Touchstone Acupuncture

10/16/2025

A warming, grounding autumn soup, perfect for nourishing digestion, boosting immunity, and counteracting external cold and dryness.
In TCM, kabocha squash strengthens the Spleen and Stomach, harmonizing digestion and reducing Dampness. Ginger warms the interior, disperses cold, and supports immune function. The addition of white pepper gently boosts Yang Qi and aids in Lung health.

Nutritionally, kabocha is rich in beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A), fiber, and immune-enhancing antioxidants. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory and circulatory properties help combat seasonal colds and sluggish digestion.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
- 1 small kabocha squash, peeled and cubed
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 3 cups vegetable or bone broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Sea salt to taste
- Optional: drizzle of toasted sesame oil

Instructions:
1. Toss kabocha cubes with olive oil, salt, and white pepper. Roast at 400°F for 25–30 minutes.
2. In a pot, sauté ginger slices in a little oil.
3. Add roasted kabocha and broth, simmer 10 minutes.
4. Blend until smooth.
5. Season, serve hot with optional sesame oil drizzle.

10/14/2025

Midlife is a sacred and powerful chapter — and how we start our mornings can shape how we move through it. Here are a few simple, nourishing practices to help you feel centered, energized, and radiant from the inside out:

🌸 Begin with Gratitude: Before your feet hit the floor, jot down three things you’re grateful for. It’s a small act with a big impact — shifting your mindset, calming your nervous system, and setting the tone for a day of grace and perspective.

💧 Hydrate First Thing: Your body naturally loses fluids overnight. A tall glass of warm or room-temperature lemon water gently wakes up your digestive system, supports liver detoxification, and hydrates your tissues for glowing, supple skin.

🧘‍♀️ Stretch & Breathe: Take a few moments for gentle stretching paired with deep, intentional breathing. This moves stagnant Qi (energy), relieves tension, and grounds you before the busyness begins.

🍳 Prioritize Protein: A protein-rich breakfast stabilizes blood sugar, supports hormone balance, and provides sustained energy to help you stay clear, focused, and resilient all day long.

Your radiance isn’t just about what you do — it’s about how you care for yourself in the quiet moments.

✨ Ready to nourish yourself on a deeper level? Book your next appointment through the link in my bio. Let’s support your midlife transformation, together. 💛

10/13/2025

10/10/2025

Your Large Intestine knows something your mind often forgets: not everything that enters your system is meant to stay. Every day, your body performs the miraculous act of discerning what serves your highest vitality and releasing what doesn't - no guilt, no negotiation, just clear, decisive elimination. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Large Intestine is the Lung's perfect partner, completing the Metal element's wisdom of conscious receiving and conscious releasing.

At midlife, when we've accumulated decades of experience with what works and what doesn't, we're finally equipped to apply this same wisdom to our emotional, energetic, and relational lives. The question isn't whether you need better boundaries - it's whether you're ready to trust your inner knowing enough to enforce them.

Head to my blog (link in bio) to read my latest post: Boundaries: The Large Intestines's Wisdom of Sacred Elimination

10/09/2025

A deeply nourishing breakfast or evening porridge, this dish fortifies the Kidneys, replenishes Essence (Jing), and supports Spleen and Lung health — vital for longevity and resilience during autumn’s descent into colder months.

In TCM, black sesame seeds are rich in Yin-nourishing, Kidney-tonifying properties, supporting hair, bone, and reproductive health. Walnuts warm the Kidneys, moisten the Lungs, and alleviate constipation from dryness. Rice strengthens digestion and serves as a gentle vehicle for these powerful foods.

Black sesame and walnuts are praised for their healthy fats (omega-3 and 6), minerals like calcium and magnesium, and brain-boosting properties. This congee provides sustained energy, supports nervous system health, and promotes skin hydration.

Ingredients (Serves 2–3):
- ½ cup white rice (or glutinous rice)
- 5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted and ground
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons raw cane sugar or monk fruit (optional)

Instructions:
1. Rinse rice, then combine with water in a pot.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and simmer partially covered for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once porridge consistency is achieved, stir in black sesame and walnuts.
4. Sweeten lightly if desired.
5. Serve warm, optionally topped with a few extra walnuts or sesame seeds.

10/07/2025

This season of life isn’t about going back to who you once were. It’s about becoming more fully who you are now — wiser, deeper, and more in tune with what truly matters.

Midlife brings real changes — physical, emotional, spiritual. And with those changes comes an opportunity:
🧡 To listen more deeply.
🧡 To nourish more intentionally.
🧡 To heal in a way that honors your whole self.

