Essential Oils, Food Therapy and Nutritional Counseling
Essential oils
Essential oils are very powerful and, in Europe and France in particular, where the word "aromatherapy" was coined, they have been used by many MDs for many years, both internally and externally.
Essential oils are wonderful tools for children in particular, since they are non invasive, easy to use and their smell very pleasing. Children usually respond very quickly and easily to them. Adults love them too as essential oils open a whole world of self care as well as sensory pleasure. They are some of the best tools available for emotional balance, since our nose is directly connected to our brain.
Which oils to use
The essential oils used at Kwan Yin Medicine are therapeutic grade and pure oils that may often be used safely internally, in teas or in cooking (not all oils qualify for internal use though, and as for any medication or treatment, their use needs to be closely supervised and discussed before hand).
In my practice I exclusively use Young Living Oils since I trust their quality. They are also the oils I recommend for healing to my patients. The ones that we buy even in health food stores are usually all right as perfumes but cannot be recommended for therapeutic use.
Food Therapy and Nutritional Counseling
"Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food"
So said Hippocrates, the grandfather of Western Medicine, whose oath of doing no harm doctors are still taking today. This wise saying, unfortunately, is all too often forgotten in medical treatments.
Yet, if we believe that taking medicine orally two or three times a day can heal us.. why would not the food that we take day after day, meal after meal, day in and day out, affect our health and condition? From food comes the quality of our blood, our life source.
I always rejoice when my patients want to work on their diet because I know that it is more than half the healing. I also know that whatever other treatment I may give will also be more effective, be it herbal therapy or acupuncture.
Sometimes, people have a hard time believing that their food may affect how their low back pain or shoulder pain will respond. Yet, there is not a place, not one cell in our body that our blood and body fluids do not reach. So, yes, if we eat acidic foods that make our blood more acidic, there will be more inflammation in our body and therefore more pain.
Even in Western medicine, doctors often recommend to people who suffer from arthritis that they avoid tomatoes, potatoes and night shade vegetables, all of which are high in oxalic acid that worsens pain. So, whenever we suffer from any kind of pain, be it acute or chronic, it is a signal that our body is craving a balanced diet. Of course, prolonged stress, overwork, lack of rest, situations of fear or abuse also create acidity in our system, which can create or worsen disease.
I encourage a plant-based diet since all studies confirm that this is the best approach to health. However, people work best when they choose their own pace of transition towards healthier food. Some people are ready for drastic changes in their way of life. In that is your case, we sit down for a nutritional counseling session that takes into account your present health, your history and needs.
My husband, Didier Cuzange, a professional French Chef by training, and I offer cooking classes, seminars and training to support that transition. Didier also offers his services as a vegan Personal Chef to provide balanced meals for those who want to eat healthy food but struggle with time and a busy life.
For those of you who prefer a slow approach, I help with suggestions of food items, herbal remedies, dishes or cooking that can be easily integrated. My recommendations are based on macrobiotic philosophy and Chinese Medicine Food therapy principles.
Both my husband and I, being French, have at heart the desire to prove that healthy food does not have to be boring and tasteless...foods and healthy desserts made with pure ingredients titillate your senses while directing you towards health and well-being.
