Acupuncture in Arcata
  • Home
    • Our Philosophy
  • Services
    • Acupuncture
    • Herbal Medicine
    • Moxibustion
    • Cupping
    • Gua Sha
    • Commonly treated conditions
  • Pregnancy
    • Acupuncture & Pregnancy Article
    • Prebirth Acupuncture
  • Community Offerings
  • Practitioner's Bio
  • Contact
  • Blog

Spring Cleaning

3/22/2025

1 Comment

 
Spring is a time of renewal, regeneration, rebirth, and new beginnings. A time when the little seedling emerges from under the hardened soil and pushes through to meet the light of day. As the little seedling awakens from it’s winter slumber, so do we humans. After a long period of hibernation, we too emerge.

As one human life follows the natural cycle from birth to death, we see that the seasons follow a similar cycle year after year. From birth and growth in the spring, to expansion and development in summer, to harvest and fruition; maturation in autumn, to old age and death in winter.

Spring in the Chinese Medicine system of the Five Elements is associated with the wood element. The wood element corresponds with growth, not just up and outward, but down and inward as well. It is the extension of the trees branches, as well as it’s intricate root system. It is a balancing of asserting ourselves in the world and allowing ourselves time to reflect on and root ourselves in our experiences. It is a time of creativity, growth, implementing new projects and putting into action new ideas.

As we move into spring we find we may have to do a little "house cleaning" in order to make room for the new. This may require letting go of some familiar habits and ways of thinking and being. This transition is not always easy, as there is a tendency to want to stay with what is familiar and well known to us, which can create a tremendous amount of resistance and stagnation.

In Chinese Medicine, the liver is responsible for the smooth flow of energy in the body. The liver corresponds to wood and spring. It has a tendency to accumulate stagnant energy, particularly in the highly contractive season of winter, when the affects of many months of eating heavier, heat producing foods, staying indoors and less exercise add to the difficulty we find making the transition from winter to spring, letting go and moving forward.

If the liver becomes stagnant, we see all kinds of imbalances in the body. We see emotions intensified, frustration and irritability arise, along with more anger and/or feelings of depression. We see headaches and other aches and pains throughout the body which are common manifestations of stagnant energy. The liver meridian (pathway) is said to open into the eyes. In the spring people may experience eye problems, such as red or itchy, teary eyes and many other symptoms due to the liver’s inability to move freely, as is it’s nature. 

This is why it is so important at this time, to get rid of any stagnation or accumulation  (physical, emotional and/or spiritual) that we may have developed over the winter months, so that we may continue our growth process smoothly, and harmoniously. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses the wisdom of nature to bring the body, mind and spirit back into balance. A seasonal rebalancing treatment is just what the ancient Chinese Medicine doctors ordered.

​
Picture
1 Comment

Down to the Bones

2/1/2025

1 Comment

 
The Chinese were keen observers of the natural world and noted the climatic effects of each particular season on the health and well being of their patients. They saw that certain organ systems and functions were more likely to become imbalanced at particular times of the year. In Chinese medicine theory, there are five natural elements (earth, metal, water, wood and fire) that exist within us, as they do in nature. Each season belongs to a particular element and has unique correspondences. When we study nature’s patterns and cycles, we can learn how to support our own health and stay well year-round.

​It is understood from a Chinese medicine point of view that the external climate associated with a particular season, cold, hot, damp, or dry, has a tendency to manifest itself in the body, presenting as symptoms within the organ systems associated with that particular time of year or season. Winter is associated with the water element. If we take time to observe what the animals and plants are doing at this time we will learn a lot about what is required of us to remain in balance with the season both internally and externally. Winter is the perfect time to slow down and focus on strengthening and storing our bodies' energy reserves.

Winter is a time when our “yin” energy (the passive, cold, and inward force) dominates, as opposed to the "yang" energy of the body which peaks in the summer and which is more active, warming and outward. If we try to do too much during the cold winter months, not only are we going against the natural flow, but we risk depleting our Qi (vital energy), setting ourselves up for future health issues. 

The Water element in Chinese medicine is associated with the health of the kidneys and urinary bladder. The water element influences both our fundamental physical vitality as well as our emotional well-being. During this season, it's particularly important to focus on working with our fears and anxiety which can deplete and even exhaust our vital Qi. Nurturing kidney energy can help you to work with those emotional states and transform them into a greater feeling of trust and stability.Winter is an ideal time to honor this connection by taking proactive steps to maintain kidney health, alleviate emotional tension and enhance our overall vitality.

Being that winter is the most yin of all of the seasons we must be especially careful to balance our energies and not keep moving through life at that same fast pace as we are accustom to in the other seasons. If we embrace this idea of slowing down and taking more time for reflection and rejuvenation, come spring we will have a deep reservoir of energy to draw on.


