Weekend mornings are a treasured time for family. It's hard to think of a more nostalgic, homey scene than Saturday morning in Dad's kitchen: fresh coffee with cream, the sizzle of bacon or sausage, a seemingly bottomless pancake pan, thick pat of butter instantly melting on the hot golden pancakes deluged by a cascade of warm berries and syrup.

We had a lot of kinds of pancakes growing up: buckwheat, buttermilk, seven grain, high protein. But the fairest of them all was the ricotta pancake, moist, fluffy, and a meal unto itself. This fresh lemon ricotta pancake with blueberries is sure to make any day feel like a special occasion. Though this pancake's decadent flavor may trick you into thinking it's dessert, the protein rich eggs and ricotta, high ratio of fruit, and light lemony zest make it a satisfying meal that leaves your tummy as happy as your tongue.

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries (thaw and drain ahead if frozen)

3/4 cup white flour (or...

Why do a spring cleanse?

• Allows your body to wake up and transition from winter to warmer weather
• supporting  your digestion
• reduce cravings !

Are spring cleanses safe?

 Yes they are! But not all are created equally.

Doing gentle, food based cleanses are safe but so are nutritionally supported cleanses. The big difference is the rate in which you clear or rid your body of toxins and whether you give yourself the correct nutrients and antioxidants to support the liver, kidneys and lymph systems to do so comfortably without excess side effects.

What are common side effects of cleanses?

We often hear about detox reaction which occurs because you are not supporting the liver with the appropriate nutrients to clear phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification processes at an increased rate. When this happens people feel sick-have low energy, muscle aches, feel hot, sweat more and just feel unwell.

If you support your body to detox slowly and correctly with the right nutrients and...

Bonju (hello) it's been a while.....but I've really missed you!

So much has happened since I began my practice in Clovis, New Mexico in 2007. I moved to Alabama with my husband, had my first child at age 36, moved to Virginia and began managing Acupuncture in Del Ray in 2014, moved to Massachusetts, had my second child, continued to visit Del Ray and offer remote consultations, and finally moved back to Virginia just as the pandemic began! My two boys (now almost 5 & 10) are vibrant, healthy, and full of athletic energy. They love to help cook. My husband's latest hobbies are brewing kombucha and pour painting. My parents, aunts, and uncles are transitioning into their 70s and 80s, my Zija and Ziju (great aunt and uncle) their 90s!

Helping people with fertility sparked my interest in acupuncture. My step-mom suffered through many miscarriages, and after changing diet, taking herbs, and regular acupuncture treatments was filled with joy when she finally...

Dad's clear broth chicken soup is a family go to perfect for March storms and April drizzle. Warm, light, and satisfying,  #paleo, #glutenfree, and even #ketofriendly (just ration the carrots!) 

Now that it is spring we want to open up the senses and our energy with fresh, bright notes like cilantro, green onions and lime to support Liver.

• Spring onions aka green onions have an upwards and opening effect to supporting the qi or energy of the body.
• Ginger supports the digestion.
• Garlic is great for it's antibiotic effects.
• Carrots support the spleen/stomach and are great for your eyes as well.
• Celery (especially the tops) and sesame oil are great for the heart and blood pressure. 
• Chicken is a great source of protein. Adding some vinegar creates a lighter, quicker version of mineral rich bone broth. Bone broth not only nourishes the tendons and ligaments but also supports the kidneys which are the root of your whole body according to...

10 questions to keep in mind when you are TTC

• Hot, Cold and Fever, Chills
• Sweat
• Head & Face
• Pain
• Urine, Stool
• Thirst, Appetite, Taste
• Sleep
• Thorax, Abdomen
• Gynecological
• History
• Discuss Acupuncture Theory

https://theory.yinyanghouse.com/theory/chinese/questioning

When working with a practitioner of Eastern medicine, we have a group of questions that help us create a custom treatment keeping in mind your overall well being.

This allows us to keep track of your improvements and ask follow up questions to make sure we are supporting all of you.

