need to know? Are they invasive? It says they can be about 6’ x 4’...is this about right in your experience? ANY tips would be welcome.

http://www.naturehills.com/product/heritage_raspberry.aspx
Huggs,
Judith in Bama

God is not mad at you, no matter what!

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Mixed Herb and Lemon Pesto with Zucchini and Pasta
Posted by: “J.

Mixed Herb and Lemon Pesto with Zucchini and Pasta
Serves 4-6

A magnificent medley of zucchini, fresh herbs, nuts, cheese and lemon juice with zest are what makes this pasta dish irresistible! Top with zucchini flowers for a stunning presentation.

1 pound specialty short-cut pasta, such as trofie or gnocchetti di Sardi or egg tagliatelle
Salt
About 1/2 cup tarragon leaves
1 cup basil leaves, packed
A generous handful of mint leaves
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, grated or pasted
3 tablespoons pine nuts (a small handful), lightly toasted
3 tablespoons pistachio nuts (a small handful), lightly toasted
1 teaspoon fennel pollen (optional)
Pepper
A handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds small zucchini or seeded zucchini, thinly sliced
12 zucchini flowers (optional)

Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add salt and drop the pasta. Cook to al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of the starchy cooking liquid just before draining.
While the pasta cooks, place the tarragon, basil and mint in a food processor. Add the lemon zest and juice, garlic, nuts, fennel pollen (about one third palmful), salt, pepper, cheese and about 1/4 cup EVOO. Pulse into a paste and transfer to a serving bowl.
Place the remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook until light golden in color, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the pesto sauce.
Add the starchy cooking water to bowl along with pasta and zucchini flowers, if using. Toss to coat the pasta and combine the sauce.

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=3518

Huggs,
Judith in Bama

God is not mad at you, no matter what!

May our roots always run deep and may our branches keep stretching to the sun

——————————————————————————————————— To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnHerbGarden/

http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/search/label/medicine%20making

The Sweet Taste of Life: A place for sweetness in the medicine cabinet and pantry
It’s Blog Party time! Visit Kiva’s blog for the rest of the contributions to this months blog party on sweet medicines!

Here’s my exposition on the place for sweetness in our medicines and foods, and my “Sweet Melissa Divine” honey!

