The Koa Code

HOME COOKING
Why is eating at home considered nourishing? In Chinese Medicine, everything is made up of energy — the food you consume contains the energy that was used to produce and prepare it. According to this logic, local and seasonal produce is ideal because it typically wasn’t mass produced and hasn’t travelled miles to get to you, meaning it’s probably fresher and more likely to be grown organically. The energy used to prepare fast food and take-out is usually made quickly without a second thought.

Home cooked meals are nourishing because of the love and unique energy you can put into the foods you make. It’s your home and your body, so the energy and time you are taking to help yourself is extremely healing and balancing rather than relying on outside sources.

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An issue that comes up a lot with my clients is a lack of daily water intake. Some of the reasons why:
- Too busy/always on-the-go
- Forget or just don’t think about it
- Hate the taste, it’s boring!
- Never feel thirsty

You already know how important water is so this isn’t a ‘drink your 8 glasses a day’ post, just some hydration tips from a Chinese medicine perspective.

💧 Eat for hydration. Drinking enough water is important but sometimes the quality of water we have access to is deficient in minerals and electrolytes. One way to make up for this is by including more vegetables and fruits with high water content and broths into your daily meals.

💦 Sip on green tea throughout the day. Example: 1/2 cup every hour instead of chugging a lot all at once. Or try adding natural flavors to your water like goji berries, mint, lime, ginger or cinnamon.

🚰 Minimize or avoid sugar. Sugar uses up water from your body to rehydrate and metabolize. Those cakes and cookies can soak up the water in your body and make you feel hungry when really you’re thirsty because of sugar. Try to start crowding out processed sugars with a natural alternative like fresh fruit instead.

What habits help you make sure you’re drinking enough water? Drop your tips below 🧊

OAT ENERGY
In Chinese medicine, foods are categorized based on their energetic properties like energy, flavor and movement. We look at foods for their vibrational essence and qualities and use foods as “medicine.”

Oats are a whole-grain and from a TCM perspective, they are associated with the earth element making them ‘grounding’ and nourishing for digestion. Their energy is strengthening and calming, helping to build qi (vital energy) tonify blood and promote circulation throughout the body.

Oats can be used to soothe the nervous system, restore the reproductive system and make an ideal postpartum food. They are best consumed with a healthy fat to help with digestion - such as coconut oil which is associated with the earth element, neutral to warming in nature and sweet in flavor.

What are your favorite oat toppings?

WTF is a detox?
Detoxification is a natural everyday process the body uses to clear, neutralize or transform toxins in the body through bowel movements, peeing, sweating, breathing, and filtration by the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system. Without these processes we wouldn’t survive.

Detoxing involves dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce intake of toxins and improve elimination.

Reoccurring colds, digestive upset and headaches are signs of toxicity, which in western medicine, are often treated with medications to mask or eliminate the discomfort, rather than address the root causes. This can make the problem worse.

On the other hand, health-conscious people who place too much emphasis on detoxification eg. completely fat-free diets, fasting, diuretics, bowel cleansers, an abundance of colonics etc, may lead to the loss of nutrients from their bodies. Done properly and in accordance with a person’s constitution and current condition, all these procedures can be quite helpful.

Ayurvedic ideas to assist detoxification naturally:
🥦 Increase dietary fiber (fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole-grains)
🍛 Add spices to your food
⏰ Eat your meals at the same times everyday
🍋 Drink warm water throughout the day
🍟 Avoid processed foods
🚰 Minimize toxins in your home, clothing and personal products
🧹 Dry brushing
🧴 Daily self-massage
🥥 Coconut oil pulling
🤸🏽‍♀️ Regular exercise

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“I See Clearly Now” 👀Chrysanthemum & Goji Tea

This tea is one of the most famous vision tonics. Of the several thousand herbs used in the Chinese herbal system, there is an elite group of about sixty herbs known as the tonic herbs. The tonics are used to promote overall well-being, enhance the body’s energy, regulate and protect the body and mind as to create what the Chinese call “radiant health”.

Two of these tonic herbs (chrysanthemum & goji) are combined into a soothing tea that helps brighten dull, irritated eyes, relieves dryness and strain and strengthens vision. Helpful if you work long hours staring at a screen. Also really good for clearing the mind (goji being an adaptogen) and promotes beautiful clear skin (chrysanthemum helps detox the liver).