Key foods to help support & build kidney energy:
The main focus should be on foods that are warming. Some mildly cooling foods can be ok for people that tend to be warmer in general, but we should take care and resist the temptation to eat raw, overly cooling or cold foods that may put out the digestive fire. 

Water – The body depends on proper hydration to function properly.

Salty flavored foods: miso, sea salt, tamari, salted raw sauerkraut. 
Salt is the taste associated with the kidneys meaning in small amounts it is beneficial. Too much may be harmful. So balance is always essential and listening to your bodies needs. 

Kidney shaped foods: black beans, kidney beans, most beans
Because beans are kidney shaped, as well as seeds with potential for new life, these foods have long been considered especially nourishing to the kidneys. 


Blue and black foods: Blueberries, blackberries, mulberry, black beans
The colors blue and black correspond to the water element of the kidneys. It is possible to strengthen the water element by eating blue/black foods. 


Seafood: fish, shrimp, seaweeds 
All support the water element.  


Seeds: flax, pumpkins, sunflower, black sesame  
Seeds relate to fertility and growth which is governed by kidney energy. 


Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts
Nuts are seeds. These nuts are particularly recommended for kidney energy. 


Animal Products: Pork, duck, eggs, chicken, turkey, lamb
Small amounts of animal protein can be used therapeutically here. T
oo much meat, particularly without the balance of vegetables, will stagnate the liver and create excess heat in the body. 

Bone-Marrow Broths & Soups 
This will nourish marrow which is governed by the kidneys. Especially beneficial for people wanting to prevent or heal osteoporosis.
 

Grains: Barley, Millet.
These are both mildly cooling and nourishing to the yin aspect of the kidneys. 


Vegetables: Root veggies, dark green leafy vegetables.
Dark green leafy vegetables build the blood, and since blood is a yin fluid, they are highly recommended in the winter. 


Fruits: Eating what is in season in your region is the best rule of thumb.  Too much fruit can be too cooling resulting in imbalances.
 

Tonics: Spirulina, kelp, chlorella, wheatgrass
These mineral rich foods build the blood which enhances yin. They are also high in nucleic acids (RDA/DNA) which have been shown to reduce signs of aging. They are mostly cooling so use with caution if you tend to be on the cold side.


Mineral rich herbs: Nettles, Oatstraw.
Nettles are a gentle tonic that supports the blood and kidneys, while oatstraw strengthens and calms the nervous system. 

Warming spices: ginger, cardamom, cloves, garlic, cinnamon, cayanne


Remember that balance is key to optimize your health. Although mildly cooling foods nourish the yin aspect of the kidney, being that it is winter time and cold outside, those that tend to be very cold, especially in the winter should use caution with foods that are too cooling. Most people need a more warming diet in the winter. Think soups and stews, roasted root vegetables, lots of tea drinking, and include more warming spices in your diet.

Activities that nourish yin and support your health in the winter season include: yoga, prayer, meditation, qi gong, gentle walks in the forest, journal writing, crafting, reading, listening to guided imagery, listening to relaxing music, yoga nidra practice, stretching, weight bearing excercise, going to sleep early

It is said that the kidneys store our life force essence (jing) in the bones and marrow. By taking care during the winter season and staying in balance and harmony with the season we protect our life force and in doing so support a healthy and long life.


Stacey Small, L.Ac.
[email protected]
www.acupuncture-in-arcata.com
310.985.3780
1 Comment

Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World

11/7/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Most people are familiar with the concepts of yin & yang. Yin & yang theory are at the heart of Chinese Medicine. The United States and most other Western industrialized nations are the perfect example of what happens when the balance tips to one of these extremes. In the West, the focus is on outward directed activity, productivity, which leaves little time for rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and inward directed activity or yin nourishing activity. There is very little time or priority given to truly nourish ourselves. As a result we could say, as a whole, our society has become yang dominate or yin deficient.

     In the Unites States we tend to foster judgment and even feel sorry for or look down on countries like India and other deeply devotional countries that spend a lot of their time doing spiritual practice and religious focused activities. We wonder why they do not focus more on maximizing their resources and prioritizing wealth and status. Some of us envy these countries who seem to live a more yin lifestyle of meditation and a spiritually centered existence. We envy them because we ourselves are hungry for and starved, if you will, for more yin in our own lives.


     Many people are increasingly feeling more anxious, overwhelmed, burdened and hurried. These are symptoms of too much yang and not enough yin to create a counterbalancing effect. What we see in addition to the stress created from a life out of balance and lacking yin nourishment is a kind of spiritual emptiness. This can manifest as depression and a lack of meaning in ones life. For some the emptiness is deeply apparent, for others it is present, but less apparent. We all experience it to some degree. Even the so called great spiritual masters, still human are subject to the earthly desire realm and consequently have to deal with the push and pull of modern living on earth.

