Category: Fall

Transitioning From Fall to Winter

Leave a comment

Happy Holiday Season My Friends!

Big News! Existing patients can now make appointments online — see the bottom of this blog for the details!

Fall has been beautiful here at the Acupuncture Cabin. The trees put on a stunning show of bright yellow, orange and red, and are now losing the last of their leaves in preparation for winter.

The Acupuncture Cabin visitors and I have had the sweet experience of watching my pollinator garden come to life as the Fritillary butterfly joined in the dance of fall colors unfolding! If you want to see the Gulf Fritillary’s life cycle, plant passion flower vine. I gratefully witnessed nature’s dance as the propagation of this butterfly unfolded in my yard. I watched the Fritillary busily go about laying eggs on the passion vine, the hungry caterpillars eating every last leafy sprout, the miraculous chrysalis stage, and lastly the emergence of a magnificent butterfly. What a site to behold! This particular butterfly emerged right on my patio screen door.

  • The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Self Care Tips for Winter

Winter is a natural time of letting go and self renewal. Take care of yourself by aligning with the energy of the winter season and observing what nature is teaching us. This is a sweet time to move with the flow of nature and release anything you’re holding that no longer serves your highest good. If you feel sad while letting go it’s ok, mother nature will hold your tears. Settle into the present moment and find a favorite place to watch nature’s dance, take some notes as the last of the leaves are letting go with help from the wind. Watch as the creatures collect seeds, nuts and berries to fatten and fuel up. Create your own self-care rituals to support your bodies natural rhythms in preparation for the colder winter’s stillness. I’ve listed below a few tips for you . . .

Protect Your Body. Your Wei (Protective) Qi draws inward in the winter so guard it well by making sure you dress warm in the cold and windy weather – protect your head with a hat, your neck with a scarf, your body with a jacket.

Stay Hydrated. Winter can get very dry — hydrate your body with water, teas, herbal baths, lotions and balms.

Eat Warming Foods. Soups, Traditional Chinese Medicine porridges (I have recipes for you!), teas and ancestral foods to warm your body through and protect your energy stores. And yes go ahead make some winter apple, pecan and pumpkin pies with natural sweeteners to warm your soul!

Slow Down. The days are shorter, the nights longer — go to bed early and sleep in when you can! Don’t take on too much, spring is the season for doing more. Embrace a slow steady pace to support your immune system this Winter.

Move Your Body. Just 20 minutes a day, or more. This keeps your rivers of Qi energy flowing freely, and supports you in letting go of toxins and stuck emotions which can cause illness; it also supports the lung and large intestine organs that most need our care in the winter months.

Get Outside! Connect with your true nature by connecting to the bounty of nature around you! This is ancient wisdom, our ancestors lived by their connections to nature, and this age old practice is so needed in todays modern world — the great outdoors will restore your body and soul!

And last, but not least get yourself to the Acupuncture Cabin for some warm and cozy immune system support! If you are a current patient you can click to schedule below. If you are new to Seasons Health, or it has been over one year since I have seen you, please send me an email and I will get you on the schedule myself so we have plenty of time to catch up and assess how I can best assist you in optimal health this winter.

Make Your Acupuncture Appointment Here!

(Existing clients only)

I wish you each a vibrant healthy winter season, and all the best of the upcoming year. Fill yourself to the brim with nature’s bounty, long restorative walks, plenty of rest, deeply nourishing foods and teas. Surround yourself with the people and things you love.

I would be honored if you would please share this blog with your friends and family. And you can Reach out to me to purchase a holiday treatment for a loved one. I hope to see you soon at the Acupuncture Cabin.

Bountiful Blessings and Love,

Charlotte

Seasons Health

Austin Cedar Fever

Cedar Fever Meet Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine!

Leave a comment

The wind-pollinated cedar (mountain juniper) trees are about to be in full bloom compromising many of our respiratory systems this time of year.   The amount of cedar pollen in the air is a factor in whether cedar fever symptoms such as  sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion, and difficulty breathing develop and how intense they can become.   Dry, windy days are more likely to have increased amounts of cedar pollen in the air than cold, damp and rainy days when cedar pollen is washed to the ground.  The alternating warm then cold days without long periods of freezing temperatures we often experience in Austin promote cedar pollen to grow and thrive in abundance – then the windy days carry it to our noses.

In Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine we view cedar fever as an overactive immune response due to an unbalanced immune system.  This can happen for several reasons, including poor sleep, stress, poor diet and nutrition, and other unhealthy lifestyle habits which can energetically weaken organ systems.

Cedar tree pollen count is generally highest from December through February and often continues into March when other pollen arrives.  Don’t wait until the cedar winds blow, come early  for weekly preventative treatments and boost your immune system to help avoid symptoms that can compromise your health when cedar pollen is in the air.   If symptoms do arise, bi-weekly acupuncture treatments are extremely helpful to assist your immune system in re-balancing, and maintenance treatments throughout the winter season are ideal to keep your body healthy all winter.

How to Boost Your Immune System With Acupuncture As Fall Turns Into Winter

2 Comments

Fall has arrived and winter is on it’s way.  In Texas, fall moves into winter with plenty of vacillating weather making it difficult for our bodies to adjust, then bang – cold weather is here!  Our immune and respiratory systems need strong natural support during this time, and regular acupuncture is an excellent way to provide that support.

In Chinese Medicine the immune system is strongly related to internal organ function, mainly the Lungs and Spleen which need extra care during the winter season.  When these organs are well-balanced they support the immune system and strengthen its function, this prevents you from being easily affected by external pathogenic factors such as cold and flu viruses and other infectious diseases.

A  long winters “acu-nap,”  helps  to calm and relax the body, reducing extra stress that can come with the winter and holiday season, and boosting immunity to help you sustain good health.

In addition to Acupuncture, plenty of rest, and daily exercise help keep healthy energies flowing strongly, and remember a diet, full of nutrition is vital to good health.  The abundance of  local fruits, deep rooted vegetables and herbal plants that grow in the winter season right where we live support our bodies as nature intends.  So visit and support your local farmers markets and grocery stores for a fresh colorful winter food supply full of the nutrition your body needs.  Making rich soup broths with plenty of healthy winter veggies, dark leafy greens, and healthy grains; eating good healthy fats, and drinking warm teas are all excellent winter rituals that fuel the body.  Here are a few more winter wellness tips:

  • Avoid eating much frozen or cold foods; instead partake in warming foods which help sustain your body’s energies during the cold season.
  • Be sure to get plenty of rest.
  • Avoid exhausting yourself with overwork, or overjoy!
  • Avoid stress and excess emotion by practicing good self-care and a form of meditation.
  • Keep warm and protect yourself from the wind and cold with proper clothing such as a hat and scarf in addition to your warm jacket.
  • Balance and support your body with natural medicine (such as acupuncture and herbs from seasons Health) before the change of weather so your body has what it needs to do well in the seasonal changes.
  • Dry your hair before going to bed or out in the cold.

Charlotte offers herbal consults over the phone to her patients, assisting further in strengthening the immune system as well as resolving health issues that do arise so you can rest at home while recovering. She will also give you valuable diet, nutrition and lifestyle self care tips specific to your individual needs.  Charlotte will set you up with a treatment plan to keep your body strong throughout the season, so remember Seasons Health can be a part of your  family’s Winter Wellness Resource.