Wellspring Issue #60

To Vax or Not to Vax? The editor’s perspective JANUARY 2021 // TEVET 5781 // ISSUE 60

COVID-19 Impaired Your Breathing?

4 exercises to help restore lung capacity

10Questions for JOWMA Unhappy Baby?

This May Be the Reason Why Tamar Feldman

A Plant for Every Ailment For herbalist Sara Chana Silverstein, the garden is your medicine chest

Is Lack of Self-Control Your Problem?

Here’s why it may not be

Goes Well With Tea Cozy treats from your favorite nutritionists

on acid reflux

Running in Circles First MRSA, then psoriasis.

But what was it really?

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COPY & RESEARCH Deputy Editor Esther Retek Nutritional Advisory Board Dr. Rachael Schindler Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE Bashy Halberstam, INHC Shaindy Oberlander, INHC Shira Savit, MA, MHC, CHC Nutrition Contributors Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT Shani Taub, CDC Health Advisory Board Dr. Chayala Englard • Chaya Tilla Brachfeld, RN • Miriam Schweid Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC Esther Fried, PFC Child Development Advisory Board Friedy Singer, OTR/L Roizy Guttmann, OTR/L Coordinating Editor Liba Solomon, CNWC Feature Editors Rochel Gordon • Rikki Samson

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From the Editor shiffy@wellspringmagazine.com

Not My Decision Several weeks ago, a Wellspring reader submitted a personal anecdote with a plea that we publish it in this issue’s Public Service Announcement space.

In her message, she shared details about an unpleasant matter she was experiencing, largely due to a lack of prior awareness, which was why she was so impassioned to get the word out and help others avoid her plight.

Since the subject was rather personal, we here on the editorial board deliberated publishing the piece. While we understood the to’eles it would have — alerting readers to a matter that can impact their health and wellbeing — we also questioned its appropriateness on a public forum that takes serious care to deliver a kosher, wholesome read. There were certainly pros, as well as definite cons — and then there was the rabbinical board. As soon as we consulted with them, we had our answer: no. (Instead, you’ll find a very non-questionable — and helpful — tip in the PSA space!)

There’s so much comfort and such relief in knowing we’re guided by an irrevocable truth. When both aspects of a matter have their own merits, how can we mortals know what’s right? Even rigorous research and exquisite intellect are unmatched by the certainty a Torah authority affords.

A while back, our city was embroiled in a contentious mayoral election. To my mind, a certain candidate seemed the natural choice for a frum Yid. Then the gedolim spoke. And they encouraged voting for his contender. When I heard this, I remember asking my husband if perhaps the gadol whose guidance we follow wasn’t given

enough information before issuing his ruling — maybe those who consulted with him had other motives in mind.

In response, my husband reminded me what I had forgotten: a gadol’s decision is not based on simple logic. It emanates from a Higher Place. Even a rav who is dedicated to his community merits unique siyata d’Shmaya in guiding his flock; and all the more so a gadol hador, whose life is centered and purified by avodas Hashem, and who serves as a vessel to deliver whatever it is that we are meant to hear. Many times, we learn only later that the tzaddik’s guidance was just what we needed at the time — despite our inability to understand it then.

As part of adhering to emunas chachamim, we accept that something different may be right for each of us, according to the derech we follow. What’s right to one may be in direct and seemingly conflicting contrast to what’s right for another, but together, we are one, and the beauty of this — exclusive to Torah — is awe-inspiring.

While consulting with daas Torah is consistently reassuring, it’s especially true in regards to health. Over the past few years, we’ve been approached by practitioners and individuals who either oppose or promote vaccination, all with only one commendable motive: to help educate their brethren so they can make the right choices and ultimately lead healthier, better lives. And that’s our goal here, too. But the information we provide, no matter how brilliant and earth-shattering, does not hold a candle to the wisdom and clarity a Yid receives when consulting with daas Torah.

Education is empowering, and that’s what we’re providing you with in the next 100+ pages. But adhering to the age-old guidance of those who know better is the ultimate comfort. When we do so, we can’t go wrong.

Well-Put!

Shiffy Friedman

“Herbs won’t solve your issues… but they will give you a clear mind to figure out how to problem-solve.”

Sara Chana Silverstein, herbalist, Cup of Tea

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 13

Contents

JANUARY 2021 TEVES 5781 ISSUE 60 Our next issue will appear on Wednesday, January 27th iy"H.

WELL INFORMED

LIVING WELL

24 SPIRITUAL EATING

By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

38 IN GOOD SHAPE 4 Lung Exercises

By Tova Jeremias, PFC

26 HEALTH UPDATES IN THE NEWS

By Esther Retek 28 INSIDER Pancreas

By Roizy Baum 31

10 QUESTIONS Eliana Fine-Feld and Alisa Minkin, MD

By Rifky Amsel

36 WELLSPRING COMMUNITY Treating Yeast Infections

Torah Wellspring will return next month.

WELLBEING

40 ASK How can I support my husband?

By Shani Taub, CDC 42 COVER FEATURE Embrace the Cold

By Rochel Gordon 50 CUP OF TEA Sara Chana Silverstein, IBCLC, RH (AHG)

By Esther Retek 56 AT THE DIETITIAN Acid Reflux

By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE 59 DIY Jaundice Relief

By Miriam Schweid

62 EMOTIONAL EATING

By Shira Savit 64 FEATURE Writing My Stress Away As told to Ahuva Levine

Mazel Tov!

72 BYE, DIET. HELLO, LIFE. Chapter 7: The Voice of Kindness

By Gila Glassberg, MS, RD, CDN

WELLSPRING EXTENDS WARMEST WISHES TO

ROIZY BAUM AND FAMILY ON THE BIRTH OF A BABY BOY

14 Wellspring | January 2021

42

75

60

Springboard

Letters

On the Olfactory Sense, Peppermint Essential Oils, Eczema, and More

Sniffing Everything Issue #59: The Smell Connection

I’m wondering if the Guttmann sisters can address the other extreme of the sense of smell.

invites readers to submit letters and comments via regular mail or email to info@ wellspringmagazine. com. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.

What about a typical child who loves scents to the point that he has to smell everything, including his hands after he touches something? The other day he slipped his fingers out of the scissors to smell them and then he continued cutting.

He appears okay in all other areas and is doing well in school. Anything I can do besides giving him lots of things to smell?

Thank you, ____

R. K.

Thank your for publishing the informative and relevant articles by the Guttmanns. I’ve been reading their articles since they started contributing, and have clipped them all.

I have a question that wasn’t addressed in the article on the sense of smell and I’m

16 Wellspring | January 2021

hoping they can respond. My four-yearold son doesn't avoid smells but rather enjoys smelling everything. This started in the summer and I can’t trace it to a specific trigger. Overall, he is overall a happy and playful child; he just “needs” to smell everything before he plays with it. Any ideas how I can help him and understand why he is doing this?

Thanks!

F. B.

The Guttmanns respond:

We appreciate the amazing feedback we’ve been receiving on this topic. The sense of smell is often misunderstood but we’ll do our best to clarify in this response.

Seeking to smell different objects reflects a hyposensitive (under-reactive) olfactory sense that could be stemming from several reasons. For some children, it could indicate that the olfactory system is not processing smell correctly. Many times, it could be connected to sensitivity with the gustatory sense (sense of taste), whereby a child may present with a range of associ-

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Q

Quick Question

I was with a friend the other day and she heard my baby cough. She said that to her it sounds like he may have croup. Besides for the cough, my baby seems okay. What is croup and how should I treat it?

Croup refers to an infection of the upper airway which obstructs breathing and causes a characteristic barking cough. The cough and other signs and symptoms of croup are the result of swelling around the voice box (larynx) and windpipe. A virus is the most common cause of croup, but the illness may also be caused by bacteria, allergies, or reflux from the stomach.

Use a cool-mist humidifier or run a hot shower to create a steam-filled bathroom where you can sit with your child for 10 minutes. Breathing in the mist will sometimes stop the severe coughing. In cooler weather, taking your child outside for a few minutes to breathe in the cool air may ease symptoms.

Your child’s doctor may prescribe steroids to open the airways. Alternatively, you can use essential oils such as eucalyptus, peppermint, and lavender on the child’s chest — massage, use as a compress, or diffuse. This is best done under the guidance of a qualified practitioner with experience using essential oils.

It’s important to note that children with severe cases of croup may need to be treated in the hospital. Call emergency medical services right away if your child makes a whistling sound (called stridor) that gets louder with each breath, or cannot speak because of lack of breath.

A

Take care, Miriam Schweid, kinesiologist

ated symptoms, ranging from preferring foods that are high in flavor and seasoning to perhaps mouthing objects. It’s important to be aware that although we’re addressing scenarios where children present with the need to smell things, many children who have dysfunction in this sense may manifest with the opposite reaction and avoid smells that they perceive aversive. Here lies the range and complexity of sensory dysfunction.

The sense of smell has a direct link to the frontal lobe that relates to our limbic system, which governs emotions, behaviors, and the memories that are formed through experiences — many of which are formed via our perception of smell. For some children, snuggling close to their mother for a hug, hugging their stuffed animals, or smelling certain things in their environment may provide them with a sense of comfort, security, and contentment that is associated with past positive experiences. That should not be cause for concern (unless a child has unfortunately experienced some form of trauma). Often, 18 Wellspring | January 2021

the need of a child to smell things may be linked to a sensory need that is related to an underlying regulation issue, with the increased need to smell providing the child with the input they require to help them with internal management of their emotions and behaviors. A subtle presentation of transitioning issues, inflexibility, difficulty managing their emotions, or impulsivity with or without hyperactivity are some of the early signs that could indicate this underlying source.

These presentations should not be of concern unless they’re affecting the overall functioning and other parts of a child's day-to-day life. And if this behavior persists, an OT can determine whether the child's needs fits any of these profiles and whether remediation is needed.

In general, the child should be encouraged to smell what he feels helps him. A desensitization protocol is not utilized in these cases, but rather the child will be introduced and then encouraged to smell those scents that provide him with the input he needs. Care should be taken when

presenting a child with different smells, as smells can be associated with either creating a sense of arousal or a calming sensation, and every child reacts differently to such stimulation (which is why a trained OT will know how to advise which scents to expose a child to during treatment).

The most natural way to determine what smells your child gravitates towards is to present them in their natural form (i.e. presenting different fruits and foods), perhaps even with vision occluded, and to observe the child’s reaction. The protocol used will be determined based on these findings.

Again, this topic is quite extensive. Please feel free to reach out to us or explore the course and podcasts we have available to learn more about the sensory systems.

Sincerely,

Roizy and Friedy Guttmann Hands on Approaches

Founders of H.O.P.E. (Hands on Parents Empowerment) Foundation

Pediatric Quick Question

Q

Is it necessary to stop eating at a certain time each night? What if my child is hungry?

The human body doesn’t start and stop working based on the clock, so it really is okay to eat at night, unless it's not okay for your body due to reflux or other discomforts.

Most kids can eat close to bedtime or naptime with no issues. Use your gut instinct to determine whether your child is hungry or is just stalling bedtime. If there is a two-hour or larger space between dinner and bedtime, a snack is certainly in order. In fact, during times of rapid growth, they might actually benefit from a bedtime snack.

When you teach your child to listen to — and honor — their hunger and fullness cues rather than obeying the clock, they’re less likely to experience all the physical and emotional consequences of a lifetime of food and body obsession. Over time, they will naturally make a variety of food choices that lead to overall health.

A

Yaff i Lvova, RDN, pediatric dietitian

A dietitian and food enjoyment activist, Yaff i Lvova, RDN, encourages positive nutrition through writing, speaking, and Nap Time Nutrition, her video blog and podcast. Find out more at Babybloomnutrition.com.

It’s Been a Year of Growth Issue #59: Emotional Eating

I discovered your magazine while resting in a convalescent home in Monroe after the birth of my baby about two years ago.

Since then, I've never missed an issue. You provide an unbelievable service by printing such a high-quality publication with so much important information.

I owe you an especially big thanks because through one of your columns I found an excellent coach who has made a huge difference in my quality of life. I’ve been struggling with overeating for years and although I tried very hard, I couldn’t stick to a diet for too long. After reading Shira Savit’s articles, I decided to contact her. I have weekly phone sessions with her for almost a year now, and the results are amazing. It’s wondrous to watch how, slowly but surely, my relationship with food is changing. I am extremely grateful to Hashem for placing such an understanding and brilliant messenger in my life. Her approach is helping me achieve 20 Wellspring | January 2021

balance in many more areas as well.

I wish you lots of hatzlachah to continue your great work. Keep it up because you’re really making a difference in your readers’ lifestyles.

giving him. Having read in Wellspring about thieves oil and thieves spray several months before, I wondered if this would be the solution we were seeking. My son had fever, so I figured I’d try this natural treatment for 24 hours and see if his fever would break. After only 12 hours of using the oil and spray, his fever was gone. After three days, he had no symptoms of strep and his appetite returned. He has not had strep since. (This was in August.) I have no words to thank you.

Kol tuv,

L. Kirsch

Shira’s article in the December issue was an inspiring read. It gave much-needed hope to believe that change is actually possible. It’s a very empowering message and as a side benefit, it improved my parenting too.

B.M.

Thieves Oil for Strep Throat Issue #38: Inkwell

When my two-and-a-half-year-old son was on his third round of strep within a very short time, I wanted to try something instead of the antibiotic medication I kept

Is Peppermint Oil Safe for Use with Infants?

Issue #58: DIY

First, I would like to thank you for a wonderful and very informative magazine, which I look forward to every month.

In issue 58, you featured a very effective cough compress which I use and find to be

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Public Service Announcement Silicone for Scar Treatment Several months ago, my son got a deep cut on his forehead that required stitches. Immediately after the stitches were removed, we got to work with scar healing ointments. I religiously massaged a natural cream into the scar twice a day and followed all the instructions provided by a woman who has helped many with her guidance. However, the scar was still very visible and very unsightly. A cousin of mine noticed my son’s scar at a family simchah and she recommended that I try applying silicone bandages, conveniently sold on Amazon as “silicone scar sheets,” which had done wonders to her own son’s facial scar a year before. Having nothing to lose, we placed the order that day and started applying the silicone bandage (no mess, no massaging) onto the scar every morning. In just three weeks, the scar has become significantly lighter and less visible. This is a convenient, economical solution that appears to be extremely helpful with wound care. As the text on the box reads (I purchased mine from the company Aroamas), silicone is a recommended scar therapy ingredient “used by plastic surgeons, hospitals, burn centers, and dermatologists.” It’s recommended by this mom too.

very helpful. The article states that it can be used for infants, children, and adults for any respiratory virus. One of the ingredients in this compress is peppermint oil.

In the next month’s issue, the sidebar in The Scent Connection states that peppermint oil should not be used for infants under 30 months of age with certain issues.

So is the compress with peppermint oil safe for infants or not? And are the rest of the ingredients in this compress safe for them as well?

Thank you for your attention to this matter and please continue to provide us with a great read.

R. B. Miriam Schweid, health kinesiologist, responds:

Thank you for your important question.

I am answering it based solely on my experiences and those of my clients, as well as on the research I’ve done. Essential oils, including peppermint oil, should be used with caution. Do not apply near the eyes of infants and adults. For infants with 22 Wellspring | January 2021

sensitive skin, dilute the oil with a carrier such as olive or coconut oil. Also, use gloves while handling the oil.

Based on my experiences and the research I’ve done, the danger of peppermint oil you are describing is only when used in significant quantities. Diffusing peppermint oil is one hundred percent safe when the diffuser is 2 feet away from the infant. Furthermore, massaging peppermint oil on the chest rarely causes a reaction. Infants with extremely sensitive skin should be protected with a layer of carrier oil and only then should diluted peppermint be applied. You may want to consider the advantages of using essential oils in babies with pneumonia, RSV, and bronchitis — they may cause a slight rash but have shown to prevent hospitalization.

Call for Help

My Granddaughter Is Suffering from Severe Eczema

I am reaching out to you on behalf of my daughter, and I’m hoping that you can help with a very worrisome medical condition. My two-year-old granddaughter suffers from incredibly severe eczema.

There are multiple areas all over her skin which are cracked, open, and oozing. She constantly cries, “Mommy I have booboos…” It’s so pitiful!

My daughter has been to many doctors in Toronto, where she lives. All they do is give her steroid creams, which give shortterm relief at best. She recently spoke to an allergist who advised bathing her daughter in bleach. The result was awful!

My daughter herself had a similar skin condition as a child and eventually she outgrew it, but she suffered greatly until that happened.

I’m an RN myself, but I know there are times when conventional medicine does not have the answers and holistic medicine can help. Are there any other readers who have contended with this and can be in contact with my daughter to offer her some kind of chizuk and practical advice on how to make her sweet two-year-old a bit more comfortable?

Thank you very much and tizku l’mitzvos. I love your magazine!

Sincerely, C. G.

Any health information, advice, or suggestions published here are the opinions of the letter writers and are not independently investigated, endorsed, or validated by Wellspring. Always seek the advice of a qualified health professional or medical practitioner regarding any medical advice, condition, or treatment.

S. F.

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Well Informed

Spiritual Eating By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

And Yaakov’s Ruach Hakodesh Left Him What Happens to Our Commitment When We’re in Transition?

C

Chazal tell us that parshas Vayechi marks the transition from the period of Avos to shevatim. Yaakov Avinu, the final of the three Avos, gathers his twelve sons to give them his prophetic blessings before he passes away.

