Five Element Acupuncture Homer

09/23/2026

Autumn Wellness with Chaga Chai 🍁

As the days crisp up and cool winds settle in, nature turns inward—and our daily rituals should, too.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), autumn is the season of the Metal element, governing the Lung and Large Intestine systems. It’s a time when dry air and sudden drafts can leave us vulnerable to scratchy throats, dry skin, and seasonal chills.

To stay grounded and protected, the strategy is simple: nourish the Spleen (Earth) to support the Lungs (Metal), moisten dryness, and fortify your defensive energy (Wei Qi). Enter Chaga Chai—the ultimate seasonal elixir.

🍂 The TCM Synergy Behind the Brew
Earthy Chaga Mushroom

Deeply grounding and adaptogenic, chaga acts as a rich Earth element tonic. It builds Spleen Qi and supports immune resilience, giving the Lungs the foundational energy they need to stay strong.

Warming Chai Spices: A blend of ginger, cinnamon twig, cardamom, and clove brings pungent, warming energy to the pot. These spices warm the channels, circulate Qi, and dispel external cold before it can sneak in.

Moistening Touch: Paired with a splash of warm oat or dairy milk and a drizzle of raw honey, this elixir generates body fluids (Jin Ye) to soothe throat dryness caused by crisp autumn air.

🍵 How to Brew Your Autumn Cup

1. Simmer: Combine 2 cups water, 1 tbsp chaga (chunks or coarse powder), 1 cinnamon stick, 3 slices fresh ginger, 3 cracked cardamom pods, and 2 cloves in a small pot.

2. Extract: Gently simmer on low for 15–20 minutes until dark, rich, and deeply aromatic.

3. Nourish: Strain into your favorite mug, stir in a splash of warm milk, and sweeten with a spoon of raw honey.

Pair Your Brew with Autumn Acupressure

While your Chaga Chai simmers, spend 1–2 minutes massaging these two key Metal element acupoints to strengthen your immune shield (Wei Qi) and ward off autumn wind:

⭐️ LU7 (Lie Que / Broken Sequence): Located on the thumb side of your inner wrist, about two finger-breadths up from the wrist crease (where your forefingers naturally cross when interlocking thumbs).

Why it works: LU7 directly releases the exterior, stimulates the Lung's descending action, and relieves early scratchy throat, cough, and stiff neck.

⭐️ LI4 (He Gu / Joining Valley): Located in the webbed space on the back of the hand between the thumb and index finger, at the highest point of the muscle when pressed together.

Why it works: As the premier point on the Large Intestine channel for clearing external pathogens, LI4 boosts immunity, unblocks the head and face, and helps dispel lingering drafts. (Note: Avoid firm pressure on LI4 during pregnancy).

Tip: Press firm, circular pressure on each point for 60 seconds while taking deep, belly-expanding breaths.

Sip warm, pair with some pumpkin bread, wrap yourself in a soft scarf, and let this aromatic brew and simple acupressure routine protect your Qi all season long. ✨

09/05/2026

🌼 Calendula in Modern Chinese Medicine: A Western Classic Through an Eastern Lens

Did you know that while Calendula officinalis (Pot Marigold) originated in the Mediterranean, modern East Asian herbalism has embraced this vibrant golden flower into the contemporary materia medica?

Known in modern TCM practice as Jīn Zhǎn Hūa (Golden Cup Flower), Calendula is understood through the time-honored language of energetic properties:

🌿 The Energetic Profile of Calendula

Temperature: Neutral to slightly Cool
Taste: Bitter and Pungent
Meridians: Liver, Spleen, Stomach
Primary Category: Clear Heat & Resolve Toxicity / Regulate Blood

✨ Key Actions in Practice

🔥Clears Heat & Resolves Toxicity: Its cooling nature makes it exceptional for soothing inflammatory skin conditions—like eczema, rashes, and burns—as well as calming irritation in the throat or digestive tract.

❤️‍🩹Invigorates Blood & Promotes: Calendula mildy moves blood stasis, helping to reduce swelling, speed up tissue recovery, and minimize scarring after injuries or post-surgical recovery.

💦Drains Dampness & Resolves Stagnation: Its resinous, bitter nature helps dry excess Dampness and clear sluggish lymphatic flow, keeping the body’s fluids moving smoothly.

