Treatment Tuesday...The Wood Element

Our March newsletter: Signs of Spring, is done and will go out any day! If you're not on our mailing list, please sign up here.

In this newsletter I talk about Spring (it's almost here!), and the wood element. The wood element is the element that relates to spring, the color green, the emotion anger, and the organs of the Liver and the Gallbladder.

When this element is out of balance, we may notice symptoms such as:

• a feeling of stuck-ness in life, not being able to move forward
  
• PMS and menstrual pain
  
• headaches
  
• stiffness and aches in joints
  
• insomnia
  
• not being well resting in the morning, finding it hard to get going
  

Along with other suggestions I offer in the newsletter -- such as getting outside, moving/exercising, and drinking dandelion tea (more on harvesting dandelions to make tea, coffee substitute, and tinctures in a future blog!) -- acupuncture and herbal medicine are often helpful.

There is a classic herbal formula called Xiao Yao San, or Rambling Formula, which specifically gets stuck Liver energy moving.

There is also a wonderful point combination: Liver 3 on the foot and Large Instestine 4 on the hand, which when paired are called The Four Gates. This treatment gently yet powerfully allows the energy in the entire body to flow freely.

Spring is an excellent time to come in for acupuncture. Wind is prevalent this time of year (you may have noticed the windy days!), and acupuncture helps keeps us strong and balanced, especially during the change of seasons, when we are most vulnerable to finding ourselves off balance, run down, and coming down with something. If you'd like to schedule an acupuncture treatment, please give us a call at (412) 381-0116.

In fact, I have heard the Stomach Flu is going around again. If you haven't seen it, check out this blog entry: What to Do if the Stomach Bug Gets You, which I wrote this past winter for ways to speed recovery from the stomach bug.

Thanks for reading...happy spring, and we hope to see you soon!

In health and joy,

David and Melissa Sokulski

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