Balance Blog
all things health, wellness, and Chinese Medicine
Essential oils are famously used for their scents, but extracting the essence of a plant makes a potent medicine. Used correctly, they can be very beneficial for many health issues. Essential oils are accessible and easy to use, and can help you feel calmer when they’re incorporated into your self-care routine. Chances are, you might already own one of these helpful antidotes for stress at home!
Practicing gratitude can be an amazing thing for your body and mind- especially during challenging and stressful times. Studies have shown that gratitude positively contributes to our spiritual wellbeing and mental health, our mood and sleep, and our cardiac health. And as we know, walking has innumerable health benefits on its own, from reducing heart disease to increasing mental cognition.
The Wood energy of the season wants to rise up, push through, and get things done. It’s active and energetic, and supports vision, creativity, and leadership. This is the time of year we would work on any blockages so we can have access to all that great energy. After all, the themes of the season are growth, rebirth, and renewal. When this energy is thwarted or constrained, the result is Qi stagnation.
There are 5 primary elements in Chinese medicine: they exist in everything, everyone, and are essential for life. Just like in our environment, the elements are constantly shifting and changing within us. We are a microcosm of the natural world that surrounds us. If we study nature and its cycles, we can learn how to support our own health with the five element theory.
Auriculotherapy refers to acupressure or acupuncture applied to the ear. In our practice, we use auriculotherapy to treat a wide variety of health conditions- anything from head to toe can be addressed! We love auriculotherapy because it’s a relatively non-invasive technique that’s convenient for our clients to use and receive.
Wherever you fall in the transition to the cold winter months, the teachings and practices of Chinese Medicine supports the body, mind and spirit in the midst of change. In preparation for Winter, our focus turns to strengthening the water element’s organ system pair, the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder, and practice that which we observe in nature: stillness and conservation.
Facial rejuvenation is designed to help the whole body look and feel younger. When we encounter a lot of stress or experience emotional times in our lives, it can often show on our face. The treatment is based on the principles of Chinese Medicine and involves the insertion of needles into not only the face, neck, head and ears; but also, the body.
Fall is the season of slowing down, contracting inward and beginning to store. It is the time to reserve our energy, to organize, set limits and heed boundaries. The endless energetic days of summer are over, we feel a call to refocus and shift inward. We also see this shift reflected in nature. Days are starting to shorten, leaves are turning, and crisp early mornings are becoming more frequent. As we adjust, so does nature.
We’re all familiar with spring cleaning, but fall is a perfect time to de-clutter and tidy up! Understanding the five elements allows us to bring harmony in our home and in ourselves. The fall welcomes in the metal element phase. After the growth of spring (wood) and the abundance of summer (fire), fall, the season of the metal element, is a time to decrease.
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