Who doesn’t enjoy the sweet taste of a special treat after supper, a little drizzle of honey in the evening cup of tea, or a morsel of sweet chocolate? It seems as if the sweet taste is irresistible to the human animal, and though will power and dedication can steer us away from indulging in sugary sweets daily that rot our teeth and lead us down the garden path of deteriorating health, there is still a craving for the sweet taste of fresh fruits and small indulgences that is natural to our taste buds.
Though I am the last person who will tell you that eating sugar is even remotely good for you, I want to explore how the sweet taste can mean so much more than “sugar” to our body, mind and spirit. Most traditional medical systems, including Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Unani Tibb reserve a place in the therapeutic toolbox for medicines and foods of a sweet nature. Yes, that is correct, the sweet taste DOES have a therapeutic value, and many traditional systems have recognized it and put it to work for thousands of years.
Both TCM and Ayurveda have a classification of the five or six primary tastes, which include sweet, sour, salty, acrid/pungent, bitter, and astringent. According to these systems the body must receive all the tastes on a daily basis to maintain balance. Too much of one or not enough of another can tip the scales in an unwanted direction. This is easily seen by the excess of sweet tastes in the modern SAD diet, and the resulting problems with obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes.
According to TCM, the sweet taste is warming, strengthening, harmonizing, relaxing and moistening. It builds up energy and strengthens spleen qi, nourishes body fluids and is associated with the energy of yang and earth. Too much of sweet flavor can produce dampness, obesity, and weakness in the kidneys, teeth and bones. In Ayurveda the sweet taste is used to pacify excess pitta and vata conditions (excess heat, dryness, or ungroundedness). It builds and restores the water element and ojas (life force/vitality). It represents the qualities of love nourishment and sustenance.
In a sense, the sweet flavor is the primary taste that provides nourishment and the building of energy both in the body and the mind. It is important to remember that the six tastes effect the spirit and mind just as much as they do the body, and the sweet taste will nourish the heart and spirit, build strength and energy of heart and spirit, and calm states of deranged pitta or vata (think bouts of anger, emotional upset, ungroundedness, bitterness, dryness or lack of luster and verve for living.) It’s not a surprise then that we crave sweet foods to console ourselves in times of emotional upset, or to soothe sensations of physical weakness, or deprivation. We must also remember that as much digestion as our stomach, spleen, liver and intestines do, our minds also digest myriad forms, thoughts, ideas, events and emotions on a daily basis. It is just as important to fill the mind with healthy, nourishing thoughts and emotions, and that our mind be able to digest well that which we provide it. The sweet taste is not to be reviled in our quest to shun refined white sugar which harms our health, but must be used with respect in appropriate fashion to nourish our minds with the sweetness of life, and nourish our bodies with strength and energy.
There are many foods which qualify as “sweet” that are completely unrelated to sugar, honey, syrup or candies. I generally recommend using the following foods as our main sources of “sweetness” on a daily basis.
Fruits (often of mixed flavor with sour, or astringent)
Nuts/seeds
Whole grains
Meats
Dairy products
Winter squashes and other starchy vegetables
But there is a time and a place for sweet medicines and you will often find traditional formulas from ayurveda or TCM with raw sugar, honey or syrup added as an important player, either as a corrigent or as an active component. For example, rose gulkand, a very cooling, soothing food to pacify pitta (especially in hot, dry summer months) is made primarily with rose petals and jaggery (raw cane sugar). Many herbal formulas are administered in honey and ghee, i.e. Chavawanprash- a complex rejuvenative formula.
All that said, let’s dive into the sweetest, loveliest of sweet medicines I’ve been creating lately, herbal honey!
Honey is one of my favorite methods of administering herbal medicines, and I often mixed powdered herbs into a jar of honey for a sweet easy to take honey herb paste. This is much like the Ayurvedic herbal jam Chavawanprash, which combines herbs, honey, and ghee. These can be spread on crackers, fruit, or eaten off the spoon. Honey itself is considering warming, moistening (demulcent/emollient), and rejuvenative/nutritive. It is full of nutrients, enzymes and other health promoting compounds aside from the sugar content. Honey is used to bring herbal medicines deeper into all the tissues of the body.
My favorite way to use honey medicinally is to steep fresh aromatic medicinal herbs in raw, local honey for a week or so and infuse it with all the properties of the herbs. These medicinal honeys can be used as a dressing for wounds and burns, as herbal syrup, stirred into hot or cool water for a refreshing drink, mixed in tea, or even used as a beauty treatment (there is something lovely and luscious about smearing honey all over your face as a hydrating, soothing face mask. Or anywhere else for that matter!)
The most recent herbal honey I’ve made is a fresh lemon balm in mesquite honey, and it is a lovely, divine elixir. I think I’m going to call it “Sweet Melissa Divine” in honor of the plant, the bees that made the honey, and the Bee Priestesses called Melissa in The Fifth Sacred Thing. This summer elixir will be put too good use as an antiviral wound dressing, a sweetener for fresh lemonade, as a mood brightening sweet treat to dress fruit, berries, or fresh yogurt. In light of the mood lifting and soothing properties of the sweet flavor, and the sweet uplifting spirit of Melissa officinalis, this honey will be a perfect remedy for a mild case of the winter blues, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), insomnia, stagnant depression and mild anxiety.

Sweet Melissa honey has also found its way into a magical and delicious potion called Sweet Melissa Divine Elixir- a stunning and remarkably effective combination of the lemon balm infused honey and a full strength fresh plant lemon balm tincture. This sweet medicine is delicious, easy to take, and excellent for soothing those grumpies in adults and children alike. My partner Sean likes to use it at summer music festivals in cases of heat exhaustion. No complaints with this tasty medicine! It’s a treat for everyone! I have a few of these available in my Etsy shop if you would like to get your hot little hands on one!
Sweet Melissa Elixir @ Etsy.com

