microwaved herbs

[Guest guest]

Alon

> >>The data on high electromagnetic fields are all over the place. There is

also a Swedish study showing the same thing, however other studies do not

show any harmful effects

 

I was told that in Europe/Germany ...they are not allowed to build houses

within 1 KM of those big electromagnetic power lines because of health

risks....perhaps any Germans on the list could comment.

 

I have an Indian book on magnetic healing and they say its really healthy

and good to live under these power lines.

 

My only observation is that you never see a " good " suburb close to those

lines.........in Aust. and NZ anyway.

 

 

Heiko Lade

Registered Acupuncturist / Chinese Herbalist

2 Jenkins St.

Green Island, Dunedin

New Zealand

Tel: (03) 488 4086, Fax: (03) 488 4012

http://www.lade.com/heiko

Email: heiko

[Guest guest]

I bring up the following to solicit others experiences in herb

preparation and to seek out background information.

 

I recently mentioned in an herb class that I often microwave water to

heat it in order to dissolve powdered herbs. I do this for time reasons

as I do not have adequate hot water from my tap and my crummy stovetop

takes quite a while to even boil water. I don't add the herbs till

after removing the water from the microwave. I do this not because I am

concerned about microwaves, per se, but because I do not want to damage

the herb powders by exposure to high heat, which will destroy volatile

components. For the same reason, I would not boil my powders on the

stovetop either. Of course, there are always a few students in every

class who are fanatical about the supposed health risks of microwaves.

I didn't allow a discussion on this topic, but merely told the students

that they were free to prepare their herbs in any fashion they saw fit

and advise their patients accordingly. However I was motivated to

further research this matter.

 

Doing a medline search, I came up with the well known data that

microwaves actually do less damage to common food constituents than

conventional cooking. However my students were willing to stipulate

that. T hey were more concerned about what they called electromagnetic

pollution. In other words, electromagnetic changes that occurred in the

water or food have health consequences for humans. However, in my

medline search, I also came across laboratory research that examined how

different styles of cooking affected the development of cancer in lab

animals. Microwave cooking of meat consistently showed zero

mutagenicity, while oven cooking showed substantial mutagenicity. It is

this type of epidemiological evidence that is most impressive to me.

Other types of research are ultimately pure speculation. So even if

subtle electromagnetic changes occur in microwave cooking, these may be

inconsequential to health.

 

I think the energetic medicine crowd likes to have their cake and eat it

too. It is postulated that some vital energy, perhaps electromagnetic

in nature, has a controlling role in human physiology. I do not agree

with this position, believing instead that the concept of qi does not

refer to a discrete biological force, but merely a different perspective

on the same processes described by modern physiology (and physics and

chemistry). I often say that qi and biochemistry are like two sides of

the same coin, not two separate coins. But for the sake of argument,

lets say that the body's true control mechanism is some electromagnetic

force that is easily disrupted by external electromagnetic forces. If

disruptions in this force can lead to dire health consequences, such as

cancer and autoimmunity, then no matter how subtle the initial change

is, it will ultimately result in biological changes that are measurable

through blood tests. So we would expect to see increased measurable

evidence of cancer and immune damage in those with excessive exposure to

microwaved foods. Yet I can find no evidence that this is the case.

 

I also did a google search on microwave changes in nutrition and health

impact, keeping in mind that about 95% of what comes up on the internet

is unsubstantiated opinion, not established facts. This is in contrast

to my medline search, which yielded only peer reviewed documents, not

propaganda from either microwave manufacturers or fanatics. After

reviewing 300 documents from the google search, I was only able to

identify a single study that had ever been done suggesting adverse

effects of microwaves that were measurable in blood tests. This single

study appeared repeatedly as the sole reference in all the other

articles that attempted to ground their position in science. However,

this swiss study involved only 8 vegans and the discussion portion of

the study revealed a strong bias on the part of the researcher against

any form of cooking. He was a raw foods advocate. Given this bias and

the statistically insignificant sample size, there is no reason to give

any credence to his findings, none of which have ever been duplicated.