He prefaces the brachos with an attempt to reveal the circumstances surrounding the era of Mashiach: “Then Yaakov called for his sons and said, ‘Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will befall you in the End of Days. Gather yourselves and listen, O sons of Yaakov, and listen to Yisrael your father” (Bereishis 49:1–2).

But an interesting event happened before the revelation. Yaakov’s ruach hakodesh left him. Just like what had previously occurred when he first attempted to bless Yosef ’s sons Ephraim and Menashe, he was left “speechless” because his prophecy deserted him.

The midrash tells us that Yaakov was distraught, thinking Hashem had removed his prophetic capabilities because perhaps one of his holy sons was actually more akin to his brother Eisav or his uncle Yishmael, and therefore unworthy to receive such a pristine benediction.

His sons, however, responded in unison, “Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem echad.” By pronouncing the Krias Shema in unanimity, they relayed the message that,

“Just as Hashem is one in your heart, He is one in our heart.”

Greatly pleased by their reply, Yaakov answered, “Blessed be the name of His honored kingdom forever and ever.” He realized that Hashem was withholding the revelation about Moshiach for some other reason and not because of an undeserving son. Shema Yisrael is the ultimate expression of Hashem’s unity underlying every aspect of creation. It also alludes to the united vision of the 12 sons, since the letters of the word echad — alef, daled, and ches — have symbolic value: one represents Yaakov; eight represents his sons from Rochel and Leah; and four represents his sons from Bilhah and Zilpah.

Yaakov understood that the transition of Jewish destiny from Avos to shevatim — from an individual to a collective group of unified families — was moving forward.

He was spiritually satisfied and his ruach hakodesh reappeared, enabling him to bless each of his sons with their separate strengths.

Although they all had their unique qualities, none of the shevatim was an Eisav or Yishmael, a renegade branch that

broke off from the tree in order to plant his own forest. With all their disparate distinctions, they still emanated from the same philosophical root, like the Menorah with its varied branches arising from a single block of gold. The turnover was in good hands. The continuity of a unified vision originating from Avraham Avinu was assured.

A practical and relevant life lesson we derive from this episode is that transitions are often tests — acute assessments of the singularity of our commitment.

We can initiate a plan to change our lifestyle: for instance, our eating behaviors.

All is well and good when we’re in the safe confines of our kitchen and controlled food environment. But when faced with a circumstance that takes us out of our regulated routine, how committed are we to maintain our priorities?

How quickly do we lose sight of the paramount reasons we committed to a healthy lifestyle in the face of the alluring prospects of a catered affair? The fear of missing out? It’s easy to rationalize that it’s too hard to stick to a plan when we’re out of our comfort zone. But when we lose sight of our priorities, we return home ruminating in the all-too familiar remorse and regret, wondering how we ended up in the same underwhelmed and overstuffed place again — for the umpteenth time.

Was it worth it?

Rabbi Eli Glaser is the founder and Director of Soveya. He is certified as a Nutrition/Wellness Consultant and Weight Management Specialist, with 25 years of coaching and counseling experience, and is maintaining a 130-pound weight loss for more than 16 years.

Soveya has offices in Lakewood and Brooklyn, and works with clients via phone and Skype around the world. For more information or to make an appointment, contact Soveya at 732-578-8800, info@soveya.com, or www.soveya.com.

24 Wellspring | January 2021

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Well Informed

Updates in the News By Esther Retek

KEEP OUT Magnetic Toys Can Be Severely Dangerous in Households with Children Small, powerful magnets in toys like Buckyballs building sets and jewelry kits are not as innocent as they seem, shows a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. On the contrary, they’re causing an alarming number of serious pediatric injuries in the United States, the research warns.

Analyzing national data, in 2016 to 2019, researchers found an 80% rise in these injuries to children following the repeal of a sales ban on the magnets by a federal court. When these small magnets are swallowed, the potential for serious gastrointestinal injury is high, noted the study’s lead author Dr. Michael Flaherty.

Cases are cropping up all over the United States, according to a recent report from NBC News. The network reported: In Indiana, a four-yearold boy was rushed into surgery after swallowing 27 magnetized balls; a two-year-old girl in Illinois had to have her appendix removed in December after swallowing five such balls; and in 2018, a Wisconsin four-year-old had part of his colon, intestine, and appendix removed after swallowing 13 magnetic balls.

More recently, six-year-old Cameron Moreau, of New Jersey, landed in the hospital with eight perforations to his colon after swallowing magnets from a toy he got for his birthday. Two of the holes were so close together that surgeons had to remove a portion of his colon.

The magnets come in circular, rectangular, cylindrical, or cubed form, and range from pellet size to roughly 0.10 to 0.25 inches. They are also five to ten times more powerful than traditional magnets and were initially intended for commercial applications, but over time they’ve come to be included in a wide variety of entertainment products.

The harm can be considerable when a child ingests two of these magnets, or a magnet with another metal object, researchers explained. This can lead to bowel walls becoming attached and kinked, leading to catastrophic bowel injury and/or death.

In 2012, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took steps to limit their sale with voluntary recalls and safety standards. That effort culminated with a prohibition in 2014. But in 2016, a federal court determined that the commission had overstepped its bounds, and the ban was overturned.

For this study, researchers reviewed almost 37,000 emergency department visits that took place between 2009 and 2019 by kids under 18 years of age who had swallowed an object. Just over 1,400 of the visits involved magnet ingestion or inhalation, with about 850 occurring in children younger than 6 years of age.

The investigators found that between 2012 and 2016 — when protection efforts were underway — pediatric emergency department visits stemming from magnet ingestions dropped significantly. But from 2016 to 2019 — after the protections were thrown out of court — magnet ingestions jumped an increase of more than 80 percent. The significant reduction in ER visits associated with the CPSC’s initial ban indicate that further federal action is necessary, and that industry standards should be revisited.

The experts’ advice? Always read labels carefully before buying any toys or sets for children to ensure they’re age appropriate.

These magnets, as well as many other hazardous “toys,” have no place in a home with children.

26 Wellspring | January 2021

WELL-SPENT How to lead a healthy lifestyle on a budget, one tip at a time

LUNCH Lunch often receives less attention than it deserves, especially for those who work outside of the home. Buying lunch is commonly the most convenient option, but certainly not the most frugal one. Prepping your meal at home, either the night before or early morning, is the first step to lunch on a budget. Here are some filling, cheaper lunch options.

⇒ Quinoa makes a really great salad base and it’s a cheaper option than other healthy grains. Cook up a pot at the start of your week and incorporate it into your daily lunch bowl. ⇒ Soups are also very filling and can be made with an array of vegetables that are either on sale or on the lower end of the price scale; throw in some cooked or canned chickpeas for added protein. Store soup in portioned containers and freeze. Warm up in the microwave when you’re ready for your meal.

⇒ Cottage cheese is another versatile protein option. Add fruits, vegetables, or nuts, along with rice cakes or toast, to make it a full meal.

THE

Well Informed

Insider By Roizy Baum

PANCREAS

Heads and Tails Derived from Greek, the name pancreas means “all flesh.” Rubbery and pale in color, the pancreas has four main parts: head, neck, body, and tail. The widest part is the head, which is on the right side of the abdomen, and it’s attached to the first part of the small intestine, known as the duodenum, through a small tube called the pancreatic duct. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body. The plural of pancreas is pancreata or pancreases.

Exo and Endo The pancreas functions as both an endocrine and exocrine gland. Although food never enters the pancreas, the organ plays a key role in digestion. It produces pancreatic fluid, which gets piped through the pancreatic duct to the duodenum. Once it’s in the digestive tract, the enzymes in the fluid help break down fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

By sending a substance through ducts to other parts of the body, it functions as an exocrine gland.

At the same time, it also functions as an endocrine gland by secreting two hormones, insulin and glucagon, directly into the bloodstream to help control blood sugars.

The endocrine pancreas consists of clusters of cells called islet of Langerhans, which in total contains approximately one million cells and are responsible for producing hormones.

Alpha cells secrete glucagon, and beta cells generate insulin. Insulin and glucagon are secreted directly into the bloodstream, and they work hand in hand to regulate the glucose level in the blood. Insulin is the hormone that helps break down sugar, and glucagon is released when the body has an insufficient amount of sugar. The exocrine pancreas, on the other hand, is responsible for secreting digestive enzymes: namely proteases to digest protein, and lipases to digest fat and amylase.

28 Wellspring | January 2021

Pancreatic Taste Buds Tasting occurs in the mouth, right? True — but also in the pancreas. The pancreas has taste receptor cells that allow it to sense the presence of sugar. It can even “taste” artificial sweeteners.

However, unlike the taste buds on the tongue, these cells don’t transmit these sensations back to the brain. Instead, this sensory information helps the pancreas balance out the hormones and maintain healthy glucose levels in the body.

Not Worth Dying For Apparently, the man who discovered the pancreatic duct was killed for his discovery. The function of the pancreatic duct, a tiny tube that runs the length of the pancreas and carries digestive juices to the duodenum, wasn’t fully understood for centuries. Up until 1642, the Greeks knew about the pancreas, but everything changed when German anatomist Johann Georg Wirsung discovered the pancreatic duct after performing a dissection on a man who had been executed. Proud of his discovery, he named it the “duct of Wirsung” after himself. People were enraged to the point that Wirsung was murdered the following year, allegedly over a disagreement as to who had actually discovered the duct.

Shots and Pills What would life be like without a pancreas? Following a pancreatectomy, where the pancreas is removed partially or in its entirety, the patient develops diabetes and must be on life-long insulin therapy, with daily injections of insulin shots. Because of the diabetes, a dose of enzyme pills would also be necessary to help the body digest food.

Lucky Few

In-House Baking Soda

Just 8% of pancreatic cancer patients in the US live longer than five years. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the exceptions who beat the odds and survived. Ten years after Ruth recovered from colon cancer, she received a devastating diagnosis following a routine check-up in 2009: pancreatic cancer. Fortunately, surgeons were able to extract the tumor, and she lived until September of 2020. At 87, she was the oldest justice in the US Supreme Court.

Chain Reaction It’s still an unresolved scientific mystery why the immune system of people with type 1 diabetes attacks the insulin-producing cells in their pancreas, thus preventing the cells from producing insulin.

Without insulin, other cells are unable to access the glucose in the bloodstream for energy. This causes sugar to build up in the bloodstream to unhealthy levels. People with type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, can still produce some insulin but not an adequate supply. Often as a result of obesity, their cells become resistant to insulin which causes glucose to amass in the bloodstream.

The pancreas is the organ that secretes the body’s own antacid, sodium bicarbonate (the formal name for baking soda), to settle an upset stomach.

Just a Shock Absorber?

Early medical experts were perplexed about function of the six-inch-long pancreas. In fact, they considered it to be nothing more than a shock absorber. It was believed that this organ was responsible for protecting the stomach from becoming damaged by collision with the vertebral column. In reality, however, the small organ located behind the stomach is responsible for carrying out crucial functions.

Self-Ingestion Interestingly enough, the pancreas can digest itself. Pancreatitis, often (but not always) caused by heavy alcohol consumption, is not really inflammation of the pancreas. Alarmingly, what actually happens is that the digestive enzymes in the gland are going rogue and digest the pancreas itself. Acute pancreatitis often disappears in a couple of days, while chronic pancreatitis can result in serious complications.

Tityus serrulatus, the venom of a Brazilian scorpion, can cause pancreatitis. The venom contains one particular enzyme which attacks certain proteins in the gland. The attack impairs the pancreatic cells' functions and leads to inflammation.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 29

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Well Informed

Dedicated to Health By Rifky Amsel

Ten Questions for Eliana Fine-Feld and Alisa Minkin, MD of

Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association JOWMA in a Nutshell: We’ve all heard tales of the rigors of medical school, but think about how much more challenging that might be as a frum female, and even more so as a wife and mother. Eliana Fine-Feld, currently a third- year medical student at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, decided to do something about it.

Her initial idea morphed into a full organization for Orthodox female medical professionals that also engages in community education and services.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 31

Well Informed

1. What motivated you to launch your organization?

Growing up in Cleveland, my mother, as well as my friends’ mothers, were all stay-at-home moms. I certainly didn’t know any frum female physicians. I thought perhaps I’d use my creative side to become a graphic designer or maybe a party planner. However, after a lot of volunteer work for organizations like Bikur Cholim, HASC, and Kids of Courage, I realized how much I loved helping people. I wanted to be able to look back and see the difference I’ve made in people’s lives. (I figured I could always do party planning on the side!)

By the time I came home from seminary, got married, and completed my undergrad, I knew I wanted to be a doctor specializing as an OB/GYN. In my first year of medical school, I sought other religious women in the same position, but they were hard to locate. Gradually, when I did get to know frum female physicians and physicians-in-training, it surprised me when I discovered that there was no organization supporting them. ( JOWMA is strictly for doctors or those interested in becoming MDs; it does not include nurses, therapists, etc.)

It wasn’t as if I said, “Oh, I’m starting an organization!” I wanted to fill the need to connect with like-minded people and tell other frum girls that one could be a doctor and a mother. I started with a blog and then about a year ago, during winter break, I organized a get-together at a restaurant.

From concept, to finding doctors join, to organizing the program and details, and even creating a name, logo, and website — it all took place over just a few days! It snowballed quickly — but not out of control — into something wonderful. With the help of Dr. Mimi Knoll, Dr. Batsheva Lerner-Maslow, Dr. Sherrie Neustein-Orzel, Dr. Mira Hellman-Ostrov and Dr. Chana Weinstock-Neuberger (some of whom I had just met), this inaugural event drew a hundred people. I was blown away.

Baruch Hashem, within a short span of time, JOWMA has blossomed into a widespread platform for networking, support, mentoring, and education, with a current membership of about 400. While a large percentage of members are from the New York/New Jersey area, we have participants from all over the Unites States and Canada. Our members include physicians in varied fields such as pediatrics, internal medicine, OB/GYN, dermatology, surgery, ENT, oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, psychiatry, nephrology, and even more!

2. What is your current role at JOWMA and who is on your team?

I am the founder and CEO, involved in all decisions and services. I am so grateful for the incredible members of the board and committees as well as all the volunteers and members of the organization. Our advisory board alone is comprised of 28 doctors. In addition, we have a peer review abstract committee, a mentoring program committee, and a membership committee. We also have a preventative health committee, chaired by Dr. Alisa Minkin (pediatrics) and Sheindel Ifrah Goldfeiz, MD Candidate 2024, and a women’s health committee, chaired by Dr. Sahar Wertheimer (reproductive endocrinology & infertility fellow) and Miriam Andrusier, MD candidate 2021, MPH. The board of directors includes: Eliana Fine-Feld, MD Candidate 2021, CEO; Dr. Miriam Knoll (radiation oncology), president; Dr. Mira Hellman-Ostrov (gynecologic oncology), secretary; Dr. Batsheva Lerner-Maslow (reproductive endocrinology), chief marketing officer; Dr. Sherrie Neustein-Orzel (pediatrics), vice president; Dr. Chana Weinstock-Neuberger (medical oncology), vice president; and Dr. Ilana Margulies (plastic surgery), treasurer.

3. What is one challenge you’ve faced or are currently facing in running the organization?

Our organization is run by volunteers and our members have many commitments, including their medical practices and familial obligations. Despite this, they consider it a privilege; I’m continuously amazed by the selflessness of our JOWMA members, who volunteer their time and expertise to give back to the community.

Another challenge has been sharing reliable and trustworthy content regarding COVID-19. There is so much misinformation out there; it’s challenging for community members to know whom they can trust and believe. We hope to build trust by offering reliable and consistent medical information geared towards the frum community.

32 Wellspring | January 2021

4. Can you highlight the different aspects of the work you do?

Although not officially divided as such, we technically have two parts to JOWMA. One provides support for doctors and trainees, and the other is geared toward the community at large. We provide mentoring, support, information, chizuk, and even doctor referrals. The referrals are only within the organization, amongst fellow physicians.

We use our medical expertise to help others in various ways.

JOWMA members are currently mentoring over fifty frum girls who are premed students pursuing a career as a physician. Mentorship is available for younger women who are interested in medicine and are exploring the possibility of becoming a doctor.

Going through medical training is very stressful and timeconsuming. Even when one is finished with all their training, working as a frum physician has many challenges. Within JOWMA, there’s such camaraderie, and we’re constantly networking. By offering support, guidance, networking, and resources, we help one another to be successful in the office and at home. In January of 2020, we had our first JOWMA symposium for 200 of our physicians, med students and premed students.

It was important to me that JOWMA present avenues for observant, female doctors to give back and help their communities. I, and those on the administrative team, are passionate about patient education and we feel that, as an organization, it’s important to provide guidance.

Therefore, preventative health education for the frum community, while being culturally sensitive, has become a pivotal focus for JOWMA. After started a confidential hotline for vaccine information and free measles vaccines (and sometimes arranging home visits for people who don’t drive) during the 2019 outbreak, we realized there was a much bigger need for information distribution, and that as frum female physicians, we have a unique vantage point between the Orthodox community and the healthcare field that others might not be privy to.

Our hotline started to expand, and it’s become known as a place where community members could call to hear information about relevant health-related topics. This evolved into our current podcast.

During the measles outbreak, and now during COVID-19, I feel so strongly about making scientifically accurate and honest information available and widely accessible to all members of the Jewish community.

