What happens when we can't let go of old patterns?

Some wisdom on getting better 😴with our fav nutritionist + partner on our ✨6 Weeks to Glow health & wellness program Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition.

”Many of my clients have been coming in with digestive upset, lack of sleep, that good ole monkey mind and lack of vitality in general ... life seems to be moving quicker than ever before... new projects, new ideas, more work... plus the constant messages in the media toil with our mind... leaving them/us with overwhelm and escapism...

we are resilient beings but the inability to LET THINGS GO is much more challenging than we think and moving with the flow of life, just seems like a hard concept to grasp... WHAT HAPPENS when we cannot let go of stuck behaviors, patterns, and thoughts? ... your entire system, especially, your digestive system becomes compromised ... many answers lie underneath it when tapped into...

by working with the whole system -- your nutrition, your body, and your mind, your whole energy field will lighten and a clearer path will exist

Let me help you... let's get you HERE & NOW.”

Spring is Coming!

Whenever the cherry blossoms come out, I get so excited for Spring. 💗🌱🍒
I’ve even noticed my energy perk up and my motivation to exercise increase. ✨

I have to remind myself “Don’t jump into Spring just yet!” We are very much still in the Winter cycle, and it is important to keep mellow and not over do it. We are starting to enter that Liver time of year that gets so antsy with the weather. .

The Liver is the adolescent energy of the 5 Elements, and is so easily frustrated in early spring. It just wants to get moving! But really we need to keep it slow. Eat soups and broths, get to bed as early as possible, no boot camp ;) and really continue with the tail end of hibernation mode. Don’t worry, Spring will come! 🌷🌸
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 #springiscoming#healthtips #functionalmedicine#rootandstem #winterwisdom#liveseasonally

What Can Acupuncture Treat?

What can Acupuncture treat? 📍💗This is the short list!

#acupuncture #rootandstem#functionalmedicine #oaklandacupuncture#acupunctureworks #postsurgery#emotionalhealth #digestionhealth #fertility#fertilitysupport #respiratorysupport#womenshealth #menshealth #liverdisease#autoimmunedisorders#cardiovascularhealth #hearthealth#weightmanagement #weightloss +++ so many more!

Another Look at Genetic Testing

I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the now easy access to genetic testing. 👩‍🔬

I’m really not sure I want something in writing telling me that I could I have a higher chance of getting Alzheimer’s, or whatever the case may be. I understand how this information could be so helpful for some, but there is a new study indicating that just knowing what you MIGHT be predisposed to, the information can alter your risk making it more likely to exhibit the changes consistent with disease!!

🤭😱 Yikes! I kind of think that looking at functional medicine labs and combining it with Eastern Medicine it is the opposite of this. 💗

When we look through this lens, we are actually focusing on which organ systems are working their best!

✨We look for the details in your labs that show the areas of your body that are working and how we can best support it to work even better. .

Mindset Matters

*Mindset Matters* 🧠

I’ve been thinking a lot about this amazing study from 2007 that looked at how mindset plays an important role in the outcomes of exercise and health. ❤️

The study looked at 84 female room attendants from a variety of hotels. “Those in the informed condition were told that the work they do (cleaning hotel rooms) is good exercise and satisfies the Surgeon General's recommendations for an active lifestyle. Examples of how their work was exercise were provided. .

Subjects in the control group were not given this information. Although actual behavior did not change, 4 weeks after the intervention, the informed group perceived themselves to be getting significantly more exercise than before. As a result, compared with the control group, they showed a decrease in weight, blood pressure, body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index. ❗️❗️❗️

These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect.” 💗

Say whaaat?? I just love this! Mindset matters! .

Cholesterol is SO good for you!

Cholesterol is so good for you! ❤️🥚
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Essential for serotonin production, sex hormones, Vitamin D, digestive fluids, (the list goes on) and there is an important reason why we are changing the way we think about fat and cholesterol. ✨

Functional medicine looks at a healthy cholesterol range of about 180-220. These numbers are really important as the standard range is 100-199. ✨

Low cholesterol (under 180) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular incidents, increase in liver cancer, increase in lung disease, increase in depression and suicides, and an increase in addictive behavior. 😕
Not sure if any of you remember the 90’s commercials, but “eggs...give em’ a break!” lol — we are changing and learning! .
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#functionalmedicine #rootandstem#themoreyouknow #hormonebalance#goodcholesterol #vitamind #healthyfood#seratonin

We stand with teachers!

“You can’t feed the minds of our students by starving their schools”.

We stand with Oakland teachers!

Bitter herbs for Winter Health!

