DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Chef’s in New York are getting ready for new year by preparing special dishes:

“”My parents cook the old school way, but my cooking is kind of east meets west,” admits Lau, finance associate at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). “I use pepper whereas they don’t ever even buy pepper. I use salt and they use soy. My cooking is kind of Chinese fusion.”

He exemplifies young cooks of Chinese descent all over the city who are gearing up for this year’s festivities by putting a decidedly contemporary slant on their cooking. They enjoy using ingredients in novel ways - think green tea in an angel food cake - and they’re likely to keep things light, fun and simple.

Certain dishes are always eaten at Chinese New Year, often because they’ve got some connection (what it looks like, what the same sounds like) to wealth and riches. On the menu? Dumplings (”jiaozi”) symbolize prosperity and their crescent shape recalls the shape of ancient Chinese money. Noodles, which symbolize longevity, are always left whole as it’s thought to be bad luck to cut them. The Chinese word for lettuce (”sang choi”) sounds like the word that means “to bring about wealth and riches.” And abundance is symbolized by whole fish (”yue”).

As a child, Veronica Leung, who was born in Shanghai and now is proprietor of Dim Sum Go Go in Chinatown, recalls eating a lot of authentic fare at Chinese New Year. The family ate noodles, fish, lettuce, and turnip cake during the celebration, which would go on for two weeks. Now that she prepares the feast herself, she still likes incorporating lettuce, but done very simply, as in a three-ingredient recipe.

“It is basically cooked lettuce,” Leung explains. “And for the Chinese New Year, it is a must. It means good luck for the year ahead.” “

Tags: Food by DAAN
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Doctors and hospitals in the US and around the world are more accepting of acupuncture:

“Slender, flexible needles inserted in Leona West’s temples, wrists, back and feet achieved what ibuprofen and physical therapy failed to bring – substantial relief from migraine headaches that caused her to miss part of seventh grade.

Leona, 14, now an eighth-grader at Franklin Middle School in Springfield, Ill., said she was surprised but happy that her headaches have subsided.”

DAAN’s Dr. Susan Yen, with over 10 years experience, offers effective acupuncture treatment with affordable rates. Please contact her at 415-433-3277, Monday-Saturday 10:30AM-6:30PM PST to set up an appointment.

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Alternative Herbal Medicine is becoming mainstream:

“When you are sick, you feel helpless. It is not a nice feeling. It can be worse going through the modern health system when you are sick, for you are often treated as a problem that needs to be solved and not as a person. The doctor often pulls diagnosis from seemingly out of the air and relies on a mind-boggling array of technology and synthetic drugs. Although we are at a point in time where medical science is more advanced than ever, we are still getting sick. This is where patients who cannot get help from conventional medicine turn to alternative herbal medicines.”

Tags: General by DAAN
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Ginseng soup is commonly eaten in Korea to keep warm through the cold winter months:

“Comfort comes in many forms. In Korea - especially when it’s cold outside - it’s as simple as a steaming bowl of sam gye-tang. But even in Koreatown, it’s hard to find. In the Mayfair neighborhood - just West of Koreatown - the Ssyal Ginseng House is the place to go. Look for the signs proclaiming the “Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup House.” Once inside, you’ll see the restaurant’s namesake - lots of ginseng roots - preserved in alcohol for sale on its own.

The meal begins with tiny Cornish game hens, which are washed and then stuffed with an assortment of ingredients, including fresh garlic cloves and red dates; plus, fresh ginseng root, which Koreans swear by its health benefits, and short-grain rice. The hen is tied up with a toothpick, before being submerged in a ginger-and-ginseng-laced broth in a giant pot.

After about 45 minutes at a rapid simmer, the lid is removed, and the hen is carefully transferred to an individual serving bowl, along with a few ladlefuls of the rich, infused broth and an extra piece of boiled ginseng. It’s heated over high heat, until it boils, at which point the fat is skimmed from the top. Meanwhile, an assortment of vegetarian sides, called panchan, is assembled into tiny bowls, along with some nutty brown rice. The boiling bowl is transferred to a large cart, along with all of the sides and the rice, and then is carefully wheeled out to the dining room, where everything is set before you. “

Tags: Ginseng by DAAN
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Research suggests that ginger has strong anti-oxidant properties and could offer some protection from cancer:

“Chinese scientists say having ginger in the regular diet not only helps treat ovarian cancer but also prevents from its development.

According to the study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal, ginger has antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties.

Scientists believe gingerol extracted from the spicy root has also anti-inflammatory effects which helps regulate the immune system particularly in the time of infection.

Findings show ginger can inhibit the growth and modulate the secretion of angiogenic factors which are known to be responsible for shifting a dormant tumor to a malignant state.

The ginger also inhibits several compounds such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) which are linked with cancer growth.

Scientists claim eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, regular exercise and avoiding stress are other effective factors in preventing ovarian cancer. ”

It’s also generally good for warming your body, reliving pain, and calm your stomach:

“As you stroll down the vegetable and fruit aisle of the grocery store, don’t overlook the brown, knobby root that is fresh ginger. If you have never used it before, it is very user-friendly and lends a distinctive taste to dishes.

