Surviving Chanukah: How to Keep Your Light Shining Bright During the Holiday Season

During all eight days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make ordinary use of them except for to look at them in order to express thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvation.
-Hanerot Halalu

One of the most common conditions I seem to treat in my office is fatigue. Fatigue and or exhaustion can have many causes, and be expressed with multiple symptoms that include: feeling tired, cranky, and or sleepy, fearful, depressed and listless. If a person is not sleeping properly, or is not getting adequate nutrition, they may begin to feel exhausted and lack energy.

Some of the most common causes of exhaustion I have seen in my office include: Adrenal fatigue, anemia, sleep deprivation and or sleep apnea, anemia, a low grad infection or influenza, chronic disease and depression.

In the case of adrenal exhaustion, or fatigue, a person may have long periods of stress and begin to feel that they are “burning the candle at both ends.” People with this kind of exhaustion should be encouraged to learn relaxation techniques, like breathing exercises and mediation. I also recommend they try a class of herbs called “adatogens.” Adaptogenic herbs like, Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, Holy Basil, and Siberian ginseng. Adaptogenic herbs help heal and tonify exhausted adrenals.

In the case of anemia a person may be “blood deficient,” for a number of reasons that include: poor nutrition and fad diets, internals bleeding (like stomach ulcers and or post partum), malabsorption (such as the body’s ability to absorb nutrients due to conditions like celiac disease), genetic condition (like pernicious anemia) and parasites. When feeling run down and suspecting anemia you should contact your doctor and have a full blood panel done.
In the case of an influenza or bacterial infection people usually will bounce back from exhaustion after a few days. When exhaustion persist with flu-like symptoms (like body aches and fever) it is important to see your doctor as soon as possible to pin point what could actually be wrong.

Sleep apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep) and sleep deprivation can go undetected for years. A person may go to bed and think they are sleeping a full 8 hours but never feel truly rested. The person’s spouse may notice that they often snore, toss and turn excessively at night, or have periods where they cease breathing all together. Sleep disorders and sleep apnea are serious conditions and should be monitored and treated. Left untreated they can pose series health risk. Ask your doctor about a comprehensive sleep study, as this may be the cause of your exhaustion.

Depression can be an incredibly debilitating condition that can make even the most menial task difficult to complete. the causes of depression can be: nutritional depletion, hormonal fluctuations, chemical imbalances, or due to real situations in a person’s life that may seem difficult to handle (like the death of a loved one). While depression can be a natural response to such tragedies, depression that persist unabated for several months should be addressed by seeing a trained professional so that the cause can be found and treated.

If you are feeling tired and exhausted take the time to see your doctor to determine what the cause is. Most of the time, exhaustion can be treated simply, with minimal medical intervention, and need not continue to persist.

You Think What You Eat

Since maintaining a healthy and sound body is among the ways of God — for one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator, if he is ill — therefore, one must avoid that which harms the body and accustom himself to that which is healthful and helps the body become stronger. (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Book of Knowledge 4:1).
While there is a saying, “you are what you eat,” many people do not realize that we also think what we eat. The food we consume, the calories we take in, fuel the very thoughts and ideas we have throughout the day.
The brain is an amazing organ—it can take up sugar directly from the blood stream with out the need of insulin. Consequently, too much or too little sugar can have a negative impact on mental function.

While a student in Jerusalem, I once remember another student remarking to me about how giving up sugar and moving towards a whole foods kosher diet, had had a remarkable impact on her ability to retain what she was learning. As she ate better, her brain function improved so dramatically that she was able to remember and retain much larger amounts of information than she had ever had before, and she became a much better student as she cleaned up her diet.

But it is not just sugar dysregulation that can negatively impact the brain. A brain without adequate amounts of the right amino acids can also struggle to function properly.
Amino acids are the building blocks of substances know as neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters act as messengers in the brain effecting mood and behavior. Persons on extreme diets without adequate amounts of the right proteins, can easily become depressed and suffer from low energy. Furthermore, the brain, without adequate amounts of the right co-factors, cannot make these neurotransmitters (Common co-factors include: B3, B6, B5, B12, and magnesium).
A lack of the right nutrition can have a negative impact on sleep, mood, and even the choices we make on a daily basis. I often hear patients tell me that the worse decisions they have ever made took place when they were either exhausted or profoundly depressed. Finding the right diet, and the right supplementation, can have a profound effect on emotional health. And can change a person’s life in positive ways never before imagined.

