Japanese Acupuncture, Phoenix, Arizona: Aesthetic-Skin Tone

Japanese Acupuncture, LLC (480) 246-0624:

600 N. 4th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Japanese Acupuncture: Aesthetic – skin tone May,
2008

Disclaimer:
I am not a certified dietitian. Everything I write on
my webpage and blogs is simply a suggestion. If you
require medical help, you need to consult with a
proper professional. If you are an alcoholic, a drug
abuser, a heavy smoker, have diabetes, hypertension,
or heart problems, or any other health issue, consult
your physicians first.

Point of view expressed in the diet section is
strictly based on Oriental Medicine and my Japanese
cultural background. If any question, please write to
me at japanacupuncture@yahoo.com.

Facial Skin Tone
As for my own way of Oriental Medicine thinking, any
aesthetic beauty must come from within, not from
outside in. Our personal beauty within as well as
facial beauty must come from inside ourselves. Since
our skin is similar to the intestinal linings, if we
have good digestive system the skin is nourished and
has good tone. Having a good digestive system is
imperative, and consequently, having diarrhea,
constipation, or any intestinal problem will have a
negative effect. Additionally, since our emotions
affect the digestion almost immediately, maintenance
of healthy mental attitude is equally important.

There are numerous causes of skin problems. Heat in
the intestines or in the stomach is one of them. The
heat may be caused by the stagnation within the body
or eating hot and spicy foods. For example, many
people have allergic reaction to certain foods, and
the skin may break up with rashes. Rash is a form of
heat, so is a certain type of arthritis (heat caused
by stagnation).

Skin dryness comes mainly from the weak functions of
the Lung and the Kidney. Lung weakness is easy to
explain. Dry weather affects the lung and the skin.
Anyone who lives in Arizona like I do, feels the
effect everyday. Often times, an asthma patient has
dry skin. In Oriental Medicine, the skin gets dry due
to the Kidney weakness as we age. Kidney is the Water
Element and controls water. Its energetic is upward
to the Lung. When the Kidney function gets weaker, it
does not nourish the Lung with moist needed. Since
Kidney also controls the bone marrow, it also dries it
up, causing osteoporosis. We call the symptom the
Kidney Dryness.

For facial beauty and general good skin tone require
the followings.
1) Keep the digestive system in balance and maintain
high nutrient absorption rate
2) Reduce stress and keep emotions under control,
think positively
and happily
3) Drink enough water, nourish fluids, maintain good
interstitial exchange
4) Maintain good respiratory system and kidney
functions

Diet
1) Needs proteins
When we lack proteins in our diet, we have tendency to
have dry skin, loose elasticity, causing wrinkles.

Eat, meet, fish, liver, egg, milk, and soy products

2) Use plant base oil for cooking
Plant base oil contains linoleic acid that balances
the secretion of sebum (oily substance – lipids)

3) Eat green/yellow vegetables, nuts, and liver
They contain many vitamis and minerals the skin needs

4) Cook and eat foods which are rich in chondroitin
sulfate
Chondroitin sulfate is commonly found in the skin, the
cartilage, and brain cells

Cook chicken bones and skin for soup

Recipe
Kelp and Honey (for beautiful hair or hair loss)
Kelp: 60g, Honey: 2 cups, Vinegar and Japanese Sake:
one large tablespoonful
Wash kelp (not too much washing, for it may wash out
nutrients over the kelp)

Drain water, cut in stripes
Marinate it with sake and vinegar, and leave for an
hour
Place them in honey in a jar
Wait for a week
Use honey any way you wish: can eat kelp

Wheat Congee (for smooth skin)
Wheat: ½ cup, Any kind of soup base: 2 cups, Salt,
Soy Sauce, and Pine Nuts: small amount

Soak wheat for half-day in 2-cup water
Drain water
Add two cups of soup, and cook wheat until soft
Add small out of salt and soy sauce.
Add some pine nuts

Peach Juice (for blood circulation and whiter skin)
Peach: one, Plum Wine: three large tablespoonful,
Lemon Juice: small amount

Peal the skin of peach, take out a seed
Blend peach, plum wine, and lemon juice all together

Tofu, Enoki Mushroom, and Kaiso (seaweed) Salad (for
blood circulation, reduce constipation, prevent rough
skin tone)
Tofu: 1/3 of a pack, Enoki Mushroom: ½ of package,
Kaso (seaweed): 50g (hydrated), Sesame Oil: one large
tablespoonful, Vinegar and Soy Sauce: one small
spoonful each, Honey, Salt, and Pepper: small amount

