Brooke's Treatment Room at Harborside!

Check out Brooke’s beautiful treatment room at @harborside_stores in Oakland! We offer both private and group community acupuncture in this great wellness space on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 💗📍

Check out our schedule and book your appointment ↖️

13 Ways to De-Stress!

It’s time to de-stress this week! Do at least one of these today and you’ll thank us later. .

Plus we’d add acupuncture to that list 📍😀 Gratitude to @refinery29 for this reminder. 💗💆🏻‍♀️💆🏽‍♂️

✨You deserve peace of mind⭐️

Beneficial Foods for Spring!

I love this rundown from @phasesacupunture of all the beneficial foods for the spring time! . .
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Here are 5 foods recommended to eat throughout the season of spring

🥬Green Foods: During spring, it is recommended to eat foods green in color and rich in chlorophyll that help accelerate rejuvenation of the liver. This includes things like alfalfa, spirulina, chlorella, parsley, wheat grass, kale, Swiss chard and collard greens.

🌿Spring Vegetables and Herbs: peas, watercress, asparagus, barley grass, and radishes-all of these help move liver Qi and open up the liver meridian.

🍋Sour Foods: lemons, limes and grapefruit are all good choices that help cut fats that may have been stored up in the body during the winter months, while also keeping the liver Qi moving smoothly. Other sours include dill, kombucha, pickles, vinegar, and kimchi. 

Naturally fermented sour foods are also beneficial as their live enzymes improve digestion.

🌱Pungents: Spring onions, garlic, scallions, turmeric, basil, cumin, fennel and pepper can help be the extra kick we need to get things flowing.

🥕A Little Sweetness: Think young vegetables such as young carrots and beets. This nourishes the blood and helps keep you vital during all the new activity. Just make sure you're cooking by stir fry or steam grilling in order to allow your body to easily digest all of the nutrients!

📍And acupuncture can help address any imbalance or health issues that are occurring due to diet, stressors, autoimmune disorders, or injury.

Face the spring with hope! ❤️ 

Spring Wishes!

It’s almost May - May your week ahead be happy, joyful and full of ease.

Sending you some metta today and every day!

Brooke's Healthy Chocolate Bark (recipe)!

Make Brooke's Healthy Chocolate Bark! ❤️🍫 I love to make my own chocolate! I have dialed in this recipe over the years, but it is originally based on a #wellnessmama recipe. This is one easy way to add coconut oil and magnesium to your daily diet!

Magnesium is depleted in much of our soil and many people are deficient in this important mineral.
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Signs that you need more magnesium in your diet are muscle cramps, insomnia, low energy, constipation, migraines, low bone density, and mood issues. I add spices used in Chinese Medicine like Gui Zhi (cinnamon), Sha Ren (cardamom), and Huo Ma Ren (hemp seed hearts) for awakening the Heart and Spleen, and soothing the Large Intestine.

⬇️✨Get The Recipe✨ ⬇️
Ingredients
1 cup of Coconut Butter*
1 cup of Organic Cacao Powder
1/2 cup Raw Honey or to taste- using half this amount or less will make a bittersweet chocolate.
1 teaspoon of Real Vanilla Extract
Optional Spices: 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1 tsp Cardamom, ½ tsp Sea Salt
Optional Toppings: Toasted chopped nuts, goji berries, hemp seed

♾ Instructions

1. Melt coconut butter in a double boiler or a glass bowl on top of a small pan with an inch of water (make sure water isn't touching bowl) over medium heat. 

2. When cocoa butter is completely melted, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, honey, vanilla and other spices. If using a solid raw honey like Tropical Traditions, melt with the coconut butter. 

3. Make sure all ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. At this point, make sure that no water or liquid gets in to the chocolate as it can cause the texture to get mealy! Be careful even with wet hands or a drop of water in the mold! [Note: I've also just melted all of this on very low heat in a small pan and not had a problem with it, but this isn't as reliable as the double boiler method] 

4. Pour the chocolate into molds or onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a glass pan to harden. Add toppings to back of chocolates. 

5. Let harden in the fridge until solid, then remove from molds. If using a baking sheet for bark, break into chunks. Will store for over a week in fridge or can be kept in the freezer for longer.
   
   NOTE : *You can also use half coconut butter & oil! Enjoy!!!

Spotlight on Bitter Melon!

