With summer just around the corner, start making these refreshing drinks at home to quench your family's thirst and provide a healthy alternative to other sweetened or caffeinated beverages.

Water kefir is an easy and inexpensive beverage you can make and enjoy at home. By lacto-fermenting kefir "grains" you wind up with an amazing drink that can be flavored however you want (see suggestions below).The process to make it is easy and the results are delicous --- an effervescent drink that you can flavor. Water kefir is truly a delicious, probiotic-rich, health-promoting beverage your whole family will enjoy.

I've been brewing kefir for years from the same original starter culture I bought over 3 years ago for under $20!

You can buy a starter kit where I got mine at Cultures for Health. It includes:

• One packet Water Kefir Starter Grains (in a dehydrated packet)
• Detailed instructions and recipes
• Plastic Mesh Strainer (kefir doesn't like metal and you need a strainer)
• 1/2 ounce Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops (kefir will be happier with minerals)

Originating in Mexico, water kefir grains are incredibly easy to brew, the starter culture can create a new batch of kefir every 24-48 hours. This makes a fantastic non-dairy alternative to milk kefir and can be flavored after brewing to make a variety of delicious sodas.
 
You and your family will love it!

• Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan
• Reusable culture; makes a new batch of kefir every 24-48 hours
• With proper care, the culture can be used indefinitely to create delicious probiotic rich kefir
• Cultures on the counter at 67-80°F, no heating appliance required
• Can be used with sugar water, fruit juice and coconut water

When you receive your water kefir starter kit, the grains will be in a dehydrated state in a barrier-sealed packet and will need to be re-hydrated prior to use. Please keep in a cool dry place until you are ready to make your first batch of kefir.

There has been some changes at the clinic (Renee had to leave unfortunately) and the scheduling is getting booked much farther in advance than usual. Anyone who has regular days and times, please book appointments at least 2-3 weeks ahead to ensure you get your regular day and time. If you need help, please call me (415)250-4009 or send me an email.

Until I find the right person to replace Renee, we will be closed on Wednesday evenings, Friday afternoons, and Saturday mornings. I know there is a demand for these times and I am actively looking for a caring, reliable, and committed practitioner. 

My shifts are not changing, I am in the clinic on Monday and Friday mornings as well as Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. 

I plan to block the new patient schedule as existing patients are my priority so please continue your treatments. If you find that the online scheduling system is full during your regular time, please email me and I will see if I can squeeze you in, I will be as flexible as possible.  

Thanks so much for entrusting your care to me and CAM.    

I love making smoothies for breakfast in my Nutribullet. I also have a Vitamix blender but you lose a lot of smoothie in the bottom of the container. I bought my Nutribullet online but they sell them at Target for $99 which is the cheapest I have found. It's easy and fast to use and clean.

Regular blenders won't do as good a job obliterating leafy greens, but you can still manage with enough liquid and some patience. 

Basic Recipe

• 1 packed cup of leafy greens (goes in blender first)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup berries, fresh or frozen
• Water, enough to cover the greens 
• Optional: teaspoon of seeds or nuts

Tips

• Rotate which greens you use, use kale for a week, then switch to spinach, etc. You can use romaine, pre-washed salad mix, or even wild edible greens from your yard! 
  
• Replace the banana with other fruits like mango, pineapple, peaches, or whatever else you enjoy.
  
• Add coconut water instead of plain water.
  
• You can add flax or chia seeds, raw sunflower seeds, or even raw walnuts
• Make it medicinal by adding tinctures of herbs you take like Reishi or Supreme Shen Drops.

 

Spring is the time for detoxification and renewal. It's important for everyone to release what we accumulated over the winter (and our LIFETIME), also, I can't recommend enough some level of cleansing for people with spring hay fever because the potential for you to feel better all season is huge!

Here I'll give you a simple protocol to help get you started. If you want help with details, or want something specifically catered to you, I'm available for consultations to design a program for you.

The most basic principle to follow is to incorporate more raw foods into your diet and eliminate things that add toxicity and inflammation to your system. The more complex foods you eliminate from your intake, the more you'll cleanse. 