Cut the bottom (the root part) of Enoki off
Cut tofu in pieces
Arrange ingredients nicely
Pour mixture of sauce made out of vinegar, soy sauce,
honey, salt, and pepper.
Mix them well

© 2008 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi/Japanese Acupuncture

Japanese Acupuncture, Phoenix, Arizona: Cancer April, 2008

Japanese Acupuncture, LLC (480) 246-0624:

600 N. 4th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Japanese Acupuncture: Cancer April, 2008

Disclaimer: I am not a certified dietitian. Everything I write on my webpage and blogs is simply a suggestion. If you require medical help, you need to consult with a proper professional. If you are an alcoholic, a drug abuser, a heavy smoker, have diabetes, hypertension, or heart problems, or any other health issue, consult your physicians first.

Point of view expressed in the diet section is strictly based on Oriental Medicine and my Japanese cultural background. If any question, please write to me at japanacupuncture@yahoo.com.

Regular Check Up, Understand Symptoms, And Know Your Family History
If you are over 50, you are advised to receive a regular check up at least once a year. When in doubt, research symptoms of each cancer type. Eat healthy foods and loose some weight, keep up with a good BMI (Body Mass Index*) ratio. Do some light exercises. Avoid risky behaviors: smoking, long exposure to the sun or chemicals, unsafe sex, etc. Know if your family member ever had cancers. Check out the genetic cancer. *BMI = Body Mass Index Ratio of over 25 is considered to be overweight


Diet
A) First Defense
In my opinion, the first defense against cancer is to heavily detoxify the body, especially the liver, and to change the blood acidic level to alkaline. Drink large amount of water, supplemented with angstrom silver and mineral water. If you are robust in constitution, do the liver detoxification with milk thistle along with colonic. Blend green leafy vegetables, grasses, seaweeds, or anything green with fruits, through some enzymes and vitamin Bs, and drink the juice

Most of us forget to strengthen the liver after a period of detox. You must strengthens the liver by taking multiple vitamin Bs, especially the B12 (the foundation of DNA). Keep drinking the blended juice described above.

The best juice you can ever take is the brown rice juice. The juice is great especially for a weakened cancer patient or a post-surgery patient. Boil one cup of brown rice in 3/4 to a gallery pot. Bring it to boil with large amount of water, then simmer for 8 to 9 hours. Keep adding water and stir a lot since the rice becomes very glutinous. Make sure you add enough water and keep stirring. Filter the juice with cheesecloth and discard the rice (not edible anymore). The juice is tasteless and condensed. You may add brown sugar or fruit juice to sweeten a bit and add more water if you like. The juice has over 70 anti-oxidants. Drink the juice twice or three times a day at anytime.

B) Some Foods That Are Anti-Cancer
Brown Rice: Rich in vitamin Bs, minerals, and fibers. Highly anti-oxidant. The best anti-cancer food (in my opinion).
Seaweeds & Kelp: Have fucoidan which kills lymphoma cell lines by apoptosis*. Rich in minerals and β-carotene. Cleanses the blood, maintains healthy blood vessels, increases the immune function, reduces the cholesterol level, prevents osteoporosis, and helps the functions of the heart. Known to reduce weight.
Garlic: Produces allicin when chopped or grated. Allicin is responsible for the hot, burning taste of fresh garlic and is a potent anti-bacterial/anti-fungal. Reduces the risk of cancer. I do not recommend too much garlic to a person who has hypertension.
Daikon (grated): Has abundance of digestive enzymes and vitamin C. When grated, produces allyl isothiocyanate which is anti-cancerous. However, isothiocyanate should not be taken in excess.
Dark Green Leafy Vegetables: Kale, spinach, chard, chives, etc. They are anti-oxidant.
*apoptosis: programmed cell death, natural organic life cycle of a cell.

C) Cooking & Recipe
Stirred Fried Burdock Roots
Ingredients: one burdock root, one carrot, one bell pepper, a dozen ginkgos, some mushrooms of your choice, two large tablespoonful of salad oil and Japanese sake each, one large tablespoonful of sugar, one and half to two large tablespoonful of soy sauce, and small amount of sesame oil.

Boil ginkgo and peel the skin off. Peel burdock's skin, cut in 2 inch length, soak in water. Cut a carrot and bell peppers into long and thin pieces. Take out burdock from water container, drain, add carrots, and stir fry with salad oil. Add Japanese sake to the stir fry, then lower the heat and place a lid. Stir occasionally, and steam the fried vegetables. If smell of burning, add water.
Add mushroom, sugar, soy sauce, then add bell pepper and ginkgos. Finish cooking with adding small out of sesame oil.