• A handful of dried chrysanthemum flowers
• A handful of goji berries
Optional: Add longan berries to help with your skin health (high in vitamin C) and blood building (high in iron, great for anemia)

Place herbs into a pot with about 1L of water and let it simmer for 15 mins on the lowest fire. Drink it as a tea throughout the day ✨

The word c**t comes from the name of the Greek goddess of fertility Kunthus and also Kunti, an Indian goddess of nature and earth. The word va**na is a medical term originated from latin meaning sheath (basically a ‘sword holder’).

Cultures across the world have been using language to show honor and respect for the female body since the beginning of time, but for centuries we’ve also been using language to criticize the female body.

Casper Bartholin, Gabriele Falloppio, and Ernst Gräfenberg, you might not have heard of these people but you may have body parts named after them (Bartholin’s glands, fallopian tubes, G-**ot) almost like our female anatomy has been colonized and named after men. What words can you use to reframe and reclaim your sacred body parts?

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SWIPE ➡️ Vegan Choc Cashew Cups 🍫 (Made these like 10x already, seriously sooo good!)

I watched The Paris Hilton documentary last night on YouTube (This is Paris) and wow. She is brave for being vulnerable and using her voice, for what she’s doing to bring awareness and change for other people!

I related to a lot of the emotions she talked about and had my own coping mechanisms for trauma - dumbing myself down, avoidance, allowing myself to stay in unhealthy situations and relationships.

Through therapy, doing the inner work, prayer and studying holistic health, I’ve been able to connect the dots between any physical symptoms and suppressed emotional pain. A lot of it stems from the home environment I grew up in where there was an array of abuses, neglect, passive/aggressive forms of communication, things being swept under the rug, constant feeling of “walking on egg shells”, excessive monitoring and control, not having a voice or being able to express myself freely. In that environment I found myself not knowing how to simply be. I was always worried and rarely present because I lived from a place of fear and that way of operating affected every relationship I had, how I was able to show up for things (or not) and the lens I saw the world through.

I’ve had to work real hard on understanding and releasing my parents, grandparents and even ancestors choices for allowing this cycle of generational shame to continue. And that’s what so much of this is about for me - letting go of the past and dealing with my s**t so the cycle can end here, with me! Creating a brighter future!

Healing is a continuum, it’s not linear. The ancient codes I use are tools that truly help me on a daily basis. If you resonate with any of this I encourage you to find whatever works for you and know that you don’t have to do it alone. Share your story, talk to a friend, get therapy or DM me here. Just keep going!

Endometriosis: a Chinese medicine approach. Endo is seen as a condition of blood stasis, which basically means that blood is not flowing as it should be, causing it to stagnate in one place in the body (eg. pelvic region) where it tends to thicken and clot often leading to pain, heavy menstruation and a host of other symptoms.

There can be multiple underlying causes of endo in TCM as the imbalances tend to be interrelated — liver qi stagnation, kidney yang deficiency, spleen qi deficiency, damp heat, excessive internal cold condition to name a few.

Every ‘body’ is different and the best way to diagnose and treat the root cause of this imbalance is by working with a good TCM practitioner to address your individual specific condition and treatment needs. What alternative forms of treatment have you tried?

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IT’S MONDAY AGAIN...
Find work you love, or find a way to love the work you do. A holistic approach to health that addresses satisfaction in all areas of your life includes your career! We all have 24 hours in a day - we spend about 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours working and 8 hours doing other things (of course this looks different for everyone). Thinking about career fulfillment is important when addressing your overall health because it makes up so much time and energy in your day ➡️ life. It can either enhance or drain your wellbeing.

Different people find different careers meaningful and it’s important to tap into your why. What value do you want to add to the world? A fulfilling career can be your life’s work, your purpose and meaning. When you find work you love (or find a way to love the work you do), you can supercharge your health and happiness! There are a few ways to find work that feels meaningful to you. Ask yourself these questions to get a better idea of your current relationship with your career:

💬 What does your current career mean to you?
💸 Is your career a means for a paycheck or do you see meaning in your work?
☀️ Do you wake up most mornings excited to start your work?
📈 Does your career align with your goals and/or purpose?
⚖️ On a scale of 1-10 what is your level of satisfaction with your current career?