Don’t get caught in the label trap!

Picture this scenario:

You feel unwell. You consult Dr. Google and all of your symptoms add up to a shocking list of illnesses. But before you begin attacking your bucket list, you decide to go to the doctor to confirm your self-diagnosis. The doctor gives you wonderful news – Dr. Google was wrong! The tests come out negative, and according to that gibberish list of blood test results, you are the picture of perfect health. This should be comforting, yet there is this nagging thought in the back of your mind, “If nothing is wrong with me, then why don’t I feel good?”

Thus begins the vicious process of searching for answers.

August 17th, 2016|
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Oil pulling madness!

I know it sounds weird, and it’s become a bit of a trend, but it’s amazing! No joke, I am in love with this new little morning ritual.

The mouth is host to numerous bacteria and balance is essential to create a healthy microbiome in the gut. 45% of the bacteria in the mouth overlap the bacteria that are found in the gut and are important to ensure proper digestive, brain and immune functions, as well as boosting metabolism.

August 9th, 2016|
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Stressed, low energy and moody? How to best get out of the rut.

Over the weekend, the practitioners at The Pagoda Tree all went to a seminar together. It was fun spending more time outside of the clinic together, but more importantly, as all good seminars do, it motivated us to improve our own practices in clinic. This one happened to be on the biology of emotion and ways to improve energy, mood and stress.

Without going into it in too much detail, stress in particular has an effect on brain structure – literally shrinking parts of the brain (hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) and making other parts bigger (amygdala). This in turn has an effect on how much our moods are geared towards happiness and decision-making, or fear and worry.

So how can we enlarge those parts of the brain that make us happy and decisive and shrink the parts that make us worry and have fear?

August 5th, 2016|
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Acne – how to fix your skin and ditch your camera filter!

Acne; those pesky bumps and lumps most women experience in response to their hormones becoming unbalanced, sweat, dry skin, poor diet and pollution.  Whilst we are grateful for filters that help hide our imperfections, we decided it’s about time you lived in the skin you deserved.  We’re here today to help you along and closer to this goal!

We are all scrambling around frantically trying to find something that will instantly clear them up and leave our skin looking flawless, or something that will at least ease and minimise the nasty little critters or when worst comes to worst, at least cover them up and stop anyone from noticing them (filter wins again!). However; pimples are a sign that something is a little out of whack internally and we need to dig deeper than just finding a topical solution.

I, myself experience the annoyance of pimples that pop up when I’ve eaten the wrong thing, or allowed myself get run down after filling up my calendar and not getting adequate sleep to allow my body heal itself over night. When this happens too often our bodies aren’t able effectively make the new cells to repair the damage that occurs from daily activities like exposure to pollution and chemicals. It puts extra strain on our systems and our skin and hormones tend to be the things that suffer.

July 25th, 2016|
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Just how does acupuncture really improve my fertility?

Even though it is not always asked during your initial consultation, we know that at The Pagoda Tree, patients are so regularly curious love to know how Acupuncture can help you.  So in the following article, I will attempt to condense 2,500 years of cumulative knowledge it to 10 simple points, on how Acupuncture can help your fertility. 

Before I pull this off though, let me outline a couple of things.  When talking to a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, we will often talk in two different languages.  The first is in western medical terms, talking about hormone regulation or certain nutrients and vitamins that will benefit fertility.  And the second is in TCM terms, talking about metaphysical things such as Qi or different stagnations that can make it difficult to conceive.  

Here at The Pagoda Tree all the practitioners have a background in health science first and then specialize in Acupuncture and/or Chinese herbs, so we will always explain things to you in a clear manner in these two languages.

With the insertion of super fine needles into specific points of the body Acupuncturists have the ability to assist in healing and regulating a number of different medical conditions and help boost fertility.

Ok, got it?  Then lets begin.

July 16th, 2016|
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The Secret Factor Impacting Your Gut Health

Nature teaches us that winter is the time of year for rest and respite. Animals eat densely nutritious foods and hibernate. Many trees lose their leaves and fruit, shedding the responsibility of these adornments and the nutrition they require. We can take a lesson from nature during this time of year. It’s colder, it’s darker, and the days are shorter. We aren’t meant to be expending much energy, and many of us don’t realize how much nourishment and Qi our thinking patterns tend to eat up.

July 8th, 2016|
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The 5 Emotions That May Be Ruining Your Internals (& therefore your health).

By now, we all know that stress can have negative effects on our physical well-being, but did you know that all of our emotions can play a part in our physical functioning? Chinese medicine recognizes these connections, and can help explain why addressing emotional health is so vital to caring for our bodies. The following describes five primary emotions and how they relate to our internal organs.

June 20th, 2016|
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Sarah’s tips on staying warm and well this winter

Now that we have officially said goodbye to the hot weather, it is important for us to stay warm and dry. For the sake of your immune system, here are several tips for staying warm and well during this chilly season.

Keep your feet warm! Wearing thick cotton socks will ensure that your feet stay warm, while still being able to breathe. Make sure you are wearing appropriate shoes on rainy days so you aren’t sogging around in wet shoes all day. Around the house, avoid going barefoot and instead choose cozy socks or house shoes. It takes more effort for your heart to maintain circulation (and therefore warmth) in your extremities. By keeping your tootsies warm, you are encouraging good circulation, conserving energy, and minimizing this venue of overall body heat loss.

May 31st, 2016|
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