In this now classic text, HEALING WITH WHOLE FOODS - Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, Chinese Medicine practitioner and food as medicine guru, Paul Pitchford,  reminds us that Summer is a YANG season.  He notes that the ancient Chinese encouraged us to connect with the energy of summer by expressing the yang principles of expansion, growth, lightness, outward activity and brightness.  In the 5-Element tradition of Chinese Medicine, Summer is represented by the element of FIRE and relates to the heart.

Fire for the Heart

Think flames, bonfires on the beach, summer sunshine– these forms of fire energy all encourage us to relax and expand our hearts and bodies in movement and play, spend more time outdoors, stretch out on the sand, dance at parties under the moon. And under the summer sun, plants and flowers expand, too.  They grow and grow, producing a dazzling array of fruits and vegetables designed to keep our hearts and the rest of us healthy in the heat.

Indeed, the bounty of summer brings us a stunning array of brightly colored fruits and vegetables designed to cool and energize us during the year’s most fiery season.  Summertime foods not only help our bodies (and minds) endure the heat, they also provide us with the slew of antioxidants, fiber and water content we need to keep our arteries soothed and clear, blood flowing purely, and hearts pumping happily (as well as skin, eyes and more), operating at full capacity.

Cooling the Heat with Food

The ancient Chinese recognized that foods, regardless of whether raw or cooked, embody their own quality of energy and temperature effect on the body.  All raw fruits and vegetables are very cooling, and cooked foods warming.  While generally most of us do better in summer eating more raw foods — salads of all kinds made from raw and cooked vegetables and fruits, Gazpacho and cucumber soups, iced teas, fresh whole fruits from berries to melons to peaches — it’s important to include a balance of cooked summer foods to your diet, especially if you have “weak” digestion.  For example, quinoa, green bean or beet salad are all easy on the digestion and therefore generate less heat, offering a light and cooling energy to the body.

Bitter is Better

The ancient Chinese  determined that the “taste” associated with Summer is bitter. Bitterness helps disperse dampness (which in Chinese Medicine refers to the internal conditions that give rise to any type of chronic illness, from indigestion or reflux to diabetes to cancer) and clears heaviness which could otherwise drag us down in the heat of summer– especially in DC which is essentially built over a swamp!  The physical dampness in our environment affects our digestion, too, and our overall energy.   In Europe, summer salads include bitter greens (and reds, like Radicchio) and oil-cured olives.  Most other cultures include many more bitter flavors in their cuisines than what we find in the US.

These qualities reflect aspects of a person’s state of mind, body and spirit.  Each of us embodies aspects of all five Elements or seasons, and their related qualities, but we tend to embody one or two most of all.  This is what Chinese Medicine refers to as our “constitutional factor”, or type,  and only a trained, licensed 5-Element acupuncturist or Chinese herbal medicine practitioner can assess your constitutional type.  Kind of the Chinese Medicine version of the Myers Briggs personality inventory used in some Peace Corps staff trainings (in my day at least).

In case you’re wondering, in addition to the four seasons we typically recognize in the West, the ancient Chinese observed the presence of Late Summer, a short plateau phase in August sandwiched between Summer (Mid-May through July) and Autumn (Second week of September to mid- November).

So… SUMMER is associated with:

FIRE (Element)

HEART & Small Intestine (Organs)

BITTER (Taste)

LAUGH (Sound)

RED (Color)

JOY, LOVE (Emotions)

The Fire Element, when it’s in balance, supports our capacity to have fun and enjoy life– easy laughter and connection with others. Fire embodies the energy of summertime:  fun, dancing, BBQ’s, beach, and time with loved ones.

Out of balance, fire energy can show up as inappropriate laughter, nervous giggling, stuttering, inability to love or connect emotionally, sexual over-stimulation, or cravings for mind-altering substances.

Some people with a Fire imbalance might experience heart palpitations, heart disease, irregular or rapid heartbeat, depression (lack of fire), insomnia, sleep apnea, aversion to heat, vivid or disturbing dreams.

