Category: Unplug

Are You Tired, Irritable and Anxious From the Heat?

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Calm The Spirit, Nourish the Heart and Restore Energy Flow with Acupuncture

Summer Specials

Summer Special For Current Patients — 4 treatment package for $450.00 ($50.00 Savings)

Summer Special for New Patients — New Patient Visit $130.00 ($20.00 Savings).

Facial Acupuncture Packets — Current and new Patients $130.00 per treatment ($20.00 Savings per treatment). 6 treatments in 6 weeks recommended for good results. A rejuvenation for summer skin — brings blood flow to your face, restores and brightens the skin to a healthy glow, supports entire head, brain flow and body as well.

All Specials available through September 2022 and must be used by October 31st 2022.

Check out Lindsey Kalb’s Beauty Counter products for natural skin care here. First time buyers get 30% off!

Summer is Time to Nourish and Balance Heart Fire

To enhance our connection to nature and balance our bodies in the summer, we need to care for our heart. In Chinese medicine, the heart is ruled by the fire element and balanced heart fire is vital to keep the qi flowing freely. When over exposed to the excess summer heat, our heart fire can easily become unbalanced which can make us feel tired, irritable and anxious. To balance our fire element, we can use the element of water. All things that enhance the element of water in our bodies have cooling, calming effects . . . whereas fire element is energizing. There is a sweet dance these elements do in our bodies when in balance that makes us feel so good!

Summer Rituals

Yes, it’s HOT and easy to lie around in the AC, but this can stagnate our energy. Acupuncture helps beat the heat and get energy flowing. So when you want to lie around, come to the Acupuncture Cabin and get a treatment.

Tune into the slow energy of summer to balance the fire and water elements and get your rivers of energy flowing freely! Create some sweet summer rituals to soothe your heart in the crazy heat.

Rituals fill our vessel, and are a nice way to pour in loving self care. My favorite summer ritual to start the day is to first make a refreshing tea of Mint, Thyme, Lavender or Lemon Balm from my garden. Ancient Chinese Secret: hot tea opens the pores and releases the magical water our body makes to cool us down — sweat! As you sip your morning tea or other healing beverage like lemon water, celery juice or detox smoothie, make your plan to get outside while it’s cooler out. Go for a walk, do some energy balancing qi gong with Marisa, and catch some healing first morning rays of sunshine.

Practicing Summer rituals and turning all artificial light off after 10pm will reset your circadian rhythms and support your adrenals to power you through each day without stimulants that drain your energy. The early morning gentle summer breeze is heart soothing – close your eyes and connect to the morning sounds of nature.

In the late afternoon or evening take a plunge into Barton Springs — this brings in the cooling water element to balance heart fire energy. Live moving streams and rivers are the best way they soothe and remind your own rivers of energy to move. I learned to swim in Barton Springs as a child so it’s a special place for me. If you go to the springs early or late in the day it’s so peacefully quiet. Try a night swim!

Turn off the News

Remember my last blog advice — “Turn Off The News!” Who wants to start their morning listening to bad news? Ground yourself first in loving morning kindness, then if you do end up reading news, it isn’t setting the tone for the day. Perhaps know enough about the hard times to be of service in some meaningful ways, but strive not to worry over them. In a worry state we can do no good in our own little corner of the world.

Early Morning Open Consciousness
by Charlotte Sobeck

She held her heart with all her might
And woke into the dark glass night
A climb to mountain tops to seek
A dive to the abyss so deep
Things we hide protect and keep
Collected secrets while we sleep
Secrets take our hearts away 
From highest joy and deepest pain
The chance to feel the love again
Open up, let it bleed that fragile glass heart in its need
My promise is your soul will gain, even amongst the darkest pain
The joy of dancing in the rain

A song was released by the Impressions and performed by Curtis Mayfield in 1965. It had a bold, comforting theme about the struggle for freedom during that time. It was named the unofficial song of the civil rights movement. Many of these freedom issues are still amongst us today. The song reminds me of the power we have when we choose to unite and come from our hearts with gentle kindness. That is where the true power lies . . . 

People get ready
There's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board . . . 

Much love to you my Seasons Health friends.  I hope to see you soon in the Acupuncture Cabin.  Please share my blog with your friends and family and spread the heart love.  We are all better equipped in the world when we take care of our hearts.

- Charlotte

SOS — Self Care Is Necessary for Good Health and Vitality

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Do You Feel Hungover From The Ups And Downs Of The Last Two Years?

