Menopause Miso
Chicken Broth with Yellow Miso and Lotus Root
Serving size: About 2
2 Cups chicken broth – benefits blood, essence or Jing, spleen, stomach and Qi. Enters the kidney channel.
½ Cup yellow onion julienne– warm, counteracts damp and cold, improve blood and Qi circulation
2 Tablespoons water
¾ Cup tofu – builds Yin, blood and is a Qi tonic that supports the kidney
Small handful spinach – promote Qi and Blood and Yin
2-3 inch piece lotus root thinly sliced– counteracts heat and promotes Qi circulation
2 Scallion, green part - warm, tonifies yang, eliminates cold and supports blood circulation and digestion.
1 teaspoon miso – soy same as tofu benefits, naturally fermented foods are invaluable for digestion, warming, benefits the kidney,
1 Tablespoon goji berries – tonifies kidney Yin
Dash white pepper – counteracts damp
1 Tablespoon ginger, julienne– warming stimulates digestion and boosts circulation
½ Teaspoon sesame oil – counteracts heat and tonifies Yin
2 Medium shiitake julienne – blood and Qi tonic, supports spleen stomach and liver
Directions
Lightly cook the julienne onion and shiitake mushrooms in the 2 tablespoons water, add the chicken broth, ginger, goji and lotus (do not peel lotus, allow the hot broth to slightly braise.) bring to a simmer. Add the white pepper, tofu and miso (Thin the miso with a little stock then add back into the soup. Long cooking or boiling destroys miso’s beneficial organisms.) Add spinach and sesame oil and serve, garnish with scallions.
Options:
Seaweed is great for strengthening kidneys and building Yin so you could use dashi granules or make a broth using kombu and bonito flakes.
Add poached egg if you want more protein, should be antibiotic and hormone free if possible. Chicken eggs supports blood and promotes blood circulation, it also supports essence and Yin.
Honoring Menopause
In many Eastern cultures, menopause is often welcomed and honored as a time of transition for women. Many studies show that few women in Asian countries experience issues and symptoms during this transition, while in the West, we suffer needlessly!
Anxiety, night sweating, hot flashes, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, weight gain are among the most common issues that I see in my clinic for those going through menopause. In Chinese Medicine theory, it can be well managed with diet, herbs, and acupuncture with fewer risks and side effects than contemporary western solutions like hormone replacement therapy.
Kidney Yin deficiency (the common pattern found in Eastern Medicine for menopausal symptoms) can be managed with eliminating excessive sugar, poor quality meats, quitting smoking, reducing stress, and trying to not "burn the candle at both ends".
As we know now that food IS medicine, check out our blog for a yummy Menopause Miso recipe that supports both the Kidney Yin and Yang functions to help reduce unwanted menopause symptoms.
Beyond the Pill - A Recommended Book!
Fabulous book by the fabulous @drjolenebrighten. So great to see my old office mate killing it with this must read #bestseller. 🌟💪🏼💯 There is so much great information in here that I would suggest it for anyone regardless of your birth control history.
💃🏻🕺🏽
#rootandstem #functionalmedicine #easternmedicine #acupuncture #acupunctureworks #labanalysis #eastmeetswest #labwork #topratedacupuncture #womenshealth #chineseherbs #herbalmedicine #6weekstoglow #health #wellness #eatwell #feelbetter #naturalglow #healthtips #bestofoakland #hormonesupport #hormonebalance
The Fifth Vital Sign
The Fifth Vital Sign: a grassroots movement toward menstrual cycle literacy. "Their mission is to use education as preventative care, encouraging individuals to make informed choices about their health. They hope that by spreading free, reproductive health information in a fair, non-judgmental manner, we will all feel more secure, safe, and alive in our bodies."
Chinese medicine has been focusing on our menstrual cycles as a major piece to the health puzzle for centuries. Coined by a dear friend of mine that was struggling with an irregular cycle, I like to call all acupuncturists and Eastern Medicine docs "womb wizards". We have so many tools to help support a natural, healthy cycle. Even if you want to stay on a birth control method that suppresses or changes your natural cycle, there is so much that we can do to help your body regulate as much as it can so that you can have a connection to this vital sign regardless of your method.
