General Health Tips
Traditional Chinese Medicine for Fertility and Reproductive Health
Many of my friends – and many people who come to my clinic – are having kids or hoping to. Some are unsure and still considering it. Some feel their time ticking away. Some want to and are having trouble getting pregnant. Some were pregnant and aren’t anymore. Some...
An Introduction to Chinese Herbal Medicine
Whether it’s because COVID is keeping people at home, or whether there’s an increasing interest in natural health solutions, interest in Chinese herbal medicine in booming. What exactly is Chinese herbal medicine? What makes it so special and effective? ...
Self-Care for the Summer of COVID-19
By Pauline Sok Yin Hwang, R.Ac R.TCMP One of my fondest memories of Taiwan is sitting down with a friend to read a Chinese version of the Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine (Huang Di Nei Jing). Her knowledge of ancient Chinese was much better than mine, while...
Chinese Medicine Tips for the Lungs & Large Intestine (Food & Mood)
Autumn health tips according to Traditional Chinese Medicine Chinese medicine talks about maintaining health by balancing the Five Elements in the body – Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire. The Metal element is associated with the autumn season, and with the Lung and...
Sleep Hygiene (sleep tips)
How to sleep better Getting adequate, good quality sleep can go a long way to supporting our bodies and immune systems to heal, rest and recover. Here are some basic sleep-promoting tips: Maintain a regular routine, as much as possible. Try to be in bed before 11 pm,...
Lazy, affordable, delicious vegetable-eating
Like you, I want to take care of my health, but I’m busy. It’s nice to take the time to prepare gourmet dishes occasionally, but a lot of the time, I just want something quick and easy. Here’s a solution for lazy wannabe vegetable-eaters like me:...
Acupressure helps with depression, anxiety, pain, sleep and fatigue in breast cancer survivors
The acupressure point combination described below was originally designed for breast cancer survivors with anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain and sleep problems, but may help other people with similar problems. First I’ll talk about the research study. Skip down...
FREE Workshop on Beating the Winter Blues: Wisdom from Chinese Medicine (Jan 26, Vaughan ON)
Feeling the winter blues? You’re not alone! Come to a FREE “food and mood” workshop on seasonal wellness. Learn tips for keeping your immune system up, staying grounded, focused and energized during the cold, dark months of winter. We’ll share simple...
Eat Your Greens! A Delicious Cancer Fighting Recipe with Broccoli and Tomatoes
Finding it hard to eat your cancer-fighting greens? Try this tasty broccoli recipe that pairs healthy veggies for an even stronger cancer-fighting effect! Instructions adapted from, and photo courtesy of, Rebecca Katz’s The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. Note that I would...
Winter recipe: Lamb Angelica Soup
This recipe is actually based on a formula from an herbal classic (金匮要略 Jin Gui Yao Lue, Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet, by the famous herbalist 张仲景 Zhang Zhong Jing), in which is is called 当归生姜羊肉汤 Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Tang. The soup is warming, so...
Nobel prize for herb-based malaria drug
Many of you likely heard about one of the winners of this year’s Nobel prize in science. Tu Youyou, a Beijing-based researcher, was awarded the prize for her role in extracting the malaria-fighting compound Artemisinin from the traditional Chinese herb,...