Early puberty in girls- What are the risk factors & a TCM view

Recently a friend of my called me distressed because her 9 year old daughter was showing the signs of starting her period. Her mom was obviously concerned because 9 years old is very young to be starting your menstrual cycle and in addition there are studies showing that early puberty is linked to other health conditions later in life. She was further puzzled because her daughter isn’t exposed to or meet most of the risk factors that are often attributed to early menses in girls. She isn’t obese, she isn’t exposed to a lot of environmental toxins, she isn’t impoverished or malnourished, she has a nutritious, well balanced diet…..so what could it be?

Gua Sha is Back

Gua Sha is a “scraping” technique that is really just glossed over in school but turns out is an amazingly useful treatment for a wide variety of conditions. Gua means ‘to rub’ or ‘press or stroke.’ Sha describes the red “rash” or congested blood that comes to the surface of the skin.

Summer Themed Recipe Share-Mushroom, Buckwheat & Egg Bowl

I don’t know about you but I often find myself getting bored with breakfast so I think I will share this recipe that I like to use as a breakfast alternative. Mushroom, Buckwheat, Egg Bowls.

Acupuncture blog, Holistic health, nutritionSerena ShawJuly 11, 2022Nourishing Energy AcupuncturerecipiesComment

Herb Highlight-Chen Pi

Chen pi is in a category of herbs that regulate the Qi. This means that it helps to move energy more smoothly and in the correct direction overall but Chen pi can do this more specifically in our digestive systems as well.

The Gut Brain Connection

Did you know bad moods, stress, depression, or anxiety could be linked directly with how happy your gut is? Is your digestion just as unhappy and stressed as your mind? They just might be linked!

There is a lot of new, amazing research out in the world connecting our brains and our gut health. It is wild to think that what is going on in your belly can be directly affecting your mental health.

Menopause & Traditional Chinese Medicine- Working In Harmony With A Natural Change

Women’s bodies are amazing works of art and are capable of the most miraculous feats of strength and complexity. With that beauty comes the natural seasons of change that are most often looked at as burdens or diseases when they should be celebrated.

Dosing acupuncture treatments-How many treatments will I need?

One of the most common question that comes up during treatment is, “How many treatments is this going to take?” Although everyone is different and every person’s situations, concerns, cases and lifestyles are different there are some general rule of thumb when considering the number of treatments that are recommended. You can think of this like medicine. We need the right dose, for you to take it at the right times and for the correct length of time to see the best results.

Interpreting your BBT Chart -What is it saying?

The BBT chart (basil body temperature chart) can be such a wonderful , interesting and insightful tool when it comes to a woman’s cycle and fertility. The real conundrum is why don’t women and health care providers use it more. One reason my simple be that many women don’t know how to chart their temperatures and then what to do with that information once we have it.

Recipe Share that may help with sleep! Nourishing Yin with honey, sesame walnut treats.

Hi all! I wanted to do a recipe share as a follow up to the three part sleep blog series. If you haven’t read it yet click the link and take a read to part 3 at least. I just wanted to do a quick share of a recipe that I often recommend to my clients who are having difficulty with with sleep

Shen = Spirit-The subtle beauty of healing the spirit with acupuncture

I recently had a really wonderful discussion with one of my clients about his progress and transformation since he has started acupuncture. He shared with me about how a huge piece of his progress has been a very positive and subtle change in his mental health.

How are you sleeping part 3- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and treating sleep

The western medical views of insomnia and sleep difficulty is very different from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Western medicine pretty much has two avenues eliminate a physical reason and then its usually labeled as stress, anxiety or depression and is treated with sleeping pills and antidepressants. TCM it is much more then that and the reasons aren’t categorized that easily because each person is unique and individual.

Is Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture An Alternative To Botox?

I think it is safe to say that we are all a little interested in looking younger and feeling our best. One of the first signs of aging is our skin. We start to notice those little fine lines, some wrinkles here and there, the texture and luster of our skin may change. But what can we do to slow the hands of time? We can change our diets, drink more water and adopt skin care routines, all of which are very important for taking care of bodies largest organ, but what are our options for treating those areas that have already shown up?

Are you Sleeping? Part II

Part II in our three part series on insomnia and how it is viewed in both western and eastern medicine and how it is treated. This post looks at how western medicine approaches sleep difficulty outside of medication.

Are You Sleeping? Part I Western Classifications of Insomnia

Sleep is a topic that hits close to home for me. I have struggled with insomnia and sleep issues for many many years. I know I am not alone either. Thousands and thousands of people have complaints about sleep. It may be difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, sleep quality or quantity.

Say BOO to the cold and flu

Most people don’t realize that acupuncture can you when you are coming down with a cold or flu. Or even when you are stuck in the middle of the illness acupuncture can help resolve it faster. Studies have shown that that immune boosting hormones can stay elevated for up to three days after receiving acupuncture.

Acupuncture blogSerena ShawJanuary 26, 2022Nourishing Energy AcupunctureAcupuncture Denver, cold and fluComment

What Can Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Help Me With?

TCM (traditional Chinese Medicine) including acupuncture is a whole system of medicine that includes body, mind and spirit. Because of this all encompassing point of view it can address a wide range of health concerns.

So I thought it might be fun to go through some top five- Top 5 best know things it can address, Top 5 lesser known and Top 5 possible surprises

Coming Down to Earth-The Science Behind Earthing & How it Can Help Improve Health

In my quest for calm and repair of my own nervous system I came across Earthing or grounding again. I had heard of this practice but hadn’t really dove into the science behind it. I mean it does sound a bit hokey, “ Earthing.” However, when you look past the name and learn a bit more about what’s happening it makes sense. At its heart Earthing is getting back to the most basic of basic principles-reconnecting to the energy of earth to balance your body. They way our human ancestors we always doing.

Learning How to Relax. What is Sympathetic Overload?

Recently I have had the privilege of working with an increased number of people coming in with the diagnosis of “sympathetic overload.” And though Chinese medicine doesn’t often concern itself with a western medical diagnosis to treat a condition most people who come in with a problem are concerned with their diagnosis and what, as an acupuncturist, I can do to help them. So even though I know for a fact that acupuncture works on the nervous system I wasn’t super aware of this term sympathetic overload. So as with may of my blog post it starts as a need for information and then grows into a need to share information.

Setting Healthy Boundaries Both Postpartum and in Life.

In my previous blog post I touched on setting boundaries when discussing emotional health, but I wanted to dive into it deeper because it is important for your health, your partner's health and babies health. The amount of change that is coming to your world is huge and one of the best ways to ease into that is setting up some boundaries. This will allow for bonding with baby, self care for momma and direction for papa or partner on how to be helpful and involved. Boundaries will also help your friends and loved ones understand where they can help and when it may be too much. You may be wondering how will I know what my limits are?

Emotional Health & Postpartum Changes

Over the next few posts we will be talking about emotional health and strategies to keep in touch with our mental health. Todays topic is emotional health and changes postpartum.

This is a big topic and one that I want to spend some time with. Pregnancy and birth require so much of us physically and mentally and both aspects require attention and both are equally important. I want to emphasize how valid and important it is to meet your emotional needs during this postpartum period.