     This yin deficiency, and the accompanying feelings of emptiness, disconnect, anxiety and overwhelm leads us to try to compensate by engaging in negative and self destructive behaviors and thought processes that are intended to fill the void we feel or alleviate the uncomfortable feelings we experience.  Unfortunately, many of the ways we are trying to fill these voids in our lives end up being more harmful to our mental, physical and spiritual health. They do not really help restore balance even though the discomfort of our imbalance may be temporarily placated. How we compensate differs from person to person, but ultimately we are all seeking balance. Homeostasis is a human imperative.

     Maybe we have lost someone close to us, this often can create a hole of sorts in our hearts (metaphorically). Some people instead of working through the grief and repairing the hole seek to patch it by indulging in certain negative behavior patterns. These patterns can take the form of addiction. Addiction does not have to be drug dependency or alcohol abuse. It can be an unhealthy relationship with food, overeating, undereating, eating the wrong things. It can be repetitive patterns of attracting certain kinds of people that bring more negativity or abuse to our lives. It can be an addiction to something seemingly healthful like meditation.

     From a Chinese Medicine perspective our lives must have balance if we are to thrive in all spheres of our lives. Yang must be balanced with yin, as yin must be balanced with yang. So the person who sits in full lotus position every waking moment is engaging in an extremely yin behavior pattern and when confronted with some yang activity, like a social outing, may have some difficulty in that situation. Our addictions or habitual behavioral patterns tend to be yang in nature, again, due to the cultural climate in which we live. Exercise is another good example. I have known many people who simply cannot function without exercising every day. They would rather forfeit an intimate night with their spouse, an outing with their family or anything else for that hour at the gym. 


     SO how do we find balance in an imbalanced world? It is not easy, but it can be done.  Acupuncture is an excellent tool that can help bring the body back into balance, but even acupuncture has its limits. It too can become a crutch or addiction of sorts. Each individual must be empowered to be actively making choices and prioritizing activities that bring balance and wholeness rather than more stress and anxiety to their lives. Acupuncture is a powerful tool that can help a person who is ready to make significant lifestyle changes. I always think of it this way. If you are having pain in your neck from sitting slouched over your computer everyday and you go for a chiropractic adjustment, the chiropractor may realign your neck, but if you show up to work the next day and slouch over your computer for 8 hours, your neck is surely to feel painful by the days end. So if you were to go into work and every half an hour get up and stretch and take a mindful approach to your posture while at work, then that change would make the money and time spent at the chiropractors worthwhile. Sometimes there is a willingness to change but for whatever reason there is some obstacle, we feel stuck and just cannot move forward. This too is a good time to reach outwardly and seek the help of an acupuncturist or counselor or whatever may help to get you moving in the direction you seek.

     So getting back to finding balance in our yang world... What can we do to replenish the yin we so desperately are seeking through negative and unhealthful behaviors? Anything that is truly nourishing. Good nutritious healthful food that is appropriate for our constitutional type is a way to nourish our yin. Rest, even ten minutes a day of truly doing nothing is another, just sitting still can be nourishing. Meditation, yoga, visualization, any kind of inward discipline that takes the focus from the outside in can help nourish our yin energy. Chinese herbs can be very helpful. There are several yin nourishing or tonifying herbs available if our yin deficiency has reached the level that it is actually affecting our physical health. Journaling, reading, walking quietly, sitting at the beach, Tai Qi & Qi Gong are all excellent, internally focused activities which can help cultivate & balance energy and produce calm.

     If you are ready to break unwanted habit patterns and find balance and wellness in your life Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine may be a great place to start.



Stacey Small, L.Ac., licensed acupuncturist and herbalist has been in practice for more  than 20 years. For a free phone consultation call 310.985.3780 or email [email protected]

1 Comment

Tuning into the Seasons

9/24/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
 The ancient Chinese knew that just as the plant and animal worlds are bound to nature and its laws so too is the human world. Chi (energy) is the life force that creates and maintains all living things, and its attributes were described and understood by the Chinese through the model of the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. For a plant to grow, there must be a seed capable of growth (Wood), sunlight and warmth (Fire), soil (Earth), minerals, trace elements, and air (Metal), and, of course, Water. The cycle of the seasons is an expression of the different phases of the five elements; each season presents an opportunity for us to learn how to live in balance with the laws of nature.

The Chinese were keen observers of the natural world and noted the climatic effects of each particular season on the health and well being of their patients. They saw that certain organ systems and functions were more likely to become imbalanced at particular times of the year.

