Acupuncture Support for New Moms (Dads too!)

Traditional Chinese medicine has a very clear and simple prescription for the postpartum period: the new mother should stay in bed for three months.

I was astonished to hear this from my traditionally-trained Chinese herbal professor. And it turns out, that’s literal. A woman who just gave birth is to stay in bed, have her food brought to her, and not even bathe for three months. Others in the family take care of the baby, and bring it the mother for feeding and sleeping.

When I tell this to people in my office, they usually burst out laughing. The contrast between that scene, and what is actually happening, is so stark.  Continue reading

Smoothing the Winter ~ Spring Transition

Happy Spring, and Happy Daylight Savings Time! Turning the clocks ahead is one of the best events of the year, in my book — I just love the longer, lighter evenings and the promise that spring really is coming.

In that erratic, New England way, but it’s coming. As I write this, it’s April 1, the front yards in my neighborhood are practically carpeted with crocuses, and it’s snowing. Need I say more?

I’ve been feeling a bit erratic myself — both more energetic and a bit more impatient. Which makes sense, actually. From a Chinese medicine point of view, our bodies are little microcosms of the world around us. Continue reading

It’s not so much WHAT you eat…

A number of years ago I took a nutrition class taught by a macrobiotic counselor. He told us a story about two women who were so excited about their results with macrobiotics that they gave gift certificates to their husbands, whom they were sure would feel so much better if they just ate better.

These guys were hard-working McDonalds and Taco Bell kind of guys. They were not going to touch steamed pumpkin, barley and hijiki seaweed with a ten foot pole. So the counselor told them this: Eat whatever you usually eat. Just do two things. First, eat at the same times every day. Continue reading

Eating Habits for Healthy Digestion, Energy, and Weight: from Chinese Medicine

Classical Chinese medical texts talk a lot about food — and more about eating habits than about what you actually eat. The idea is that your body can process and use food much better when it is relaxed and not strained. And there’s a lot to that (see the previous article for more on this!)

For optimal health, Chinese medicine warns against (are you ready?): eating standing up, eating on the run, eating in a hurry, eating while reading or studying, eating while working, going back to work right after eating, eating on an erratic schedule, eating late at night, and eating while upset or stressed. Continue reading

Dealing with the Darker Months: Wisdom from Chinese Medicine

When I was in college, I did a 6-month off-campus study program in India. Being so far south, the hot season was can’t-move hot, and during the “cold” season you might need a light sweater in the evening.

Living near the equator also meant that the length of the days didn’t change much at all from season to season. The sun rose at 6:30 AM and set at 6:30 PM, year-round. Of course, it took several months for me to notice this, but I was amazed how disorienting it was to be without the usual (for me) rhythm of long, luxurious summer days where it’s light until 9:00, and deep winter nights that begin in the midafternoon. Continue reading

Holiday Prescription

Here we are, smack in the middle of the holiday season. It’s still hard for me to register 50 degrees as a December day, but as I’m writing this it’s 4:15 and the sun has already gone down, so it must be true. In just a week the days start getting longer again, and we’re about to step into the year 2011.

This month-plus of holidays — Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, New Year’s — is a tricky time. It can be a reminder to cherish family and friends, and to enjoy and appreciate all the blessings we have in our lives. It also can become a time of painful self-evaluation, or a sad time when we feel our losses even more acutely than usual. Continue reading

The Weekend Headache

I have a client who gets a migraine headache almost every weekend. He works hard at his job, which is pretty stressful, and comes home at night with just enough energy to eat something and crash. Then, on the weekends, when he wants to relax and have fun, he spends a couple days consumed by migraine pain. He recovers in time to make it to work on Monday morning and start the whole thing over again.

Actually, I have several clients in this situation. And a bunch more who suffer from stomach trouble, neck pain, or intense anxiety and depression, only on the weekend – just when they ought to have a chance to enjoy themselves. Continue reading