Blog & Podcast
Welcome to my blog, where you’ll find articles and links to my podcast episodes.
If you’d like to discuss your health concerns or ask some specific questions, please contact me and we can get started on your journey to balanced health!
Why Does Food Hate Us So Much?
Why do so many of us struggle with how we feel after eating? Many people feel bloated, get indigestion, or get diarrhea after eating, and can't figure out why. There are many possible reasons for this, and things we can do about it! Get some insight on what's going on and some quick tips to help.
Move the Qi, Relieve the Pain
The most common reason for back pain, or pain anywhere in the body, is stagnation of Qi along the meridian system. There is an old Chinese saying which is also the motto of my acupuncture school, “Where there is stagnation there is pain… And where there is pain there will be stagnation.” (In Chinese pinyin: Pu tong su tong… Tong su pu tong.)
Autoimmunity: Early Detection Can Change Your Future
There is a good chance you will find some degree of autoimmunity in any random person off the street - one out of five Americans currently suffer from autoimmune disease. Their immune system loses the ability to determine self tissues from non-self tissues and launch deliberate attacks against them. This can come in many forms such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few. Some simple tests can help you stop or slow the progression. If you have concerns about your status or have a family history of autoimmune disease, this article is for you!
Are You Overweight? Or Mostly Just Inflamed?
By far one of the most common questions I get is if I can help with weight loss. It seems to be something that most people want to do at some point in their lives, but also something that people want to see happen quickly and without a great deal of effort. Perhaps that is just human nature. But what I see going on out there is that people will tend to start down some particular path, usually involving a gym membership or a fancy piece of equipment, only to lose faith in their program after a month or so with very little to show for it in the end! It can be very frustrating and bad for morale in general to fail time after time with something so important as one’s health and/or positive self image. So what gives? Why is it so tough sometimes to lose the weight and keep it off?
Amazing Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
I'm sure the recipe name sounds like I'm over-hyping it a bit, but seriously this cake is the most delicious cake* I've ever had. (*Not sure what the official criteria is of a cake, but this is cake in my book). Made with everything you'd expect in cake, but with only 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in place of flour! It's incredibly moist, almost mousse-like, with a light sweet flavor. My husband took one bite and said, "This is special." As in - stop the presses. This is so good.
Our Favorite Gluten Free Waffle Recipe
For National Waffle Day, here is a stellar gluten-free waffle recipe! Tried and true, our family loves this breakfast treat!
The Domino Effect of an Imbalanced Thyroid - Your Answer to Many Health Questions
The Thyroid System is complex and significant. It promotes cellular activity, helps us to be happy, healthy, and energetic. It allows our immune system and brain to operate well. It influences how our sex hormones operate and how much weight we carry. The trouble is understanding it. In this article I describe the Thyroid system and its subtle factors that, when missed, may just be the difference between success and failure to pull a person back into balance.
Keeping Your Brain Healthy - Video Presentation
Everything that we think, feel and experience is because of our brain. A sick brain equals poor health and poor outlook in general. There are a great many factors that are working against us in this area of our health. In this talk I cover several key concepts involved in neurological decline and some tips on how to stop them before they even start. Do something proactive for your health today and watch this video!
De-stress with Acupuncture!
If there’s one thing that everyone experiences at times, it’s stress. More people experience stress than back pain, for example, and a great many of us experience some form of chronic stress. This person might be a student, or a new parent who isn’t sleeping, or in a difficult relationship to name a few. These are things that can go on for a long time. So this is one area that we should all think about using acupuncture for more often!
Packing Wholesome Gluten-Free Lunches for Kids
Some of you may have heard about the Kraft Heinz Lunchables Recall. Apparently there were "undeclared allergens and misbranding." This is so frustrating, because as busy parents we don't always have the time to plan out wholesome lunches for our kids, and we can't necessarily rely on the schools to provide a lunch that is healthy or even tasty. Those pre-packed lunch kits are tempting since they save time, but is it what we want our kids eating? Especially if we're trying to be ingredient aware?