Here's a wide spectrum of options, do any or all of the following for at least 3 days and up to 3 weeks or more:

• Eliminate fast food
• Eliminate pro-inflammatory foods: gluten, dairy, eggs, alcohol, and all GMOs (non-organic corn, soy, sugar, and canola are the top 4 genetically modified foods to be aware of)
• Go vegan, or reduce animal protein significantly - ensure your animal products are organic, grass-fed, without hormones, etc.
• Make green smoothies
• Eat large green leafy salads with only lemon and olive oil dressing, or avocado mashed in...
• Eat only raw vegan food (fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, seeds, nuts, seaweed, fermented foods)
• Drink green juice, coconut water and tea (either add this in or go 3-4 days on green juice alone, which is one of the deepest versions of a cleanse)

If you choose to eat only raw foods, you can go for 2-3 weeks and hit a good reset button. You may decide you feel great and want to continue, like I did almost 3 years ago!

Be consistent in whatever you choose and you will find that you cleanse on a deep cellular level, removing waste, and improving your life force and the vibration in your field. I'm happy to answer short easy questions via email or to help you make decisions about your cleanse or nutrition in a private consultation.  

Getting your RDA of nutritious and delicious just got easier! To celebrate the release of an updated and expanded version of her best-selling book Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People, well-known chef and cooking instructor, Jennifer Cornbleet is sharing the secrets to flavorful, healthful meals made without cooking and without processed ingredients.

Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People invites readers to get to know the delicious world of raw food preparation with:

• Over 100 foolproof recipes, along with lunch and dinner menu plans.
• Easy recipes that call for common ingredients and basic equipment.

The price of treatment depends on the amount of moles, and their size, location, and complexity.The first 3 moles is usually about $200 and a quantity discount is always applied. All net income is donated to Dr. T's non-profit organization that benefits low caste and at-risk youth in Nepal.

Please note, these appointments are for brief skin evaluation and immediate treatment only, if you are interested in a health consultation; please contact Dr. T’s office at 612-870-2974 or by email clinic@ecopolitan.com to arrange for a consultation.

Because of your love, and the time and patience you endured filling out the long survey…  we won lots of "best of 2013" awards again in the Northbay Bohemian’s Reader’s Poll!  

Thanks to you we won:

     ·  Best Acupuncture in Marin
     ·  Best Herbal Clinic
     ·  Best Holistic Practitioner

Sending gratitude and love back to you multiplied! Thanks for voting and for allowing us to provide your care.

Learn how to get started on the road to living a healthy, balanced lifestyle incorporating more delicious raw foods.

Find out why raw foods help you gain more energy, feel younger, reduce colds, flues and allergies, and help bring your weight into balance without “dieting”.

Watch master raw food chef and founder of Living Light Culinary Training in Fort Bragg, Cherie Soria, and her husband Dan Ladermann, prepare recipes from their new book, Raw Food For Dummies that are as easy to prepare, as they are delicious. You will not only learn a recipe, but also see how to balance flavors so you can create your own recipes.

$20 at the door  |  $15 when you Prepay in Advance Here

Check out Cherie's Tour Schedule here.

Have you seen (or smelled) our new aromatherapy diffuser? It blasts immune enhancing and anti-oxidant rich therapeutic molecules into the air; replacing stale and dead indoor air with the naturally health-enhancing molecules you'd get if you were breathing outside in nature.

It's great for everyone because we all live in environmentally polluted areas and don't spend enough time outside! It's especially good for people who fly often, or who are immunologically suppressed, nutritionally depleted, or emotionally stressed. 

If you are interested in getting the same diffuser I have at the clinic, along with the oils and inhalers - I am offering a package at a 15% discount during the month of March. The package includes a diffuser, set of 3 diffusion blends (15 ml each), and a set of 3 inhalers that you can carry with you anywhere. 

Regularly $159 + $12.50 shipping - now on sale for $135 + $12.50 shipping

The diffuser is a quiet, ultrasonic cool mist unit with multi-colored LED lights that different settings or can be turned off. There are also variable settings for how much you want it to diffuse (for example, slow diffusion to last the whole night). There is no heat and no pumps that can damage the integrity of the oils. 

The blends are scientifically validated pure essential oils formulated by Dr. T, and are made from pure, organic, sustainably grown natural plant oils. The blends are:  

• Anti-Oxidant - promotes peak wellness
• Immune - maintains a strong immune response
• Breathe- supports respiratory wellness

Read Dr. T's article about BioActive Plant Fraction Therapy and why it's a crucial missing link in how we take care of ourselves. I love having the diffuser at the clinic and plan to get a second one for my home! If you are interested in getting the oils or inhalers only, a set of 3 Diffusion Blends is $62 and the set of 3 Inhalers is $21 - plus tax and shipping. Enjoy!