Other favorite herbal honeys include rose, lavender, rosemary, bee balm monarda, and peppermint. I have a hankering to make St Johns Wort honey, but alas, I live in a land nearly devoid of fresh St Johns Wort, so will have to save it for another year.
Making herbal honeys is quite simple. Many times I’ve read to heat the honey, but heating raw honey too hot can destroy the properties, so I choose to cold process my herbal honeys.
1 pint jar
1 pint honey (raw and local if you can find it)
Enough herb of your choice to fill the jar full (do not pack it too tight, just loosely full)
Chop the herb finely and add to the jar. Pour honey over the herb until well covered, you may use a little less or a little more honey depending on the herb. Stir the concoction well with a spoon or chopstick to ensure all the herb bits are coated in honey. Put a lid on and set in a warm spot for 1-2 weeks. You may put it in the sun if it isn’t too hot.
After the allotted time (and several taste tests between putting it up and now), you may choose to strain the herbs from the honey using a wire mesh strainer. Hopefully your honey is relatively runny and warm from the summer climate and can be poured reasonably. If it isn’t, you may need to GENTLY warm it to thin it out. I recommend a hot water bath for just a few minutes. Reserve the honey in a special jar with a label. Eat the herbs! Or rub them on your body for an instant hydrating herbal scrub.
Use the honey generously and as often as you need to nourish the sweetness of life in your spirit and body.

Sources:
Chinese Nutrition Therapy, Joerg Kastner
Ayurveda: The Devine Science of Life, Todd Caldecott
Ayurveda: the Science of Self Healing, Vasant Lad

http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/search/label/medicine%20making

Cool, calm and collected with Roses

Last months blog party was on staying cool in summer heat, and I wasn’t able to put anything together in time, but we’ve been having a bit of a heat wave in the Northeast this past week or two and I’ve been turning to Rose to keep the heat from rising too much!

Rose, besides being sweet smelling, heart soothing and settling to emotional frights and upsets, is a wonderful cooling remedy. Roses gently move blood, are slightly bitter, astringent, antiinflammatory, nervine and nourishingly rich in vitamins, minerals and bioflavanoids.

I always turn to rose for burns. Sunburns respond amazingly quickly to an application of rose vinegar diluted in water. I’ve also used a rose tincture applied similarly with great results. I also turn to rose for cooling and calming red inflammed and damaged skin- either on the face or elsewhere- heat rash, red and painful chaffed skin, cold sores, and the delicate skin of the face in rosacea or general sun damage. Rose tea, rose tincture, rose vinegar, rose hydrosol, rose infused oil, and rose otto all work well in these cases. I choose the preparation that is both convienently close by, and appropriate for the situation at hand. i.e. tea or vinegar as a compress for heat rash, oil for damaged skin or inflammed dry rashes, hydrosol to cool and calm.

I use Rose tincture diluted in a saline solution as an eyewash that offers quick relief and healing from burning, redness, itchiness, or in removing a particle of something in the eye. Rose eyewash works really well for the unfortunate experience of hot burning chile pepper/cayenne in the eyes! Just make sure to strain the solution well through a coffee filter to avoid putting more particles in the eye. I dilute 30 drops of tincture in 1 oz of saline solution (1/2 tsp non iodized salt in 8 oz water), and use an eye cup, or a shot glass, or just use a clean dropper to rinse and irrigate the eye. You can also use rose hydrosol for this.

But lately, as I’ve been dealing with the hot, sticky humid New England heat wave, rose has made its way into my daily routine in the following ways.

After a sticky, hot walk outside I drink a glass of cool water with a splash of rose hydrosol. Yum! you can also add a spoonful of rose petal honey to this to make it a bit sweeter. Some days I add a generous splash of rose petal elixir to the mix as well. Feel free to mix and match to what suits you. If you like the taste you can also make a rose vinegar and rose honey mix to add to your water.

I frequently mist my face, neck, chest and back with a blend of rose tea, rose vinegar, and rose hydrosol mixed in a mister bottle. You can add a drop of rose otto, lavender essential oil, or peppermint essential oil if you like.

After a cool shower I massage my skin with a rose infused and scented oil- honestly I can’t say how directly cooling the oil massage is, but it feels so beautiful after a cooling shower, and heart nourishing- do it just to love yourself. Anoint your heart with rose.