Bitter Melon! 💗

I love the bitter melon, it’s somewhat unusual to come across in the grocery store, but you might start to see it available as organic more often this time of year. 💫Bitter Melon is a blood sugar regulator: several studies show positive results in decreasing glucose and hemoglobin A1c in people with diabetes. 📋We think that it helps our tissue use glucose in a more efficient way, allowing for a more effective secretion of insulin and less sugar cravings. 🤸🏽‍♂️

Packed with nutrients: full of Vit C, A, folate, potassium, zinc, iron, and fiber!

🙅🏽‍♂️Full of antioxidants: Several studies using concentrated amounts of bitter melon extract have shown that it is effective in killing off a variety of cancer cells.
💪🏼Supports healthy metabolism: High fiber + increasing glucose breakdown = efficient metabolism
😋Yummy!: Stir fried, salad, sauced, 

Stay Healthy During Summer Travels!

Summer is coming and that might mean travel 🧳 ✈️🌅 +++ here are some great tips from Lyssandra Guerra at Native Palms Nutrition to stay healthy and feeling your best! 🌞

Traveling can jack up your digestion (eating out), detoxification (wilin' out), and stress levels (what isn't stressful anymore?) so here are some essentials to ease your systems ...

• MAGNESIUM CITRATE: eases constipation + nerves

• SUNSCREEN: delay aging, prevent skin cancer + promote long term skin health @marieveronique_ 

• CHLOROPHYLL: Removes toxins, speeds up metabolism + protects skin

• TULSI + GREEN TEA: Calm your nerves + feel focused? Yes, please. • BETAINE HCL: Prevent gas, bloat, heartburn by taking these with your meals. • LEMONS: Alkalinizing + stress reducing (vitamin C)
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Chinese Herbal Spotlight : Rose!

Chinese herb spotlight! 🌹

The incredible bloom of this crazy spring has been so inspiring for the herbalist that lives deep within me! 💗

I grew up with a dad that LOVED to grow roses. Our small backyard growing up was full of roses. Maybe that’s why I love rosebuds as a medicinal herb so much! ✨

Mei Gui Hua is the Chinese name for rosebuds, and the health benefits for this herb are so on point. Mei Gui Hua tea is used to treat what we call Liver Qi Stagnation. Some of the common symptoms in this pattern are irregular menstruation, acute mastitis, irritability, abdominal fullness and heartburn. It also makes a wonderful bedtime tea to help with relaxing into sleep. You can find it at many health food stores or order it at @mountainroseherbs ⬇️ https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/rose-buds-whole/

#rose #healingtea #menstruationsupport #irritability #heartburn #mastitis #rosetea #herbalmedicine #herbalism #plantmedicine #rootandstem #functionalmedicine #oaklandacupuncture

Insomnia Tips with Dr. Jessica Parker

Insomnia is weird and confusing. 😴

I think it’s really hard for our bodies to naturally just get a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. 💤This is something that has been introduced and basically forced since the dawn of electric lighting and it puts a lot of pressure on our poor parasympathetic system! 🏔💧🔥💎🌳The 5 Elements in Eastern Medicine can certainly shine a light on which organ systems need support depending on the time that we wake up in the middle of the night, but I also think that it is totally natural to have a regular witching hour (or 2). Our ancestors gave themselves a span of 10-14 hours to get those 8 hours, and it was very common for people to wake up, process thoughts from the previous day, get a snack, drink some water, have sex! They probably even gave themselves time to nap in the day! 💆🏽‍♂️💆🏻‍♀️ This just isn’t as practical in our busy society and the overlap makes that middle of the night insomnia so stressful. How many times have you laid awake with anxiety about not sleeping? It’s the worst! It may sound easier said than done, but I’ve found that trying to just let myself have that awake time when it comes has totally changed my anxiety around sleep. 🐏

Counting sheep has never worked for me, but the more I just let my witching hour be a time for me to process rather than stress about not sleeping, I’ve actually found that I’m sleeping better and more soundly these days. ❤️ #sleep

Try This Refreshing Herbal Arnold Palmer!

OMG I just tried this herbal Arnold Palmer and it’s so delish! Great for an actual sunny day this spring! 🌞

Inspiration and recipe @tradmedicinals

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Looking for a new refreshing beverage for your Easter or spring brunch? ✨ We like this decidedly herbal twist on an old-fashioned Arnold Palmer. Simply mix our Organic Tulsi with Ginger tea and freshly squeezed lemonade for an all-new HERBAL PALMER! Recipe below 👇

Makes 4 small cups of lemonade 🌟Ingredients:

3 Traditional Medicinals Tulsi with Ginger tea bags

6-7 lemons, juiced

½ cup of honey (or 2/3 cup if you like it sweeter)

3 cups of water

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

Directions:

Boil the water and pour over tea bags; let sit for 10 minutes, covered in a glass jar.