From speaking with many individuals who called our original hotline, I received a good sense of how important and how appreciated reliable information is to everyone, no matter if the person is chassidish, yeshivish, modern Orthodox or any other part of the spectrum of Judaism, and regardless of their access to the Internet or media.

I also believe that as we become increasingly aware of mental illness, developmental disabilities, and related issues in our communities, we would benefit from more information and discussion surrounding these topics. I am thrilled that Wellspring covers so many preventative health topics, and I’m excited to have JOWMA featured.

Typically, there are four years of college followed by four years of medical school. Some of our members have done shorter programs and completed their prerequisites with a "post-bac" (short for baccalaureate) program.

Those not yet in med school are known as premeds. Also, some are in a combined college/med school program which is shorter than the typical eight years. After medical school, there is residency, either in a general field, like pediatrics or internal medicine, or in a specialty, like dermatology. Many specialty residencies, such as internal medicine or peds (pediatrics), require a general medicine year before starting the specialty, which usually takes three to four years. And then some even subspecialize. A fellow is doing a specialty residency after med school, not in a general field. An attending has been fully trained and is on staff in a hospital. To further clarify, in the hospital hierarchy, the attending is above the fellow, who is above the resident, who is above the med student.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 33

Well Informed

5. Can you share a positive story that you’ve recently experienced?

Our podcast and hotline interviews are geared to be accessible to the general population. Recently, a doctor called me to thank us for our recent podcast episode which covered reopening schools during the pandemic, in which I interviewed a frum female infectious disease physician. My sister (says Alisa), who teaches in a secular school, shared our podcasts with her program director! Each time I hear that the information we have accumulated on our podcasts has helped someone in any capacity, I am grateful for the opportunity to share our expertise.

6. What do you wish people would know about medical care?

It is harder to get people to pay attention to prevention; our communities are amazing at supporting so many issues and crises, but the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is really true. People today often want quick fixes and short answers, but it’s usually more complicated than that. If we can provide parents and individuals with the toolkit to recognize signs of common mental and physical illnesses, we have a better chance of keeping our communities healthy and safe, and avoiding crises altogether.

Towards that end, we have a special Women’s Health Initiative Webinar Series scheduled for November that will address a wide range of women’s health topics — presented to frum women, by frum women.

7. What was the most interesting request you’ve ever received on behalf of a family or individual?

During the measles outbreak, we had a secular Jewish doctor email us, asking for assistance in understanding and communicating with her frum patients.

8. What’s the best part of your work for JOWMA? The toughest?

It is extremely rewarding to see others get the support that was lacking when I started on my path to a career in medicine as a young, religious mother.

The best part of the work we do on the JOWMA Preventative Health Committee is when we can provide current health information that is interesting and reliable. It is fulfilling to know that our work to stay accurate in the information we disseminate is helpful and in some cases a relief to many of our listeners. We’re not only medical professionals; we’re using our expertise to help the klal.

The toughest part of running this committee and the podcast has been trying to get the word out on a shoestring budget, as JOWMA is a relatively new non-profit organization run by volunteers.

9. How do you manage the stress that comes along with your taxing work?

Walking five miles a day, and is it bad to say a fair amount of chocolate?

10. What was the best compliment you’ve ever received?

Alisa: We got an email from a listener who told us that she was sharing our hotline number with all of her clients, and that the information is very much needed and appreciated. But the best compliment came from my children, who gave me a card with the Chanukah gift they bought me, which said: “To the woman who passionately fights for the truth to be heard. We know it is because you care deeply for others. We are so proud of you!”

I hope that the information on our podcast and hotline will continue to help dispel misinformation and improve the accuracy and legitimacy of knowledge within the Jewish community.

The phone number of JOWMA’s hotline is 929-443-9868 (929-4-GEZUNT). If you’d like more information, please visit their website at www.jowma.org/health or email them at health@jowma.org.

Mrs. Rifky Amsel is a veteran mechaneches, former principal and is currently an educational consultant and writer/editor in Lakewood, New Jersey. She is also a co-founder and director of WeeCare Preemies, a non-profit organization for Jewish families of premature babies.

34 Wellspring | January 2021

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Living Well

Waiting Room

In this space, we feature a health-related question or predicament submitted by a Wellspring reader. Fellow readers are invited to participate in the conversation by sharing their tried-and-true advice and suggestions. Join the community!

As someone who’s suffered from recurring yeast infections for the past few years, I’d love to hear what helped fellow readers who’ve been through this very uncomfortable condition.

I suffered from recurring yeast infections, especially during pregnancy.

My gynecologist kept prescribing Agisten, but to no avail. A friend of mine suggested I start taking apple cider vinegar. The vinegar is supposed to cleanse the body of the microorganisms that cause the yeast infection.

It’s available in capsules or as a liquid—though it’s not a pleasant drink!

Even more powerful, place half a cup of apple cider vinegar in a warm bath and soak for 20 minutes. Check with a healthcare practitioner before doing so, though, because there is some controversy around this suggestion.

- Name Withheld 36 Wellspring | January 2021

Coconut oil works wonders!

Coconut oil has many health benefits, including antifungal properties. Make sure to purchase pure, organic coconut oil, not a cheap alternative. Apply the oil directly to the affected area and feel the magic happen. Hatzlachah!

- Toby R.

- Y.W.

I have found that Melagel cream from the company Melaleva (contains tea tree oil) kills the yeast and stops the itch immediately. Apply internally and wherever you’re experiencing itching. Mrs. Rosenbaum (from Nature’s Cure) advised me to take coconut oil (good quality such as extra virgin).

Place approximately 4 Tbsp of oil in a container and freeze. When frozen, cut into smaller cubes and insert internally before going to sleep.

Bathe in baking soda and Epsom salt or with miracle clay (also known as Bentonite Clay). Use two cups of any with warm water. You can also add ten drops of Renew Bath Oil from Melaleva or a few tea tree oil drops.

This will relieve you instantly and kills the yeast.

I had a wonderful experience using tea tree oil. But please take caution when using this oil because it can irritate the skin. Also, since it’s an essential oil it needs to be mixed with a carrier oil.

The usual recommendation is to use 3–5 drops of tea tree oil in 1 ounce of warmed coconut oil, soak a cloth, and keep in the infected area.

My advice would be to consult a professional before attempting to use the oil. Also, some people are allergic to tea tree oil. Test the diluted oil on the forearm, on an area the size of a dime. If there’s no reaction in 12–24 hours, it may be safe to use on the more sensitive area. I hope that helps you!

- R. Birnbaum

Here are some more tips that have worked for me: Drink tea with lots of ginger; drink freshly squeezed lemon juice; peel garlic with a plastic knife, place in a Pyrex dish and drizzle some oil over it. Cover with a baking paper and then with silver foil. Bake on 400° F for 8 minutes. Of course, keep away from sugar and white flour. CandAid (from Zahler’s) works great too.

For me, getting to the root of the issue instead of simply easing my pain worked. That is, if you study the science behind yeast infections, you’ll discover that sugar is usually the culprit. Yeast feeds off sugar (which is why we add sugar when proofing yeast). I saw incredible results after going completely off sugar. It’s not an easy change, but well worth it!

Probiotics is key in healing recurring yeast infections and preventing them from happening in the first place. Once infected, witch hazel herbs are extremely potent. Adding witch hazel oil to a warm bath and sitting for 10–15 minutes targets the infection and will relieve you of the itchiness.

You can also use witch hazel pads for relief or dab a bit of oil on a cotton ball and gently wipe the area. If your infections are recurrent, I would also recommend seeing a homeopath because, in my experience, they have a host of treatments ideas to offer.

Yeast infections are no fun! I know that from experiencing them all too often! I’m looking forward to reading some good ideas to permanently get rid of them. For temporary relief, garlic is great.

You can buy garlic vitamins, which consist of more concentrated garlic. I also add a lot of garlic to my daily dishes. I’ve seen a difference, though not a complete riddance of my yeast infections.

- Name Withheld

- Miriam Schweid

- S.H.

- Tehilla M.

Probiotics. Probiotics. Probiotics. I can’t say it enough. Probiotics were the only thing that helped me finally get rid of my recurring yeast infections. Both upping my probiotic intake in my diet and taking supplements worked for me. I switched over to authentic sourdough bread so I’d get some probiotics there, started drinking kefir religiously, and fermented some vegetables so I could really consume a lot of probiotics. If you’re ready for it, try a fermented diet. Borscht is also a great food/drink to enjoy and help consume more probiotics.

- G. Lesser

coming up next month: What can I do to treat my terribly painful sinus headaches? Tell me what worked for you.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 37

Any health information, advice, or suggestions published here are the opinion of the contributor and are not independently investigated, endorsed, or validated by Wellspring. Always seek the advice of a qualified health professional or medical practitioner regarding any medical advice, condition, or treatment.

Yeast is a result of an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy bacteria that grows on sugar or refined carbs (which also breaks down to sugar).

Considering this, I’ve seen a huge difference upon a change of dietary lifestyle. I’m sure other readers also mentioned probiotics, as it takes first place as a natural yeast infection remedy. I’ve found taking one capsule in the morning helps. Another great tip is applying coconut oil to the area.

Living Well

In Good Shape By Tova Jeremias, PFC

ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY FOUR BREATHING EXERCISES TO YOU RESTORE YOUR LUNGS TO PROPER FUNCTION While everyone has been affected differently by COVID-19, many have found the recovery process difficult (even with relatively mild cases), especially those whose respiratory system has taken a hit.

Here’s where breathing exercises come in. In the same way aerobic exercise improves heart function and strengthens muscles, breathing exercises can make the lungs more efficient. These exercises may be key in aiding one’s recovery if they’re experiencing ongoing breathing problems as a result of COVID-19 or any other lung infection.

When you breathe efficiently, your diaphragm does about 80 percent of the work to move oxygen and other gases in and out of your lungs. After a lung illness, the lungs lose some of their springiness

38 Wellspring | January 2021

and subsequently don’t absorb oxygen or expel waste as effectively, causing air to get trapped in the lungs. Over time, the diaphragm works less effectively and less well-oxygenated air gets into the lungs. A patient starts to use other muscles around the neck and shoulders to help get more air in. Using these other muscles can lead to several problems: lower oxygen levels and less air getting to the bases of the lungs, where the lung volume is greatest.

Practicing regular breathing exercises can help improve the function of the diaphragm, get more air to the bases of the lungs, and reduce atelectasis, as well as generally improve the supply of oxygen to one’s lungs and body. Here are four excellent exercises that you can try today:

DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING Diaphragmatic breathing is a form of intentional, deep “belly� breathing that restores lung function using the diaphragm. This exercise has four steps. Only move on to the next step once you can easily complete the one before.

1. Deep Breathing While on Your Back

A. Lie on your back and bend your knees so that the soles of your feet are resting on the bed or floor.

B. Place your hands gently on top of your abdomen and wrap them around the sides of your stomach.

C. Close your lips and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

D. Breathe in through your nose and pull air down into your stomach

PURSED-LIP BREATHING Inflamed airways that might result from a COVID-19 infection or a similar lung condition prevent air from circulating normally through the lungs.

This can make one feel short of breath much of the time.

To practice pursed-lip breathing, simply inhale slowly through the nose and then exhale through pursed lips. You want to exhale for twice as long as you inhale, so if you inhale for five seconds, be sure to exhale for 10 seconds.

where your hands are. Try to spread your fingers apart with your breath.

E. Slowly exhale through your nose.

F. Repeat for one minute.

2. Deep Breathing While on Your Stomach

YAWN

C. Breathe in through your nose and pull air down into your stomach.

This exercise incorporates motion with deep breathing, which helps increase coordination and build strength in the arms and shoulders. It also opens up the muscles in your chest to give the diaphragm space to expand.

D. Slowly exhale through your nose.

1. Sit upright on the edge of your bed or in a sturdy chair.

A. Lie on your stomach and rest your head on your hands to allow room to breathe.

B. Close your lips and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

Try to focus on your stomach pushing into the mattress as you breathe.

E. Repeat for one minute.

3. Deep Breathing While Sitting

A. Sit upright on the edge of a bed or in a sturdy chair.

B. Place your hands around the sides of your stomach.

C. Close your lips and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

D. Breathe in through your nose and pull air down into your stomach

where your hands are. Try to spread your fingers apart with your breath.

E. Slowly exhale through your nose.

F. Repeat for one minute.

4. Deep Breathing While Standing

A. Stand upright and place your hands around the sides of your stomach.

B. Close your lips and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

C. Breathe in through your nose and pull air down into your stomach

where your hands are. Try to spread your fingers apart with your breath.

D. Slowly exhale through your nose.

E. Repeat deep breaths for one minute.

2. Reach arms overhead and create a big stretching yawn.

3. Bring your arms down and rest for three seconds.

4. Repeat for one minute.

LAUGHING AND SINGING Laughing and singing are both excellent, natural ways to help your lungs recover. Both of these activities work the abdominal muscles as well as the lungs, which can increase lung capacity and force stale air out of the lungs. Singing can increase lung capacity by working the diaphragm muscle.

Please consult with your healthcare provider before starting a fitness routine.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 39

Living Well

Ask By Shani Taub, CDC

Cheerleader

How to Encourage My Spouse on His Weight-Loss Journey

Question: My husband has recently committed to a weight-loss program. As his wife, how can I encourage him and cheer him on as he’s treading along?

Shani's response: Before I can answer your question, it’s important to note that whatever I’m about to share will only work if the decision to opt for a healthy lifestyle comes from your spouse. A decision to eat healthily and lose weight must be an internal one. Otherwise, no amount of cajoling, begging, or encouraging will work.

I have repeatedly mentioned my own childhood weight-loss struggles in this column. My own journey has taught me that if the decision comes from an outsider, no amount of encouragement will work. Although my mother tried countless weightloss programs with me, I would always manage to find a sweet to satisfy my cravings. This is even more true for adults. Your husband needs to commit to a plan out of his own will, as a result of his own recognition that changes need to be implemented. Otherwise, it’s simple for an adult to buy a piece of cake, or pop out a can of soda at his office’s vending machine.

40 Wellspring | January 2021

If your husband was the one to make that decision, here are some ideas of what you can do to ease the process for him.

Most importantly, show your husband that you’re teaming up with him, that his struggles are yours and that you’re cheering him on all the time. Also, do your best to accommodate and implement these changes too. Take a look at his plan and learn what foods are best for him. Revamp your cooking and baking habits, swapping unhealthy ingredients for healthier ones that he can enjoy.

Be resourceful. Encouraging your spouse means being creative on your end. If food was the way you relaxed on a night out, why not change that to a visit to a park, a shopping trip, or a brisk walk? Instead of baking your spouse’s favorite cookies, serve him freshly brewed coffee in the morning or prepare a flavorful fruit salad.

Try to limit the temptations. Even more importantly, make sure you have plenty of healthy options available, looking just as (if not more!) tempting than their counterparts. If you enjoy

working in the kitchen, I encourage you to experiment with different spices and vegetables when you’re preparing supper.

The more exciting and tasteful his foods will be, the better the chances that he’ll maintain this lifestyle.

If he’s at work during lunchtime, and may have to watch

his coworkers opting for pizza or sandwiches, it’s a good idea to send along a flavorful lunch — like packing him up dinner leftovers, or incorporating them into a fresh salad. While enjoying the food you prepared for him, he will not only get the nutrition fill that he needs, but also the positive feeling and encouragement that is equally, if not more, important.

Dos and Don’ts DO: Take the journey together. Offer to walk places instead of using the car. Find a nice walking route for a Sunday afternoon.

Encourage your husband on his journey by expressing your admiration towards his self-control. Compliment him often.

Remember to ask what he needs.

Whether he’s heading out to a simchah or you’re preparing your menu for the upcoming Yom Tov, ask him which foods he’ll need so he can be satiated and healthy.

DON’T: Stock your kitchen with unhealthy foods such as sweets and snacks. Involve your children in the lifestyle change and keep sweets as treats.

Bake foods your husband can’t enjoy. There are so many healthy options, so why tempt your spouse with a freshly baked chocolate cake?

Nag your spouse about what he should eat or when to work out.

Be a know-it-all, constantly offering advice and tips.

Take your spouse on a guilt trip. Every endeavor comes with ups and downs. Expect those downs and don’t make your spouse feel more regret than he already does.

Please send your questions to the nutritionist to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Shani Taub, CDC, has been practicing as a certified nutritionist in Lakewood for almost a decade, meeting with clients in person and on the phone. She also owns the highly popular Shani Taub food line, which carries healthy, approved, pre-measured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.

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42 Wellspring | January 2021

C h i l

A thermal coat may not be the best solution to braving the frigid temperature.

How embracing the cold sets off your internal heating system— and helps prevent winter ailments.

By Rochel Gordon

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 43

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“Zip up your coat!”

“Make sure you’re wearing your hat!”

of the cold and more comfortable outdoors, even when the temperatures drop? And even more importantly, is there a way to make the body less vulnerable in cold weather, protecting it from being significantly impacted by bacteria and viruses that bring on wintertime ailments like the flu, pneumonia, and common cold?

Apparently, there is.

Optimal Function or Comfort?

With cautionary commands like these ringing in our ears since childhood, we’re used to thinking that cold is the enemy. Not only is it supremely uncomfortable, but we come to believe that external sources of heating are what will enable us to brave dropping temperatures and cold weather. Without them, we’re at risk of contracting a host of winter ailments.

