We are undeniably in fall at this point. As I sit here writing this I’m noticing that a few of the trees out my window are nearly bare. It’s colder, and it’s been windy and rainy. All of those climatic factors influence the body and can lead to greater susceptibility to colds and flus. So, I wanted to send a reminder of the things we can do to bolster our resilience for the colder months ahead of us.

Welcome to autumn! The shift into the Metal element is already underway so I’m touching base with some tips for making the most of the energetics of this season.

How’s the shift toward warmer temperatures treating you? For the most part I’m hearing people say that things are feeling a little to a lot more bearable. Either unpleasant symptoms are actually shifting, or perceptions are shifting, or likely a combination of both. Things are more spacious. That is the energy of this season.

In the previous post I talked about the summer season from the lens of Chinese medicine and the associated emotion of joy. How it is a time of expansion and spreading out. And while that is all true, I realized that I had left out some important details that might contribute to a more complete sense of the tone of summer.

I just wanted to take a minute here and talk about something that comes up from time to time in clinic, in hopes of giving you a more complete picture of the medicine we’re working with.

Often as I’m talking with a patient about what’s going on with them and what they’re hoping to address, they will often preface what they’re about to say with something like “I don’t know if this matters but…” or “I don’t know if acupuncture treats this, but…”

Happy Equinox! Today is the day when day and night are equal, and from this day until the winter solstice the abundant light will gradually recede, giving way to fall in the Northern Hemisphere. From an acupuncture energetics perspective, we are moving into a more yin time. Everything becomes slower, quieter, less active, cooler, darker…

In the height of summer I usually feel drawn to watch campy horror movies. The more ridiculous they are, the better. If they take place in the woods, at a lake, I’m hooked. In this particular one, I also got a lesson in Gu Syndrome.

This is not normally the time of year that I would be writing about colds and flus, but this year is different: Because we spent the past year masked and distanced, many of us went through a long period of not having any colds or flus. Fortunately, COVID-19 cases are down now, but because people are beginning to be out and about again, interacting more closely with others, other colds and flus are spreading. So, I wanted to go over self-care practices that are integral to my approach to colds and flus, and are also practical tips should you find yourself getting sick.

We are now moving from spring, the beginning of yang, into summer, the fullest expression of yang. If we are looking at the Taiji Symbol, this is represented in the growing white aspect that sits opposite the black (yin) side.

In this movement, things naturally begin to expand and come into fruition. Qi moves outward in the body, and this is evident in the desire to be outdoors more, connecting with nature and people. The element of summer is fire, and the nature of fire is to spread. So, if you’re feeling generally more energized and . . .

Anxiety is a term that is all too familiar for most people. Immediately upon hearing the word, one generally makes a set of associations. It may be heart palpitations that come to mind, racing thoughts, knots in the stomach, or becoming frozen with fear. There are many different manifestations from person to person. Yet because these varied manifestations all fall under the umbrella term of anxiety, we can easily make the mistake of overlooking the precise nature of an individual’s presentation, and therefore fall short at treating

People generally seek acupuncture to deal with a particular ailment such as musculoskeletal pain, digestive problems, or hormonal imbalances, especially when other forms of medicine have not been able to provide solutions. So why does acupuncture help? What is the mechanism that makes it effective? Also, why is it that often when someone gets acupuncture treatment for one thing, they find that other issues that weren’t mentioned to the practitioner start to resolve?

Over the last few weeks I’ve found myself, probably like many of you, reflecting more than usual. In particular, I have thought about the different shifts and life events that have gotten me to where I am now. A large part of my identity is being an acupuncturist. It is not just my work or vocation; to me it’s a calling that infuses all aspects of my life. Reflecting on how that came to be feels relevant at this time because well, we are in a pandemic, and if there was ever a time that we are being invited (maybe forced) to re-think our orientation to everything from the work we do, healthcare, food sources, supply chain, the list goes on… it is now.

Here is my story of making my way through a different in which I had to re-think many aspects of my life, a time when things I relied on for a sense of solidity, comfort, and normalcy crumbled.

COVID-19 is impacting everything at the moment, and when things are feeling so chaotic and uncertain, we can take refuge in the basic practices that keep us well. A hearty immune system takes a multi-faceted approach.

Perhaps you're reading this because you are among the many menstruating women who feel hijacked by hormones for 2 days to 2 weeks out of the month. Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) vary from person to person and can include irritability, depression, lethargy, tiredness, food cravings, acne, bloating, rage, brain fog and more. Often, it looks like an exacerbation of any other issues that you experience throughout the month, ie. your migraines get worse, your irritable bowels become more irritable, etc. Read on to explore this part of the menstrual cycle, to examine the role these symptoms might play, and to understand how acupuncture can help decode and reduce PMS.