And you thought summer was just about hot weather and vacations….

As someone who is professionally aware and personally sensitive to the many ways food and lifestyle choices can affect our physical, mental and spiritual energies, I often reflect on the dizzying diversity of  American consumables, from nourishing farmer’s market fare to unspeakably processed “food” products.  And having lived and traveled in a variety of far-flung locales from Ethiopia to Kyrgyzstan, I have observed how the world’s poorest cultures generally eat more in the way of wholesome foods closer to their original form in Nature and  less in volume than their Western counterparts.  So discovering that someone has found a way to capture  some of this with a few photographs is impressive.

The visual impact of the  following photographs speak volumes more than any literary tome could ever on the socio-economic implications of a culture’s food choices.  I love the selection of cultures here with the varying family configurations and national foods.

That said, I do have one beef, if you’ll excuse the pun. It relates to the choice of American family photographed.  This family may represent a sadly common leaning towards way too much processed junk foods in this country, but many families, African-American or Caucasian, who consume this much junk also eat a bit more in the way of real-ish foods (salads, some fresh and frozen vegetables, a couple more fruit options…).  Don’t they?!

I have a second beef, too.  Many Americans eating the most and worst junk food are Caucasian and seriously overweight.  This is not a reality affecting African-Americans only.  (In fact, even in developing countries among those with the money to eat at MacDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken, the rates of obesity have risen alarmingly– but that’s another story.)  I can imagine that my friends and colleagues who are Black would express distress over the racist selection of a Southern black  family to represent the worst of American food choices.  I have to agree that this choice rankles.  Granted it’s nearly impossible to identify one family’s eating patterns that truly reflects all that is typical about a country, especially a nation as large and diverse as the US –and it’s also nearly impossible to capture absolutely parallel global socio-economic realities to create a fair comparison–  but still…

In the end, though, perhaps what matters is that these photographs taken around the planet give us pause — and plenty of visual food for thought.

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily - 2 adults, 3 young children
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

•  •  •

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide - 2 adults, 1 teen, 1 child
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

•  •  •

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina - 2 adults, 2 teens
Food expenditure for one week $341.98

•  •  •

Mexico: The Casales fa mily of Cuernavaca 2 adults, 3 children
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

•  •  •

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna - 2 adults, 2 young adults, 1 teen
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

•  •  •

Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo - 7 adults, 5 children
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53

•  •  •

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo - 3 adults, 6 children
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

•  •  •

Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village - 8 adults, 5 children
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

•  •  •

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp - 2 adults, 1 teen, 3 young children
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

DOWNWIND FROM FLOWERS

Several years ago in Seattle, Washington, there lived a 52-year-old Tibetan refugee.  “Tenzin” was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma.  He was admitted to the hospital and received his first dose of chemotherapy.  But during the treatment, this typically gentle man became extremely agitated and angry.  He yanked out the IV delivering chemotherapy drugs into his arm and refused to cooperate.  He shouted at the nurses and argued with anyone who came near him. The doctors and nurses were baffled. 

Then Tenzin’s wife spoke to the hospital staff.  She explained that Tenzin had been a political prisoner held by the Chinese for 17 years.  They had killed his first wife and tortured and brutalized Tenzin throughout his imprisonment.  She told them that the hospital rules, coupled with the chemotherapy treatments, were giving Tenzin painful flashbacks of what he had suffered at the hands of the Chinese.

 ”I know you mean to help him,” she said, “but he feels tortured by your treatments.  They are causing him to feel hatred inside, just as he felt toward his captors.  He would rather die than live with the hatred he now feels towards the staff here.  And according to our beliefs, it is very bad to have hatred in your heart at the time of death.  He needs to be able to pray and cleanse his heart.”

So the doctors discharged Tenzin and asked the hospice team to visit him in his home. The hospice nurse assigned to his care called a local representative from Amnesty International for advice.  He told her that the only way to heal the wounds of torture is to “talk it though.”

