Targeted Health Alliance

11/04/2025

Thank you for all the birthday love and wishes!! I have 1 more year to be thankful for.

10/20/2022

07/08/2022

Can You Live a Life Unplugged?

These days with the limits to social gatherings and shift to working from home, it might be unrealistic to completely unplug from your digital devices. However, don't forget to decompress and take breaks when you can!

All of our electronic screens (from computers to cell phones, TVs and watches) bombard us with information and can lead to mental overburdening - an imbalance of our internal organs; the Heart in particular says Traditional Chinese Medicine. This overuse of our mental energy or “Qi” can dramatically affect the body, from insomnia to heart palpitations to poor appetite and digestion.

Giving up every device all at once may feel like you’ve traveled back in time, but unplugging a bit at a time can really add up in saving your “Qi”. Choose one hour to live unplugged today, and don’t cheat! Then amp it up—add additional hour-long breaks throughout the day. For even greater benefit, spend the electronic-free hour outside in the summer air - just remember to leave your phone and smartwatch at home!

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your body and how your organs can become imbalanced. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

07/01/2022

Food, Digestibility & Metabolism Function

These days, the health news is abuzz with superfoods that are recommended for everyone to include in their daily diet. From increasing antioxidants to reducing free radicals, and those particularly high in vitamins and minerals. This list grows to include dark chocolate, goji berries, grapefruit and spinach.

Traditional Chinese Medicine also sees each food with certain properties that are beneficial to the body and help to balance it. Every food has an energetic property; from the way it was grown, to the location and environment that it was grown in, to the season it was harvested in. All of these factors impact this energetic property. And finally to go a step further, the way the foods are prepared also have some bearing on their digestibility.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, though there are some food choices that are better than others, even if you eat the best food available, the most important point is that your body has to be able to digest it! It is not just what you eat, but what you can digest that is the key. If your digestive system isn’t strong, you won't be able to get the benefits from the foods that you’re eating.

So what helps you process what you’ve eaten? Chinese Medicine focuses on the Spleen and Stomach. While one allows for the physical digestion of the foods that you ingest, the other regulates the passage of the excess. Alongside these two, several other organs also coordinate the proper processing of the food and the distribution of the nutrients to the rest of your body and physical organs.

For example, if you already have cold hands and feet, are constantly bloated, or suffer from food allergies, you will likely have trouble absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat. The first step toward healing is strengthening your digestive organ, the Spleen, with foods that are easily digestible and nurturing.

Here’s a quick tip:

The digestive system loves warmth and dislikes cold. Reduce the amount of raw foods you eat and avoid putting ice in your drinks. This small change will help the digestive system reduce the amount of energy or “Qi” that is required for complete digestion to occur.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your digestive health and how the food you eat affects your digestive organs. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

06/24/2022

Tips to Relieve Stress (and Save Your Waistline)

According to Chinese medicine, the health of the Liver organ is crucial for metabolic health and maintaining a normal weight. How do you keep your Liver healthy and strong? Remember, the Liver is the organ that is most affected by emotional stress, and not being able to express yourself and follow your true desires. If you have a lot of stress, repressed anger or discontent in your life, your Liver function will be compromised. And because it’s such an important organ for digestive health, your metabolism will also eventually become compromised, and you’ll start piling on the pounds, little by little. In simple terms, stress can make you gain weight.

So it’s not just about the food you eat. It’s about being happy, doing whatever you see fit, expressing yourself openly, being your own unique self and truly learning not to care about what other people think of you. It’s about learning to let go of stress and things that bother you, so that you can live in true contentment and freedom.

Two easy ways to boost your Liver function and release stress and negative emotions:

Tip #1: Follow your heart and say what’s on your mind. Don’t hold back!

Tip #2: Have a temper tantrum. Seriously–it’s better out than in! If you aren’t able to express your stress or anger, find ways to release it.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your body and how excessive emotions can affect it. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

06/17/2022

Information Overload

Isn’t it amazing how all living systems have an innate ability to harmonize themselves with their environment? However, with all the electronic information that we are now bombarded with (social media included), this natural balance is easily toppled. The result… often insomnia and jittered nerves.

Rarely do we stop to think about the “soup” of magnetic and electro-magnetic fields (EMF) we’re immersed in — from computers, cell phones, TVs, watches, and more. These devices that are so essential to our daily life throughout this pandemic overburden us mentally when we are subjected to this information overload.

This constant stream of information leads to an imbalance of our internal organs; the Heart in particular says Traditional Chinese Medicine. The overuse of your mental energy or “Qi” can dramatically affect your body, from insomnia to heart palpitations to poor appetite and digestion.