As the autumn winds roll in and the seasonal rains return, it is the perfect time to harvest the restorative, heat-clearing power of Calendula

08/23/2026

My personal experience with acupuncture was remarkable similar. I initially sought treatment for back pain, but soon noticed positive shifts across other areas of my health as well. That’s the beauty of Five Element Acupuncture—it looks at the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) to address the root cause of symptoms and foster true, long-lasting wellness.

08/07/2026

Acupuncture works by treating the whole person across three interconnected dimensions: Body, Mind, and Spirit.

Acupuncture Should Be a Leading Therapy for Mental Health

Check out the article or podcast here:
https://acupuncturetoday.com/article/40134-acupuncture-should-be-a-leading-therapy-for-mental-health

07/11/2026

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), summer is the season of the Fire element, and the organ associated with it is the Heart.

In TCM dietary theory, every organ network has a corresponding color that nourishes it. For the Heart, that color is red.

Eating naturally red foods during the hottest months of the year is a beautiful, intentional way to cool the body, generate fluids, and keep your Shen (spirit/mind) calm and anchored.

Why Red Foods in the Summer?
When summer heat spikes, it can easily overstimulate the Heart system. In TCM, this doesn't just mean your physical cardiovascular system; it includes your sleep quality, mental clarity, and emotional balance.

High heat can lead to Heart Fire,which often shows up as:
😬Restlessness or anxiety
😴Insomnia or vivid dreaming
👅A red tip on the tongue
🥵Excessive sweating and thirst

Eating red summer foods helps clear this excess heat, replenishes the vital body fluids lost to sweating, and nourishes the Heart Blood.

The Top Red Summer Foods:

🍉Watermelon🍉
Known in TCM as the "natural White Tiger Decoction" (a famous classical formula used to clear extreme heat), watermelon is the ultimate summer remedy. It enters the Heart, Stomach, and Bladder channels. It is incredibly cooling, immediately clears summer heat, and promotes urination to flush out toxins.

🍅Tomatoes🍅
Slightly cool in nature, tomatoes are excellent for promoting body fluids, quenching thirst, and strengthening digestion. They help clear heat and resolve summer sluggishness.

🍓Strawberries & Raspberries🍓
These berries are wonderful for generating fluids and nourishing Blood. Strawberries carry a slightly cooling nature that can soothe a restless mind, while raspberries gently astringe, helping to prevent the excessive loss of fluids through sweating.

🍇Goji Berries (Gou Qi Zi)🍇
While naturally warming, adding a small handful of goji berries to a cooling summer tea helps nourish Liver and Heart Blood, providing a grounding, tonifying balance to the lighter, cooling foods of the season.

🫘Red Adzuki Beans🫘
Summer humidity can combine with heat to create "damp-heat," leaving you feeling heavy or bloated. Adzuki beans are a staple for strengthening the Spleen and draining dampness, while their red color specifically supports the Heart.

A Quick Summer Rule: While these foods are cooling, try not to consume them ice-cold straight from the fridge. Letting them come to room temperature protects your Yang Qi and Spleen digestion from getting shocked by the cold.

06/21/2026

🌈 I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a full rainbow across the sky from my deck during last night’s Summer Solstice! It was a perfect demonstration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy in action.

When a full rainbow appears on the solstice, it is a visual manifestation of Yin and Yang in perfect, harmonious embrace.

The summer solstice represents peak Yang—absolute heat, fire, dryness, and maximum sunlight.

A rainbow, however, cannot exist on sunlight alone. It requires moisture: a sudden summer shower, mist, or dense water droplets hanging in the air.

In TCM, water is the ultimate expression of Yin (coolness, fluid, stillness).

The fierce, fiery sun (Yang) does not evaporate the rain; the cool rain (Yin) does not extinguish the sun.

Instead, they refract through one another, creating a bridge of pure, vibrant color. It is a reminder that even at the height of summer's heat, Yin is present, necessary, and beautiful.

If your body has been feeling a little too fiery lately—manifesting as summer anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, or irritability—the solstice rainbow is your medicine.

It is a cosmic nudge from nature reminding you to invite the water into your fire.

Let it remind you to find your own inner balance as we step into the deeper weeks of summer. ☀️

06/21/2026

My favorite find from the Homer Farmers Market this week has to be the “Good Jing” herbal tea blend from Twin Fish Gardens, Homer Alaska

I'm so excited to use this blend as an excuse to slow down, nourish my roots, and restore my deep energy reserves.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Jing (or Essence), refers to our deepest reserves of Qi or life force energy.

