Just what is GHEE?

Although I had heard about Ghee for years, the first time it was actually prescribed to me was when I was a week post my "due date" and feeling hugely pregnant, ready to re-claim my body and would almost anything to get labor going.  I just happened to have an appointment with a well known Ayurvedic doctor at Dr. Steve Wechsler's office (www.drsteveradio.com) and he said the reason I was not going into labor was that I was too dry and needed Ghee.

Dr. Steve very kindly gave me some ghee that evening and sure enough, my labor began.  Ever since then, I have had the utmost respect for this clarified butter since not only did it help to induce me but cured extreme symptoms that manifested in my nose for over 8 years and could not be diagnosed properly by any of the 15 practitioners that I had sought throughout the years.  Upon consuming the ghee, all of my symptoms (which I later found out were an aspect of dryness or Vata imbalance) disappeared!

If you were to visit www.ancientorganics.com for further information and directions on how to prepare ghee (or to buy it), this is some of the information you will find. Ghee is the essence of milk and the milk of cows is considered, in Ayurveda, to possess the essence of all plants.  It is said that Ghee builds the aura, makes all the organs soft, builds up the internal juices of the body (which are destroyed by aging) and increases the most refined element of digestion, which is the underlying basis of all immunity and the essence of all bodily tissues.  Ghee is known to increase intelligence, refine the intellect and improve memory.

Okay then! After that, how can you not want to incorporate this into your daily diet, esp. in winter if you happen to live in an arctic zone like CNY.  You can spread it on toast, dollop it in soup, spread it on tortillas or slide it into your morning tea.  However you can get it down, you will benefit.  For more recipes for making ghee, visit YouTube, www.aayisrecipes.com or www.yogaholidays.net/magazine/ghee.htm

Everyone Poops!

Do you remember the childhood book, "Everyone Poops!" by Taro Gomi (www.amazon.com) which explains to us very clearly in words and pictures that if you eat, you poop.  Now, it sounds quite simple but we know (at least if you're a health care provider), that it never really is that simple.  Since we know that our digestive system is our second brain (see previous post), and that our brains are working overtime with what to eat, when to how, how to eat, why to eat and who to eat with,  our guts are in a perpetual state of trying to do their job of eliminating what is now a utter confusion. 

I have had the great fortune of having close friends who are colon therapists (www.vitonics.com) and have witnessed numerous occasions  reactions from people who ask, "What do you do?". Even from individuals on the more "enlightened" side of the spectrum, the responses can be quite embarassing and obviously exposing their degree of discomfort on this subject of poop. 

My point of this post however, is not the repressed emotional intricacies of the wonder of the human body, perialstalsis and sphincters, but of a wonderful product called Acacia Fiber powder.  I was introducted to this product by someone who used it to recover from the symptoms of IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  If you are interested in an entire product line developed to treat these symtoms, please visit www.helpforibs.com.

Acacia is a soluble fiber and there is a lot of studies that show soluble fibers help a full spectrum of IBS symtoms.  The other name for this fiber is gum Arabic.  This is much more expensive for manufacturers to buy than many of the other fiber sources, so this is why  big companies have not incorporated it into their manufacturing.  Acacia is a gum from the Acacia senegal tree grown on an organic farm in Africa.  It is made similar to how maple syrup is made.

"Acacia is very gentle, not allergenic, and the breakdown products of the acacia product more of the beneficial short chain fatty acids that are supportive of the intestinal cells.  It is also prebiotic maeaning it will help to support the balance of good bacteria in your gut because soluble fiber is their preferred food source."-staff member at Help For IBS.

I can personally attest to the wonders of this simple product that has only one ingredient: acacia fiber.  I was motivated to use it due to my daughters digestive sluggishness (common to almost all children) and it worked wonders in less than 48 hours!  Thank you to Heather Van Vorous, founder of www.HelpForIBS.com, the largest resource company for IBS in the world.