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How to Lower Your Toxic Load (and Why You Should Care)

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What is “toxic load?” It’s not meant to scare you!

Toxic load is the accumulation of harmful substances within the body from a variety of sources. So where do toxins come from?

-external environment
-internal environment
-personal care products
-food
-water
-drugs
-medications.
...to name just a FEW!

Toxins are not always visible but don't be afraid. The more you know the more you can make informed decisions. 

Your body has entire sy…

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How to Fortify Your Immune System So Sickness Doesn't Scare You 

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When you hear “immune system” the first thing you probably think of is sickness. The immune system’s job is to fight pathogens and keep us healthy. In Western medicine there is a focus on disease treatment and less on prevention.

But do you only think about immune function as it relates to only sickness?

Chinese medicine perspective on immunity focuses on a person’s constitutional strength versus the strength of a pathogen. In TCM the Wei Qi is the defensive qi, ass…

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Understand & Align With Your Menstrual Cycle

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This may come as a shock to you but discomfort and pain during your menstrual phase is common but it is NOT NORMAL.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine your period is a vital sign. Pain, discomfort, emotional disturbances are a clue about what is out of balance.

A licensed Acupuncturist helps you get to the bottom of your symptoms. We don't gloss over the fact that you are doubled over with cramps, cry monthly from frustration, or have an entire week of he…

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Chinese Nutrition Therapy for Summer...What to Eat to Beat the Heat!

We are right in the middle of summer with some HOT days ahead, so it’s more important than ever to prioritize proper nourishment and hydration. Drinking lots of water is a great place to start, but there is more you can do! 

Did you know that the water found in fruits and vegetables is more bioavailable and more easily digested than the water you drink from your faucet/bottle/filter? This means that the foods you eat can make a BIG impact on your level of hydration.

TCM (Traditional Chinese Medi…

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Six Ways to Make a Smooth Shift into Spring

We have moved through the deep, nurturing, restful energy that Winter brings and now are shifting to the expansive, driving push that comes with Spring. We see this upward and outward energetic movement reflected in the flowers that bloom straight through the snow. This same energy is at play within our bodies too, affecting our Liver and Gallbladder organ systems most strongly. Symptoms like irritability, PMS, depression, anger, headache, high blood pressure, tendon injury, bloating, reflux, …

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Natural Ways to Increase Bone Healing

When it comes to healing and strengthening bones, it's great to have a whole bunch of tools at your disposal. Healing a fracture goes beyond wearing a cast and getting extra calcium. Implementing the information listed here can help a broken bone make a quick and complete recovery.


Nutrients for Bone Healing & How to Get Them From Food


Building and repairing bone requires more nutrients than just calcium, and those nutrients are best found in food! Start with what you put on your plate, an…

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7 TCM-Approved Recipes for Optimal Digestion

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The Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective on nutrition is quite different from what we're used to here in the U.S. and that's why it's so helpful. Eating according to TCM principles can make all the difference for people struggling with digestive issues like bloating, constipation, reflux, diarrhea, low energy, & chronic inflammation as a result of eating the Standard American Diet (there's a reason the acronym is SAD).


Basic TCM Principles to Heal Your Digestion


Cooked: Think of cookin…

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Why Acupuncture?

As an acupuncturist, by far the most common question I am asked is "What can you use it for?" The answer is, truly, just about everything. Acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine which uses a completely different medical model to diagnose and treat disease than Western medicine. A basic concept of TCM is that physical disease, pain, and emotional/mental disharmony can be attributed to an imbalance of the body's natural healing energy that flows through pathways within the bo…

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Feed Your Soul! (with Vegan Queso)

I found myself thinking today as I was doing some meal prepping for the week, "If the people who think vegans only eat leaves and twigs could see this food, they'd be shocked!" Among the meals on my counter were zucchini chickpea scramble, mini veggie frittatas, creamy potato kale soup, and vegan queso.

Every single meal is whole food based, gluten free, vegan, and organic!!! I am feeling very blessed to be surrounded by such nourishing and healing food, and wanted to share these delicious re…

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Easing into Autumn...Advice from an Acupuncturist

The change of seasons can be a tough time health-wise for lots of people, if they are not prepared and proactive about their self care. In Chinese medicine, the season of Fall is related to the lungs energetically. This means that physical issues relating to the lungs, such as colds, cough, weak immune function, or even bronchitis can arise. This also means that emotional releases of grief or "letting go" may come up for us as we shift into Fall energy.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, th…

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