 

Now it has been suggested that large corporate interests have blocked

all research in this area. However this flies in the face of the

experience with other industries that create products with known health

risks. For instance, there is substantial research on the carcinogenic

effects of both tobacco and agricultural chemicals, despite the power of

these industries. The FDA has strongly taken on tobacco interests

during the Clinton administration, proving that the government also will

address issues of major health concerns, even when faced with industry

pressure to desist. If there was reasonable evidence that microwaved

food also posed substantial health risks, I see no reason why

researchers and the government would avoid this one topic. The fact is

that many health risks are legal and the information is available for

the informed consumer to make discriminating decisions. I am the first

to admit that industry will make every attempt to distort or block such

research, but it is there to be found and not with much effort, thanks

to the internet. The absence of such credible information about

microwaves is highly suspicious to me. I can only assume that no valid

data to support this position actually exists.

 

However, I am concerned that I may be wrong about all of this. I know a

number of my patients actually reheat their bulk herb teas in the

microwave. I tell them to do it briefly, so as to avoid constituent

damage. But I am interested if anyone can direct me to resources that

support either side of this argument. I have posted this lengthy piece,

not to initiate a discussion on microwaves from a purely theoretical

position, but to solicit actual data that shows damage to health from

microwaved food (and thus, herbs). I am NOT interested in personal and

clinical anecdotes about this matter.

 

 

--

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine

 

[Guest guest]

Here's an article re dangers of microwaves from Ingrid Naiman's Cancersalves website. No bibliography, but references research. I haven't read the whole thing.

 

Catherine

 

http://www.cancersalves.com/Microwave.html

 

-

cha

Sunday, January 14, 2001 10:02 AM

microwaved herbs

I bring up the following to solicit others experiences in herbpreparation and to seek out background information.I recently mentioned in an herb class that I often microwave water toheat it in order to dissolve powdered herbs. I do this for time reasonsas I do not have adequate hot water from my tap and my crummy stovetoptakes quite a while to even boil water. I don't add the herbs tillafter removing the water from the microwave. I do this not because I amconcerned about microwaves, per se, but because I do not want to damagethe herb powders by exposure to high heat, which will destroy volatilecomponents. For the same reason, I would not boil my powders on thestovetop either. Of course, there are always a few students in everyclass who are fanatical about the supposed health risks of microwaves.I didn't allow a discussion on this topic, but merely told the studentsthat they were free to prepare their herbs in any fashion they saw fitand advise their patients accordingly. However I was motivated tofurther research this matter.Doing a medline search, I came up with the well known data thatmicrowaves actually do less damage to common food constituents thanconventional cooking. However my students were willing to stipulatethat. T hey were more concerned about what they called electromagneticpollution. In other words, electromagnetic changes that occurred in thewater or food have health consequences for humans. However, in mymedline search, I also came across laboratory research that examined howdifferent styles of cooking affected the development of cancer in labanimals. Microwave cooking of meat consistently showed zeromutagenicity, while oven cooking showed substantial mutagenicity. It isthis type of epidemiological evidence that is most impressive to me.Other types of research are ultimately pure speculation. So even ifsubtle electromagnetic changes occur in microwave cooking, these may beinconsequential to health.I think the energetic medicine crowd likes to have their cake and eat ittoo. It is postulated that some vital energy, perhaps electromagneticin nature, has a controlling role in human physiology. I do not agreewith this position, believing instead that the concept of qi does notrefer to a discrete biological force, but merely a different perspectiveon the same processes described by modern physiology (and physics andchemistry). I often say that qi and biochemistry are like two sides ofthe same coin, not two separate coins. But for the sake of argument,lets say that the body's true control mechanism is some electromagneticforce that is easily disrupted by external electromagnetic forces. Ifdisruptions in this force can lead to dire health consequences, such ascancer and autoimmunity, then no matter how subtle the initial changeis, it will ultimately result in biological changes that are measurablethrough blood tests. So we would expect to see increased measurableevidence of cancer and immune damage in those with excessive exposure tomicrowaved foods. Yet I can find no evidence that this is the case.I also did a google search on microwave changes in nutrition and healthimpact, keeping in mind that about 95% of what comes up on the internetis unsubstantiated opinion, not established facts. This is in contrastto my medline search, which yielded only peer reviewed documents, notpropaganda from either microwave manufacturers or fanatics. Afterreviewing 300 documents from the google search, I was only able toidentify a single study that had ever been done suggesting adverseeffects of microwaves that were measurable in blood tests. This singlestudy appeared repeatedly as the sole reference in all the otherarticles that attempted to ground their position in science. However,this swiss study involved only 8 vegans and the discussion portion ofthe study revealed a strong bias on the part of the researcher againstany form of cooking. He was a raw foods advocate. Given this bias andthe statistically insignificant sample size, there is no reason to giveany credence to his findings, none of which have ever been duplicated.Now it has been suggested that large corporate interests have blockedall research in this area. However this flies in the face of theexperience with other industries that create products with known healthrisks. For instance, there is substantial research on the carcinogeniceffects of both tobacco and agricultural chemicals, despite the power ofthese industries. The FDA has strongly taken on tobacco interestsduring the Clinton administration, proving that the government also willaddress issues of major health concerns, even when faced with industrypressure to desist. If there was reasonable evidence that microwavedfood also posed substantial health risks, I see no reason whyresearchers and the government would avoid this one topic. The fact isthat many health risks are legal and the information is available forthe informed consumer to make discriminating decisions. I am the firstto admit that industry will make every attempt to distort or block suchresearch, but it is there to be found and not with much effort, thanksto the internet. The absence of such credible information aboutmicrowaves is highly suspicious to me. I can only assume that no validdata to support this position actually exists.However, I am concerned that I may be wrong about all of this. I know anumber of my patients actually reheat their bulk herb teas in themicrowave. I tell them to do it briefly, so as to avoid constituentdamage. But I am interested if anyone can direct me to resources thatsupport either side of this argument. I have posted this lengthy piece,not to initiate a discussion on microwaves from a purely theoreticalposition, but to solicit actual data that shows damage to health frommicrowaved food (and thus, herbs). I am NOT interested in personal andclinical anecdotes about this matter.--DirectorChinese Herbal Medicinehttp://www..orgChinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education.

