Understanding Hydration - More than Just Drinking Water

Though it was late, our Colorado summer is finally upon us. This means hot and dry weather, with occasional storms. For most of us this also means lots and lots of outdoor activities. The upside to this is lots of great exercise, long evenings and fun.
The downsides are frequent injuries, and the dreaded dehydration. In Colorado it is very important to understand that most of us are fairly dehydrated a lot of the time. Add lots of exercise and hot weather to this and many of begin to get illnesses related to this.
It is important to not only drink water. According to Chinese medical priniciples that will not be enough to hydrate you. One must consume lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, watermelon is one of the best ways of cooling down. I prefer to put it in a blender and drink it as juice. It works so well, that When I lived in China, we nicknamed it "Chinese Airconditioning" because it cooled us so well.
The bottom line is that if you are drinking water to rehydrate, and begin to pee more, you are not rehydrating. At this point you must begin to eat fruit!

Chinese Medicine Treats Traumatic Injuries

Making Perfect Sun Tea

by Jack Schaefer MAcOM LAc

In a glass jar combine 4 cups of cold water, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 sprig of mint about 6 inches long, and 1/2 to 3/4 cup of black tea leaves or 9-12 tea bags.
Seal the jar and place it in the sun for about 3 hours. Next add the juice of 1 lemon and the juice of one orange. Next slice and seed an orange and add it to the mixture. Shake and refrigerate for several hours.

Raspberry Fizz Variation

This uses the suntea you already made. Place 1-2 teaspoons of raspberry syrup into a 10 oz glass. Fill the glass 1/3 to 1/2 half full with the chilled tea. Top off with sparkeling water. Finish with a few fresh raspberries.

The Spices of Summer

by Julie Gwyther MSOM LAc

We have officially entered the heat of summer in these last few weeks. Now more than ever it is important to find different ways to keep our bodies cool, in order, to stay healthy. In Chinese medicine there are different flavors assigned to each season. The flavor of each season is meant to help the body harmonize with the exterior climate. As mentioned in a previous summer recipe, harmonizing with the exterior environment is an important preventative tool for staying healthy.
In summer, the spices that can be very useful for cooling the body down are ones that make us sweat lightly. Inducing our bodies to sweat is a great way to cool down. Spices such as ginger, cayenne, chilies, and horseradish can be used in moderately in the summer.
Here is a great summer side dish using one of these spices.

Ginger Carrot Stir fry
2 ounces of ground or finely chopped ginger (without the skin)
5-7 carrots cut into 2-3 inch sticks
2 cups snowpeas

Begin by stir frying the ginger in coconut oil for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. The longer one cooks the ginger the less spicy it becomes so cooking time depends on how much spice you like. Next add in the carrot sticks and cook for another 5 minutes. Lastly add in the snow peas and cook for another five minutes. The vegetables should be slightly crunchy. If you want more texture to this dish a good addition for the last few minutes of cooking is a handful of raw cashews.

This stir fry side dish can compliment grilled fish, chicken or tempeh. Enjoy!

Menopause and What You Can Do to Help Treat it at Home!

A lecuture by Julie Gwyther MSOM LAc

You are invited to attend an in office lecture given by Julie Gwyther MSOM LAc. This 1 hour lecture will cover various ways woman can deal with their menopausal symptoms at home. Many woman come to us for help with this problem and are able to undergo acupuncture and herbal medicine to help treat it. This lecture will include ways that women can help improve these symptoms with proper lifestyle, diet, and exercise. The lecture will also include helpful foods and recipes too.
Date: July 30th at 7:00pm.
Spaces are limited and guests are welcome. So, please reserve your spot by calling our office at 303-648-4066.

Happy Hour Acupuncture

Thursday August 6
5:00-7:30
for only $30

For more information or other breaking news here at the clinic, as well as our lecture schedule, please check our website www.mountainwestwellness.com . From there you can see our blog. In addition you can also become our facebook friend. Just search Mountain West Wellness from your account.
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Stay Healthy!

Jack