It may also have health benefits. Suzanna Zick, research investigator in family medicine at the Michigan Health System, reports that “Ginger does appear to have several medicinal qualities.” Examples she cites: Ginger has been shown to warm the body, settle the digestive tract and relieve some types of arthritis.

Researchers are studying whether ginger can be used to prevent nausea caused by chemotherapy, she writes.

Fresh ginger contains a pungent substance called gingerol, a strong free-radical that acts as an antioxidant. It calms nausea by decreasing oxidative products made in the digestive tract that cause nausea to occur.

When ginger is dried and stored, it forms another substance, zingerone. Both gingerol and zingerone have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects and may prove to be cancer-protective.

Ginger causes the blood vessels to dilate, which explains its warming effect.”

Tags: General, Food by DAAN
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Chinese new year starts this year on February 7th. It’s year 4706, the year of the rat. Here’s some predictions for the new year for each of the signs of Chinese zodiac:

“OX: It’s a good year for the Ox, though the Tai Yang star favours the male more than the female. But both the Ox will shine and advance in money and position. In terms of career it is a good year, with leadership qualities.

The lady Ox may have some toh fah or attracting unwanted attention from flirty males. In this year’s horoscope, the Ox serves as a guardian angel to others. But when in need, a guardian angel will appear for the Ox. There will be a bit of leakage or sudden loss: it can be about money or a project may turn sour.

Be careful about speeding; you may collect a summons. You may have communication problems with your boss, subordinates and your children.

TIGER: There may be a lot of changes at work and with the family. It may bring a lot of stress but these changes are an opportunity to turn things around. The Tiger should carry a jade horse so that it will bring money instead of stress. This is because the tiger has a horse coming in this year. There will be travelling and lots of moving around.

You may find that your boss, subordinates and children do not understand you. There is a lot of yin qi, so try not to visit hospitals or attend funerals. You can also wear a prosperity bracelet.

RABBIT: It is a good year for the Rabbit, with a guardian angel helping you. The Tai Yin star favours the female Rabbit more than the male who may have toh fah or flirtations disturbing them. Everything she does will be smooth sailing. There will be prosperity and career advancement, even wedding bells ringing for the Rabbit, if single.

There may be tense relationships with family members. You should try to communicate more with them. There may be some arguments and disagreements. Try not to get involved in people’s quarrels or take sides.”

Read the whole article to find out what’s in store for you!

Tags: General, Culture by DAAN
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Chinese New Year Celebration in Dublin, Ireland

“A VERITABLE feast of entertainment is planned in Dublin City Centre to celebrate the Chinese New Year which begins on February 7.
The Dublin Chinese New Year Festival Association is liaising with Dublin City Council to bring an exciting and dynamic programme of events to the capital for the celebrations.
The colourful festival offers many cultural features and community activities in a weeklong extravaganza of film, arts, culture and sports.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Paddy Bourke, in the presence of the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, his Excellency Liu Biwei, officially launched the festival at City Hall last Tuesday.”

Tags: Culture by DAAN
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Modern science is looking the traditional Chinese medicine for clues to fighting cancer:

“A Houston hospital known for seeking the most advanced cancer therapies that modern science can develop is turning its attention to a centuries-old Chinese treatment: toad venom.

Scientists from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are investigating whether the stuff that some types of toads use to sicken their natural predators can also be a healer, as doctors of traditional Chinese medicine have long believed.

“Without hesitation, toad venom was the No. 1 drug (Chinese) doctors mentioned when we asked them to suggest the best natural cancer medicines to test,” Lorenzo Cohen, director of M.D. Anderson’s integrative medicine program, said from China. “It may sound wild to Americans, but it’s accepted as a standard of care here.”

It also appears to hold promise. In clinical trials Cohen is leading in Shanghai, the venom secreted by the Asiatic toad has shown some benefit and no apparent side effects in patients with advanced liver, pancreatic and lung cancer — which are not easy cancers to fight.”

Tags: East and West, Disease by DAAN
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“TORONTO - For 10 years, Janet Sawyer tried just about everything to find relief for chronic severe pain in her head, neck and shoulders after she suffered a whiplash injury in a car accident.
Prescription narcotic painkillers, physiotherapy, even going under general anesthetic to have more than 50 needles injected into the area to freeze the nerves had little or no lasting effect.

It wasn’t until she tried acupuncture two years ago under the skilled hands of an expert in the ancient medical art that she finally found an answer for the debilitating pain.

“It was amazing, just amazing,” says Sawyer, 52, a former nurse and mother of four grown children from Courtice, Ont., near Oshawa just east of Toronto.

“I was in agony. I couldn’t do a thing before I started … and that was even with getting the freezing injections at the hospital.”

Tags: Acupuncture by DAAN
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Herbal Medicine spending has reached 85 Billion US Dollars in 2007

“Herbal Medicines reached 85 billion US Dollar worldwide 2007. China increased marketshare to 24 %

Growth rate over 10 % for Herbal Medicine and 15 percent for Traditional Chinese Medicine worldwide. Over 60 percent of the markets are only 150 different herbs. World Market Conference for TCM in March 2008 in Beijing lead by hkc22.com new Study The market for Herbal Medicine will grow with 8 to 12 percent up to 2015 and for Traditional Chinese Medicine with mor then 15 percent per year up to 2015.”

Tags: Acupuncture, East and West by DAAN
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