A Day of Service
Happy Day of Service! My clean up crew and I spent the morning sprucing up our neighborhood park. It isn’t something we do often enough and a great reminder that we can do it more. .
Pain in the Stomach : Low Acid or Hypochlorhydria
Finding the root cause of your pain or discomfort is not always easy!
😕👩🔬
One of the most commonly misdiagnosed issues I see with my functional medicine patients is hypochlorhydria or LOW stomach acid.
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It can be really confusing when acid reflux or heartburn is actually being caused by not enough stomach acid! Taking antacids just really put it over the edge too! Simple blood tests like looking at your Sodium and Calcium levels can easily show us if this is your issue. Once we know, there is so much we can do to heal your tummy! 💗
Get more Natural Electrolytes!
I’ve been trying to increase my water intake in the past few months. Here’s my “almost daily” regiment.
💧64 oz filtered water
1 pinch Celtic sea salt
🍋1 slice lemon
2-3 drops maple syrup
.
I really notice a difference on the days I make sure to drink this much water vs. the days that I only drink coffee, tea, wine, etc. ;) try it!
the fall reset --- an empowered program for health.
I'm thrilled to announce the latest in our highly effective
6 Weeks to Glow Program for the fall and winter season —
The Fall Reset in partnership with
Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition.
This new wellness program combines Eastern Medicine, Acupuncture, Comprehensive Lab Analysis and Nutrition/Wellness. The Fall Reset will empower you to take the control back around your health.
You will receive a comprehensive health history and lab analysis through two virtual sessions with Dr. Jessica Parker -- a new component, plus an in-person acupuncture session at root + stem's offices along with suggestions on herbs to support your optimal health.
+++ You will learn about the season's stress-busting nutrients, and optimal foods for YOU this time of year as well as tips to avoid sugar cravings and navigate the holiday dinner table (and parties) with more ease and less bloating.
Receive customized and expert advice (instead of the general tips you see everywhere) via three in-person sessions with Holistic Nutrition Coach Lyssandra Guerra.
We believe in an empowered model for health, and the more tools and knowledge we have to make decisions the better.
Get a jumpstart on your health before January. Enjoy the holidays without deprivation and feel good. What would that be like?! :)
I'd love to answer any questions you have. Please email us (sixweekstowellness@gmail.com) with your questions and we can see if this program is right for you!
{the details} of HOW it will work
6 weeks to glow, fall reset
a highly effective wellness program
You will get six total sessions: three with Dr. Parker (two virtual sessions, plus one session at root + stem) and three with Lyssandra Guerra (located at root + stem) customized to your needs (including nutrition, acupuncture, lab analysis, herbs + beyond).
We will address: optimal digestion for fall winter, hormones, balancing your cycles or minimizing and/or eliminating perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms (e.g. night sweats, mood swings, etc.), get better sleep, improve the health and glow of your skin, reduce inflammation, learn about stress busting foods + tips for YOU, optimize digestion, plus a functional medicine approach to get to the root cause of illness/disease 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 11/12, $750 after
(payment plans available upon request)
Get Started - 6 Weeks to Glow
(email jessica@oaklandrootandstem.com to schedule)
take the power back around health!
It can be easy to feel disempowered around healthcare. I see so many clients who've felt pushed around or sometimes ignored when they felt terrible, had low energy or were off balance but didn't know why.
In fact we are not given much if any preventative tools at the doctor's office during big transitional times such as perimenopause. We are told it is what it is, and most women feel terrible --- but it's time we take the power back in our health!
Even when you are not in a transitional or diseased state there is so much that can be discovered about your health, and many tools to help you feel better from the inside out instead of feeling powerless. It's all in those details.
A few months ago I launched a new service offering - Virtual Comprehensive Lab Analysis sessions because when we look at lab work it can be eye opening, beyond just a high or low on a certain test. I can take your current labs or order new ones, and really get to the heart of how and why preventative medicine is so powerful.
Plus you can do this from anywhere in the world --- no need to come into the office. Our work is all about about supporting YOUR optimal health.
VIRTUAL: Comprehensive Initial Lab Analysis*
+ Lab Analysis Results Sessions {now available}
with Dr. Jessica Parker
Learn more + book your virtual appointment today.
