Spring Regeneration

As we welcome the Spring Equinox, let’s embrace the power of change. Many of us fear and avoid change, perhaps because of the instability and the unknown aspects of the new. But change is as inevitable as the seasons, and in nature, nothing is a constant. Entering this phase of your year, flexibility and adaptability are required to balance the realities of the external with the needs of the internal. Change, is, inevitable.

Learn more about this pivotal time of year and how you can adapt and grow, in our latest blog article.

Goodbye Colds and Flu!

From clients and friends to perfect strangers, many people have shared with me lately that they have had 1-2-day colds or cases of the flu. If the sickness is due to the shifting weather we’ve had or general immune system weakness, I recommend a great remedy from Evergreen Herbs.

The powerful herbal antibiotic and anti-viral ABX and AVR formulas are available at the Acupuncture by Andrea office in capsule form. Call or stop by to learn more about these herbal solutions and stop the sickness in its tracks!

Seasonal Eating-Where it's At

Living in Florida, we don’t have the seasonal limitations that other areas of the country do, so it’s easier to consume foods fresh and in-season for more of the year. When you can get them, seasonal foods will help keep your inner environment aligned with the environment around you.

I often refer to the "temperature" of foods and how they affect your health This isn't whether they are cooked or frozen, but how they work in your body to warm or cool particular organs. The temperature of foods can have a highly beneficial or negative effect on your digestion. Eating seasonally allows you to consume foods that match the temperature of the season in which they are growing, and in which you are living. Ginger is a spicy, and hot food. It warms the stomach and is great when you have an upset stomach or in the cold days of winter. But, if you have stomach or intestinal pain from constipation or you are often hot and sweaty and suffering from headaches, ginger will inflame your excess internal heat. In summer, ginger could exacerbate this condition. I would recommend a cooling food like mint that will dispel excess heat and cool your internal environment.

Spring (it’s here!!) is the season for foods that enhance our immune system and regulate our bowels and our sleep by improving liver and gallbladder flow. Fresh produce and fresh seafood are my go-to’s this time of year.

Produce

Arugula, Basil, Beets, Blueberries, Bok choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cilantro, Collards, Cucumbers, Dill, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Grapefruit, Green onions, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Mushrooms, Mustard greens, Nasturtium flowers, Onions, Oregano, Parsley, Peas, Potatoes, Radicchio, Radishes, Rosemary, Rutabagas, Salad mix, Spinach, Strawberries, Swiss chard, Thyme, Turnips

Seafood

Amberjack, Bass, Bluegill, Catfish, Cobia, Crappie, Drum, Flounder, Lionfish, Mackerel, Mullet, Pompano, Shrimp (March only), Snapper, Stone Crab, Sunfish, Triggerfish, Tuna, Wahoo

Get the literary lowdown on spring seasonal eating from Adrian Chang, a Chinese American cook and food writer in this great article from Bon Appetit.

Acupuncture for Dry Skin

The most common cause of dry skin is a deficiency of blood and changing hormone regulation in the liver and kidneys. As our bodies age and change, women nearing or in menopause see their skin beginning to dry. The loss and replacement of blood during monthly menses is no longer occurring and some bodily functions are altered as a result. Organs become more easily affected by stress and anxiety, and hot flashes and night sweats further deplete moisture in the body, leading to not only dry skin but dryness in the mouth, hair, nails and eyes. In a vicious cycle, this state of dryness can exaggerate insomnia and emotional outbursts.

In TCM, the emotions are an extremely important aspect of your overall health. Dryness in your skin can result from grief due to loss or despair about the future. As the body and mind draw inward, and away from the emotions, qi and blood fail to circulate and stagnation occurs. Your skin and hair reflect this as they become dry and brittle. Blurry eyes result and fingernails start to show age. If your grieving continues for prolonged periods, you begin to age faster than you should.

Acupuncture will help not only your physical body get unstuck but also your emotional health. Treating specific points on the lung meridian for grief and dryness, blood will begin to move and circulate. Skin will begin to soften and moisten as energy flows into all the organs and life-sustaining systems in your body.

Age is only a number, but aging-related health and wellness symptoms are real. Acupuncture has helped millions of women to remain vibrant and healthy long into their lives.

Oh, Japan ❤️🤍

Mt Fuji from the Haneida airport! This was a special sight as the Japanese revere this mountain.

Tea growing in the countryside. It's difficult to take a pic from the Shinkonsen (bullet train).

Ginseng and Pu’Er tea discs and dried herbs for sale at a local store. Pu’Er tea is fermented and formed into discs.

It works to strengthen the liver and gallbladder.

The Chinese say the Ginseng root looks like a man and displays are seen across the country.

As many of you know I was fortunate to take a trip to Japan recently, one of my favorite countries in the world. We also hopped over to Hong Kong for a few days where we saw some Chinese Walgreens—they do carry modern, Western medical aids but are mostly stocked with traditional herbs and home remedies. Such an interesting experience!

Known as traditional Chinese Medicine after its place of origin, TCM is actually practiced throughout the Asian world, including in Japan where it is known as Kampo. Treatment practices include acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, and food therapy. I didn’t get a chance to visit a Japanese practitioner (next trip!), but I did see fields of tea growing in the countryside and shops displaying ginseng in abundance.

I had a wonderful time abroad, but I’m very happy to be back home helping all of you to achieve the Happiness Goodness and Wellness that you deserve.

Action After

Accept—then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.

—Eckhart Tolle

I. Love. This. Concept. I have begun to put it into practice and let’s just say Mister “The Power of Now” Tolle knows a thing or two about transformation. 🙏