You know we need a healthy gut microbiome in order to digest and absorb nutrients from our food – without pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation. It also plays a role in autoimmune disease, hormone balance, our level of energy overall, heart disease, kidney disease, brain fog, bone health -- the list goes on. With Chinese herbal medicine, we can encourage the body to release its own digestive enzymes and bile while supporting the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and intestines. On...

In September 2023, my Chinese Medical practice turned 20 years old. This episode started off as a retrospective on lessons learned in these two decades as a self-employed Licensed Acupuncturist, herbalist, and coach. While it starts with the role of a clinician and the nature of healing, it explores issues that parents, givers, and people who care about what they do may well relate to, like: If you'll never know it all, when is enough enough? How healing happens -- and who is responsible...

Moving from overwhelm to a more healthy life is often about small steps. One such step can be embracing the philosophy of seeing how so many things can be connected. Approaching symptoms we're experiencing through the lens of the mind-body connection can help us do things like calm down our nervous system and reduce stress while still doing everything we need to do in our lives. Ali Damron, a colleague in the Chinese Medicine field, joins this conversation to dig into this philosophy of...

Taking steps in the direction of better health is a multi-faceted process. Not only do we have to take care of ourselves, but we also have to take care of the trillions of microbes that call our bodies home. Rooted in the Earth element of Chinese Medicine, the ecosystem of our bodies is integral to our health in a variety of different ways from our ability to produce energy to feeling grounded and centered. Dr. Chris Damman joins us in this conversation to geek out on where the science of...

This season of the podcast has focused  a lot on demystifying different aspects of Chinese Medicine. From acupressure to qi gong, we've spoken with experts to dig into the details of how these practices can help us move toward better health. In this conversation, we're exploring some of the most common questions from patients in the clinic in an asynchronous q+a session. These questions cover a broad range from the concrete, tactical side to the more theoretical side to help gain a deeper...

A consistent theme in this show is empowering you to embody self-respect through daily actions; to take small steps in the direction of better. The body is always seeking balance and homeostasis through its own intelligence and there are usually actions we can take to help support that process. One such way is using points on the body to take care of yourself through acupressure. Katie Pedrick, L.Ac. joins us for this conversation to unpack some of the self-care possibilities that come from...

Whether dealing with a COVID infection or just moving through life, a lot of us may be hitting energetic walls these days. In times like this, employing methods rooted in Chinese Medicine, like qi gong, can be very powerful in taking care of ourselves. Dr. Juli Kramer has practiced and studied qi gong intensely for years and she joins us in this conversation to discuss building strength through the gentle movements of qi gong. In addition to the value of using both yin and yang practices in...

What do you do when your back hurts, or when your neck and shoulders get tight and sore? Acupuncture is a potent medicine for joint pain, muscle pain, and nerve pain that provides an immediate relaxing, anti-inflammatory effect in a way that other healing modalities can’t. A growing body of research shows that acupuncture is a potent medicine for joint pain, muscle pain, low back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis of the knee, as well as chronic conditions like fibromyalgia. But people often...

Chances are, if you're checking out this episode, you're looking for tools and techniques to help tune into yourself and be a better self-healer. You're probably also aware that the things we do every day can make a massive difference in how we feel as opposed to only finding healing in a bottle. In this conversation, Amy Kuretsky, L.Ac. joins us to examine the deceptively simple, yet powerful technique of breathwork. As a broad term, breathwork is about simply bringing some intention to how...

Winter is cold, dark, slow time of year, and since we’re a part of nature, it’s easy for us to feel the same way: sluggish and more inclined to hibernate than to get things done. This most yin of seasons is necessary to balance the yang of life, and we ignore its gifts at our peril. In this episode, we examine how we can embrace the yin nature of winter,  along with: The connection between slowness, empathy, and connection What winter is about according to Chinese Medicine How qi gong can...

What would you really like to make time for on a regular basis, that somehow keeps getting pushed to the back burner? Whether it's writing a book, starting a meditation practice, or dropping a few pounds, developing a consistent routine is often the key to realizing your goal. And developing a new routine -- or stopping an old behavior -- is hard. And it's about more than just willpower. It takes time, energy, strategy, planning, and support. It takes examining the emotional triggers, and...

From time to time, every one of us makes mistakes and bad decisions. Once we recognize what happened, it can often be hard to regain our self-trust. Kelly Thiel joins us for this conversation to share her own experience of losing self-trust and how she's been able to work on rebuilding it. Her story inspires us to let go of resentment and anger to move forward; to move on from perfectionism and mistakes to find trust in ourselves once again. On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity: How...