But you may be surprised to know that your cycle is not all that we will ask you about. Nope. Hardly, it’s important for sure, but we will want to know about when you started your initial period, gynocological health from an early age, as well as digestive function, and so much more. 

Here is a peek at the main focus areas and why we ask them.

If you are curious to learn more, check out these blogs or better yet, send me an...

In this month of November, we are surrounded with reminders of thankfulness and gratitude for what we have.

The art of being grateful is a tricky one sometimes, especially in a time in our lives where things have been turned upside down and sideways for many reasons.

Everyone’s life looks different from what it once was and yet, finding the small, simple things to be grateful for is now more important than ever.

Finding more balance and comfort within ourselves will allow us to appreciate others and have gratitude for our journey.  

What does this have to do with thankfulness and gratitude? Being more connected within allows us to show ourselves gratitude in mind, body, and spirit. When you practice creating inner balance, then you can go into the community and support your partner, family, friends, and neighbors in amazing ways.

There are so many ways to show our gratitude to others that support and love us.

Many of the simplest things we do from the heart are the...

There are so many reasons that we, as humans who are a part of a family unit, might bottle up our emotions.

But I am here to tell you that it is one of THE most unhealthy things you can do. PERIOD.

From a young age, many of us have been taught that it is either okay or not okay to say things that others don't like. Sometimes it might be unkind or inappropriate to share certain feelings e.g. negative or hurtful things even if we feel them. 

While this is true, it can also be true that this will damage the person who keeps their emotions to themselves and create an inner turmoil within them.

Over time, lack of expression will erode that persons’ inner happiness. It creates a dark feeling of not being heard or loved. This is where depression, anger, and frustration dwell. It is a path that many people go down and it is unhealthy for us.

Having emotional expression, feeling heard, being accepted by our family/friends, and being loved unconditionally is essential for all...

All of my life I have always known I want to be a doctor.

Very early on I learned that our bodies can heal themselves in amazing ways given the right nutrition and herbs.

With the power of Chinese Medicine, we can learn to listen to our bodies and eat healthier.

For myself this is one of my earliest memories, but what really made me interested in Chinese medicine was the fact that both of my grandmothers were very ill. I took them to both their acupuncture and doctors appointments, and saw how both the practitioners worked with them. Seeing how the acupuncturist communicated and shared their progress with them, I understood that it was a different relationship than a western physician.

Mind you, I am very passionate about all medicine and have always used western medicine when needed. But the shift in my family who saw acupuncturists was fascinating because they were being encouraged to take ownership of their progress and improvements, whereas with doctors it was, “here is...

Many of my clients come to me because they are working with assisted reproductive endocrinologists and they have been told with studies and research time and time again that acupuncture can benefit them greatly.

Some of the benefits include: increased blood flow to the uterus, help reduce the cramps and pain, help calm the emotions you might be going through, assist in de stressing during hard periods of time.   

The treatment received during an artificial insemination, intrauterine insemination, or IVF can create a lot of stress on the body. These procedures are needed in order to conceive a child, but the actual instrumentation that is placed inside your body, the test, as well as the added medication, and added hormones make it very challenging for your body to reach a calm balanced state. These are some of the reasons I find acupuncture so effective during this time period. 

We can use acupuncture during all parts of your cycle, regardless of whether you have...

Exercise is so very important to our health.

It is recommended you do 30 to 45 minutes per day of physical activity or at least 5 days a week. It supports cardiovascular health, releases happy chemicals, and keeps our mental health in check too.

Another added benefit of movement whether aerobic, yoga, or meditation movement practices like qi gong teach our bodies how to move our own energy.

Much like we do with Acupuncture our bodies can create that same movement internally with mindful movement. 

What exactly does this mean?

If we keep our bodies strong and keep our blood moving, the energy that keeps us healthy will follow our blood flow. The more we exercise in aerobic and meditation type activities like yoga, qi gong, or tai qi the easier our energy flow will be…thus we will not experience pain, blockage of digestive function, or breathing issues.

Both practices are essential because of the shift in breath with mindful movement we learn to create a space for our...