A simple way to conserve more Qi and maintain better internal balance is to take periodic breaks from electrical devices and to avoid being on our devices 24/7. Easier said than done, for sure! You can also try these simple tips for saving energy and using your “Qi” instead to rebalance and harmonize your body for better sleep:

– Leave your cell phone and watch at home.
– Designate a certain time of the day or evening that is cell phone and computer-free.
– If you work longer hours, take frequent breaks: get up, stretch or take a walk outside.
– Place a green plant on your desk and look at it every fifteen minutes or so.
– Go on a TV and newspaper fast for a few days. Life goes on; you won’t miss much!
– Avoid sleeping near clocks, radios, TVs or cell phones so their vibrations don’t disrupt your body’s function and peaceful sleep.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your body and how information overload can negatively impact your sleep. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

06/03/2022

Gain Energy With Healthy Eating and Chinese Medicine

With only a few weeks away from the official start of Summer, now might be a great time to think about healthy eating habits before the rush into the BBQ season.

The Chinese Medicine way of healthy eating is a very different way of looking at body nutrition. Instead of focusing on calories or nutrients, Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the body’s constitution, food intake, and energy expenditure as a whole - kind of like a three sided see-saw. These three individual parts balance each other, allowing for digestion and nutritional intake to occur. When any one of these three sides become overactive or weakened, it affects the other two, and the body’s ability to properly digest food becomes negatively impacted.

This perspective approaches healthy eating with a different understanding of why people gain weight in the first place. Instead of just focusing on an excessive amount of caloric intake, other factors such as stress, hectic lifestyles, and informational overload also play a role in digestion and the body’s ability to take up nutrients. These “energy drains” deplete the body of the “Qi” or energy needed for proper digestion to occur, and can over time affect the body’s balance and lead to weight gain.

This low energy state leads to compromised digestive function, which then creates a state of inefficient conversion of food into “Qi”. This cyclical process is what causes the end result of weight gain.

Here are some tips on how to eat to gain energy and restore balance:

Eat to stop energy drains! By getting rid of unhealthy dietary habits that stress your body’s digestive function and cause “energy drains,” you’ll save “Qi” that can be used to repair and maintain your digestive system. Skipping breakfast, eating late at night after 7pm, eating way past full, and eating cold, raw foods are all energy-draining dietary habits.

Eat foods that benefit your body’s energy-producing organs. Eating foods that have specific energetic properties for healing the Stomach, Spleen, Liver, and Kidney will go a long way to counteract the effects of energy drains and stress. Once your major digestive organs, i.e. the Stomach and Spleen are in good form, you’ll naturally be able to transform your food into Qi much more efficiently.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your digestive health and how it relates to your emotions and food intake. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

05/20/2022

Procrastination: A Mind-Body Energy Drain

There’s no doubt about it: procrastination is a huge drain on your energy in mind, body and spirit. When we procrastinate, we are constantly worrying over a task we probably should have finished days ago. Putting things off for days, then weeks, and then, at the last minute, staying up all night to meet a deadline, can get pretty exhausting - and eventually affect your health in the long run as well.

As Chinese Medicine would say, the stress from worry and overthinking energetically over-stimulates and unbalances the function of our two most important digestive organs; the Stomach and the Spleen. While one is responsible for taking in nutrition, the other allows for the passage of the excess. When this system is disrupted by stress, your natural digestive ability becomes impacted and can result in symptoms of poor digestion; bloating, upset stomach, alternating diarrhea and constipation.

Isn’t it always a huge relief and a load off your mind when you finally finish that endless to-do list that has been on your desk for weeks?

If you really want to save your energy and keep your digestive system in optimal health, remember to never leave till tomorrow that which you can do today, and keep that to-do list short!

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your digestive health and how it relates to your emotions. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open on Sundays. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

05/13/2022

Give Your Eyes a Break!

With so much quarantining and staying at home, who doesn’t now spend a lot of time in front of digital screens? Whether it is a computer, phone, tablet, or TV, it is now simply an expected part of pandemic life. Yet day after day, this steady diet of concentrated visual focus can take its toll on our eyes.

Symptoms that indicate we’ve had too much? Red eyes, burning eyes, blurry vision, headaches, dizziness and even vertigo. Remember to give your eyes a break at every opportunity to help prevent strains and from developing other eye issues.

While you’re working, or scanning your social media feeds, get up from your desk to move and stretch whenever possible. Just like your bodily muscles, your eyes have muscles too! Spending extended amounts of time staring at a screen mere feet away can strain these muscles. So take frequent and short breaks (even from your phone) to look outside the window over the horizon.

Another simple way to give your eyes something different to focus on is to place a potted plant on your desk and every 15 minutes, or when your eyes feel tight or tired, shift your gaze to that plant. The key is to absorb in the green color while taking in several relaxing breaths and focusing on your breathing. Not only does this give your eyes something different to focus on, but the Green colour also resonates with the Liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine; the organ that nourishes our eyes!

So remember to take care of your eyes this Spring, and make time to see all the colours that are blooming around us outside.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your eye health and how it relates to the rest of your body. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open on Sundays. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

05/06/2022

Stay Calm During the Spring

Spring is an exciting time for most people. Nature reawakens from Winter’s rest and a sense of renewal fills the air as life bursts with energy!