“This person has lost his trust in humanity and feels hope is impossible,” the man added. “If you are to help him, you must find a way to give him hope.”

But when the nurse encouraged Tenzin to talk about his experiences, he held up his hand and stopped her.   “I must learn to love again if I am to heal my soul.  Your job is not to ask me questions. Your job is to teach me to love again.”

The hospice nurse took a deep breath and then asked, “So… how can I help you love again?”

Tenzin replied without hesitation, “Sit down, drink my tea and eat my cookies.” Tibetan drink black tea brewed strong and laced with yak butter and salt.  It isn’t easy to drink!  But she did.  For several weeks, Tenzin, his wife and the nurse sat together drinking tea.  They also worked with his doctors to find ways to treat his physical pain.  But it was Tenzin’s spiritual pain that seemed to be lessening the most.  Each time the nurse came to visit, Tenzin was sitting cross-legged on his bed, reciting prayers from his books.  As time passed, he and his wife hung more and more of their colorful Tibetan banners called “thankas”.  The room was fast becoming a beautiful, spiritual shrine.

When Spring came, the hospice nurse asked Tenzin what Tibetans do when they are ill in the Spring.  He smiled brightly.  “We sit downwind from flowers.”  The nurse thought he must be speaking poetically.  But Tenzin’s words were quite literal.  He told her Tibetans sit downwind so they can be dusted with the new blossoms’ pollen.  they consider this new pollen strong medicine.  At first, finding enough blossoms seemed a bit daunting.  Then, one of the nurse’s friends suggested Tenzin visit some of the local flower nurseries and the nurse called the manager of one nursery to explain the situation.

The manager’s initial response was, “you want to do what!?”  But when she explained further, the manager agreed.  That next weekend the hospice nurse picked up Tenzin and his wife with their provisions for the afternoon– black tea, butter, salt, cups, cookies, prayer beads and prayer books.  She dropped them off at the nursery and assured them she would return by 5.

The following weekend Tenzin and his wife visited another nursery.  The third weekend they found yet another nursery. The fourth week the hospice nurse began to receive calls from these nurseries inviting Tenzin and his wife to come again.  One of the managers said, “We’ve got a new shipment of nicotiana coming in and some wonderful fuchsias and oh, yes, some great daphne, too. I know they would love the scent of that daphne! ”

Later that day, the nurse got a call from the second place saying they had colorful wind socks that would help Tenzin predict where the wind was blowing.  Soon, the nurseries were competing for Tenzin’s visits.

People began to know and care about the Tibetan couple.  The nursery employees started setting out lawn furniture in the direction of the wind.  Others would bring out fresh hot water for their tea.  Some of the regular customers would leave their wagons of flowers near the couple.  It seemed that a community was growing and gathering around Tenzin and his wife.

At the end of the summer, Tenzin returned to his doctor for another CT scan to determine the extent of the spread of his cancer.  Much to the doctor’s surprise, he could find no evidence at all of the cancer.  He was dumbfounded.  He told Tenzin that he couldn’t explain it.

Tenzin lifted his hand and said, “I know why the cancer has gone away. It could no longer live in a body filled with love. When I began to feel all the compassion from the hospice people, from the nursery employees, and all those people who wanted to know about me, I started to change inside.  Doctor, please don’t think that your medicine is the only cure. Sometimes compassion is the better cure for cancer.”

***************

Note that healing is not the same as curing.   Marion Woodman captures it well when she says, “The curing may be in the body, but being cured is not necessarily living a full life.  Healing is coming to wholeness.”  In this story curing and healing converge. And Tenzin’s experience reminds us of the critical need for caregivers to tend to the spirit of the sufferer as well as the mind and body.  So even if Tenzin’s cancer had not been cured, healing on the mind and spirit levels would still have allowed Tenzin to find pleasure and meaning in his last days, and to let go of life feeling a sense of connection and peace.