[Guest guest]

 

 

 

>I recently mentioned in an herb class that I often microwave water to

>heat it in order to dissolve powdered herbs. I do this for time reasons >as I do not have adequate hot water from my tap and my crummy stovetop >takes quite a while to even boil water. I don't add the herbs till >after removing the water from the microwave. I do this not because I am >concerned about microwaves, per se, but because I do not want to damage >the herb powders by exposure to high heat, which will destroy volatile >components. For the same reason, I would not boil my powders on the

>stovetop either.

 

I have thought about this issue as well. I remember in herbs 4 Z' ev mentioned that the microwaving of food burns the yin when consumed. I personally use a microwave for food, but when it comes to decoting a formula I am a little hesitant to use anything other than a glass coffee pot and store it in a glass ragu jar. One of my chinese supervisors stated that it was okay to use stainless steel. I believe in Formulas and Strategies Bensky makes a comment about the unknown affects to the formula when using steel. I started making my decotions in a clay pot that I later found were make with lead. I believe this reminds me of my question last month about tinctures/extracts/prepared medicinals vs traditional decotions. Everyone had there point of view and clinical experience that varried considerably.

Fred Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

 

While I don't have a microwave in my home- my own perceived paranoia-

many of my patients nuke their herbs- with perceived alteration in effect. I

think that the Chinese would use microwaves too. Traditional preparations

are based on the technology of the day. why cook herbs daily? because- duh-

there was/is no refrigeration. It is better to have warm herbs that are

nuked than cold herbs from the fridge.

I have patients cook herbs in a large batch once weekly. they take half cup

twice daily. the tea is stored in the fridge. Any deterioration of the herbs

if more than offset by the high compliance I get. I also have take advantage

of crock pots. They yield the BEST tea. the vapor seals in the volatile oils

and yield a superior brew. No pre-soaking, no repetitive straining and

simmering. even more compliance!