Note: Dr. Parker is trained to analyze the details of specific tests from a functional medicine approach to find the root cause of disease. The types of testing will be discussed during this initial appointment. Once specific lab work has been ordered and processed, a follow up virtual session will best scheduled. Dr. Parker will provide you a detailed explanation of your labs as well as provide you an integrative treatment plan with specific tools to support your optimal health. Appointments offered via Zoom only, and do not require an in-office visit.
*Initial session required even if you are an existing patient.
Questions? Email me!
A new service and expansion of our integrated approach to health + wellness
We're believers in the power of working with Eastern AND Western medicine for optimal health, an integrated model to wellness.
For years I've been working to help clients decipher lab work, or work together to order the right tests. It can be easy to get buried in panic if you google nearly any affliction, and sometimes quite a challenge to get the right care and course of treatment for maximum results.
Now I'm thrilled to announce a new offering - Comprehensive Lab Analysis through root + stem! And the best part is that you can do this from anywhere in the world --- no need to come into the office. We can work together with lab results you already have, or figure out which ones you might need. After labs are ordered and results are discussed in detail, we can work together on an integrated treatment plan with specific tools to support YOUR optimal health.
VIRTUAL: Comprehensive Initial Lab Analysis*
+ Lab Analysis Results Sessions {available}
with Dr. Jessica Parker
Learn more + book your virtual appointment today.
Note: Dr. Parker is trained to analyze the details of specific tests from a functional medicine approach to find the root cause of disease. The types of testing will be discussed during this initial appointment. Once specific lab work has been ordered and processed, a follow up virtual session will best scheduled. Dr. Parker will provide you a detailed explanation of your labs as well as provide you an integrative treatment plan with specific tools to support your optimal health. These unique appointments are offered via Zoom only, and do not require an in-office visit.
*Initial session required even if you are an existing patient.
Questions? Email me!
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)
Get Started - 6 Weeks to Glow
(email jessica@oaklandrootandstem.com to schedule)
root + stem book recommendation!
book recommendation by Dr. Jessica Parker:
Intuitive Eating by by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN and
Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND
A revolutionary program that works!
This year I changed my #newyearsresolution of “New Year New Me” to “Everything in Moderation Including Moderation”! Let’s stop demonizing food and stop the never ending cycle of dieting, that includes #paleodiet #whole30 #glutenfree #weightwatchers What if we just learned to live in harmony with eating? Easier said than done?
Learn more + get a copy at http://www.intuitiveeating.org/.
Happy New Year of the Earth Dog
Happy New Year of the Earth Dog!
written by Jessica Parker, LAC, DAOM
"The last two fiery years really stirred things up and prepared us for some much needed stability that this Year of the Earth Dog will offer.
The Dog is loyal and protective and will sniff out corruption to expose truth. The element of Earth adds a year of healing, stability, and a focus on nutrition. Pay special attention to what you "feed" yourself this year, i.e. food, news, ideas, thought. Fairness will be a key theme this Dog year and the Earth element is here to remind us that.
5 tips to boost your immunity NOW!
written by Jessica Parker, LAC, DAOM
Here are some very simple but effective tips to feel your best in winter.
- Get Cozy and Wear Socks!
One of my favorite cold season health tips is to wear warm socks! Keeping your feet warm helps increase circulation and stimulates important acupuncture immune points on the feet.
- Drink Bone Broth or a mineral rich vegetable broth.
I've included my bone broth recipe below - enjoy!!!
- Make sure to have a bountiful amount of Vitamin C + Herbs/Spices.
Kale, spinach and other dark leafy greens, plus bell peppers (we recommend to cook your veggies this time of the year for optimal health!), citrus fruit + so many more are rich in Vitamin C. Plus don't forget to add herbs/spices (like ginger, garlic, onions, black peppercorns, cayenne, etc.) in your diet to give you that immune kick.
- Drink plenty of water.
This one is a no-brainer but we need to be well hydrated even when the temperatures drop.
- Get Acupuncture! Book your appointment now.