Squeeze out any excess tea, and compost the tea bags. Add the honey and stir until dissolved. Then add the lemon juice, and lemon zest. Shake well until everything is combined. Serve over ice and salute to the sun!

#traditionalmedicinals #tulsi #adapotgen #lemonade #brunchrecipe

Brooke Offering Acupuncture at Harborside Oakland!

Here’s Brooke rockin it out ❤️✨with some acupuncture and healthy treats at @harborside_stores #harborsideoak #oaklandacupuncture #rootandstem

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She’s there every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-7:30 with Chinese herbal treats and info about our new community and private acupuncture sessions at the Wellness Center in Harborside!

Say hello + get #acupuncture in one of Oakland’s top dispensaries. #eastbay #functionalmedicine #community #weareharborside

Is it allergies or a cold?

We’ve had such a weird cold and flu season this year that totally overlapped the allergy season. 😪🤧 I’ve had so many people confused about whether they are suffering from a cold or allergies, or both! ⁉️

Here’s a great rundown of some of the common symptoms from each side and how the connect. Don’t forget...Acupuncture treats it all!

Allergies :
Seasonal, clear mucus, symptoms 10+ days, itchy ears, nose and throat, year round symptoms or rapid sneezing.

Cold/Flu :
Fever, sore throat, strong initial symptoms, thicker/yellow mucus, hacking cough, muscle aches, chills.

BOTH:
Runny nose, nasal congestion, red watery eyes, loss of energy.

#acupuncturehelps #acupuncture #functionalmedicine #chinesemedicine #easternmedicine #chineseherbs #cupping #rootandstem

What is Really Happening with a Spring Detox / Cleanse

Since it’s the #SpringCleanse time of year I know it’s popular to use the term detox for when we limit our diet trying to rid ourselves of toxins. What’s really happening is called #Biotransformation; this is the process of rendering fat-soluble compounds into water-soluble substances so that our body can excrete them. While I do think that that if feels great to spend time once or twice per year checking in on cleaning up our eating (I’m doing that right now), I think what is most important is learning the realistic tools to keep up what feels best for our bodies for the year ahead. And it is so much more helpful when we use Functional Blood Chemistry in the mix! 🧫💉Individualized lab work is the best way for us to see all the details of where your body needs support and direct the “biotransformation” in an way that helps your body rid itself of waste to allow for the body to function better WITHOUT the deprivation phase! This is why I LOVE the 6 weeks to glow program! 
Ping us for more details! .
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📸@lyssandra_nativepalms ++ more wise advice on cleaning below! ・・・
🌱SPRING CLEANING🌱… greens greens greens, soups, broths, limited raw, and limited starchy vegetables (plus eating nutrient-rich meats like liver, sardines, salmon) …I’m catering to MY specific body and have been doing this for a week now to reduce inflammation, ease digestion, strengthen immunity, have more energy, and reduce stress… feeling pretty good and staying on it 🤙🏽

When it comes to cleansing, what information do you need to help you get started? Where are you confused? How do can you tell that you need one? Everyone's body is different, what one person needs may not be what the other needs...HOWEVER, there is some essential knowledge and to-do's that everyone should follow... 🤔
Learn more in our 6 Weeks to Glow program! ↖️

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We Love Nettles!

Spring time herbs Nettles spotlight! 🌱👩🏻‍🍳💥 One of my favorite herbs of all time is Stinging Nettles! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally stung myself (lol) but when handled properly, it is such a great spring time herb to keep on deck. You can certainly wild harvest it, but it is commonly found fresh at the farmer’s market around this time and makes a great addition to many recipes. 💗

Once you cook it, the spikiness will go away. You can also drink straight as a tea and has magical anti inflammatory benefits. I like it especially this time of year to keep the seasonal allergies at bay. Aside from its amazing treatment of all kinds of inflammation and pain issues, Nettles have been studied and found to be beneficial in treating enlarged prostate issues, hay fever, and blood sugar control. 😎

#springherbs #eatyourmedicine#antiinflammatoryfood#functionalmedicine #rootandstem#nettles #stingingnettle #allergyrelief#springcooking

