Integrative Insights

One of my favorite practices for rapid calming and centering involves bringing attention to the fingertips. This single-pointed focus turns a simple shift of attention into a meditation that can be done anywhere, anytime, in less than five minutes. The practice involves turning the palms face up, resting full attention on the fingertips, and noticing…

I recently suggested a prescription for forgiveness to address a patient’s recurring insomnia. Why? Because holding a grudge causes stress and chronic stress is the foundation for many chronic disorders, including insomnia. Conversely, forgiveness is “the feeling of peace that emerges as you take your hurt less personally and become a hero instead of a…

Progressive muscle relaxation, or “PMR” is a fun and simple practice of opposites:  tensing and then relaxing the muscles, helping achieve a state of harmony and balance.  Muscles can be tensed individually, in groups, or even in succession to achieve full-body tension followed by full-body relaxation. Try a mini version now: tense your biceps while…

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – more commonly known as “Tapping” –  is a simple and quick practice that improves anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD, and burnout.  By allowing you to release negative emotions, EFT helps you move forward.  In EFT, you tap your fingers on 9 acupuncture points in succession while you repeat an affirmation and…

Your spine carries the weight of your head, torso, and arms. It also allows your body to move in any direction. I move my spine in 7 directions as part of my daily morning ritual. It takes less than a minute and you can do it anywhere, in a standing or seated position. The spine…

I fell in love with the Buddha’s Triangle treatment over 10 years ago when I heard the name and received the treatment of 3 needles covering the triangle from my inner wrist bones to the first third of my forearm.  Since then, I have used the Buddha’s triangle in patient treatments and many now request…

Recently, Sarah Holmes on the Herbal Highway Podcast discussed the many ways that leaves support us. From shelter and food to providing us with oxygen, it turns out we cannot live without leaves.  Let’s look at the leaves and what they do for us. A leaf is a principal appendage of the stem of a…

I have been learning and practicing yoga nidra rather intensely for the past few months.  Over that time, my sleep and stress levels have improved significantly. While I can’t say for sure that yoga nidra was responsible for all of these changes, the research actually supports these findings! Some days I practice for 15 minutes…

Last year, when my husband and I got sick with the COVID virus, I was pleasantly surprised when our physician prescribed a homemade turmeric tea in addition to Paxlovid.  I have continued to make and drink this tea a few times a week since then and I share the recipe below.  Watching the heaping half…

When was the last time you relied on your sense of hearing to interpret the world around you? Close your eyes and listen. Just listen.  Notice what you hear. Notice how you feel just listening. What we hear impacts our mood.  In fact, recent research has found that the sounds in our environment have a…

Indigenous people worldwide have known the value of using slow and small solutions, Permaculture Principle 9, to live in harmony with Mother Earth.  The physiological sigh, which decreases anxiety and heart rate, is one example of a slow and small solution for maintaining health and well-being. We explore this simple but powerful practice as well…

Traditional medicines, created by indigenous peoples across the planet, provide us with a blueprint for designing from patterns to details and creating balance in the body, mind and spirit. Here we explore three physical medicine practices from Traditional Chinese Medicine: qi gong, tuina, and ear points. Qi Gong Basics QiGong, a mind-body practice combining slow,…

Mindful digestion and heart focused breathing are practices that speak to permaculture principle four: apply self-regulation and accept feedback. These principles evolved from indigenous peoples’ methods to regenerate the earth. Principle four involves pausing before acting and using feedback to maintain balance. For both human beings and planet earth, accepting and processing feedback is critical…

Permaculture Principles are derived from indigenous Peoples’ harmonious relationship with the earth and Mother Nature. Principle one advises us to observe and interact with the land around us for an entire year – all 4 seasons – before taking any action. And when we do act, we only take actions that are mutually beneficial to…

When was the last time you spent several hours staring into a screen participating in Zoom meetings or responding to email and texts?  I just finished six hours of such activities, but because I sprinkle the activities below throughout my screen time, it all feels more pleasant and manageable.  I hope you find these activities…

Many years ago when we had a toddler and an infant in our home, I remember thinking “sleep is a precious commodity”! Although we no longer have children at home, I still believe that sleep is precious, and I have worked diligently to identify natural solutions that work for me even in the most sleep-challenging…

According to Shakespeare, “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”  Reading that quote makes me want to immerse myself in nature, yet as I type this sentence, I realize this is my seventh hour of screen-time today.  How can we increase our connection to nature and why should we? Benefits of connecting to…

I work at a community acupuncture clinic where the treatment begins the moment you walk through the door.  With the use of dim lighting and wallpaper, the hallway from the lobby to the group treatment room has been made to appear as though you are walking through the woods.  For me as the acupuncturist, no…

Jack Kornfield shares the following story about Gandhi: After struggling for half a century with the British Empire, Gandhi said that his most intimidating opponent was not the British Empire or the Indian people, but a man named Mohandas K. Gandhi, “With him I seem to have very little influence.”  If, like Gandhi, you have…

In addition to improving sleep, stress management, anxiety, pain and blood pressure, imagery has been shown to help achieve success. Because everything, from ideas to actions, begins in the imagination, all you need to get started is your imagination, willingness to learn the basics, and a pinch of curiosity. Engage your whole self When planning,…

The Japanese define success and living your life purpose at the intersection of doing what: You love, Are good at, Can be paid to do, and The world needs. If you already have a clear vision of what success looks like in your future, you can use this invitation to validate your vision.  It will…

I honor acupressure as a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine. And I also think of it as a DIY form of acupuncture.  Using self-acupressure, this ancient and powerful medicine is available to everyone.  Does acupuncture improve sleep in all my patients? No, but I’ve seen it help most of them.  And, even more interesting, patients…

Over the years I have accumulated at least 101 solutions for anxiety. Some have worked better than others. I am a firm believer in the personalized approach to health and wellbeing.  This means we need choices.  Safe choices.  And we need to be open to trying on different options and seeing what works for us. …