Cara

[Guest guest]

I have a some thoughts on your question of microwaving:

 

You stated " ..then no matter how subtle the initial change is, it will

ultimately result in biological changes that are measurable through blood

tests. "

 

Even if the effects of microwaving were in fact detectable via blood tests,

the cause and effect relationship would be difficult if not impossible to

establish with currently available objective and reproducible medical

technology. This only part of the reason that you find so little peer

reviewed research on this issue.

 

You also mentioned: " Given this bias and the statistically insignificant

sample size, there is no reason to give any credence to his findings, none

of which have ever been duplicated. "

 

The eight person sample size does not mean that it cannot provide

statistically significant results, which are typically accepted at a p value

of .05 or less. The 8 person sample could be significant if the size of the

effect being measured was strong enough. So the combination of the effect

size and the number of subjects being studied reveals the level of

significance of the results. However, not having read the study, but

knowing the potential for effects from microwaving, if any, would be subtle,

then I would doubt that the results were in fact statistically significant.

So I am only pointing out a technicality. Which brings up another point.

Which is that in order to research this issue properly it would require a

very large sample size, assuming I my assumption about a subtle effect is

correct. Further complicating this issue is my personal belief that,

assuming there were changes in the atomic spin of the molecules that have

been microwaved, you would see a situation similar to the well publicized

study revealing a higher incidence of, I believe it was childhood leukemia,

in Denver in those living close to electrical power boxes, implicating

higher electromagnetic fields as the problem. The problem is that even if

the cause and effect between high EM fields or microwaved ingestibles is

real, I believe it is only a problem in certain sensitive individuals. Some

kids that lived near the electrical boxes did not get leukemia and others

did. This implies individual sensitivity. If there is an effect from

microwaving, I personally believe that it would only be a problem in certain

constitutions and not others. What this means for research in this area is

that the sample size required in order to reveal statistical significance

goes up exponentially. It therefore becomes very easy for pro-microwave

researchers to prove their point.

 

If you really want an answer to your question I believe you will need to

find other ways to assess cause and effect than peer reviewed research. And

I agree that the answer is worth knowing.

 

Best regards,

Stephen

 

 

 

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare

practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing

in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services,

including board approved online continuing education.

 

 

[Guest guest]

However my students were willing to stipulatethat. T hey were more concerned about what they called electromagneticpollution.

>>>>Technophobia is ramped out there. And like religion you can not have a reasonable discussion.

Alon

[Guest guest]

well publicizedstudy revealing a higher incidence of, I believe it was childhood leukemia,in Denver in those living close to electrical power boxes, implicatinghigher electromagnetic fields as the problem. The problem is that even ifthe cause and effect between high EM fields or microwaved ingestibles isreal, I believe it is only a problem in certain sensitive individuals. Somekids that lived near the electrical boxes did not get leukemia and othersdid.

>>The data on high electromagnetic fields are all over the place. There is also a Swedish study showing the same thing, however other studies do not show any harmful effects

Alon

[Guest guest]

I remember in herbs 4 Z' ev mentioned that the microwaving of food burns the yin when consumed

>>>How does he know that

Alon

[Guest guest]

if more than offset by the high compliance I get. I also have take advantage

of crock pots. They yield the BEST tea. the vapor seals in the volatile oils

and yield a superior brew. No pre-soaking, no repetitive straining and

simmering. even more compliance!

Cara

 

Cara (and others),

Every herb pot I have used/seen has an air hole were steam consistently

escapes... IS there an advantage to this vs. crock potting it, were nothing

escapes?

 

-

[Guest guest]

I have also heard microwave emission standards are much stricter in Europe,

because of the supposed 'known' radiation(?) leakage.?? Basically an

American microwave is illegal in parts of Europe? This is all second hand

mumbo...so... Just some ideas...