Improving Our Health During the Holidays

The High Holidays are a wonderful time of the year. While each community has its own traditions about how it celebrates the holidays, there are common themes. The rabbis teach us that the High Holidays are a time of rest, reflection, remembrance, repentance and community gathering.

As a doctor, this is also the time of year when I hear from many new patients. Many people see the New Year as a time to reflect back on their lives and become newly committed to improving their relationships and their health.

I often think of the principles of naturopathic medicine as they might apply to the Jewish faith. Like Judaism, naturopathy takes a holistic view of health encompassing the mind, body and spirit.

Naturopathy’s emphasis is on prevention and removal of the obstacles to cure. Naturopathy believes in the ability of an individual to grow, heal and recover from illness, even if the past actions of the individual may have greatly impacted their health.

From a naturopathic standpoint, this is a return to the natural order of things, the innate ability we all have to heal. This ability is inherent in all human beings. We believe, in keeping with Jewish thought, that it is never too late to change. For these reasons, many Jews seek care from alternative health care providers during the High Holidays. This desire to improve their lives and become better people is one of the most inspiring aspects of caring for people I experience as a doctor.

Eating Animals: A book review

The Physician’s Prayer
My God, heal me and I shall be healed,
Let not Thine anger be kindled against me so that I be consumed.
My medicines are of Thee, whether good
Or evil, whether strong or weak.
It is Thou who shalt choose, not I;
Of Thy knowledge is the evil and the fair.
Not upon my power of healing I rely;
Only for Thine healing do I watch.
-Yehudah Ha-Levi

As of late, I have immersed myself, as only an anthropologist can, in the culture of the animal rights movement and the curious world populated by proponents of a vegan lifestyle (a diet that abstains from any food derived from animals including; dairy, eggs, fish and meat). During my studies, I fell upon the book “Eating Animals”, by Jonathan Safran Foer. Foer’s book, which became a national bestseller in 2009, was a glaring expose on the current escalation of factory farming in the United States, along with all of its horrific consequences, from the environmental devastation of factory farming, to the inhuman treatment of animals and the effect that eating large amounts of factory farmed meat on America’s overall health. Among the glaring statistics mentioned by Foer, are the fact that factory farms account for more than 40 percent of the global warming in our country (due to the astronomical amounts of methane gas being produced), loss of natural habitat, contamination of hundreds of lakes and streams, due to the run off from massive amounts of animals manure, pandemics (like Swine flu), and multiple medical problems like heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.

When I hear various different religious authorities talk about how it is a mitzvah to eat meat on Shabbat, I wonder if they are aware of the current state of animal welfare in the United States, and these same authorities have really examined the animal welfare issue and the problems with factory farming. Even an animal that is slaughtered in a kosher manner, is still, ultimately, a factory farmed animal, destined to live its days under extremely horrific conditions before dying a horrific death.

When kosher laws were created, thousands of years ago, animals were slaughtered by the people who raised them. They lived out their lives in a natural setting, free to live on the land and be true to their natures as animals. Today’s factory farmed animal lives under cramped conditions with little to no room to move, often the animals entire life is spent indoors. Instead of a natural diet, the animal is fed feed that creates obese sick animals. Animals are forced to live under the most inhumane conditions before being slaughtered often resulting in sick terrified animals that engage in violent and even cannibalistic behavior. Why proponents of kosher slaughter emphasize that the animal might have died humanely, they fail to take into account the horrific life the animal lived before it was slaughtered. Even animals raised on organic feed or grass-fed often undergo horrific abuse, as Foer points out in his book, almost no truly humanly produced meat is currently available in the United States.

