Free Ear Acupuncture Treatments in Response to Tragedy at Tree of Life

Our hearts are heavy after the horrible shooting in Squirrel Hill over the weekend. We lost eleven friends and neighbors. May their memories be a blessing.

My daughter was in Hebrew School at Dor Hadash - one of the three congregations which met at Tree of Life. They are a loving, welcoming, joyous, and wonderful congregation, as were the others who met at Tree of Life. We were there not long ago to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of my daughter's friend.

The outpouring of love and togetherness from Pittsburgh is what this city is all about. From the memorial Saturday night organized by students of the local public high school, to the service on Sunday where leaders of all faiths came together, to the beautiful flowers, fundraisers, and offers from all around the city.

In the spirit of healing, the Birch Center is offering free ear acupuncture treatments Tuesday October 30, Wednesday October 31, and Thursday November 1, by appointment: (412) 381-0116.  Everyone is welcome.

Ear treatments relieve shock, stress, and anxiety, balance the nervous and hormonal systems, and help deal with grief, fear, and anger. Please spread the word and give us a call. We are located on Pittsburgh's south side.

Also, if you are on facebook, follow our facebook page, where I will post updates of all the offers I can find, from free community acupuncture to reiki, to nature walks. I will share anything I hear that may be of help.

Please call us if you'd like to come in for a free ear acupuncture treatment. They are amazing and as our friend Amanda shared this morning on facebook, "Ear treatments have been incredibly helpful for me during bouts of stress and anxiety."


Shalom. Peace. Shanti.

Love to all,

Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs.

Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Your Health in Autumn

The ancient Chinese text, The Inner Classic, says:

The forces of Autumn create dryness in Heaven and metal on Earth, they create the lung organ and the skin upon the body...and the nose, and the white color, and the pungent flavor...the emotion grief, and the ability to make a weeping sound.

The energy of fall is downward and inward. We can see this as we watch leaves fall from the trees and seeds dropping from plants. Grasses and leaves lose their bright green color. Sap from trees go back to the roots to be stored for the winter. The plants dry out.

As the season cools, we put more heat and energy into our foods, cooking soups and stews, roasting root vegetables. We smell delicious odors of cooking food (the nose relates to the Lungs, which relates to the Metal element and the autumn.)

Dryness prevails in the fall season, and this can have an effect on our health. We may notice thirst, dryness in skin, lips, throat, and itchy skin conditions. We can also develop cough and allergies more easily this time of year. Because the lungs open on the nose, we also may experience conditions in our sinuses and air passageways this time of year.

Meditation and breath practices (which are called pranayama in the yogic tradition) are beneficial this time of year. Taking time to slow down and focus on our breathing can be helpful. Eating foods like beans and grains, which absorb a lot of water in cooking, is also helpful.

Acupuncture is excellent to help balance dryness and boost the energy of the lungs (and large intestine, its related organ). Lung and large intestine points are paired with other points to balance energy in the body helping to clear cough, allergies, skin conditions, increase energy, and help sleep this time of year.

Autumn is also the season of grief and sadness, which also relates to the lungs. When we realize that this is the time of year of contraction and inward focus, we get clues on how to deal with the grief that arises. We are encouraged to look within, focus internally, and share our feelings with others when helpful. Acupuncture works to balance the mind and spirit as well as body.

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to start or return to acupuncture treatments.

David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.
Birch Center for Acupuncture
South Side, Pittsburgh, PA, 15203



References: Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford.

Fall Feng Shui Challenge: Clear Clutter

Let's celebrate fall with Feng Shui! Feng Shui is a Chinese practice of creating harmonious surroundings to bring good energy flow to your home, and health, love, and prosperity to your life. This is an over-simplified definition; there is quite a lot to Feng Shui. People study for years under masters and still only scratch the surface. However one thing is certain: even if your door faces the right direction, your walls are the correct color, you have mirrors and fountains just where they are meant to be, if you have clutter clogging up your home, energy cannot move through and none of it matters (well, it matters less anyway.)

This year, autumn officially starts September 22, but I wanted a nice round number (10) so I'm going to start a day early -  September 21.

So for the next 10 days: September 21 through 30, I'm going to challenge myself to CLEAR THE CLUTTER FROM MY HOME, one space at a time. I hope you will join me! I'll post an update a day, and if you feel moved, please comment and let me know what you have been doing too.

Can't get motivated? Feeling stuck? Acupuncture is a great way to balance your energy and get it flowing!

Hope to see you soon, and happy decluttering!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs.

End Of Summer Health Tips

It's the end of the summer! In Chinese Medicine, this important season is known as "late summer" and it corresponds to the Earth element. In our bodies, the earth element manifests as digestion, and our stomach, spleen and pancreas.

Yellow-orange is the color of the Earth element, as as we look around at the ripening pumpkins and winter squash, corn and grains we get some idea why. Eating yellow/orange food like squash, sweet potatoes and millet is a great way to support the digestion. When digestion is weak all other organ systems are effected, so now is a wonderful time to focus on digestive health.

 If experiencing problems in this area, such as

• weight gain or loss
• bloating or gas
• difficulty digestion
• no appetite or too much appetite
• constipation or loose stools
• stomach ache
• heart burn
• slow digestion

This is a great time of year to get back on track. Acupuncture can help immensely.

Anything you can do to support your digestion will help during this time of year, including:

• Do not overeat at one sitting.
• Limit snacks. Give yourself time to digest your food before eating again.
• Whole foods such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits are easy on our body and are perfect foods to support digestive health.
• Avoid foods to which you react negatively. For some of us that may be wheat, dairy, sugar, oil.

Acupuncture can do wonders for all kinds of digestive problems; this is one of the things we've had great success with. Points on the stomach and spleen meridians (on the legs, feet and abdomen) help regulate, relax and nourish the digestion. Moxa can be applied to warm and strengthen the meridians if necessary, and the relaxing effect of a balancing acupuncture treatment is without compare.

Now is an excellent time for an acupuncture tune up or to begin treatments. 


In health,
David and Melissa Sokulski
licensed acupuncturists

Happy New Year: Year of the Dog!

The Chinese New Year starts today, February 16, 2018.

Gung Hay Fat Choy: Happy New Year!

It's the year of the Dog!

2018, 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1934, 1922

Dog people are honest, loyal, and friendly. Dogs are also sensitive and can take on the issues of people around them, especially people they love most. Make sure this year is full of good self care.

Dog's energy is social and bountiful, making it a great year of opportunities, especially in business. Everyone will notice this energy and be able to take advantage of it, not just people born in dog years.

Celebrities who are born in these years include Benjamin Franklin, Prince William, Madonna, Queen Latifah, and Ellen Degeneres. You can find a more complete list here.

Welcome Year of the Dog!