With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I'm now offering e-gift cards here at Thrive! The cards come in amounts of $10, $20, $40, $80 or a custom amount of your choosing.

The $40 card is perfect for treating the mother in your life to a custom, 30-minute Foot Reflexology Massage or Cupping session.

The process is really easy! Simply enter your name and email, the recipient's name and email, a special message and you're done! They'll receive the e-Gift Card and I'll help them get the relaxation they deserve!

Spring is finally here! Yay!

Most people are pretty excited for spring after a long winter, but have you noticed your self feeling a little antsy? A little irritable?

​That would be because your body hasn't yet shifted from the energy associated with winter - resting, recuperating, and hibernating - to the energy associated with spring - growth and expansion.

Liver is the organ associated with spring.  I like to think of Liver energy being like a flower bulb trying to sprout up through the ground.  It's a hard fight and a bit of a struggle getting through all that soil so that it can bloom - and if you've ever struggled against a barrier, you've probably known the emotion that comes along with such a struggle - FRUSTRATION.

So here we all are, pushing against the heavy winter, ready to get moving, but the weather is still keeping us mainly shut inside!  As a result of this pent up energy, we may have been irritable and short with our families, we may be experiencing some pretty serious cabin fever.

But don't worry!  Here are some things you can do to help ease this transition:

• Since spring is the season of growth and progress, now is actually a great time to set some resolutions for the year (a MUCH better time energetically than the New Year when we should all still be hunkered down for the winter).  Set some goals for personal growth!
• Have you found yourself craving sour foods? Fresh fruits and veggies? That's your body trying to self-medicate! Sour is the flavor of the liver, and will help get your energy moving. Citrus is particularly effective!
• Use up the last of your winter energy to do some spring cleaning. Clearing out the literal and metaphorical cobwebs will help boost morale!
• Acupuncture can be a help in helping you break through into spring and cut the irritability and restlessness.  Schedule your spring tune-up today!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Earth Dog!

I'm always super excited for a change in the energy that comes with the Chinese New Year, but this year, particularly so.

Earth energy is mothering, grounding, stabilizing.  Dog energy is coming together as a pack, working together as a team.  That sounds nice, doesn't it? 

If you'd like to read more about the upcoming year, and particularly in how it relates to your Chinese zodiac sign, I liked this website, where they go into those details.

Here's to a Happy New Year!

What a wonderful, wild ride it's been!  Thank you all for being a part of the Thrive community!  As a special treat, if you come in for an appointment during the month of December, you'll get a bit of chocolate to help me celebrate being an acupuncturist and herbalist for 11 years!

I'd also like to note that I will be out of the office December 22nd through January 1st.  If you have insurance benefits or a FSA (Flex Spending Account) that need to be used before the end of the year, schedule today!  Otherwise, I'll be super well-rested and ready to help you kick butt in the new year!

What the HECK are ear seeds?

They are seeds or little metal balls that are taped to certain acupuncture points in your ears to continue your acupuncture treatment!

Ear seeds are fantastic for treating all sorts of complaints.  Some examples of common symptoms that can be treated with ear seeds include:  headaches, acute back pain, stress, anxiety, insomnia, even weight loss!

When we use ear seeds, we are using what's called a microsystem.  In a microsystem, the entire body is reflected on a single part of the body - in this case, the ears.  But we also have foot microsystems (foot reflexology), hand systems, head systems and even belly systems!

If you're interested in giving ear seeds a try, come on in and we'll get you set up with a kit to take home that comes with 120 ear seeds (enough to last about a month if used super consistently), a pair of tweezers for easy application and a map of the ear showing exactly where to put the seeds for your particular health complaint!

Happy Halloween!  I love Chinese herbs, and today I'm going to tell you about one of our SPOOKIER herbs!

In Chinese medicine, we have an herb called Dong Chong Xia Cao - Cordyceps sinensis. This particular mushroom is an Entomopathenogenic fungus, which means that it lives on (and eventually kills) a specific species of caterpillar.  Other species of Cordyceps live on different types of insects.

What I find absolutely fascinating about the Cordyceps mushrooms is that in some species, it has been found that the host insect begins to change its behavior to better suit the mushroom!  These mushrooms are changing the behavior of the insect!  Isn't that amazing, from a biological standpoint?  A mind-controlling mushroom!

In Chinese medicine, we use Cordyceps to build up our energetic reserves.  If you've been deeply exhausted for a long time, Cordyceps might be a great fit for you! (As always, please speak with a certified herbalist before taking any herbs!  Remember, an herb that isn't the right fit for your Chinese medical diagnosis will cause side effects!)

But don't be worried about the mushroom zombifying YOUR brain. When you eat this mushroom it's just like eating any other (edible) mushroom.  The benefit is that this mushroom can boost your Qi, kind of like bringing you back from the dead!

Over the summer my family and I took a trip to John Day, Oregon to visit Kam Wah Chung!

Kam Wah Chung was the general store and Chinese herbal pharmacy for China Town in John Day, run by "Doc" Ing Hay and Lung On for decades. After these two gentlemen passed away, the shop was boarded up and forgotten.  Years later, the building was opened back up to find everything in its original place!  It was quite the Chinese medicine/China Town time capsule, and because John Day is so arid, everything was well preserved.  Kam Wah Chung is a very rare example of the early use of Chinese medicine in the United States and has been and is currently being studied by Chinese medical schools in China!
​
I had a fantastic time seeing the American origins of the medicine that I love so much!

Hi All!

I will be out of my office from Thursday August 17th, 2017 until Sunday August 27th, 2017 for my annual summer vacation!  I look forward to getting some time camping in the dirt and coming back refreshed and ready to help you kick butt!

If you would like to schedule an appointment while I'm gone, please feel free to schedule an appointment online.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at Becca@Thrive Acupuncture.org and I will get back to you on Monday the 28th!

I hope you all have an awesome week and get a chance to take a peek at the eclipse!