Too busy to go to the supermarket? Cupboards almost bare? I’m always looking out for speedy snacks that I can whip together from what’s available in my kitchen. Sometimes they turn out well and sometimes they don’t but today I made a chickpea spread that I liked a lot. Less like hummus and more like [...]
This year Chinese New Year falls on February 14th when we will be saying goodbye to the Year of the Ox and welcoming in the Year of the Tiger. More next week about what the Year of the Tiger has in store for us, but today I thought I’d celebrate by baking Chinese Almond Cookies. [...]
Welc ome to the third week of our YinOva Cleanse. I have loved hearing from you all by email and it’s fun to think that so many of us are doing this at the same time. Last week we took herbs that clean and protect the liver and gallbladder as well as herbs that kill [...]
Welcome to week two of the YinOva Cleanse. Last week was all about cleansing our colons. How did you do? Emma and I had a couple of hungry days mid-week but we’re now feeling pretty good. This week we will be cleansing the liver and gall bladder. You can read more about the herbs involved [...]
It’s that time of year again. Did you eat and drink a bit too much over the holidays? I know I did and at this time of year I always feel ready to shed a few pounds and clean up my diet. Here at the YinOva Center January is always “cleanse month” where some staff [...]
Last week we held our annual staff holiday party which was a lot of fun and proved that we at the YinOva Center are not immune to the excesses of the season. However we do have a few tricks up our sleeves when it comes to combating a hangover. What is a hangover? Alcohol is [...]
For hundreds of years chicken soup has been a traditional remedy for a cold. Our grandmothers swore by it and each culture has a version of this healing recipe. These days Western scientists have begun study chicken soup and have found that it has healing properties because it contains natural chemicals similar to those in [...]
You are used to getting your Chinese herbs from us in tea form but did you know there are many herbs which can be used as food. One of my favorite ways of incorporating healing herbs into my life is by cooking with them. This simple recipe for steamed chicken includes red dates known as [...]
Kathryn, one of our lovely YinOva patients was reading our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility when she had a thought. She facebooked me to suggest that we start collecting fertility-friendly recipes and publishing them here on the blog. I loved the idea and thought her first two recipe suggestions were [...]
We love the Union Square Farmer’s Market and think you will too! If you make it to our beautiful, new, spacious offices on a market day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday) be sure to give yourself extra time to stop there. It runs all year round and has lovely, fresh produce grown here in the [...]
This weather makes it pretty hard for even the perkiest among us to maintain our energy. Many or our patients are telling us that they are hankering for second and third cups of tea or coffee in this weather and we understand. At times that’s a manageable quick fix but here’s something that may be [...]
Mung Beans are prized throughout Asia for their nutritional and medicinal benefits. It’s worth having some of these small green beans on hand because, unlike other beans, they don’t need any soaking making them particularly handy when you need to whip up a healthy meal, quickly, from the contents of your store cupboard. In Ayurveda, [...]
In our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility Dr. David and I discuss the alarming fact that male sperm counts have halved since our grandfather’s generation. My patients are shocked when I tell them this and their next question is usually, “why?”. I always answer that it’s hard to lay the [...]
In our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility Dr. David and I talk a lot about adopting a fertility friendly lifestyle. Your diet is one of the main ways you can change your body chemistry every day which is why at the YinOva Center we encourage our fertility patients to adopt [...]
Here at the YinOva Blog we have often drawn your attention to exotic superfoods. We have sung the praises of goji berries, wheat grass and maca powder. However any food that is high in antioxidants and phyto-nutrients could be called a superfood and, bearing this in mind, I thought it might be useful to look [...]
Lee Hullender is a fabulous acupuncturist and herbalist based in Seattle. Her practice is called Abundant Spring and specializes in treating both male and female fertility. If you know anyone who needs a good acupuncturist in the Seattle area, I can wholeheartedly recommend her. Lee’s husband Joe is a chef and she emailed me last [...]
Today’s blog was written by YinOva acupuncturist and herbalist, Liz Carlson. Often, when I discover why something is so bad for me, I find it easier to cut it out of my life. In my early twenties, after I learned that aspartame was causing brain tumors in lab rats I didn’t find it too hard [...]
Lipidium meyenii, better known as maca, is a South American medicinal plant used for thousands of years by the people of the Andes mountains where it is known as a general health tonic. Traditionally maca was also used for its ability to balance hormones in both men and women leading to increased libido and improved [...]
For thousands of years, all over the world, honey has been prescribed for it’s antibacterial properties. The ancient Egyptians used it to treat sores and soldier’s in the trenches, during World War One, applied it to their wounds. However, with the popularity of antibiotics, honey took a back seat and was dismissed as a home [...]
One of my patients asked me this question recently after reading my blog entry about whether pregnant women should eat fish. I love fish – low in saturated fats and high in omega 3 fatty acids, it’s a great source of heart-healthy protein. I grew up on the coast and as a child was lucky [...]
“Everyone keeps telling me what I can’t eat”, moaned a newly pregnant YinOva patient, “but no one is telling me what to eat instead”. So Eileen, this blog’s for you (and for anyone else who wants some help making healthy food choices when pregnant). Fear not! I know we’ve asked you to limit the coffee [...]
Recently The New York Times ran an editorial piece about the safety of fish. The article prompted several of our YinOva patients to ask for our advice about eating fish, especially if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. As The New York Times article pointed out even different government departments disagree about how [...]
I asked our lovely YinOva patient Kate to write this week’s blog entry. When Kate came to see me she had been trying to conceive for several years. She had been diligent about seeking out advice from a variety of conventional and complementary practitioners and had followed their orders to the letter. A previous acupuncturist [...]
