It’s Wintertime!⛄ In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Winter is associated with the Water element and is known as the time of the Kidneys. TCM teaches us to live in harmony with the seasons. During this time of year, it's important to balance the Kidney energy and make the necessary dietary and lifestyle adjustments to harmonize with the season. In a previous blog post, we discussed the theory of Five Elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. This ancient Chinese sy

Fall is here! 🍂 The days are shorter, the weather is cooler – at least in some areas, 🙃 and leaves are starting to turn brown. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Fall is associated with the Metal element and is known as the time of the Lungs. During this time of year, it's important to balance the Lung energy and make the necessary dietary and lifestyle adjustments to harmonize with the season. In a previous blog post, we discussed the theory of Five Elements - Wood, Fi

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Nutrition therapy has been used for over 3000 years in the management of disease and to maintain health. Early concepts of TCM dietary therapy were mentioned in the Huang Di Nei Jing, a classical TCM text, as a means to enhance the effects of herbal medicine. Information has been refined over the years and foods are now also used to prevent and treat disease. Unlike Western nutrition’s focus on the biochemical makeup of foods, TCM nutriti

It's summertime! 😎 The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and flowers are blooming. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Summer is associated with the Fire element and is known as the time of the Heart. During this time of year, it's important to balance the Heart energy and make the necessary changes to harmonize with the season. In a previous blog post, we discussed the theory of Five Elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. This ancient Chinese system serves

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? 🤧 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help! Seasonal allergies affect millions of people each year triggering bouts of sneezing, a runny nose, sinus congestion, cough, itchy skin, and itchy, watery eyes. Allergies occur when the immune system misidentifies a normally harmless substance or particle, like pollen, as a foreign invader. In the body’s attempt to protect itself against this foreign invader, it launches an immune response

Spring has sprung!🌷 Spring is a time of growth, cleansing, and renewal. The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and flowers start to bloom. In Chinese medicine Spring is associated with the Wood element and is known as the time of the Liver. During this time of year it's important to balance the Liver energy and make the necessary dietary and lifestyle adjustments to harmonize with the season. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we have the theory of Five Elements whic

This question is often asked by patients just as their needles are being inserted. There are different theories to explain how acupuncture works. Let’s discuss it from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) vs. Western medicine point of view. We’ll start with a quick review of acupuncture. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine, hair-like needles into specific sites along the body. These specific sites called acupuncture points are where qi gathers and is transported