Dr. Liz Carter

Dr. Liz Carter Teaching you naturopathic medicine the 5 elements of Chinese medicine to improve your health ✨ Contact her for an appointment today!

New Leaf Natural Medicine is committed to providing comprehensive, compassionate, and affordable healthcare for everyone. Dr. Carter uses a combination of acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, craniosacral therapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, nutrition and lifestyle counseling, and hydrotherapy to help you feel your best!

Acute illness (like a cold or flu) is often your body’s way of rebalancing your health ⚖️🤧Getting sick interrupts your d...
06/06/2026

Acute illness (like a cold or flu) is often your body’s way of rebalancing your health ⚖️🤧

Getting sick interrupts your daily habits and that interruption is a good thing! Those patterns are often part of what made you susceptible in the first place.

In naturopathic medicine, your terrain, or the internal environment of your body, plays a large role in illness. If it’s clogged up with waste products from excess stress, poor food choices, lack of sleep, and more you’re more likely to become sick.

Acute illness creates a forced pause.

You sleep more, rest more, and naturally reach for simpler, easier-to-digest foods. Your usual routines slow down or stop entirely and you return to more supportive choices.

The symptoms that make you uncomfortable - aka coughing, sneezing, low energy, and more - let you know that your body is working hard to support your health 💪✨

It’s detoxing all the accumulated stress and waste that’s built up from you living out of tune with yourself.

Think of acute illness like a system reboot 🔄
Your system is now cleaned out, your habits are tuned up, and you’re ready for a fresh start.

—

Chronic illness is similar. Your terrain gets gunked up by unsupportive lifestyle habits, choices, or situations (some out of your control).

Your body creates symptom patterns of fatigue, pain, inflammation, and more in order to send you the message: “The patterns we’re running aren’t working.” 🚨

Your body will remind you of this again and again through symptoms and eventually illness until you pay attention and change some of those patterns.

—

So try not to feel guilty or ashamed if you get sick. It’s a needed part of life to help you reflect and rebalance yourself!

Instead, turn inward and get curious about why your body is sending you this message at this time.

You’ll likely find some answers and maybe even some ideas on how to support yourself better 💛

06/04/2026

Are you craving spicy or pungent foods, like chili, garlic, or wasabi? 🌶️

If so, it could be a sign that your metal element (specifically your lungs) needs some attention.

In Chinese medicine, the metal element is all about boundaries, protection, and letting go, and the lungs are responsible for taking in fresh energy and releasing what no longer serves us (along with the large intestine).

Spicy foods have an opening, clearing effect, and if you’re feeling like you’re holding onto grief, sadness, or even a fear of change, your body might be craving spice as a way to release those emotions and clear blockages 💨

The act of eating spicy foods can also stimulate circulation and help to clear excess moisture or congestion, making it an ideal remedy when you feel emotionally "stuck" or physically weighed down.

If you find yourself reaching for something spicy, it could be your body’s way of inviting you to let go, clear your mind, and open up to new opportunities.

For a full list of pungent foods, recipes that use those foods, and learn more about the energetic qualities of the pungent taste, check out my Taste of the Seasons guides: https://www.drlizcarter.com/lp/taste-of-the-seasons/

06/02/2026

Do you find yourself reaching for bitter foods like dark chocolate, coffee, or even bitter greens? ☕🍫

If this sounds familiar, your heart and fire element might need some support.

In Chinese medicine, the heart is part of the fire element, which governs not only our circulation but also our joy, happiness, and emotional balance.

Bitter foods have a cooling, calming effect on the body, and if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, your body may be craving the bitterness as a way to reset and find balance. 🔥

Too much fiery energy can cause emotional imbalances like anxiety, irritability, or restlessness, so your heart might be seeking that grounding, soothing bitterness to bring you back to center.

Next time you crave something bitter, it’s a gentle reminder to nourish your emotional health and find moments of joy, relaxation, and connection to your inner calm.

For a full list of bitter foods, recipes that use those foods, and learn more about the energetic qualities of the bitter taste, check out my Taste of the Seasons guides: https://www.drlizcarter.com/lp/taste-of-the-seasons/

06/01/2026

Ever crave sour foods like citrus, pickles, or vinegar? 🍋

It might be more than just a random craving! Your wood element and liver could be out of balance, and your body is signaling for support.

In Chinese medicine, the liver is key to the smooth flow of energy (Qi) and emotions.

When we feel stressed, stuck, or frustrated, it can create blockages that manifest as sour cravings.

Sour foods, in particular, help move energy and promote emotional flow.

So, if you're feeling tense, stagnant, or emotionally overloaded, your body might be reaching for these foods to help clear the blockages and restore balance 🌱

It's also a sign that your liver, which is responsible for your emotional well-being, needs some extra love.

This craving is your body’s way of asking for space to release pent-up emotions and find greater emotional freedom.

