The East Asian Medicine Center

08/30/2022

As we pause for parental leave, our pharmacy remains open.

We are planning to keep our pharmacy available to both prescribe custom formulas for existing patients and offer over-the-counter medicine for anything from colds and flus to pain to postpartum support to hormone regulation.

While Chinese herbal medicine is rooted in individualized formulas and care, there are also many products that should live in everyone's medicine cabinet. We are calling this section "Chinese Medicine Over-The-Counter" and we’ve highlighted some products that will be available for pick-up anytime.

Please reach out with any health concerns or questions.

06/22/2022

We have some changes on the horizon to share. The big transition in our lives is that Talia is pregnant and our baby is due at the beginning of September.


We are beyond thrilled for this life change and although things will be quiet for a moment, we are still here for you. It is truly our joy and a gift to work with you and we are ready to discuss with everyone individually how to best support you in the upcoming months.

02/12/2021

Happy Chinese New Year, the year of the Metal Ox! Another opportunity to reflect, shake our heads in disbelief at this past year, feel gratitude for what we've weathered, and try to come up with 3 things to look forward to... like a delicious feast tonight to celebrate.
My dear friend, Shuier Zhang sent us calligraphy door couplets and wood-cut door gods/guardians. She is a brilliant person and artist- follow her Now we feel decorative, more colorful and protected.
right 和氣至財長富貴
left 順意平安永吉祥
Roughly translated:
Good temper and kindness will bring money and prosperity
Everything will go smoothly and the year will be safe with many blessings

07/31/2020

We’re organizing the pharmacy! Over 150 single herbs and 100 formulas to meet people where they are.
This past month, we purchased senior practitioner Elaine Stern’s Chinese herbal medicine pharmacy. She and Raphi’s dad, Jake Fratkin studied herbal medicine together in Beijing in 1988. Jake has been practicing this medicine now for 42 years and his knowledge, experience, resources, and friendships are invaluable to what we offer.
Thank you Jake and Elaine for setting us up for success.

07/30/2020

We are all weathering a pandemic upon pandemic, mixed in with summertime ecstasy and chaos. Yet somehow here we are with an acupuncture clinic in the home of our dreams.
Last week we officially opened our new location for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine clinic in the Hudson Valley. We serve the Columbia and Dutchess County area and anyone near and far feeling ambitious to come to us for a treatment. You won’t regret it ;)

07/06/2020

On donating money to black and brown folx and organizations working for justice.
We are having a profound experience of paying reparations. Of recognizing our monetary privilege as white people who have for generations financially benefitted from the white supremacist power system. And to recognize that, to let go of feeling like the money is yours, to let go of feeling scarcity, and to let go of pretending that we don't have a support structure and privilege to keep us on our feet is profound.
We can give and should give to acknowledge our history and our current state of affairs. The game is stacked in our favor and against the BIPOC community and this is one small way to make things right.
Donating money has been an entire energetic shift in our relationship to ownership. We don't actually own anything- the land was stolen and the money was made not outwardly but complicitly because of the racist system we live in that values white people above others. But this can change. It can be shared. It could all be more equal. We are not free until everyone is free. Giving up something we covet is hard, but recognizing the circumstances and making amends feels better. This is for the health of ourselves and the health of our nation.
See our linktree above for suggestions of local and national organizations to support.
Artwork by

06/25/2020

I am continually impressed by this organization, Kite's Nest. I am reminded that when I would visit my grandparents in Hudson after college, there were friends around and they introduced me to Kite's Nest. I would talk about the work Kite's Nest was up to- liberatory, empowering, radical, social justice oriented education in the community of Hudson. It encouraged me that not just gentrification was happening here but people doing the work to support black and brown lives and work for justice.
This next phase of civil rights reckoning for white people has been a powerful reminder to support the people doing the work and get the hell involved. The Kite's Nest is in the middle of their June fundraising campaign and I know a lot of this community here already supports and admires the work they do, but for those who don't, consider reading about them at www.kitesnest.org and donating money to them to help reach their goals.
At some point in our near future, we are hoping to offer free acupuncture through them or make our services more accessible to the black and brown community in this area. Let's keep this powerful momentum going and make change. Thank you. @ Hudson, New York

06/05/2020

It's been time to donate, to redistribute wealth and make right what our country cannot. It's been time to participate, the action can be the hard part, but we must take action beyond the protests to authentically show up for black America. We can not retreat into our privilege. It's been time to listen and read and educate ourselves from voices of people of color. It's been time for the police to be held accountable. It's been time for white America to be held accountable. It's been time for justice reform. It's been time for prison reform. It's been far too damn long and too many generations have fought for this change.
For us, we have been donating, protesting, calling and emailing representatives to de-fund the police and invest in the community. We also know our line of work is seen as a privilege to participate in. We aspire to work with insurance companies so people can pay their copay, (though they make it difficult to get adequately reimbursed) and we want to offer our service to communities in need. This action is actionable for us now and we will work towards making this shift.
Chinese medicine is based on observation of principles in nature. One is that heat rises. Heat is important for the whole system to move, feel motivated, and make change. With the heat of the summer, this is a powerful heat we have coming at the world. However, heat that runs too hot can burn things too quickly, it can harass the heart and the mind, affect our sleep and is exhausting. It is so important to maintain the heat but keep it firmly rooted. You can practice by taking a power stance, bending your knees, grounding your feet in the earth, and you'll start to feel lighter in your upper body. Acupuncture is a powerful tool to reorganize the energy in your body so you're not stuck in your head but feel connected to your body. That rooted heat is where is should be- you have drive and energy and can sleep at night. Let's use this heat to make some serious change in the world.

