Do you feel that? Its called autumn.

Everyone has been coming into the clinic saying "Uh, I just feel so.. lethargic.. so scattered.." as if all the pieces were coming apart.

Yeah.. Thats because they kind of are.

It isnt you.. well, it IS you, but it is also everything else. Everyone else. It is nature. WE are nature, remember?

Just like in Spring, everyone gets buzzy and wiggles in their seats the anticipation of growth just around the bend- we match Nature.. And now, things begin to fall apart, everything is being swept around, there is a certain confusion that makes us want to go Inwards. And this makes sense. Our internal everything is preparing for the hibernation. We are preparing for the quietude and solitary confinement Winter naturally brings.

AND IT IS OKAY!!

Prepare for it! Embrace it! Start making lists of recipes that you want to cook- all the barbeques of Summer are going to go the way of the dodo now, so come up with a winterized version! My ladies and i have a knitting circle. (Yeah, we're badass..) and I think I am going to do a monthly 'Soup Party'.. So this is my plan, this is how I will get my kicks this winter.. come up with the ideas now while that summery social feeling still lingers.

Start eating roots. Ground veggies.. potatoes, carrots, SQUASH, parsnips, all of it. go back to the stews, the heavy meats.. Lamb, beef.. you don't need much, but it really helps to ground you and get your body ready. Maybe take a week (at least) off of booze, just allow your body a minute to recalibrate, to see where it is so that it can tell your brain what it needs.

Start listening. And stop fighting what you are hearing.

People are pissed because they are tired more. Yeah, the sun sets earlier, this is natural that we want and need more sleep- nature sort of programmed us. Roll with it. The answer is to not fight what is naturally occurring. I believe the discomfort often arises from our thinking it SHOULD be a different way. Well, it isn't. This is it. Lets get ready.

• Start the bundling/layering process.
• Continue to drink water- lots of us have started backing off, but its more of a temperature thing as opposed to a thirst thing, so maybe tea all day will help.
• If you are starting to feel that sick feeling- be careful, maybe don't go out that day, rest. People are already really getting sick. Remember last year? Everyone was sick. That whole swine thing..
• Stop with the salads and raw veggies. Start roasting and sautee the veggies.
• warming herbs like ginger and cinnamon, cumin, coriander- go buy fresh bottles..

Mostly though, it is a-ok that you are feeling out of whack.. look at the leaves gusting around, the same thing is happening within each of us. It is time. Just like in the Spring, we re-booted... Now we prepare for the shut-down.

Its going to be lovely if we let it...

Hitting the Reset Button

People seem to be saying lately 'something just isnt right' or 'I feel off-track'

This happens, and there is no reason, or explaination (we could come up with an excuse but..) as to why this has happened, and really, in the end, does it matter?

The point is, something is amiss, and it is uncomfortable, not quite in your skin, not quite flowing with Life.

A large part of hitting the reset button has to do with the decision to do it. It is along the same lines of admitting out loud there is a problem and assistance is needed. Just by doing that the change begins.

Your body wants to find its rhythm, its place. It wants to Re-find an order, balance,harmony, and flow that is you naturally.

Sometimes we need a little assistance, even when we are quite positive we 'should' be able to do it on our own. Help is not a four letter word over here.. help creates Flow, and THAT feels a m a z i n g ..

Be well!

cm

It's official!

We are in Logan Square, which is unbelievably exciting!!

The website has not yet been updated but our new location is 2908 W. Fullerton #205.

Its the NE corner of Milwaukee & Fullerton, super accessible by train & bus!

Now that the chaos of moving is behind us I will start writing more blog posts. Sorry for the delay in feeding you witty commentary on health, wellness, acupuncture, and TCM.. oh there is more where that came from!

I'm quoted, I believe, in the June issue of Mindful Metropolis, so check that out!

Be well, take care of yourself, and be back soon!!

cm

Oh We Are MOVING!!

We are moving to Logan Square!!!

Starting in June we will be at 2908 W. Fullerton (Fullerton & Milwaukee)

We are so excited! The space is just beautiful and really suits us. Our number will stay the same (312.243.1019) and all of our stuff on the website will be updated soon!

So please excuse my lacking correspondence! Mercury in retrograde (don't make fun of me- Im an acupuncturist, I would think that would make it obvious I also believe in astrological manifestations!) really has slooooowed me down a bit, but everything is about to rev into high gear!

Hope you are all well! Back with exciting randomness about acupuncture, health, & healing soon!

cm

Spring Cleaning & You!!

There are green sprouts bursting up and out of the ground.

Its happening, it has arrived!! S P R I N G !! oh joy!!!!

ah ah ah AHCHOOOOO.. Oh. Joy. Spring has arrived..