But, wait a moment: have you ever wondered how people centuries ago survived? Winters of the ancient era conjure images of families huddled together around the fireplace, but there had to be more. Back in the day, insulated homes with underfloor heating were not yet existent and the masses owned none of the cashmere winter gear or furlined boots at our disposal today. Add to that the frigid climates of countries like Russia and Eastern Europe, home of many of our ancestors, and we’re left wondering: how did they survive?

Speaking of survival in cold climates, how do Eskimos in ice-cold Alaska make it? What about the animals? Yes, we know that animals have mechanisms that are unique to them, such as fur, but from where do they draw internal heat that protects them from hypothermia and frostbite? Is there an obscured mechanism about our own bodies that we don’t know enough about, a secret that can help us be less afraid

44 Wellspring | January 2021

In its original state, Hashem created the human body with the full capacity to survive any everyday circumstance, regenerate, and heal on its own. Often, in our quest for comfort, we inadvertently tamper with those natural capabilities. For example, the purpose of a headache is to alert us to an aspect of our lifestyle or internal issue that requires attention. What happens when the headache sufferer ingests a pain reliever? While the symptoms of the actual headache may dissipate, at the same time, the body is left defenseless. The issue behind the pain is still very much present. The same is true for other means of healing. Of course, there is a time and place for these interventions, but when we implement them, we’re essentially trading in the body’s ability to defend itself for immediate relief. By doing so, we’re accustoming ourselves to running for comfort as opposed to, quite literally, sweating it out.

This takes place on a basic level as well. If we get accustomed to driving everywhere as opposed to walking— or leading a very sedentary lifestyle, such as at the desk or shtender—we start to find it physically hard to use those muscles. When we do walk, we may feel breathless and have discomfort—even pain—in our legs. We come to believe that we’re really incapable of such exertion. But can we really not use our muscles more? Even if they do feel sore when we start using them, that’s only because we’ve gone

Suffering from Cold Hands or Cold Feet?

The sensation of cold extremities is common. While it may occasionally be a symptom of more serious conditions, it is usually a result of weakened vessels in that area. Here’s a technique that helps build up strength in the extremities (as explained above): 1. Fill a bucket with ⅓ ice and ⅔ water.

2. Redirect your mental focus to your hands or feet.

3. Place your hands or feet into the ice bucket.

4. Hold your hands or feet in the bucket for two minutes.

At some point, they should start to feel warm instead of cold.

5. Remove your hands or feet from the ice bucket but keep your mental focus on them.

6. Shake them out several times to encourage the blood flow into the newly awakened extremities.

At first, your blood vessels constrict in the ice bucket— which is is a natural protective mechanism—but when the blood reaches 50°F, they open, allowing warm blood to flow into them. You are resetting the physiology in your extremities. People who often complain of cold hands or feet suffer from poor passive constriction and dilation. The muscles around their veins in their hands and feet don’t function well and need to be retrained. This ice bucket exercise helps. If you typically have cold hands or feet, try doing this exercise daily. Adaption occurs surprisingly quickly. After a couple of days of this exercise you’ll find that your extremities aren’t so cold anymore.

(Source: Wim Hof Method)

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into our comfort zone. We’ve traded in our body’s ability to function optimally for comfort. As soon as we exercise the muscles again, eventually walking great distances and even scaling elevated planes, we realize how much muscular power we really have—and had all along.

Push Those Limits Hashem created the human body with exponentially greater capacity than we’ve become accustomed to believe.

This is the concept behind preventative medicine, awareness of which is increasing worldwide. By building up our systems, especially the immune system, and strengthening them at their core, we have the capacity to prevent illness.

Even when our body is introduced to a bacteria or pathogen,

Withholding our body from exposure to cold is akin to not utilizing muscles that require movement to remain fluid.

G-d forbid, with this approach, we believe in its ability to fight it, with the help of Hashem.

We are privileged to live in an era where medical intervention is constantly being researched and improved, but the need for alternative—often supplemental—healing is certainly present. Many are starting to realize, especially now that COVID-19 has taken a toll internationally, that even the most sophisticated medical world is not equipped to deal with various illnesses and ailments. First and

46 Wellspring | January 2021

foremost, awareness has been raised regarding measures to strengthen the immune system, and also in regard to natural interventions through which healing can take place. The human body, emerging research is finding, has more internal ability to ward off illness than we’ve come to believe, a strength we’ve perhaps stopped tapping into.

The same is true even for acclimating to cold temperature.

With its internal heating system, the human body has a greater ability to endure extreme weather than we may think. By learning how to tap into the maximum potential of the body’s systems involved in our reaction to cold, we can come to feel comfortable and pleasant when exposed to decreased temperature water or air. Instead of not only not retreating from it, we can actually benefit from it. Through cold, we can invite a host of healing properties into our body.

It’s Cold! So What?

Based on how we’ve become conditioned to react to cold, we perceive it as a frightening phenomenon, one that is not only supremely uncomfortable but also the carrier of all sorts of winter ailments. The absence of cold, then, is our comfort zone. As long as we perceive cold is this way, of course we need to bundle up as much as possible and protect ourselves externally, but when we learn how to jump-start our internal heating system, those measures won’t be so necessary.

The first step to feeling comfortable in cold temperature and to start benefiting from it is to simply step out of our comfort zone. Just as we’d have to start eating vegetables in order to notice the advantages of a healthy diet, we have to expose ourselves to temperatures we’ve considered uncomfortable in order to reap their benefits. The thought itself is frightening, right? It brings to mind images of malnourished children in thin rags, their lips white or purple, shivering. Right, but that’s only until we’ve learned to embrace the cold temperature. So say the thousands of

followers of the Wim Hof method, which has taken the world by storm.

Dubbed “The Iceman,” Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness World Records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow around the polar circle. He has set the world record for the longest time in an ice bath a total of 16 times, including 1 hour, 42 minutes, and 22 seconds on 23 January 2009; 1 hour, 44 minutes in January 2010; and 1 hour 53 minutes and 2 seconds in 2013. Having accumulated 20 world records, people came to believe that Hof was innately unique in his physical makeup to withstand extreme cold. However, over the past decade, after having trained thousands of people to do as he does, braving the lowest of temperatures and exposing their body to intense cold, Hof has brought an awareness of what we are all capable of, should we choose to exit our comfort zone.

The Science Behind It While we’ll leave the Guinness World Records— especially those related to ice baths—to others, here’s the takeaway for us: the cold is not the enemy we think it is, and we can manage it better than we’ve come to believe. Over the past decade, hard-core scientists have performed research on this phenomenon and published them in reputable journals like Nature, coming away awed by the positive impact of cold temperature. In particular, Hof invited scientists to study his own body, in an effort to prove that he is no different than the rest of mankind, and that what he has achieved through his mindset and other techniques, others would be capable of too. Today, thousands of people worldwide, this author and many former skeptics included, have realized that all of us are capable of acclimating to cold weather by learning how to kickstart the internal heating

system. How does it work?

There’s a scientific explanation to what Hof introduced to the world: the vascular system consists of over 100,000 miles of vessels through which blood passes in an effort to keep the body warm, operated by millions of muscles.

Regardless of whether it’s hot or cold outside, our core body temperature has to remain 98.6°F. If the temperature dips only two or three degrees below that, the body enters a state of hypothermia. If it dips three degrees or more than that, the temperature spirals down and the body can no longer heat up. The vascular system keeps contracting and dilating to protect us from the cold and heat, and to keep the body within the range of normal temperature.

The muscular tone of the vascular system is exercised when we allow the vessels to contract and dilate. The more often this occurs, the more heat we generate internally. How do the vessels contract and dilate? Exposure to cold causes contraction, while heat causes expansion (a basic law of thermodynamics). Withholding our body from exposure to cold is akin to not utilizing muscles that require movement to remain fluid. A most pronounced manifestation of decreased function of the vascular system is its inability to keep our body warm. And just as with muscle atrophy, exercising those muscles refuels their ability to function. By engaging in techniques that exercise the vascular system, we have the ability to rekindle the ignition of our body’s internal heating system.

Ready to get warmed up? Forget the steaming bowl of soup and that cozy grandma sweater. Here’s Hof ’s most recommended technique: “A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away.” Our vascular system needs to be stimulated to achieve the desired muscular tone. It doesn’t need training, only awakening. Once it’s optimized, a sequence of positive results occurs in the body. The immediate impact

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of exposure to cold water can be uncomfortable, if not downright painful. It is therefore understandable why we’d be hesitant to try this, but just as the body adjusts to water in an unheated swimming pool, so does it adjust—with repeated exposure—to water in a cold shower. Initially, the cold water will precipitate a gasp reflex, a completely natural reaction. This involuntary response subsides over time as the body relaxes and becomes accustomed to the new environment.

Hof advises to start with just five seconds of exposure to cold running water, such as right after the usual warm shower. Gradually increase the duration of the cold shower, up until three minutes daily. Keep your breath even and steady throughout.

Seriously?

Before you scurry back to your sweater and dunk this page in the cold shower, listen to the reasoning behind this. When we willingly expose our body to cold running water, by entering calmly and breathing evenly and relaxed, it learns how to react to cold. Instead of responding to it, as it did until now, as a trauma, it becomes programmed to treat it as a welcome phenomenon. When this is the case, the vascular system operates more optimally, contracting and dilating as opposed to tightening up and decreasing blood flow. Gradually, by exercising the vascular system, we build up its strength, enabling smoother blood flow, which warms the body.

In addition to helping the body deal with cold, this technique also serves as an exercise for the vascular system, facilitating a smoother blood flow to all organs, which leads to many other health benefits.

This technique requires us to leave our comfort zone at first, but after a short while—ten to twenty days—taking a cold shower will not only be not uncomfortable, you also won’t feel the cold as intensely. Now that’s helpful for snowball-fight lovers.

In and Out If you’ve ever observed your breaths upon exposure to cold, you probably noticed that they become rapid and shallow. That works in tandem with the vessels tightening up, which also occurs any time the body experiences trauma.

With the cold shower technique, however, it’s important

48 Wellspring | January 2021

to keep the breath as calm and even as possible. As a side benefit, if you manage to do so, you’ll also be teaching the body to deal with stress. When we willingly expose ourselves to stressors (such as cold water) and breathe the way we do when we’re calm (inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm), the body gets programmed to react in a way that doesn’t take a toll on its physiological systems. It recognizes the stressor but continues to function normally.

This may help build up stamina and endurance in all capacities.

Our Sources While new research on intentional cold exposure is starting to emerge, Chazal actually noted its benefits centuries ago—in the Gemara. In shabbos 41a, listing recommendations for after exiting a warm bath (such as drinking warm water), chazal advise one to rinse their body in cold water. In their words, “one who does not rinse with cold water following a warm bath is like a smith who melds metal in fire with the intention of creating a strong pot but does not expose it to cold water.” Without exposure to cold water, they explain, the pot would be defective.

Exposing ourselves to cold water, our chachamim imply, helps strengthen the body and is thus an advised practice.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov writes that a doctor who cautions that one should not enter a cold mikvah because it’s detrimental to one’s health does not speak of medical experience. Not only is cold water not harmful to the body, he writes, but there are actually cavities in the body that are only cleansed and detoxified when exposed to cold water.

When we willingly expose ourselves to cold temperature (gradually and not forcefully), recognizing that it is good for us, the body doesn’t get weakened by cold temperature.

The reason why many of us experience what we know as winter ailments is a direct result of how we perceive cold: we become weakened by it. A stronger vascular system, however, leads to a stronger immune system, as well. With the help of Hashem, a stronger body is less vulnerable to ailments like the flu and common cold.

Even as you get your internal heating system into gear and allow it to do its work, you can still enjoy a cup of warm tea in your favorite fuzzy sweater. You’ll just feel warmer from the inside out.

Note: The information in this article is intended for healthy individuals with no preexisting conditions.

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Health Personality By Esther Retek

Cup of Tea With:

F

For many Brooklyn natives, the name Sara Chana Silverstein evokes an array of feelings and experiences. For some, it connotes breastfeeding triumphs; for others the potency of herbs; and for all, the image of an ebullient and selfless persona.

As a lactation consultant, master herbalist, author, doula, and public speaker, this mother of seven has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

Sara Chana’s first career, as a lactation consultant, dates back to the birth of her first child—over 28 years ago. The scene she met at the pediatrician’s office during a checkup with her newborn is still vivid. As women around her conversed, the banter quickly turned to breastfeeding, with most women expressing their challenges, frustration, and some, their failure.

For Sara Chana, those emotions were surprising, and thankfully unrelatable.

“Having had a fairly smooth breastfeeding experience, I was shocked to hear what a difficult transition it was for so many women. I remember thinking, ‘Really? But if Hashem gave women the ability to breastfeed, why isn’t it happening naturally for them?’ I walked out of the office with a newfound appreciation for my own uneventful experience, and intrigued to learn more about the logistics and science behind breastfeeding.”

From there, Sara Chana delved into the subject, studying the anatomy and physiology of the mother’s makeup and

50 Wellspring | January 2021

Sara Chana Silverstein, IBCLC, RH (AHG) OCCUPATION: Master herbalist and international board-certified lactation consultant

LOCATION: Crown Heights, Brooklyn

PASSION: To share information that everyone can incorporate into their lives.

SHE WISHES YOU WOULD KNOW: That nursing your baby is never supposed to hurt, and that you can make hundreds of effective medicines right in your kitchen.

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Health Personality

the baby’s mouth and reading up on books such as The Medical Doctor’s Guide to Breastfeeding.

Sara Chana admits she never imagined her vocation to involve working with overwhelmed mothers and delicate newborns. “I was always a very logical, black-and-white thinker. Had I grown up in another generation, I’d probably have attended medical school. I was always fascinated with science.”

Instead, she landed a job that connotes nurturing and warmth.

“Here’s the catch. A lactation consultant is way more than someone who figures out how to get mom to bond with her baby. In fact, breastfeeding is all about the chemistry of the pair, mother and baby. I like to view it as a shidduch. We analyze the mother’s and baby’s anatomies, the mother’s temperament, and the baby’s temperament. I then consider all these variables to make the relationship a long-term one. This is really at the core of breastfeeding, and once I observe how the pair works, I can advise accordingly.”

With her vast experience in the field, Sara Chana knows a thing or two about what women should expect when nursing. Is it normal to experience pain during the feeding process? “Absolutely not, if you understand the relationship between a mother’s and baby’s physiology, there’s no reason for breastfeeding to be a painful experience. The Shulchan Aruch states that a woman can nurse a child until age four if they are healthy and five for an unhealthy child. Interestingly, I browsed other ancient religious texts, and none of them put an emphasis on breastfeeding as much as lehavdil our Torah does. For Jewish people, breastfeeding is not just a luxury; according to our chachamim, it has a central and sacred role.”

Passionately dedicated to helping women and their babies, Sara Chana soon became an expert and go-to person in the lactation field. While she was logging in her 2,500 clinical hours of breastfeed training, she witnessed firsthand the need for alternative medicine. Additionally, Sara Chana was dealing with her own, and her first child’s, allergies, for which doctors could not provide any long-term solution. This led her to become a master herbalist.

“One thing that frustrated me constantly was how quickly mothers turned to antibiotics, steroid creams, and other medications to cure their breastfeeding issues. I would always sit there and wonder what our ancestors would do when faced with these physical ailments. After all, women have been breastfeeding their babies since creation! I had this niggling feeling that there must be better solutions to these age-old problems.” This question drove

Sara Chana to study homeopathy for five years. Subsequently, she underwent botanical herbal medicine training, learning herbal medicine for two additional years, where she ultimately discovered her raison d’être.

Where Hope Blossoms

“Plants had always been my thing,” Sara Chana relates. “In California, where I grew up, my parents cultivated a variety of plants in their backyard, and I was constantly observing and examining them. Later, when I learned the concept of Hashem placing a refuah prior to the makkah, I had an epiphanic moment realizing that in creation Hashem created plant life before man. I thought that this might indicate that plants can be a source of healing for mankind. They were definitely put into the world before pharmaceutical companies,” Sara Chana chuckles. She further points out that human beings cannot live without plants and that they rely heavily on them, as she discovered when learning botany and plant structure.

“Our sefarim are replete with sources that point to the usage of plant for mankind. For one, David Hamelech says in Tehillim, ‘You make the grass grow for the cattle, and herbage for man’s service’ (104:14). Yiddishkeit is very plant-based. In the Beis Hamikdash too, there was an altar dedicated just for burning incense and essential oils. When we escort out Shabbos, we smell cloves, an herb, to calm our neshamah, and on Succos we once again utilize plants, by taking the arba minim. Klal Yisrael has always been into agriculture. Farming, plants, and herbs are part and parcel of our DNA.” Sara Chana is quick to add that since lifestyles have changed so drastically over the last century, it’s hard for us to relate to our rich agricultural heritage. But essentially, Yidden were always occupied with plants. “Learning these sources encouraged me with my education and helped me realize that herbs are essentially our refuah.”

Sara Chana emphasizes that her practice does not discourage the use of conventional medicine. “Imaging is great; blood tests are great. I do not in any way oppose Western medicine, but I believe that herbs and aromatherapy have a lot to offer to help combat stress, anxiety, and promote peace of mind and general health, as has been done for thousands of years. Needless to say, if someone is suffering from acute pain, such as a broken leg, certainly that is not the time to visit an herbalist. You take an X-ray, wear a cast, and heal the wound. On the contrary, if you constantly

break your bone, we need to figure out why your bones are so frail. In fact, various doctors refer their patients to me because they are familiar with my attitude toward Western medicine.

