Articles

No matter your type or time of travel, the family First-Aid kit is an essential item. Though the standard First-aid kit contains the usual emergency care items, traditional Chinese medicine has its own special list of medicines to address common health issues that can come up during many adventures. Over the decades of teaching traditional Chinese herbal medicine, countless students have asked me to share my list of recommended herbal formulations to always have on hand. The Plum Flower® Travel Kit includes covers the most common emergency needs.

Huang Bai Summer Soup is a simple and nourishing soup that is perfect to clear Summer Heat and strengthen the middle Jiao. Making use of the corn cob after cutting off the kernels, in combination with the sweet crispness of carrots and sharpness of dried ginger make for a balanced and nutrient-rich treat.

During these times of isolation and physical separation, we like to make the best of it and take advantage when an opportunity presents. Sometimes, "Making Hay While the Sun Shines" comes with a cost: unexpected and unwanted aches and pains.

Summer is the time of year we are out in nature and enjoying the world around us. With nature in full bloom, not all of our friends and neighbors are necessarily enjoying all that nature provides. For some, Summer can also be a time of red irritated eyes, runny noses, sneezing, scratchy throats, and cough and wheezing, resulting from a combination of Wind and Wei Qi deficiency. Sang Ju Yin is highlighted as a summer formula for cooling summer heat.

Acupuncturist Michelle Gellis discusses how to modify your facial acupuncture protocol during the pandemic to safely continue your treatments, including modification of masks and your office environment. Thank you to FSOMA for allowing us to use a portion of this webinar recording.

Many acupuncturists are gradually reopening their practices. At the same time, a second wave of COVID-19 is sweeping through the country as people are becoming impatient with sanitation protocols and social distancing. Even while we have compassion for the hardships that the pandemic has created, it is ever more important to safeguard ourselves and our clinics and not let our guard down just because we wish to believe that the crisis is over. This article discusses Cupping and Master Tung points for promoting wellness along with protecting yourself and your practice.

As we slowly re-open our clinics, there are a few reasons to feel optimistic while still being cautious and very careful. Whether patients have had the virus or not, bodies, hearts and minds have certainly been stressed more than normal times. In the office, we may see patients that are recovering from milder illnesses as well as new pathologies and possibly aggravations of underlying constitutional conditions. With this in mind, I'd like to share my thoughts on some straightforward prepared herbal formulas to address a variety of clinical pictures you may encounter in the weeks and months ahead.

Five Flowers Tea, or Wu hua cha 五花茶 is a traditional Chinese folk tea, enjoyed especially during the summer months by Cantonese people in the hot and humid south. Sweet and slightly cold, its’ main TCM functions are to clear heat and toxins, drain dampness, promote urination, cool blood, and alleviate summertime wind-heat.

AWB made its fourth service trip to Espacio in February, right before CoVid shelter-in-place regulations went into effect. Luckily, we were able to complete a NADA ear acupuncture training for 10 midwives, who are now able to treat patients every day. A new birth center for migrant women has been created, and AWB continues to supply herbs, moxa, and telemedicine training for the midwifery team until we can resume service trips with greater safety. Read about Ximena, a midwife working towards creating an integrated clinic at the border offering bio-medical services and traditional, culturally inclusive healing therapies.