In our quest to be ever healthier yet drug-free, more and more Americans are turning to herbal supplements in unprecedented numbers.  Ginko for memory, St. John’s Wort for depression, Milk Thistle for the liver, and Saw Palmetto for prostate health—all can be found on the shelf at your local grocery or drug store. The idea of choosing your herbs while pushing a grocery cart seems a bit contrary to some of the principals behind the use of Chinese medicinal herbs. So here are a few items explaining their use and dispelling some myths behind Chinese Herbology. Myth:  Herbs are prescribed based on a...

Spring has sprung here in the North Country.  People who have been bundled up and hunkered down all winter are emerging from their caves to witness the sun shining, the lake ice melting, and 70 degree days.  Hooray! In fact, spring is why many of us live in Minnesota at all.  The dramatic shift from the deep freeze of winter into the drama and glory of spring is an incredible thing to behold.  If it weren’t for spring, many of us Minnesotans would be somewhere else sitting under a palm tree sipping a cool drink and slapping on the sunscreen. In Chinese medicine, the season of spring is aptly...

When I was young, my mom always made sure I was bundled up before going outside during those cold New England winters.  Her reasoning was that I’d get sick if I got cold, and sending me outdoors looking like a large ball of yarn was the sure antidote.  While scientists haven’t been able to prove that getting chilled will make you get sick, the stress on your body of being cold can lower your resistance to getting the colds and flu that are going around. The Chinese have a different take on the cold, however, in that cold can actually make you sick and cause pain.  One of the foundations of...

What do inner ear infections, head trauma, Meniere’s disease, anemia, high or low blood pressure, and having too many cocktails have in common?  All of these things have the potential to make you dizzy. While a number of conditions may be the cause of dizziness, not all dizziness is the same.  The severity of symptoms can run the whole gamut from disabling to mildly annoying.  People who suffer from vestibular (inner ear) problems may describe their dizziness as the sensation of the whole room spinning, or vertigo, with severe balance problems.  In contrast, someone who has low blood pressure...

Mindy is an athletic woman who has been coming to me for wellness acupuncture for years.  In her mid-fifties, Mindy is concerned about eating well and getting enough exercise to maintain her health.  Unfortunately, Mindy’s diet could use some help.  Despite my repeated urgings, Mindy has the notion that all fats are bad and should be avoided at all costs.  This black and white idea that a food is all good or all bad has its consequences, and for Mindy, the result is readily apparent in her skin.  Without the moisturizing effects of dietary oils and fats, Mindy’s skin is so dried out, that she...