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Chinese Medicine Dermatology: An Intro

I am very excited to share the new E-book we have been working on for so very long: An Introduction to Chinese Medicine Dermatology.  (This E-book can be downloaded through the above link).

I am very honored to work on this project as an author and editor.  This project is very near and dear to my heart as I am closely involved with both partner organizations.   The book was a was  collaboration between the International Traditional Chinese Medicine Dermatology Association and Learn Skin, the online integrative dermatology organization.

Many thanks to all of the hard work and experience … Read More

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Essential Oils: The Smells of Health

by Amber Milanovich
Essential oils are awesome.  My top five reasons for loving them.

  1. Essential oils have a wide range of health benefits
  2. Essential oils can enhance the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
  3. Essential oils have no side effects
  4. Essential oils are enjoyable to use.
  5. Do I need to say more?

Sure I do…

Essential oils are super versatile and can be used in a myriad of ways, including direct application to the body, diffusers throughout the rooms, household cleaning products, and even as a means to keep livestock free of viruses and bacteria. But, a lesser-known but amazingly … Read More

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Herbal Smoothie

There are many reasons to love smoothies; they’re delicious, healthy, and portable! A well-made smoothie can provide you with a serving, two, or three of your daily requirements of fruit and vegetables, all in one glass. It’s the perfect no-mess commuter breakfast, lunch-when-there’s-no-time-for lunch, and that extra boost needed to get from work to the gym. And, depending on your recipe, they’re even pretty colors!

But did you know, you can take that smoothie to the next level by adding some amazing herbs?

To boost your smoothie’s “super powers”, consider these two herbs for starters, easily found at a health … Read More

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Five Reasons Acupuncture Helps Eczema

acupuncture models historic 1My patients with eczema are looking for natural and safe therapies. Acupuncture seems like an obvious choice because it is safe and has been used for skin conditions for thousands of years. But people don’t always know why it helps.

Acupuncture for Eczema

Acupuncture is a therapy that uses very thin needles to stimulate acupuncture points that have a specific healing effect. Its very safe and is very relaxing experience.

Here are a number of reasons why acupuncture is great for helping eczema.

1. Acupuncture helps to reduce itch. If you’re reading this article, then you probably know … Read More

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Chinese Herb Tastes and Temperatures

Chinese herbal teaIf you’ve ever drank a cup of Chinese Herbs, you know they taste unique. It can range from strong tea, to cinnamon and ginger, to very twiggy and quite bitter.

Over the thousands of years of Chinese medicine, scholars have classified herbs according to taste and temperature to describe their healing function. The traditional way to test if the herb is of high quality is by tasting it. This process is called organoleptics. Sophisticated Chinese medicine doctors and herbal pharmacists know an herb’s quality from tasting, smelling, and the look of the herbs.

The Flavors of Herbs

There are 5 … Read More

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Chinese Medicine Antioxidants

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of promoting longevity and treating age related conditions. Recently, research shows that Chinese medicine therapies such as herbs, acupuncture, and tai ji all have antioxidant capabilities.

Oxidative stress can be understood as an imbalance between the creation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body’s ability to detoxify through antioxidants and other mechanisms.[1]  Health in TCM is based upon the idea of balance which can be understood as a homeostatic state.[2]

Herbal Antioxidants

chinese herbs 1 copyTraditional Chinese medicine has long focused on longevity and improving health for those with age related diseases such as arthritis, … Read More

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Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Up to 45 million of people in the US live with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that comes with a number of uncomfortable symptoms including, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, or mixed diarrhea and constipation. In addition to overall feeling unwell, IBS also impacts work, school, and social situations.[1]

There is hope to feel better. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are helpful in treating IBS.[2,3]

In my ten years of practice I have helped hundreds of patients with IBS improve with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Alban_052113_082 copy

What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome

According to acupuncture, not all people get … Read More

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How Acupuncture Treats Acne

Weighting chinese herbs1People are often curious how I treat acne. Acupuncture works by correcting the root cause of acne. Most acne is caused by heat, toxicity, dampness, or stagnation in the flow of qi. Each person is unique and not all people develop acne from the same root causes.

Herbal formulas and acupuncture treatments are customized to correct the root imbalance causing your acne. To create the optimal herbal and acupuncture therapy, I will consider your overall health to find the specific imbalance causing the acne. Digestion, menstrual cycle, immunity, and energy levels all play a factor. Most importantly, I will consider … Read More

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The Taste of Chinese Herbs

herbal formula with ingreidentsThe flavors of Chinese herbs are more than just what they taste like.  It describes the describe their qualities and actions which the herbs have on health.  Sweet, bitter, acrid, sour, and bland are the most common flavors with Chinese medicine.  They each have a specific function within the herbal formula.

For example, sweet herbs tonify the body’s energy. This does not mean the herbs have sugar but they are sweet in nature.  Some sweet herbs do taste pretty sweet such as licorice but others, such as astragalus, does not taste very sweet at all.   While bitter herbs clear heat.… Read More

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Skin Conditions

Skin diseases are one of the most common reasons to see your doctor. Yet, they are often stubborn conditions which do not respond to medications.  Or even worse the medications have side effects. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine offers a natural and effective treatment for many skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, perioral dermatitis, and others.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been treating skin diseases for at least 3000 years. The treatment of many skin diseases were discussed in the first known book of Chinese medicine, The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic (Huang Di Nei Jing). In the thousands of years … Read More