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Ginger Three Ways: Making Crystallized Ginger, Ginger Tea and Syrup

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginger is one of the most commonly used “herbs” in our toolkit. In this article, I’ll teach you what it can help with as well as some information about how it’s viewed from a Chinese Herbal standpoint. And as promised, I’ll give you a quick explanation for how to make your own crystallized ginger at home, which will also give you ginger tea and syrup. So. delicious.

As an acupuncturist and herbalist, here are the situations where I recommend ginger tea the most frequently: Read more

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How The Wisdom of Chinese Medicine Can Help You Optimize Your Cycles

When your hormones are functioning and coordinating really well, you know it. Your skin is great, there’s no bloating, your periods come on time and are not a big deal. But when things are off balance? It can impact you in a big way.

Below, I’ve outlined what I feel are the most important concepts for helping your hormones to hum along like a well-oiled machine. None of these concepts are particularly groundbreaking, but they are each absolutely vital. Pick one or two suggestions from this article (not everything at once- too overwhelming!), focus on them for a few months then see how it feels. Last of all, show yourself compassion when you’re trying to make shifts in your habits- nobody expects you to adhere to these concepts 100% of the time, and remember that when making changes it’s NORMAL and EXPECTED not to! Shoot for 80% of the time and this will still be a huge change.

Know Your Cycles

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Labor Induction Acupuncture: A New Approach

It’s a situation I’ve encountered many times: a woman calls me up because she’s been told that if she doesn’t go into labor on her own in a few more days, she’ll be induced.  Of course she wants to avoid this, and she has read about trying a “Labor Induction” acupuncture session.

After over 10 years of practice in women’s health and two years of an intensive perinatal acupuncture certificate program, I’ve learned there’s a better way to approach this issue, and it’s backed by studies as well as advice of medical practitioners. Read on to find out what I think is much more effective and relaxing than just this single “Labor Induction” session. I’ll also discuss the situations in which a labor induction treatment might be helpful. Read more

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How Can Acupuncture Help With Trigeminal Neuralgia Pain?

Imagine that things as simple as talking, chewing, smiling or feeling the wind brush against your cheek cause searing facial pain. You can’t live in the formerly carefree way you used to- chewing crusty bread or laughing with friends trigger pain that is so severe, you just avoid those activities altogether. Sounds pretty awful, right? For patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia, this describes everyday life. Read more