Illuminate Your Life: a chinese medicine blog
The Lungs: Wise Judge
There is a wisdom in the exhale.
In Chinese medicine, the Lungs teach us the art of receiving and releasing—taking in what is nourishing, and gently letting go of what no longer belongs.
Welcome, Fall
There’s a quiet shift that happens as fall arrives.
The light softens. The air changes. And our bodies often begin asking for something different, too—a little more rest, a little more nourishment, a little more time to turn inward.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin, the trendiest of Fall’s bounty, is so incredibly healing. It’s full of beta-carotene which converts to Vitamin A in our bodies. Enjoy this delicious pumpkin muffin recipe, best served warm with a hot cup of tea!
Warm pumpkin smoothie
Chinese medicine recommends warm and cooked foods in general to stoke your digestive furnace, fuel your metabolism, transform fluids (think bloating, puffiness, water retention and loose stools) and strengthen your body’s ability to produce Qi and blood from the food you eat.
How to Strengthen Your Immune System for Fall
In Chinese medicine, the preceding season is when we can best prepare for upcoming health concerns. Late summer is the ideal time to prepare your immune system for the colds and flus we anticipate for fall and winter. So what can you do now? Start our simple and effective regimens today!
Chinese Medicine’s Take on Summer
Summer is here and in Chinese Medicine we rejoice in welcoming the most yang time of the year. Yang indicates a full expansion of energy. The days are at their longest, the temperature is at its warmest, and we as humans are at our most active.
Your Liver + Spring
As we move into Spring, we acupuncturists begin to see more involvement of the Liver in patients’ health patterns. Coupled with the Gall Bladder to represent the Wood element, the Liver manifests creativity, direction, justice and vision.
Essential Oils for the New Year
To be used alone or together; diffuse, smell, or place a diluted drop on the chest.