Over the last two years there has been so much transition. This is hard on our physical and emotional body – and our immune system to boot! I invite you to slow down and immerse yourself in self care — rushing head on can be dangerous after navigating difficult times. FILL YOUR CUP SEVERAL TIMES A DAY with deep self care for your physical and emotional body. Then, from that place of going inward – expand out to your community and all your to do’s.

In the beginning of the spring of 2020, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands to contemplate. After losing my contract job as an acupuncturist due to the pandemic, the stillness and time I spent outdoors reflecting upon what was next for me is something I’m now deeply grateful for. I spent time on my back screened porch watching fireflies in the early evening; I ate my breakfast and dinner on the porch, watching wildlife coming to take in the spring air with me.

A thoughtful patient gifted me an Audubon membership and I went on an early misty morning bird walk at Commons Ford Ranch this spring. I was impressed by the many species of birds I saw in just two hours — including a Yellow Billed Cuckoo! Yep, there really is such a creature and it predicts the rain with it’s loud call more accurately than our weatherman! This slowing and stillness amongst the sights and sounds of nature helped me sort things out, and let necessary things go. I found gratitude for things taken for granted in my busy day to day life – time with my precious son, our sweet cottage home, and my health and vitality in the second half of my life. I was inspired to create a pollinators garden — I built it, and they came! The bees, the butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and other birds are all participating in the natural habitat I’m nurturing for them. And, I built the wonderful Acupuncture Cabin for you! This has all connected me to something very important . . . .

We Are All Part of Nature And The Natural Process Of Things

In my garden I give to the planet that supports me . . . I never use pesticides inside or out, I plant native trees and plants for the abundant wildlife. Here, I watch the cycles of life that have always taken place on our planet unfold before my eyes and listen to what it has to teach. Hippocrates said, “When there is an imbalance on earth, look to nature for answers . . . ” We have experienced a profound look at a great imbalance over the past years. And still the cycle of life continues. Through my TCM practice, I have been the grateful witness of new babies coming into our world, and many on their way currently growing in the ever amazing mother’s womb.

My Masters of Science at AOMA Integrative School of Medicine was the beginning of my learning to think outside mainstream medicine whenever I can to support health, and to remember how truly powerful and amazing our innate immune system is when we nurture it.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and holistic healthcare offer tried and true methods for building a strong immune system, and for supporting immunity through a health crisis.

Connect To Nature — What Do You Like To Do Outdoors?

The Negative Ions In Nature Are Healing!

Put your body in moving water, a river, a waterfall, a natural spring. Lie on the earth and get your daily grounding in . . . If not in your own backyard, we have an abundance of beautiful parks right here in the Austin area. I recommend Austin’s very own Barton Springs, Pedernales Falls State Park, South Llano River State Park, and Blanco State Park. Further out there is Garner State Park, and Lost Maples. Oh my gosh so many to choose from — I recommend the book “The Swimming Holes of Texas” by Julie Wernersbach and Carolyn Tracy at University of Texas Press, Austin.

The gift of living a healthy lifestyle is priceless, as it helps our immune system do it’s job. Eat healthy, local and seasonal. Plant a Garden — get inspiration from Barbara Kingsolver’s Book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” and any read by Michael Pollan who says, “Eat Food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants.”

Get plenty of sleep, move your body daily, drink spring water, (I like Mountain Valley) and they deliver it right to my door!

In that spirit, I would like to invite you to the Acupuncture Cabin, it is such a sweet place to come for a relaxing, deeply restorative self care session.

The Acupuncture Cabin in the Spring

Now the wildflowers are gone but the pollinators garden is buzzing right along. My patients love the open air cabin on cool days, gentle rain sounds on the metal roof, sun filtering through the green vines at the window, birds singing in the garden, the music . . . come embrace the experience!

REMEMBER ACUPUNCTURE IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL!

  • Great for boosting immunity
  • Calms the Central Nervous System
  • Good before and after traveling — I can help you with a supplemental immune support travel kit!
  • Helps restore your parasympathetic nervous system’s resting state, and get you out of fight or flight patterns — treating anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
  • And I offer telemedicine Traditional Chinese Medicine and Holistic Healthcare consults, to promote wellness, or to support recovery from an illness.

I am here for you my Seasons Health friends. Just shoot me an email to make an appointment at the Acupuncture Cabin, or for me to come to you for a home visit. Please, share my blog with any friends or family you think may be interested. Thank you for supporting my practice.