Since living in the DC area, one of the earliest signs always surprises me — my son, Sasha, and I both wake up sneezing, usually around the second week of February in reaction to some unidentified (to us) allergen. Birds begin chirping enthusiastically around 6 or 6:30 and I notice more variety and sing-songiness among our feathered friends as they fill our little urban patch of woods with the sounds of hope. Crocuses start popping up here by the third week of February and by mid-March the first kitchen ants (not their scientific name!) begin appearing out of nowhere, one at a time at first. Even if you live in a tropical place like Thailand, there are hints that the season is shifting. We didn’t call it Spring in Thailand, we called it the Hotter Season (following the Hot Season and preceding the Hottest Season (before the Steamy Hot Rainy Season).

Especially for those of us who live in a temperate 4-season zone (Okay, the ancient Chinese observed 5 seasons that include Late Summer between Summer and Autumn — hence the term 5-Element — but that’s another story), a Springtime cleanse makes sense. We’ve just gotten through a cold winter eating richer, more warming foods and our livers and gallbladders are tired of processing the extra fats and diminished exercise most of us get once the weather gets cold. Even if you live in a climate where it’s warm year-round, doing a cleanse as you go from the dry season to the rainy season or whatever it is for you gives your body’s organ systems a boost of energy. And doing a gentle cleanse is also a great jumpstart to a balanced weight-loss program.

Below is my version of Elson Haas’ detoxification Master Cleanser fast, originally designed as a 10-day rejuvenation program for overall health. You won’t have to struggle to manage your hunger pangs since you drink this along with a “diet” of real, unprocessed whole foods. Hollywood’s stars made the original Master Cleanser no-food fast famous with claims of many pounds lost; however, I don’t recommend a dramatic liquid fast or starving yourself to achieve positive and sustainable results. Unless you have time to go sit in a mountain-top monastery to meditate and care for yourself away from the demands of daily urban life, I suggest you avoid fasts and opt for this gentler, and ultimately just as effective, approach.

In Chinese medicine’s 5-Element tradition, the season of Spring is associated with the liver and gallbladder, two organs that help us process fats. So by the end of winter, these systems need some extra TLC.

One of the ways we can tell these organ systems are feeling the negative effects of too much rich food is not only the heavy feeling in our gut, but also the changes in our moods. The ancient Chinese observed that when the liver and gallbladder are stressed or activated, anger rises up more easily in us and there may be a sense of agitation or frustration. As Spring approaches we experience what can be a challenging transition from the deep-down still energy of winter into the upward, sprouting energy of Spring. Many of us feel stuck and struggle to get ourselves moving, literally and figuratively. The Chinese recognized that Spring’s energy is about the vision we see ahead for us (in work and life) and how we can create and grow that vision like a seed grows into a flower or tree.

In fact, the Chinese 5-Element Medicine tradition identifies the tree or wood as the element in Nature that represents Spring. But moving out of Winter’s quiet into Spring’s bouncier energy can feel bumpy. (Think about a sprout pushing its way up through the cold, hard earth towards the sun!) So a simple cleanse goes a long way towards not only helping our bodies but also our minds and spirits move forward with energy, vision and a “spring” in our step!

The ancient Chinese also recognized that sour tastes help clear and soothe the liver, so think about getting more lemon, lime, and other citrus into your day, as well as strawberries. Eat plenty of steamed or lightly cooked vegetables that grow in Spring — snap and snow peas, asparagus, sorrel, young kale, spinach, collards — and enjoy with a squeeze of lemon or lime, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt & black pepper. Cook your proteins simply, without sauces. In general during Springtime, sauté, steam or boil foods lightly, rather than frying, stewing, roasting or grilling. Add seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, to salads, over steamed or lightly cooked seasonal veggies, or in granola.

