Healthy Living

I love to study Chinese medicine. I love Ireland. Combine the two = dreams come true!

Years ago I learned one of my favorite teachers regularly teaches in Ireland.  At the time attending seemed impossible.  I had a lot of great reasons proving to myself that it was never going to happen (too much time away, too expensive, kids in college, and a favorite told to me once from another teacher ‘you have plenty to learn here in America’).

Life isn’t always easy, and through the last few years I feel like I was given the gift of realizing not to take any time for granted.  So last fall, in a moment of following my heart, I signed up for the class in spring of 2023.  I decided to change my story and figure out a way to get to Ireland.  Appropriately, we were going to be studying about how the stories we tell can affect our lives, for illness or for healing (or for traveling to Ireland after years of longing…but I digress).   I am happy to say, I figured out how to get there, and it was everything I had hoped for.

During the trip I jotted down Read More

No matter how you’re trying to conceive, there’s no doubt that the nutrients we feed our bodies help set the stage for conception, implantation, and a healthy pregnancy. Much like our gardens, the soil has a much stronger chance of producing fruit when it has been prepared prior to the seed even being planted. This is where supplements come in. Supplements are just that: isolated nutrient compounds, frequently bound to other ingredients to make them more absorbable, that serve a specific metabolic function in the body. This can often make a huge difference in your fertility journey between success or otherwise.

The internet is vast and full of so much information to the point of being dizzying. It’s often difficult to even know where to begin and what your body even needs. So, let us get rid of the guesswork for you and walk you through some of the best things to be putting into your body on your path to pregnancy. Read More

Tired?

Do you find yourself slogging through life? Find yourself reaching for that third cup of coffee? Think you’re getting a boost from that cup o’ Joe? Think again! 

Caffeine actually depletes the body of energy, by switching the body into a flight and fight mode and releasing stored energy. Caffeine works much in the same way as moving money from your savings to your checking account. You might feel like you have more to spend, but you’re not any richer. If anything, you end up spending more. Not to mention that caffeine negatively impacts sleep long after the jitters have worn off.  Read More

When most of us think of cinnamon, we may remember a warm, sweet, and fragrant tea warming our cold winter hands on a snowy morning bundled up on the couch. Or perhaps memories of different foods like cinnamon oatmeal or fall time themed cinnamon flavored lattes come to mind. Cinnamon in western culture is often associated with fall and winter. Although these seasonal cinnamon flavored traditions can feel truly heartwarming, the usage of cinnamon is by no simple accident. We are using plant medicine and knowledge passed through generations and cultures that are entirely appropriate for the colder seasons.

Rou gui is a traditional Chinese herb that is commonly used in Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine uses two parts of the cinnamon tree. The outer bark and the twigs. Rou gui is the bark of the cinnamon tree. The herb is commonly used to warm the body and promote circulation, and is often used to treat conditions such as cold extremities, poor digestion, and menstrual cramps. It is also believed to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Rou gui has a long history of use in Chinese medicine, dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). It is commonly used in Read More