TCM divides our Jing into two distinct sources:

🌸 Pre-Heaven Jing: Your genetic blueprint. This is the baseline vitality passed down by your parents at conception. It is a fixed savings account—we use it up over our lifetime, and when it runs out, our physical journey ends.

🌸 Post-Heaven Jing: Your checking account. This is the essence you actively refine and create every day from the food you digest (via the Spleen) and the air you breathe (via the Lungs).

The goal of holistic wellness is simple: Cultivate your Post-Heaven Jing so you don’t have to drain your Pre-Heaven savings account.

Signs Your "Battery" is Running Low:
Because Jing is stored deeply within the Kidneys—the root of both Yin and Yang in the body—a deficiency shows up as signs of premature aging, burnout, infertility, or deep constitutional weakness.

Ways to Protect/Recharge Your Jing:
While you can't easily add to your genetic "savings account," you can strictly limit how fast you spend it.

Here is how to keep your foundational battery protected:

😴 Sleep with the Seasons: Burnout is the number one consumer of Jing. Prioritize deep, restorative rest—especially during the winter months, which is the season associated with the Water element and the Kidneys.

🫘 Eat "Essence-Rich" Foods: Support your Post-Heaven Jing by eating deeply nourishing, mineral-dense foods. Think black sesame seeds, walnuts, bone broths, dark leafy greens, and kidney beans.

🧘🏻Practice Mindful Movement: High-intensity workouts can sometimes over-exhaust an already depleted body. Swap a high-stress cardio session for mindful, breath-centric movements like Qigong or Tai Chi, which actively circulate Qi without burning up your structural core.

The Bottom Line: You can't change the baseline battery you were born with, but you control how fast you drain it. Protect your roots, rest deeply, and nourish your foundation. ☯️

⁠

06/15/2026

Open your heart and expand your energy with this Summer Qigong prac...

05/10/2026

Meet Spirit Gate: The Gateway to Inner Peace

In the practice of acupuncture, few points are as cherished for mental and emotional well-being as Heart 7, also known by its Chinese name, Shenmen (translated as "Spirit Gate").

In the Five Element tradition, "Spirit Gate" is often seen as a way to provide the Heart with the stability it needs to radiate its natural warmth and joy. When the gate is clear, the "Emperor" (the Heart) can lead with clarity and compassion rather than being clouded by agitation.

Benefits of Spirit Gate
🪷Calming the Mind: It is the "go-to" point for easing anxiety, racing thoughts, and that feeling of being "not quite in your body."

😴Improving Sleep: By quieting a restless spirit, HT 7 helps those struggling with insomnia, especially when caused by overthinking or vivid dreaming.

⚖️Emotional Balance: It helps stabilize the emotions during times of grief, mania, or excessive worry.

❤️‍🩹Physical Heart Support: It is often used to address heart palpitations or a "fluttering" sensation in the chest.

Finding the Point
You can find HT 7 at the wrist crease, on the "pinky side" of the wrist in the small depression just behind the pisiform bone.

How to Use It at Home
While a professional session is the most effective way to engage this point, you can utilize acupressure yourself:
1. Use your thumb to find the depression at the inner wrist crease.
2. Apply firm, steady pressure or move your thumb in small circular motions.
3. Take deep, slow breaths, focusing on letting go of tension with each exhale.
4. Continue for 1–2 minutes on both wrists.

Next time you feel the weight of a busy day, take a moment to breathe and connect with HT 7. It’s a simple, effective way to invite a little more peace into your world.

Point location image: A Manual of Acupuncture, Peter Deadman

05/08/2026

We’re officially in Fire season ♥️🔥💥🌺🪷

FIRE ELEMENT (Heart/Small Intestine)
Joy and Connection

🔥The Fire element reminds us that health isn’t just physical – it’s emotional and relational.

❤️Your nervous system and mineral balance directly affect how much joy and connection you feel. Low sodium/potassium ratios on HTMA often show up as burnout, anxiety, or emotional flatness.

Nourish your Fire this month:
• Share a meal with someone you love
• Eat colorful, cooked foods that are easy to digest
• Reduce overstimulation (less scrolling, more real conversations)
• Gentle cardio like dancing, rebounding, or brisk walks
• Laugh on purpose – it truly supports your heart

Joy is medicine. Don’t wait to “earn” it.

Energetix Support Spotlight:
Calm Five, Fields of Flowers, Relax Tone, Spagyric Greens, Core Hawthorne, ReHydration, Melatonin Spray
Gentle support for stress, sleep, and emotional balance