WellPoint Acupuncture

25/06/2025

Thought y'all could use something like this about now.

If you get overheated, there's a point on the back of your knees. You could put a cold water bottle or an ice cube to cool your body down. Also a cold water bottle or ice cube on the inside of your wrists is another one.

27/05/2025

This is a simple exercise to practice some breathing that regulates a jangled nervous system.

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18/05/2025

This still holds true.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
-- Anais Nin
In Spring, it's like we have no choice but to open up and get growing.
Here are some ways to tap into Spring’s energy to support your own health:

*Stretch, twist, and move: this helps our bodies loosen from the contracting nature of Winter. Spring is about action. Walk. Run. Bike. Take a yoga class.

*Practice the yoga tree pose. Feel your ability to bend and be pliable, as well as to stand rooted, tall and firm.

*Make time for spring cleaning. Open the windows, dust, vacuum, scrub, polish, organize. Not just in your homes, in your life. Spring winds blow away the last of the remaining dead leaves so that the majesty of new growth can really sparkle.

*Eat foods to cleanse and refresh the body/mind/spirit: lemons, asparagus, spring onions, and salad greens such as dandelion greens and leaf lettuce—all plentiful at this time of the year. Spring is the perfect time to lighten up our eating from the denser foods that sustained us in winter.

*Dwell in possibility! Rethink obstacles. Replace the word obstacle with the word opportunity; the word problem with the word possibility. Substitute the word but for the word and.

*Learn from your frustration: If your plan isn’t working, what does that tell you? Have you lost the “big picture”? Are you bogged down in details? Is it time to redirect your energy and make a new plan?

*If you’re stuck, do something physical to release pent up anger or emotion: Stomp, take a walk, stretch, play drums, hit a tennis ball, kick a soccer ball or take a kickboxing class.

*Be adventurous. See something new. Taste new foods. Try an activity you’ve never done.

13/05/2025

Spring fireworks in our garden

02/05/2025

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16/04/2025

I think it's safe to say, we're all feeling the pinch of ever-increasing prices these days. And some of our neighbors are experiencing job losses, and illness in the face of a significant decline in resources that had previously helped them stay afloat.

These are situations very familiar to my family. When I was growing up, my parents struggled significantly to pay our bills. My younger brother was born with a life-threatening condition that required years of expensive treatment and hospitalizations, it left my blue collar parents with extreme medical debt beyond their income. Like so many people, my parents did the best they could with the situation.

But then, when I was in high school, my father died at 36 leaving my mother with three kids and a household that was barely getting by on two incomes.

As are so many, my mother was tough and resilient in the face of some incredibly lean times. We survived thanks to a her quirky humor and abundant love AND a reduced school lunch program in addition to my mother's job at a Catholic retreat center, that enabled her to bring home left over food for us as she often struggled to afford groceries.

I imagine many of you have overcome similar and even more challenging times. From those of you I know, I also appreciate how generous you are to others.

The Central PA food bank and local food pantries are doing their best to serve families in our community who are struggling to meet basic needs.

If you'd like to contribute some food and personal care items to our neighbors experiencing financial hardship, I'll have a basket in my office to collect nonperishables for the Harrisburg Area Food Pantry, and I'll drop them off each week.

The list of staples include:

Black Beans/Kidney Beans
Cereal/oatmeal
Canned Fruit/Applesauce
Pasta/ Rice
Pancake Syrup
Peanut Butter
Soup
Tuna
Canned Vegetables
Jelly (plastic bottles)
"canned" milk (shelf stable cartons)

*Shampoo and Conditioner
*Soap and Deodorant
*Toothpaste and Toothbrushes
*(family and individual travel sizes)
Toilet Paper
Feminine Hygiene Products
Razors and Shaving Cream
Diapers (esp. sizes 3, 4, 5 and 6)

(please no expired items)

As always, I'm grateful for the community here.

16/04/2025

If you're suffering from the chronic bloating and unpredictable bathroom habits of Irritable Bowel, consider talking with your doctor about following a low FODMAP diet - temporarily- to help get symptoms under control.

FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable fibers and carbs in fruits, veggies, grains and more, that tend to create some of that uncomfortable "colonic combustion." Monash University is a great resource to learn more about FODMAP foods. Some high FODMAP foods are onions, garlic, wheat, and mushrooms.

Because this diet removes diversity and some of the best foods to feed your microbiome, it's not recommended beyond a few months as it can make imbalances in the gut worse, and eventually impact your health. After your symptoms have calmed a bit, you can gradually AND slowly reintroduce some foods.
You might find that you can tolerate small portions of certain FODMAP foods, or only a 1-2 higher FODMAPS foods per meal.

To aid your digestion of FODMAP foods, I often recommend my patients check out Fodzyme, an enzyme that helps your body break down some of the carbs that can aggravate the gut.
There are also herbs like fennel, saffron, mint and chamomile that can help ease gas and bloating.

photo: woman clutching her stomach by sora-shimazak on pexels

12/04/2025

Someone asked the gardener, “How do your plants grow so beautifully?”
The gardener responded, “I don’t force them to grow; I remove what stops them!”

This to me is the essence of healing

06/04/2025

April is IBS awareness month. Since good digestion is key to good health. And we make our Qi from food and our ability to absorb nutrients, I'll be sharing some tips the rest of this month about how you can heal and strengthen your gut. One of the most important, yet under recognized strategies is to support your nervous system.

🧠 ⚡️🧠 ⚡️🧠 ⚡️🧠 ⚡️

25/03/2025

My friend AND awesome African dance teacher Lark Daniel, founder of Dwennimmen African Dance Community, is co-hosting this workshop with Dr. Sharee Livingston.

22/03/2025

Spent a beautiful day at Longwood Gardens yesterday. And found an acupuncturist's favorite flower. 🤣