I’ve been really into bitters lately. 🌱🌿🍃
I love adding a dash of liquid bitters to my bubbly water, especially with a meal. 🥣
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Bitter receptors have been found on dozens of tissues in the body, well beyond the digestive tract. Thousands of new studies have been instigated with this realization and we are further looking into the importance of bitter compounds. .
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The current findings show that bitters are necessary in the diet in order to maintain health and homeostasis. Anthropologically speaking, bitter compounds (alkaloids) are often poisonous in nature. If an early human ate something poisonous then digestive enzymes, HCI, and immune activation were initiated to make sure we didn't die. Modern humans in America at least, have completely rid our society of bitter tastes. Evolutionary speaking, we are missing bitter compounds that we can leverage to tonify our digestive tract and support our immunity. .

So add some bitter leafy greens & bitters into your bubbly & support your digestion! 

#bitters #darkgreens #bittergreens#rootandstem #immunestrength#functionalmedicine

Helping Nausea : Peppermint vs. Ginger

Morning sickness: ginger vs peppermint 
I have a lot of people ask me about treating that stubborn nausea in early pregnancy.

Morning sickness (while it rarely hits just in the morning) can often be difficult to tackle and cause a lot of unpleasantness. Many of us think ginger as the key ingredient for relief, but for some it can make it worse! 😦

I find that we are often split into two types when it comes to morning sickness: ginger-y that crave fruit like oranges, or peppermint-y that crave saltines.

Sometimes it takes a bit of investigating as to which tastes and craving help the nausea, but figuring out which direction to go in can help ease the tummy aches. I also really do believe that morning sickness is our body’s design to get us to slow back when we are in those early and vital stages of baby making. It is hard for many of us to do, but so important to remember. 

#functionalmedicine #rootandstem#pregnancy #morningsickness #nausea

Self care is not Selfish!

I just want to send a reminder to everyone that Self Care is NOT Selfish. ❤️
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It’s ok to put ourselves first to make sure that our needs are being met. .
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Just like how you are instructed to put on your oxygen mask first 😷in the event of an airplane emergency, the same goes for self care. 🙏🏽
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If you are too busy taking care of everyone else and not taking care of yourself, you will soon find that you aren’t helpful to anyone. Humans are meant to serve and help others, but in order to be of service to others we need to make sure we have the energy and strength needed for our optimal health. 🤦🏻‍♀️
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#rootandstem #selfcare #balance#oxygenmaskfirst #functionalmedicine #acupuncture

Re-Think How You Treat Injuries

I want to talk a little about the #METH method (I really, really wish there was a better acronym), and why we should stop using the RICE method for injuries.

In this context, METH stands for MOVEMENT, ELEVATION, TRACTION, HEAT. If you have seen an acupuncturist for an injury, I’m sure you have been told to avoid ice at all cost, and there is a really good reason for it.

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing, it is our body’s natural response and treatment to an injury. Our blood is filled with B cells and T cells that zoom in on an injury to repair tissue. Pain is our brain trying to keep us from using our sprained ankle so that we can give our body a chance to heal itself.

When we ICE we are cutting off that important blood flow, constricting capillaries, and numbing those important pain receptors. This can cause further damage and increase chances of chronic pain. 😣
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Heat 🔥helps encourage blood to the area AND helps move blood to keep it from stagnating. 🕺🏽💃🏻
So please… a little movement and heat can be really good things for your ouchies. 

#functionalmedicine #rootandstem#injurycare #sprainedankle #sprainedfoot#sprainsandstrains

Tennis Elbow ... might not be your elbow

Tennis Elbow might not be your elbow! 🎾💪🏾
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I’ve been seeing a lot of people suffering from tennis elbow or tendonitis in the past few months, and know how tricky it is to treat. Tennis elbow can be really stubborn and I often find that the source of the pain isn’t in the elbow at all, but in the upper back and especially the neck. Our upper back and neck tension can create a cascade of pain into our arms and hands, and a good reminder to increase stretching especially in the neck. .
As you read this now, take a second to give your neck a good stretch from side to side, reach your arm behind your back and give a gentle pull on your head to the opposite side, and don’t forget to breath and allow the lungs to help circulate blood through the area of tension. .
Ahhhhhh #neckstretches #tenniselbow#tendonitis

Step Away from WebMD!