Include rose petals- either fresh or dried in your daily infusions. This can be very astringent and drying, so take note of how much rose you use, and if you are already dry and dehyrated or live in a dry/hot climate, you might consider adding a demulcent like marshmallow root to the infusion as well.

I like to use the fragrant wild roses for most of my medicinal preparations, but note that unsprayed cultivated roses and the wild multiflora rose which is less fragrant still make wonderful cooling medicines - as vinegars, elixirs, infused honey and tea.

http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/search/label/medicine%20making

Herbal Lemonade: A new way to enjoy your herbal infusions
Today I made lavender lemonade. It is a warm early summer sunday, and I was craving a refreshing and relaxing tonic, so out came the herbs and I concocted Lavender lemonade.
Everyone loves a glass of lemonade, and what better way to enjoy your herbal infusions in summer! This will work with almost any aromatic herb you may want to use. But even other non aromatic herbs make a lovely lemonade base.
I like to use such herbs as Lavender, Rose, Mint, Lemon Balm, Tulsi, Rosemary, Lemon Verbena, Birch, Hibiscus, Schisandra, Violet flowers, Elderberry or Elderflower, Hawthorn, St Johns Wort, Nettle and Marshmallow.

To start you will want to make sure you have plenty of fresh lemons, local raw honey, fresh water and herbs on hand. The following proportions make approximately 1 gal of lemonade. Adjust to taste and your needs.

1 qt strong herbal infusion - Boil 1 qt water, and pour over herbs in a glass jar. Make sure you make it strong enough for the flavors to come through in the lemonade. For lavender- 1 c dried lavender flowers for a 1 qt of infusion. Best to let these sit for 30 min or more, depending on your herb choice. 4-6 hrs is better for hardier herbs like fruits, roots or barks, or if you want to take advantage of mineral rich infusions of nettle or oatstraw. Always cover aromatic infusions to keep the flavors in the infusion!

4 lemons- Juice four fresh lemons. I like to use a citrus juice reamer, but other juice squeezers or your hands work well. Catch the seeds in a mesh strainer.

1/2- 1 cup raw honey- I like to use raw honey as a sweetener. Yes it will still have the effects of sugar on the body, and may not be appropriate for all people. You can use stevia if you wish, to sweeten and avoid sugar. Or use a little honey and little stevia. Experiment with how sweet you like it.

3 qts Clean cool water

In a gallon container, strain your herbal infusion, add your honey or stevia and mix well. Add juice of 4 lemons, and fill to the top with additional water. Cool, and serve with a garnish of sliced lemon!

Try this with limes too- mmmm minty limeade!

http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/search/label/Healing%20Foods

For now, let’s begin with Beet Kvass!
Beets
Element: EarthTaste: Sweet
Thermal Nature: Neutral to warm
Pitta -
Vata -
Kapha +

Beets, an often disliked root vegetable is sweet, earthy and rich in betaine, folate, beta carotene, vit C, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Betaine, a compound found in beets (also inbroccoli, spinach and shellfish) protects the liver from damage and aids in the production of antioxidants in the liver. It is also protective for the cardiovascular system. Not suprising then, that Chinese food energetics say that the sweet, mineral rich root clears the liver of stagnant or congested qi and blood. I use beets frequent
ly when addressing liver congestion or digestive weakness related to the liver. Beets will help stimulate the liver to produce fluids, and flush old blood out. Beets are a wonderful food to support the liver and digestion and they help maintain regular elimination. Some people find that eating beets turns stool or urine bright pink or red (this is called Beeturia), and is nothing to worry over. Beets are excellent for building healthy, rich blood for those with “blood deficiency” or anemia. I like to eat beets around the time of my moon cycle to aid the liver in detoxifying estrogen and other end
ogenous hormones, and to replenish my blood with iron and other minerals.
Beets are considered detoxifying and cleansing to the blood, strengthening to the heart and cardiovascular system , calming the spirit or “shen”, moistening to the digestive system and other mucous tissue.

