March 3, 2025 - Self-Care again, am I a broken record?
Heads-up! There is currently no parking on Ellis Avenue in front of the clinic. There is construction on the street for now and it is temporary, thankfully. Please give yourselves a few more minutes to park a little farther away. I don’t have a timeline on when it will be completed but hopefully soon.
They are putting in a shared walking and biking path along Ellis Avenue in the Georgetown to South Park Safety Project.
Am I a broken record?
I’m beginning to think that every edition of the newsletter will include the importance of Self-Care due to the challenging times in which we live. If there is one thing I can do for my community, it is to support you in taking care of yourself so that you can do the important things you do every day.
Take Time to Listen
Take time to listen to your body. We are constantly, throughout each day, focusing on the outer world. From the moment we awaken, look at our phones, what are the headlines today, when is my first meeting, the dog needs to go out, this bill needs to be paid, we need groceries, etc… it starts first thing and goes all day long. This is a massive amount of Yang energy that is not balanced by Yin energy. Many of the health conditions we see today are due to a Yin-Yang imbalance - and mostly a Yang excess. Nourishing our Yin can be as simple as stopping and taking a moment in your day to ‘smell the roses’.
Do you take time to stop each day? (or any day?)
Stop and listen. How do I feel right now? Do I have any tension anywhere in my body?
Oh, yes, I do… my left shoulder is tense, ok, relax. My jaw is tense, ok, relax and breathe.
What do you hear?
How long can you sit and relax? 1 minute, 5 minutes?
This exercise may seem silly and small, but it is not.
Allowing your body to be in a state of relaxation can assist you in many ways. It can wake up parts of you that you didn't know were there. It can show you where you hold tension that you didn't know about.
Get curious about that tension… why do I hold tension there, what am I thinking when it comes up or in what situations? Do I have any chronic issues that may be caused by this?
Our bodies talk to us, and they tell us the truth.
When we don't listen, when we push those signs and symptoms away, the body stores them away for later.
Some ways we do this in daily life are:
drinking caffeine or eating sugar when we are tired in the middle of the day instead of resting.
Taking pain meds when something hurts.
Of course, we are not all lucky enough to be able to take a nap in the middle of the day or endure pain… and I'm not suggesting this is easy. And I’m not suggesting you stop doing what you do to get through each day.
What I think is important is to listen, pay attention, be curious, and when you are able, receive the guidance you are given.
I had a co-worker once tell me she admired me because I take sick time when I get a migraine and I said, 'oh, is that weird?' and she said, 'I don't do that. I get migraines but I just take my medication and keep working, even if I still have symptoms.'
And sometimes doing what you can to get through a day is what we need to do; believe me I get it. My ask and what I’ve learned is to just start to be curious about it. It may not be clear right away or ever. My belief is, the information your body is giving you is real, and it is true.
I’d love to hear what you think about this. Have you had experiences where you’ve listened or not listened and noticed what happened?
Growing my Practice
I’m still on the path to grow my practice and could use your help.
How can you help:
If you are a current patient and have not already done so, a Google review goes a long way. If you feel inclined to leave a review, I would be incredibly grateful. As a token of appreciation, I offer an Essential Oil blend to anyone who leaves a 5-star review.
Spread the word, when it feels right to do so. People like to know that they are going to a healthcare practitioner they can trust and word of mouth is the best! My website is a great place to refer people to because it talks about what I treat and my services.
I am also a network provider for Premera Blue Cross and Regence.
Midway through the Channels
We have reviewed 6 of the 12 primary acupuncture channels here each edition.
Next up: Bladder, Kidney, Pericardium, Sanjiao, Gall Bladder and Liver. Then we’ll review the two midline channels, the Ren and the Du.
The channels are paired, Yin and Yang, Lower and Upper. There are 6 Yin channels and 6 Yang channels. There are 6 upper/arm channels and 6 lower/leg channels; 3 Yin arm channels, 3 Yang arm channels, 3 Yin leg channels and 3 Yang leg channels.
For instance, the Lung and Spleen are considered TaiYin (supreme Yin); the Lung is in the upper body, the Spleen in the lower.
The Yang pair to the Lung is the Large Intestine; Lung runs along the inside of the arm and the Large Intestine runs along the outside of the arm.
The Large Intestine and Stomach are YangMing (yang brightness). The LI channel is in the upper body, the Stomach runs to the lower body.
As well, the Spleen and Stomach are paired as Yin Yang pairs; the Spleen channel runs on the inside of the leg, and the Stomach runs along the outside of the leg.
And so on… And if this is all very confusing, you don’t need to worry about it! I got you. :)
In the next edition, we’ll cover the Bladder channel which is the longest channel on the body and has 67 points!