Conventional doctors have got a lot of things right, but their specialty is certainly not treating chronic conditions. For example, a doctor might prescribe statins to lower cholesterol, but clinical data repeatedly shows that unless you make lifestyle changes in your eating habits, exercise, and emotional well-being things, will not change. Our society is replete with quick-fix promises. Social media constantly bombards us with ‘Get rid of wrinkles with just a smear, get rid of stomach pain with just this one pill,’ but that’s not what health essentially is.”

On the contrary, herbal medicine has a completely different objective than those oft-seen promises. “My goal as an herbalist,” Sara Chana explains, “is to get the body to function optimally, to perform best with the capabilities you possess. ‘With the capabilities you possess’ is an important caveat. In other words, if you have a genetic predisposition, we’ll work on getting you to be your best despite it. If your family struggles with obesity, we won’t work on getting you to be that size 2, but I will work with you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and help you stay away from unhealthy fat. On the mental spectrum too. If parents both have some signs—or a proper diagnosis of ADD, their children won’t sit and learn Gemara all day long, but given these challenges, how can they best thrive?”

With her positive perspective and belief in her clients, Sara Chana is more than just an herbalist. She sees every client as an individual person, as a unique child, with infinite and exclusive potential.

Combining both her passions—which, at the core, are one and the same: helping others—Sara Chana currently practices both lactation consulting and herbal medicine in one office, managed by one of her daughters. “My practice initially began with breastfeeding. When I began practicing herbal medicine, I would mention to my clients that if their child ever gets an ear infection, go to the doctor, get a proper diagnosis, and then visit me for some natural, incredibly powerful treatments. Slowly but surely, my office was flooded with toddlers suffering from ear infections, husbands with high blood pressure, and women with stress. Herbs are masterful for typical daily problems such as constipation, headaches, or anxiety.”

Drawn to Sara Chana’s sincerity and ever-present optimism,

clients have been bringing more clients, her reputation spreading rapidly. “I also think people are attracted to my office because I take my clients very seriously. It’s an all-too-common scenario that a doctor will dismisses a woman’s intuition and then turn out to be wrong. I trust my clients. Recently, a client came in complaining about her extreme fatigue, despite the doctor dismissing it as normal. I immediately ordered her to take a blood test and check her iron and B12 levels. She complied begrudgingly since her doctor deemed her last blood test results good. The result? Her iron levels were so low, the doctor wanted to order a transfusion immediately. Within three days she felt 85 percent better.” Giving each client one and a half hours of her time—a rarity in the medical field—Sara Chana sees patients from 10:00 in the morning in back-to-back appointments until 8:30 in the evening. In the case of an emergency, she’s available later in the evening as well.

“An MD who was shadowing me at one point humorously described my office as an emergency room,” she shares. “With babies crying, mothers rushing in, and all other goings-on, the ER is an apt description.” Her passion is her drive, and her love for her work is what gives her the koach to run such a tight schedule. So when does Sara Chana take care of herself? “I try to get away to LA often, and I spend my summers in California. While I’m there, I make sure to do Pilates, hike, exercise, and invigorate myself to be able to handle the workload back in Brooklyn. You need a lot of strength for the work I do.”

Happiness Sprouts

After working for over 28 years, with close to 30,000 women, men, and children, Sara Chana has a lot of wisdom to share with the world. Her medium? A book. “My gut told me it was time to document some aspects of my practice. I was toying with different ideas for a while, going from winter blues to ear infections, but then decided to write about moods. Mood swings are universal, affecting men and women, old and young alike. The frightening statistics on psychotropic drugs propelled me even more. One in four women are on some psychotropic meds at some point. The number of children on these drugs is mind-boggling. After giving it much thought, I decided to write about herbal use for emotional health. After years of helping my own clients and seeing incredible results, I wanted to educate people to try herbal medicine before turning to Prozac

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Health Personality

or Sarafem. Herbs have a dramatic role in psychological healing.”

When she was faced with her own personal challenge—when her daughter was hit by a car and consequently experienced transverse myelitis—Sara Chana became the paradigm of what she was planning to write in her book. “I learned more in those eight months [after the injury] than I did in all my years with clients,” Sara Chana points out in the introduction to her book.

Moodtopia, Sara Chana relates, teaches women to use herbs as an emotional ally. “I teach you how to control your mood instead of having your moods control you.” How does it work? “Here’s the most important point of the article. If someone lost a loved one, how will herbs help them? First and foremost, seek the right help to discuss what’s on your heart and receive guidance. But with all the therapy, most people will still experience that pit in their stomach. When you take an herb such as rose that soothes a broken heart, it will relax the neurological response you have toward the sadness. If you are gloomy and sad, there’s an herb called motherwort that will help you feel lighter. Of course, herbs won’t solve your issues. They won’t settle the arguments you have with your spouse, or change your relationship with your children, but they will give you a clear brain to figure out how to problem-solve.

When you free yourself of the physical pain these emotions are causing you, you are much better off helping yourself. You will listen better, tune in to nuances, and get much-needed clarity. It’s not the oils or herbs that will heal your problems, but if you inhale essential oil before going to a therapy session, your brain will be much more receptive to what you have to hear.”

Having invested her heart in the project, Sara Chana was pleased with its positive reception. Number one on the Amazon

book list, Moodtopia has received accolades from Deepak Chopra and quotes from other prominent people in the wellness space.

Within a short time, Sara Chana was dubbed “the moodiness expert,” landing her speaking engagements on shows across the country. In her lectures, she demonstrates how to integrate alternative medicine safely. “Unfortunately, as we urbanize and move away from plants, we totally forget that plants are here for our service and can heal us. Forget herbs, even shifting our diet to be more plant-based will produce amazing results for anyone. We need to start incorporating more vegetables into our everyday diet, too.”

Just how effective are herbs for emotional healing? Sara Chana’s cases from her practice tell the tale. “A woman suffering from severe depression came to me after seeing no success with various psychotropic meds. After our session, she began crying hysterically, and kept crying for almost 24 hours. Her husband had to return early from work because she couldn’t stop crying. Six weeks later, she was due to return for a follow-up, and I was quite nervous about how the session would turn out.

“At the next session, this woman sat down, and started to recount how the past six weeks had been. She said, ‘The day after I stopped crying, I went to my boss and told him I was resigning.

He begged me to come back, but I said I would only do that on my terms. He agreed. The next day I started reconsidering my children’s schools and yeshivos, because I had put them not where I wanted but where my mother-in-law wanted them to be.’ She continued recounting several major changes she had made in such a short while. When she finished, I told her that now she could start to heal. This was an example of the potency of herbs, of the phenomenal power they possess. Of course, there was much work to be done, but it was a great start. I like to repeat this story because it describes the use of herbs at their essence, to get you the clarity of mind and the menuchas hanefesh to find the power and direction you have within you.”

Herbs for Beginners

Want to try herbs for healing? Here are two of Sara Chana’s favorite herbs that are easy to use:

Skullcap: Wonderful to ease tension and anxiety, this is her go-to herb for stress, and it’s safe for anyone to take. She recommends taking it in tincture (liquid) form.

Rose: This is a powerful herb for a broken heart. It’s great in tincture or tea form.

People who’ve endured sad experiences, such as losing a loved one, have seen great results with Rose tea. It’s also good for blood-vessel issues or damaged capillaries.

54 Wellspring | January 2021

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E S A L E S @ M O U N TA I N L A U R E L R E S O R T. C O M

Living Well

At the Dietitian By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

Unhappy Baby?

This May Be the Reason Why If your baby was ever diagnosed with the all-too-common “reflux” label and prescribed the ubiquitous antacid medications, you likely recall the stress of trying to recover from childbirth, take care of the household, and manage an unhappy infant. In such a situation, it’s all too easy to succumb to the seemingly quick fix that the pediatrician seems to offer when prescribing reflux medication. Unfortunately, the safety, as well as even the efficacy of the usage of these medications in infants, is now being seriously questioned.

tions, bacterial overgrowth, adverse bone health, food allergy, and drug interactions.”

In a research paper published in 2016 in World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmocology and Therapeutics, the authors write:

Symptoms of MSPI may include mucus and/or blood in the infant’s stool, diarrhea, gas, reflux, and colic. Pediatricians may run a test to confirm the presence of blood in an infant’s stool, but there’s no specific diagnostic test to confirm the condition, and the diagnosis is therefore determined once the suspected foods are removed from the infant’s diet and symptoms resolve. This requires either switching the infant to a special formula or having the nursing mother eliminate the suspected foods from her diet.

Fortunately, MSPI generally doesn’t last beyond a child’s third year of life and often resolves as early as 10 or 12 months of age.

“Gastric acid inhibitors such as proton pump inhibitors are widely and increasingly used, often without objective evidence or investigations to guide treatment. Several studies have shown that these medications are ineffective at treating symptoms associated with reflux in the absence of endoscopically proven oesophagitis. With a lack of evidence for efficacy, attention is now being turned to the potential risks of gastric acid suppression. Previously assumed safety of these medications is being challenged with evidence of potential side effects including GI and respiratory infec-

56 Wellspring | January 2021

It is important to be made aware of what I believe is the most common cause for GI distress in infants and what you, as a mother, can do about it without resorting to medication. While many babies eat happily and gain weight well, milk-soy protein intolerance (MSPI) is a condition that affects between 2% and 5% of infants, often presenting around the infant’s third or fourth week of life.

Since cow’s milk protein intolerance alone is more common

that the combined milk and soy protein intolerance, parents typically are advised to first eliminate cow’s milk from the mother and/or baby’s diet. If symptoms don’t fully resolve, soy protein and possibly other foods are then eliminated one at a time to better identify improvement.

For new moms who want to nurse, making sure to incorporate alternative sources of protein and calcium to support requirements for lactation and postpartum recovery is essential. For a mother who cannot nurse, a hydrolyzed infant formula is used first, in which all proteins have been partially broken down to lessen any immune reaction. If the baby continues to have symptoms of intolerance or allergy with a hydrolyzed formula after two weeks, the next line of treatment is an elemental infant formula. These formulas are made from amino acids and are hypoallergenic as well.

Elemental formulas are significantly more expensive and require a prescription to obtain.

Since MSPI often resolves near the 10–12 month mark, and many babies start solids around six months, it’s important for parents to start with solids their children haven’t reacted to and try

only small amounts of the problematic foods very slowly as tolerated.

Helpful Probiotics for Colic

In my practice, I’ve often found that incorporating a probiotic that includes the strain B. infantis into an infant’s daily regimen often improves GI symptoms. In a 2019 study published in Pediatric Research, researchers have demonstrated that providing infants with this specific strain reduces intestinal inflammation up to 55-fold compared to infants receiving mother’s milk only.

I also recommend the use of the strain L Reuteri, as backed up by a study published in Pediatrics (2010) that showed significant reduction in crying time in infants with colic that were given this strain of probiotic versus the group that was not given it.

As a now better-educated mother, you have the tools to help your baby (and yourself ) be happier and calmer using diet and supplements instead of medication. Hopefully that translates into a better night’s sleep for both mom and baby.

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE, is a highly acclaimed and experienced registered dietitian/nutritionist and certified diabetes educator. She maintains a busy nutrition practice with offices in Lakewood and Edison, and via phone/Skype to numerous international clients. She specializes in balanced and sustainable weight loss and nutrition therapy for autoimmune, hormonal, and gastrointestinal issues. She can be reached at 732-364-0064 or through her website www.thegutdietitian.com.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 57

L

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LATE HOU RS

TE HOURS A L

HO

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HOURS LAT E

WEDNESDAY UNTIL 10PM URS

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Living Well

Home Lab By Miriam Schweid

DIY

recipes for natural living

Jaundice Relief

While jaundice is a common condition in newborn babies (as a result of an underdeveloped liver), it becomes particularly stressful in baby boys when it interferes with performing the bris on the eighth day. The following has helped lower many a baby’s bilirubin level, improving their liver health and thus enabling the bris to be held on time.

As a case in point, I recently coached a family whose baby’s bris was supposed to be held on Shabbos. On Friday, his bilirubin level was still at 12. (In general, 10 is the maximum at which mohelim perform the bris.) Hoping to have the bris on time, the family hosted a joint shalom zachar and vach-nacht on Friday night, but the mohel cautioned them that it might not be possible. Throughout the night, the infant’s grandmother massaged him with vitamin E oil. When the mohel came by in the morning, he was astounded at the results. Indeed, the child was ready for his bris on time.

(Of course, if jaundice prevents the bris from taking place, that is the will of Hashem and is thus not the right time for the mitzvah to be performed, but we want to do our hishtadlus to help make it happen.)

1. Massage the baby’s body (feet, hands, stomach and back) with vitamin E oil whenever the baby is being changed.

2. Before each feeding, give the baby one drop of vitamin E oil orally.

3. The infant’s mother (if nursing) should take one dropperful of Jaundice Relief three times a day. This blend also aids in digestion and improves circulation, but it should not be given to the infant.

Consult with the mohel about placing the baby under an ultraviolet light.

Many new mothers are told the myth that nursing their infant boys could increase jaundice. After discussing this issue with experienced pediatricians and mohelim, I’ve learned that they agree that it’s more beneficial for the mother to continue nursing while following the above protocol.

Disclaimer: Please consult with a qualified medical professional and the baby’s mohel before administering this protocol.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 59

, A S R M Psoriasis, or None of the Ab ove?

This helped me deal with streSs How to Cultivate a Self-Compassionate Voice One step at a time

It's Not Lack of Self Control So why can't I just do this?

Wellbeing

Emotional Eating By Shira Savit

Is Lack of SelfControl My Problem?

Here’s Why It May Not Be I don’t have enough self-control. That’s why Liba thought she was having issues with food.

If only she could just be more disciplined with her eating, then, of course, she would lose the weight. She had an array of motivational quotes she used as mantras: “No pain, no gain,” “Just try harder,” “Stay on the plan,” and “Don’t eat that, it’s not healthy.”

Sometimes these messages helped her avoid the cookies or pizza, but most of the time, they just didn’t work. Liba felt exhausted and frustrated: What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just have more self-control?

My answer to her question is that not only is focusing on 62 Wellspring | January 2021

self-control not the solution to the problem; it may be one of the greatest pitfalls. Placing emphasis on self-control does not lead to sustainable results on the scale for several reasons.

First, self-control is often associated with willpower. But as admirable as willpower is, it is a limited resource. If we spend the whole day trying to convince ourselves that we need to have more willpower—actually, more “won’t power” (i.e., I won’t eat the sugar, carbs, or white flour)—we end up depleting our willpower storage.

I compare this to a battery that runs out of charge. When there is no battery life left, we crash, with no momentum to push ourselves harder. One common cause of late afternoon or nighttime overeating or bingeing is depleted willpower. We’re drained and feel like

giving up. How many times can we tell ourselves not to eat something throughout the day?

Self-control is often associated with willpower. But as admirable as willpower is, it is a limited resource.

Second, self-control actually has the potential to sabotage our best efforts. It tells us: “You need to follow the rules! There’s a right way to ‘do your food stuff ’ and, of course, a forbidden way.” The problem with rules is that when you follow them, you consider yourself “good” and when you don’t, you’re “bad,” which leaves you feeling like a failure. And we all know what can happen when we feel like we messed up: we go straight to the foods we told ourselves not to have, because, what’s the point if we already slipped? “Tomorrow is a new day,” we tell ourselves with resignation.

Third, self-control keeps us firmly in our headspace. Yet, if I focus on using my brain to get me to eat or not to eat, I may be missing out on what my entire self needs. If I say, “This food is not allowed” or “Don’t eat now, it’s past six p.m.,” I will likely ignore my body’s inner wisdom. While my head is consumed with thoughts to guide my eating/non-eating, my body’s sensations and needs are overshadowed. The more I stay in my head, the harder it will be for me to connect to my heart. The result: I will be missing out on what my body needs, both physically and emotionally, which leaves me hungry for more.

If self-control is not the answer, then what does work? I propose making the “C switch”: shifting from control to connect. Ba-

ruch Hashem, Liba embraced the C switch and reaped the benefits.

When we began working together, Liba didn’t even know what it felt like to be physically hungry; she was so used to being told when and what to eat.

As we progressed, she learned to tune in to her body’s signals and give her head “new” messages. For example, instead of telling herself, “Just try harder,” Liba learned to connect to her body and listen to what it was communicating. She asked herself: What do I actually need now? Is my body physically hungry? Or maybe I am emotionally hungry? Similarly, instead of “no pain, no gain,” Liba learned to ask: How can I be more compassionate with myself ?

What acts of self-care can I do today? Instead of relying on an external judgement of “right” or “wrong,” Liba learned that her intuition can be her guiding force to determine what works best for her. She learned to make conscious decisions and was left without the shame and guilt that she had been used to feeling.

Finally, rather than focusing on her willpower, which dwindled at night, Liba learned to trust her intuition. Unlike a battery that loses charge, Liba’s—and all of our—inner wisdom is like oxygen: it never runs out, and, significantly, it keeps her feeling alive. Liba learned that really there was nothing wrong with her; the problem was that she had been living in control mode instead of connection mode. As Liba embraced the C switch, she felt a lot lighter; she had freed up space on her mind, which also brought about changes in her appearance. What a relief.