05/29/2020

05/29/2020

05/28/2020

TENS units! These are great to have at home for acute or chronic pain and injury. Ideal for those working long hours on computers, and well... everyone!
The electric stimulation helps decrease inflammation and promote blood circulation to allow for damaged tissue to repair and regenerate. It is excellent for gunky and tight tendons and ligaments, which naturally have poor blood supply and take longer to heal. They can also help loosen tight muscles, and get weakened muscles to fire properly.
We sell these TENS units with our preferred settings so that you’re all ready to go! Typical at-home treatment time is 20-30 minutes. If you're interested, comment below or reach out on our website at:

https://www.eastasianmedicinecenter.com/contact

05/21/2020

We have a new location! 2679 County Route 8, Elizaville NY
10 minutes away from our past location, centrally located in Columbia and Dutchess County.
Soon we will be reopen for in-person appointments at this healing oasis.
In the meantime, call for phone or video consultations because your health can’t wait. We are here for you. ❤️
@ Elizaville, New York

04/16/2020

Spring is coming, though the back and forth with the weather feels similar to what's happening inside our bodies. We are transitioning into a new season, from quiet and hibernation to growth and renewal. The trees are budding, the flowers are blooming, and we are feeling that shift in our energy, we are ready to burst open.
It's an extra challenge that we have to stay home during this time. To help ourselves smooth this transition, we can learn a couple of valuable lessons from our friend, the dandelion.
These yellow flowers are starting to sprinkle the earth. This plant is emblematic of spring. In Chinese herbal medicine, dandelion smooths energy in the body, it nourishes the eyes so we can see clearly, and it disperses heat that might arise from feeling stuck.
We can try to follow those principles in ourselves:
1. Find positive internal movement- stretch, do yoga, qi gong, tai chi, dance or find movement that you love to move the body.
2. Protect your eyes- every once in a while cover your eyes during the day, feel that relief and when you open your eyes it's almost as if you can see better
3. Move in and through your emotions- stuck-ness causes us to feel cranky, frustrated, angry, sad, really any of the emotions. Treat yourself, not in an indulgent way but in a caring way, what do you need to get through this? Is there something special that makes you smile?

04/14/2020

The Art of the Foot Soak. This is daily spa culture in China- it’s utilitarian, it’s necessary, and it’s accessible.
Here my friend Eartha and I sit in Kunming, China surrounded by a handful of Chinese elders all enjoying the process of unwinding together. It’s deeper than an unwinding evening ritual, it’s in community and it’s with herbal medicine mixed in hot water to warm our lower leg channels, especially our kidney channel, which begins at the bottom of the foot. The kidneys store our vital essence, our resources, it’s our savings account. It’s easy in modern life to overtax ourselves and to do too much.
To protect our resources, calm the nervous system, and do less, try a foot soak. You can sit by the bath tub and add bath salts or cut up some ginger if your feet tend cold and add it to a big pot of hot water.
Kick back, ground yourself, we have a lot more slow time ahead.

04/09/2020

It’s time. Our physical doors are closed but not our desire to teach this medicine. We want to empower you to tend to your health like it’s your garden, recognize symptoms, make changes, and live with more ease than you thought possible.
There’s a panic feeling that safeguarding our health is of utmost importance. Supporting your immune system really means supporting your sense of vitality. Fortunately for us, this is our profession. We are available for telemedicine consultations at a discounted price, which you can schedule online and stay tuned- we’ll begin posting educational videos and soundbites to help you learn more about Chinese medicine and how you can be your own healer.
Picture taken 5 years ago. Talia doing original telemedicine with her beloved grandpa.

04/09/2020

It’s time. Our physical doors are closed but not our desire to teach this medicine. We want to empower you to tend to your health like it’s your garden, recognize symptoms, make changes, and live with more ease than you thought possible.
There’s a panic feeling that safeguarding our health is of utmost importance. Supporting your immune system really means supporting your sense of vitality. Fortunately for us, this is our profession. We are available for telemedicine consultations at a discounted price, which you can schedule online and stay tuned- we’ll begin posting educational videos and soundbites to help you learn more about Chinese medicine and how you can be your own healer.
Picture taken 5 years ago. Talia doing original telemedicine with her beloved grandpa.