Notice the energy you get from eating these foods and observe how your mind feels able to visualize the future, near or far, so your body and spirit can move forward in a creative and productive way. Those Chinese guys didn’t sit around observing Nature for nothing — they made some amazing connections between how the seasons, plants, animals and weather behave and applied it to humans in ways that still make sense today. How cool is that!?

(HOT) LEMONADE SPRING TONIC for your personal Spring Cleanse

1 mug boiling water (or tall glass room temperature water)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon (or lime) juice
1 Tbsp. maple syrup*
Very light sprinkle of cayenne

Drink 2–3 times each day for ten days or more in-between regular meals of freshly prepared light, whole foods.

Adjust amounts as needed so it tastes good to you, like hot lemonade with a slight kick. If it’s so sour it takes the enamel off your teeth, it’s too lemony. And it shouldn’t be so peppery it makes your mouth burn. This will help clear the liver and gallbladder of congestion so they can break down fats and process toxins more effectively- and so you can feel calmer and clearer.

*It’s better not to substitute honey for maple syrup since as a tree sap that has been boiled, maple syrup embodies the rising energy of spring and the element of wood/tree that is important for soothing and cleansing the liver. But if you live far away from maple trees where no one has ever heard of maple syrup, use another sweetener that is local.

Drink up as you visualize the positive changes you plan to make in the coming weeks and months. Enjoy!

GENTLE SPRING CLEANSE**
A gentle way to lighten your energy, rev up your metabolism & move forward to create the life you want!

**Make sure you run this by your physician or PCMO first to make sure a cleanse is right for you.

Here is a basic set of guidelines for anyone who wants to avoid the extremes of a fast and benefit from the sense of renewal and balanced well-being that comes with a cleanse.

Before beginning, be sure to consult your nutritionist or practitioner to make sure all individual health needs are addressed.

EVERY DAY for 5 - 7 days

• Take a probiotic supplement (Acidophilus, Bifidus).
• Each morning and as needed throughout the day, drink a mugful of the hot lemonade liver tonic. See recipe above.
• Take 5–15 minutes, preferably before you begin your day, to sit in a quiet, comfortable place. Concentrate on your breath, taking deeper, slower breaths. Notice the thoughts that come up and just let them go. Feel any feelings that show up. Meet them head on and sit with them lovingly. Breathe. As distracting thoughts come up, take note of them, and bring your attention back to your breath-or to your positive intentions for how you would like your day and your week to go.
• Move! Walk, run, ride a bike or work out 30–60 minutes to move energy through and sweat toxins out.
• Sip on filtered water or herbal teas, about 6-8 glasses, throughout the day.

TYPICAL MEALS YOU CAN ENJOY DURING THE CLEANSE

BREAKFAST (between 7 and 8 am)

• Cup or 2 of organic green or other local tea (not too strong) WITH
• Bowl organic blueberries (frozen is fine) or 1/2 grapefruit or other local fruit that is sweet and sour
• One bowl of hot organic oatmeal with currants or one bowl of low-sugar granola s/raisins and rice or soy milk OR if weather is warmer, a soy or rice-based protein powder smoothie with banana and blueberries is fine
• Chlorella & Spirulina supplement to help with detoxification, clearing arteries and building immune system

MID-MORNING (around 10:30)

• Tall glass of organic carrot juice (Odwalla sells this now if you don’t have access to a juice bar or your own juicer) w/1/2 tsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos stirred in.

LUNCH (around 12:30 or 1)

• Small bowl of miso soup with seaweed
  OR
  Drink one tall glass of V8-like tomato/veggie juice (Knudzen brand is good.) PLUS:
• Warm or room temp soba or brown rice udon noodles (or quinoa or brown rice) with 3-4 steamed/lightly sautéed vegetables such as yellow squash, spinach & shitakes. You can season the cooked noodles with a little tamari and rice/apple cider vinegar — and hot pepper flakes, if you want to spice things up. If you have quinoa or brown rice, you can drizzle fresh lemon juice and olive oil or tamari on everything.
• If you know you’re hungry and will want more than this, add a helping from the legume family (black/other beans, lentils, or chick peas).

