Category: Wellness Articles
March 23, 2020
A Community Guide for COVID-19
This is our growing collection of links to connect you with the best information out there. As an integrative medicine college, we know that MDs, Herbalists, community, movement, and mindfulness all have a role to play as we face this unprecedented health challenge. Check back often as we will update it as new information and resources come to light.
Public Health Information Support Your Immune System For Acupuncturists & Herbalists Tools for Fear & Anxiety Mutual Aid Resources
Public Health Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
National Institute of Health
Free & Low-cost Healthcare Finder for Alameda County
How to Take Care of Your Immune System:
January 25, 2020
The Chinese New Year & Looking Forward to Spring
Sure enough, we’re moving from the deep, quiet of winter toward the time of impulsive Spring. Soon, here in Berkeley, we’ll see spring onions poke out of the earth– an excellent medicine for lingering winter colds that ripple through homes and schools through February and March.
The ancient Chinese calendar accounted for this shift by starting the new year later than the Gregorian calendar: the year starts not in the depths of the dark days of winter, but as the days are getting longer and the earth is warming up again, getting ready to allow plants to explore the surface of the world with their bright, waxy spring leaves.
Acupuncturist and Chinese Astrologist Narrye Caldwell explains, “There’s the usual mistake westerners make of assuming that January (which …
August 21, 2019
Part 1: Methylation and Why It Matters
What Is Methylation?
The methylation cycle. It’s a process that involves passing a methyl group (one carbon atom plus three hydrogen atoms) to something else (a gene, neurotransmitter, etc.) in the body.3 While seemingly simple, methylation is “mind-bogglingly fundamental”.1 In fact, this critical process occurs billions of times every second to control the genetic expression of virtually every cell in the body.1,3
As if operating our switchboard of genes wasn’t a big enough job, methylation plays a huge role in detox, neurotransmitter modulation and cell defense. Additionally, it has a hand in the regulation of sympathetic and immune responses and supports brain, cardiovascular and muscle health.3 With involvement in such a broad range of homeostatic processes it’s not surprising that genetic mutations related …
July 9, 2019
Hydration
We all think hydration is simple, right? Just drink plenty of water. But staying well hydrated also means our bodies need to actually ABSORB all the water we’re drinking. Imagine a dry, cracked piece of earth in the desert. When it rains, that earth is so parched and hard that it cannot absorb any water. It all runs off the surface.
Our bodies are the same. If we don’t “prepare our soil” properly, all the water we drink just runs right through, and our tissues are still parched and dry. In TCM, we use yin tonics- herbs that are moistening and demulcent, in order to help moisten the body on a deep level and help it to “hold” the water. On a cellular level, yin tonics …
October 5, 2018
Eight things I learned about Qigong: Continued from August 13th blog post*
*See August 13th blog post I practiced Qigong for two months. Here are eight things I learned. for the four previous things I learned about this practice.
5. Prepare to let go
2017 was a tough one. It marked the end of a relationship, the second year of a move and finally admitting to myself that I wasn’t happy working behind a desk. Then, during the last few months of the year, a blow of chronic illness quite literally brought me to my knees. For a couple long months I cobbled together all that I could to get through each day, and at night, I fell apart again and again and again. Cutting my losses, I filed for disability, packed my bags and booked a plane …
August 29, 2018
Laugh So You May Flourish
Fellow students, acupuncturists, and health enthusiasts: I have one question for you, when was the last time that you laughed? I don’t mean the respectful chuckle you show your boss, or the polite giggle offered to strangers in conversation. I mean knee slapping, gut clenching, tear-jerking laughter that takes physical resistance to be held back. If the last time you remember such a guffaw is childhood, I encourage you to incorporate laughter into your daily routine. The health benefits are immense and it’s truly one of the most satisfying expressions of emotion a person can feel!
Laughter may appear to be a cause and effect phenomenon. First comes the happy or funny event, and then a smile or laugh follows. However, the “Facial-Feedback Hypothesis”, a long-held …
