Healthy Living

What are the 5 Elements, and Why Should I Care? An Introduction to one of our favorite theories

What are the 5 elements, and why should I care?

  • I like to think, why can’t I stop thinking! Do you need anything? Here, let me give it to you.  We don’t need to go anywhere, let’s just sit here and read…Introducing Earth

     

  • What is the best way to do this? How can I make sure I do it right? Why aren’t they doing it right? Tell me the rules or let me make the rules…Hello Metal

     

  • Who cares anyway? Nothing matters and life is a mystery. Let’s just sit back and see what happens. Welcome Water

     

  • Give me a goal and get out of my stinking way. Done is better than perfect. If you stop me I am going to get pissed off….Watch out for Wood.

     

  • I found a new favorite hobby, career, or art project that I am in love with!   What is this?  Did you see that?  I have an idea that I feel deeply about.  What is that shiny thing over there? I am passionate.  I am Fire.

 

This is not the way I was taught these elements.  In Chinese medicine school we learned about 5 element theory Read More

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Why do I keep waking up at the same time every night?

Is this you? Do you predictably open your eyes in the middle of the night only to look at the clock and see the exact same time (or pretty darn close) you did the night before? And the night before? And before?

It’s not an uncanny coincidence. In Chinese medicine, there is actually a reason for this, which has to do with a fascinating concept called the Horary Clock. Chances are you’ve heard one of us explain to you what meridians are and how energy travels through them to every point in our bodies. If we understand this movement of energy as a circuit which repeats itself, then the Horary Clock explains the times of day that Qi, or energy, is most active in one meridian or another.

What’s more is that this helps us to understand where there might be problems within our bodies and how to time specific activities for when they will be the most helpful for us. Have a look below to better understand what times of day Qi is most active in each of the meridians: Read More

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Learning Chinese Medicine in Ireland.

I love to study Chinese medicine. I love Ireland. Combine the two = dreams come true!

Years ago I learned one of my favorite teachers regularly teaches in Ireland.  At the time attending seemed impossible.  I had a lot of great reasons proving to myself that it was never going to happen (too much time away, too expensive, kids in college, and a favorite told to me once from another teacher ‘you have plenty to learn here in America’).

Life isn’t always easy, and through the last few years I feel like I was given the gift of realizing not to take any time for granted.  So last fall, in a moment of following my heart, I signed up for the class in spring of 2023.  I decided to change my story and figure out a way to get to Ireland.  Appropriately, we were going to be studying about how the stories we tell can affect our lives, for illness or for healing (or for traveling to Ireland after years of longing…but I digress).   I am happy to say, I figured out how to get there, and it was everything I had hoped for.

During the trip I jotted down Read More

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3 Essential Fertility Supplements

No matter how you’re trying to conceive, there’s no doubt that the nutrients we feed our bodies help set the stage for conception, implantation, and a healthy pregnancy. Much like our gardens, the soil has a much stronger chance of producing fruit when it has been prepared prior to the seed even being planted. This is where supplements come in. Supplements are just that: isolated nutrient compounds, frequently bound to other ingredients to make them more absorbable, that serve a specific metabolic function in the body. This can often make a huge difference in your fertility journey between success or otherwise.

The internet is vast and full of so much information to the point of being dizzying. It’s often difficult to even know where to begin and what your body even needs. So, let us get rid of the guesswork for you and walk you through some of the best things to be putting into your body on your path to pregnancy. Read More

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