Namaste, Charlotte

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it“ Buddha

Staying Grounded in a Health Crisis and Embracing Boredom

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Let’s all take a collective deep cleansing breath and reset our nervous systems.  

We are living in times unseen for many of us.  Rather than repeat the important mainstream do’s and don’ts we’ve all heard by now, I’d like to share with you some ancient wisdom to keep us grounded and in a place where we can do the most good for ourselves and others.

Check the “Run for your life!” mind chatter

The body’s stress response is designed on an evolutionary level to protect us from danger in emergency situations.  Where swift action is required in order to save ourselves or another, this stress response gives us power to survive.  Our body releases glucose, cortisol and other hormones into the blood stream during high stress. These hormones and chemicals help us run faster, increase strength and sharpen brain function. Our blood pressure rises and we’re primed to conquer any emergency! This same stress response shuts down systems in our body that are not required in an emergency like our digestion, reproductive hormones and other endocrine system functions that are vital. Ideally, this stress response would only be put into action on rare occasions.  Yet in today’s fast-paced stressful environment, some of us get stuck in patterns of stressful thoughts, rushing around and not sleeping or eating well.  This creates chronic health issues over time. Our bodies forget how to slow down and settle into our “Rest and Restore” parasympathetic nervous system.

Do you scroll email, news or social media late at night when your body needs to rest, restore and gather back the Qi it lost during the day?  It’s no wonder we are so stressed.  This pattern is unsettling to the central nervous system – fear-induced mind chatter and social media, non-stop doing, and not enough “being” throws our body into an excited response called the sympathetic response aka “fight or flight.” It’s characterized by anxiety, rapid heart rate and shallow breathing which depletes us of our vital resources and our super powers when we truly need them.

Embracing Boredom And Coping With Stress

Many today feel the need to be perpetually stimulated — watching the news as we eat, listening to music during exercise or chores, being on our laptop, phone and TV all at the same time. It’s a constant stream of stimuli.  If you find absence of this stimulus brings discomfort and you are scrambling to fill the space with talk or technology,  it may be time to practice embracing stillness and just be with what is.  Teach your body to rest and restore.

A wise meditation teacher Chogyam Trungpa taught about two kinds of boredom:

  1. “Hot Boredom” is that strong uncomfortable feeling that propels us to seek entertainment. It’s like being locked in a padded cell where we feel irritated, bored, closed in with just our thoughts.  Yet as we evolve in our practice of being still we begin to move into a different, higher state.
  2. “Cool Boredom” is where we notice our boredom without reacting to it in the same way.  It feels more spacious; we allow ourselves to sit with it, observe and lean into the boredom and thoughts without judgement — allowing it to exist as it is.  When we do this daily, a shift occurs over time and we learn to tap into the deep calm river that flows through each of us when needed.  It’s this steady calm transferred into real life situations — like the health crisis our country is experiencing today — that make us stronger individually and collectively.   So don’t buy into the fear. Stay steady my friends.

Ancient secrets Sustain calm and balance in the storms of life

Slow down, ground, and just be in each moment as it unfolds:

  • Just one deep breath can reset your nervous system.  For a deeper reset try 4-7-8 breathing (there are many good videos on youtube.com.)
  • Practice daily mindfulness: meditate, walk, close your eyes and just be with the stillness.
  • My personal favorite app to support mental well being is “Calm.”  I use their simple 5-10 minute guided meditations daily. The sleep stories lull me off to dreamland, I enjoy the soothing music compositions as I go about my day, and am especially impressed by the classes they offer by masters in the field of mindfulness. Patients can email me for a 30-day free trial of the Calm Premium app to get started.
  • Yoga may elevate the brain’s GABA levels and create calm.
  • GET OUTSIDE! Get fresh air daily.  Whether it’s sunny or rainy — take a walk, dig in the garden, pull weeds, hug a tree, feel the wind in your hair, connect to the earth under your feet and hear the music of nature!

Facing COVID-19

As for COVID-19, yes it is out there . . . and yes, this is a worthy of our calm and collected attention.  Remember your daily calming practices.  From there, take good care of yourselves and others. As my Dad told me often, “Don’t be scared, be smart,” and remember to separate facts from fear.

Please Note:  If you or someone in your family shows signs of COVID-19, you cannot show up at any walk-in urgent care or other clinic (including Seasons Health).  At this time, most clinics do not have the tools available to test you correctly. Please stay home if you think you are getting a cold/flu or COVID-19. Then call your doctor, describe your symptoms and they will inform you of the next steps to take. If you are experiencing any urgent symptoms, such as high fever, difficulty breathing or other symptoms of immediate concern, call 911, or go to your local emergency room.