​They noted that the external climate associated with a particular season, cold, hot, damp, or dry, had a tendency to manifest itself in the body, presenting as symptoms within the organ systems associated with that particular time of year or season.

With each change of season we find that particular disharmonies manifest during that time of transition. Allergies in the spring, heat stroke and bowel difficulties in summer, respiratory problems in the fall and colds & flus in the winter. That is why patients were and still are encouraged to see their health practitioner for a preventative "seasonal tune-up" at least four times a year. By strengthening the body just before the change in season, a person can maintain strong immunity and fend off external pathogenic or climatic invaders.

As we move into fall we see a shift in the weather from the extreme heat of summer to dryness. This shift is more dramatic in some parts of the country than in others. Nonetheless everything on the planet begins to respond to this change. Most species are very in tune with the natural world and adapt quite easily to the changing patterns throughout the year. Autumn is harvest time and all the little critters are collecting their stores for winter, they know it will be difficult to find food come winter and so they are preparing now for the long winter ahead.

We humans on the other hand barely take notice or make preparations during these seasonal changes. We go about our busy-ness, maybe stopping to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, but overall we do not really take preventative measures to ensure a smooth transition from one season to the next. This is why we see an abundance of acute illness arise at this time. We particularly see an increase in respiratory problems. Allergies flare up, dry mouth, throat and sinuses are common, hoarseness, sore throats, and dry coughs are all prevalent in the fall.


According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the organ systems most affected in fall are the lungs and large intestine. They are associated with the metal element and metal is the element associated with the fall season. There are many ways to keep both of these organ systems strong and healthy. Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, appropriate exercise, nutrition and lifestyle factors all play a role in building and maintaining health and a strong and resilient immune system.

The more in tune we are with our natural environment the healthier we will be. Strengthening our bodies and minds by adapting effectively to the changing of the seasons is essential if we are to maintain good health and longevity. Take a moment this month to stop and breathe in the wonderful changes that have accompanied the fall season and take advantage of the FALL IMMUNE BOOSTING SPECIAL.



Fall Immune Boosting Special    (click on link)










0 Comments

Spring: Time for Some House Cleaning

3/27/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
Spring is a time of renewal, regeneration, rebirth, and new beginnings. A time when the little seedling emerges from under the hardened soil and pushes through to meet the light of day. As the little seedling awakens from it’s winter slumber, so do we humans. After a long period of hibernation, we too emerge.

As one human life follows the natural cycle from birth to death, we see that the seasons follow a similar cycle year after year. From birth and growth in the spring, to expansion and development in summer, to harvest and fruition; maturation in autumn, to old age and death in winter.

Spring in the Chinese Medicine system of the Five Elements is associated with the wood element. The wood element corresponds with growth, not just up and outward, but down and inward as well. It is the extension of the trees branches, as well as it’s intricate root system. It is a balancing of asserting ourselves in the world and allowing ourselves time to reflect on and root ourselves in our experiences. It is a time of creativity, growth, implementing new projects and putting into action new ideas.

As we move into spring we find we may have to do a little "house cleaning" in order to make room for the new. This may require letting go of some familiar habits and ways of thinking and being. This transition is not always easy, as there is a tendency to want to stay with what is familiar and well known to us, which can create a tremendous amount of resistance and stagnation.

In Chinese Medicine, the liver is responsible for the smooth flow of energy in the body. The liver corresponds to wood and spring. It has a tendency to accumulate stagnant energy, particularly in the highly contractive season of winter, when the affects of many months of eating heavier, heat producing foods, staying indoors and less exercise add to the difficulty we find making the transition from winter to spring, letting go and moving forward.

If the liver becomes stagnant, we see all kinds of imbalances in the body. We see emotions intensified, frustration and irritability arise, along with more anger and/or feelings of depression. We see headaches and other aches and pains throughout the body which are common manifestations of stagnant energy. The liver meridian (pathway) is said to open into the eyes. In the spring people may experience eye problems, such as red or itchy, teary eyes and many other symptoms due to the liver’s inability to move freely, as is it’s nature.

This is why it is so important at this time, to get rid of any stagnation or accumulation  (physical, emotional and/or spiritual) that we may have developed over the winter months, so that we may continue our growth process smoothly, and harmoniously. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses the wisdom of nature to bring the body, mind and spirit back into balance. A seasonal rebalancing treatment is just what the ancient Chinese Medicine doctors ordered.


Picture
Spring Acupuncture Tune-up Special
         (clink on the link above)

2 Comments

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    November 2018
    September 2017
    March 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Stacey Small, L.Ac.  
Licensed Acupuncturist
Acupuncture in Arcata
​~940 9th St., Arcata, CA 95521~  310.985.3780
Proudly powered by Weebly