Laura Ponce Acupuncture & Wellness

27/02/2025

Wait! Spring hasn’t sprung just yet! In these final weeks of the winter season before March, our bodies will benefit from the support of TCM herbs and acupuncture that correspond to the season.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, both acupuncture and herbs are commonly used to strengthen the immune system during the colder months. Winter is linked to the element of water in TCM, a time focused on rest, nourishment, and conserving energy.

🌿 Herbs for Winter Health 🌿
🧡 Ginger: Warming, aids digestion, boosts immunity, and promotes circulation.
🍂 Cinnamon: Improves circulation, regulates blood sugar, and keeps you warm.
🌱 Schisandra: Supports kidneys and helps the body adapt to stress for resilience.
💪 Rehmannia: Nourishes kidneys, strengthens blood, and restores vitality in cold months.
🍇 Goji Berries: Boosts immune function, nourishes the liver and kidneys, increases energy, and supports eye health.
🌾 Astragalus: Strengthens immunity to fight off winter colds and flu.

❄️ Acupuncture in Winter ❄️
🦵 Supports the Kidneys: Winter is the season of the kidneys in TCM. Acupuncture strengthens them, boosting energy and immune function.
💪 Improves Circulation: Cold weather can slow blood flow, but acupuncture helps warm the body, especially in the extremities.
🛡️ Boosts Immunity: Acupuncture activates the body’s defense system, helping fight off winter colds and flu.
🌞 Fights SAD: Combat the winter blues—acupuncture regulates mood and promotes relaxation.

🍲 Winter Lifestyle Support 🧘‍♀️
In addition to acupuncture and herbs, winter is a good time to focus on adequate rest, nourishing foods, and practices that conserve energy. Warm, cooked foods are emphasized in TCM for winter as they help the body generate internal heat and support digestive health.

Together, acupuncture and herbs provide a holistic approach to supporting the body in winter, addressing both physical and emotional health.

PS, if you or someone you know is looking for extra guidance on their health journey, head to the link in my bio to learn more about my TMC offerings. 🔗☝🏼

13/01/2025

You don’t need a gym membership or expensive gadgets to transform your health—simple, consistent habits can make a profound difference.

Start by cutting out sugar and ultra-processed foods. These foods drive inflammation, disrupt your metabolism, and harm your gut microbiome, which plays a critical role in everything from immunity to brain function. Eliminating them allows your body to heal and perform at its best.

Incorporate daily movement, like walking. This simple habit improves circulation, strengthens your cardiovascular system, supports healthy metabolism, and boosts your mood by regulating stress hormones.

Prioritize quality sleep. During sleep, your body repairs damage, clears out toxins in your brain, and balances your hormones. Without it, even the best diet or exercise routine can’t compensate.

Health doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on these fundamental steps, stay consistent, and give your body what it needs to thrive. Simple changes create lasting results.

09/01/2025

Could acupuncture be the secret to a longer, healthier life?

By invigorating the body’s oxygen and blood, it helps reduce stress, calm the nervous system, boost immunity, balance hormones and improve circulation—promoting not just longevity, but a better quality of life. ✨

Stay vibrant 🌞, feel strong 💪🏼 and age gracefully with this ancient healing art. 🌟

Your body and cells are intelligent. By rallying your body’s own resources, acupuncture helps restore balance, improve circulation, and support its natural healing processes. When all systems are properly up and running, your body has a better ability to fight off illness, recover faster, prevent injuries and maintain vitality as you age.

Beyond physical health, acupuncture also nurtures emotional well-being by reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and enhancing mental clarity. 😌

Whether you're looking to feel more energetic, reduce pain, or keep your immune system strong, acupuncture is a powerful tool in fostering a vibrant, long-lasting life. 🌿

Laura Ponce Acupuncture & Wellness

01/01/2025

In traditional Chinese medicine, Winter corresponds to the kidneys and bladder, the organs that govern the body's internal water.

This is a time to slow down, go inward and conserve energy in preparation for Spring. Overworking and lack of rest/sleep in the cold months can deplete the water element and kidneys.

To nourish your body in this season, eat plenty of broth-based soups with rice, buckwheat, millet or oats. Add in warming spices like ginger, garlic, cinnamon and saltier flavors like miso and seaweed to boost digestion and your kidneys.
Laura Ponce Acupuncture & Wellness

01/01/2025

Acupuncture can be a powerful ally in balancing hormones.