Here’s what your body and soul might need in this sacred chapter:
✨ Acupuncture to recalibrate your energy and support nervous system balance
🌿 Herbal Medicine to gently guide your hormonal shifts and promote internal harmony
🌬️ Breathwork & Somatics to release stress and reconnect with your body’s wisdom
🥗 Food as Medicine to fuel you with grounding, life-giving nourishment
🖊️ Journaling & Hypnotherapy to unlock inner clarity and access your intuitive guidance

This isn’t about “fixing” anything.

It’s about partnering with your body — with reverence and compassion — to lead your next chapter from a place of wholeness and empowerment.

You’re not breaking down — you’re breaking open. This is your time to tend to your roots, rise into your purpose, and reclaim your radiance.

💫 Ready to begin?
Let’s walk this path together: touchstoneacupuncture.com

10/03/2025

You've been breathing your entire life, yet most of us have never truly learned how to breathe. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs are called the "Master of Qi" - they govern not just oxygen exchange, but the very life force that animates everything we do. During autumn's Metal season, when lung energy is at its peak, we're offered a profound invitation: to transform breathing from an unconscious survival mechanism into conscious medicine.

This isn't about perfecting some complicated technique. It's about remembering that every inhale is an opportunity to draw in possibility, and every exhale is a chance to release what's ready to go. At midlife, when we finally have the wisdom to know the difference, conscious breathing becomes one of our most potent tools for transformation.

Head to my blog (link in bio) to read my latest post: Breathe: Inhale Possibility, Exhale What No Longer Serves

Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash

10/02/2025

This classic TCM dessert soup is a powerful remedy for dryness, particularly for the Lungs, which are vulnerable in autumn. It gently nourishes Yin, moistens internal dryness, and calms irritations like dry cough or scratchy throat.

In TCM, pears are cooling, sweet, and moistening — perfect for dry, cool October air. Snow fungus (Tremella) is prized for replenishing Lung and Stomach Yin, promoting a glowing complexion, and enhancing immunity. Goji berries tonify the Liver and Kidney, while jujube dates support Spleen Qi and calm the Spirit.

Nutritionally, this soup is hydrating, high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, polysaccharides, and antioxidants that support immune health, skin elasticity, and inflammation modulation. Snow fungus, in particular, has been researched for its collagen-like benefits and immune-regulating properties.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
- 1 snow fungus (Tremella), soaked and trimmed
- 2 Asian pears, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
- 6 dried jujube dates
- 2 tablespoons goji berries
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1–2 teaspoons raw honey (optional, added after cooking)

Instructions:
1. Soak snow fungus in warm water for 20 minutes until softened. Trim and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a pot, combine snow fungus, pears, jujube dates, and water. Bring to a boil.
3. Lower heat, simmer covered for 40 minutes.
4. Add goji berries, simmer 5 more minutes.
5. Sweeten with raw honey to taste after removing from heat.
6. Serve warm.

09/30/2025

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is the season of the Lungs and Large Intestine, the organs of release and letting go. As the leaves fall from the trees, we’re invited to shed what no longer serves us—grief, old narratives, outdated versions of ourselves.
Now is the time to pause, reflect, and ask yourself:
✨ What am I ready to release?
✨ What parts of me have been waiting to be claimed?
This season calls us into CURIOSITY—the radical act of meeting yourself without judgment. Your emotions, your shifting body, your truth.
🍵 Herbal teas, acupuncture, breathwork, and quiet walks under crisp skies are simple ways to support this transition.
If you’ve been feeling the weight of unspoken emotions or restless energy, it might be your body’s wisdom asking you to exhale.
Head to my link in bio to learn more about how I will support you during this seasonal shift.

09/29/2025

09/26/2025

There's a moment every autumn when you walk outside and suddenly know - not think, but know - that everything has shifted. The light falls differently. The air carries both the fullness of harvest and the promise of release. Your body recognizes what your mind might miss: this is the season of discernment, when nature herself demonstrates the profound art of knowing what to keep and what to let go.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn belongs to the Metal element - the lungs and large intestine working in perfect partnership to take in what serves us and eliminate what doesn't. It's no accident that this is also the season when midlife calls us toward our deepest wisdom work. At this intersection of experience and possibility, we're finally equipped to practice what the trees have always known: there is sacred intelligence in the art of letting go.

Head to my blog (link in bio) to read my latest post: Discernment: The Art of Knowing What to Keep

Photo by Sophia Kunkel on Unsplash