The water element paired organs that peak in winter are the Bladder and Kidney (plus adrenals).

The bladder meridian travels from the inner canthus of the eye across the head down the back side of the entire body exiting out the little toe. It traverses all of us.

Many of the point names indicate their function: bright eyes, supporting yang, supporting middle, celestial pillar, soul door, spirit hall, spiritual celestial connection, soul gate.

Acupuncture treats all levels of the human – mind, body, spirit.

Treating the bladder points can not only treat our organs like the bladder or the eyes, but it can also treat our spiritual sickness. It can help us see through the eyes of spirit. The dark clouds of our emotions and thinking can be cleared to see the bright blue skies of divine perfection.

Winter is Dreamtime.

Make the connection to your internal visionary this winter.

Dream it.

Envision it.

Humans and all other organisms are consistently modifying and adjusting to survive, become more fit, and thrive.  Physical and behavioral traits evolve in response to stressors or rewards. In a world of increasing technology, transhumanism, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, we have grown increasingly disconnected from nature.  

I invite you to return to the dynamic and seasonal rhythm. In the slowing, you will find your true connection.  In stopping, you will find your way. Winter is the season to rest, restore and reconnect.  We may be uncomfortable in the stillness of this season, unable to settle.  We will have to remember our innate connection. Sometimes that means support.  Our adrenals have often been taxed in our efforts to adapt to a rapidly changing world. We may feel the burnout of caregiving, parenting, adulting, working.  Winter is the perfect season for adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms.  Read on to see the particular gift of each of these highly regarded supports.

Support your journey back to Source. Purchase the entire collection.

The Element Wisdom card decks are perfect to inspire healthy habits that are in harmony with the greater natural seasons. 73 unique messages provide guidance during each season as well as the transitional days around the solstices & equinoxes. 365 days of wisdom in 5 seasonal decks ~ water, wood, fire, earth, metal.

Water, Metal, Earth, Wood and Fire decks are in stock & available for purchase in the Square store.

At times we need supplemental support for our organs, seasonal or situational. Adaptogens support your body and mind back to homeostasis (dynamic balance). Their actions increase or decrease chemical reactions within your body related to stress. They act on the nervous system and the adrenals. Some of my favorite adaptogens are:

Ashwaganda to Soothe

Ashwagandha has over 4,000 years of traditional use in Ayurvedic medicine for improving energy and sleep, balancing hormones, supporting memory and learning, promoting libido, and anti-aging. Ashwagandha promotes calm. It has anti-inflammatory properties.  It boosts the immune system and can be helpful with arthritis and fertility challenges.

Rhodiola to Calm Spirit

Rhodiola extract helps promote a calm emotional state and supports strong mental performance, optimal immune function, and hormonal balance. It is a key adaptogen for reducing anxiety. It improves mental and physical stamina, improves sleep, and reduces stress, “burn out,” and irritability. It boosts the immune system, decreases the frequency of colds and infections, and reduces inflammation. It is used in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome as well as fibromyalgia.  It can be beneficial for poor appetite and as part of a treatment plan for chronic stress headaches.

Tulsi to Vitalize

Holy basil has been revered in India for over 5,000 years as an herb that calms the mind and spirit, and promotes longevity. In Ayurvedic medicine it is called Tulsi, which means “incomparable one.” It is used to improve energy and relieve fatigue, for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and to lower blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Holy basil may also protect the liver, helps with nicotine withdrawal, and elevates the mood, especially providing relief from mild depression. While this herb is related to common basil, it is a different species and common basil is not a substitute.

Siberian Ginseng to enhance Performance

Eleutherococcus is one of the most well-researched adaptogens. It is used to increase mental alertness and performance, enhance concentration and increase energy and stamina, reduce stress and fatigue, reduce dream-disrupted sleep and insomnia, and enhance immunity and improve detoxification. It is anabolic, which means it helps build muscle and prevents the breakdown of muscle as we age.

Reishi mushroom to Nourish

Reishi mushrooms are highly regarded in Chinese medicine to nourish andsupport adrenal function. While Reishi is best known for promoting health immunity, resistance to colds and infections, and reducing inflammation, Reishi also helps support the body’s natural abilities to detoxify from environmental exposures, and also calms the nervous system, promoting deeper, more relaxing and restorative sleep.

I recommend professional grade products.  Otherwise, we may end up with re-labeled, expired, counterfeit or adulterated supplements. Create or Log into your Fullscript account to access my on-line pharmacracy. 

You can click here to view my winter adrenal stress protocol. 

I help patients individualize this protocol and typically prescribe one of the following:

Book a telemedicine visit for a supplement review, seasonal wellness plan or naturopathic consult. 

The critical first step in healing is accepting things as they actual are.

We live in a world where there is plenty that requires our resistance.

However, healing requires courageous honesty about ourself, our perceptions, our motivations, our circumstances and their cause.

I have doubled down on my commitment to live a life in alignment with my core values and the elemental.

My winter healing so far has looked like:

Living without liquid stress.
I had habituated a high quality jasmine green tea morning ritual. I would make one small pot of green tea then refresh the same leaves until noon. Occasionally, I would have one cup of coffee on special or social times. Even this small amount of caffeine masked my ability to feel my natural response of stress (cortisol surge) or ease (endorphin release).

Now I can actually feel my body’s feedback system and dig deeper into the root causes. From this understanding, I make better choices.

Living for today.
The last few years turned many of our lives upside down. I made plans from a place of fear. These plans are falling apart. I accepted a graduate teaching position with unethically low wages and promises of great job to come. I also spent a huge amount of time, energy and resources developing online classes that would bring in a consistent stream of income and continuity of care for patients and the opportunity to meet new ones -that project never gained traction. I have released these plans.

I have come back round to the real. I am offering real Wellness gatherings & Nature connects in real time during 2023.

Plans made in reaction to scary and unsettling situations are suspect. Maybe we just don’t know what is coming and can learn how to be okay with that.

I am living in winter. Studying how water moves, how it changes forms.

#water #winter #fear #healing #5elements

A loving reminder as many of us are finding new ways in a rapidly, ever changing world.

What strengths the quality of resilience?

• Healthy habits ~ Double down on restorative sleep, wholesome foods, clean water, exercise, autonomy.
• Invite real connection ~ In these days of the digital, the virtual, non-local, augmented & artificial realities bring your trusted & beloveds close.
• Adapt – Flow around obstacles; try a new way; circumvent the programming.
• Gratitude – Count your blessings daily; speak them; write them.
• Connect – Align with God, source, spirit, higher power.
• Slow down, be still, stop ~ Pause before you respond, meditate, center, pray, stop the narrative.

Live from your core values & delights. Roam the woods. Embody the elements.