Laughing Tao Acupuncture

Laughing Tao Acupuncture We offer acupuncture treatments, herbal medicine, qi gong classes, and self defense classes.

At Laughing Tao, we offer Chinese medicine acupuncture and herbal medicine in East Peoria with a gentle, root-focused approach that helps you feel more supported, more regulated, and more at home in your body.

Father's Day can be rough, or joyous, or empty. And it can be all those things at once. For some people it's a celebrati...
06/21/2026

Father's Day can be rough, or joyous, or empty. And it can be all those things at once. For some people it's a celebration, and for others, it can be a reminder of loss and complicated family struggles.

We know that health and healing is much more than physical, and rarely is it simple. This Father's Day, we're honoring not just fathers, father figures, mentors, and grandfathers who have helped guide, teach, protect, and care. We are honoring those, too, who feel discomfort, grief, pain, or nostalgia on this day.

So wherever this day finds you, we want to remind you: reserve a little compassion not just for father figures everywhere, but for yourself as well.

WHEN YOU'RE CARRYING SOMETHING YOU CAN'T QUITE PUT INTO WORDS...Maybe it's hard to articulate in therapy, or to your psy...
06/19/2026

WHEN YOU'RE CARRYING SOMETHING YOU CAN'T QUITE PUT INTO WORDS...

Maybe it's hard to articulate in therapy, or to your psychiatrist. But there's a treatment for it - just not in Western Medicine.

When it's called for, we like to use a modality called a "luo vessel" treatment. It's a Chinese medicine technique that involves releasing a few drops of blood with a sterile diabetic safety lancet. When I explain the process to patients, they're usually alarmed, but then surprised at how simple and brief the treatment is - and it's one of the oldest treatment methods in Chinese medicine.

Luo vessels are places on the body where experiences and emotions that haven't been processed fully become contained over time. Emotions like grief, anger, and fear can continue to shape our perspective and how we respond in our relationships and life overall.

A bleeding treatment helps to restore movement in the blood, where our emotions are held. After this treatment, often patients will text or email saying they feel as if something heavy were lifted off their chest - but they can't quite name what. A bleeding treatment can be deeply restorative and bring a mysterious sense of peace.

And if you're wondering if it hurts to be pricked? Our sassy tweenager asks for these bleeding treatments. She's a sensitive little thing, but reports she can't even feel the prick.

The Yi Ching is a Chinese form of divination and reflective tool for meditation. One of my most favorite - and most frus...
06/16/2026

The Yi Ching is a Chinese form of divination and reflective tool for meditation. One of my most favorite - and most frustrating - hexagrams in the Yi Ching is #29, called Repeating Chasms.

The image is simple but profound: a canyon with water flowing through it. Then another canyon. And another. The challenge is not one single obstacle to overcome, but several.

Most of us believe that if we learn our lesson, do the work, or gain enough insight, we should never have to face the same challenge again. I used to think so too. HA! Wrong. If only life were that clean and simple.

The truth is, throughout our years we will encounter the same fears, wounds, conversations, habits - and yes - health challenges we thought we'd left behind in the dust long ago. What I love about Repeating Chasms? While it stinks to be reminded you've got another chasm ahead of you yet AGAIN, it's also a reminder that these encounters aren't signs of failure. They are a reminder that we are human. The canyon is still there, showing up yet again in front of us. Yet, we are never the same person entering the chasm.

Someone may struggle with anxiety and loose bowels in their twenties, encounter it again while they start a family and raise their children, and then face it again as they begin caring for their aging parents. Each passage through the canyon is an offering to deepen understanding and discover parts of yourself that couldn't be available before.

Chinese medicine often reflects this reality. Symptoms improve, then return. Stress decreases, then another life event arises. A river does not flow through a canyon once and call the work done. Through patience, persistence, and flowing adaptability, the canyon becomes part of the river's story, and the river becomes part of the canyon's. Hexagram #29, Repeating Chasms, asks us to trust the process of moving through difficult terrain without becoming consumed by it.

This is all to say: Healing is not the absence of recurring challenges. Healing is learning how to move through them with greater grace.

Bone broth is one of the main foods we recommend most often. It's because of how simple and yet restorative it can be.Fr...
06/11/2026

Bone broth is one of the main foods we recommend most often. It's because of how simple and yet restorative it can be.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, bone broth deeply nourishes the body's reserves. It's especially helpful for those struggled with conditions of depletion: exhaustion, overwork, feeling burned out, post-partum support, and chronic diseases. It's easy to sip on, gentle to the stomach, and supports smooth digestion.

From a nutritional perspective, bone broth contains collagen, gelatin, and minerals to support deeper hydration and connective tissue health.

Often healing doesn't start with something complicated. Food is always our first medicine. This summer, begin giving your body the tools it needs to replenish and repair.

Being angry isn't a "problem." It's a symptom of something deeper going on, usually at a subterranean level. Instead of...
06/08/2026

Being angry isn't a "problem." It's a symptom of something deeper going on, usually at a subterranean level. Instead of being frustrated with - well, frustration - think of it as information.

