Exploring pertinent health topics in Integrative and Chinese Medicine.
Enjoy the blog!
Sincerely,
Understanding Inflammation Pt.1: The Science Behind the Body’s Response
Recently, I’ve been digging into my interest (and fascination) with inflammation, a process innate and crucial to our wellbeing. The term has gotten a bad rep in recent years, which is well-deserved when we’re talking about chronic inflammation, rather than acute inflammation (see below). So I’m here to present a short, 3-part series to help...
A Special Time of Year (Pitṛ Pakṣa)
Not only is it the beginning of Fall in the Western calendar, it is a special period of two weeks called Pitṛ Pakṣa or the ‘Ancestral Fortnite’ in the Indian calendar. I recently engaged in an ancestral ritual according to Indian tradition. It was simple, accessible, and felt deeply meaningful. I learned about the practice...
Pricing & Services
Revised and Distributed Nov. 1 2024 For clarity, here’s a brief overview of my appointment blocks. “Cash-pay” refers to paying the same-day of your service, whether it’s cash, check, or charge. 25 minute appointments ($75) For cash-pay established patients who have an active treatment plan. This is for a single (1) treatment, not a combination,...
Sliding Scale Pricing & its’ Benefits
I have made the choice to try a new “tiered, class-equitable, pay-what-supports-you pricing.” The following text comes from my clinical mentor, Dr. Scott Blossom, L.Ac., who has offered sliding scale pricing for many years in clinic and retreats/ workshops. It has benefited me greatly and encourages us to engage in right relationship with our finances....
How to relate beautifully with the fire element
Image: NATIVE FAMILY, Joseph Lycett, c.1819, watercolor. National Library of Australia. In Chinese Medicine, the fire element greatly influences a great many functions of our body and mind, most notably the digestive and metabolic processes. Due to it’s complexity, this is more of a poem: O, Fire! Outside you are the radiant sun, self-sustaining combustion...
Why Does Pride Month 🏳️🌈 Matter?
Pride Month matters. It matters because it’s an important time to remember, first, that 2SLGBT+* people are not alone. Approx. 7.1% (Gallup, 2022) of the American population self-identify as part of the 2SLGBT+ community. This reality, coupled with unique circumstances and challenges we face, can easily create feelings of isolation in our lives. We are...
The Elegance of Peony and Licorice
This simple two-herb combination is considered a “dui-yao” in Chinese Medicine, a special pair of herbs that balance and encourage each other’s best therapeutic aspects. This pair even has their own formula name when combined: Shan Yao Gan Cao Tang. In my clinic, I use this pair weekly to solve muscle cramps, particularly those in...
Tips to Budget for Complimentary Health Care
Yikes, what’s happened with the economy? Even the model above is raising his hand in protest. Goods and Services are more expensive since the COVD-19 pandemic. Increased costs began with global supply chain issues and shortages, but inflation (and greed) seem to have fixed onto prices everywhere. 45% of Americans rate the economy today as...
Making Changes Slowly
In health as in life, the body and the mind can best accommodate change when it happens incrementally. Poco a poco. Each step that we take in a forward, positive direction will create small ripples that favor our progress, like the smooth lines trailing a duck who’s swum through rough waters. There are big things—quitting...
Why Clinical Trials in Acupuncture often Fail
This blog post is a quick overview of some of the ongoing issues to studying acupuncture in western-style clinical trials. If the idea of this bores you, skip to the final paragraphs for a short summary. Clinical studies for acupuncture in the West have generally been undertaken by well-meaning researchers, most of them competent. As...