For a full list of sour foods, recipes that use those foods, and learn more about the energetic qualities of the sour taste, check out my Taste of the Seasons guides: https://www.drlizcarter.com/lp/taste-of-the-seasons/

05/31/2026

Cravings are messages from your body that are trying to help you rebalance your health. The foods you crave tell you which bodily system is out of balance.

By eating the foods you’re craving, you’re helping out your struggling system.

BUT you also have to look for the root cause - why is this system (or element in Chinese medicine - wood, fire, earth, metal, or water) out of balance in the first place? And how do I care for it?

To find out why you’re out of balance and how to care for yourself according to the 5 elements of Chinese medicine, sign up for my course waitlist: https://www.drlizcarter.com/lp/waitlist

05/30/2026

Did you know that your heart plays an important role in your sleep? ❤️

The shen, or the spirit of the heart, is responsible for the inner radiance of your spirit.

When it’s out of balance you can have vivid dreams, feelings of panic, and a lack of stability in your emotions.

It’s common to wake up in a panic if your shen is weak. And this is more likely to happen after an insult to your heart - like a bad break up, a challenge in a close relationship, trauma, or shock.

Check out my tips in the video to learn how to support your heart and shen!

And if you’d like to learn more about how Chinese medicine can improve your sleep, sign up for my workshop: https://www.drlizcarter.com/lp/sleep-workshop/

If you find it tough to focus either due to fatigue, stress, indecision, or neurodivergence, try this to help you break ...
05/29/2026

If you find it tough to focus either due to fatigue, stress, indecision, or neurodivergence, try this to help you break up indecision and move forward.

I learned this awesome trick from Tawnee at Wyldwood Creative. She owns a lovely craft and fabric store in downtown Renton, WA. She’s super funny, has tons of creative in person or virtual classes you can sign up for, and is just an all around wonderful human being. Check her out! https://www.wyldwoodcreative.com/

Enjoy what I share here? Join my email list to help you deepen your understanding of the 5 elements and naturopathic medicine and how they can transform your healing process: https://www.drlizcarter.com/landing/newsletter/

05/28/2026

If you’re struggling with constipation, deep breathing can help!

In Chinese medicine, the lungs and large intestine share a special connection through the metal element so when you support one, the other benefits.

The metal element benefits when you create space in your life.

Making time to breathe in the morning gives your body the opportunity to create space in the large intestine by letting go of what you don’t need anymore.

Hope this helps get things moving!

☝️ These refried beans are my favorite kind of food. Spend 10 minutes prepping, forget about it for a few hours, then ba...
05/27/2026

☝️ These refried beans are my favorite kind of food.

Spend 10 minutes prepping, forget about it for a few hours, then bam! Delicious food to eat for a week. YES.

I call these lazy refried beans because they require minimal effort and they’re still tasty even if you don’t go the extra mile to fry them up.

The secret sauce to this recipe is bacon which brings a wonderful richness and smoky flavor to the table.

If you’d prefer not to use animal products in this recipe, I highly recommend cooking the beans with 2-4 tbsp of olive or coconut oil so you get a little fat in the cooking process.

Recent research with rice has shown that cooking carbs with fat changed the structure of the carbohydrate, increasing what’s called resistant starch, which has less impact on your blood sugar.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1.5lbs dried pinto beans, rinsed
1/2lb bacon, cut into 1/2in strips
3 tsp high mineral salt
3/4c. - 1c. lard

Instructions:
In a large pot, bring beans, onions, bell pepper, garlic, bacon, and salt to boil in 3 quarts of water.

Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding boiling water if needed to cover the beans and veggies.

Cook for 2-2.5 hours until the beans are tender. The mixture shouldn’t be too thick at this point.

Smash the whole pot of beans to your texture preference.

If your mixture thickens up too much here, add water 1/4c at a time until it thins out again to your desired consistency.

To fry the beans, heat half of your lard over medium-high heat in a large skillet (preferably cast iron).

Add half of your beans and liquid to the skillet and fry until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Repeat for the other half.

Eat immediately over rice with avocado, cilantro, and salsa. Keeps 7-10 days. Or freeze.

Note: when you reheat the beans, you might need to add some water as they thicken quite a bit once cooled.

Enjoy!

https://www.drlizcarter.com/lazy-refried-beans/

05/26/2026

The water element in Chinese medicine is tied to our ability to assess and take risks.

So if you’re a daredevil or a scaredy cat that can tell you that your water element might be out of balance.

There are 5 elements and we have all 5 within us. And any of them can become out of balance and affect our health, mood, and even behaviors.

We also have 2 of the 5 elements that influence us the most.

If you really resonated with what I said in the video and feel like you live in a state of fear (or fearlessness) most of the time, you might be a water element personality type.

Take my free 5 element personality test to find out if you’re a water element 🌊

https://www.drlizcarter.com/landing/5ept-free/

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