 

-

 

 

heiko [heiko]

Friday, December 15, 2000 1:27 PM

 

Re: microwaved herbs

 

Alon

> >>The data on high electromagnetic fields are all over the place. There is

also a Swedish study showing the same thing, however other studies do not

show any harmful effects

 

I was told that in Europe/Germany ...they are not allowed to build houses

within 1 KM of those big electromagnetic power lines because of health

risks....perhaps any Germans on the list could comment.

 

I have an Indian book on magnetic healing and they say its really healthy

and good to live under these power lines.

 

My only observation is that you never see a " good " suburb close to those

lines.........in Aust. and NZ anyway.

 

 

Heiko Lade

Registered Acupuncturist / Chinese Herbalist

2 Jenkins St.

Green Island, Dunedin

New Zealand

Tel: (03) 488 4086, Fax: (03) 488 4012

http://www.lade.com/heiko

Email: heiko

 

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare

practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing

in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services,

including board approved online continuing education.

 

 

[Guest guest]

, <alonmarcus@w...> wrote:

> I remember in herbs 4 Z' ev mentioned that the microwaving of food burns the

yin when consumed

> >>>How does he know that

> Alon

 

I wonder that as well. However the quote is secondhand, for now.

 

thank you all for your comments on this

 

Catherine

 

the website you directed me too was same exact article describing the

same research I found on dozens of websites making this claim about

microwave risks.

 

Stephen

 

The changes were slight in the microwave study and the subjects were

self selected. But your points are well taken regarding sample size.

I also reiterate the animal studies showing less mutagenicity with

microwaves than with oven cooking.

 

Also, I believe the issue of EM fields and leukemia has now been

discredited by a metanalysis of all existing data. However the issue

of sensitivity which you raised is an important one. Even Hahnemann

indicated that only a small % of folks can prove homeopathics, for

instance.

 

I made a similar point to a class this week when discussing the use of

ultra low dose tinctures of herbs, which is that sensitive types will

often respond when others don't. Since many of our patients (and

students and colleagues) are such types, this leads to a bias in our

assessment of this phenomena. Since I am most interestd in providing

TCM to the masses, I am somewhat more interested inhow the average

person responds to both substances and EM effects.

 

I had a teacher who felt such hypersensitivity was a sign of a xu

constitution. We often found " sensitives " to be qi xu or yin xu. I

have gone periods in my life when I was highly reactive to many foods,

odors and herbs, most notably right after graduation from TCM school.

However, I am much less responsive any anymore, which I attribute to my

recovery from overwhelming psychological stress at that time. there

are still a few foods I haven't eaten for many years, though, almost

out of superstition. I truly believe that reaction to subtle forces is

a sign of pathology and thus susceptibility to EM fields, for example

may actually be considered an effect rather than cause of illness.

 

Lending support to this idea is the tibetan medical principle that

demonic causes of disease affect those with weak defenses (zheng qi,

wei qi) and that strengthening these aspects can expel the demons and

end the susceptibility to such subtle forces. On the other hand,I

believe that shamanism involves purposely opening oneself to such

forces. There is of course, value in this pursuit (it does interest me

quite a bit, actually), but we need to be careful not to mistake those

with true spiritual power with those with psychological disorders. You

what they say about the sage and the madman. There is a fine line. I

think my own problems may have been partially caused by straying too

far into certain practices without adequate training.

 

[Guest guest]

TODD- I meant to say- my patients nuke their herbs w/ NO perceived

alteration. sorry for the error.

Cara

[Guest guest]

>My only observation is that you never see a "good" suburb close to those>ines.........in Aust. and NZ anyway.

 

Maybe because they're so ugly?

 

 

[Guest guest]

, Cara Frank <herbbabe@e...>

wrote:

> TODD- I meant to say- my patients nuke their herbs w/ NO perceived

> alteration. sorry for the error.

> Cara

 

thanks for the clarification. I wondered why you didn't elaborate.

that is also my experience.

 

todd

[Guest guest]

, Catherine Hemenway <

chemenway@b...> wrote:

> >My only observation is that you never see a " good " suburb close to those

> >ines.........in Aust. and NZ anyway.