Also Sprinkled within the pages of this exhaustively well-researched book, are stories of Foer’s own childhood, as the grandchild of a holocaust survivor, and the significance that culture plays on our view of food and our food choices. The point being, that food is not just eaten for its taste, but also holds significant emotional meaning for us. Certain foods, such as traditional holiday foods, can be eaten together with others in order to help create community and shared experiences. When we “break bread” with another human being, we are also creating bonds and shared experiences. A person who chooses to change their diet to a vegan diet does more than simply decide not to eat meat s/he chooses to challenge those old bonds and traditions. An example would be deciding to host a vegetarian Thanksgiving, instead of a traditional one with turkey. Perhaps this new Thanksgiving might create new traditions and a new community, but not with perhaps straining old ones.

Perhaps the thing that most influenced me about Safran’s book, peppered with dozens of studies citing the reasons not to eat meat, was his first hand accounts—by slaughterhouse workers—of horrific animal abuse they either witnessed or engaged in on a daily basis. While in some distant and abstract way I understood that animals are slaughtered in order that I eat meat, I had never really taken the time to thoroughly examine what goes into making meat on my plate so inexpensive and available.

The images in this book haunt me, and left me committed to finding a way to make it possible for both myself, and my patients, to choose a vegan lifestyle that was affordable and healthy. This book changed my life, made me re-evaluate the way I live and why I became a doctor in the first place. I became re-dedicated to my work as a health educator and to the firm commitment to contribute to a form of medicine that takes into account not only the health and welfare of the individual, but the planet as a whole. This book comes highly recommended.

Tisha B’ Av: making an appointment with grief

JERUSALEM

Beautiful heights, city of a great King,

From the western coast my desire burns towards thee.

Pity and tenderness burst in me, remembering

Thy former glories, thy temple now broken stones.

I wish I could fly to thee on the wings of an eagle

 And mingle my tears with thy dust.

 -Yehudah Halevi

For many Jews, celebrating Tisha B’Av is both a sad and solemn time of the year.  The Holiday commemorates both the destruction of the First Temple (sometime between 587-422 BCE), as well as the Second Temple in 70 AD, and several other tragedies (such as the Inquisition).

Traditionally, the holiday is spent fasting from sun up to sundown, refraining from listening to music, enjoying any forms of entertainment (such as films or sports) and even refraining from studying the Torah; because to do so would be considered an enjoyable pastime. Instead, the day is spent reading from the Book of Lamentations and Kinot (sad liturgical poems). Some families also read the Book of Job.

For many outsiders these traditions may seem to suggest that Tisha B’Av is a day when one makes an appointment with grief, and they would be right. Therapist, who specialize in grief counseling, explain that grief is a natural response to loss, pain and suffering, and that by allowing ourselves the time to grieve, we can begin the slow process of healing and rebuilding our lives.

In the Jewish tradition, we understand that there are moments in our lives that are filled with great joy and happiness (such as the birth of a child, a wedding, or simply time spent with those we care for deeply).  However, within Jewish tradition there is an understanding that time should also be taken to honor grief.

During times of grief (such as when a mourner is sitting Shiva) it is customary, in Jewish tradition, for friends and family who console the mourner to be mostly silent. Compassion exist without the necessity of words. This is because Jewish tradition understands that true healing can often occur simply when we hold the space for another human being (create a quiet and safe place for healing to take place). By sitting in silence, healing happens naturally and without force. Furthermore, Just as when a mourner grieves, on Tisha B’ Av, we understand that building a strong and supportive community is integral to health and recovery.

May this Tish B’ Av be one where you are surrounded by supportive loved ones, mutual respect, compassion, and understanding, as you move through this day of profound shared grief and mourning.

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To All of Our Readership a Very Happy Lag B’ Omer and Happy Shavout

For those people who may not know the significance of this time of year, Lag B’ Omer is a time in the Jewish calendar when ceremonial bon fires are lit to commemorate both the passing of the great rabbinic sage Shimon Bar Yochai (thought to be one of the greatest Kabbalist that ever lived), and the time when a tragic plague, that took the lives of several of Rabbi Akiva’s students in the early part of the second century, came to an end.

