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 Many parents who step into my clinic have a child with a chronic illness.  I've seen first hand how worry, doubt, guilt, fear, and anxiety about their child's illness can build up and subconsciously define how the parent sees their child.  I've also had this experience myself when my first born came down with a severe chronic case of eczema.  It's easy to let the feelings of guilt and anxiety overwhelm you (see my personal post Letting of of Mommy Guilt), but the problem is these thoughts creat…

Did you know you can make your own baby formula at home that's safe and healthy for your baby?   

We all know that breast milk is best for babies but some of us don't make enough breast milk to keep our little ones thriving and we need to supplement.  Other times our babies are allergic to something in our own breast milk or have other medical needs—whatever the reason, we need to find alternatives.  

There are many health benefits that your child can get from homemade formula that they just c…

Try this Massage that Tested & Approved  for Allergies, Cough, Colds and Fevers

Pediatric Gua Sha, also known as Scraping Massage is one of my favorite techniques to use on kids ages 4 and up. Kids love this technique because it feels so good.  It’s great for treating allergies, coughs, colds and fever and most kids respond really quickly, especially when used in addition to regular pediatric acupuncture treatments.

What is Gua Sha, or Scraping Massage?

Don’t be afraid of the name, Scra…

Nobody really wants to talk or think about poo, but as I said in my last post on Constipation, it can tell us a lot about how well our kids are digesting their food and if their body is reactive to foods they’re eating.  In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)  the smell, shape, color and firmness (or lack of) can tell us a lot about the body’s level of balance and health.  In this post I’m going to review what loose stool is, what can cause it and how to treat it naturally.  But before you rea…

Allergy season is a time when nose bleeds, also known as epistaxis, occur often.  Your child may have a spontaneous nosebleed, bleed after blowing their nose, or wake in the morning with dried blood on their nose, pillow or bedding. Nosebleeds associated with allergies are often due to dryness in the nose.  They may also occur if you live in a dry climate, if your child picks their nose (I don’t know a child who doesn’t) or if they're taking medications like aspirin or ibuprofen.  While noseb…

In my last post, Opting Out Part 1: Parents Fed Up with 'Conventional' Medicine and "The Look", I examined the common frustrations parents have arising from deficiencies in ‘conventional’ medicine.  In summary, many parents are seeking a different healthcare model for their child.  They’re unsatisfied with what ‘conventional’ medicine has to offer for acute or chronic problems. They’ve decided to buck the current trend by making different choices for their children regarding nutrition, supple…

Parents today are faced with many challenges and obstacles in their quest to raise happy and healthy children. We get conflicting messages all the time about the “right way” to parent. The most recent study seems to contradict the previous study. Where should your baby sleep? What should your baby eat? What to do if your baby is a picky eater? Can you hold your baby too much? Everywhere you turn you get conflicting data. Vaccine safety is another hot topic loaded with controversy. An increasi…

If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts you’ve probably noticed that I often recommend adding bone broth to your child’s diet to support healing.   Traditionally prepared bone broths are full of nourishing ingredients that help support the immune and digestive systems.  It is revered in Chinese culture for it’s healing properties, referred to as “longevity soup,” and is an age old remedy for any type of infirmity.  It is given to the young and old to help support their body’s special needs.…

Asthma is a serious problem in the United States and around the world. Today 9 million children in the U.S. suffer from asthma -- that’s a 75% increase since 1980!  Many parents are looking for ways to reduce asthma symptoms beyond conventional medical treatments.  As a pediatric acupuncturist I routinely treat children with asthma so I was excited when, Dr. Russell Faust, author of the popular blog, Ask the Boogor Doctor, asked me to address this topic. Now, as you can tell from the name of …

You’ve joined the mommy club and gone through a labor of love. Now you have this precious angel to care for.  A person in your life that you love more than you could have expected. There are no words to describe the deep bond of love mothers feel for their children.  It brings out so many qualities in us like nurturing, kindness, selflessness, protectiveness, empathy, creativity and strength.  It also brings out something many of us never expected -- guilt. Mommy guilt comes in many different…