Helpful links:

CDC Coronavirus Homepage
CDC Proper Handwashing Technique
City of Austin Updates on COVID-19

Other ideas to get you through the storm

  • Take a few daily supplements for preventative care such as vitamin C, Zinc, and a probiotic. There are many other options for preventative care and illness I suggest based upon each individual’s needs.
  • Practice good self-care to maintain a healthy immune system:  get plenty of exercise, healthy foods, purified water and sleep. Bring in your own special stress busters. I like to take long walks, practice yoga and meditation, bounce on my mini trampoline, garden, and get plenty of deep belly laughs!
  • Avoid exposure to crowds for now; avoid being with others when either you are they are feeling sick — don’t wait until you run a fever to self-quarantine. Remember studies are showing many people are asymptomatic with COVID-19.  One of those studies, published by Eurosurveillance found that of the 634 who tested positive aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship 328 of them showed no symptoms.  This means people who have the virus could be spreading it without knowing, which could be especially dangerous to older adults and people with underlying health issues.
  • Essence oils are a wonderful addition to your wellness kit
    • Create a calming atmosphere by Defusing therapeutic-grade essential oils in your home:  Like Young Living’s Stress Away, and Grounding, thieves, lavender or orange.
    • Looking to purify the air: Purification is the blend for you.
    • To create an uplifting environment try peppermint, lemon or lavender, or blend the three!
    • Think respiratory care with R.C., Raven and my favorite Ravintsara. These can bring a comforting aroma when applied to the chest.
    • Please Note:  Young Living’s Vitality line of oils are labeled for internal use, so you can safely and confidently use them as an addition to your wellness routine.  Thieves Vitality is a good choice to support a healthy immune system.*  Other vitality oils to consider?  How about Lemon Vitality.  It only takes a drop or two.
    • *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
    • Please contact me if you would like to learn more about essence oils and why I choose Young Living.
    • See Leslie’s Lifestyle Links on Facebook for more essence oil tips.

I invite you to tap into the deeper still waters of healing that run through each of us when we take time to sit, let go and listen to our inner wisdom.  Teach the people you love to do the same . . . Moreover, I am here to help and support you, your family and friends as you navigate the best choices for your health needs.

Charlotte’s Home Visits and Remote Holistic Healthcare Consults

**I am always available for online/remote holistic healthcare consults.** I can help you navigate the many options available for both preventive and healing purposes.  Together we will come up with a plan that may include diet, nutrition, lifestyle and calming tips, Chinese herbal formulas, and other wellness formulas.  Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine formulas have been around for centuries; they helped us through SARS and other health epidemics in the past.  They are now among the best and safest of herbal antivirals.

I close with sage advice from The Way of Zen to guide you through your days, this one is hanging in my very own kitchen:

Do one thing at a time

Do Things slowly and mindfully

Connect Deeply with People and Nature

Meditate frequently

Appreciate Silence

Expect Nothing

Be grateful for everything

Observe without judgment

Consume less, create more

Let go of fears and desires

Listen to understand, not to respond

Be Patient and generous

Love Deeply

Live Simply

And there is Always John Prine, who advises in his “Spanish Pipedream” song:

Blow up your TV, throw away your paper

Go to the country and build you a home

Plant you a garden, eat a lot of peaches

And try and find Jesus on your own . . .

From the light in me to the light in you, I wish you peace and calm to carry on through the storms of life.  We will all do this together, and we will be fine.

— Charlotte

 

Unplug, Get Outside! Get Acupuncture Before You Travel!

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I’m raising a young adult growing up in the techno generation.   This task is a wild ride for those of us who came in on different rockets, had phones that plugged into the wall, had to seek out a pay phone if out and wanting to call someone, had no computer, and oh yeah walked miles to school each day in the rain!  Imagine that, and it wasn’t so long ago – was it?!  How do we grasp this brave new techno world, navigate it, and help our kids do the same?   We are the test run my friends!