Its okay, this is natural this is how it works. Our bodies (ie, nature) is busting out of the winter cave/cocoon it has nestled into.. and this dusting off of the Qi doesnt always feel great. There is a restlessness, a tension surrounding it, and along with that everyone's noses and eyes are itchy and watery, or they're coughing..

Yeah thats your body, spring cleaning.

People in the clinic (including myself) have been complaining about a certain acheyness, muscles wanting to be stretched, a tiredness that feels.. frustrating..

FRUSTRATION!!!! What was that we just spoke of in a different post? Ahhhh, yes, the emotions and organ systems.

Welcome to Liver.

What I hadn't mentioned was that the organ systems also are connected to the seasons.

Again, welcome to Liver.

Spring is all about the movement, the growth, the spreading of the wings. This is Liver's job within us- it is in charge of moving qi. Well, it tends to get bent out of shape when it has obstacles and shaking off winter is one big huge obstacle! Sooooo, the Liver qi gets a little stuck, stagnant, and this creates.. FRUSTRATION!!!

But it too shall pass.

A great thing to do when feeling this type of angsty frustration is to sit, put your hand just below your belly button, and breathe so that your breath expands where your hand rests. This is breathing into your lower abdomen. And here is a cool thing.. Kind of blows my mind actually.. It is impossible to hold onto a frustration, an anxiety, or to be pissed if your belly is soft with breath.

Try it.

With each breath, it moves out, if just for a moment. That moment is often long enough for us to remember that there really isn't anything going on except our qi is trying to move. It is having a hard time and thus- we are frustrated.

Yawning is the body's natural way to try to move qi, so imagine how if we really focused on our breath being even and steady, down into the belly instead of shallow only at our upper chest, how much qi we would help move..


Ok back to Spring Cleaning..

Here are some ways to help move qi

• exercise, particularly stretching, running, pilates. You don't need too much, you don't need to break a big sweat.

• meditating, when your mind is still and your breath is even qi can move quite easily without your mental/emotional obstructions

• GREENS!!!! Arugula, Kale, Mustard Greens with Lemons! Delicious.. With every meal have a leafy green. These are very very tonifying for the Liver & the Spring system. Light steaming or sauteing.. Lemon water in the morning upon waking is great as well

• Oh yeah, ACUPUNCTURE!! I mean, this is what acupuncture does. It moves qi, unblocks obstruction.

So we are offering a Spring Cleaning Treatment! $35 and it will really help your body restart, get the motors running and help your system clean up and get ready to move!!


Enjoy Spring! Breathe! Eat! Smile!!

Be well,

cm

Emotions emotions emotions

We love em, we hate em.. wait.. we have emotions about emotions.. they're everywhere. All the time. And sometimes they are problems. Often, actually, they linger in a big way.

So in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) all of our organ systems have a correlating emotion it is in charge of. Actually, more like, it is supposed to keep in check. And when an emotion seems to run amok, it points us towards the correlating orghan system to look for imbalances.

So, if one tends to anger easily, gets frustrated & short tempered often, we look at the Liver system and how its running. Lots of over-thinking and worrying, thinking about the what-ifs, thats Spleen. When there is a large sense of grief and saddness that cannot be shaken, we look towards the Lung. Fear is controlled (I use that term loosely) by the Kidneys, and here is the weird one.. Joy is ruled by the Emperor, the heart.

Now, when I say Joy, I mean that frenetic uncontrollable laughing nervous joy that scares the crap out of everyone else. The manic joy. Not Joie de vive of the everyday.

So we have emotions and these emotions help us, your friendly acupuncturists, to diagnose where your underlying issues may reside. Now when a friend or family member dies, obviously there will be grief, and that is normal. The Lung system can be boosted to help you to move through that grief, or if it feels that the grief is lingering longer than one is comfortable with, we help the system to move the emotion through. It is of course, a process.

All of the emotions are valuable as long as they come and then go, like a summer rain. When it lingers and soaks everything it begins to affect other organ systems.. Often more than one system is involved.If you are feeling a bit, off kilter.. a bit, oh i don't know, EMOTIONAL, and its kind of making you bonkers, your partner, also, bonkers, and there is no real rhyme nor reason to the lingering state, acupuncture may very well get you back on track, back to that lovely place of neutral. That place where we have emotions.. but they don't have us.

be well!

cm

Anxiety and its symptoms

We have all had anxiety at some point in our lives. Sometimes it is brief, and other times it lingers way too long. When this happens physical manifestations occur, often in the form of tummy troubles.. Doctors call it IBS, another amazing term for 'we have no idea but it involves your gut & poop'.. OH!! That! Obviously there is a pill for gut-poopitis, yes?

nope.