Beets are sweet and thus are rich in natural sugars, which for some people, especially those with insulin resistance, need to be taken in moderation. Beets also contain oxalic acid and if eaten in large amounts can inhibit calcium absorption. So, eat beets, but don’t over do it.
My favorite way to eat beets is when they have been lacto-fermented! The process for beet lacto pickles in not much different than making kvass, but for today, we will just cover Kvass. Kvass- fermented beverage traditionally made with bread, comes from Russia, but for many of us, fermented or not, bread is not an option. Plus beets have such wonderful properties on their own, thus emerged Beet Kvass. Lacto-fermentation of beets frees up the minerals and vitamins into a h
ighly bioavailable form, helps to populate the digestive tract with beneficial flora, and changes the sweet flavor of beets into a refreshing blend of sweet, sour and salty. Fermentation also helps to break down some of the
sugars in the roots. Sour and salty flavors
are cooling and refreshing, and help the body hold on to fluids. Beet Kvass is a wonderful way to use excess beets, and provide your family with the benefits of healthy lacto-fermented
foods and the minerals and healing properties of beets. I recommend starting with just 4-6 oz of Beet Kvass per day, until your body gets acquainted with it. The sign you’ve had to much is loose stools. We used to joke in my family after drinking fresh beet juice “look out below.” Kvass will keep you regular, and is a simple, healthy and
gentle remedy for occasional constipation safe for all ages, a daily support to improve liver health and digestive function, and a rich source of highly assimilable nutrients and probiotic bacteria.
Beet Kvass

* 1- 1/2 gal canning jar
* 3-4 medium beets (more makes a stronger brew, less a weaker brew- this is flexible)
* 3 tbsp sea salt
* 1/2 gal clean water (not chlorinated)

Procedure:

1. Clean your beets to remove any traces of dirt. Remove the greens and reserve for cooking.
2. Chop the beets into quarters or eighths- smaller pieces will ferment faster. You may leave the skin on, and use the long, skinny root tip as well.
3. Place beets and salt in the jar.
4. Top with enough water to fill the jar and stir briefly to dissolve the salt.
5. Cover the jar loosely with a cloth and rubber band, or clean paper towel underneath the ring portion of the jar lid.
6. Place in a warm spot in the kitchen where it will not be disturbed.
7. Let ferment for 3-5 days. You may want to taste test your kvass after 3 days (I use a metal bombilla). It should be salty and sour, and a little bit fizzy. If it isn’t sour yet, let it continue to ferment. Keep in mind that warmer temperatures and small pieces of beets will speed up the fermentation process. If it is chilly out it will take longer.
8. Once it has reached your desired level of tartness, you may place the jar with a clean lid in the fridge, or strain the beets from the liquid and store. There may be a layer of white slime or mold on the top of the liquid. Just skim it off and the liquid beneath is delicious and healthy.
9. Eat the beets- chop them into salads! Healthy lacto-fermented beets. Alternatively, you can make a second batch of kvass with the beets, which will be milder.
10. Serve cool, in small portions 4-8 oz. 1 or 2 servings a day according to tolerance. May also be diluted with water, and a splash of lime juice added.

Variations: Some people use whey from raw milk or yogurt to inoculate their kvass. I find this is not necessary and not ideal if you are dairy free. You may need to favor using more salt if you do not use whey. If you prefer a less salty drink, you can use less salt (2 tbsp) but you may have more slime develop on the top. Often I innoculate my kvass with the juice from lactofermented sauerkraut instead. I also like to include digestive supporting carminative spices in my kvass during the fermentation to add variety and further stimulate the digestion. My favorites are cardamom or fresh ginger, but you could use fennel, anise, caraway or dill seed, black pepper, star anise, or allspice.

Resources:
Healing with whole foods: Asian traditions and modern nutrition. Paul Pitchford
www.joyfulbelly.com

http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/search/label/Vitalism

How to Unwind: Herbal Hydrotherapy
I’ve recently begun working until late in the evening a few nights a week. I come home at 10 pm after being on my feet for hours, talking to people, under bright artificial light, and being rather busy.
It’s been hard to get to bed at a decent time, mostly because it takes me a while to unwind after 8 hrs of work. But getting to bed at midnight isn’t doing my body good. So I’ve accquired a new habit to help me unwind. A hot herbal foot soak. Simple, beautiful, effective.