Our digestive microbiome supports every other system in our bodies. Since we can't use what we can't digest and what we can't digest can cause problems, we can see cascading effects through our bodies if something's not right. Here to unpack how the digestive system works and its central role in the body is Dr. Darlene Easton. She brings us some practical insights to help us understand our digestive functions and shift our understanding of our place in the world as living ecosystems. On...

Given the stress and restriction of the last year, a lot of us might be carrying around some neck pain or unproductive posture. In the spirit of allowing ourselves to do less than we're humanly capable of, this conversation will address how we can work to reverse these issues with very gentle movements. Movements that invite us to be curious about the sensations we feel rather than trying to force our bodies to move in a certain way. To help guide us, Kieran Schumaker joins us for this...

It's been a tough year. As we slowly begin to emerge from, hopefully, the worst of the pandemic, we're also entering the full on yang-mode of summer. In the spirit of self-compassion on the heels of such a trying time, what would it look like to give yourself the gift of doing less? How can we lean into play and joy instead of the temptation of sending all of our energy and attention outwards this season? These questions are tough to untangle as we try to move from a mode of surviving to one...

Almost everyone that comes through the clinic is dealing with some combination of two things: stress and dampness. This episode is a masterclass, or at least a lengthy public service announcement, on dampness since some of the most common questions that come up are regarding what it is and how to address it. If you're dealing with tiredness, lethargy, poor digestion, brain fog, congestion, or are struggling with weight loss, understanding more about dampness can change your life. In this...

As the world slowly begins to emerge from the worst of the COVID era, there is a lot of collective trauma that we'll be working through for years. While any healing takes time, there are ways to move through trauma in accordance with the principles of Chinese Medicine that invite more ease into the process. Bringing with her some practical tips for processing grief, being soft with ourselves, and aligning with the season of spring, Ellen Goldsmith joins this conversation to elaborate on ways...

Maintaining a healthy alignment with our bodies so often comes back to keeping things balanced and our hormones are no different. Dr. Felice Gersh is dedicated to helping women navigate life in an optimal way, particularly when it comes to the roles hormones play in aging. She joins this conversation to discuss her philosophy on how women can approach supporting their hormonal systems in a variety of ways. When dealing with hormone imbalances, Dr. Gersh doesn't aim for "natural," but rather...

Chinese Medicine teaches us that winter is a time of quiet and stillness, a time for reflecting and conserving scarce resources. As we reflect on how we navigate the world, it's also a good time to get radically honest with ourselves about what we're holding space for in our lives. With the podcast entering a new, slower period of creation, it can be helpful to examine and take a break from things that we're keeping in motion just for the sake of motion. We can look inward and honor what our...

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have been used for centuries to treat a variety of ailments in the population. In this episode, we'll explore how that treatment made it's way into the American mainstream as well as answering some listener questions about the practice. We'll take a look at how the 5 elements interact with different individuals and we'll examine what it means to get out of the way. On Today’s Solo Episode of A Healthy Curiosity: How the Black Panthers and acupuncture...

Having recently explored the biomedical aspects of acupuncture on the show, this conversation takes an interesting counterpoint to examine how this modality also walks in the world of energy medicine. In addition to the more physical facets of healing, the power of your body's own intelligence and consciousness plays a very significant role in the process. Dr. Jill Blakeway works with patients to ground in their physical bodies and connect to their energy field as a means to holistic...

Suffering from chronic pain is not a sign of brokenness, it's part of the human experience. If you're interested in exploring the idea of chronic pain and what we can do about it, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Dr. Joe Tatta provides a more contextual approach to chronic pain and explains how mindfulness can aid in the healing process. By learning to relate to our body and mind differently,  we can reconnect with resiliency and begin to heal. On Today’s Episode of A Healthy...

In our journey of learning to embody self-respect, it's always important to include respecting our bodies. After centuries of propaganda from the beauty industry and other societal mechanisms, the internalized oppression against women's bodies has shifted over time, but is as virulent as ever today. Lauren Geertsen views it as a generational responsibility to end female body hate. As a body connection coach and the author of The Invisible Corset, Lauren shares what she's learned to help us...

A lot of us that are working toward personal growth and evolution are always looking for ways to avoid getting triggered and getting reactive. If you're curious about why it is that, despite your efforts to grow, you're not moving through the world like the most highly evolved version of yourself, this episode is definitely for you. Michelle Chalfant has designed a manual for life that blends simple psychology and grounded spirituality: The Adult Chair. Despite growing physically, we often...