Tanya Smith Acupuncturist Chinese Medicine Practitioner

Category: Other stuff

Immune Power!

Over the holidays, my entire family caught a cold. Except me!

I have chaga and astragalus to thank for my immune strength. I drink it daily from October to March!

Chaga is a medicinal mushroom that grows on birch trees, so it can be locally sourced in Ontario. Chaga is high in antioxidants and has antimicrobial properties. It is also rich in beta-glucans which help modulate the body's immune response.

Astragalus is an herb used in Chinese medicine and is shown to boost the immune system and increases the immune cell activity.

It's an...

More Info

Sweet Potato Hash

I love a huevos rancheros type breakfast, with black beans and eggs. But since starting the Whole 30, I have been giving my guts a little break from legumes.

This morning, in a fit of inspiration, I cooked up this sweet potato hash that is almost as good as the real thing!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp cooking fat (I used bacon grease)
1 small sweet potato
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dulse flakes (optional)
salt to taste

Instructions:

    1. Grate the sweet...
      More Info

Tongue Diagnosis: What I can tell when you stick out your tongue.

The ancient Chinese doctors were practicing thousands of years before we had modern blood tests, MRI’s and x-rays. They had to learn to read the signs on the body to determine what was happening in the internal organs. One of the signs that they developed and we still use everyday in our practice is inspecting the tongue.

Clients often giggle a little when I ask them to stick out their tongue so I can look at it. It has often been years since they have stuck their tongue out at anybody!!...

More Info

How to avoid BPA when you’re TTC

Through the media, we have heard of BPA (short for Bisphenol A) and it's dangers to babies and children. Companies make a big deal of advertising that their sippy cups and pacifiers are BPA free. But what is largely ignored is the effects of BPA on "babies-to-be".

BPA has been proven to compromise egg quality and fertility and yet is still found in ubiquitous items in our daily life like plastic food containers and paper receipts. Open a conventional can of beans to create a healthy soup or salad...

More Info