Letting in the Light

By Andrea Vannelli According to the Chinese solar calendar, February 4th of this year marked the first day of spring. Considering this coincided with a cold snap of weather dipping into the single Fahrenheit digits, it can be hard to relate. But the ancient Chinese scholars were wise observers of nature’s rhythms. This...

Herb Spotlight: Ashwagandha—an ancient adaptogen for modern life

By Andrea Vannelli Ashwagandha is the common name for Withania somnifera, a plant root appreciated by numerous cultures around the globe. Most notably it’s been used for many centuries in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, with therapeutic use dating as far back as 3000 years according to some ancient texts. Ayurveda considers...

4 Simple Changes to Help With Insomnia

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s ICSD-3 manual, insomnia is defined as “persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation or quality,” and the CDC stated that 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. As anyone who’s ever had a sleepless night can tell you, lack of sleep can affect our mood,...

Natural Remedies for Allergies

It’s Allergy Season The sun is shining, flowers are starting to peek out of the soil, and puffy winter coats are being put away. Spring is coming! In Chinese Medicine, spring is the time of Wood energy, when the world starts to emerge from hibernation, days grow longer and warmer and our energy is rejuvenated. For some of us, though,...

An Introduction to Using Gua Sha

Gua Sha is an ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine healing technique. Aptly translated into “scrapping sand,” this non-invasive procedure is used to help increase circulation, relax muscle tissues, and promote lymphatic drainage to different parts of your body through a repeated press and dragging motion. Although it is mostly...

A Story of Hope and Healing Continued…

I wrote a piece a few months ago called “A Story of Hope and Healing”, which was about my journey to healing amenorrhea (loss of my period) using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This is a follow up to provide an update and explain what I’ve learned so far. To my dismay, I have yet to get my period back and it has been taking...

Tired But Wired – Your Adrenal Health

Are you exhausted at the same time that your nervous system is revved up? Do you: Rely on caffeine as a pick-me-up in the morning, and/or sleep aids at night? - Struggle to get out of bed in the morning, but are wired in the evening when you should be winding down? Regularly have bouts of insomnia around 3-4am? Often...

Ways to Boost Your Immune System This Winter

Daylight Saving Time just occurred this week on the East coast, which means the days are getting shorter and the cold weather is approaching making it easier for us to catch colds, viruses, and other related illnesses that prosper in cold climates. Did you know that you can boost your immune system by taking advantage of various...