It's so great to see a movement like this getting the attention it deserves! Check out their website for more information! #MenstruationMatters
Pelvic Floor Therapy!
I really want to give a big shout out to Pelvic Floor Therapy. If you haven't tried it, I can't recommend it enough! Pelvic floor physical therapy involves pelvic massage, biofeedback and exercises to encourage relaxation and strengthening of the muscles of the lower pelvis. A physical therapist will use a massage-like technique called myofascial release to help stretch and release the connective tissue between the skin and the muscles and bones in your pelvic region.
Pelvic floor physical therapy can help address sexual problems by improving chronic vaginal or pelvic pain and urinary incontinence. Typically several months of pelvic floor physical therapy are needed to achieve satisfactory results. While we don't practice this in our office, we all have some incredible referrals that we will gladly share. 💪🏾🙏🏼🌸
#rootandstem #functionalmedicine #easternmedicine #acupuncture #acupunctureworks #pelvicfloortherapy #pt
#massage #support #labanalysis #eastmeetswest #labwork #topratedacupuncture #womenshealth #chineseherbs #herbalmedicine #6weekstoglow #health #wellness #eatwell #feelbetter #naturalglow #healthtips #bestofoakland
Dandelion Herbal Spotlight
Dandelion herbal spotlight! ☀️Pu Gong Yin is the pinyin name for the dandelion herb that we use a ton in Chinese herbal formulas. Dandelion is truly one of my faves and we use the whole plant (dried and/or fresh) to treat and support the Liver. Dandelion is great for expelling heat and clearing fire toxicity, which can commonly manifest as clogged milk ducts, hepatitis, jaundice, sore throat, and even lung abscesses. This also is such a great herb for treating overall inflammation. Since gluten sometimes makes me feel a little inflamed after I eat it, I love to add the fresh dandelion leaves to pasta sauce for a little pasta digestion support. 🌾☀️🌱
Menopause is natural! So why is it treated like a disease?
Menopause is a naturally occurring process, so why is it treated like a disease??? ‼️⚠️‼️ 💉💊Conventional medical treatments only address various symptoms and signs associated with menopause, however, symptoms and signs are just one factor of the whole picture. 🔆 📍📚 Both acupuncture and Functional Medicine understand that symptoms are merely indications of an imbalance deep within the body, and this time of change occurs because the body chemistry is shifting. . .
Chemistry change is a natural process, and there are so many ways that acupuncture and Functional medicine can look deeper to help this change be as smooth as possible. Estrogen is similar to what we call Jing Qi. Jing Qi is like the battery that provides us with all the life energy we need to power all our functions. As we age, our Jing Qi slowly decreases. 📉During menopause, our Jing Qi is often declining a bit faster and this can cause our organ systems to get out of balance. Left untreated, the imbalances get more severe and symptoms like hot flashes/night sweats get worse. 😨
When we get acupuncture and have our labs analyzed by a Functional Medicine doc, we can see the underlying imbalance and support the bodies ability to make hormones, instead of suppressing it with hormones! 💡Over working, poor dietary habits, energetic imbalances and blockages will increase the decline of Jing Qi. Treatment to support the healing energies of Jing, provide the body with the building blocks it needs in order to nourish, heal, and regain balance. 🌀
Dr. Parker's Book Recommendation : Cystitis
I’m really enjoying my office vibes today! 🌞📚 Also two thumbs up for this book. 👍👍Have any of you read it before? 💗
It’s so illuminating and authored by a leading uro-gynecologist Dr Larrian Gillespie who is one of the only female urologists with expertise in pelvic pain.
Can Acupuncture Treat HPV and Cervial Dysplasia?
