Amongst the wide variety conditions I treat in clinic on a daily basis, the vast majority of my patients report regularly experiencing some level of digestive disturbance. Whether it be heartburn, indigestion, fatigue after eating, belching, nausea, abdominal bloating, or irregular bowels, most patients report being affected by at least one of these symptoms.

This time, since the start of Covid-19 has brought up many emotions, feelings, responses, and both conscious and unconscious ways of acting that for many of us are unprecedented even when compared to past traumas or struggles. And yet, as with all trauma the real struggle is to assimilate the experience and expand into it rather than contracting around it.

Sometimes we can’t wait for our garden to grow – what do we do when just getting to the next minute feels overwhelming? When taking a deep breath feels like the beginning of a panic attack? When we feel like our head might explode, the walls are closing in, like we might jump out of our skin?

Over the past several weeks there has been much discussion on public safety and what it means for individuals to truly feel safe in their communities.  As the incidences of police brutality continue to be exposed in this country we are starting to collectively examine and question the role of those whose job it is to protect and serve us.

What can traditional Chinese Medicine teach us about healing? One of the first things I learned in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) school is that this is a holistic medicine. You may have noticed when you come in for a treatment that we ask a lot of questions that on the surface have little or nothing to do with the health concern that brought you to acupuncture in the first place…

Hashimoto’s and pregnancy are linked in many ways. Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disease in the United States and pregnancy is one of the factors that can lead to it. Many people do not know that thyroid hormones can also affect the hormones that are responsible for fertility and successful pregnancies.

Stress is defined as any demand on the body, mind and spirit to perform and is derived from the Latin word stringere, to draw tight. The bodies stress response both enhances function, (either physical or mental), such as during endurance training or challenging mental activities, as well as inhibiting functions such as in chronic cases of adrenal exhaustion.

It is a well known and sometimes feared fact that as we age, our once supple skin begins to dry, and the amount of collagen available to tighten our curves slowly declines.  Additionally, our skin is our first line of defense against toxins and any other foreign matter.  Thus, living in urban areas with high smog and poor air are another perpetrator against the health of our skin.

Welcome to summer when the vitamin D is plentiful, and the dresses and shorts come out.  There are so many wonderful attributes to this season, including blooming trees, grasses, flowers and other plants.  For those sensitive to pollens and other environmental triggers, Universal Family Wellness Clinic would like to mention what often goes overlooked; ‘Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Treatments for Asthma and Allergies!’

For many women, endometriosis and fibroids are a difficult part of every day life. These conditions can be intensely draining emotionally, and depleting biochemically. Additionally, common western treatments such as pain medication, hormonal regulation, and surgical options are invasive and may not help a woman to address her symptoms and reach her fertility goals in a safe and healthy way.

When we're young, there's stuffed animals, someone to tuck us in, books to be read, perhaps a soothing song to be sung or played, and a hypnotizing mobile above our head to slowly and calmly rock us to sleep.  As we get older, late night studying or socializing occupy the moments right up until our head hits the pillow.  

Universal Family Wellness Clinic (UFWC) is inconspicuously located in Silverlake, Los Angeles, just around the corner from Sunset Junction in an unassuming brown and tan building. This Acupuncture and East Asian Herbal Medicine Clinic has combined ideas of sustainability and accessibility to create a successful business model that offers the community affordable, effective, natural medicine and fuels a healthy growing business.

Hey all my herbalist colleagues, after tweaking and adjusting this formula each week for 3 months I have found an effective, low dose herbal solution to a complex combination of health concerns for one particular patient. The patient is a mid-forty year old female with three kids ages 5-7.

It can seem overwhelming to face health issues when we are busy with life, work, and family, all at the same time.  Often our health and wellness take the back burner to the immediate demands of our lives, work, and families.  At some point we realize that we neglected our health, diet, and exercise routines and are faced with the challenge of getting back to balance.  

As acupuncturists, we spend a lot of time with our patients talking about their diets. Many people come in knowing that they could eat better, but they are not sure where to start. Shifting to a diet that is rich in vegetables, healthy fats and quality protein is one of the most profound changes you can make for your health. Old habits do die hard, but there are some ways to make it much easier, and so much more delicious.

Inflammation is a major contributing factor to well over 100 diseases, such as Alzheimer's, arthritis, asthma, colitis, dermatitis, fibromyalgia, irritable syndrome, and Parkinson’s to name a few.
Inflammation is the end result of long-term oxidative stress, or oxidation. Here are some foods that help with inflammation.

Oh, the holidays… This can mean many different things to different people - some full of the warm fuzzy feelings we see in the movies, but for many the holidays are also full of feelings of obligation, family pressures, over-commitments, and lack of normal routines, travel stress etc.  These are all normal feelings, both the feel goods, and the less comfortable. 

In Traditional East Asian Herbal Medicine, He Shou Wu is in the Nourish Blood category. It enters the liver and kidney meridians while its properties are described as bitter, sweet, astringent, and slightly warm. The earliest mention of He Shou Wu is 713 A.D. and was traditionally prepared in a black bean stew.

Maybe your New Year’s resolution was to cook more and eat better, and now it is two months in and you have a serious case of the blahs in the kitchen. Or maybe you have been a dedicated home cook for years but are always looking for inspiration. Maybe you don’t really know how to cook and don’t know where to start. Well look no further, we have two great books to recommend!

Since the days of Jack LaLane and Jazzercise, most people would agree on the health benefits of a regular exercise training routine to keep our bodies operating effectively and efficiently. Few would argue the importance of getting our heart rates up or “getting our daily steps in.” On the other hand, popular culture seems generally much less concerned about maintaining a regular training routine for our minds.