TCM Perspective: Nutrition During Pregnancy
TCM believes that every person is endowed from birth with an essence that lasts throughout the person’s life and provides the body with energy. This essence flows from the mother during pregnancy. Healthy lifestyle and good nutrition increases the amount and quality of this essential essence. To build up this life giving essence and guarantee the best health for the newborn, the soon-to-be mom is advised to eat a balanced diet...
Winter Foot Care
POOR FOOTWEAR The winter months in Shanghai may encourage us to opt for warmth over support in order to get through the cold. Those sheep-skin lined boots will keep the toes warm, but may not be the best solution for walking long distances on the hard, unforgiving streets of Shanghai. In addition, the landmark holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, calendar New Year, and Chinese New Year falling in quick succession means our social...
Meet our new Podiatrist Scott Blake!
Body & Soul: What brought you to Shanghai and Body & Soul? Scott: I came to Shanghai with my partner who had a career opportunity here. I was fortunate enough to find Body & Soul and connect with the previous podiatrist, Vaishali Patel, who was preparing to leave. It was wonderful to be able to come in and fill the needs of the patients she had been helping. I look forward...
Women’s Health Series: Infertility Solutions with TCM
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a child after two years of regular sexual intercourse without contraception. Western medical treatment focuses on the mechanical functioning of the reproductive organs and hormones. TCM understands that body and soul need to be balanced and harmonious for successful conception and a favorable environment for the embryo to grow. This is accomplished by establishing a healthy, regular menstrual cycle, an undisturbed flow...
Women’s Health Series: Relieving Menstrual Pain
Many women suffer from monthly menstrual pain and other uncomfortable symptoms. Occasionally, this is related to a gynecological disease which need to be treated properly. However, for many women symptoms such as PMS (premenstrual syndrome), lower back pain, tender breasts, headaches, belly pain, and leg pain are part of their usual monthly cycle. These are often accompanied by fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and dizziness. Fortunately, TCM offers effective, natural relief. In...
TCM Perspective: Obtaining and Maintaining a Healthy Weight
New year, new you! How many of us, among other new year’s resolutions, intend to lose weight and maintain a healthy figure in 2016? Weight loss and maintenance are top concerns for many people but often, information overload and misconceptions make it hard to keep track of what to do to achieve such goals. Have you heard of globesity? Globesity is a new word created to emphasize the phenomenon of increasing...
TCM Treatments Series: Moxibustion
Moxibustion is a complementary therapy to acupuncture. The moxa used in this treatment is made with dried mugwort (艾叶) and this is burned to heat up areas along acupuncture points. In Chinese, this treatment is called jiǔ ( 灸) or jiǔshù ( 灸術). The most commonly practiced form of moxibustion today is indirect moxibustion, in which a moxa stick (or moxi cigar) is held near the acupoint or placed on...
TCM Treatments Series: Cupping
Cupping is a complementary therapy to acupuncture. Expats not familiar with cupping may wonder about the round, uniform marks they sometimes see on people who’ve received cupping treatment. Cupping is an ancient treatment used in many cultures around the world. Though it’s becoming more common in acupuncture practices in the west, it is still unfamiliar to many people. How Cupping Works Cups (most commonly made of glass) with negative pressure (created with...
TCM Treatments Series: Acupuncture
In our TCM (Tranditional Chinese Medicine)series, we'll be sharing insight into some of the major TCM treatments and answering frequently asked questions about them. One TCM method to cure diseases and restore balance is acupuncture. TCM Philosophy TCM believes a healthy body and mind is achieved through a free flow of vital energy (Qi) throughout the body. In TCM, the organs are interconnected and work together. An imbalance in one organ leads...
FAQs about Craniosacral Therapy for Babies and Children
I’ve previously shared an introduction to craniosacral therapy (CST) and an overview of how the birth process affects babies. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about the beneficial process of CST for infants and children. What sort of birth related and childhood conditions do Craniosacral Therapists treat? Craniosacral therapists do not focus on specific conditions, but on the underlying health of the body as expressed by the cranial...