Shira Savit, MA, MHC, INHC, is a mental health counselor with multiple certifications in nutrition and health. She specializes in weight loss, emotional eating, and binge eating. Shira incorporates both nutritional and emotional components in helping her clients reach their goals.

Shira has a private practice in Yerushalayim and works with women in any location via phone call or video session. She can be contacted at 516-9787800, shira@cucumbersandchocolate.com, or via her website: cucumbersandchocolate.com.

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 63

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Feature

I itched to wash the dishes, scrub the kids down in a good bath, or just walk over to the grocery store at the corner. I was tired of asking for help, soaking my foot, and thinking.

Okay, I’ll admit: thinking was worst.

Why can’t I get rid of this infection?

The first round of MRSA had begun with an unnerving tickle on the bottom of my right foot. Chalking it up to the wet, chilly weather, I had pulled on another layer of warm stockings. On the green rug in the playroom, my children and I built a Magna-tiles tower and laughed as 19-month-old Suri deliberately smashed it. Later, as I stood up to cajole supper into pursed mouths, I winced. It hurt to step down on my foot.

Just 24 hours later, the skin had turned bright pink and was warm to the touch, and I rushed to an urgent care center. The physician assumed it was an infection of some sort but could not pinpoint which. I left with a bottle of antibiotics. However, when another day of sidestepping the pain passed, the swollen blotches had moved up to my middle toe. Soon a pus-filled pimple boasting a black dot at its center made its appearance on my arm. The black dot suddenly reminded me of an infected pimple my aunt once pointed out to me, and I knew the name of my mysterious infection. MRSA. The following morning, my private doctor confirmed the diagnosis. A stronger dosage of antibiotics was prescribed and he cautioned me to keep the affected foot elevated and be in touch immediately if any other inflammation appeared.

My foot suspended on a throw pillow on the couch, I phoned a woman I knew had experience treating MRSA naturally. She gave me clear instructions, and thus began the rounds of soaking, rubbing, draining, and bandaging.

Miraculously, by the next week, I was back on my feet.

66 Wellspring | January 2021

Still, before I had managed to get the house back into shape, the tickle returned. I saw the black spot again, and deemed another doctor’s visit unnecessary. Instead, I pulled out the teabags, salt, and salves from the vanity cabinet, and put my arrogant right leg up against the metal bar on the kitchen chair.

Salt. Soak. Rinse. Repeat. I shared this development with my mother, accurately predicting her response.

“Laya, are you stressed?” she asked. Famous first words, I thought. My mother-in-law advised me to take multivitamins.

“These things come from being run down. I’m cooking Shabbos for you and you’ll rest.”

My husband knew enough to keep it short. “What are you stressed about now?”

Planted on my chair in the kitchen, the question had nowhere to hide. What was I stressed about? Frankly, it seemed like dealing with stress had opened many additional stress spouts.

About a year earlier, after months of wondering why I was constantly feeling so, so tired, I had finally connected the dots and admitted the truth. A health-related trauma I had experienced shortly before the birth of my youngest daughter had robbed me of my inner tranquility. Physical exertion and minor emotional adjustments consumed my energy completely, and making even trivial decisions was an overwhelming task. I was determined to find a way to regain the equilibrium, confidence, and relaxed shoulders of previous times.

At that point, I had confided in the rebbetzin of our shul, and then worked with a wonderful therapist she recommended. Using the EFT method, we explored the trauma, related triggers, and panic, ultimately inching toward acceptance, healing, and growth.

Many times, I felt like I was setting out to climb the same wall I thought I’d scaled years earlier. At other times, I was

surprised at the clarity of emotional awareness I thought I had achieved a long time ago.

Throughout it all, I had kept a diary. There, I had recorded my musings and the follow-up work I was doing after each session. Before each weekly meeting, I read the document from the beginning before starting a new page. This gave me the courage to continue the grueling journey toward accepting that what had happened, along with its effects, are exactly what Hashem wanted me to deal with at that time; as well as to make the decisions and lifestyle changes necessary to resume normal, healthy functioning.

Eventually, I felt my toes twisting in shoes that no longer fit.

The sessions became sporadic, then ceased entirely.

That had been a bit over two months ago. I had rejoiced with the knowledge that I had faced and conquered the monster that had stolen my peace of mind. And here I was, nine weeks later. Run-down and stressed, fighting a fiend imposter: MRSA.

I hobbled to my computer, with the hope that reviewing my therapy diary would help uncover what still weighed on me.

As I keyed the password into the protected document, I wondered, would I ever be that normal woman, wife, and mother, again? Would I forever remain the woman-who-takes-everything-to-heart-and-body?

The page loaded.

I scrolled, waiting for the opening lines I could already recite in my dreams to appear.

every folder. It was really gone. And I was the only person who had access to this computer. I stamped my foot on the floor, hard. The infection hit back, harder.

Hashem. I whispered. You can’t —

Laya, my inner voice countered, you could do this.

I could cry. I would cry.

I let my forehead press on the keyboard, and sobbed. The blank document filled with gibberish.

And when the tears finally dried, it was time to soak my foot again.

Eventually, the second bout of MRSA receded. By that time, the snow had melted and the bike tires and pools had been inflated.

But, just a few weeks later, the question poked its way into my life again.

Since I was a young girl, there were patches of psoriasis on my scalp. I knew it was a chronic condition, but I paid no attention to it as it hid out beneath my hair. Now, over the course of a few weeks, pink pimples and splotches of dry skin appeared on all of my extremities. I tried to tell myself that this was a temporary allergic reaction of some sort, until it spread to my entire body, including my face.

Of course, it wasn’t long before my mother noticed that her daughter, who hadn’t sported a single pimple throughout her teenage years, had some somethings on her face.

“Laya, what are those blotches on your face?” she peered at my cheek as I washed for the Shavuos meal.

I nodded and waved my finger to motion that I would explain in a minute.

“They’re on my entire body, Mommy,” I said quietly, as I swallowed the challah. “Do you think it’s psoriasis?”

Blank.

White.

More white.

My. Diary. Was. Gone.

I clicked, scrolled, and typed furiously. Ran a search through

There. I’d finally articulated what I suspected this was about.

“Go to Dr. Tryger, he’s the one who diagnosed it on your scalp,” she suggested.

That clinched it.

It wasn’t a passing thing, and by now it wasn’t a private thing, either. I scheduled the earliest available appointment at Dr. Tryger’s office for a couple of weeks later. In the meantime, I carefully applied foundation to my face each morning.

At the dermatologist’s office, I signed in and sat down across a colorful and active fish tank — the same one I had seen back in fifth grade. Back then, I had been excited to tell my friends Teves 5781 | Wellspring 67

Wellbeing

Feature

about my sophisticated-sounding diagnosis. Now, these fish could not distract me from the colorful brochures titled “Life with Guttate Psoriasis” in the Lucite cube attached to the carpeted wall behind me. Though hard to admit, the rashes featured on the covers were unnervingly similar to the recent additions to my skin.

When my turn came, just looking at the doctor brought back memories of his proclamation 15 years before: “It looks like psoriasis, it feels like psoriasis, it is psoriasis.”

I extended my hand, noting its tremble beneath his scrutiny.

He said just two words, and the pocket of hope within me shriveled.

“Guttate psoriasis.”

The type of psoriasis the brochure said was often sudden and chronic.

Dr. Tryger explained how this form of psoriasis may or may not be treatable. “It could present as the result of a neglected strep, which could be resolved by taking antibiotics. However, if the immune response is the result of a stressor in your body, it’s quite possible this is here to stay.”

Here to stay. Creams. Lotions. Relaxation techniques.

I inhaled deeply, the way I had breathed through triggers and sessions in what seemed like lifetimes ago. I was suddenly grateful that my therapy-journey wasn’t displayed on my face and hands.

Dr. Tryger removed his goggles and scribbled on the monogrammed prescription pad.

I davened a lot during those few weeks. I courageously threw out a skirt I had always wanted to get rid of, but hadn’t been able to bring myself to do so. When the kids were asleep, I’d sit on my backyard porch and stare at the clouds moving across the darkened July sky, searching for a solution to my seemingly chronic issue: stress.

Four weeks later, with my vision a blur of pink splotches I couldn’t be sure were shrinking, my sister-in-law mentioned The Diet. I had experienced severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and perked up as she described the method of a local nutrition consultant. This woman was knowledgeable in Dr. Limoges’s teachings, and by following his diet, many had proven to decrease the effects of hyperemesis during pregnancy.

It was high time for a distraction.

As soon as the kids were back in school after the summer break, I was on my way to Mrs. Friedberg.

“There are many stress rings around your cornea,” she remarked. “I’m not sure if you’re stressed about something right now.” She looked at me kindly.

I nodded, conscious of the tightening in my shoulder blades.

Of course, I was stressed. Why, it seemed this was one fact everyone agreed on.

Mrs. Friedberg had initiated the meeting by capturing an image of my eyes on her laptop. Using a graphic illustration in a sheet protector, she explained how each section of the cornea corresponds to functions and organs in the body.

“If the splotches begin to fade, you can stop the medication immediately. If they don’t fade at all within six to eight weeks… then I’m afraid they’ll be here, to some extent, forever.”

He looked up and his eyes finally met mine.

“Are you stressed about anything specific?”

I nodded past the catch in my throat, forcing my shoulders to relax.

Of course I was.

But I did not know how the stress I had worked so hard to release was still ramming my insides, and what I was to do about it.

I purchased a high-quality probiotic and acidophilus, helped my six-year-old daughter put a dollar bill into the tzedakah pushke, and began another round of antibiotics.

68 Wellspring | January 2021

I opened my mouth to respond, and felt sorry for this softspoken woman across the table, to whom I’d seemed kind enough during the initial part of our consultation.

“If we’re going to be talking about stress, I’m leaving,” I blurted out.

Why explain when she could obviously see everything there is to be said within the color-coded sections of my eyes?

A hint of a smile disappeared before I could be sure I saw it.

When my turn came, just looking at the doctor brought back memories of his proclamation 15 years before: “It looks like psoriasis, it feels like psoriasis, it is psoriasis.”

“If you’re aware of its cause, and are dealing with it…” she began, giving me the space to back out of the conversation.

For the umpteenth time, the question arose.

With stress winking to me at every bend, was I even in a better place than I was a year ago? And why was I reflecting on this, now? I had come to discuss a diet. Food. Nausea. Babies.

I sighed.

“I just completed a round of therapy after a health-related trauma,” I finally said. “It was quite intense and emotionally taxing.”

She nodded.

“If you’re aware of its source, we don’t have to discuss it,” she said again, looking from the image of my cornea on her screen back at me.

“Do you have any skin condition?” she asked.

I gaped.

How did she know about my psoriasis?

Deep breath. The techniques my therapist had practiced with me are coming to good use.

This is just a woman around my age who was taught by someone about something and I can just listen to her without getting overwhelmed by the fact that my eyes are telling her stuff I’d rather not talk about and she probably asks everyone these generic questions and the stress rings are surely related to past experiences which therapy definitely already resolved and — “I have psoriasis,” I said, defeated.

She scribbled a note on her pad. Back at the screen.

“You know, the color of your eyes is actually blue, not green,” she continued. “There are many specks of chemical deposits in them, which result in the greenish coloring.”

I looked past her and out the window, where a middle-aged

few years.”

man was walking by. A normal person, on a normal street.

Did he have normal eyes?

“Can they turn blue again?” My funny bone was suddenly tickled as I pictured my husband’s reaction to this piece of information. Who knew if we’d one day have blue-eyed children in the house?

“They can, actually. But it would take a while, perhaps a

Eventually, she elaborated on Dr. Limoges’s healing theories and how countless have been helped by his comprehensive health approach. I listened, questioned, and nodded along with what Mrs. Friedberg was saying, noting the suggested food, supplements, and healthy practices in the spiral notebook provided. Yellow fruits for breakfast, only. Large salad with every meal. Recommended healthy habits.

After discussing the theory and practicalities of the diet at length, which, based on my current eating patterns, seemed very doable, I thanked Mrs. Friedberg and tore the notes-filled sheets out of the spiral notebook.

She shuffled the papers in her hands and cleared her throat.

“About the stress... I’m just mentioning that if you’re willing to work on it, if you’re the kind of person who is... affected by it, there are things you can do that can really help.”

My eyes filled.

Was I willing to work on it?

Six months of grueling inner work and I was being asked if I was willing to work on it.

Did this woman with a cozy little dining room as a consultation room, husband and kids muffled in the background, little outdated laptop with my corneas on the screen know anything about chasing stress?

Did I, really?

I knew there wasn’t much more EFT therapy would do for me. I had reached my goals of eradicating the trauma and all

Teves 5781 | Wellspring 69

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that it had invoked. If I was to move forward in this new quest, I would have to try “other” things.

“Yes. I do want to work on it. But apparently, therapy didn’t help enough. Maybe I’m just the type of person who will always take things to heart.”

I suddenly felt tired.

I thought about the girl I had been just a few short years before.

G.O. head, hated camp. Straight A report card, wondering if my mother really was proud of me.

I thought of myself now, as a wife and mother. Putting everything aside when my husband or kids need me, terrified of losing their trust. Never sure where the line between responsibility and self-care was etched, not sure if they were two separate lines, at all.

Yawn. I was tired of my contradicting emotions. Weary of analyzing, dissecting and accepting past, present, and future experiences.

“Have you ever tried left-handed journaling?” she asked. “I did it, and it was eye-opening. Helped me deal with a lot of underlying stressors I hadn’t known existed.”

I took the pen that was still lying on the table, and scribbled the contact info of the woman who led the classes on the outer side of the folded spiral pages.

“Thank you,” I muttered. I couldn’t believe I was finally going to leave the orderly, stifling room.

Bag of vitamins in hand, I left the house, the smell of cooked bananas following me outside.

Yellow fruits for breakfast, only. Yeah.

It took several weeks, but, ultimately, I dialed the number.

Enrolled. Showed up to the first class.

The first time I wrote with my non-dominant hand, it felt both stifling and out of control. In time, I learned to let go of the control, along with many other unnecessary burdens.

Utilizing the power of non-dominant hand drawing and writing, I slowly created, and formed a relationship with, my inner support system.

During one session, the ache of my lost journal was triggered. Without tangible proof of my accomplishments, they felt like an illusion. Once again, I wondered if I had really accomplished anything in therapy.

Of course, I knew the answer was yes. Many positive changes, including hiring cleaning help and cutting my hours at the

70 Wellspring | January 2021

office, as well designated quality time with myself, my husband and my children, were now part of daily routine.

Had I attained the inner peace I set out to find? True, I had accepted many parts of myself, my experiences and relationships I had previously questioned, denied, or resisted.

But, there had been a price.

My inner compass, borne from decades of the “What did you accomplish today?” mantra playing in my mind, always pushed for what has to be done. Better be the martyr than the loser, it insisted.

Months of working through emotional disarray, though, had taught me to heed the inner voices asking for self-care, quiet time, and creativity. Instead of inner peace, I had to admit that inner tug of war was the dominating reality.

During my work at the journaling course, I finally recognized and confronted this conflict.

Subtly, little changes occurred. Not sharing a personal opinion about something with my neighbor, shielding myself from the barrage of judgment sure to come. Taking five minutes of quiet time each morning, consistently. Telling myself that I was good enough even after declining the second request to take a sibling’s child into my house for a few days.

My personal climax was when I finally realized that self-nurture and spirituality are not contradictory, and that succeeded in opening the door to self-acceptance and dissolving mountains of guilt.

Nearly two years later, I still journal consistently, using the tools I learned. Baruch Hashem, both the MRSA and red splotches have disappeared.

In the quiet moments between putting the kids to bed and being the soft-spoken wife at the supper table, I often reflect on my journey, wondering if I’ll ever be normal again. Like before the trauma.

I know that the real answer is that no, there is no normal.

Zipping an experience shut when closure is found does not mean going back to being the person we were prior to an experience. Every experience, thought, and reflection becomes a part of us, shaping future beliefs and impacting actions forever.

It’s how our loving Father created it. It’s the perfect truth.

And, now that I can access the answers from within, it’s no longer stressful to ask.

The narrator can be contacted via Wellspring.

Living Well

Growth Log By Gila Glassberg, MS, RD, CDN

chapter 7 The Voice of Kindness

EE DOM FR

BYE, DIET. HELLO, LIFE. At our Session Today: In this session, I help Adina cultivate a self-compassionate voice.

GILA: So how was your week? Did you notice the urge to eat when you were not physically hungry? Did you set a five-minute timer and see what came up for you when you wanted to eat but weren’t physically hungry? What were you feeling and what did you need?

ADINA: Yes. I realized that I often eat late at night when everyone is sleeping. I need a break. I need pleasure. I need “me” time.

I also eat when my children are making so much noise that I can’t hear myself think. I’m just too overwhelmed to do anything, and the food calms my nerves.

When I scream at my kids, I feel so guilty, I have to do something with that anxious energy, so I eat.

Wow, I have so many unmet needs. I always thought self-care was a really selfish thing—that it was manicures and bubble baths. But here I see I’m literally neglecting myself on a basic human level.

I don’t want to continue doing these things, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to really change. I hate food and I love food.

GILA: Adina, there are many ways to tackle this.

First, let’s address what food has done for you so far.

It’s given you a break. It’s given you pleasure when you’re lacking in pleasure. It’s given you respite from overwhelm. It’s helped you with anxious tension.