Lag B’ Omer is followed by the Holiday of Shavuot.  According to the Torah, Shavuot commemorates both the day when the Jewish people received the Torah from G-d on Mount Sinai, and a time when Jews brought the first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. The seven fruits of Israel were often given at the Temple as offerings.  These seven fruits include; wheat, barley, figs grapes, pomegranates, olives and dates. The Holiday is usually celebrated by staying up all night and learning.  Many Jews living in Jerusalem walk to the Western Wall on Shavuot night and watch the sun come up over the city–it is a truly incredible and beautiful sight.  In some families, the custom is to make delicious dishes made from dairy products, like sweet blintzes.  For those people trying to avoid dairy, we have given you a few non-dairy options.

Here is a healthy recipe that we have found that we think you will enjoy and will be good for you as well.  happy Shavuot everyone!

Healthy Blintzes for the Holiday.  This recipe serves for people so you can double it if you need to make blintzes for more people.

• BLINTZ BATTER:
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (try whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter Blintz)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (this will give you more Omega 3 oils in your diet)
• pinch of salt
• 2 omega-3-enriched eggs (or 4 egg whites for less cholesterol)
• 1 cup fat-free milk (you can substitute with almond or coconut milk)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• BLINTZ FILLING:
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (or vegan tofu cream cheese)
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar + extra for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries or blueberries

Directions

Blintzes: Combine the flour, flaxseed, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Beat the eggs with a fork or whisk until very well blended, in another mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of the milk, the oil, and vanilla. Whisk to mix. Add gradually to the dry ingredients, whisking constantly, to create a smooth batter. Allow to sit for 5 mintues.

Stir the batter gently and let it run off of a spoon. It should be thinner than cake batter. Add 1 tablespoon more milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Heat a crepe pan or 8″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pick up the pan with a mitt, and holding it away from the heat, coat the pan lightly with cooking spray. Return to medium-high heat. Ladle a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Swirl the pan quickly and evenly to cover the bottom with batter. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, adjusting the heat higher or lower as needed, or until the bottom is browned. Flip and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Reduce the heat if the bottoms are browning too fast. Transfer to a tray. Off the heat, coat the pan with cooking spray. Return to the heat and cook another blintz. Continue until all the blintzes are cooked.

Blintz filling and assembly: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with cooking spray.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, sugar, and lemon extract in a bowl. Set aside.

Lay the blintzes on a work surface. Dollop some of the ricotta mixture in the center of each blintz. One at a time, fold 2 opposite sides of a blintz over the cheese to meet in the middle. Fold the opposite sides to the middle to make a bundle. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all the bundles are shaped. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through. Serve warm, garnished with raspberries or blueberries.

Enjoying a Safe, Sober, and Healthy Purim is a Mitzvah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day … on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries. – Esther 9:1 And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness. – Esther 9:17

[Mordecai instructed them] to observe them as days of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor. – Esther 9:22

Purim is truly one of my favorite holidays.  I enjoy making gift baskets, and I enjoy getting together with good friends for a great meal.  But there is another side to Purim that, as a doctor, has me concerned about people’s health.  The problem is—I see too much excess.  I see people consuming far too much food and drinking far too much alcohol and engaging in behavior that places themselves and other people at risk. These concerns have caused many people in the rabbinic community to issue a series of statements and articles discouraging heavy drinking on Purim.

The argument in favor of becoming drunk has always been that it is a mitzvah.  However, there have been several rulings by rabbis in recent years arguing that, in fact, no such mitzvah exist. Instead one may drink only a little more than one is accustomed to and take a nap.

What concerns me about this view of Purim is that it is both unhealthy and dangerous.  On Purim day in Israel we see more car accidents and more death due to drunk drivers.  We also see more accidents in general.