Step away from the Web MD!
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The internet is the best place to find all of the worst possible scenarios of a hangnail. Believe me, I’ve been there, and it’s easy to fall into the internet’s trap of exaggerating an illness, pain, or just weirdness in our bodies. It can even cause unnecessary insomnia, worry, and straight up anxiety which is why I strongly encourage people to step away from the google! 💻🤦🏽‍♂️👩🏻‍💻😣

Everything in Moderation - Including Moderation

Everything in moderation including moderation
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Let’s give a little shout out to #OscarWildeand his quote “Everything in moderation including moderation”. ☯️
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I think that this quote is so right on when it comes to the mission of Eastern Medicine. It is so important to do our best when it comes to health, diet, lifestyle, wellness, yada yada, and sometimes you just gotta indulge and enjoy! There is so much in taking that break from moderation that brings us optimal health. Let’s all take some time today to not be so hard on ourselves ;) .
#balance #yinyang

Maximizing Your B Vitamins

Are you peeing yellow with your B vitamins!? While it is common for our bodies to excrete excess B in urine, it could also indicate that you just aren’t absorbing it and wasting it away! 💛
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One important marker in your Complete Blood Count lab work is looking at your Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV). We can easily see if your blood cells are too big to absorb all that expensive B vitamin. ✔️

There is often an easy fix! While I prefer to try to get all of my vitamins in food (hard to do!), we often need the support of supplements and a food based “methylated” or “cyanocobalamin” B vitamin is what your body can actually utilize. 🥚🧀🍵

It is important that it is food based as the synergy of the ingredients is what really makes it special. This will ensure that your body has what it needs to digest and absorb. Just one of the many reasons why I love looking at functional blood chemistry!

#functionalmedicine #rootandstem#bloodwork #vitb #vitaminb #healthyeating

Rest and digest for fertility health

I’ve been talking a lot about the parasympathetic system lately, and the importance of “rest and digest” especially when it comes to fertility. I am constantly on the go and often realize that my entire day was spent in a busy “fight or flight” mode without any time for my body to really slow down. .

It’s an unfortunate cycle that is so easy to get caught up in. When we spend our day rushing and stressing all day, our body’s natural instinct is to shut down on unnecessary organ functions (like the reproductive organs) and only focus on getting you away from that “lion” 🐆 ... So the very LAST thing it will do is help you make a baby! .

Finding ways to encourage the resting and digesting in every day is important for all of us, but especially important to help conceive.

Happy Lunar & Chinese New Year : Earth Pig!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Earth Pig! 🐖🧧🌙

The Pig year is the end of the 12 year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, and a perfect time for reflection of the past 11 years. It allows for a much needed break from the last few feisty years, and relaxation and joy is on the horizon. Yay! .

The Pig especially enjoys the company of friends and family, festivities and gatherings, and giving and receiving is abundant in the Pig year. However, the Pig isn't the best at taking care of their health so keep up that self care routine and exercise out in nature as much as possible.

#chinesenewyear #earthpig #rootandstem#imbolc #lunarnewyear

4 - 7 - 8 Breathing Technique

4-7-8 breathing technique 😯😤

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I have a confession. Sometimes I have a really, REALLY hard time getting acupuncture 😕 It’s hard to just lay there, not doing anything. My brain is so wired to constantly do something even at rest. 💗

I have found that the 4-7-8 breathing technique has helped me tremendously! ✨Not only does it help me get into the acupuncture zone, but it helps me when I’m stuck in traffic, annoyed in a long line at the post office, and even to help me fall asleep. I especially love this mini meditation when I’m literally pinned down on the acupuncture table. 📍

This technique helps provide the lungs with more oxygen, relax the beta waves in the brain, and helps the “rest and digest” of the parasympathetic system. .

#breathing #478breathing #rootandstem #functionalmedicine #relaxation #parasympathetic

30 Chews!

30 chews! 😄🍲

A common issue I find when I look at labs is that the person’s just body isn’t absorbing food correctly. We may be eating the best and healthiest food, but that dense protein isn’t getting broken down and then overwhleming the kidneys, for example. .

While there are many factors to assisting proper absorption, one of the best ways is to chew your food, lol! I know that I often eat on the go, and I really have to stop myself from scarfing down my meals. .

Cooking food is the first part of digestion, but the enzymes in saliva really help macerate it to a consistency that the stomach can truly handle, making the rest of your organs happy. It might seem easier said than done, but when you eat dinner tonight, try to do 30 chews for each bite. ✌🏽

#rootandstem #healthydigestion #functionalmedicine #easternmedicine #oaklandacupuncture #feelyourbest #healthyeating

Why I Love Cupping

As many of you know, I LOVE cupping. ❤️ It is such a great complement to end an acupuncture session. But how does it work? Cupping is a therapy of applying suction cups to areas of pain (predominately on the back, but they can be put other places too!) By doing so, this helps open up the fascia and allow for more blood flow and circulation of qi into a tight and tense area.

Cupping is used to relieve neck and back tension, reduce anxiety, increase energy, and can even be a treatment for high blood pressure. ✨The major side effect however, are the weird marks that the cups leave, but only for a few days! #cupping #cuppingtherapy #acupuncture #rootandstem #oaklandproud #functionalmedicine