Winter season is particularly likely to get me to knit - in summer wool feels heavy and I spend as much time away from couch as possible. When fall comes and temperatures drop I love the feel of warm wool on my fingers. I like how I can design, draw and then execute a project. Fingers are moving in rhythmical and synchronized fashion - almost like repeated prayer or steady beat. With that I feel that I can take a brake from all what surrounds me, the noise and pressure. You can watch a movie or participate in conversation while knitting, but for me it is more of a solitary sport where I can spend time with the project I am making, and when small pieces come to life to create something bigger, easily utilitarian and with lasting quality to it [Bernie Sanderns mittens anyone?].

I recorded the audio with my recent adventure in trying to find a great yoga bolster. Bolster can be used during meditation practice as well. I contemplate on winter meditation and how to find motivation to keep practicing.

Remote yoga brings peace to busy mind in times when we need it most. Follow link to interview with yoga instructor and naturopath.

I am a rheumatologist and often see new referrals for blue fingers. While the majority of the cases of RP are benign and very common in society running from 10-20%, there are very rare instances that this condition may require additional work up. What is described as RP is the ischemic phenomenon where the small vessels in the end organs, such as fingers, nose, ears, toes sometimes tongue’s vessels get constricted which may be accompanied by unpleasant sensation of pain, numbness, tingling and discoloration from white, blue, blotchy and finally with the warming phase that extremities, hands, toes become red, then pinkish or natural color again.

Why do we come back to yoga practice? Find out more in this morning pre-yoga self-awareness observation on what yoga means to me.

If you want to find the best what there is in wellness and be kind to yourself do not hesitate and learn to meditate. It may be good to start with a video or an app, but after a while you will realize that there is so many ways to meditate, whether it’s a walk away from busy traffic, closing your eyes at your desk for few minutes, creating an art and getting lost in that project or reading a poem and contemplating its meaning and textures. Go for a walk and listen to the religious service or music. With time it will become such a natural state of being for which you will reach again and again because it feels so good.

Find out more on baking, meditation and delicious plum cake.

I did subscribe to Headspace meditation app this summer as American Medical Association offered it for its members for free. There is so much emphasis on wellness these days, almost like we realized just yesterday that physicians are humans too, prone to stress, breakout, despair and doubt. I admit that the app helped me to dedicate 10 minutes of my time few times a week to a session designed for beginners. I was advised to sit down, look for solitude, close my eyes, take refreshing breaths and the rest of meditation followed. Each session felt very good. At first I was a little frustrated that I keep unfocusing and being distracted, but with practice that becomes a secondary issue and something not to stress about so not to contradict what you try to accomplish with meditation. One session described this sensation as seeing the picture of big blue sky and clouds passing, but not being taken away or overwhelmed by the clouds which will be there, like life events, no matter what and same can be said about thoughts in our heads, let them pass, but do not allow them to control you. Easier said than done, but the moderator of the sessions explains the concept of practice very well and the sessions are simple enough to follow.

This spring and summer something fantastic happened. Despite the dark days of pandemic and national terror induced by the tiny living organism with a pretty name Covid19 folks wanted to get out of isolations, physical distance locations, garages and basements, tiny houses in backyards and newly built tree houses. Enough is enough and live has to go on, but when you get out for some fresh air what do you do? This is the thing, we took to biking. We bike in dozens, trails are squeaking from amount of wheels hitting them, they are so overloaded. I have never seen that many bikers on famous Cape Cod Rail Trail. The bike shops have seen revival and sustainability of their business as they offered something that gyms could not do: promise of physical activity in fresh air, relative safety and safe distance from others at the same time.

If like me you type on computer all day, or have awkward positions of fingers and hands in relation to your laptop, or even smart phone, you will understand while I reached out to my colleague Michael Nula, founder of Elite physical therapy office in lovely Rhode Island, to converse about the stress to our hands. We talk specifically about condition that is referred to as De Quervaine’s tenosynovitis or radial styloid tenosynovitis, the disorder that is degenerative and possibly inflammatory in nature, and that all of us may suffer from due to overuse of thumb and forearm tendons.

Universal masking made my skin more problematic this spring and summer, but since I started loading on cucumber juices and salads I noticed a visible effect of more clear and plump skin.

