Blog
Healthy skin is like a healthy garden
Keeping skin healthy is a lot like keeping garden soil healthy. I came to this conclusion as a result of two experiences: working on an organic farm and learning how to heal my own inflammatory skin condition with herbs, nutrition, and acupuncture.
Roadblocks to healing
Earlier in my practice when someone came to me with a particular complaint, I tried to figure out how to directly treat the symptoms and condition, then balance the energy in the body.
Eat your veggies!
It’s summer! The growing season is at its peak. Farmers markets and grocery stores are chock full of locally grown vegetables in all colors, shapes, and sizes.
Herbs of the North Shore
At the beginning of August, I spent a few days on the North Shore at a personal retreat center called A Room of One’s Own, in Lutsen, MN. It was a wonderful break in the action before the big move! I especially enjoy hiking on the trails near Lake Superior, and taking in all the incredible plant life. Here are a few beautiful specimens that I found.
Healthy blood, healthy body
From the perspective of both Chinese and western medicine, the health of our blood is essential to our overall health. What can we do to support the health of our blood?
Taming the hot flash dragon
A common reason women visit Red Clover Clinic is to find relief from hot flashes associated with perimenopause and menopause. These seemingly random flushes of heat, often accompanied by sweat, can be very disruptive to daily life and, especially, to sleep.
Fend off the flu! 13 tips for 2013
The flu seems to be quite virulent this year. According to the latest statistics, this is considered to be the worst outbreak in a decade, with many flu-associated deaths. What can you do to protect yourself? Whether you are a proponent of the flu shot or not, the following tips will help to keep your immune system strong in 2013.
What is unique about German auricular acupuncture?
In the last issue of the Red Clover Clinic Newsletter you learned about German auricular acupuncture and why the ear provides us with such a powerful landscape from which to treat the whole body. Here’s a quick review:
German auricular acupuncture: its history and how it works
Over the past few months, I have been learning and practicing German auricular acupuncture, and have been very impressed by the results. The first question everyone asks is: “German acupuncture??” And the second question is: “Why the ear?” Read on for the answer to these questions. I hope to pique your interest in this interesting and effective medicine in a two-part article that will continue in the next issue.
Interrupting the pain cycle
When it comes to pain, it’s all in our heads.
Actually, pain is experienced by way of our brains, via a cycle described in detail below. Pain can be acute, resolved quickly, or chronic, variously defined as lasting longer than 3 to 6 months. Acupuncture is particularly helpful in interrupting the pain cycle, especially for chronic pain. Herbs and bodywork are useful as well, depending on the condition.
Pain in the muscles and connective tissues
At some point we have all experienced pain in the muscles and their surrounding connective tissues, known as myofascial pain. Some people experience this kind of pain, whether widespread or localized, at all times.
Tools for combatting headaches
Headaches come in many forms, all of them distressing. I commonly see people in the clinic who suffer from tension headaches, sinus headaches, cervicogenic (stemming from the neck) headaches, migraines, or various combinations of these.
Summertime, and the living is…sneezy
Along with sun, warmth, and relaxation, summer for many means hay fever. Not only does hay fever have annoying symptoms–sinus congestion and pain, sneezing, itching eyes and nose, runny eyes and nose–but it can also turn into a sinus infection and cause headaches.