Humans have long regarded the heart as the center of emotion, a portal of love, and even the abode of the soul. Our literature is full of references to the ideas that the heart is susceptible to intense emotion, and that being “open-hearted” is good…
Life experience has taught me that people don’t like to be compared to vegetables. But the thing is, there are some similarities between us and our friends in the plant kingdom that we can learn from. When I was a botany student, one of the…
In light of the risks of suppressing skin problems, which I discussed in last week’s article, I present to you some healthy alternatives to steroid creams and topical antibiotics. 1. Baking Soda: Baking soda is one of the cheapest and easiest things to try for…
Years ago, I read a book on the theory of homeopathic medicine that changed the way I thought about health and inspired me to go into medicine. One of the most interesting concepts regarded a hierarchy of systems and layers within human beings. According to…
For eleven years, our slogan has been “A Peaceful World Begins With a Peaceful You.” The massage, acupuncture, and skin care we offer do a pretty good job of making our clients peaceful, but we recognize that there’s more to peace than what external…
In my last article, I wrote about how our myriad options for health repair have led us to believe that doing our own self-maintenance isn’t so important – we can always get fixed. Then I compared a car that’s been repeatedly broken and repaired to…
When someone comes in to see me, I usually put a few acupuncture needles in them, I might do some massage, and perhaps I’ll prepare them an herbal prescription. I can give a person a pretty good push in the direction of health. But, I’m…
As we approach fall, it’s a good time to discuss seasonal junctions. Both Ayurvedic and Chinese systems of medicine see the changes of seasons as times when we are more susceptible to being thrown out of balance as our body is challenged to adapt to…
This month, I’ve been writing about Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic science. Ayurveda is an ancient healing system with ashtanga, meaning “eight limbs” (like the highly popular eight-limbed system of yoga outlined by Patanjali and developed by Patabi Jois). The limbs of Ayurveda include disciplines such…
In last week’s article on longstanding medical philosophies, I introduced India’s ancient system of health and healing: Ayurveda. In any discussion on Ayurveda with English speakers, the first thing to get out of the way is pronunciation. About half the people I meet pronounce the…
Several years ago, an old friend of our family from Germany became a proud graduate of medical school. She worked at several hospitals in Europe and Israel and then was awarded a residency at a prestigious medical center in the U.S. I was very curious…
This month I’ve been thinking about the most memorable experiences I’ve had through The Dragontree. One that stands out is this. About ten years ago, a young man came to see me for treatment of multiple sclerosis. He was in a large electric wheelchair and…
In this month’s series on pain, I’ve detailed the interventions that I feel make the biggest difference in sustainable pain management without medication. I haven’t mentioned drugs because I feel their side effects make most of them inferior for chronic pain management. For short term…
This month’s we’ve been focusing on non-pharmaceutical approaches to pain relief. (If you missed the previous articles you can click to read part one and part two.) The Chinese Medicine concept that’s been central to our discussions is that all forms of pain are caused…
In last week’s article, I introduced the Chinese Medicine concept that all forms of pain are caused by stagnation, and I explained that the standard of care for traumatic injuries – rest, ice, compression, and elevation – may actually inhibit the healing process. This week…
This month’s theme is one of my specialties: pain management. There’s so much I could write about dealing with pain, but the fact is the approaches that are of greatest benefit to most people don’t need much explanation. As with most simple things, they’re easy…
The human microbiome is the total collection of organisms that live on and in your body, and there’s a growing recognition among scientists that they have quite a lot to do with our health. Different organisms live in the armpit versus the toe creases. In…
Last week I wrote about the importance of getting the garbage out of your system to promote healthy skin. In Chinese Medicine, the skin is sometimes referred to as the “third lung,” because it “breathes” through its pores – excreting toxins and absorbing what’s put…
When you think about people, chances are you think about skin. Most of what we see that isn’t covered up by clothing is skin, after all. Humans are skin bags. Sorry, did that make you feel kind of gross? Anyway, like it or not, the…
In the past month’s series on nutrition, I explained how the manner in which we eat can affect us as much as our food choices can. We looked at the vital roles that cooking and chewing play in digestion, and the importance of eating slowly…
This month’s theme is nutrition, and I started the series by explaining that, while we have greatly improved humans’ odds of surviving childhood, we haven’t made as much progress in prolonging the lives of older people. Old people tend to die of conditions that are…