Isn’t it ironic when somebody ruins their health trying to be healthy? I guess it happens in every field. Some people go broke trying to become millionaires. Some women destroy their complexion trying to preserve their beauty. There are more examples. It seems the commonality between is that a small amount of knowledge in a field can be dangerous.
Take for example, a 20 year girl who came to my clinic a few years ago with a chronic runny nose, exhaustion, and chills. Now, when you’re 20, you’re not supposed to be like that. You're supposed to be full of energy! But this girl tried too hard to be healthy! And she ruined her health. Someone told her fresh fruit smoothies have a lot of nutrients. So she started making smoothies for breakfast from Mango, Pineapple, Bananas, Strawberries, Blueberries,Coconut Milk, and Ice. While it’s true these raw fruits have a lot of nutrients, Chinese Medicine teaches that they also have the effect of cooling down body temperature. Those fruits all grow in hot climates, they’re meant to cool us off from the tropical sun! Plus with all the ice, it was a freezing temperature! So this thin little girl in the New York winter started her day sticking an ice cube in her tummy with ingredients that have a medicinal effect to cool you down! Then at lunch, this thin little girl chose a cold, raw salad from the fridge. She was shivering away at her office job with a runny nose and total exhaustion. And she didn’t get why! She was making healthy choices! She asked an MD who told her to drink more water. So she started chugging cold water every day and got sicker and sicker.
The story has a happy ending. We taught her to switch to a warm, nourishing diet. Soups, stews, and hot drinks instead of cold. We gave warming herbs, and the problem was resolved.
What’s wild is that we see this same kind of patient all the time in the clinic. We even have a special name for them. We call them cold ladies. And every cold lady is shocked that her “healthy” choice of smoothies and salads is the culprit in the burglary of their health.
If you’re a cold lady reading this. Now you know!
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