Seasonal Allergies Walking to the clinic this week, the trees along Darling Street were throwing out their fuzzy new leaves, the jasmine was spilling over every fence, and the person ahead of me sneezed four times in a row. Spring in Sydney is gorgeous. It is also, for a lot of us, the season of itchy eyes, a nose that won't stop running, and the foggy, tired feeling that comes with it. If that's you right now, you're not imagining it, and you don't have to just push through

I was listening to a podcast recently, sports related, and the host used the phrase ‘ear hustling’. Ear hustling? Hear me out… This is not a sneaky, eavesdropping sort of word play — it’s word play for listening that feels like a gift. Ear hustling, in this context, is deep, active listening: letting someone’s words land all the way, noticing what’s said and unsaid, and meeting their story with genuine presence rather than quick fixes. Most of us don’t realise how rare that e

Congee with beef and basil Congee is one of those quiet foods that does a lot of heavy lifting in the background. From a Chinese medicine point of view it’s warm, gentle support for your digestion, immunity and overall balance – especially as the weather cools and life feels a little fuller. Congee (zhou) is a slow-simmered rice porridge that has been eaten across China and Asia for thousands of years. Traditionally it was both everyday nourishment and a healing food – the ki

Not all teas are created equal. Discover which tea is best for YOUR body from a TCM perspective—from black to chamomile and beyond.

Many people unwrapped a shiny new Oura Ring or other fitness tracking wearable over the holidays and are now staring at a dashboard full of numbers wondering what on earth they all mean. These metrics are not just tech toys; they can become a powerful window into how your body rests, recovers and cycles and they can be incredibly useful in holistic and fertility‑focused care.​ Sleep: More Than Hours in Bed Most wearables estimate how long you sleep, how often you wake up, and

When my kids were little, we lived in Minnesota—deep winter country. I have such vivid memories of bundling them up, layer by layer, just so we could go outside and play. It was a ritual in itself: thick socks, snow pants, mittens (always missing one), hats pulled low over little ears, coats zipped up to their noses, boots tugged on with a bit of a wrestle. And then, out we’d go—into the cold air that bit your cheeks but somehow made everything feel more alive. We built snowm

Menopause is a profound transition, marking the third chapter of a woman’s life. In Chinese medicine, this phase is a natural evolution rather than a medical condition. And while it brings change, it also offers an opportunity for reflection, wisdom, and transformation. Understanding menopause through the lens of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can provide insight into why symptoms arise and how to move through this stage with balance and ease. The Role of Kidney Essence i

Prior to giving birth to my daughter, I had a really beautiful, soft image of the us hanging out in bed together taking the time to get to know each other and me adjusting to my new role as a mom. The image had me, pulling long tendrils of my hair aside so I could stare at my sweet baby breastfeeding perfectly from day one. My post-baby body would be soft and beautiful and I would be forgiving of it, letting it take as long as it needed to come back to itself. If I’m honest,

Recently I visited my acupuncturist to get help with some frustrating symptoms I was experiencing. Getting treatment is certainly something I should do more often, but like many of us, my own well-being can be far down a long list of priorities when running a business and having a family. At the end of the treatment, she advised me to have a healthy bite for lunch and then relax for the rest of the day. It was so confronting that it took a minute to process it! I mean, of c

The vibrant, extroverted energy of Summer is waning and it is time to turn our attention inward to the Yin seasons. I love this time of year. The temperatures turn cool, the air is clear and crisp and the sky turns that incredible shade of blue that you only get with the seasonal shifts. Nature is slowing down and we should too. Chinese medicine counts Autumn as the pivot point between Yang and Yin. A season of contraction that asks us to start spending our time looking inwar

There is a long historical record describing the treatment of fertility with acupuncture and Chinese medicine. It has been written about in Chinese texts for over one thousand years. We now know scientifically that acupuncture and Chinese herbs positively impact assisted reproduction. In a recent review analysing 25 seperate trials, involving 4757 patients undergoing assisted reproduction, pregnancy rates in the groups receiving acupuncture were significantly higher than thos

Sleep plays an essential role in maintaining good health and well-being. This concept is not novel, nor is it exclusive to a particular practice of medicine. Similar to Western Medicine, Chinese medicine (TCM) recommends reducing stress, avoiding late eating and stimulating activities for both body and brain, as well as stimulants such as coffee and alcohol before bedtime. Good bedtime hygiene, and routines for winding down the day can be helpful and don't forget that hormon

Classical Chinese medicine texts have some pretty interesting things to say about our emotions in the context of disease and health. Emotions are considered a cause of disease under certain conditions, such as the prolonged experience of one emotion or even the suppression of an emotion/s. The emotions we experience have a correlation within a larger context, including a correspondance to an organ system and an element. Dysfunction in the organ systems can also cause emotion

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has over 2,000 years of history for use as a natural, supplemental treatment to improve the chances of conception. As someone who likes to garden, I'll use the analogy of prepping garden soil to describe how TCM can assist. The more nourished and irrigated soil is, the higher the chance you have for a seed to grow. Now think of your body the same way. The more nourished and harmonised your body, is the higher the chance you have for concepti

Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of a concept called Yang Sheng. It means to nourish, nurture, or preserve life. The purpose of Yang Sheng is to maintain health and achieve longevity on a mind | body | spirit level. The idea is to look at wellness as a lifestyle and live accordingly. Health preservation (rather than dis-ease treatment) is a central tenant of Chinese medicine. Ideally, we are living in a way that prevents illness instead of treating ailments when the