Spring Tonic for Cleansing

A great spring tonic we’re loving 🌱💗 @kitchenwitchbonebroth
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TONIC RECIPE! Spring green means more movement, new growth, and shedding that old schtuff too. Our Healing Greens Tonic is a seasonal, simpler rendition of our wildly popular Healing Greens Soup. All you need are a few staples and blender. Our, brothy, answer to the green juice 💚
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Ingredients:⁣
-@kitchenwitchbonbroth 1/2 - 1cup, warmed⁣
-Ghee 1tsp -1TB (we love @fourthandheart)
-Dino kale, 1-2 leaves
-Cilantro, 3 whole stems w/leaves
-Squeeze of Lemon⁣
-Salt to taste⁣
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Add all ingredients to a blender, blend for 10-20 seconds, pour into your favorite mug, and sip away. 
#tonic #brothtonic #healingtonic#bonebrothtonic #healingfoods#healingfood #healthyfood#healthyfoods #healyourgut #guthealt#healthygut #happygut#gutbrainconnection #gutshot#microbiome #microbiomehealth#guthealthmatters #bonebroth#kitchenwitch #kitchenwitchbonebroth⁣
⁣#functionalmedicine #rootandstem#springcleanse

Cleaning Up Your Makeup Bag

Have you checked out the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database from the @environmentalworkinggroup? 💅🏽💗 I love having this at my fingertips when I’m looking for products. Check it out! “It's our mission at Environmental Working Group to use the power of information to protect human health and the environment. EWG's Skin Deep database gives you practical solutions to protect yourself and your family from everyday exposures to chemicals. We launched Skin Deep in 2004 to create online profiles for cosmetics and personal care products and their potential hazards and health concerns. Our aim is to fill in where industry and government leave off. Companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish. The U.S. government doesn't review the safety of products before they're sold. Our staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. EWG's Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate ratings for a wide range of products and ingredients on the market.”

#cleanlproducts #environmentallyfriendly #cleanskincare #ecoconscious #consciousconsumer #bettercosmetics

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! 🙌🏾
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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

Managing Chronic & Acute Pain with Acupuncture

Did you know that acupuncture has been shown to successfully help with pain management BOTH Chronic and Acute? 🙌🏾 Acupuncture helps with back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle sprains/strains or weakness, arthritis, headaches, migraines, sports injury, repetitive stress injuries, sciatica, whiplash. 📍❤️

📸: Kim's Pain Relief 
#rootandstem #acupuncture#acupunctureworks#acupunctureforpain #acutepain#chronicpain #sciaticarelief #whiplash#painmanagement #carpaltunnel#migrainerelief #heachacherelief#stressrelief #functionalmedicine

Spring Special! Six Weeks to Glow

We are back at it again … @lyssandra_nativepalms and @rootandstem are combining forces to offer ✨ 6 Weeks to Glow (for the Spring 🌱) and we're running a special early bird rate this week!

Save before Sunday, April 7th 💗

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This comprehensive wellness program combines #nutrition, #acupuncture, #functionalmedicine, #labwork (to see where you might have deficiencies and what you need from the inside out!) and more for optimal health ☀️with Dr. Jessica Parker AND Lyssandra Guerra of Native Palms Nutrition. 💫We created this program to help you LOOK and FEEL your very best, and learn the best ways to support your health that is sustainable for your life and budget. At the end of the six weeks 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 😃

You will learn about gentle yet effective ways to detox the body and optimize #digestion, #antiinflammatory foods that support your system, how to increase focus and concentration, and eating by listening to your body’s signals.

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This is the spring detox and reset you’ve always wanted, minus crazy dieting and deprivation. You’ll gain more #energy, #sleepbetter, balance your cycles and #hormones or eliminate #perimenopause or #menopausal symptoms, get #radiantskin, #reducestress and we cannot say this enough --- feel your very best! 💃🏻🕺🏽

What you learn will serve you for your entire life, and you can even share the tips and tricks 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. .

Ping us for more details or click link to website under services to sign up! ↖️ #6weekstoglow #rootandstem #springreset #springcleanse

Is Acupuncture Safe for Pregnancy?

I have many people ask me if it is safe to get acupuncture during pregnancy, and the answer is absolutely yes! 🤰🏽💗📍💆🏻‍♀️
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Acupuncture is great for all stages of pregnancy from pre-conception to labor, and not only helps with a variety of common symptoms, but it can also be effective in preventing many complications. We LOVE working with pregnancy! .
#acupuncture #functionalmedicine#pregnancysupport #pregnancy#fertility #acupunctureforfertility#rootandstem #pregnancytips