Happy Summer!

Happy summer, everyone!   

Wow, it’s been a month since I’d last posted.  Life has been moving at lightning speed as of late.  Especially with the recent family reunion/cousin’s wedding.  I am a mezcla/mixed blood/mestiza, but grew up understanding predominantly Filipino traditions.  Why I mention this is because a family reunion in the East Coast, when you have a mother who is one of eleven children, practically deprives the Philippines of half of their population, and tips the right part of the U.S. just that much deeper into the ocean.  We also eat way too much.  Good times.

Within this month, I have left St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction (SACHR) in the Bronx.  I look forward to further work with my acupuncture; but I will miss my coworkers there, as well as the flavor of Maria’s Puerto Rican cooking.  I have certainly gotten more in touch with my Latina blood while there.  What a blessing!  I even had a going away cake on my last day.  Since my name is too long to fit on a cake, as always, they just had my initials, “M.A.” on the cake.

I continue to build my private practice, and am currently helping out a pain clinic that has offices in the Bronx and Queens.  Dr. Richard Amato is the one who heads the office, and is a chiropractor.  People come in for acupuncture as an integrated service, along with an adjustment by the chiropractor, some physical therapy, and hot/cold packs.  They usually come to see us through their insurance, which covers these therapies that are offered all in the same visit in the pain clinic.  It’s certainly a different way to perform acupuncture, but one that I am glad to have the experience of!

Since I am an acupuncturist, and obviously have a thing for Chinese Medicine, let’s get to it:

Today marks the first day of summer, so what do you want to take note of from a Chinese Medicine perspective?  Summer is:

1. A time of fire energy and growth!
2. The Heart is most exuberant now.  Since the Heart deals a lot with connection and communication with others, when healthy, don’t be surprised if you hanker to connect or reach out to others more than you already do.
3. The Kidneys are at its weakest during this time.  Try one or more of the following to benefit the Kidneys:  black bean, black legumes, grapes, kelp, parsley, raspberry, spirulina, and walnuts.
4. Also, to nourish the blood through the Heart during this time, it’s best to decrease sour foods, and eat foods bitter in nature.

Have a question about acupuncture and Chinese Medicine?  Ask me!

May your summer be full of frisbees, salt water, rest, and love,

Margarita

 

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