I think there is too much techno on the brain for some, perhaps for many.   I hear comments ranging from “that’s just what kids do these days,” to a lot of  “I just don’t know what to do” — “I’ve tried it all.”   The truth is all of that and more!  Kids are light years ahead of us in techno know how! . . . and personally I don’t know how or want to keep up.   So we talk to each other about what helps, what doesn’t, and know we will all survive, and even thrive, if we keep circling back to our roots and nurture our connections.  I take night walks with my teen, a tuck in at night with a gratitude practice to end the day, hands on a real book, face to face conversations, deep listening — the kind where we just listen, see, listen more, love and strive to accept and understand — connect.  You cannot influence a kid you are not connected too!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine we talk a lot about moderation. Too much electronic use creates imbalance issues in our nervous system, and throws other organ systems out of whack.  This and other excesses can produce anxiety, depression, attention deficits and other health issues.  It’s more important than ever to teach ourselves and thereby our children the healing power of striking a balance in life so our body systems stay strong and healthy.  Modeling healthy behaviors and communication for our kids is paramount.

Teenage children and many adults use their phones as a socializing tool.  We have the benefit of reaching our people at the touch of a finger on snap chat, instagram, twitter and more.  So, don’t get me wrong, I can see the benefits and I am grateful.   I use those tools now as I write this blog, sitting on the patio at one of my favorite outdoor food trucks, Picnik, watching the rain fall and people go by–who knew that would be possible when I was a teenager!  Years ago, reaching so many people was impossible!  However, As parents we know some of the greatest lessons we can teach our children come from striking a balance in ourselves, and thereby helping our kids do the same.  It feels more difficult in this age and time, but is it really?  Each generation had it’s hardships.  I want to hear how you nurture your balance?  Do you feel like idle time is a waste of time, or can you sit still, quiet, and contemplate just being here now, without electronics on?  How do you slow your pace and consciously create slow mindful living?  Do we need to be plugged in Now, or can it wait?  How important are you, your family?  How balanced are you?  Let’s think about how we can connect, market, communicate, thrive and just be, without electronics sometimes.

As for me, my best answers for balancing are generally found in nature, and in the eyes and hearts of my son, and my people.  I put away my computer and phone as often as I can or it makes me crazy and not so nice! I get outside, sleep on my porch, put my feet on the ground, in a river stream — the ocean, feel my hair in the wind and my toes in the sand, listen to the leaves crunch under my feet as I hike through the woods, watch the clouds roll by,  plant and nurture herbs in my garden, dance in the rain!  Then sometimes I take a real camera on my outdoor adventures – and share some of nature with my friends hoping to inspire you to get out in it too!  Excess electromagnetic field radiation on the brain is a real problem!  Love the place you are in,  and the One You’re With, not the thing you’re with!

The Chinese New Year is one of the greatest migrations on Earth!  This year, around 400 million people journeyed home to family roots, a family feast, and time celebrating together.  This year is the year of the Pig – which is a zodiac sign that is declared to attract luck and success, which I love, since my Chinese Zodiac is the Pig!   Point is remember your roots!  I grew up in Austin (yes, there are a few of us here!), and I take my child each year on our own journey to the high mountain desert of the Big Bend area in Texas.  My father took me there growing up and now my son and I do the things my father and I did — we swim in Balmorhea Natural Springs, hike the Chisos mountains, and the Canyons, drive the beautiful roads of Big Bend National Park.   We partake in the slow living to be had in the small towns there, the heartfelt people and their beautiful sun touched faces.  We bask in the cool dry climate of late summer and appreciate the Great Outdoors!  This is our annual migration home in a way, we sing, laugh, play and are recharged and connected!

I hope you are traveling some this summer, and experiencing the great expansive outdoors.  Take a journey, even if it’s experiencing your own backyard in a different way.  My yard has some changes upcoming I’m excited about – I will keep you posted on facebook and instagram!

So, remember — sit or lie on the ground, be still and quiet — you will feel and hear in the wind that you are connected to all things and you will find the peace you desire.

Acupuncture, herbal remedies and essence oils can help you stay calm and steady on a plane, in a car, with the kids arguing in the back seat of your vehicle, or playing their rap music loudly!  Get your travel calm on with Acupuncture and grab your holistic care travel kit before you venture out this summer!  More on Travel Acupuncture Here.

I am very excited to share that I am expanding my Home Visit practice — so I can come to you and it’s quiet affordable!! More On Home Visits Here.

Happy Summer Solstice, Breathe, Love, Get outside!

Charlotte

Make and Appointment or Contact me email Here.

EE Cummings said many wise things . . .  here are a few of my favorites . . .

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), It’s always our self we find in the sea.

For every mile the feet go, the heart goes nine”
― e.e. cummings, 100 Selected Poems