>

> Maybe because they're so ugly?

 

also the better safe than sorry rule. I don't microwave my herbs, for

example, though I do microwave water.

 

todd

[Guest guest]

I agree with Stephen on all points mentioned below. Very well thought out.

I have the same concerns with peer-review research methods. The jury is

still out.

 

 

 

on 1/14/01 6:42 PM, Stephen Morrissey at stephen

wrote:

 

> I have a some thoughts on your question of microwaving:

>

> You stated " ..then no matter how subtle the initial change is, it will

> ultimately result in biological changes that are measurable through blood

> tests. "

>

> Even if the effects of microwaving were in fact detectable via blood tests,

> the cause and effect relationship would be difficult if not impossible to

> establish with currently available objective and reproducible medical

> technology. This only part of the reason that you find so little peer

> reviewed research on this issue.

>

> You also mentioned: " Given this bias and the statistically insignificant

> sample size, there is no reason to give any credence to his findings, none

> of which have ever been duplicated. "

>

> The eight person sample size does not mean that it cannot provide

> statistically significant results, which are typically accepted at a p value

> of .05 or less. The 8 person sample could be significant if the size of the

> effect being measured was strong enough. So the combination of the effect

> size and the number of subjects being studied reveals the level of

> significance of the results. However, not having read the study, but

> knowing the potential for effects from microwaving, if any, would be subtle,

> then I would doubt that the results were in fact statistically significant.

> So I am only pointing out a technicality. Which brings up another point.

> Which is that in order to research this issue properly it would require a

> very large sample size, assuming I my assumption about a subtle effect is

> correct. Further complicating this issue is my personal belief that,

> assuming there were changes in the atomic spin of the molecules that have

> been microwaved, you would see a situation similar to the well publicized

> study revealing a higher incidence of, I believe it was childhood leukemia,

> in Denver in those living close to electrical power boxes, implicating

> higher electromagnetic fields as the problem. The problem is that even if

> the cause and effect between high EM fields or microwaved ingestibles is

> real, I believe it is only a problem in certain sensitive individuals. Some

> kids that lived near the electrical boxes did not get leukemia and others

> did. This implies individual sensitivity. If there is an effect from

> microwaving, I personally believe that it would only be a problem in certain

> constitutions and not others. What this means for research in this area is

> that the sample size required in order to reveal statistical significance

> goes up exponentially. It therefore becomes very easy for pro-microwave

> researchers to prove their point.

>

> If you really want an answer to your question I believe you will need to

> find other ways to assess cause and effect than peer reviewed research. And

> I agree that the answer is worth knowing.

>

> Best regards,

> Stephen

>

>

>

>

> Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare

> practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing

> in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services,

> including board approved online continuing education.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

on 1/14/01 11:28 PM, at wrote:

 

> , <alonmarcus@w...> wrote:

>> I remember in herbs 4 Z' ev mentioned that the microwaving of food burns the

>> yin when consumed

>>>>> How does he know that

>> Alon

>

 

 

Sorry, I've been up in Vancouver, and didn't get a chance to answer until

now.

 

I don't remember if that is what I said above in class, it was some time

ago. The statement is taken out of context, and I don't remember saying

that. I will try to clarify my point of view on microwave cooking.

 

In my understanding of zhong yi xue shuo/Chinese medical theory,

All substances have a qi and a nature. Chinese medicine analyzes phenomena

and substances by a more qualitative than quantitative analysis. This

neither confirms or negates modern studies, just offers a different

perspective.

 

Cooking utilizes fire to transform food from its raw state, to warm the food

and make it more suitable for digestion. Different foods need different

cooking techniques, some are cooked for a short time, some baked, some

roasted, some steamed, some in a wok, some in a soup pot.

 

There are different qualities of fire, from cooking over a wood fire, to a

wood stove, to gas stove, to electric stove, to microwave. Each has a

different nature.

 

One notices that food tastes differently when cooked on an electric stove

rather than gas or wood. This, in my opinion, is because electric cooking

does not produce a true flame, but rather heat as the by-product of the

buildup of electricity in a coil. It is also interesting that when boiling

a liquid, the boiling stops more quickly when removing the pot from an

electric than a gas or wood stove.