By stimulating specific areas on the body, it helps regulate the endocrine system, improving conditions like PMS, menopause symptoms, thyroid imbalances, and fertility issues.

Acupuncture promotes better circulation, reduces stress, and supports the body’s natural hormone production, offering a holistic approach to hormone health.

If you're looking for a natural way to support your hormones, even cortisol (produced from stress) and insulin (regulates blood sugar), acupuncture might be worth considering!



Laura Ponce Acupuncture & Wellness

31/10/2024

Acupuncture is a way to optimize the flow of oxygen and blood through the body and calm the nervous system, reducing pain and improving mood among other positive benefits.

Head to my website link in my bio to learn more about my TCM offerings!

24/10/2024

In TCM, the season of autumn corresponds to the lungs and large intestine. Dryness and winds tend to dominate the fall season. 🍁

Try eating foods that generate fluids and moisten the lungs such as pears, apples, figs, dates, pumpkins, squash, broths, radishes, oats, millet, lamb, beef. We want to warm the body with soups and spices.

It is also a good time of year to begin adding in small amounts of sour foods to begin the process of contracting the body's energy.

Foods to avoid during this time are cold, raw fruits and vegetables and damp-producing foods like dairy, bananas, noodles and wheat. These foods can cause dampness in the body in the form of sinus issues, joint pain, headaches and brain fog.

If you're not feeling your greatest lately and want to reach new levels of health and vitality, head to my website link in my bio to learn about my TCM offerings.

10/04/2024

Acupuncture and the Spring Season
Written by Laura Ponce, L.Ac., MSOM

Welcome to spring! This season is a time of rejuvenation, cleansing and shaking off the hibernation of winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the season of spring lies within the category of the Wood element and the Liver system. TCM is a 3,000 year old system of medicine which identifies and treats root causes of disease within the body, mind, and spirit.

Within TCM, the Wood element governs the tendons, sinews, ligaments and joints in the body. It also governs the eyes. Wood represents newness and birth, a time of renewal and fresh starts. Here are a few pro tips to help you have your best spring season yet!

· Sour is the flavor associated with the Liver/Wood system. Try adding some fresh lemon juice or ½-1Tbsp. apple cider vinegar to warm water in the mornings (or both if you’re adventurous!) to help gently cleanse the liver.

· Wind is the element of the Liver system. Spring is windy which makes us vulnerable to colds, headaches, stiff necks, and sore throats. Be sure to keep your neck and top of shoulders covered with a scarf on windy days. Colds, headaches and seasonal allergies can be greatly reduced with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

· Green is the color associated with the Liver and the spring is an ideal time to transition from heavier foods to lighter, greener foods of the spring. Spinach, chard, dandelion greens, asparagus, kale, celery and peppermint are all great foods to help clean our liver and detox the blood. Try eating something green with every meal.

· Speaking of detox, spring is the best time for a cleanse! You may choose to add in liver cleansing supplements/herbs this spring season or keep it simple with clean, light eating and let your body do the rest! Acupuncture is well known to boost and support the body’s natural detox processes.

· Let’s get moving! Liver is in charge of the free flow of qi (energy) and blood in the body. Walk in nature, stretch, or move your body in any way that feels good this spring season. Try to get your heartrate up for at least 15 minutes a day in order to help with the body’s circulatory system.

· Irritability, impatience, frustration and anger are emotions tied to Wood. Deep breathing helps course the liver and relieve tense emotions. So does exercise/movement practices. Plus, if you’ve ever had acupuncture before, then you’ve experienced the welcomed feeling of relief and peace after a relaxing session.

Even one acupuncture treatment four times per year at the change of the season can be extremely beneficial in enhancing your body’s overall health. Wishing you a healthy (and happy!) spring.

05/04/2023

05/02/2023

Remember, cortisol (produced from stress) and insulin (regulates blood sugar) are also hormones! Acupuncture can help balance it all.

08/11/2022

I’ve done a lot of meditation over the years, but I went off-track during the craziness of medical school. I didn’t realize how stressed or anxious I’d become until I started meditating again.

With so much going on, it’s helped me have a place to go where I can disconnect from all the busyness and puts me in a state where I can be present. It’s why I meditate every day.

Meditation is like any other skill. You’ve got to put in the time and effort, but it gets easier once you make it a daily habit and begin seeing the benefits. Trust me: It changes everything.

If you’re not sure where to start, try out a few meditation apps or videos and see which works best for you. You can also start by closing your eyes, and breathing in and out for a couple of minutes.