Laura Luka LAc

11/27/2021

SHARE THE GIFT OF HEALTH WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY

This holiday season, share the gift of Traditional Chinese Medicine and support small businesses on Small Business Saturday!

COUPON CODE: TCMGIFT TO SAVE 25%**
EXPIRES TOMORROW!

Give the gift of health this holiday season.

04/23/2021

TCM Theory - The Earth Element 🌍

In honor of Earth Day here is a spotlight all about 🌍 associations according to Traditional Chinese medicine theory...

🌍 Organ pair - Spleen/Stomach
🌍 Sense - Taste
🌍 Tissues - Muscles, flesh
🌍 Body fluid - Saliva
🌍 Season - Late Summer
🌍 Climate - Damp
🌍 Time of day - Morning 7am-11am
🌍 Direction - Center
🌍 Phase - Maturity, transition
🌍 Emotion - Pensive, overthinking, worry
🌍 Flavor - Sweet
🌍 Foods- Rice, yam, beef
🌍 Color - Yellow
🌍 Sound - Singing
🌍 Virtue - Integrity, loyalty
🌍 Smell - Fragrant
🌍 Planet - Saturn
🌍 Spiritual creature - Golden Dragon
🌍 Spirit - Yi, thought

The list could go on and on, but I will stop. What did you find interesting about this list of 🌍 associations? Anything new you learned? Something you already knew?

03/12/2021

“Spring is a time of renewal, regeneration, growth and energy. The plants and animals awaken from the slumber of the cold winter months. The vital nutrients that have been stored in the roots of the plants and the bodies of the animals, comes to the surface and life becomes more vibrant and fluid. Human beings are no different. People tend to stay indoors more during the winter months and sometimes pack on a little extra weight in the process. As the weather warms, we become more gregarious and spend more time outside enjoying nature.”

Head to my Dao Labs blog to read more...

British Columbia based acupuncturist Julie Starsage shares 5 foods to eat this spring to renew energy and optimize health.

02/14/2021

TCM Theory - The Heart ❤️

Valentine spotlight all about ❤️ associations according to Traditional Chinese medicine theory...

❤️Element - Fire
❤️Organ pair - Small Intestine
❤️Sensory organ - Tongue, speech
❤️Tissue - Blood, vessels
❤️Body fluid - Sweat
❤️Season - Summer
❤️Climate - Hot
❤️Time of day - Noon
❤️Direction - South
❤️Energy- Expansive
❤️Phase - Growth
❤️Emotion - Joy, excitement
❤️Flavor - Bitter
❤️Foods- Corn, apricot, lamb
❤️Color - Red
❤️Sound - Laughter
❤️Virtue - Propriety
❤️Smell - Burnt
❤️Metal - Copper
❤️Planet - Mars
❤️Spiritual creature - Red phoenix
❤️Spirit - Shen

The list could go on and on, but I will stop. What did you find interesting about this list of ❤️ associations? Anything you learned? Something you already knew?

02/12/2021

“The need for rest and a good night’s sleep is almost as important as a healthful diet and proper exercise. Lack of adequate rest sets up the body for imbalance, fatigue and irritability.

The formula Physical Tranquility—Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan—is a famous patent for nourishing the heart; it’s been known as Emperor of Heaven’s Special Pill to Tonify the Heart. This formula has been used for thousands of years in China for treating insomnia.”

Read more on the Dao Labs blog...

The need for rest and a good night’s sleep is almost as important as a healthful diet and proper exercise. Lack of adequate rest sets up the body for imbalance, fatigue and irritability. The formula Physical Tranquility—Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan—is a famous patent for nourishing the heart; it’s b...

02/12/2021

Gong Xi Fa Cai! - Wishing you good luck and prosperity in the New Year!

In accordance with the Lunar Calendar, the Chinese New Year celebration for the Year of the Ox, begins on February 12, 2021 and ends February 26, 2021.

“The element for the year is Yin Metal, which is harmonious with the Earth Element, as Earth generates and feeds Metal. This implies a calmer and more stable year with less anger, less contentious behavior and much less potential for violence. Yang behavior will simply not be supported or be sustainable. Yin Metal is about the future and our hopes and dreams, which can start to inspire us again.” - from Year of the Ox Forecast 2021 by Lillian Pearl Bridges

I encourage you to read the whole forecast if you’re feeling inspired by her words:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0914/1204/files/Year_of_the_Ox_Forecast.pdf?v=1611878469

Some lucky foods to try:
Whole fish.
Dumplings and spring rolls.
Long noodles.
Oranges, tangerines and pomelos.

01/26/2021

S E T H E A L T H Y B O U N D A R I E S

Since the new year began this has been a theme I’ve been working on. Here are some helpful tips I’m saving for my own reference...

➡️ Know your limits - Know what is acceptable for you and what isn’t - be specific

➡️ Know your values - Know what is important to you and protect it. It might be helpful to rank your values, some areas to consider: family, health, work, career, education, religious/spiritual beliefs, friendships, exercise, recreation, rest, social media/screen time, personal space/time etc.

➡️ Listen to your emotions - Notice any uncomfortable feelings, these may be an early sign of a boundary being crossed and in need of being addressed

➡️ Have self respect - Your needs are just as important as others. Having lax or too many open boundaries can lead to feelings of burn out, anger, resentment and/or chronic fatigue and stress

➡️ Have respect for others - Healthy boundaries also include our relationships with others. Be considerate of others boundaries as well and cautious of overstepping their limits with our requests

➡️ Be resolute - When you notice a boundary of yours has been crossed practice holding it by saying “no” respectfully and without ambiguity

➡️ Consider the big picture - Everyone will have times when they take more than they give or give more than they take. Grant yourself kindness and consider the long term effect or big picture when critiquing yourself

01/19/2021

Today my 5 year old had the day off school, and last Friday his kindergarten class learned about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Like many other families we are taking this opportunity to give pause and thought to his life and work as an activist during the American Civil Rights movement.

We spent time over the weekend watching Dr. King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech, reading the children’s book “Martin’s Big Words” and discussing real life heroism, what we can do to make the world a better place for all people and why we honor his actions today. I especially loved learning about the strong influence his parent’s values had on him as a young man, and how the efforts and support of his wife and family continued to shape and fuel his belief in non-violence and a future for freedom and social justice.

Someday I hope healthcare including my field of acupuncture will have equal representation and access to fair and equal quality treatments for all races, classes and gender identities. In the spirit of MLK Day and support of the BIPOC community I’d like to share this resource I discovered recently.

BlackAcupuncturist.com is a national platform for Black acupuncturists in the United States and those who wish to find them. This is a place to come, to gather, and to grow for the betterment of Black and Brown people. Representation matters, so you can use this link to find a licensed Black Acupuncturist near you.

BlackAcupuncturist.com also serves as a resource for keeping abreast of the latest news and research generated by the growing number of African-American men and women who practice this beautiful medicine.