If you're trying to conceive, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the number of supplements being recommended online. Walk into any health food store or search "fertility supplements" and you'll find hundreds of options promising to improve egg quality, balance hormones, or increase your chances of pregnancy.

The truth is, more isn't always better.

When most people start thinking about fertility, they're already trying to conceive. They've started tracking cycles, taking prenatal vitamins, and wondering if every symptom means something. Fertility suddenly becomes top of mind. 

But what if one of the most important things you could do for your fertility happens before you start trying?

Have you ever noticed that your menstrual cycle feels a little different during the summer months? Maybe your period arrives earlier than expected, your energy feels lower, or you're tracking ovulation and noticing subtle shifts. If so, you're not imagining it. Summer heat can influence your body's natural rhythms in ways that affect both menstrual health and fertility. As providers of acupuncture for menstrual health we often see these seasonal changes show up in our patients' cycles.

When most people think about skin treatments, they picture cozy winter months, oversized sweaters, and avoiding the sun until spring. It’s one of the biggest misconceptions we hear about microneedling and facial rejuvenation: that you have to wait until winter to get started.

If you’re trying to conceive and someone has casually told you to “just relax,” there’s a decent chance you wanted to throw something at them.

Because let’s be honest - most women trying to get pregnant are already doing everything.

You’re exhausted all day but suddenly wide awake at night. Your cycle feels off. You’re moody. But you’re eating well, exercising, taking all the supplements, trying to manage your stress - and yet something still feels “off” in your body.

Sound familiar?

I was introduced to meditation at a young age, and it’s something I’ve come back to again and again over time. And I say “come back to,” because like many things, I drift away from it when life gets busy or full.

In clinic, we often bring up meditation or simple breathwork as part of a treatment plan. Not as something to perfect, and not as another task to add to the list, but because it supports so much of what we’re already doing with acupuncture.

I love my patients. Truly. You’re my people.

But there are a few things I wish I could gently yell across the treatment room sometimes… so here we are.

As “winter” loosens its grip and the world begins to bloom, spring marks a profound shift - not just in nature, but within our bodies as well. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is a season of renewal, expansion, and upward movement of energy. Understanding this seasonal transition can help us align our habits with the rhythms of nature and support our overall well-being. I put winter in quotation marks because our seasons have been extremely muddled this year. Our winter was barely existent; our spring has almost peaked; our bodies and minds can be equally confused - which makes us move through the days with a little less grounding.

Spring is in the air...and for a lot of people, that also means allergy season has officially arrived.

We’re already seeing it in the clinic - itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, that “why is my skin suddenly so irritated?” feeling, even hives or dry patches that seem to come out of nowhere.

If this happens to you every year, you might be bracing yourself for it...or wondering if there’s a way to get ahead of it this time.

The good news? There is.

Have you ever felt like your body just isn’t moving the way it used to?

Maybe it’s a pain that won’t fully go away, digestion that feels sluggish or unpredictable, cycles that seem off, or a general sense of low motivation or irritability. You might even feel like you’re doing all the right things but nothing is really shifting.

You’re not alone in this. We see it often in the clinic, and it usually doesn’t come down to a lack of effort. More often, it’s a sign that something in the body has become stuck.

When couples begin a fertility journey, much of the medical focus naturally falls on the person carrying the pregnancy. However, research continues to show that partner health plays a significant role in fertility outcomes. In fact, male factors contribute to fertility challenges in nearly half of all couples trying to conceive.

When patients tell me they’re trying to conceive, one of the first things we talk about is prenatal vitamins. And while taking a prenatal is a great first step, one detail that often gets overlooked is the form of the B vitamins inside it.

Not all B vitamins are created equal. In fact, the form they come in can make a big difference in how well your body can actually use them.

At the clinic this month, our team has been reflecting on something simple, yet surprisingly powerful: the words we use both when speaking to others and when speaking to ourselves.

Many of us move through the day speaking automatically. We might say things like “I’m always tired,” “I’m terrible at this,” or “My body is falling apart.” These phrases can seem harmless or even humorous in the moment, but over time they can quietly shape how we feel, how we heal, and how we see ourselves.

Circling back around with the Lunar New Year, I have some more thoughts about how it is celebrated versus our traditional approach to the new year in America. Mainly because I’ve already fizzled on some of my original goals I set for myself at the beginning of 2026, I felt the Lunar New Year provided another opportunity to reset, but coming from a different point of view.

If your digestion has felt off lately - bloating, irregular stools, food sensitivities, reflux, or unpredictable cravings, you’re not alone. We see this every day in the clinic.

Digestive symptoms often show up not because you’re doing something “wrong,” but because your system has been under strain. Stress, illness, travel, hormonal shifts, antibiotics, irregular routines, or simply doing too much for too long can all disrupt the gut’s natural rhythm.

The Lunar New Year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse - a combination that is bold, expressive, creative, and a little bit untamed in the best possible way.

Horse energy moves.
Fire energy radiates.

Together? They don’t tiptoe into the year. They gallop.

And in East Asian Medicine, Fire corresponds to one central emotion:

Joy.

If your skin has been looking tired, dull, or like it’s still recovering from everything (the holidays, winter, life), you’re not imagining it. Skin can absolutely get stuck in a rut, especially this time of year.

Enter: microneedling.

(Yes, it’s back. And yes, it’s worth revisiting.)

Before your brain jumps to “Isn’t that intense?” or “I’ll do that someday,” hear me out.

Every 60 years or so, the year of the Fire Horse gallops into the Chinese zodiac cycle, bringing with it an energy unlike any other. Bold and unpredictable, years of the horse are often remembered for its powerful influence  -  both on individuals born under its sign and on the world at large. As we shed our skin from the year of the snake (2025), we step into our strength and move forward in our path to intentional creativity and passion.

It’s hard to ignore it: the noise, the tension, the headlines, the constant pull to react. Even if you try to stay informed without getting overwhelmed, your nervous system still feels it. Many people are noticing more anxiety, disrupted sleep, irritability, fatigue, or a sense of heaviness they can’t quite explain.

If you’re feeling this way, you’re not broken - and you’re not alone.