Jessica is now accepting appointments Tuesday - Friday! And book with Melinda Phoenix from East West Collaborative Health while she is filling in for Erin over the holidays.
Taking Care of Your Lungs + Skin This Fall/Winter
written by Erin Langely, LAC, MSOM, Dipl OM
It’s autumn, and in Chinese Medicine it’s the season to take good care of your lungs.
Given the recent fires in the North Bay, this organ needs extra attention as we head into cold and flu season.
Autumn is a time of withering, of decelerating momentum and growth. We may experience a natural “come-down” from the buzz of Spring and Summer. This transition can register as melancholy. In Chinese Medicine, the lung is associated with grief. Treating the lung can help process grief and give the lungs the strength they need to do their many jobs.
The lungs have several functions, including filtering clean energy from dirty energy, governing our voice, skin, and body hair, regulating water passages like sweat and urine, and working closely with the heart to circulate the body’s energy. The lungs blur the boundary between us and our environment. The air connects us all. At the same time, the lungs provide a healthy buffer, called wei qi, between us and disease.
Autumn is not a good time to cleanse or sweat heavily. Purgative treatments further deplete our bodies, which are already winding down toward the stillness and storage of winter. The Chinese classic Neijing states, “Do not disperse your energies, and the lung qi will be clear. This is the way of nourishing life in accordance with the nourishing and constricting qi of the autumnal harvest season. Going against these principles will harm the lung network, eventually causing diarrhea in winter, when things should really be in a state of storage rather than leakage.”
So, taking care of our lungs now will serve us in winter, too!
One way to check the status of your lungs is to examine the tip of your (or your child’s) tongue. If it appears to be pinker than the rest of the tongue body, the lungs may be storing excess heat, which we can address in a session.
Here are some tips for ways to help promote lung and skin health this time of year:
- Get Acupuncture! Book your appointment for fall now.
- Do dry brushing at home to improve circulation, and lymphatic drainage throughout the entire body.
- Eat radishes, white mushrooms and any white colored foods.
- Try cupping. Kids also love this form of bodywork - it is a good way to address cough and colds (easily remove the phlegm/mucus).
- Schizandra tea or lemon water (sour flavors) work well in autumn because they astringe the energy of the lung to help you retain your vitality throughout fall and winter.
- Facial acupuncture works wonders to restore and beautify dry skin.
Wishing you health this season, and see you soon!
Things are not getting worse, they are getting uncovered
“ Things are not getting worse, they are getting uncovered. We must hold each other tight and continue to pull back the veil.”
–Adrienne Maree Brown, Author & Activist
Dear Community,
A few weeks ago I visited Chicago to attend my favorite annual conference, Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (www.im4us.org). Each year I leave feeling inspired and motivated for a better future, but this experience, my third, was even more profound.
My week was entirely spent focusing on the amazing things people are doing to help the underserved in our communities. We are changing the narrative of a negative society into a helpful and kind one. We learned terms that promote progress and dis-empower hate speech. We are restructuring our medical society to promote health and happiness for all rather than just treat disease. We learned about the importance of local legislation and how much change we can affect at the grassroots level.
It was so refreshing to be offline for the weekend NOT looking at Facebook or the news. I came home from the conference feeling the happiest I’ve been since November. I’m still keeping tabs on all the crazy things that are going on in the world but with renewed optimism and resilience.
I think for a lot of us the major focus of this year is how bad things are.
It is extremely important to #staywoke and the activist in me is not about to turn a blind eye to inequities and atrocities our communities face today. I realize how easy it is to fall into that hopeless hole and lose the inspiration and motivation to keep progressing. I felt like I was torturing myself every morning when I would look on my news feed or Facebook. It wasn’t particularly motivating me to do anything but wallow.
This presidency is going to continue to throw curve ball after curve ball. Maybe that’s the strategy to try to break us down and become complacent again. I’m trying with all my might to not let this become the new norm, and continue to progress to a life of justice and equality.
In light of all of the nonstop chaos, I want to share all of the really good and powerful things that I’ve learned in the past few weeks, things that are actually helping to motivate me to continue to make change, rather than feel hopeless.
