From the category archives:

Five Elements

Uh-MAZing Beet Recipe for Beet Haters! An Acupuncturist’s Dream for Nourishing your Liver

March 21, 2012

People love hating beets. I do admit, they can go either way…if not cooked right, they have a taste that can be a little, well, bad. But I just tried a new recipe this week that has me fanatical over this humble red root. Because beets are so wonderful for nourishing your “liver blood”, and [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

An Acupuncturist’s Recipe for a Sane & Balanced Wood Season

March 14, 2012

“And the day came, when the risk it took to stay tight in a bud, became more painful than the risk it took to blossom” – Anaïs Nin Looking out my window, I see mostly still just a flat watercolor blend of dull browns and grays— for most members of the plant kingdom, dormancy is [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

An Acupuncturist’s Discovery: What your Insomnia and What I Saw in My Yard Have in Common

March 7, 2012

  Wake up, it’s Spring! Last week, I stepped into my garden for the first time since fall. Low and behold, there, shooting up like little explosive fireworks, were my Chives! In little 5 inch tall bundles, they announced the arrival of Spring. But doesn’t it seem early for this? And then the acupuncturist in [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Acupuncture Jing Meditation–5 Minute Meditation for Greater Strength, Vitality, and Joy!

January 25, 2012

The past few weeks I’ve been focusing on our Jing, which is stored in our Kidneys, and is related to the Water Element in Chinese Medicine. This week, I’m going to teach you a simple, pleasurable meditation exercise that you can do outside the acupuncture clinic, to increase your kidney function, build your vital Qi [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Success Stories from the Wintertime Acupuncture Clinic

January 8, 2012

We’re in the middle of winter, and that means in my acupuncture clinic I am commonly treating issues which have to do with the kidneys and bladder, the two organs associated with the Water Element, according to Chinese Medicine. Those issues can be obvious, such as frequent or difficult urination; or they can be mysterious [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

The Depths of Water will Keep you Balanced this Winter

December 21, 2011

It’s the midst of winter and all is elusive…the days are short and dark, the fields barren.  Not much occurs on the surface, and when we are in rhythm with the patterns of nature, our lives reflect this dormancy as well.  In this time of rest, and especially in our do-ing culture, it is all [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

The Gift of Inspiration: Tips for Holiday Shopping from the Metal Element

December 7, 2011

OK, so I admit it, I love shopping.  I love seeing all the colors, the new designs of things, the cool little handy gizmos that I can use around the house. But the holiday season takes shopping to a whole other level.  Typically, I try to avoid the whole thing…the frantic crowds, the shallow focus [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

What We Learn from the Leaves, As they Leave…

October 26, 2011

As I write this, I am gearing up for our first big snow of the season…by the time you read these words, our city will likely be covered in white. While I know the snow will be magical and beautiful, I must admit that I already grieve the loss of the dazzling colors that grace [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Metal Season: The Time for Learning we must Let Go, but that what’s of Value Remains

October 19, 2011

  The air is pungent with the quieting of the seasons. Everywhere around us we feel the downturn of energy, as leaves shine their last dying blasts of color before departing this world for their fall into the earth. Now is the time of letting go, of releasing—of bringing inward the scattered energies of the [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Time to Inspire!

October 5, 2011

  We have reached an interesting time of year here…is it fall yet? Are we still in late summer? While the leaves are surely beginning to change color, the weather has still been very warm. Yet undeniably, something is stirring outside…the days are suddenly noticeably shorter and there’s a crispness to our nights that wasn’t [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Beyond Nourishment: The Key to Feeding Yourself without Food

September 21, 2011

Last week, I sent out perhaps my most important email of the year (if you haven’t read it, it’s worth going back and reading now!).  As it pointed out, we are now in the season related to the Earth Element, and during the Earth season, the most important thing to focus on is nourishing your [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

The Earth Turns ‘Round, the Harvest Abounds…Time to Nourish your Qi!

September 14, 2011

The end of summer is upon us, and the bounty of the earth’s harvest is pouring in. Traditionally, this was the season for building our stores of nourishment for the coming months, and hours would be spent toiling in the kitchen putting up the summer bounty.  While modern agriculture has eliminated the need for this [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Out of the Fire and Deep Into Earth

September 7, 2011

For those of you who have been my patients for some time, you’ve heard me talk a lot about the seasons and how they relate to our health, the foods we need to eat, the types of issues we are likely to be dealing with, and in general, what we can do to stay balanced. [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

A Powerful Recipe to Nourish and Cleanse your Heart/Fire Element

August 3, 2011

The ingredients for this week’s seasonal recipe are not foods, but instead words.  After an impactful event which occurred this week in my life, I am inspired to focus this week’s email on the connection between our words, or what we communicate, and our Heart/Fire Element. The good news is, the ingredients are free, completely [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Proof that Relaxation, Fun, and Intimacy are Essential to our Health

June 29, 2011

Now that you’ve all read about the Fire Element and its relationship to the heart and Summer, lets talk about some specifics of what I see in the clinic when people don’t have enough fun, relaxation, and intimacy in their lives. I’m hoping that reading about the symtoms that occur will serve as a reminder [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Out of the Wood and Into the Fire: A look ahead at the theme for staying balanced over Summer

June 15, 2011

  We made it through the Wood season! According to Chinese Medicine, we’re now in the season related to the Fire Element, to the Heart, and to Summer.  As opposed to the Wood season, which was all about setting goals, independently forging ahead through whatever blocked our dreams from coming to fruition, and steadfast discipline; [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

The Long Awaited GREENS Experiment…DO Try this at Home, Folks!

June 8, 2011

Is this another shameless plug to try to get you to eat more greens? You betcha! Many of you know I’ve been trying the whole “local eating” this past year.  While it is turning into a huge international movement born out of the need to eat more sustainably, it fits perfectly in with ancient Chinese [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

That Feeling When the Rain Comes…Let the Raindrops Nourish your Liver.

May 11, 2011

Let the falling rain soothe your liver.. I don’t know about you, but I just love the rain. I know some people complain about the rain, and for those with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) too  many days without sunshine can definitely bring them down. But luckily we’ve had sunshine in abundance lately, so for this [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

When Eating Beef and Eggs can Help Balance your Liver

May 4, 2011

 Because according to Chinese medicine we are still in the season related to the liver (Wood), I am continuing to focus my “Wisdom”s on various things you can do to help keep your liver balanced.  Don’t worry…soon enough we’ll be in the season related to Fire, and you’ll get to hear some completely new [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

Do YOU use Benevolence to Balance your Wood? Spring is a Great Time to Practice!

April 27, 2011

Lead with benevolence… You’ve been hearing me talk for a handful of weeks about how essential it is in the Spring to have clear goals, and to be moving towards them with ambition.  This is because according to Chinese Medicine and acupuncture theory, we are in the season related to the Wood Element. But this [...]

Read the full article → by Inger Giffin, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.

← Previous Entries