Just got in the these great Chinese Acupressure Massage Rings. Stainless steel, circular shaped with triangle spikes. You roll it up and down the fingers to improve circulation, stimulate the skin, tendons and bones. Good for arthritis, numbness, joint deformation, cold hands and more! One size fits all. 5 bucks! 

Man, this warm winter weather has been nice, but has been creating a lot of interesting ailments for people! There's been a common symptom combination of cough, headache, and chest congestion the last week, and the week before sore throat, malaise, nausea and headache. So if you've been feeling these things you're not alone! We've been giving acupuncture to people, but have found herbal formulas to be the most effective for these ailments. At home a good thing to help the lungs and chest are steamed pears with honey and ginger. And of course for sore throat gargling salt water often helps!

Just read an amazing article about a Frankfort errand service an old classmate of mine Ron Moore has started. This is wonderful for people who need a little help when they can't leave the home or for people who are too busy to do everything they need! 

http://state-journal.com/news/simple_article/5128837

So a lot of people have been coming in to the clinic the past few weeks saying they are "extra tired." And are worried something is wrong with them. But that is completely normal for this time of year. In terms of seasonal movements, summer solstice (late June) is the peak of yang energy, and it actually begins to decline after that. Its lowest point of the year is winter solstice (late December). So basically from late June the expanding energy has been slowly storing and moving inward, and the contracting energy has been growing. The peak of the contracting energy (yin) is the winter solstice. So winter solstice is literally the most inward energetic of the whole year. That makes someone sleepy, and is completely normal! So sleep away folks, and feel good about it!

Now that fall is in full swing the weather is getting colder, the winds are getting stronger, and it is very easy to get sick! Ways to help protect your body are to keep covered up (even when it feels sunny outside and we can't quite let go of wearing a t-shirt), and wear a scarf. The neck is one of the easiest places to catch a wind invasion! And if you feel yourself getting sick try to rest up, stay warm, get in a hot bath and sweat, and drink some pungent teas (fresh cinnamon and ginger are both pungent and are great at helping kicking out superficial cold)!

Sitting here sipping tea, and thought I'd share with you some good summer teas to drink. In the summer, we still want to stick with the Chinese way of ingesting warm food and drinks (easy on the stomach and easier to digest!). If you like caffeine, have green tea, and for herbal teas, try peppermint (the best is fresh from the garden!). They will help cool your insides and balance the Kentucky summer heat.