Among the problems with drinking too much is the risk of alcohol poisoning.  The danger of this kind of poisoning is that the first symptoms are often drowsiness.  A person may simply fall a sleep (or black out), and enter into an alcohol induced coma. And people may mistakenly believe that the “partier” is simply taking a nap. Such high levels of alcohol can also cause brain damage long after the partying has ended.  Another risk of excess drinking is that too much alcohol can actually reduce one’s inhibitions. The person usually does not have the ability to know just how drunk they really are and may get behind the wheel of a car placing themselves and others at risk.  If everyone at a given Purim party is fulfilling the “mitzvah”, of getting drunk than the simple question ought to be, “Who is the designated driver?” Uninhibited behavior is usually combined with a loss of coordination—which means handling mechanical machinery or even the most benign task when sober, become dangerous when drunk.

So while I encourage people to feast and have a very happy Purim, I cannot stress enough that taking care of ones health and the health of those around us is one of the greatest mitzvahs of all.  have a very happy and safe Purim everyone.

Tu’Bishvat Holds Special Meaning After Israel’s Worst fire Season On Record

This year marked one of the worst fire seasons on record in Israel’s sixty-year history.  The fire, which burned 8000 acres of woodland in The Carmel National Forest, and took the lives of over forty people, will take years to recover.

The majority of trees burned were pine trees planted over the course of 60 years, in an effort by Israelis to “help the desert bloom”.  And while pine cones released their seeds in response to fire, and our now beginning to grow, it will take years before the forest begins to recover.

The recent fire has forced many Israeli conservationists to rethink Israel’s long tradition of planting trees.  The idea being that the over planting of too many pine trees may have actually created the conditions that lead to the fire in the first place.  Instead of planting more trees, many conservationists are now focusing on forest management.

Traditionally, the holiday of Tu”Bishvat is a time to celebrate the Festival of Trees, and some have taken to referring to this holiday as “Jewish Arbor Day”.  In recent times the holiday has also come to be seen as “Israeli Earth Day”.  The tradition has meant that every year thousands of people throughout the world give to organizations like The Jewish National Fund planting trees in Israel in honor of loved ones, and school children from throughout Israel help in various tree planting ceremonies.

Healing our earth is an integral part of healing ourselves.  And we cannot speak in real terms of self-care and healing without regard for the health and well-being of our planet and the welfare of others.  And so this Tu’Bishvat as we commemorate the festival of trees we also look towards finding ways of helping the earth and protecting it.  For more information about how you can help Israel recover from this devastating fire please go to the following links.

The Jewish national Fund http://www.jnf.org/

Clean Up Israel http://www.cleanupisrael.org.il/en/default.asp

Society for the Protection of nature in Israel http://www.aspni.org/

Healthy Options for Chanuka

Well it is that time of year and while we are getting ready for the holiday we are thinking up creative ways to make traditional foods that are tasty but healthy as well.

Some of the traditional foods we love and prepare for the holidays include, ladkas, baked chicken and chopped liver, and glazed donuts.  In our house we have been varying our ladka recipe to make it more nutritious and here are some ideas you might want to try with your family.

*When making your ladkas use 100% organic Canola oil.  this oil can be heated at higher temperatures (unlike olive oil), and is a healthy option.

*Experiment with adding other vegetables to your ladka recipe.  We also add grated carrots and zucchini to our ladka batter (along with plenty of chopped garlic and chopped onions).

*Don’t be afraid of getting your pan nice and hot before you put your ladkas in the pan, and I use about an inch of canola oil.  the higher heat prevents the oil from being soaked into the ladka cakes.

*Always place your ladkas on paper towels to remove any extra oil.

Dr Whimsy’s Heart Healthy Ladkas

2 grated medium potatoes

1/2 cup grated zucchini

1/4 cup grated carrot

1 grated onion

2 large eggs (yolks optional).  If you remove the yokes add four large egg whites.

1/8 cup Whole Wheat Flour

5 minced garlic cloves

2 tbl minced fresh Italian Parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbl lemon juice

Mix contents of the bowl together and let stand in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Heat pan with 1 inch of Canola oil on medium high heat.

Add pancakes to heated oil and turn when golden brown (takes around ten minutes on either side).

this recipe yields around 10-12 cakes.

I serve mine with unsweetened apple sauce and low-fat sour cream.

Enjoy!