Herbs and Spices With Real Health Benefits

Not only do herbs and spices give a blast of flavor to bland foods, they can also provide many health benefits as well. Try adding one (or more) to your recipes:

1. Black pepper can boost immune health. Almost any dish will benefit from a sprinkle of pepper.
2. Cinnamon may help lower your blood sugar. Try adding to tea, fruit or sweet potatoes.
3. Ginger can help soothe the stomach, reduce cholesterol, diminish blood clots, and reduce inflammation, among other things. Fresh ginger is best - add to stir-fries or chicken for a punch of flavor.
4. Oregano features 42 times more antioxidants than apples and is easy to add to most Italian dishes.
5. Parsley is often overlooked as a garnish, but it can help with fresh breath, as well as protect the prostate. It can be added to rice, salads or main dishes.
6. Rosemary may help boost immunity. Add it to meats, sweet drinks or steamed vegetables.
7. Saffron features compounds than may decrease depression and anxiety, and also might help you snack less. Soup and seafood are delicious with added saffron.
8. Thyme has been used as an antiseptic, but can also have anti-inflammatory compounds. Savory dishes are best with a little thyme added.
9. Turmeric has curcumin which can help your cardiovascular, mental and muscle health. Yellow mustard or curry with turmeric are good ways to add a little extra.

5 Heart-Healthy Foods

Add these heart-healthy foods to your diet to improve your cardiovascular health.

1. Salmon: Eating fatty fish like salmon twice a week provides your body with omega-3 fats, which can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce plaque build-up and arrhythmias.
2. Olive Oil: Replacing butter with olive oil, and using it in moderation, can help lower your cholesterol levels.
3. Nuts: Instead of red meat in your recipes, try nuts. They are a lean source of protein and the unsaturated fat can help reduce cholesterol.
4. Berries: Not only do berries have a high polyphenol content, which can lower blood pressure and increase your “good” HDL cholesterol, they also contain anthocyanins that can protect against high blood pressure.
5. Oatmeal: This simple breakfast staple contains soluble fiber, which reduces your body’s absorption of “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Three Teas for the Belly

Suffering from common stomach ailments? These three teas are easy ways to ease some of your discomfort.


Peppermint is a fresh tasting tea that older children won’t mind drinking. Peppermint improves the flow of bile so that food may pass through your digestive system quickly, and it calms your stomach muscles. It may help with digestion, nausea, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea and gas. Avoid peppermint if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, however.


Ginger contains chemicals that stimulate the production of saliva, bile and other gastric secretions to aid your digestion. Ginger may calm an upset stomach, nausea, and motion sickness.


Chamomile helps relax muscle contractions in your intestinal tract, and is used to help ease stomach cramps, diarrhea, indigestion, and gas.

More Omegas! A Primer on Fish Oil

There are so many fish oil supplements on the market that it can be very difficult to choose just one. To help you wade through your choices, let’s take a look at some common differences.

Many of the fish oils on the market are basically generic combinations of any variety of fish that typically have 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA (the two main Essential Fatty Acids found in fish oil) per gram (typically 1 softgel). The problem with those is that most of them don’t tell you what type of fish is used (i.e. what the source of the fish oil is). This not knowing poses a problem for some people. For those that want to know the source of their fish oil, they may opt for specific options like Salmon Oil or Cod Liver Oil.

Salmon is considered one of the "cleaner" fish that typically live in cleaner waters like those around Norway (which is a common area to get Salmon Oil from). It has a different ratio of EPA to DHA where it’s normally in almost equal amounts and it can also be found as “Virgin Salmon Oil” (which uses less processing).

Cod Liver Oil is quite a different option by comparison, as it is from the Cod’s liver instead of the general body fat. One important difference here is that the Vitamin A and Vitamin D content is stored in the fish’s liver. Some people aren’t able to take the extra doses of the vitamins that come in the Cod Liver Oil if they take certain multivitamins, but some prefer the extra vitamins if they don’t get enough of those fat-soluble vitamins on a regular basis.

One nice thing about most all fish oil products on the market is that it’s basically industry standard for quality that fish oil should be molecularly distilled to remove any trace contaminants of any heavy metals. Because of that, consumers can be assured that there wouldn’t be any sufficient levels of Lead, Mercury, PCBs, or other contaminants that cause concern.

Vitamin D: Sun vs. Supplements

Vitamin D’s role in bone health is well known, but scientists continue to look at its role in boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation and supporting muscle health.  How does vitamin D work? It’s created in the "body from exposure to sunlight, traveling through the bloodstream to become a potent hormone that wakes up receptors in your intestines to start absorbing calcium." Now, research indicates that other organs and muscles are equipped with these receptors as well.

So how much do you need each day? The recommended daily allowance is 600 IU for everyone under age 70, but this is based on bone health support and assumes minimal sunlight. Many nutritionists and physicians believe that is not enough due to the recently discovered receptors mentioned above; they now recommend 1,000 to 3,000 IU per day.

What's the best way to get enough vitamin D? Sun exposure is the best source - this should be limited to 10 to 15 minutes a day to get a therapeutic dose (note that sunscreen inhibits the amount of vitamin D the body can absorb). In addition, dietary supplements can help you get the right amount of vitamin D. Choose the cholecalciferol version (D3), which is more bioavailable than ergocalciferol (D2).

Vitamin D is naturally found in some foods:

• All varieties of mushrooms contain some vitamin D.  The types with the most vitamin D include portobello, white button and cremini.  One cup contains 380 IU of vitamin D.
• Two egg yolks contain 80 IU of vitamin D, making this one good reason to actually eat the yolk. Egg yolks also contain lutein, choline and vitamins A and E. 
• Fatty fish, such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, contain 400-800 IU of vitamin D in one 4-ounce piece of fish.

These foods are easy to find and fun to prepare, so incorporate them into your routine to get a natural form of the sunshine vitamin.

Growing TCM Resources on the Web

New Website!  Meridian Health Clinic now has more information on the web about acupuncture and Chinese Medicine:
http://www.acupuncture-santa-monica.com/

Other websites managed by the managed clinic include:
http://www.meridianhealthclinic.com/
and
http://www.santa-monica-acupuncture.com/

With the addition of these new websites, Meridian Health Clinic is now one of the most comprehensive references on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) available on the internet, and still growing...  Our goal is to educate the public on the basic concepts of TCM so people are empowered to make the best decisions possible in regards to their healthcare.

Immune Boosting Supplements

Washing your hands, healthy eating and exercise are the best ways to keep your immune system in tip-top shape. But adding specific supplements can also help your natural defenses stay strong all season long. Here are some of the top natural recommendations:

Omega-3s. Found naturally in fish, these EFAs increase phagocyte cell activity, which boosts the immune system.

Astragalus. This ancient Chinese herb stimulates white blood cells and boosts immunity.

Vitamin C. Best known for its ability to boost immune system health, this powerful vitamin serves so many other functions as well.

Vitamin D. A Harvard study shows that people with low levels of Vitamin D were 36% more likely to have upper respiratory infections.

Zinc. Yale research reveals that zinc can help shorten colds by slowing the multiplication of the virus in the nose and throat.