One muscle that deserves special attention is the psoas (pronounced so as). The psoas connects the torso to the legs, with the main attachments located anteriorly at lumbar spine. More specifically, it originates at the twelfth thoracic vertebrae and all five lumbar vertebrae (deep to the belly button, lower abdominal muscles, and behind the intestines) and travels…
While I’m a big fan of Chinese herbs, I learned a few things about European herbs during the Colorado Annual Conference for Naturopathic Doctors. Out of all the herbs highlighted for supporting the immune system, I decided to pluck out Black Elderberry, not only because it is fabulous, but because the speaker shared a fun…
What is this? This year I’ve had a few people come into the office with Morton’s Neuroma… something I’d never heard of before. The symptoms are mostly the same, the feeling of walking with a rock in their shoe, even if they are not wearing shoes at all. Just one person had so little feeling…
Today I read a beautiful obituary about a woman who grew up on a farm between Longmont and Boulder, had many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. She “died of natural causes at age 109”… Now I’m going to assume a great deal… I bet she ate well, grew up on vegetables straight…
I wasn’t overly concerned about other health care providers performing what they’ve termed “dry needling” until a few new clients came to the office with stories of having tried “dry needling” – and had unpleasant experiences. Newly concerned, I started fact checking. First, I looked up the term “dry needling” as defined by a course…
The fun superficiality of the Chinese calendar actually runs deeply from observations made thousands of years ago that still apply to life today. The Chinese calendar was invented by emperor Huang Di in 2637 BCE, (our Gregorian calendar was invented in 1582CE). Incidentally, the emperor also wrote one of the most important early texts (Neijing)…
The topic of “stress” comes as a request from one of my sisters. I thanked her for the idea, since after many years of writing an article every month, it is sometimes difficult to think of an interesting topic! Rather than echo well known and valid remedies for stress such as exercise and meditation, the…
Vertigo is the extremely uncomfortable sensation of feeling as if the room is spinning. It is very difficult to function while experiencing vertigo. Dizziness and light headedness is a similar sensation, although less severe and less debilitating. The purpose of this article will be to briefly define the differences, causes and solutions for vertigo and…
Allergies are commonly experienced in the Spring and Fall and can be very disruptive to life. A common question people ask is, can acupuncture help ease or eliminate allergies? The answer is yes, Chinese medicine and acupuncture helps reduce inflammation, clear phlegm and strengthen and regulate the immune system. I have found that it is…
Watermelon is a Chinese herb! The red and white fruit, rind, seeds and juice all have a specific action on the body. Generally, watermelon cools the entire system and enters the Heart, Stomach and Urinary Bladder channels. The white part of the fruit next to the rind has the most cooling effect. In addition to…