Acupuncture

How to Ease into Daylight Savings Time

How to Ease into Daylight Savings Time

Daylight savings can be a great help to many of us, annoying and disruptive to others. Regardless, it happened. Now, how do we manage our cycles and systems in order to support ease in our transition? This article is all about ways to support yourself and those around you as you shift over the next couple weeks.

Mindfulness is Healthier than a Workout?

Mindfulness is Healthier than a Workout?

That’s right. I was a bit surprised to learn this too. Also thrilled!! Okay so it’s true, I don’t like exercise unless it’s a hike or other walk with lovely nature scenes to enjoy. I do love meditation and mindfulness however. And it sounds like that is a lucky fact. It was here, on NPR that I first heart of this.

How to Eat and Live in Support of Your Adrenals

How to Eat and Live in Support of Your Adrenals

Stress causes increased levels of stress hormones in the body.  You have likely heard of adrenaline, cortisol is also a big one.  We want cortisol to stay in its antagonistic relationship with melatonin, so that we wake up with energy and fall asleep naturally and easily.  If that is thrown off by stress, then we begin to feel poorly, tired, foggy headed, insomnia, anxiety, and more

Cold Truth About Ice

Someone rolls their ankle. Immediately, everyone has the same reaction; “Get some ice on it!” We, as a culture, have been icing injuries since the 1970’s, but has anyone ever stopped to ask ‘why?’ 

I did. I wrote my doctoral capstone on ice, titled ‘Ice: Misused and Over Prescribed.’ After digging into the history and evidence of icing injuries I found the following; ice is great for numbing pain, slows inflammation (which is an essential part of healing), prolongs injury and recovery, and can cause damage to tissue (though this is quite rare). This means that ice is overused and overprescribed. It should only be used to manage pain or slow biochemical decay (in instances like losing a finger with the possibility of it being reattached). Ice alone should not be used to expedite the healing process. 

Terminal Illness, Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

Terminal Illness, Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

When you or someone close to you is experiencing grief or the end of their lives, it can be life-changing. Ongoing acupuncture care and support for you and your loved ones during the last part of the human journey can provide a space for the processes needed. Making time for care and attention to these needs allows for a healthy and stable closure to this experience of death.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Painful Periods

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Painful Periods

Painful menstruation is called dysmenorrhea, and refers the pain that occurs around the menstrual, or bleeding, phase of the cycle. There may be other associated symptoms like nausea, fatigue or diarrhea. While many people experience some cramping with their period, some have pain severe enough that it keeps them from doing their regular activities. They may rely on pain relievers and heating pads, but sometimes that is not enough. There are many possible causes for dysmenorrhea that can be explored with a gynecologist - endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, cysts, hormone imbalance, heavy periods, low back injury, past or present infection, pelvic nerve compression, pelvic inflammatory disease.

The Year of the Water Rabbit

The Year of the Water Rabbit

We are currently transitioning into the Year of the Yin Water Rabbit according to the Chinese calendar. It’s also going to be the year 4721! As I have been enjoying reading about the coming year and learning more about my chart as well as some of yours, I am reminded that astrology can provide an interesting prompt for exploration. Many of the customs around the new year serve to give us that opportunity - to celebrate, to set goals, to consider the value of relationships and the direction of our lives. Astrology, rather than fortune-telling, is a playful mirror to explore our potential. What follows is largely summarized from Tiger’s Play Astrology. I encourage you to read more there.

We Are Moving

We Are Moving

After 12 years in the Portland Medical Building, we have decided that it is time for a change of scenery. We are eager to announce, starting January 2nd, 2023 we will be seeing you at our new location in Cedar Hills. We will miss the downtown vibe, the people, the wonderful businesses that we have come to love, and the restaurants that we enjoy.

Facial Acupuncture and MORE! Facial Cupping, Gua Sha, Herbal Compresses...and why we love them

Facial Acupuncture and MORE! Facial Cupping, Gua Sha, Herbal Compresses...and why we love them

Someday soon, the masks will be coming off. Right? Regardless, we love skincare and cultivating a healthy, radiant complexion. Facial acupuncture also has more than just cosmetic applications, such as for sinus congestion, tension headache and jaw pain. It is especially effective when combined with another modality like facial cupping.

COVID Long-haul; treatment options with acupuncture + herbal medicine

COVID Long-haul; treatment options with acupuncture + herbal medicine

Now that we are two years into this COVID saga, here are the clinic we are becoming accustomed to seeing more and more patients who have had COVID and are still struggling with some lasting effects. Thankfully, we have found some tools that seem to be working well and fairly quickly for most.