Change Makers to Note:
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Christopher speak twice now, and she is always an inspiration. She brought up so many truths about how we speak about racism in our country. Word association is a powerful tool. Imagine if we stopped using the term “Anti-Racism” and changed that to “Racial Healing”? Please check her and her amazing programs out. She is an incredible speaker and powerhouse of action. Here are some of her programs:
Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT)
Place Matters
+ A great video about how to start the “racial healing” conversation. The woman featured in this video happens to be Gail’s daughter!
My take home point from seeing Dr. Rae speak was “Start organizing where you are!” Here’s a list of organizations that are making waves in healthcare.
Public Health Awakened; Organizing for health, equity, and justice
National Collaborative for Health Equity: Working with People, Partners, and Purpose
Physicians for a National Health Program
- Dr. Angela Rose Black
Radically re-imagining who gets to be well. Mindfulness for the People is aimed at shifting the consciousness of systemic whiteness and promoting awareness of the racial bias in the mindfulness movement.
Dr. Temple is a stellar example of how to advocate with lawmakers! She became inspired by the many studies showing that an increase in access to medical and recreational cannabis significantly reduces the use of opioids as well as a reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with the opioid and heroin crisis.
Dr. Temple along with Illinois House Representative’s Deputy Majority Leader, Lou Lang, worked with patients and policy makers to design the Medical Cannabis Compassionate Pilot Act and the Heroin Crisis Act. This is groundbreaking legislation in the field of chronic pain and addiction!
Many states are incorporating these programs, and as we know in California recreational cannabis is around the corner. For states that do not have legislation in process, this collaboration is an inspiration to what can be done with hard work and teamwork.
Michelle is an Oakland-based nutritionist/herbalist and filmmaker working on a fantastic documentary featuring the communities of the Metta Health Center in Lowell, MA and Street Level Health Project in Oakland, CA.
“Through the perspectives of several patients and health care providers, this character-driven feature documentary touches the heart of current debates on health care at this pivotal moment when medical and immigration reform dominate the country’s consciousness.”
I’m so very excited to see the rest of this incredibly poignant film, and recommend you check out her website.
+++ I spent my last day in Chicago with my dear friend and colleague Aya Nikole Cook at her Haji Healing Salon, Sunday Sanctuary Community Yoga and Acupuncture. Aya is a creative innovator of bringing healing and wellness to her community in Hyde Park and I’m just so excited that she is getting the press that she deserves! Here is an article about her awesomeness!
This Year of the Rooster is a year of truth, focus, and drive.
If you have felt this year as an intense one - you are on point. While it may seem that the world is burning down, it is actually just the truth coming to light. For anyone that has experienced the shock of major deception, you will know that once the truth has been unveiled there is a time of reckoning and a plan for action. We are in the beginning phases of moving from shock and grief, into the phase of progress. Let’s turn off the news, join together, and make a plan for action. The only way we can get out of the muck is for all of us to get together and work for a better future.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.
In community and solidarity, Jessica
Herbs for Protecting Your Energy
written by Bridget Afsonna S., community herbalist
These are challenging times for many of us.
As we struggle against factions that repeatedly attempt to remove our sense of safety and belonging, it can be easy to feel worn out and emotionally exhausted. Here are a few ways that I protect my energy using the magic and medicine of plants:
Engage with plants that are traditionally used for creating strong and healthy boundaries, such as rosemary and yarrow.
Both grow abundantly in the Bay Area, and can be taken a number of ways. You can steep these plants in tea, make a tincture, use in your food, or even just carry them around with you in your pocket or hang them up on your front door.Make heart-lifting tea. My favorite way to relax at home with plants is to make a pot of tea and share with friends and family. Right now my go-to blend is two parts lemon balm, one part nettle, and ½ part rose. Lemon balm is a gentle heart-opener and spirit-lifter, while nettle is full of vitamins and nutrients to help replenish frazzled bodies. Rose is a classic heart herb that can soothe all kinds of heartbreak and sadness.
Find an essential oil that works for you. Essential oils have a quick and heavy-hitting effect on your nervous system, and are useful to carry around with you for those moments when you hear some freshly disturbing news. Everyone’s scent preferences are very personal, so I recommend going to a health food store and smelling individual essential oil samples to find the one that is most appealing. Try smelling your own armpit in between samples to “reset” your sense of smell. Some popular ones for mood lifting are lavender, clary sage, chamomile, and rose geranium.