© 2008 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi/Japanese Acupuncture

Japanese Acupuncture, Phoenix, Arizona: Hypertension March, 2008

Japanese Acupuncture, LLC (480) 246-0624:

600 N. 4th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Japanese Acupuncture: Hypertension March, 2008

Disclaimer:
I am not a certified dietitian. Everything I write on
my webpage and blogs is simply a suggestion. If you
require medical help, you need to consult with a
proper professional. If you are an alcoholic, a drug
abuser, a heavy smoker, have diabetes, hypertension,
or heart problems, or any other health issue, consult
your physicians first.

Point of view expressed in the diet section is
strictly based on Oriental Medicine and my Japanese
cultural background. If any question, please write to
me at japanacupuncture@yahoo.com.

HYPERTENSION
Some Contributing Factors:
Genetics, age, obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise,
stress, smoking, alcohol, too much salt intake, the
autonomic nervous and hormonal imbalance, etc.

Attitude on Reduction:
Do not try to reduce the blood pressure rate in a
short time. Try to reduce it steadily by taking time.
The first goal is to reduce it by 2 mmHg. Even the
reduction of blood pressure by 2 mmHg can reduce the
risk of death by heart attack by 7%*.
[*7%: Japanese study.]

Change of Life Style:
Take less salt and fat, and eat foods rich in calcium,
do not overeat, stop smoking, alcohol in moderation,
sleep enough hours (7 – 8 ) and well

Exercise more than 20 min, walking is highly
recommended, perform everyday, but must stop and see a
doctor if you experience pressure in the chest, heart
palpitation, shortness of breath, dizziness, and
swollen legs.

If you have a sleep apnea, get a proper treatment. If
constipated, improve your stool.

Diet:
What to eat = vegetables (celery, asparagus, daikon,
etc.), fruits, soys (edamame, tofu, etc.), seaweeds,
shiitake mushrooms, fish & shell fish (including jerry
fish), use plant based oil to cook.

Asparagus & Shiitake Mushroom (Asparagus reduces the
body temperature. Shiitake mushroom reduces
cholesterol and blood pressure.)
Cut asparagus about 1½ inches in length
Cut fresh shiitake mushroom in thin strips
Cut green onions into large pieces
Cut ginger into thin slices
Stir fry asparagus with salad oil, then add fresh
shiitake, green onion, and ginger.
You may add seasoning of your choice. Avoid salt.
Or, mix one large spoonful of sake and sesame oil with
small amount of soy source and sugar. At the end of
cooking the vegetables, pour the source and mix, turn
off the heat.

© 2008 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi/Japanese Acupuncture

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Japanese Acupuncture, Phoenix, Arizona: Diabetes February, 2008

Japanese Acupuncture, LLC (480) 246-0624:

600 N. 4th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Japanese Acupuncture: Diabetes February, 2008

Disclaimer:
I am not a certified dietitian. Everything I write on
my webpage and blogs is simply a suggestion. If you
require medical help, you need to consult with a
proper professional. If you are an alcoholic, a drug
abuser, a heavy smoker, have diabetes, hypertension,
or heart problems, or any other health issue, consult
your physicians first.

Point of view expressed in the diet section is
strictly based on Oriental Medicine and my Japanese
cultural background. If any question, please write to
me at japanacupuncture@yahoo.com.

Most Important: Life Style And Exercise
Overeating, lack of exercise, and obesity are the
three major risks for diabetes.
In the early stage of diabetes, there is no perception
of symptoms, but if the condition is untreated, blood
vessels will be damaged, and various syndromes would
manifest. An occasional blood sugar level test is
recommended even though you think you are healthy
(once a year).

The core of blood sugar level control is the
life-style improvement. It is important to record
your daily exercise, what you eat, the blood pressure,
and the weight.

If you have found that your blood sugar level is
slightly higher, the improvement in eating habit and
proper exercise is sufficient to reduce the risk of
diabetes. If not enough, then, you need to take
supplements. If the supplements are not enough, then,
you need to take insulin or get a treatment. However,
at any level of the illness, you must maintain the
proper eating habit and exercise.

How to Eat
Do not overeat. Calorie intake must be balanced.
Japanese have saying: "Stomach 80% full." Discipline
yourself not to overeat. Set a standard calorie
intake for a day, and eat three meals a day
regularly*. To avoid overeating, you must take time
chewing. Chew well, especially for vegetables. Eat
variety of foods, reduce oil usage in cooking, avoid
alcohol and juice (increases sugar level fast), and
stop smoking.
*Three meals a day at a regular interval is a must.

