Savannah Community Acupuncture

01/17/2024

Winter is challenging for our physical and emotional health. Go underground so at springtime you have the yang qi to rise again.

In the comments section are some at home tips for the shutter and storage phase.

01/15/2024

The yang wood dragon year is right around the corner. Its fast and bold influence will affect us on both a personal and global level. But let's talk about what it means for those who experience migraines.

Migraine sufferers should be more vigilant this year. The gallbladder channel system may flare up, especially during the first half of the year when wood and fire unite as a disruptive force. Yang wood energy's affinity for the gallbladder network can sometimes get stagnant. This blockage can create pain along the temples and side of the head.

Other symptoms that one might have are high blood pressure, being quick to anger, depression, difficulty falling asleep, a history of ribs side pain or headaches after eating.

Some quick self care tips for a healthy gallbladder network:

1. Eat gallbladder friendly foods especially green and bitter ones like dandelion greens or mustard greens.

2. Make sleep a priority, preferably going to bed before 10:30 PM when wood energy starts to rise.

3. Get outside and move.

4. Research ways to better handle stress.

5. Avoid over extending yourself and only focus on what truly serves you.

6. Limit your screen time and exposure to news and politics.

7. Practice compassion which softens wood energy so that it isn't quick to anger and judgment.

8. Avoid chronic late night eating.

10/26/2023

Do you think meditation is about getting the mind to calm down? It might be why you hate doing it.

Trying to calm one's mind is a pointless exercise.

The mind isn't meant to stop thinking. Seven million years of evolution have designed it into a 24/7 thinking machine—especially about the life-threatening scary stuff.

Meditation is not molding the brain into something else. It's about watching your mind do its thing.

Even then, your brain won't stop chattering. But do it anyway. You'll be surprised how you change even though your brain doesn't.

Our brains can be a horror show at times. Meditation gives you a different perspective so you're triggered less.

This is a great podcast episode about the components of healing and why daily meditation is important for self care.

10/20/2023

Curing Insomnia Naturally: A Little-Known Remedy

https://savannahacupuncture.org/curing-insomnia-naturally-a-little-known-remedy/

10/18/2023

Keep an eye out for our latest article this week: Curing Insomnia Naturally: A Little-Known Remedy.

What helps you sleep better at night?

10/14/2023

We won best acupuncturist this year in Savannah Magazine. It was news to me too. Well a belated thank you to everyone and Savannah Magazine of course!

https://www.savannahmagazine.com/the-best-of-savannah-2023/

10/08/2023

A perspective on 's podcast about angry teens and .

"Anger is a way of freeing stuck energy in the wood system so that it can resume its natural upward expansion. Without that continual movement, body and mind cannot exist."

Angry Teens, Gun Violence & Chinese Medicine October 8, 2023 • By Savannah Community Acupuncture • Filed Under: Lifestyle In this week’s podcast of CNN’s One Thing, gun violence among teens is explored along with the young lives who have been cut short by it. At one point, the parents of a s...

07/27/2023

Curious about how the world around you affects your health?

Notes from Your Acupuncturist and I talk about how observing nature can help us become healthier and more resilient.

Listen now (50 min) | Chinese Medicine history, philosophy, and practical advice…all in one episode!

06/05/2023

Maintaining good health is like war. We need forward thinking strategies and a clear grasp of the battlefield.

Holistic Disease Models & The Next Pandemic June 5, 2023 • By Savannah Community Acupuncture • Filed Under: Lifestyle People often walk into my clinic for the first time and ask something like, “What do you have for allergies?” My reply is usually: “Nothing. But I’m sure I got something ...

01/18/2023

As we approach the new moon, we start feeling the energetic shift into a yin water rabbit year.

Aside from being lucky, Rabbits are alchemists. They combine herbs and potions for their curative properties. Cultivating health and a balanced lifestyle are major themes this year. This is why it's a really good year to hone your skills in the kitchen.

Nutrient dense food is the most potent long term investment for maintaining good health.

Fennel is an interesting and probably overlooked item in the produce section. It is not only a vegetable but the fronds are an herb and its seeds are a spice. It's pretty easy to add to dishes. You can thinly slice the bulbs and the fronds can also be used in salads or soups.

In the Chinese pharmacopoeia, we use fennel seeds for stomach aches or for someone with chronic digestive disorders due to a lack of digestive fire.

I got this chicken recipe from Max Lugavere's book, Genius Kitchen. It has a nice array of flavors I had never thought of combining before in a chicken dish like oranges, green apple and ginger.

01/13/2023

In Classical Chinese Medicine, the white tiger oversees the quadrant of the west. When the moon is in the white tiger, it is the way to nourish gathering.

In the seasons, we see this reflected in Autumn as the Earth gathers by drawing yang and water deep into the ground. This is why around that time the air feels dry and cool. It is also the time of the harvest.

Our digestion is also a process of gathering. It breaks down the important constituents of food so that they can be gathered as an energy source for our cells. Like the soil that brings forth life, cells are the building block of every part of the body and how it functions.

This is why eating nutrient dense food and being able to assimilate it are so critical.

One of my weekly habits to promote good digestion is the vegetable IV. I take a bunch of vegetables (some frozen), cook them for 25 minutes and then put them in a high speed blender.

I rely on this a lot while at work. It saves me from ordering out and along with a protein, I feel quite alright about facing the rest of my day.

01/04/2023

Have you ever paid attention to how flavors affect you? Maybe, you get more relaxed when you eat something sweet. Or bitter flavors make you want to go to the bathroom.

As far back as the Shang dynasty (1600-1045 BC), classical Chinese herbalists understood the five flavors and their energetic dynamics.They appreciated how flavors influenced the body AND mind.

But like most things in Chinese Medicine, what happens in the body is also a reflection of the world around us. Simply put, the flavors symbolize the movement of qi.

Whenever I write a formula, I construct a flavor profile that represents the therapeutic principles I want to accomplish. These principles are also critical in the kitchen.

The modern American diet tends to be very limited in its use of flavors, especially if we rely on processed foods. Certainly, expanding our pallet creates more interesting meals. But it will also provide a more balanced approach in which our diet heals us. Food is indeed medicine.

This miso beef stew from Max Lugavere's Genius Kitchen is an easy and accessible recipe while providing an opportunity to use a wide array of flavors.

I ended up using less monk fruit than what was called for and will probably cut back a little on the tamari next time. But overall, it was pretty awesome.