Hello and I hope this blog/ newsletter finds you well and happy. Its wintertime here in the southern hemisphere and the weather at home has been beautiful over the last few weeks. Its been sunny, very little wind and delicious days where we can spend lots of time outside soaking up the sun. Thats the joy of living in Queensland and we are all making the most of these sun drenched days, as we know a cold snap will be here sooner or later. That means lighting the fire and keeping it going 24/7 until it warms up again. We love fires and we love the cool weather too, but it plays havoc with our immunity and really increases your risk factors for coughs, colds and flus.

My book THE MAGIC OF FOOD AS MEDICINE is a comprehensive guide to food as medicine and here I want to share with you my wintertime favourite foods as medicine and incorporate the importance and benefits of using the Traditional Chinese medicine system of the five elements to help you stay even healthier.

Dream of the blue turtle…. yes wintertime is the image of the turtle… think how it is slow and protected from the external influences with a big shell and a whole planet of ocean to swim in! 

We are in the water season, the winter, when everything is slower and in hibernation. Just imagine the beautiful peace and tranquility you get from rest, the necessary slowing down of your mind, body and workload to enjoy reflection, and to allow yourself the grace of spaciousness.

This is a good time of the year to write in your journal and internalise your thoughts and healing processes. Its a great time of the year to make those big pots of nourishing vegetable soups and take as much time as you need to self heal, catch up with meditation, mindfulness and day dream. Its winter, back off socially as much as you need to so that you can be like a bear in hibernation, or a turtle with its head tucked securely inside the shell, just chilling out to the vibe of tranquility. Resting up at home with a good book and allowing stillness to be your priority as much as possible.

Here are my wintertime tips to help you stay well incorporating our water element with our rest and reflection time. 

1. Go with the flow. Yes, this is my first tip for wintertime wellness. Don’t try to change anything around you, instead try to adapt and go with the flow of the season. Slow down, snuggle up and reflect. Watch yourself and your responses to situations and especially watch your body and how your body responds to the flow of each day.
2. Delicious Ginger. lemon and honey drinks are my number one winter food tip.  Simply take the juice of one lemon and pop it in your tea pot with 1 tablespoon of  fresh grated ginger, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated turmeric, 1 tablespoon of honey and a pinch of salt. Then add 500ml water and let infuse for about ten minutes before drinking. This is a really good booster for your body on many levels, its stimulating, anti inflammatory, pain relieving, reduces mucous congestion, is warming, and antimicrobial
3. The kidneys and bladder are the organs we want to protect in this season because they are the body’s reflection of the water element in traditional Chinese medicine. If the fluids in the body are balanced, then the organs will be operating optimally and this is important as inflammation is the precursor to all chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and autoimmune conditions. Look after the kidneys and bladder with rich winter berries. Such as cranberry, mulberry and blueberry. They are high in antioxidants and help the body stay strong. Bitter foods, asparagus, milk thistle, dandelion, fresh greens are all good for the kidneys. Salty foods are recommended for this time of year as they balance fluids in the body and nourish with minerals, kelp, seaweeds and nuts are all good.
4. Warming vegetable soups and roasted vegetable dishes are fabulous to keep you nourished and strengthen your immunity. beans, lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas and all those good dried foods are an excellent addition to your wintertime soups and add much needed protein to your diet. Mixing corn with beans is the easiest way to get complete protein from vegetable soups and roasts.
5. Have cold shower blasts or keep swimming in the ocean, river or pool through the winterif you can tolerate the water temperatures. There is a great immunity reset that happens when we are immersed in cold water through the cooler months, just like the turtle. Not only does all the blood rush to our organs and flush them out, but after you come out of the water the body regulates temperature and you actually feel revitalised and warmer than before… Yes, its true, a little cold water makes you warmer.
6. Herbs that I love in winter are andrographis for liver release of viruses and bacterias that could increase your chances of colds and flus. echinacea is great for the immunity and keeps you well if taken as a daily tonic, try some olive leaf extract if you think you have been exposed to winter illness. We make our herbal blends here in our dispensary and have a really beautiful Immunity blend and cough cold and flu blend. Its great to have some herbs in the kitchen for you to take if you feel the first twinges of illnesses.

 

My book The Wellness Zone is out of print now. We sold 10,000 copies and now offer it to you as a download, 100% by donation. So there is a lot of information in there including my fisher mans recipe for cold and flu relief. Plus my recipe for onion poultice and loads of herbal and nutritional ideas for wintertime wellness. This is 368 pages of wellness information and your guide to optimal health.

EBOOK THE WELLNESS ZONE 100% DONATION PURCHASE

 

The QLD Garden expo is on July 7th . 8th and 9th. We will be there with our medicineroom free clinic and herbal dispensary. I am speaking everyday there at the Gourmet stage. Hope to see you there. I am speaking for one hour each day. We will also be at Eumundi Markets Saturday the 8th for our regular weekly free clinic.

Then you will find me at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay 21st, 22nd and 23rd July. Tis is where we operate our free herbal first aid service and also our free clinics. I am speaking there daily in the Global Village too, so super happy to share wintertime wellness tips with you at these events.

HIGH VIBES ON THE MOUNTAIN JAN 20th and 21st 2018

https://medicineroom.net/2017/03/nutritional-medicine-for-digestion-workshop-june-18th-maleny/

May you walk in your light each day , developing your life in a beautiful way that enhances your wellness and joy.

Blessings and have a great day

 

We have our online shop too. http://www.medicicineroom.net

Herbal Skin Balms, nectars, perfumes and books available online. We hold our free clinics weekly at Eumundi Markets, we also attend some really lovely events where we offer our free services. Make a phone call to chat with me about herbal medicines and your needs with naturopathic services. We are open Tuesday to Saturday weekly

Check us out on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/medicineroom

Best wishes and with Love

Dominique LivKamal

FNHAA

Master Health Promotion

Award winning herbalist , naturopath and health advocate.

phone me 0409765033

email wellness@medicineroom.net