MID-AFTERNOON (around 3:30/4)

• Sip on 1 Emergen-C dissolvable packet dissolved in tall glass of water
  WITH
  Handful of Almonds
  AND
  Piece of fresh fruit like an organic apple or strawberries.

DINNER (around 7)

• Steam or sauté in olive oil over medium heat about 2 cups of fresh greens/vegetables such as kale or chard, onions, green beans or snap/snow peas/asparagus and w/parsley or cilantro. After veggies are tender but not over-cooked, serve with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice, and tamari or sea salt.
• Cook quinoa or brown rice for an easy to digest, nervous system soothing, high quality protein & complex carbohydrate
• One moderate piece of simply grilled or baked Salmon or other fish like cod, halibut, sole
  OR
  organic tofu or tempeh stir-fried with ginger and tamari.

BEFORE BED

• Drink a glass of papaya juice.
• Take a short hot shower; then blast yourself with a minute of the coldest water you can stand. Use dry skin brush after your shower to help remove any toxins coming out through the skin.
• Before sleep, close your eyes and visualize physical toxins, as well as the emotional toxins (frustration, anger, agitation, grief, etc.) dislodging and leaving your body. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine toxins leaving your liver, kidneys, gallbladder, lungs, and heart; send the toxins out through your bedroom window and deep into the earth far away to be recycled into loving, compassionate energy. Visualize pure, vibrant pale green light inside your body, clearing our toxic energy, building creative energy and immunity.

IMPORTANT: When you start eating a “normal” diet again, start with. at least 1-2 days of very light eating to avoid too much shock to your organs. Light eating means a diet of lightly cooked fresh vegetables in season with whole grains, brothy soups, plenty of clear fluids, whole fresh fruits, simple bean/lentil/chickpea dishes, small amounts of soy protein, simply prepared (not fried) fish and lean high quality meats.

HAPPY SPRING CLEANING!

The truth is you don’t have to travel to Mauritania, Belize or Kyrgyzstan to suffer from diarrhea, the traveler’s kind or more worrisome sorts. As I write this, my 11-year-old son, Sasha, and my ex- are stuck in the Atlanta airport waiting for a dense fog to lift so they can return to the DC area after a vacation from hell. It turns out the delicious Southern feast they shared with family members also involved either food poisoning or some virulent intestinal virus-sharing that has now made the rounds among seven of the twelve or so lucky souls in attendance.

Sasha was up most of the night having the contents of his gut cleared out. When he called me for the six or seventh time at 6 am, he was onto the diarrhea phase. “Mom, we’re getting ready to go to the airport and dad gave me Immodium — is that okay?” I muttered something encouraging but wondered silently about this common strategy that, while well-intentioned, could undermine the body’s ability to clear unwanted bacteria. I have heard dozens of stories about people heading off for an ten-hour bus or motorbike or even camel trip in the midst of an intestinal virus or amebic dysentery and popping a couple of Immodium to make it through. It works, usually, for a while; but it’s never good to force toxic digestive matter to remain trapped. I always encourage people to surrender to the body’s innate wisdom and allow it to do what it needs to do. The best thing we can do is get out of the way — “Do no harm” — and stay hydrated.

So, what kind of father would be so determined to make his flight back to DC that he was willing to drag his sick child and himself after a miserable night over and on the toilet to brave a 40-minute car ride, long walk through a major airport, longer wait at the gate, airplane flight and drive home on the other end?! The kind who once lived as a hard-core Peace Corps Volunteer in a dot of a village on the Equator and who never boiled his drinking water. The kind who claims that in more than two years of living in Africa his bowels were never once solid. Sorry to get so graphic, but I know some of you are nodding knowingly as you read this.