Calorie intake of a healthy person**: 2000 to 2400
kcal/day
Diabetic patient: male/1400-1800 kcal/day,
femal/1200-1600 kcal/day
**Calorie intake: suggestion

1) Increase vegetables with fibers, steam them,
decrease usage of oil
2) Buy what you need for a day. Do not overstock.
3) Reduce alcohol intake. Stop smoking.

Exercise
Always do the stretching before and after an exercise.
Walk for 45 min. If it is cold outside, cut down to
30 min. Add more walking time in your daily life by
not using a car, an elevator, a bicycle, etc. Aerobic
is recommended, but avoid excessive sweating in
winter. Any other light exercise is advised.

Diet
In Oriental Medicine, diabetes is very much a Spleen*
disease. Color yellow belongs to the Spleen, and
therefore, foods which are yellow in color are good.
For example, yellow pepper, yellow squash, papaya, soy
beans, etc. Modern research shows that Chinese bitter
melon has charantin which increases glucose uptake and
improves glucose tolerance. It is rich in vitamin A
and C. I also recommend brown rice or semi-brown rice
(hatsuga-mai).
*Spleen: it is capitalized since it has different
functions in Oriental Medicine than western medicine.

Fried Chinese Bitter Mellon:
Bitter melon: one Flour 3 large tablespoonful Egg:
½
Water: ½ large tablespoonful Red pepper: small
amount

Cut a bitter melon in half (head to the tip). Take
out seeds and the center (yellow-white part). Cut the
piece in half to make two pieces. Apply flour, and
fry in 180 C degree oil. Dip in sauce (soy sauce, one
large tablespoonful, sugar, ½ large tablespoonful,
sesame oil, ½ small tablespoonful, white sesame seeds,
one small tablespoonful, green onion, one large
tablespoonful), and eat.

Yellow Fruit Salad:
Papaya: one Grapefruit: one Dried Apricot: two or
three
Banana*: two
*Banana: Known for sugar content, but actual
metabolism of sugar conversion varies from person to
person.

Dressing: salad oil and lemon juice, each with two
large tablespoonfuls, honey and fennel (powdered),
lemon juice, and white wine, each with small amount.

Peel the skin and take out seeds of papaya, and cut
them to the size you like. Marinate them with lemon
juice in your hands and place them aside. Do the same
with bananas. Peel the skin and the protective sack
of grapefruit. Cut dried apricots to small pieces and
place them in white wine. Leave for a while.
When ready, place all fruits in a bowl and mix with
the dressing.

© 2008 Dr. Y. Frank Aoi/Japanese Acupuncture

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Disclaimer: Japanese Acupuncture, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona

Japanese Acupuncture, LLC (480) 246-0624:

600 N. 4th Street, Unit 147, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Diet

Disclaimer:

I am not a certified dietitian. Everything I write on my webpage and blogs is simply a suggestion. If you require medical help, you need to consult with a proper professional. If you are an alcoholic, a drug abuser, a heavy smoker, have diabetes, hypertension, or heart problems, or any other health issue, consult your physicians first.

Point of view expressed in the diet section is strictly based on Oriental Medicine and on my Japanese cultural background.

If any question, please write to me at japanacupuncture@yahoo.com.

Before We Begin:

About Ancient Chinese:

Ancient Chinese always emphasized on proper diet according to the seasons. They placed importance on diet more than an acupuncture treatment. This is understandable from an acupuncturist point view. Four out of regular twelve acupuncture meridian lines are for digestion (Spleen/Stomach and Gallbladder/San Jiao). Strengthen the Stomach has been a primary protocol for the Stomach School of acupuncture. Any marshal artist would know that his strength comes from the Dantien (Tanden in Japanese), an area about an inch and half below the navel. The strength only comes if he has good digestion which brings Qi, the energy.

What To Avoid According To Oriental Medicine:

Oriental Medicine is all about the balance and the moderation. You can eat anything you want as long as it is balanced. However, certain foods in the standard American diet (SAD), you want to take less or simply avoid.

One of them is processed cheese. Cheese is phlegm. According to Chinese belief phlegm is the cause of thousands of weird diseases (goiter for example). It creates stagnation in the body more than other foods. From a foreigner's point of view, it is easy to understand why many Americans are obese: simply, too much intake of cheese from childhood.

Second item in the SAD diet you want to avoid is greasy and oily food. They are hard to decompose, taxes the body system, and do not cleanse the body. They also create stagnation more than other foods.

Others like salty or spicy foods should be taken in moderation. The same is true for alcohol, coffee, and sweets. Avoid iced water or tea. We take too much cold drinks, hurting the digestive capability of the stomach.

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