Yet, quite often, with the arrival of Spring comes allergies, aggravated emotions, and other ailments. Why is that? In Chinese Medicine, when a season’s energy, or Qi, changes, your body needs to also flow with these cycles of change. During this seasonal change, you are at your most vulnerable. So if you are continually in a state of stress and anxiety, the amount of Qi you have available to deal with these seasonal changes is lessened, and your immune system becomes susceptible to pathogens, or “evils” around you.

In Chinese Medicine, the organ most closely related to Spring is the Liver. Your Liver naturally pursues a state of “going with the flow,” however when its Qi gets “stuck,” ailments start to appear and mentally you can often feel more depressed, frustrated, angry, stuck-in-a-rut, or even creatively blocked. So make sure this Spring to stay calm, go slow, and take a nice long walk in the park. Don’t get caught up in Spring’s intense weather flurries. Your Liver will thank you!

Here are two simple things you can do to help unblock your Liver’s flow of Qi and get moving again:

Eat to benefit and calm the Liver. Add into your Spring diet some green foods that are slightly bitter and sour in taste. Try dandelion greens, rapini, green plums, green apples, and baby cucumbers.
Try calming techniques such as yoga and massage to get your Qi flowing. You will feel lighter and less tense.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help you better understand your Liver and how it relates to you mentally. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open on Sundays. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com".

04/22/2022

Add Some “Sour” to Your Spring Cooking

Are you a pickle lover? Do you gravitate toward vinegar and lemon-based dressings? You’re heralding the Liver—lover of all things green, sour, and pickled. Sour is the taste associated with the Wood element, which is predominant in Spring, according to TCM’s Five Element framework. This unique framework places all phenomena into five essential patterns. Items in each element, such as taste, color, emotion, and internal organs, for example, resonate with all the others in that element and therefore can help nourish and balance them.

Take sour foods, for instance: a sour taste vibrates at the same energy frequency as the Liver and can, therefore, help it function at an optimal level. So “hot and sour” or “sweet and sour” recipes are especially beneficial for healthy Liver function. Spring is the best time to tune up the Liver, so try these two recipes that combine hot, sweet, and sour elements. Healthy Hot and Sour Soup and String Bean and Ginger Toss.

Then give these other Liver-friendly foods a try: pickles, bamboo shoots, eggplant, lemon, vinegar, bee pollen, fennel, lotus, broccoli rabe, garlic, safflower oil, dandelion greens, ginger, and scallions. These foods have been chosen for their healing essence. Each has the “wisdom” to support the body as it reawakens its healing abilities.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (m.facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help renew your mind-body-spirit for the coming Spring. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com" or over the phone at (416) 400-7123.

04/15/2022

Spring: Nature’s Renewal

In Spring, Nature seems to come back to life after a long winter’s rest. The earth wakes up, defrosting from the cold snow and cool air. Everything in it seems to come alive as well. Earthworms aerate the soil, adding nutrients that plants need to grow. Insects and animals living underground make burrows and homes for their offspring. Plants and trees come to life—their roots stretch deep down into the earth as their blossoms lift above and enliven the landscape. As these organisms die, their bodies and root systems break down, making the soil rich and fertile.

Every aspect of Nature works together in Spring. All living and nonliving things cooperate to form a healthy, booming ecosystem. Nature knows that plants need the right amounts of sunlight, soil and water to thrive. Nature knows that animals waking up from hibernation will begin searching for food and mating once the warmer weather arrives. And Nature must be ready.

Spring is Nature’s time. It’s a time of rebirth and renewal. Can you see it? Can you feel it? When you walk outside on a beautiful Spring day, you can sense the energy of Spring, if you are in tune with it. Birds chirp as they search for mates. Woodpeckers tap, tap, tap on trees. The sun’s radiance shines down as bees pollinate flowers. And people—yes, people—seem happier and friendlier. All of Nature is renewed with the warmth of the sun. Nature includes everything in the outer world as well as your own inner realm. You are part of Nature, and as Spring’s rebirth restores the land, it also restores you—from within.

The next time you are outside, take a few extra moments to really see the changes that are occurring. Feel the sun’s warmth. Notice the animals scampering and the leaves blowing in the wind. As the wind blows, the land is restored and refreshed. Close your eyes and breathe in deeply. With each breath you bring a renewed sense of healing into your own body. Breathe again and envision Spring coming within. With each breath in you get stronger, healthier, happier. With each breath out you cleanse your body little by little. Just as Spring renews the land, let it also renew you.

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Targeted Health Alliance offers personalized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the heart of Toronto on the Danforth. We always apply a "whole body" approach in our Chinese Medicine treatments, offering a variety of different modalities (acupuncture, herbal medications, tuina, and cupping to name a few).

To read more about the different TCM organs and how they affect your body, you can visit our page (m.facebook.com/TargetedHealthAlliance).

We would also love to see you in person for a more in-depth Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that will help renew your mind-body-spirit for the coming Spring. Traditional Chinese Medicine is covered by most major insurance companies. As a regulated multi-disciplinary complementary care clinic, we are open daily. Appointments can be made online at "https://targetedhealth.janeapp.com" or over the phone at (416) 400-7123.