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!

Piggybacking on Cortnae’s article from last week… GUILTY: I have definitely been feeling the pinch to lose this last 10 pounds of baby weight that I accumulated, now that Worthy is 1!! If someone could find me the instant-body-shred secret, that would be great. Jokes aside, my excuses for eating everything have run out. 

The impending summer means I can’t hide in my sweaters anymore, so I have been determined to get moving and really hone in the diet.

“How to get fit in time for summer!”

We can all understand that this is not realistic, or sustainable for the majority of us…..but we still end up reading these articles trying to glean any hacks or tricks that we have yet to try! I invite you to shift your mindset from getting sliced and diced to setting a simple intention to have a more healthful summer. 

Since May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, we've been talking about how acupuncture can be used to help treat anxiety. A common question that we get asked is, “How many acupuncture treatments do you need to help manage anxiety?”

This is such a great question.

Acupuncture is cumulative. This means that after each treatment, the goal is for you to feel a little bit better, for a little longer, until you get to a place where you can manage your stress better. Then we can start spacing the treatments out, to see how you feel.

Did you know May is National Mental Health Awareness Month? Anxiety is one of the most common mental health struggles that we see in the clinic. Fortunately, acupuncture is wonderful for reducing anxiety, and there’s a surprising amount of research on the topic.

How does it work?

I have been getting a lot of questions about the Celluma, which we are using for the Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture, one of which is “Can I use that during my regular appointments?” To which I say why not? Let’s give it a shot. So, for the month of May, we’ll be offering a Celluma add-on for just $30 to any acupuncture treatment. Now, we only have one Celluma, so it’ll be a first come first serve thing, but if it’s available at your appointment time feel free to give it a try. 

Read on for what the makers of Celluma have to say:

One really common question I get about acupuncture for arthritis (and acupuncture in general!) is: “How many treatments do I need?” 

A typical course of treatment for acupuncture is once a week for 6-8 weeks. Acupuncture is cumulative, meaning its effects increase over time. So the goal is for you to feel a little better for a little longer after each treatment. 

After a series of weekly treatments, we would evaluate how you’re feeling and try to space out the treatments. For example, trying to go two weeks between treatments and seeing how you feel. 

Did you know that acupuncture can help reduce the pain associated with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis? 

These two types of joint pain have different root causes, but research shows that acupuncture can be helpful for both. 

Research supports the use of acupuncture for reducing pain and improving mobility in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. 

In a 2019 randomized controlled trial, acupuncture was found to reduce pain and improve mobility in osteoarthritis of the knee, together with usual care (biomedicine, typically NSAIDs), compared to usual care alone.

A couple of months ago, I had to email a selfie to another practitioner for a healing session so I snapped a shot, took a peek and went “EEEEK!!!!” I couldn’t believe my eyes! Did I have Bell’s Palsy? What happened? After a couple of smiles and winks, I convinced myself that I was okay. I took another photo, working to open my right eye and relax that side of my mouth at the same time. HA! What a disaster. After a few more tries, I got the picture you see on the left. Just a little smirky, not too bad, but definitely not as even as I had hoped, given the effort I was putting in.

So I decided it was time to see Cortnae for some facial rejuvenation acupuncture to see if she could even me out.