Did you know that acupuncture helps treat Cervical Dysplasia and HPV? 💗📍
Most cervical dysplasia (abnormal pap) is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease and two of the types of HPV are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer. Other types of HPV cause genital warts. While there is no direct treatment for the virus, supporting your immune system is so key to help the body rid itself HPV on its own. 🌱🥦🥕💆🏽♀️💆🏻♀️💆🏼♀️
While most women clear the virus within 2 years, there is so much that you can do to support your body for this optimal outcome instead of the “watch and wait” scenario. 🤞
In Eastern medicine, we see HPV as a pathogen that causes stagnation in the Liver channel and damp heat in the Lower Jiao (lowest part of the abdomen). Acupuncture is great at helping the body circulate, break up the stagnation, and regenerate healthy cells. ✨ Herbs and supplements like Turkey Tail have been clinically shown to boost the immune system, helping to regress dysplasia. Enjoying a healthy, immune supportive lifestyle is certainly key. ✔️
Summer Nutrition Musings
Here are some Summer Nutrition Musings from the wise Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition 🥦🥬🍋💗
・・・
TIRED
BLOATED
FATIGUE
LOW CONCENTRATION
STUBBORN WEIGHT GAIN
GASSY
CONSTIPATED
MOODY
OVERALL FEELING MEH
MAYBE it's what you're eating, when and how you're eating? . . .
Sometimes a handful of very good recommendations is all that is needed to jumpstart a new health pattern. 🧡
. . .
Questions? Ping us and learn more about our 6 Weeks to Glow program in partnership with @lyssandra_nativepalms that combines nutrition, acupuncture, lab analysis and functional medicine to help you feel and look your very best from the inside out ✨
Acupuncture & Women's Health
Acupuncture is AMAZING for women’s health! 💗
Also don’t you just love this pic? Yeah that’s how we view it too! 🙌🏾
✨
Acupuncture is so much more than relaxing! It has been shown to support women’s health tremendously --- we’ve seen clients for infertility, fertility enhancement, IVF optimization, to eliminate menopausal symptoms, as well as PMS, endometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, painful menstruation, irregular menstruation, irregular ovulation. The list goes on an on!
#womenshealth#acupunctureworks#acupunctureforfertility#acupunctureheals #menstrualcramps#ivfsupport#acupunctureformenopause#endometriosis #feelbetter#moodswings #menopauserelief
#pmssupport #functionalmedicine
Six Weeks To Glow
I'm so excited to announce a *NEW* dream offering of mine in partnership with Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition.
Together we are offering --- Spring Reset, a 6 week women's wellness program combining Eastern Medicine, Acupuncture and Nutrition/Wellness. At the end of the program you will walk away with the tools and knowledge to take charge of your health. You'll learn what feeds you (literally!) and be more empowered around your overall wellness.
The tools you walk away with will serve you for your entire life, and you can even share what you've learned with your friends and family! We believe in an empowered model for health, and the more tools and knowledge we have to make decisions the better.
This is the spring detox and reset you’ve always wanted, minus crazy dieting and deprivation. You’ll sleep better, balance your cycles and hormones or eliminate peri-menopause or menopausal symptoms, get radiant skin, reduce stress and feel your best.
--- Watch Dr. Jessica Parker + Lyssandra Guerra on the program --
{the details} of HOW it will work
6 weeks to glow, a new kind of women's wellness program
You will get 6 weekly sessions with Dr. Parker and Lyssandra Guerra (3 total sessions with each practitioner) customized to your needs and schedule.
The Issues addressed in these sessions include: digestion, hormones, balancing your cycles or minimizing and eliminating perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms (e.g. night sweats, mood swings, etc.), get better sleep, improve the health and glow of your skin, stress management and more!
Note: You will receive an intake from both Dr.Jessica Parker and Lyssandra Guerra at the start of the program to asses areas of need and focus.
Payment plans and schedule of visits to be arranged at the first meeting. We are happy to answer any further questions you might have.
Your Investment --- 6 Weeks to Glow Program:
$675 by 4/31, $750 after
(payment plans available upon request)