Wellness with Warming Pumpkin Chili

Continuing Wellness Through Seasonal Shifts

Courtesy of WellnessMama

This is a time of the year when our bodies transition out of warm air and cooling foods and we can make changes to our diet for continued wellness.  We can support this seasonal change by not only eating more warming foods but also eating seasonally.  This recipe gives a unique twist on the traditional chili by adding pumpkin.  Pumpkin is full of important vitamins and minerals and according to Chinese medicine, is a warming food that can help protect our bodies as we acclimate to cooler temperatures.  Let us know what you think!  How do you like to aide your body this time of year?

Wellness with Warming Pumpkin Chili

Grieving: Being Present To Love Not Strength

by: Carrie Nightshade, L.Ac., MSOM

grievingLove Not Strength While Grieving 

As fall barrels toward winter and the leaves race past Halloween, death and grieving have been on my mind. I feel like our white US culture is thin on healthy attitudes and healing around death. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer my senior year in high school. Being with my invincible mother as she was rocked by her terror of Death opened my eyes. Now, over twenty years later, my mother has been living with stage 4 cancer that has just come back for the fifth time. And she is no more comfortable with Death even though she has had him as a constant companion for a third of her life.

Read more “Grieving: Being Present To Love Not Strength”

Neck Pain: 3 Tips From An Acupuncturist

By:  Lisa Nelson, MA OTR/L, L.Ac., CIMT

neck pain

3 Mindful Tips to Ease Neck Pain

Acupuncture gets high marks in relieving neck stiffness and pain!

In addition, doing a self-assessment on how you sit at a computer desk can be a helpful way to see if how your environment and body position may be contributing to your neck pain symptoms. Read more “Neck Pain: 3 Tips From An Acupuncturist”

Fibroids: A Serious Issue for Black Women

by Joi Thomas, L.Ac., Dipl.O.M.

fibroidsFibroids Especially Troubling Amongst Black Women

Fibroids are a health issue that is very near and dear to my heart, partially because they are so common, but also because they can be treated so effectively by Chinese medicine.  Do you know what fibroids are?  You should!  They are non cancerous tumors which grow in and attached to the uterus.  Some of the issues that they can cause are heavier, prolonged and crampy periods, discomfort during sex, uncomfortable pressure on the bladder and challenges with fertility.  Due to the heavier bleeding, they can also result in anemia.
 
According to research, fibroids affect 40% of the general population of women and up to 80% of all Black women.  That means 8 out of 10 African American women deal with this issue.  Most of the symptoms of fibroids are more severe and they seem to affect black women when they are younger which can negatively impact their ability to have a baby. 

Read more “Fibroids: A Serious Issue for Black Women”

Digestive Bitters Can Help Tummy Woes

by: Rachel Orman, CMT, NCBTMB

digestive bittersA Little Digestive Bitters Can Go A Long Way!

That fullness, bloating, and gassiness after eating can be alleviated with digestive  bitters.  Even after not eating.  Maybe you’re just not feeling right? Many things contribute to not digesting one’s food properly, but over and over, I hear this common complaint.
 
Our culture does a great job talking about the physical components of a good diet, plenty of whole grains and fresh veggies with a good bit of protein. But what about the flavors and energetics of food and herbs?  Within chinese medicine and western herbal medicine, five flavors are categorized; salty, sweet, bitter, pungent, and sour. Along with the flavors, the energetics or the movement the flavors elicit in the body, are important. Perhaps another day I can talk about each of the flavors and what they do, but because I want to address bloating and gas in the stomach, I will start with bitter and sweet. 

Read more “Digestive Bitters Can Help Tummy Woes”

This Simple Yoga Pose With Restorative Benefits

Take a load off and restore with this simple yoga pose!

simple yoga pose
Legs up the wall variation
simple yoga pose
Legs up the wall modification
simple yoga pose
Legs up the wall with bolster

Simple Yoga Pose:  

Legs up the wall

Duration:  

5-20min

Benefits:

  • The Heart
  • The Lymph Systerm
  • Swollen tired legs, Edema, Varicose veins
  • Calming the mind
  • Menopause, Stress, Exhaustion

Read more “This Simple Yoga Pose With Restorative Benefits”

Fall Newsletter 2015

fall newsletter 2015

Our fall newsletter has been harvested!

Welcome to our fall newsletter!  We hope that you have had a fun filled summer and are ready for a rich, fruitful autumn. Fall is a time of harvest.  All of the tiny seeds that are planted in spring are now bearing fruit.  We hope that your life is feeding you!  If not, this is perfect time to change course.  What I see reflected in clinic and my own life is that our physical, emotional, and spiritual health is our creation.  If we like the way our body, mind and spirit is behaving – great! If not, it’s time to make new choices, because the life we’re living creates the body we’re currently experiencing.

Click image to view full pdf!

Featured in this fall newsletter:

  • Upcoming classes at Red Cricket
  • New yoga instructor and class
  • Meet Rachel Orman, our TuiNa massage expert
  • Tips for better neck health (you mean sitting at a computer all day isn’t healthy?)
  • Warming and healing pumpkin chili recipe

Easy Breath Technique to Decrease Stress

by: Juli Heath, Yoga Instructor RYT-230

easy breath technique

Stress Relief with This Easy Breath Technique!

We’ve been doing this easy breath technique our whole life.  Think about it…The first thing we do when we’re born is inhale.  The last thing we do as a human being is exhale.  In between the first inhale and the last exhale are countless breaths; each one keeping us alive… and yet we take our breath for granted.

Read more “Easy Breath Technique to Decrease Stress”

Eggplant Ragout

Eggplant RagoutThis eggplant ragout is a summer favorite and sure crowd pleaser!

Eggplant ragout is a delicious Mediterranean sauce which can be eaten plain or over noodles, or grains.  I served it over quinoa and it was super yummy.  The main veggies are the first four listed, but feel free to add others if you are so moved.

I just love this time of year, because the tomatoes are ripe!  One of the greatest pleasures of life is eating a sun warmed tomato just picked off the vine.  Sigh.

One of my good friends is an amazing gardener and she gifted me with a number of goodies which are in season right now which all together make one of my favorite dishes!  I thought I would pass on my loose recipe for you to take and make your own.
Read more “Eggplant Ragout”

Summer Newsletter 2015

Summer Newsletter 2015Our Summer newsletter is in full bloom!

Welcome to our early summer newsletter!  We are continuing to grow and expand at the clinic in order to find new and amazing ways to keep you healthy and happy this summer.  We are adding new yoga and movement classes for all ages taught by the best of the best to support a healthier you.

Click image to view full pdf!

Featured in this newsletter: