Healthy Living

‘The harvest of a whole year depends on what you sow in the spring’ Chinese proverb

What do you want to sow? Spring is here and with it is our chance to plant something great, to invest in ourselves and in our relationships with small seeds that can bloom into something large and strong.

In Chinese medicine, spring is associated with the color green (no surprise there) and the element wood.  The energy that has been stored up for the entire winter now begins to move quickly up and out of the earth.  The birds are coming back, singing earlier in the morning.  Plants are starting to send out their shoots.

‘Spring is sooner recognized by plants than men’ Chinese proverb

Pay attention and you may also notice changes in your body due to the spring. You may notice waking earlier and feeling increased energy.  This energy, or Qi, in your body responds to the energy in your environment.  When the Qi of nature starts to move, our internal Qi responds by wanting to move more as well.  This can also be felt in a negative way.  If you’re feeling stuck in any way, either physically or emotionally, you Read More

Wind cold is a common ailment during the winter season. The reason it happens can be explained rather simply through Traditional Chinese Medicine, the wind breaks through our protective layer of Qi allowing cold to enter into the body. Whilst there can be any combination of symptoms there are a few major ones to help identify a wind cold attack, such as strong aversion to cold, slight fever with chills, achy body, stiff neck, runny nose and headache.

We have formulas that are more than 2,000 years old that can stop the common cold before it progresses into something worse. The two formulas pictured below are the most common formulas to use during cold and flu season.

Here are some helpful tips to protect yourself from wind cold this season

1. Protect your neck! Wear a scarf on windy days.
2. Warm up the middle burner! Start your day with a warm and easy to digest breakfast, like oatmeal.
3. Rest up! Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
4. Move your Qi! Take 10 minutes in your day and move your body.

Here is a simple chicken soup recipe you can make when wind cold Read More

“There are two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

We see some amazing things at the clinic.  Even after years of practice, I still find myself amazed at the potential of the body and spirit to heal.  I would like to share one of these stories from our practice.

Ellen had come into the clinic requesting acupuncture treatments to help relieve chronic upper back and shoulder pain.  Relief came quickly, but during our conversations she also talked about her desire to start a family and her fears around her fertility.  Ellen had not had a period in over 6 months.  She had never gotten her period on her own, only when given medications to regulate her cycle.  When she discontinued the medications, her cycle stopped as well.  She had been trying to conceive for over a year, but without any indication that she was even ovulating, was starting to lose hope. We talked about her condition, set her up with the appropriate fertility specialists, and began treating her using acupuncture, herbal medicine, and diet changes.  Within two months Ellen had a normal Read More

It’s back to school time, and change is in the air! If you have ever sat in one of our consultation rooms, no doubt that you have heard me talk about the change of seasons.  Four times a year we put out a newsletter, and four times a year I write about the season change. So, with the air turning crisp in the evenings, and the light in the sky changing, I am going to tell you a bit about how the change of season affects our health.

Fall, according to Chinese medicine, is a time for the Lung.  Lung issues, such as allergies, and seasonal colds/flu can tend to become more of a problem this time of year.  It is a time when the wind picks up, and when all the energy that has been generated in the summer starts descending into the earth to be stored so we may get through winter.  While we can see this in the plants around us, it is important to recognize that our internal energy is wanting to do the same.  While summer brought about long days, early sunrises, and lots of activity, fall starts us moving in a whole other direction.  Read More