(Originally published as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) The soybean is an amazingly useful, versatile plant. It has been manufactured into everything from printing inks, plastics, and textiles, to a fire-extinguishing foam. Soybean oil and soy protein have found their way into…
(Originally published as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) As the owners of The Dragontree, an unusually challenging part of our job is deciding which massage therapists to hire. Briana and I have always agreed that if the spa is to going to…
(Originally published as a two part article for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) My pursuit of a deeper understanding of Chinese medicine has led me to an exploration of Chinese culture. And the study of Chinese culture has led me to Daoism, Confucianism, and Chan…
(Originally published as a three part series of articles for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) Part One Commitment means different things to different people. It’s generally regarded as a noble thing, though sometimes our commitments make us feel obligated or trapped. Other times, being committed…
(Originally published September 2009 as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) I am so frequently asked about milk substitutes by my patients that I decided to present a survey of the options. The purpose of this article is not to go in depth…
The “Chinese Clock” is a concept in traditional Chinese medicine in which each of our organs is considered to have a time of day when it is strongest and does its best work. The day is divided into twelve two-hour segments, each belonging to a…
Often in human history, the significance of a major discovery hasn’t been appreciated until a much later date. Sometimes the one who made the discovery died before the world recognized their achievement. One such discovery, still awaiting the widespread recognition it deserves, is the concept…
(Originally published as a four part series of articles for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) Part One Recently, I saw the movie, Limitless, about an author with writer’s block and little in the way of personality or potential. He discovers a drug that allows him…
(Originally published as a summer newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) We have just entered what Chinese Five Element philosophy defines as the Fire season. And, as wildfires scorch much of the Mountain West, it seems a fitting time for a discussion of this…
(Originally published as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) Last month, I wrote about how visualizing a desired outcome can enhance our chances of achieving that outcome. It’s practiced all the time in sports, with athletes creating mental movies of themselves performing at…
(Originally published as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) I discovered skateboarding as a young teenager, when the sport was experiencing something of a renaissance with the advent of wide, contoured wooden skateboards. I felt an excitement about it that I hadn’t experienced…
(Originally published as an eight part series for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) Part One Readers familiar with my articles might have been surprised by my recent article on trigger points, since it dealt strictly with a physical disorder, rather than the broader psychological and…
Written with Briana Borten Figuring out your needs is a worthwhile process if you strive to have a lasting, harmonious, and fulfilling relationship. Why have a needs list for your relationship? Not knowing your needs is like going into a Safeway without a shopping list….
Spring is the season ruled by the Wood Element in Chinese philosophy, so it’s a good time to talk about the lessons and challenges this element presents. In The Obstacle Course, I wrote about Wood’s quality of flexibility and how this virtue can enable us…
Spring is ruled by Wood, one of the five Chinese elements. The elements are substances and phenomena that can be observed in the natural world, and they’re also qualities and metaphors that are present in all things. The energy of Wood can be witnessed in…
Note: This article was originally published in 2007, but we wanted to share it again for all our new readers as food for thought while we prepare for another long holiday weekend. The medicine I prescribe most in my practice is water. There are plenty…
(Originally published as a five part series of newsletters for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) Part One Over the past two millennia, Chinese medicine has seen the development of several different schools of thought, each championed by certain scholars. For instance, there is the…
(Originally published as a three part series of newsletters for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) The overweight problem in America isn’t news to anyone. It gets a huge amount of media attention. The main concern voiced by the medical community is that being overweight or…
(Originally published as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) Most of the fats we eat are subject to a constant process of breakdown called oxidation. When fats become oxidized we call them “rancid.” A 2007 Israeli study stated that oxidation of fats is…
(Originally published as a three part series of newsletters for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) When it comes down to it, a great portion of our efforts are in some way motivated by a desire to keep living – to survive. To this end, life…
(Originally published as a newsletter for The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa) As the days get darker and wetter here in the Pacific Northwest, the number of melancholy patients in my practice ramps up. Interestingly, the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health featured…