Fitbit Captures Patient Recovery
I wanted to take a moment and share a recent case study that I find to be particularly interesting. Most of the time when I work with a patient we start with a set of symptoms or even a known medical condition. Some tests are ordered, results observed and a plan of action is set in motion. An improvement in symptoms, and/or a follow up test weeks or months later tells us if our efforts were effective. But an interesting thing is starting to happen. My patients are coming in wearing a Fitbit or some other handy device that measures all sorts of things about their daily physiology. This provides for both of us some powerful feedback in real time as to how the strategies we are employing are actually working. The basis of this piece is in regards to just such a patient experience.
Delicious and Easy Flourless Blender Muffin Recipe
Try this delicious and fast muffin recipe that is gluten-free. In fact, it's flourless! Mix with your blender, customize with whatever you'd like to stir in, and pop in the oven. You'll be having breakfast in 15 minutes!
A Fresh Look at Cholesterol and Vascular Health
Vascular Disease continues to be the number one killer worldwide. At the same time Statins (cholesterol lowering medications) are being prescribed in higher and higher amounts every year. With millions of people taking Statins every day, one would think that vascular disease would be on the decline. However, these medications are having a very small impact on the incidence of heart attacks. Why is that?
The SIBO Curse
Have you ever known anyone who, no matter what they eat, they blow up like a balloon and suffer painful and uncomfortable gas and bloating? Perhaps you even experience this yourself? You may have been to every doctor in town and tried every probiotic with no avail. A lot of your friends, who pay attention to natural medicine, all feel that you most definitely have the dreaded candida (yeast) curse! I end up hearing so much about candida from my patients that it is surprising really. So you go on a radical diet, take probiotics and a bunch of anti-candida herbs. Nothing works. And in fact you think that it might have made you worse! Okay, what already? What could be causing so much discomfort?
Homemade Gluten Free Mochi Cake
The next time you're looking for a gluten free treat that is potluck and party worthy, try this addictive and delicious Japanese dessert recipe!
The Estrogen / Thyroid Connection
I want to describe to you a rather obscure tidbit pertaining to estrogen and its relationship to thyroid function. Low thyroid function is something that I talk a lot about because it affects a great many people weather they know it or not. Indeed the thyroid gland is very misunderstood and is certainly mistreated through the mainstream approach. But the thyroid gland itself aside, this article is focused on how thyroid hormone activity (not thyroid hormone production) can be hindered due to imbalances in the sex hormone estrogen.
Hair Loss in Women: Stress or Something More Masculine?
It is quite astonishing really the number of women I hear of complaining of hair loss these days. It may not be massive hair loss mind you, but this is something that we tend to pay attention to. It is something that a great many men end up looking forward to if they like it or not, but for women, it is a whole other thing completely. Hair loss in a woman when it is bad can be a significant source of anxiety and poor self image. So what is going on? Why do I hear about it so often these days? Well, like many other medical conditions, hair loss has a lot to do with our lifestyle. It may just be possible that you are contributing directly to your hair loss every day without knowing it.
Leaky Gut Syndrome... I'm leaking from where now?!
Is anyone else out there fascinated with the colon… Or is it just me? And why on Earth would I want to talk about “Leaky Gut Syndrome” anyway? It is a rather eloquently named pathology don't you think? Contrary to the graphic image that it hints towards, Leaky Gut Syndrome does not have anything to do with that synthetic fat substitute that came out in the 80’s which caused anal leakage. I suppose that would be called "Leaky Butt Syndrome." Leaky Gut Syndrome is much more dangerous than that. And here’s why:
A Body Fighting Against Itself
Probably one of the most up and coming of serious medical problems facing Americans today is auto-immunity. An auto-immune condition is one in which the immune system works to attack a particular tissue in the body. This problem can lead to a huge variety of disorders including Type I Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s (auto-immune thyroid), and many many more. The title of this article is actually two fold. It points out that not only are our bodies fighting against themselves, but the medical establishment, and the population as a whole is also caught up in a system that is working towards self destruction.
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