2 Ways to Cultivate a Good Attitude

- Be Grateful - "Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life." - Robert A. Emmons - Researcher , professor at

More Businesses Are Offering On Site Acupuncture

Big companies are catching on, keeping employees healthy means everyone benefits. That's why along with physical therapy, dental, vision exams and counseling some companies are also offering acupuncture at on site health clinics. To find out more, read this article from The Washington Post.

7 Helpful Tips For Addiction Recovery

Seven Addiction Recovery Tips 
From Acufinder.com

1. Exercise more. Exercise can reduce your stress and help you relax.

2. Get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable juices to neutralize and clear the blood and to fortify blood sugar.

3. Carrots, celery, leafy green salads and citrus fruits promote body alkalinity and decrease cravings.

4. Avoid junk food, sugar and coffee. They can upset

More Praise For Acupuncture From Shape Magazine

Shape magazine recently published the article "Why Every Busy Woman Should Try Acupuncture". It was written by a woman who tried acupuncture for the first time
because she was 'curious' (and probably because she wanted something to
write about). What did she gain? She found acupuncture provided her
relief from anxiety, TMJ, various aches and she insists that acupuncture
kept her healthy all

Acupuncturist Is Novel’s Hero

Have you read NY Times best selling author (and doctor) Michael Palmer’s book, “The Second Opinion?” I haven't but now that I know an acupuncturist plays a pivotal role I might ;).

In an intriguing novel about health care deceit, a dedicated young doctor brings in an acupuncturist to provide a second opinion (get it?) for a hospitalized patient who is being treated by a world famous surgeon

Heart to Heart

Valentine’s Day bombards us with movies, TV specials and a landslide of things to buy to show our ‘love’.  The flowers sellers and candy manufacturers  are working around the clock. The LA Times reports that jewelry sales rose 7.7% last year, recovering somewhat from the previous year’s recession so bling is back.

Don’t get me wrong; jewelry is great. I’m a fan!!! I also think that flowers and

What is Qi ?

Qi (pronounced 'chee') is one of the most basic concepts in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) but also one of the hardest to define. Other names for it are ‘ki’ in Japan and in India, yogis call it ‘prana’. It was known in ancient Egypt as ‘ka’, and in ancient Greece as ‘pneuma.’

What we can say for certain is that qi is a nonmaterial and essential substance that is at the core of our universe

5 Health Tips for Winter

Living in harmony with the seasons is an ancient Chinese belief.  We’ve been lucky so far with the winter weather in Chicago but it remains cold and dark. Winter urges us to slow down. This is a natural time of year to replenish energy and conserve strength. In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with a specific organ in the body and winter’s organ is the kidneys. We need to consider our

Well Being Increases With Our Ability To Make Choices

*This post is from the cutting edge psychology blog Life Ain't For Sissies by Dr. Linda Edelstein

Researchers in New Zealand performed a meta-analysis of 638 research studies that asked 420,599 men and women (mean age =37) from 63 different countries about their Health, Wealth and Happiness. They found that a strong sense of well-being could be predicted if a person scored high on individualism,

Hospitals Are Offering More Alternative Medicine Choices

Hospitals are increasingly offering patients acupuncture and other 'alternative' therapies. Have we won them over?  Maybe. Certainly, many doctors have followed the research and understand the effectiveness of acupuncture and other Chinese medicine treatments but, I'm afraid that some of it is about greed. Hospitals are aware of the large numbers of people who visit other types of practitioners

Anger Lessons

Anger is just another emotion - sure...  It is a very uncomfortable, sometimes unacceptable emotion, especially when the anger is directed at those we love (or ourselves). When we are angry, we not only have an emotional response, but there can be a strong physical response. Anger was hard wired into us a long, long time ago and has its beginnings in a primitive, reactive animal instinct that

Thank You!

Repeatedly, in psychology, researchers have linked the experience of being "grateful" to mental health and well-being. Here is an informative summary of the findings from some researchers in the field of gratitude.

"Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears

Qi Gong Unites Good Intentions With Results

I think the Huffington Post is starting to take notice of Eastern health practices. Earlier this year they published an article on Chinese Medicine for insomnia and now Arthur Rosenfeld has written an article about Qi Gong.

"If you've traveled to China, you've likely encountered senior citizens flapping their arms early in the morning in public parks, or perhaps squatting, walking, singing or

Yin and Yang Is The Core Of Chinese Medicine

Balance within ourselves and our environment is key to living a happy and healthy life. This belief is deeply rooted in Chinese Medicine theory and the philosophy of Taoism.

It all began 8000 years ago with the idea of yin and yang which pre-dates recorded history. At that time a legendary sage named Fu Hsi, lived along the Yellow River of China. It was Fu Hsi who formulated the concept of yin

Want To Be More Positive? Eat Healthier? And Save Money? Check Out These Blogs

When I write I write for this blog I try to be helpful. So today I thought I would provide some links that I hope people who read this blog will enjoy and find useful.

The Positivity Blog ~ The name is pretty self explanatory. Henrik Edberg writes practical posts about simplifying your life, improving your relationships, happiness and productivity.

Nutritious Eats ~ Melanie Flinn is a

5 Fellow Chinese Medicine Bloggers I Follow

All of the blogs listed below regularly provide great health tips and are written by Licensed acupuncturists from around the country. These bloggers provide interesting and useful information about Traditional Chinese Medicine and it's many health benefits. Be sure to check them out.

*Cultivating Health With Chinese Medicine ~ Kath Bartlett, LAc

*HealthFocus Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine ~

Eat To Beat Your Cold - Foods To Help With Cold Symptoms

*This Article is From Acupuncture.com

To help reduce the severity of a cold, the best foods to eat are ones that are packed with beta-carotene, vitamin C, and zinc. They boost immunity and help with cold symptoms. Especially around this time of year, these nutrients can also help prevent you from catching colds in the first place.

Foods such as horseradish, garlic, and chili peppers move mucus

Can Something In Dirt Kill Cancer Tumors??

I am always interested in treatments that are natural because the side effects and other complicating factors can be lower than using conventional drugs. This story seems a bit far out right now but I'm posting it because, if the line of research works out, we will see some wonderful results with cancerous tumors. Here's an excerpt ~

"Researcher Aleksandra Kubiak just presented the startling

Mutant Gene Linked To Uterine Fibroids

Unfortunately uterine fibroids are a common problem for women. It is a complaint I see regularly in my Chicago acupuncture office. As many as 60% of women develop fibroids by age 45. One study is now suggesting that a mutant gene is responsible. If that is the case, we have moved one step further toward correcting this problem. Read more about the study here.

The Horn Method

If you have been to my Chicago acupuncture office, you may have seen (and I may have used) the set of glass or plastic cups that I use for “cupping” the Chinese technique that involves placing jars on the skin, suctioning out the air and creating a vacuum. This is a very helpful therapy for a wide range of conditions.

Did you know that cupping is not exclusive to Traditional Chinese Medicine?