In Chinese medicine, anger, frustration and irritability are closely connected to the Liver channel and the element of Wood.

Wood's energy is to MOVE, grow, bend with the wind, and adapt. Think of a healthy tree growing upwards and branching out beautifully over the years. When the Liver's energy is moving well, we tend to feel more resilient, can navigate challenges well, and have flexibility with changes and whatever else happens to come our way.

When the Liver's movement becomes restricted or stunted, energy begins to build. Your temper may shorten, and physical symptoms like headaches, neck and shoulder tension, digestive upset, jaw clenching, or painful PMS can surface.

Anger is the body's way of telling us that something needs attention and movement. Chinese medicine helps support the smooth flow of the Liver meridian so that emotions feel less overwhelming, and then physical symptoms begin to recede.

Clenching, grinding, TMJ, TMD - all of these issues can be painful. Headaches, eating, and even sleeping can become more...
06/05/2026

Clenching, grinding, TMJ, TMD - all of these issues can be painful. Headaches, eating, and even sleeping can become more difficult over time, and eventually the tension may stay present throughout the day - and night.

For some easy relief, try using an electric toothbrush as a mini massager. Turn it on and hold the vibrating handle against the thick jaw muscles just in front of the ears and along the cheeks for 30 to 60 seconds per side. Do not press too deeply - be gentle.

Just like a massage, the vibration can help relax tight muscles and bring more awareness to unconscious clenching during the day. This simple trick can be especially helpful before bed or after a stressful day.

There’s this orange stray cat in our neighborhood. He’s been around for years, but over the past several months he’s sta...
06/02/2026

There’s this orange stray cat in our neighborhood. He’s been around for years, but over the past several months he’s started showing up in our yard and the field across from our home more often. My daughter named him Max. Now it’s become A Thing. Anytime we see him, we say, “I saw Max today!” and then we’ll talk about what he was doing, where he might’ve come from - maybe he was hunting field mice, or sheltering under the shed from the rain, or sunning himself on our roof. It feels like we’re catching a glimpse into Max's life for a second, profoundly simple, yet absolutely lovely. It’s such a small, random thing, but it always makes the day feel better.

Max has turned into this precious symbol of childlike joy. Life can feel heavy and wrench us hurriedly into different directions. And then all of a sudden there’s just this unassuming, orange cat passing through like he has all the time in the world. He just shows up. And somehow that’s enough to pull me out of my head for a minute.

That’s what healing and hope look like more often than we expect. Not some big, obvious elephant trampling through the room, but small moments: slick as cats, and easy to miss if you’re rushing past them. A quick pause, a little lift, something that reminds you there’s still tendrils of good woven into the middle of everything. Max shows up and reminds me of that, over and over.

As we transition from late spring into summer, the body begins shifting into the energy of the Heart and the Fire elemen...
05/28/2026

As we transition from late spring into summer, the body begins shifting into the energy of the Heart and the Fire element. In Chinese Medicine, the Heart is more than the physical organ - it’s also associated with circulation, sleep, emotional steadiness, joy, and the Shen, often translated as spirit or consciousness. When the Heart is balanced, we tend to feel more present, more connected, and more able to enjoy the season without feeling overstimulated or scattered.

But as the weather gets hotter, that same Fire energy can become excessive. Too much internal or external heat can show up as restlessness, poor sleep, irritability, anxiety, feeling overheated, even palpitations.

One simple way to support the Heart this time of year is to avoid iced drinks, especially if you tend toward digestive issues, anxiety, or fatigue. In Chinese medicine, ice-cold drinks can weaken digestion and create more internal imbalance, even in hot weather. Cool or room-temperature fluids, along with hydrating foods like cucumber, watermelon, mint, or lightly cooked greens, tend to support the body much more gently.

Memorial Day carries real weight in our home because Glenn’s path into medicine was shaped, in part, by years of militar...
05/25/2026

Memorial Day carries real weight in our home because Glenn’s path into medicine was shaped, in part, by years of military service. Before he was treating chronic pain, PTSD, and complex illness in the clinic, he served for 10 years as an infantryman, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and later spent time supporting wounded soldiers as they transitioned back to civilian life. During his service, Glenn grieved the passing of many close friends. That kind of experience changes how a person sees service, sacrifice, and what it means to care for others.

Maybe that’s part of why his work as a practitioner feels so deeply grounded. Whether he’s helping someone with chronic pain, trauma, or a body that has been through more than most people can see, there’s a steadiness in the way he shows up that comes from having walked through hard things himself. Memorial Day reminds us that behind the holiday is real sacrifice, real grief, and real lives - and we honor that with the respect it deserves.

Address

209 Keayes Avenue
East Peoria, IL
61611

Opening Hours

Monday 8:15am - 4pm
Tuesday 8:15am - 8:30pm
Wednesday 8:15am - 4pm
Thursday 8:15am - 4pm
Friday 8:15am - 4pm

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