This is common for so many people but especially for people who have dieted chronically. Dieting primes you to use food to cope with emotions because it tells you that you lack willpower if you can’t stick to the diet.

Because no one can stick to a diet for too long, you inevitably “cheat” on the diet and then feel intense guilt for eating. The level of pleasure also intensifies because of the “forbidden fruit” phenomenon.

ADINA: Yes, I understand that it has helped me cope. I understand that, but I want to stop doing it.

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Living Well

Growth Log

GILA:

ADINA:

You can’t stop unless you replace that behavior with something else that is comforting, helpful, and perhaps pleasurable.

Guilt, shame.

Let’s start with the late-night snacking. What do you need at that time? Perhaps to call a friend? Do you want to journal about your day? Leave the house for a walk or just change the environment. Pick one and we’ll try that as a goal for two to three times this week and see how it feels.

What’s the behavior that might follow?

Let’s come up with goals—baby steps—to try and see if something else can replace the food.

Next, when your children are making too much noise and you’re feeling overwhelmed, can you go into your room for five minutes and play some relaxing music? You need to calm your nervous system down. You can do a few jumping jacks or even scream into a pillow. It’s important to move that energy out of your body. Some people like the approach called EFT—emotional freedom technique—or tapping, where you tap on certain pressure points in your body and that helps release some of the tension.

ADINA: I like the calm music idea.

GILA: Great! Now, let’s talk about the guilt. Let’s discuss something called ANT: automatic negative thoughts.

We can engage in many types of automatic negative thoughts. According to the cognitive behavioral approach, if you’re having excessive, non-productive guilt—first a thought, then a feeling—this can actually create the exact behavior you want to stop. So we have to start at the source.

Let’s break it down. What’s the thought that usually goes through your head and triggers your guilt?

ADINA: “I’m the worst mother. I leave my children at night to go for a walk with a friend; I am so selfish.”

GILA: And what’s the feeling?

72 Wellspring | January 2021

GILA:

ADINA: Eat a whole box of cookies and then feel more guilt about the cookies.

GILA: So how has this thought, feeling, or behavior helped you?

ADINA: Well, when you put it that way, it hasn’t helped me at all.

GILA: So how about giving yourself some self-compassion? You thought that if you felt guilty enough, you’d actually change your behavior. Now you see this was an ineffective way to help you grow and change.

Let me show you how you can reframe the thought:

“I am an amazing mother. I am taking care of my needs to be there for myself and my children. It’s OK for my child to be disappointed. I can validate his feelings and be true to my needs. This will help my child deal with disappointment in the future. This is also positive modeling for my child to learn to take care of their needs as well.”

ADINA: Wow, Gila. I have never, ever thought of it this way. I have never spoken to myself like that. It feels so much more empowering and encouraging. I can see why I haven’t really been motivated to change even though I did think I was helping myself by feeling overly guilty.

GILA: Let’s practice with another example. Take the thought of “I am a horrible person for eating so many donuts on Chanukah.” This is catastrophizing. How can you reframe it? Let’s pick some neutral or even better, positive reframes.

“I ate 10 donuts on Chanukah and that didn’t feel good in my body. Next year I will try and be more mindful of how donuts feel in my body.” “I ate a lot of donuts on Chanukah.

They were delicious, and I really enjoyed the way they tasted, but I didn’t feel so good after eating that many.” “I love donuts and I can enjoy them whenever I want to.”

Another way to use this skill is to get really curious about your behavior so you can learn something from it instead of using guilt as a non-useful tool. You can learn from a binge and then let it go. After you binge, you can see what you may have been too vulnerable to. This will help you plan for the future. Ask yourself: What seemed to trigger the binge?

Was I too hungry? Too tired? Too overwhelmed? Do I have unrealistic expectations about my day or perhaps about my eating? Was I responding to some automatic thoughts in my head telling me that if I eat that, it would be catastrophic?

Or if I eat that, I am disgusting? Was I the diet rebel—exerforautonomy ANY questions orthe comments: cising my against diet bullyreleafhealing@gmail.com in my head telling me what to eat and what not to eat? Did I have a need I was refusing to meet? Or maybe this is just my usual pattern of neglecting my needs? Is a relationship out of whack and I am using food as my best friend?

More questions to ask yourself are: During the binge, was I tasting the food? Was I connecting to the food in any way?

What can I do differently next time? Do I need to eat more throughout the day? Do I need a meal plan that works for me? Do I need to add in more food and give myself permission to eat it? Do I need a stronger bond with someone so that food isn’t my best friend? Do I need to get rid of some nervous energy with joyful movement?

Human behaviors do not exist in a vacuum. If we are using food to cope with something, we can either berate ourselves and pretend that helps (it never does), or we can use this experience as a data point to plan differently for the future.

to be continued...

Gila Glassberg is a master’s level registered dietitian and a certified intuitive eating counselor located in Woodmere, New York. She uses a non-diet, weight-neutral approach to help growth-oriented women break out of chronic dieting patterns, and regain clarity into what is really important to them. She can be contacted through her website: www. gilaglassberg.com, via email at gilaglassberg18@gmail.com, or via telephone at 570-878-3642. The name of her podcast is Get INTUIT with Gila. Gila accepts some insurances.

RESTORE! your smell & taste enjoy your food once again

for ANY questions or comments: releafhealing@gmail.com

A fresh Dutch cheese, particularly rich in taste.

Heart.works

ECHTE NEDERLANDSE PASSIE VAN AMSTELVELDER

ISSUE 60

JANUARY ‘21 TEVES 5781

Sweaters & Bowls Soups that say "winter"

My Table What's your favorite winter beverage?

It's Friday!

Charnie's never-fail whole wheat challah

Index Page

Sweaters & Bowls

79

HEARTY SOUPS

Page

SWAP

85

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Page

Day by day

89

FRIDAY

MY TABLE

CONFERENCE

TIDBITS

WINTER MUGS

SERIES WITH RORIE WEISBERG

COMBAT ASTHMA

P. 94

P. 98

P. 103

Dear Cooks, In this issue’s My Table, we talk hot beverages. What’s your favorite warm drink? Or do you have one at all? I find that most people are either super attached to their coffee in the morning and/or tea in the evening — or they never have one at all. When I tell people that I never drink coffee, more often than not they wonder which planet I’ve descended from. (I don’t like tea either.)

So much so that I remember, as a single girl straight out of high school, spending a few consecutive mornings at the kitchen table, trying to hone my coffee-drinking skills. I liked the look, that’s for sure. You know, mug in hand, steam rising, looking relaxed and contemplative, taking the time to ponder the day ahead. But the taste? Not so much. On the first morning, it was seriously a bitter pill to swallow. Are people actually addicted to this? It’s probably the sugar they go for because I was trying mine sugar-free. (My goal wasn’t to develop a liking to another sugar-laden beverage, after all. I do like iced coffee at the bagel store, of course.) By morning number three, I thought, maybe I can like this one day. But by morning number five, the game was over. What, was I seriously going to try so hard to like a beverage just because everyone was hooked and it just felt so morning-like?

Today, I’m happy I don’t like coffee. So what’s your pick-me-up? I’m often asked.

What is my pick-me-up? On a regular day, when I’m eating healthfully and had a good night’s rest, I generally don’t need one. And when I do, I choose between a short nap (yeah, still longer than downing a cuppa Joe, I know), a few minutes of intense physical activity, or just going out for some fresh air. Am I missing out in life because I start my day with two cups of room-temperature water? Maybe.

I wouldn’t mind winding down with a tea from time to time, but at least I don’t have to deal with the coffee-with-chocolate or coffee-without-chocolate conundrum. And there’s no food or drink I can’t live without. That’s something, isn’t it?

Thankfully, though, many of our contributing nutritionists do love drinking a warm beverage. You’ll find some of their delicious recipes for the perfect coffee/ tea companion and how they like their drinks right here. Just reading their responses on this blustery winter morning already warmed me through.

Wishing you a cozy, healthful winter,

Est her Pinch of Health Now that winter squash is in season, I want to share with your readers a quick recipe that I actually clipped from Seasoned a while back. Kabocha squash makes a great, quick side dish. Simply slice into wedges (looks gorgeous!) season with olive oil, spices, and a few sprigs of thyme, and bake at 425°F for about 30 minutes.

Submitted by Perla Jeremias

Thanks, Perla! Have a healthy cooking tip to share with your Wellspring community? Please send it our way at info@wellspringmagazine.com.

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Hearty Soups

Winter is officially here, and the cold weather isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. When the temperatures outside are dipping, we want to bring more warmth inside. How about snuggling on a freezing winter day with a steaming bowl of soup? That should do the job quite well.

So whether you’re trying to ward off the chills or are simply in the mood of satisfying comfort food, these hearty soups are sure to hit the spot.

Recipes, styling, and photography by Yossi & Malky Levine

Moroccan Fish Stew For all those Moroccan fish lovers, try this as a stew! It’s rich and hearty and will leave you completely satisfied.

4 whitefish fillets, cut into pieces 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion, roughly cut 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced 8 cloves crushed garlic 2 Tbsp honey 4 cups water 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes 1 Tbsp sweet paprika 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper ½ cup freshly chopped parsley, checked lemon wedges, for serving

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onion until lightly browned, then add peppers and sauté until soft. Lower heat and add garlic and honey. Cook for two minutes.

Add water, chickpeas, tomatoes, and spices. Increase heat and bring to a boil.

Add chopped parsley and fish and cook for about 20 minutes.

Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Yield: 8–10 servings

Veggie-Lentil Soup An easy one-pot meal, using everyday ingredients, that’s ready in about 45 minutes from start to finish — what more can you ask for? This nourishing veggie-lentil soup just right: it’ll make you cozy, and it’s filling and loaded with good-for-you ingredients.

Have leftovers? It’s even better the next day!

2–3 carrots, cut to small pieces 2 celery ribs, diced 1 medium onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (fresh or frozen) 1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce 1 lb baby potatoes, cut into quarters 1½ cups brown or green lentils 1½ tsp paprika ½ tsp cumin (optional) 2 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper 6 cups water 2 handfuls baby spinach or kale Place carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in a large pot, close the lid, and sweat for 5–10 minutes.

Add green beans, tomato sauce, potatoes, lentils, seasoning, and water, then give a thorough stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add greens five minutes before soup is done.

Add more water, if needed.

Yield: 10–12 servings

Eat Well

SWAP By Yossi & Malky Levine

SWA P Over the past few months, we’ve explored various sugar substitutes and offered recipes incorporating each one. Now, we’re on to flours.

There are many reasons why you may be on the lookout for a white (high-gluten) flour alternative.Whether it’s due to a restricted diet, a need to go gluten-free, or for other health reasons, the question that remains is: Which flour? And how do I choose?

Once you’ve made your choice, you may wonder: Can I simply substitute equal amounts in my usual recipe?

This column will guide you through the various options on the market and how they can be used.

Looking at the supermarket shelves in the flour section used to be simple: there was all-purpose, self-rising, or whole wheat. However, that’s not the way it is anymore, and choosing from today's flour section can be quite daunting. Alternative flours that were once only found in specialty health food shops are now commonplace.These flours were considered just for gluten-free diets or for those with celiac disease, but as we’re becoming more educated and aware, these healthier flours are becoming more and more popular.

So, how do you choose which one is right for you and your recipe?

White High-Gluten Flour Spelt is a grain that has a similar nutrition profile to wheat.

However, it has a higher mineral content of iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper. One study also found that spelt contains less of the anti-nutrient phytic acid (which impairs the absorption of iron, zinc and calcium and may promote mineral deficiencies). Spelt is also higher in fiber than wheat, and the extra fiber aids in the digestion of the gluten. Spelt has a slightly nutty flavor and, for most people, is easier to digest than wheat, even in the white form.

It’s important to note that spelt is not gluten free, and therefore should not be used in a celiac diet, or for those with a gluten

Spelt Flour intolerance. Also, in its white form, it is equally processed as regular white flour and should thus be consumed accordingly.

Spelt is perfect for making flatbreads, biscuits, waffles and cookies. My favorite use is pastry shells for tarts, as they turn out lovely and crisp with a nutty flavor.

You can substitute spelt flour for wheat flour at a 1:1 ratio, but you may need a little less water in the recipe. That’s because spelt absorbs water more readily than wheat flour and a soft dough can be formed using slightly less than liquid than the recipe requires. I tend to add the liquid gradually — you can always add more, but you can’t take any out!

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Chocolate Chip Cookies A delicious way to satisfy sweet cravings with wholesome ingredients.

1½ cups coconut sugar ¾ cup olive oil 1 egg ½ tsp salt scant tsp baking soda 2¼ cups spelt flour 1 cup chocolate chips, divided

Place sugar and olive oil in a mixing bowl and mix with a spoon until combined. Add egg, salt, and baking soda and continue mixing. Add flour, mix, and then stir in ¾ cup chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and place in the freezer for several hours, until dough is easier to work with.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Form balls of about two tablespoons of dough and arrange them about two inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Press a few more chocolate chips into the top of each ball.

Bake for 10–12 minutes until edges are just set. Centers may still look slightly uncooked. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 20–25 cookies

86 Wellspring | January 2021

by day y a d With Charnie Kohn

What’s on the menu for…

FRIday?

When I think of Friday, I think of it as the storm before the calm. Can you relate to the adrenaline rush that hits as soon as morning comes (unless you happen to be one of those people who are fully ready for Shabbos by Thursday evening)? For me, and for almost everyone I know, the day is a frenzy of cooking, cleaning — and more cooking and more cleaning. But as soon as that siren rings and the candles are lit, the hectic atmosphere disappears and serenity takes over. Familiar melodies and happy conversations replace the sound of the vacuum cleaner and the food processor. The food that we worked so hard to prepare is now enjoyed by all. It’s Shabbos now!

Happy Cooking, Charnie

The Best Whole Wheat Challah Quite a few years ago, my mother was on a quest to find the perfect whole wheat challah recipe. She tried many recipes from friends and cookbooks but still could not find the perfect one. Either the recipe called for a combo of whole wheat and regular flour; or if it was totally whole wheat, the end result was dry and crumbly.

After lots of trial and error, she created her own recipe and it’s absolutely perfect!

This challah is soft, fluffy, and one hundred percent whole wheat.

3 oz fresh yeast pinch of sugar 5½–6 cups warm water, divided 2½ Tbsp salt 5 lbs stone-ground whole wheat flour 3 whole eggs 1 egg yolk ½ cup Splenda (or other liquid sweetener) ½ cup oil eggs, for egg wash sesame seeds or challah topping (optional)

Proof yeast in one cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar and set aside. Place salt, flour, eggs, and sweetener in the mixer (in this specific order). Pour in the proofed yeast and add remaining water and oil. Mix until combined. Cover dough and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Braid, cover, and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes. Brush risen loaves with egg wash and top with your favorite toppings.

Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350°F and bake for 35–45 minutes.

90 Wellspring | January 2021

Citrus-Glazed Salmon If you taste this dish, I think you’ll agree with me that this is the perfect salmon recipe. It has the ideal balance of sweet and tangy, and is a visual masterpiece. I like serving a side of salmon when I have guests. Fish is the kind of food that some people like and some do not. Instead of running back and forth with plated portions and then having some plates remain untouched, I lay it on a board and everyone can take as much or as little as they want.

2–4 lbs side of salmon salt and pepper, to taste 2 oranges, divided ½ cup pure honey 2 Tbsp liquid aminos 1 tsp dill 1 tsp garlic powder

Wash salmon and pat dry. Place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the juice of one orange, honey, liquid aminos, dill, and garlic powder. Brush mixture over salmon. Slice the second orange and place in the pan, around the salmon (not on the fish because it will change the cooking time).

Bake at 450°F for 20–25 minutes. When serving, garnish fish with orange slices.

92 Wellspring | January 2021

In the pages of Wellspring, we share expert advice from some of the community’s most popular and competent dietitians and nutritionists. In this column, you get to see how they practice what they preach in their own kitchens. Pull up a chair at “My Table” and join the chat.

This Month:

Winter Mugs Do you enjoy a warm beverage during wintertime? If yes, is it coffee or tea?

Which flavors do you prefer and what do you like to have with it?

Compiled by Wellspring Staff

Shani Taub, CDC I love both! I learned to enjoy them alone or with a meal. A hot drink doesn’t have to come along with cake or chocolate.

Shira Savit, MA, MHC, INHC:

I drink warm beverages all year round, but I especially enjoy them in the cold winter months. In the morning, I typically have a coffee with a homemade spelt/mezonos baked good, such as a cookie or muffin. In the afternoon, I usually have a decaf coffee or green tea with some dark chocolate (love the combo of chocolate and tea). Before I go to sleep, I enjoy a hot cup of chamomile tea with some almond milk in it.

94 Wellspring | January 2021

Laura Shammah, MS, RDN You definitely don’t want to talk to me until I have my coffee in the morning.

I look forward to it and don’t need anything sweet with it. It’s just my coffee until I’m ready for my breakfast.

Just as much as I love my coffee, I love my tea midday or after dinner. I do enjoy having something sweet after dinner, like dark chocolate or an easy-to-make almond-flour recipe like this one.

Raw Cookie Dough Balls 3 cups almond flour ¼ tsp sea salt (optional) ½ cup maple syrup 2 tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup almond butter chocolate chips (optional) Mix all ingredients together. Form into balls and freeze.