 

Microwave cooking is the farthest method from making a true fire. The heat

is produced by 'vibrating' the food, causing friction and heat, from the

inside out rather than outside in (at least this is how I understand how it

works. Please correct me if I am wrong). It cooks food more rapidly,

therefore, we can say it is, perhaps, a more yang way of preparing food.

RELATIVELY (one can make charcoal out of food with any method. . . if one

leaves food on the fire too long).

 

As Stephen mentions in his post, there will be constitutional reasons for

sensitivity to electromagnetic waves and vibrations that will explain why

some people are sensitive to living near power lines. Do we forget the

minority for the sake of the majority? I and many other individuals are

extremely sensitive to chemical perfumes. . .are we 'crazy' because most

people don't have that problem?

 

Again, the jury is still out.

 

My present position is that one should not cook raw food or raw herbs from

scratch in a microwave. I advise that it is probably ok to warm up herb

teas or pre-cooked food (including frozen) in a microwave, as the damage to

the food or herbs will be much less than if cooked from scratch.

 

Burns the yin? I don't know what that means, except that, in my

understanding, microwaves are a more yang cooking method than regular fire.

 

I'd like to hear others' feedback on this.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

wrote:

 

> Burns the yin? I don't know what that means, except that, in my

> understanding, microwaves are a more yang cooking method than regular fire.

 

More Yang? How do you see that?

 

Microwave energy acts only on the yin, since it stimulates molecular

movement in the water of the food or tea. I don't know if that suggests

that the microwave cooking is more yin or yang, but it certainly does

act on the yin exclusively.

 

I guess you could say that it is more Yang since the heating is done

through something less physical than fire or hot coals.

 

--

Al Stone L.Ac.

<AlStone

http://www.BeyondWellBeing.com

 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

 

Attachment: vcard [not shown]

[Guest guest]

I really think so- when you seal in the steam, you seal in volatile oils.

and as you know- the fragrance of an herb is in itself a medicine.

Cara

[Guest guest]

I was always told the microwaving food was the most yin way to cook, because

it uses no true fire. the order goes something like this; microwaves,

blanching, steaming, boiling, baking, roasting, grilling. At least that's

what I've been told.

Cara

[Guest guest]

I have an Indian book on magnetic healing and they say its really healthyand good to live under these power lines.My only observation is that you never see a "good" suburb close to thoselines.........in Aust. and NZ anyway.>>>I have to say that personally I feel funny under strong power lines. But if it as bad affects who knows. Again the studies are all over the place

Alon

[Guest guest]

on 1/15/01 1:44 PM, Cara Frank at herbbabe wrote:

 

> I was always told the microwaving food was the most yin way to cook, because

> it uses no true fire. the order goes something like this; microwaves,

> blanching, steaming, boiling, baking, roasting, grilling. At least that's

> what I've been told.

> Cara

>

An interesting approach to the problem. . .

May I ask the source of the idea?

 

 

[Guest guest]

on 1/15/01 1:36 PM, Cara Frank at herbbabe wrote:

 

> I really think so- when you seal in the steam, you seal in volatile oils.

> and as you know- the fragrance of an herb is in itself a medicine.

> Cara

>

 

 

One of the things I always look for. . .both in raw medicinals and prepared

products, is fragrance, and retention of essential oils. If they are

missing, an essential part of the healing power has been lost.

 

This has been a problem for me with one or two companies that make

spray-dried extracts (I'd rather not mention names here), that they have no

fragrance at all. As it turned out, one of the companies did not retain the

essential oils with their processing methods.

 

 

[Guest guest]

, <@o...>

wrote:

> I have also heard microwave emission standards are much stricter in Europe,

> because of the supposed 'known' radiation(?) leakage.?? Basically an

> American microwave is illegal in parts of Europe? This is all second hand

> mumbo...so... Just some ideas...

>

 

external leakage of radiation is a different issue than food

alteration.