Get in nature. It can be easy to feel permanently attached to technology, but our bodies and minds are meant to feel the ground beneath our feet and smell fresh air. Even if its just a half hour a week, leaving your phone at home and sitting under a tree can really help the body shed energy that is bogging you down.
Heart Lifting Tea Recipe
Instructions: Bring a kettle or small pot of water to a boil. Turn the flame off and once the bubbling stops, add a couple small handfuls of lemon balm, one handful nettle leaf, and a sprinkling of rose petals. Cover and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes. Strain and enjoy plain or with honey and lemon.
Enjoy by yourself or with friends!
Find Your Summer Glow
Find Your Summer Glow - Stay balanced and healthy. Beth Bouffard, Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine specialist gives us 3 simple ways to stay nourished and cool this summer including exercise, diet and self care.
written by Beth Bouffard, L.Ac., MTCM
Summer is the most expansive and yang time of year. The long days, warm weather, and availability of abundant natural energy make it the ideal time to be out and about working on projects, playing, and connecting with friends.
The element of the summer season is fire, which in Chinese medicine is linked with sociability, joy, productivity, celebrations, passion, and expansion. These principles should guide our actions through the season. At the same time, the heat and expansion of summer can get to be too much if we don't remember to cool and slow ourselves down a bit to create some balance.
Activity in summer
The summer is the ideal time to put lots of hard work into any projects we started in the spring. Just as seeds we planted in spring are now growing quite quickly in the summer heat, our projects an rapidly expand with the extra time and energy available to us in this season. If all goes well, we will be provided with an abundant harvest that will help carry us through the cooler, darker days of winter, when we may not have as much productive energy. Pushing ourselves a bit now makes it possible to take advantage of the dreamy winter months to rest and restore our bodies.
Exercise can be somewhat vigorous in the summer. For most people, sweating during the summer months is good - it helps eliminate toxins and keep all of the fluids in your body moving. Be sure to stay hydrated and don't overheat!!
Connecting with friends and family is also an ideal summer activity. Larger gatherings and more superficial conversations may naturally happen - we are all more externally focused and want to do it all! Don't push for deeper connections, though you may stumble upon them, as people's hearts are more open in this season.
And don't forget to rest! Though there is abundant energy available, taking a mid-afternoon nap keeps us out of the hottest part of the day, and lets the mind and body slow down a bit to nourish the yin energies, which are not as naturally abundant at this time of year. We are aiming for a good yin/yang balance.
Diet in summer
Take advantage of the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables! Go to the farmer's market and make a simple, fresh dinner out of whatever catches your eye.
It is also advisable to eat moist and cooling foods to help combat the heat. Melons of any type are naturally cooling and refreshing during summer months. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchinis also provide cooling energy to the body.
Be sure to stay hydrated with water, as well as cooling teas and soups. Examples of cooling teas are green tea, hibiscus, chrysanthemum, and mint. Miso soup is also cooling - boil some of your fresh vegetables for a short time and add a spoonful of miso paste for an easy, cooling summer dinner.
Balance
The best way to use the energy of summer is to enjoy yourself! But, as with most things, moderation is also important. If you find yourself feeling too hot, having night sweats or insomnia, becoming irritable or angry, and having more anxiety than usual, that may be a sign that you have overdone it. Take a break from productivity and high speed socializing to eat watermelon in your hammock or have a lazy day by the lake (make sure to find or bring some shade).
Here is a cooling summer tea recipe to help you on those warm days. Enjoy!
Hibiscus Moon Tea
Steeping this tea overnight in the moonlight adds to it's yin nourishing qualities.
1/4-1/2 cup Hibiscus Flowers (you could also use chrysanthemum (ju hua) or mint (bo he))
1 quart filtered water or spring water
Put the herb and water in a quart jar. Leave outside overnight where the jar will catch some rays of moonlight. If the moon isn't visible that night, that's ok too - the night has plenty of yin energy!
Enjoy the tea throughout the day by sipping at room temperature or with ice.