It’s that time of year again for us parents - back to school! As I’ve been thinking about the upcoming shift in our schedule, I have been making plans. Of course, last year we had covid in the house the first week of school which turned all our grand plans upside down, so I know anything can happen, but here are a few things I’m doing to prep the family this year (in addition to getting school supplies and clothes, finding the lunch box and backpack, etc.).

Joy is a powerful and positive emotion that brings about a sense of happiness, delight, and contentment. It is often characterized by an intense feeling of pleasure and fulfillment, accompanied by a sense of inner satisfaction and well-being. Joy can arise from various sources, such as achieving a personal goal, spending time with loved ones, engaging in meaningful activities, or experiencing moments of beauty and awe

Breathing exercises are easily overlooked on the day to day, but they are really beneficial for resetting the nervous system to reduce stress and anxiety.

My rule of thumb is 5 - 5 - 5. Here’s how it works:

Recently I was listening to a podcast about the idea of deep listening, and how that contributes to the greater collective of consciousness. Have you ever noticed that you are forming your response or thinking about all the things you need to do while you are “listening” to someone talk?

Summer is all about Yang energy in motion and the element of Fire season increasing blood circulation. The Heart and Small Intestine are in focus this time of year – full of joy, anxiety and heat! It’s important to keep a close relationship with Water to maintain balance, as it’s easy for Fire to flare up when we’re outdoors having fun burning up fluids.

About 2 months ago, one of my longtime mentors was given a terminal diagnosis. Over the past few weeks I’ve watched him start his grieving process, and I have started mine. I have met with friends, former colleagues, and even an author who is writing a book about him to share our stories and wild adventures with my mentor and his clinic. So many memories, good, bad, and unbelievable, from sterilizing over 2500 cats and dogs in 6 days in the Yucatán, to saving a dog that had been quilled from a porcupine 2 weeks before our visit to the reservation and all the vets in the area had refused to help him, and to taking in a beaten and stabbed cat and her kittens so that a battered woman would finally leave her abuser…..and that’s just the very tip of the iceberg. 

Are your feet sore from making the seasonal switch into sandals? 

The big toe muscles tend to be the culprit for those who are prone to plantar fasciitis or bunion flare-ups. It can be tough and painful on the feet but fortunately acupuncture can work wonders to alleviate those shooting pain

Did you know the traditional Chinese medicine herbal formula known as Jade Windscreen powder (aka Yu Ping Feng San) can be used to treat seasonal allergies, allergic rhinitis, and even forms of pet dander??

So I got to thinking that maybe there are non-toxin-injecting ways we can hack this same facial feedback mechanism to our benefit.

Here’s what I came up with:

For this year, 2023, we are moving into a direction of beautiful growth and development. The energetics of this year are all about the true essence of yin and yang, the give and take, and balance of action(!!) and retraction. Imagine a bunny coming out of his/her hibernation into the snow, shaking dew its fluffy tail, ready to spring about! Doesn’t that bring you joy? A warm fuzzy feeling for the new year? I think so.

“What happens in the body reflects in the mind, and what happens in the mind reflects in the body.”

In my last blog post, I alluded to an explanation of the other types of “qi” we think about in Chinese medicine. Of course, if you’re reading this for the first time, qi is just the Chinese word for “energy” that circulates through our bodies at all times.

Instead of focusing on Halloween this year, I’ve been wanting to deepen my understanding of Dios de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” a Mexican holiday rooted in the tradition of honoring our ancestors. I have always been drawn to this tradition of setting up an Ofrenda, or putting out pictures and mementos of our loved ones who have gone before us. Since having a child, it really got me thinking about my own familial heritage, what that allows me to honor and leave behind, and of course, how to relate it to Traditional Chinese medicine. That might seem like a stretch, but hear me out.

We can feel the subtle shifts around us as Autumn settles in - the air is crisp and has a chill to it, the sun sets a little earlier and rises a little later, leaves are losing their color and falling to the ground, and we harvest the last offerings from our gardens as the plants break down to become fertilizer for the next year.

Here’s how it worked in real life: My husband started feeling sick the Sunday before school started. We had him isolate out of an abundance of caution, and then on Tuesday, the first day of school for the kiddo, he tested positive. Upset is Optional kicked in…

Over the last several months, I began each day in a state of panic. My worries centered around poor time management and extreme fatigue. I felt as if there were not enough hours in the day…

I can’t believe it’s that time of year again, but here we are! As you prepare to send your kids back to school, return as a teacher, admin, or parent…

Well, after 2.5 years it finally got me! Since that fateful March of 2020, we have been so careful! I finally let my guard down and took Worthy to his first in-person baby music class at the beginning of June… and didn’t wear a mask…

After my last email, I’ve had a bunch of people ask, “How does acupuncture help digestive conditions like IBS, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, constipation, and more?”

So, since I am of a certain age, I had the pleasure of having my first colonoscopy this month. First of all, I have to say none of it was as bad as I was expecting. Second of all, I’d like to share that I got a clean bill of health. Yay!