I was honored to be interviewed by Acupuncturist, Michael Max, on his Qiological podcast show recently.

Michael is a student of acupuncture and Chinese medicine for going on 20 years now. Begining as a curiosity as to how a few needles could not only resolve a stubborn health condition he had since childhood but also improve digestion, quality of sleep and mood.

This led him first to acupuncture school, and then Asia where I worked my way through the gate of Chinese...

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Incorporating Nature in Play by Wooden Toy Shop.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a tool that could quickly diagnose the root cause of our patient's health problems?

It's not like babies or young children can tell us what's wrong or where the problem is. To make a diagnosis, we're largely relying on our skills in asking the right questions and interpreting what the parents are observing.

Sometimes the tongue will provide clues about the imbalance, but most of the time it doesn't. The pulse is useful, but only for kids ages 8 and...

Pediatric Gua Sha or Scraping Massage is effective for treating allergies, coughs, colds, and fever in children. 

It can be used for kids ages 4 and up with a modification to use less pressure. In my experience, I've found that children respond really quickly when I use gua sha in addition to a regular treatment.

Focus on the Upper Back

To treat these conditions focus the gua sha on the Urinary Bladder Channel along the upper back.

To start, be sure to rub a small amount of...

Knowing a child's five element type can be almost magical. 

The other day I was working with a 5-year-old new patient, Billy, and his very exhausted and frustrated mother. Billy's dominant element is Wood and his influential element is Metal. 

If you're not familiar with 5-Element typing, let me tell you that kids with a Wood-Metal make-up are intense! You've got the demanding, high energy, do-it-myself Wood qualities combined with the need for rhythm, routine, fairness of Metal.

...

Parents will come to you incredibly frustrated with the one-size-fits-all approach of biomedicine. Children in the Unwellness Gap™ are often prescribed medications to manage symptoms but rarely do these medications affect a cure. 

If there's no pill that can help, then the parents are told that their child may outgrow it! Eventually. Hopefully.

Left to figure out how to help their child on their own, most parents find this daunting.

As acupuncturists, we uniquely positioned to help...

I know it won't surprise you that the one-size-fits-all approach of Western medicine falls short for many kids.

Millions of children fall into the Unwellness Gap(TM) because they’re not totally sick, but they’re not totally well, either. They suffer from frequent illnesses and inflammatory conditions like allergies, asthma, eczema, constipation, stomachaches, sleep problems, anxiety, and hyperactivity. Their problems often warrant repeated visits to doctors and specialists in...

Show Notes:

Q: What is Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD)?

A:  There are a constellation of symptoms that occur when children and adults are removed from nature.  It can manifest as physical, mental, behavioral, emotional, or spiritual issues. Children are affected more so than adults and when deprived of nature throughout childhood it can affect them their entire lives. It is also a “spectrum” disorder with a wide range of severity.

Q: How does a parent know if...

Video Notes:

Q: How do we know the herbs we are giving our kids are safe?

A: We only purchase from companies who test for bacteria, pesticides and metals, molds fungus, etc. We also do a visual ID and make sure they are good quality and we purchase organic when available.

Q: How can parents be sure they are purchasing good quality herbs?

A: Make sure you purchase herbs with a  cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) certified rating.

Q: What about herbs and nursing?

A:...

Every once in awhile a book comes along that I just have to share with everyone I know. This time it's a book on five element energy clearing called Clear Home Clear Heart by my friend Jean Haner. Learning how to do five element energy clearing has had a huge impact on my personal and professional life. If you're a highly sensitive person like me, using the simple techniques in her book can help you create an on/off switch! In addition, this clearing work been instrumental in helping my...