Because it is rarely due to a physical issue involving your stomach, intestines, gall bladder, liver.. it usually stems from those pesky things called thoughts & emotions..

So, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Spleen system is a pretty important guy.. The Spleen helps build blood, turns the food we consume into qi (its called gu qi, yes as in Gucci..) its work partner and best pal is the stomach, and like all organ systems, it is in charge of an emotion.

guess which one.. go on, guess.. A N X I E T Y !!

worry, rumination, over-thinking, nail-biting 'what if what if oh no oh no..' Yep, that's the Spleen system..

So, ok. We over think, we have anxiety, we are stressed.. and then suddenly our stomach is in a knot, we have a mixed bag when it comes to number two, and our appetite seems to also go all over the place.

Eventually the taxation on our Spleen-Stomach system gets to the point that we are not processing food properly. Eating now comes with its own anxiety. And that's just not okay.

So here is how TCM looks at this.. Your Spleen system is simply out of whack. It needs to be adjusted, it needs a boost. It needs help. It needs to be reminded what its job is, so that the stomach can do its job properly, so that food can be digested properly.

Acupuncture lowers anxiety. It just does. It brings your body back to neutral, back to the harmonizing place it wants to be. When your body, your qi, is flowing properly, the systems work well. Your Spleen can take the qi from the food, your stomach can process the food, and you can breathe easier because your anxiety levels are lower. Your anxiety levels are lower because your spleen is balanced so it doesn't have to over-think thoughts, which becomes anxiety..

This isn't A treatment tho. You wont walk out of the clinic with everything right as rain for ever and ever. Maybe for the day, maybe even for 3. But your body's imbalances are probably pretty big if it has brought you to the acupuncturist. So it may take a bit, but with each session, the anxiety will lessen, the digestion will get smoother, the bloating will minimize, and you will know you aren't doomed to hating the idea of eating for the rest of your life.

Be well, breathe deeply, smile.. the sun is out, and there is always a ray of hope..

cm

a couple price changes!!

hi!

we have yet to change a couple of things on the website as far as pricing!

HERBAL CONSULT --- $55
-FOLLOW UP -- $35

NUTRITIONAL CONSULT $45


FEEL GOOD BALANCE TX $25

COLD/FLU TX $45

sorry for the inconvenience of it not yet being up on the site!!

Be well & Healthy!

Treating Pain

Pain is one of the most common symptoms people come into the clinic for.
Back pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, any type of pain is addressed with acupuncture and herbs because all pain, no matter where or 'how' it happened can be treated.

All pain is considered stagnation.

The qi and blood arent flowing properly, perhaps because of an injury, which stopped the flow, thus creating a blockage, or there isnt enough qi and blood to flow properly, instead of a river, there is a stream that doesnt move through the c hannels with enough gusto, and the slowing of the movement creates a blockage, a stagnation.

So we figure out which of these issues your pain can be attributed to and either help remove the blockage from the river, or help build the stream into a river so that it can move freer and faster on its own! Make sense?

Relief is often felt with the first treatment, but it make take a few sessions to really remove that blockage fully, and building a river often takes even more time.

The point is though, its treatable. We dont have to be in pain or constantly taking pain medications. They are band-aids. An amazing part of this medicine is that it solves the root of the problem (there is a huge tree in the river) while addressing the symptoms (the pain)..

cm

This Sunday! At Turbodog Forest Yoga Center!

Kristen & I have been invited to Turbodo Spirit Center www.turbodog spiritcenter.com
which specializes in Forest Yoga, to be a part of their Educational Event Series!

We will be giving a talk on the Basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine! We will cover basic information like


• The general theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• An overview on how we diagnose imbalances in the body
• The need to have a different and unique approach/treatment for each client
• The use of herbs and acupuncture in treatment

We're excited, and hope to share with new people, introducing the benefits of tcm & acupuncture to a new community!

12:30-2pm 327 N. Bell

All are welcome to attend this TSC educational event.
FREE for 3+ Members and their families | Non-Members $20
Questions? Contact Anne at annepaulson311@gmail.com or Doreen at doelala@sbcglobal.net

--

Community Acupuncture!

This Sunday, the 10th of January, Kristen and I will be at Bend Yoga doing Community Acupuncture!

Bend Yoga & Movement Studio
906 N. Damen, Chicago
5:30-6:30

$15

This is a great way to be introduced to acupuncture, or just to hit the reset button after a long week!

You can sign up at Bend Yoga by calling or emailing!
http://www.bendyogachicago.com/index.html