Suggestions
What should you do when your guts rumble and roil and then pour out of you? If the diarrhea is bloody, if you have a high fever that lasts more than 3 or 4 days, or if you throw up for more than 24 hours, then get to a doctor. If you suspect a bug or traveler’s diarrhea, do as little as possible besides rest and drink clear fluids: water, tea, broth — and no, vodka does not count. Give your system the chance to heal. If you’re not peeing, you’re not drinking enough. Ideally, urine should run clear or pale yellow. If it’s dark or bloody, seek medical attention. If your eyes look sunken or your eyeballs get dry, it may be difficult to drink enough and you may need IV fluids.

• When I lived in Kyrgyzstan the local Russian women I knew all told me to drink a small cup of strong black tea with blackberry jam stirred in. Turns out the astringent properties of both the tea and cooked blackberries do help.
• You can also make your own electrolyte solution, a healthier, cheaper version of Gatorade. Just take a small amount of a non-acidic juice, let’s say a fifth of a glass of grape or papaya juice, 4/5ths water and a pinch of salt. If you don’t have access to juice, dissolve a teaspoon or two of honey or agave syrup into a little hot water, add room temperature water and a pinch of salt.
• Pepto Bismol is helpful and harmless-it supports the body’s efforts to manage the diarrhea.
• Try boiling brown rice or white in plenty of water with salt and sip on the starchy liquid.
• The Chinese, Thais, and Vietnamese are famous for their soothing rice soups, which are perfect for eating once you are past any acute initial phase. Barley broth is also effective. Eastern medicine traditions use cayenne/red pepper, ginger and/or cinnamon in their brothy soups as a remedy. Or, make a simple rice soup with short-grain white or brown rice, double the usual amount of water or broth, cooked with 3 whole, peeled cloves of garlic, a big sprinkle of ground coriander and a little cayenne. Simmer until the rice is soft– 20 minutes for white rice, 50 minutes for brown.
• Always avoid milk and all dairy when your digestion is off in any way, even if someone tells you, as an Argentine friend of mine did, that ice cream is really good for stomach aches! Avoid juices, especially apple juice, and sodas — except for ginger ale.
• If you can get or make ginger tea, that settles nausea and soothes abdominal cramping. Chamomille tea calms cramping and nerves. Other herbal choices such as a mild Vervain (Verbena) tea can also provide relief. Sip, don’t guzzle. Give your irritated digestive system time to absorb what you’re taking in.
• And there’s the American old stand-by, the BRAT diet: Banana (not too ripe; very ripe bananas have a laxative effect), Rice (brown or white), Applesauce (or scrapings of raw, peeled apple) and/or Toast (saltine-type crackers work, too).
• If you’re overseas, there is often a grandmother nearby with a local suggestion — usually a tea or soup and sometimes an herbal concoction. If someone suggests herbs or plants you don’t recognize, use common sense. Depending on your familiarity with the local culture, foods and plants, you may be better off politely refusing the brew you’re offered by explaining it’s against your religion or something. More often than not, though, whatever the wise grandmothers recommend will be worth trying. Some Chinese medicine practitioners recommend taking citrus seed extract daily to prevent common traveler’s diarrhea.

Finally, consider getting a Homeopathic travel kit of remedies that come in small sweet tasteless pellets you put under your tongue and allow to dissolve. I recommend ordering a travel kit and guide from HomeopathyWorld.com. Homeopathic medicine is a gentle but effective natural approach to health developed in the late 1700’s by a German physician. If you use one of the suggested remedies and it doesn’t “work”, the worst that happens is that it does nothing.

Wrapping Up
Well, Sasha has just returned, weary, yet full of excitement as he recounts the details of his torturous night. “Mom, we counted-I threw up 12 times!” Then he proceeds to volunteer a host of graphic details about the quality of his diarrhea. I guess the pride of surviving intestinal drama and then reliving it through colorful storytelling has been passed down through his father’s adventurer- writer genes. At least now that he’s home, Sasha can also benefit having his mother there to hand him a cup of healing ginger-chamomile tea sweetened with honey, and the most powerful medicine of all: a mother’s love.