Being of a somewhat watery constitution, hydrotherapy has always felt good to me. Water is calming, soothing, flowing, and for many folks a lukewarm/nuetral temperature bath before bed can really help them to relax and get ready for sleeping, and it’s a nice technique to use for folks with chronic insomnia, especially if it is related to too much activity or tension late in the evening.
A bath at 10 pm just wasn’t feeling very feasible for me, but, a foot soak. That was something I could handle after a long day, and served a similar purpose.

I simmer 2-3 cups of water in a BIG pot (big enough to put both feet in), turn it off as it starts to bubble, and throw in a few handfuls of some relaxing herbs. The soles of the feet are suprisingly very absorbent, and many folks find that herbal compounds absorb through the feet well.
The first night I tried this my feet were rather sore and achy, so I steeped a combo of sage and lavender flowers in the hot water for 5 min. Then I topped off the pot with cool water until it was a safe temperature to put my feet in without burning them.

Last night, a combo of lavender and hops was just the ticket.
I prepare the pan of hot herbal water and a tea kettle at the same time. I fix a cup of relaxing herbal tea, I choose lavender and linden, and sit down on the couch with the hot tea, and rest my feet in the steamy, fragrant herbal bath.

The warm water draws heat, blood and energy down from the head into the lower regions of the body, and the relaxing herbs soak in through the feet and the aromatics float up on the steam to relax the mind and spirit.
10 min of this treatment, and I’m completely ready for bed. I dry my feet off with a soft towel, then rub a nice herbal oil all over my feet to pacify vata, and encourage the calming and relaxing. A favorite foot oil of my creation is infused St Johns Wort oil with a touch of sandalwood and ylang ylang essential oils. Rosemary oil is especially nice for cold and aching feet, and I use that often as well. After that, I lay down, and fall right to sleep, and sleep all night long.

And it only takes about 30-40 min to prepare, soak and sip, and oil. I can be in bed by 10:45 instead of midnight (if I don’t dally or soak for longer than 10-15 min), the quality of my sleep is deeply restful, and my aching feet don’t hurt.

Lovely, simple remedies are often the best. Some other nice herbs to try for foot soaks include:
Chamomile
peppermint
rosemary
mugwort
tulsi
rose

http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/search/label/Vitalism

What is Vitalism?

In my practice I follow a tradition of healing known as Vitalism. You may find that the suggestions given to you in your session differ greatly from what you are used to and might expect to hear from your M.D. or even some other herbalists.

* Vitalism is a Life-supporting, holistic system of healing. Vitalism believes that the Life force, a native intelligence, inhabits the body, mind and spirit, and knows best how to heal imbalances in the body, mind and spirit.
* Vitalism sees the person as an intelligent and vital whole, and respects and works with the unity of body, mind and spirit. One cannot treat just one aspect of a person and expect permanent, true healing. Health problems often show up in multiple aspects of your life. This is easily seen in the connection between stress and ulcers in the digestive system. One cannot treat the physical ulcer alone, and expect a permanent cure without addressing the underlying mental/emotional stress.
* Vitalism believes that the symptoms of disease are the body’s way of reestablishing balance within the person. The symptoms are not wrong, or bad. For example, a fever is the body’s way of fighting off bacterial or viral infection, and is actually helpful, not harmful. Suppression of a symptom can push health problems deeper into the system, where they may show up later and more severely (i.e. aspirin to suppress a fever, surgery to remove an organ etc.)
* A Vitalist treats disease symptoms through the use therapies which support the body’s natural processes, for example, allowing a fever to progress naturally and using herbs to promote the comfort of the patient while the body is doing its healing work through fever.
* A Vitalist believes that the basis of good health and vitality is diet, nutrition and digestive health. The body depends on well-digested food to build tissues and perform biological functions. If the diet is lacking proper nutrients the body will not be able to perform certain processes correctly. Likewise if the digestive system is damaged or unable to function properly, the rest of the body will suffer.
* One can build vitality and health through lifestyle choices such as; nourishing food, gentle exercise, adequate rest, spiritual development and attention to one’s hearts desire or life calling. Herbal remedies can help support the natural vitality and the actions of the Life force within a person, but will not cure disease without proper attention to diet, rest and other lifestyle habits.

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