Blog
The Business of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is like yoga; you’ll feel good after one time, but the more you go the better you’ll feel. The secret is the deepening of your relationship with your own body. Well, honestly, it may not be a one to one ratio, you may hit some speed bumps along the road of health and wellness. There are “healing responses” that mean symptoms come up as they’re clearing out. Sometimes we have to re-experience symptoms as they’re being worked on by our body. It’s all about relationships. Your...
read morePerfection
Perfection, this culture, this lifetime, this country asks for it. The perfect present with the perfect bow. The perfect body, the perfect recipe for the perfect meal for the perfect family, who are we kidding, and what is perfect? I know perfection as a feeling of comfort and feeling at home in my body, a feeling of knowing my path and a certainty that I’m on it, all “mistakes” and hardships included. What’s the underlying drive, though? Let’s talk about perfection’s ugly and brutal cousin:...
read moreSugar!
My favorite article of clothing when I was little was a pink t-shit with red script reading “I never met a piece of chocolate I didn’t like.” The sentiment is still true. It was born into me, a love of chocolate, not just the cacao, but the sugar that brings out the deep chocolate tones. I still love chocolate, but the sugar is what I have a love/hate relationship with. It’s everywhere, and I can’t say no. I’ve been sugar free now for about 6 months…with a few missteps. If it’s in front of me,...
read moreWill Power
Will Power! Our American definition includes exerting ourselves through our stuck-ness to achieve a desired goal. Will power often means over-coming a large hurdle and pushing through some kind of yearning or desire or bad habit to get through to the next level. Or maybe using effort to manifest a thought or idea. Will power is a great quality to have. It’s an ability that is invaluable, but it often means a strong mind and exertion to achieve an idea or goal. How I hold will power in my practice is with ease and it can be a...
read moreSeed Cycling : natural hormone balance
Supporting your cycles!!! A lot of us have troubles at some point of our cycle. The more I research, the less surprised I am of this phenomenon. Our environment is rapidly changing, and not all aspects of this change support our health, I’d say the majority of the changes are negatively affecting us. Did you know that despite most of your friends that experience cramps, pain, bloating and moodiness (dysmenorrhea), they are not normal, common yes, but not what our system wants as normal! Our body doesn’t naturally need to...
read moreIt’s time to get creative with tea!
I’ve been jamming out on some amazingly refreshing iced teas! My favorite I wanted to share with you is my special hibiscus, rose, lemon balm and mint tea! I simply add these ingredients to water, gently boil for 10-15 minutes, stir in a touch of honey, cool, strain and pour over ice and add lime. I sometimes add some soda water as well. With all the color we are surrounded with right now, we may as well infuse our senses in every way! I love drinking this amazingly red concoction. Also, it’s good for you!...
read moreWhat is a Healer?
A co-worker is applying to acupuncture school and was asked to write an essay with the question: “what is a healer?” It got me thinking… A healer is your dog and cat, a plant, a massage therapist, a crystal, your grandma, organic leafy greens, your sports coach, musicians and artists, life coach, your astrologer… A healer (according to me) is someone or something, in that moment that has the intention to illuminate the bigger picture and expound upon it, and doesn’t get lost in your story. Let...
read morePain, is it your friend or foe?
The Pain in your brain is ready to wane. Your body deserves to be heard! Pain is a huge problem for us as humans! It is incredibly distracting and uncomfortable…or is it? Depending on what kind of pain you have, chronic or acute, and the severity of it, this can be a major factor in your life. I have been in the practice of moving towards my pain, at the suggestion of my yoga teacher. When experiencing mild to moderate discomfort, I focus my attention at the sight of my pain, and surprisingly it helps to manage it, and I learn a...
read moreSpring Resolutions: If the weather can change so rapidly, so can we!
It’s come to my attention that it’s time for shedding. Animals are shedding their winter coats, Portland is shedding it’s wintery chill, and some of its’ clouds, people are shedding toxins by cleansing. It’s time to make room for movement and blossoms and inspiration. The Spring is such a great time for cleaning, doing body cleanses and making changes, because there is more energy available from the sun and the Earth. There’s a certain freshness in the air that we want all through our lives. I...
read moreSpringtime
The Spring has popped and so have a lot of allergies! There are lots of ways to support your body through this season! There a lot of acupuncture points to create ease of itchy eyes, and running nose and that general discomfort so many people suffer from, especially in the Northwest! There are a lot of herbal aids too. One of the most exciting medicinal plants for the springtime are Stinging Nettles. This plant is a power plant, containing so many vitamins and minerals, it is a very beneficial spring tonic. The leaves has lots of iron,...
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