Articles

Spring is a time of awakening, a season when nature bursts to life after the dormancy of winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it corresponds to the Wood element, representing birth, growth, and transformation. Much like the trees that stretch toward the sun, their branches bending around obstacles yet remaining steadfast, Wood embodies the balance of flexibility and strength.

New tariffs and shifts in China’s herbal market are reshaping the landscape for TCM practitioners. While some herbs may see price increases, efforts to stabilize production and enhance quality are also underway. Learn what’s ahead and how to navigate these changes.

In the United States we may know March 17th as a celebration of Irish heritage, but it's also a significant day in Chinese cultural history. It was the day when traditional Chinese medicine was almost abolished. Read on to get a brief history of Chinese Medicine and how it's evolved over the years.

Dryness in the Lungs can stem from environmental factors, chronic irritation, or underlying imbalances in TCM. This article explores key formulas for acute dryness and persistent dry phlegm, highlighting how these classical herbal remedies restore moisture, clear heat, and support respiratory health.

For countless generations, Jade Windscreen (Yu Ping Feng San) has been utilized to address surface deficiency patterns that lead to aversion to wind and frequent invasions of common pathogenic influences. These complaints are the result of surface deficiency due to deficient or unregulated Wei Qi. The etiology of Wei Qi deficiency are manifold and determined by a comprehensive differential diagnosis. The most common causes of deficient Wei Qi include Lung, Spleen and Kidney deficiency patterns.

Rhinitis, whether seasonal or perennial, is usually an allergic condition. In TCM terms we relate this concept to deficiency of wei qi. The wei (or protective) qi has its basis in Kidney yang and is distributed by the lungs to all the surfaces of the body.

In the 6th month of pregnancy, the fetus begins to receive the essences of metal to form the musculature (sinews, muscular movement). The woman wants to be a little active, not remain completely quiet, to go out walking in the countryside, to go often to watch dogs and horses running. It is appropriate to eat the flesh of birds of prey and wild animals. This is called metamorphosis of the lineaments, the spinal column and the muscles to maintain the nails, to strengthen the back and spinal column. The yang ming of the foot supports it.

Typically, the 5th month is when the mother perceives fetal movement (quickening), receiving the message that the fetus is speaking of itself and expressing its own life force. The mother then begins to perceive the unique Qi of its individuality. Many women having more than one child will speak of how this individual is either gentle or active, or when it prefers to be awake or asleep. No longer is the fetus a silent little seed germinating, growing, and developing in the mystery of the dark feminine; now it has a life force, palpable under one’s own hands.

Not every woman is ready or able to have a baby during her prime reproductive years. Real considerations that affect her decision to have a child are her career, support system, relationship status, and financial ability to raise that child. If any of these are lacking, she may delay having a child. Some women don’t even realize that they want a baby until their 40’s and they hope that time has not run out.

Infertility is clinically defined in women and men who cannot achieve pregnancy after one year of having intercourse without using birth control, occurring in approximately 15% of heterosexual couples who are trying to conceive. According to the National Institutes of Health, one-third of infertility cases are caused by male reproductive factors, one-third by female reproductive issues, and one-third by both male and female reproductive issues or by indeterminate factors. This article explores customizable formulas that may support male infertility by treating blood and jing.

Traditional Chinese medicine gynecologists have known for thousands of years that regulating the menstrual cycle promotes fertility. Modern practitioners have begun to incorporate the knowledge we have of the biological stages of the menstrual cycle to focus on specific fertility issues and increase effectiveness.

Discover what the Year of the Yin Wood Snake brings in terms of energy, opportunities, and challenges. With Fire and Wood elements influencing the year, we'll see rapid innovation, transformation, and change. Learn how these energies may impact health, weather, and technology!

The Spring Festival is celebrated for 15 days, complete with activities, superstitions, gatherings and festivals. It is an ancient holiday which has developed over eons and while many customs are the same throughout, some are observed in specific regions or communities in China. Many of those below are especially important to the southern Chinese communities living along the Pearl River Delta and the diaspora of Cantonese immigrants around the world, including our own Lau family.

Chinese New Year, traditionally called Chūn Jié 春節 or “Spring Festival” is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. 15 days long, it is a celebration of the renewal of life, a time for ritual and prayer, gatherings of family and friends, and the observance of traditions. Lots of preparations are done before the holiday so let’s look at some of the more modern Chinese traditions you can follow for good health, happiness, and better fortune in the coming year!

The coming year augurs a sea change in American society. A near majority of voters have voted for substantial change to the way the country’s leaders govern. Our American Experiment continues, and many of us may feel that “These are the times that try men’s souls.”as Thomas Paine wrote in December 1776 after the first decisive loss in the American colonies’ fight for independence. The reactions of many people have been couched in the emotions engendered when the battle has been lost, and uncertainty prevails. Worry, anxiety, fear, anger, outrage, grief, disappointment, depression, disheartenment, and despair show themselves. Read on about the 2025 New Year I Ching Read More