Malka Sharman, health writer: I sometimes swap my regular cup of coffee for Dandelion root powder. The powder offers a host of health benefits, including promoting liver health, lowering blood sugar, and aiding weight loss. I enjoy pairing it with my go-to date muffins. Two of these muffins make the perfect breakfast as they include all the necessary food groups. However, if you prefer giving yourself a proper breakfast meal (think toast, eggs, and salad), then enjoy one such muffin as a snack.

Sugar-Free Health Muffins 12 oz dates, checked and pitted 6 eggs 6 oz oats 2 oz coconut 4 oz almond flour Preheat oven to 350°F. In the food processor, process dates until creamy. Add rest of ingredients and blend. Pour into lined muffin cups. The mixture doesn’t rise so fill up cups completely. Bake on 350°F until muffins turn brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Yields: 12 muffins

Bashy Halberstam, INHC Yes, I love warm herbal teas in the winter. I try to limit my sugar intake and so my drinks are either water, tea, kombucha, or kefir—all things that love me back and nurture my body.

Teas are something I really enjoy and so I have a collection of them and choose whatever I need to boost or what I’m in the mood of. Some of my favorites are Yogi Sweet Tangerine Positive Mood and Energy tea. That gives a nice energetic boost.

I also like Yogi Honey Chai Turmeric Vitality, Yogi Relaxed Mind, Red Raspberry tea, and Mint Refresher. At night I like chamomile and Yogi Bedtime. So as you can see, I like a variety of flavors and different teas for different times of the day.

Whenever possible, I like to add a cube of ginger for digestive and immune support. I also sometimes squeeze in some lime juice. It adds a nice flavor to the fruity herbal teas, especially the raspberry one.

Regarding what I have on the side of my tea, I have my morning tea with breakfast and I take my vitamins with it.

Sometimes I’ll have a treat with my tea as a snack, or for a quick breakfast when I’m busy. The treats vary greatly. I make them on Friday for Shabbos, put them in the freezer, and then have them throughout the week. Here’s one of them, which I experimented with recently and am loving ever since.

Healthy Rice Crispies Treat 4 Tbsp cacao ½ cup coconut oil ½ cup yacon syrup or maple syrup 4 Tbsp tahini

1 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt 4 cups whole-grain puffed rice (I use Arrowhead Mills)

Mix all ingredients except the puffed rice in a saucepan and melt. The mixture doesn’t need to boil. Add puffed rice and mix well until fully coated.

Press into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into bars and enjoy.

Store in the refrigerator to keep it crisp and prevent it from falling apart.

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Yaffi Lvova, RDN

These breakfast cookies are loaded with delicious nutrition and go very well with my coffee. They’re super easy to make and to freeze (if there are any leftovers).

Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies Yields: 16 small cookies 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats 1 cup pumpkin puree (or sweet potato puree) ¼ cup honey or maple syrup ¼ cup flax meal (ground flax seeds) ½ cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1/8 tsp kosher salt Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together until combined. Divide mixture in half, then in half again. Repeat until you have 16 sections.

Take each section and form a ball. Each ball will be about 2 tablespoons of batter. Flatten the ball into a cookie shape that’s about ½-inch thick and place on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10–12 minutes, then turn off the heat but leave the cookies in the oven for an additional 10–12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

Shaindy Oberlander, BS, INHC I’ve only learned to enjoy tea lately. All my evening clients know that a cup of tea accompanies me to every evening session as it calms me and gives me muchneeded energy for long winter nights. I especially love Lipton’s Detox tea made with nettle, grapefruit, and dandelion. I also enjoy Bigelow’s green tea with mint or Wissotzky’s peppermint tea. At times, I’ll pair my tea with Schmerling’s dark mint, 72% cocoa chocolate for that added treat. However, my almost daily staple is the amazing BeneFIT Health Muffin. This muffin is made with clean ingredients and will truly leave you satisfied.

BeneFIT Health Muffin 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup oats ¼ cup honey ½ cup unsweetened applesauce ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 egg (organic, a plus!)

1/3 cup oil (I use coconut oil, melted) 1 cup blueberries or any add-in of your choice.

Combine all ingredients. Pour into lined muffin tins.

Bake on 350°F for 25–27 minutes. This recipe makes 6 nice-sized muffins.

Tanya Rosen, MS, CPT Toby Lebovits, Obesity Medicine Practitioner Seasonal changes have my appreciation for sure.

We all know how blustery New York winters are.

It’s very comforting to wrap your hands around a warm mug. My drink of choice on a snowy morning is a large mug of chai latte. I add some nut milk and extra cinnamon. I’ll sometimes add chia seeds or flax seeds to give it some substance, as well as extra fiber, iron, and omegas; all three usually lacking in the standard American diet. I find the blend of aromatic (cardamom, anise) and hot (notes of ginger and black pepper) spices to be simultaneously warming, stimulating, and soothing. Sip slowly, preferably while wearing an oversized chunky sweater and thick socks.

96 Wellspring | January 2021

During the wintertime, I love drinking hot chocolate. If I don’t add any additions (like almond milk, sugar-free whip cream, etc.), I love to have it with half a TAP cappuccino muffin. Here’s a rich and delicious hot chocolate recipe.

Tanya’s Hot Chocolate 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1–2 tsp cocoa powder 1 Tbsp Splenda or any zero-calorie sweetener 1 Tbsp (sugar-free) chocolate syrup Heat almond milk on the stovetop until hot. Add rest of ingredients until well mixed. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy. Add a squirt of whipped cream to make this extra delicious!

HEART.WORKS

The good oil goes on top of the food.

Tuscanini Extra Virgin Flavored Olive Oil. Available in regular, Basil, Lemon, Garlic & Black Truffle

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD

Eat Well

Conference By Sarah Sacks

SERIES WITH HEALTH COACH RORIE WEISBERG OF FULL ’N FREE PART V Rorie’s Organic Non-Irradiated Cold-Milled White Spelt Flour Spelt is gentler on digestion than wheat flour is. Lots of people feel better eating spelt than they do eating wheat.

But spelt doughs are less elastic, and the results are often dry and crumbly. Baking spelt sourdough is especially notorious for being messy and totally unpredictable. Here, Rorie shares with us how her spelt flour can improve your spelt baking.

Why is spelt a healthy choice?

Spelt is a “gentle grain.” I like to compare wheat to a big, strong, bulging-muscles guy, and spelt to a skinny yeshiva kid.

Spelt is lower in gluten than wheat flour, and the gluten it does contain is water-soluble. These qualities make it easier for the digestive system to break it down. I have worked with lots of people who feel lethargic, bloated, or gassy after eating wheat but do great with spelt.

The thing is that these qualities make spelt a much harder flour to work with in dough form. Spelt dough is floppy, not stiff and strong like your typical challah dough. Kneading it for longer doesn’t help like it does for wheat doughs, because when you knead a wheat dough for longer, you’re developing the gluten strands that keep the dough together. Spelt, however, doesn’t have as much gluten, so more kneading can actually make things worse. It has to be handled gently; it takes some getting used to until you get the hang of it.

Is it worth the hassle?

Well, yes, because it can really help people enjoy the foods they love and still feel great. But I asked myself a different question when I started baking with spelt: even if the hassle is worth it, there Teves 5781 | Wellspring 99

Eat Well

Conference

Rorie’s Sourdough Waffles must be a way to avoid the hassle altogether!

It turns out that not all spelt flour is created equal. The key to easy spelt baking lies in using the right type of flour. I experimented with all sorts of brands from all sorts of places until finally, I hit on one type of spelt flour that was really perfect. It was so super-finely ground that it worked exactly like wheat flour in my cake recipes, even my sister-in-law’s famous chocolate cake!

Cool! What does that mean for the rest of us?

Once my line of mixes started to grow, I began retailing this flour under the Full ‘N Free brand so that everybody could enjoy it.

Not only does it allow people to bake all their regular wheat recipes with spelt, but it also enables people to keep up a spelt sourdough starter.

Spelt sourdough starter? Fill us in!

So, you know that sourdough is the process of baking bread without using commercial yeast. Instead, you use a special fermented combination of just flour and water, called “starter,” which produces its own natural yeast that makes dough rise. It’s a special process that takes effort to get into, but people who get into it enjoy it a lot.

How did you get into it?

I was looking for a bread I could wash and bentch on without issues. I created my Gluten-Free Oat Dough Mix for that. It was great for Shabbos, but I couldn’t have it all the time. I heard about sourdough and how people with digestive issues feel great eating it, but I was afraid to try it and risk rocking the boat. My doctor said he wouldn’t suggest having wheat sourdough on a regular basis, but if I could find a way to make it with rye, spelt, or einkorn, he’d be all for it.

People told me, “Try spelt!” But they also said how floppy and sticky and unpredictable it was.

On a trip to Israel, I met Esther Black, a

100 Wellspring | January 2021

A quick peek into Rorie’s fridge reveals lots and lots of starter. That’s because she uses it to make “discard recipes” like this one. They call for a lot of starter and just a little bit of extra spelt flour. They have all the health benefits of sourdough bread, making them great options for those with digestive issues. Find more discard recipes at fullnfree.com/ speltsourdough.

For this recipe, you will need to use Rorie’s Organic NonIrradiated Cold-Milled White Spelt Flour, not Rorie’s Spelt Dough Mix; the additional ingredients in the mix will disturb fermentation. ½ cup unrefreshed starter 1 cup Rorie’s Organic Non-Irradiated Cold-Milled White Spelt Flour 1 ½ Tbsp. raw honey, dissolved in ¼ cup hot water ¾ cup almond milk (or milk of choice, water can also be used) 1 egg ¼ tsp. salt ½ tsp. baking soda 2 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil

For morning waffles, put up your mixture at night. Combine unrefreshed starter, spelt flour, raw honey dissolved in hot water, and milk of choice. Let it sit on the counter, covered, for 10–12 hours. Then add remaining ingredients and mix.

Pour mix onto a hot waffle iron or electric waffle maker. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.into knots or twists and place on lightly greased baking sheets at intervals of a few inches.

For larger challahs, braid each one as desired and arrange on lightly greased baking sheets or loaf pans. Brush with egg and sprinkle with seeds, if using. Allow to rise for 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F and bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy fresh or freeze for later use. Before freezing, wrap cooled baked goods individually in foil and seal in a freezer bag. Defrost at room temperature or rewarm before serving.

certified holistic health coach than any other bread. PeoIt turns out that not all and expert in the kitchen, who ple who are intolerant of had a foolproof method for spelt wheat sourdough or even spelt flour is created sourdough baking. She invited gluten-free oat bread feel me into her kitchen, and then, equal. The key to easy great eating spelt sourwhen I got back home, she spent dough, including people spelt baking lies in using hours with me on the phone with non-celiac gluten senguiding me through doing it on sitivity, wheat allergies, egg the right type of flour. my own. But the dough was just or yeast intolerance, and so hard to work with. Eventually, even those with autoimI figured that if my spelt dough mune disease and insulin mix made regular spelt recipes resistance. Plus, the wild hold together so much better, yeast that results from the I might as well try using it in my sourdough. It worked! My fermentation process is a prebiotic (fertilizer for healthy gut dough became smoother and more pliable. bacteria), making it an excellent choice for anyone who wants Then I ran into issues when the starter started getting weakto boost their gut health. It also breaks down lectins and phyer over time. Esther and I put our heads together and realized tates, antinutrients that are difficult for many people to digest. that in the US, typical spelt flour is irradiated—exposed to radiation—before it hits the shelves. It’s also milled by processes How do we get started? that generate heat. The radiation and heat kill the naturally occurring bacteria in the grain. But you need that bacteria if you I have dozens of step-by-step tutorials on my website that want to create and maintain a strong live starter. teach you everything you need to know to bake your own spelt sourdough, from “starter” to finish.

And your flour is different?

Yes! My flour, aside from being organic and extremely fine, is non-irradiated and cold-milled, so the natural bacteria are preserved. Using this flour in a sourdough starter won’t weaken your starter—it can keep it strong for years!

So making spelt sourdough calls for two separate Full ‘N Free products.

Exactly. You use Organic Non-Irradiated Cold-Milled Spelt Flour for the starter—any extra ingredients would kill it—and then my Spelt Dough Mix for the dough.

Does spelt sourdough have health benefits?

Yes. Because the dough needs to be fermented for so long before baking, the natural yeast in the dough has time to break down the gluten in the dough, so by the time you bake it, it’s a much more easily digestible product. And that’s even for wheat flour. With spelt sourdough, the gluten levels start out much lower already. Bread made of spelt sourdough is so low in gluten and has such a low glycemic index that even people with metabolic issues say it keeps them more metabolically stable

Sounds like great news for spelt bakers!

I hope so! I’ve gotten so much amazing feedback. The wife of a rabbi in the community told me that her husband had major digestive problems and wasn’t able to wash without feeling really uncomfortable. Now he has a roll every morning for breakfast and he’s more energized than he’s been in a long time.

Another young woman whose husband suffered from digestive issues told me that since she started making these rolls, her husband has been able to wash, gained badly needed weight, and has color in his cheeks.

But aside from the fact that it works for spelt sourdough, I think a huge plus of my spelt flour is how you can literally take the recipes you’ve always been making and make one easy switch that transforms them into something with more nutritional value and less negative side effects on digestion. You just have to dip your measuring cup into a different package of flour and enjoy the results.

Rorie’s entire Full ‘N Free collection is available on Amazon and in kosher groceries across the United States, and has recently been made available in select stores in Canada. You can find a full list of stores that carry the mix at fullnfree.com/stores.

Rorie Weisberg of Full ‘N Free is a healthy lifestyle advocate in the frum community whose creative and simply delicious recipes featured on Kosher.com and in Mishpacha’s Family Table keep thousands of people begging for more. Rorie has also spent years perfecting her growing line of Full ‘N Free betterfor-you dough mixes and baking essentials.

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Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News By Malka Sharman

Food Dos and Don’ts to Reduce

Asthma Symptoms

With more than three million new annual cases in the US alone, asthma is considered one of the most common chronic conditions. Asthma is a respiratory condition in which the airways become inflamed, narrow and swollen, and produce extra mucus, which makes it difficult to breathe. Treatment usually includes medication and inhalers, and there are other ways of reducing symptoms to make the condition more livable, such as through dietary changes. Although there’s no specific asthma diet that can eliminate your breathing troubles, eating more of certain foods and—more importantly—avoiding others can make a significant difference.

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Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News

Fruit and Vegetables Fruit and veggies are a good place to start because they’re full of antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins E and C. These do a great job of preventing unfriendly particles called free radicals from damaging your cells and inflaming and irritating your lungs.

Vitamin D You get most of your vitamin D from sunshine, but it’s important to get it from foods too, especially in the winter when you’re less exposed to sunlight.

The top choice is fatty fish like salmon, followed by milk, eggs, and orange juice, which are often fortified with vitamin D. This nutrient strengthens your immune system response, which is your body’s defense against germs, and can lessen swelling in your airways. Optimum vitamin D levels are associated with less frequent asthma attacks.

Garlic and Ginger Garlic and ginger have anti-inflammatory compounds that might ease your asthma symptoms. Start with fresh garlic cloves and ginger root. You can steep either one in boiling water and drink it like tea after the water has cooled, or just add the spices to your cooking whenever you can. Yum!

Tomatoes Want to keep breathing better over the long term? Eat tomatoes.

Studies show that foods made from tomatoes may reduce symptoms for people with asthma. Scientists think it may be the lycopene content that does the trick.

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Fish It’s all about the omega-3 fatty acids, especially in fatty fish like salmon, herring, tuna, and sardines. These help lessen the amount of IgE your body makes, i.e., the antibody that causes breathing problems in some people with asthma.

Note, however, that much of this helpful effect can be blocked by high doses of oral steroids commonly used to treat serious cases of asthma.

Mediterranean Diet What’s that? It’s made up of lots of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts. Opt for fish and chicken at least twice a week and limit your red meat. Cook with olive oil instead of butter or margarine, and flavor with herbs instead of salt. It even includes a bit of optional red wine for adults. People who eat a Mediterranean diet have fewer asthma attacks and are less likely to get the condition in the first place.

Dried Fruit Though fresh fruit, especially oranges and apples, can help keep your asthma under control, the sulfites that help preserve dried fruit could make it worse.

Alcohol (especially red wine), pickled vegetables, and bottled lemon juice also often contain sulfites. Learn to read labels and keep away from foods containing sulfites.

Liquid Nitrogen Liquid nitrogen, also known as “nitro puff,” is that stream of smoky coldness that spirals from a fancy cocktail, a frozen dessert, or other foods. It may look like fun, but it’s best to avoid it. It can cause breathing problems, especially if you have asthma, as well as serious injury to your skin and even internal organs.

Beans

Coffee

Beans are famous for causing gassiness, which can bloat you and make it harder to breathe—and may even trigger an asthma attack. Soak them for a few hours and change the water a couple of times or so to lessen this effect. Other gassy culprits are onions, fried foods, and carbonated drinks.

Salicylates are chemicals that occur naturally in coffee, tea, herbs, spices, and even in antiinflammatory pills, like aspirin.

Though most people don’t react to them, they could make it harder to breathe, especially if you have asthma.

You may see an improvement in symptoms after cutting these out of your diet.

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Farewell

Dictionary

MSPI Definition: noun

milk-soy protein intolerance, a temporary inability to digest the proteins found in cow's milk and soy products

“

While many infants eat happily and gain weight well, MSPI affects between 2% and 5% of infants, often presenting around the infant’s third or fourth week of life.

”

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

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