Cucumbers are water-rich and have a large amount of vitamins and minerals in their skin, which I do not remove when I eat them.

The cucumber seeds have a diuretic effect, the green skin color has its intensity from chlorophyll and you will also find cholesterol decreasing sterols right in the outside layer which as I grow in my garden I consume with relative safety.

There is a renewed interest in vitamin C (ascorbic acid), but in reality the “C” never goes out of style. You hear more about it in cold and flu season, or in relation to treatment of wounds, cold sores and other herpetic infections, protocols to treat urinary tract infections (UTI) among others. It is hard not to mention vitamin C containing skin products, tonics, creams, serums. They promise refreshed and healthier skin by boosting collagen production and cell renewal. In the time of pandemic there is constant talk and ongoing debates (at times supported by science)about possible treatments, supplements and other methods to improve immunity and survival success of those afflicted with Covid19 virus, or those trying to fend it off. The science and clinicians looked again at the vitamin C and ascorbic acid infusions were utilized to treat Covid19, mostly based on prior data of administration in severe infections.

It seems more vital than ever to stay active. Pandemic changed work habits of many from unhealthy long commutes to unhealthy sit at your desk habit. We replaced one terrible sedentary activity (longer commute has been associated with weight gain with actual minutes spent behind wheel making a difference) with even less appealing routine of sitting still for 8 hours a day in front of laptops and computers. Unfortunately the same applies to school children who continue remote learning with hours behind the screens.

I recently enjoyed a quiet evening at home, with a light dinner of shrimp cocktail with a side of canapes with fresh garden lettuce and herbs (more in DocOnFood). I could not prevent thinking of my many patients who call me with complain of gouty swollen big toe, and after a few rounds of questions they finally admit that they had a gout attack provoked by a leisurely meal of seafood, shrimp included. Shrimp are loaded in purines that when digested by humans produce a lot of uric acid which is responsible for gout and gout flares. We do not have uricase, the enzyme that helps to reduce uric acid to soluble allantoin, which then can be excreted by kidneys. There is many reasons why any of us can be afflicted by gout, but the more common reasons are male sex, certain medicines, like diuretics, metabolic dearangements and obestiy among others. So what is the connection between shrimp and cherries one might ask?There is quite an interest expressed by my patients in natural remedies to prevent and fight gout attacks. Even my dentist shared with me story that will weave well into this post: one day she woke up with a nasty gout attack in the foot, she barely drove to grocery store, got a bag of cherries that she consumed on way to work when her attack was much eased, possibly due to cherries. Cherries have a uric acid lowering effect, according to some animal studies, along with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action of anthocyanin abundant in the fruit.

Aloe vera is a cactus and its inside, that is soft and gelatinous, have been used for mucosal healing and may have some potency against herpes virus. More common uses are for wound healing, skin burns and irritation. Some people use the mixture of aloe vera for treatment of joint pain. Efficacy of aloe vera products are not proven clinically and have potential for side effects.

There is so many pictures and articles written on glory of grey hair, or even fancy women transitioning from color to grey with an element of adventure and grace. I do not think that this is vain or even contrarian. I just think that more than ever this is the expression of getting to be comfortable with who and how you are and how you plan to spend the time you have left on this planet.

I start each day with one mug of coffee. It’s aroma wakes me up each morning. This is a switch on for me, and good beginning of any day that comes my way.

Then later on it is all about tea. I have the ritual of sipping various caffeine-graded teas during my day. I may have very low level caffeine white tea later in the morning, then herbal tea, at least 1-2 cups before lunch. I welcome afternoon with green tea that I drink till about 3 PM, after which I stick to garden variety of fruit teas. I avoid decaf versions of green or regular tea in the afternoon, as I am not positive that even small amount of caffeine will not affect me, and the process of decaffeination involves chemicals.

What I recently discovered, and what works great is air humidifying with any warm liquid, even while waiting for tea to cool. Just few days ago I was researching throat sooting natural recipes when I came across the whole cloves. I started adding them to my tea brew.

Mint as an ingredient for an easy and relaxing tea, part of stomach soothing arsenal, or in a few of your favorite dishes.