Video Notes

More Flow and Less Stress When Your Plan Your Week the Five Element Way

This idea to plan my week using the Five Elements came to me during an incredibly busy time in my life. I was writing my book while also working full time treating patients and providing pediatric training for acupuncturists. I felt like I was meeting my goals, but I wasn't living in a way that was aligned with how I wanted to feel everyday. I felt overworked and overcommitted with a web of obligation that w…

Video Notes

Robin Discusses 3 Types of Stress

1. Physical Stress — When a child's fundamentals aren't met (eating, sleeping, being outside, being loved, feeling safe), they can't handle stress well. Emotional reactions become dramatic and more intense than what the situation calls for.
2. Stressors not within our control — This type of stress calls for us to find workarounds and mental attitude adjustments to do the best they can with the situation we have.
3. Stressors we control — These ofte…

Video Notes

PMS and cramps are often as sign of hormone imbalance related to having too much estrogen in the body or estrogen dominance. While the Western medical solution is to put teens on birth control pills, there are some side effects that parents should be aware of. Progestin is a synthetic hormone in the birth control pill that has been shown to hinder a woman's reproductive cycle later and may even cause issues with fertility later in life. Not to mention, once the birth control pill …

Video Notes:

For many children, allergies can be bothersome and interfere with normal daily activities and play time. Unfortunately, allergy medications may not treat all the symptoms and in some cases eventually, stop working well. Has this ever happened to you or your child?

Treating the Underlying Cause

In order to address allergies, we need to look at the underlying problem. In many cases, there are underlying food sensitivities and gut imbalances that create a ripe environment for the…

One of the things I love most about my work is being able to connect with parents and share timely advice, support, and tips for healing with Chinese medicine. It lights me up when parents find simple, natural solutions that shift whatever is going on in a positive way. That's why I'm thrilled to let you know that each Wednesday around 10:30 am Pacific, I'll be going Live on Facebook, which allows us to easily interact no matter where in the world you live! During the live broadcast you can shar…

I was recently watching a Daily Show segment and they did a piece on allergies called Along Came Pollen. In the segment, they showed a video in which news broadcasters from around the country warned of a "pollen tsunami" and a "pollen vortex". They went on to claim year after year that THIS year was the WORST ALLERGY SEASON EVER!

Reality Check: It's called spring

Pollen isn't going anywhere, but that doesn't mean you or your kids are destined to suffer for the rest of your life! If you hav…

What is the Wood Element?

In the Five Element System, The Wood Element is the most yang. Yang represents active, expansive, light, hot, and outward energy. It's no surprise that Wood corresponds to spring - a time of growth and expansion as seeds sprout, trees and plants grow, and animals give birth to and nurture their young.

Emotional and Spiritual Aspects of Wood

The emotion anger is associated with the Wood Element and while many of us think of anger as a bad thing it's actually a normal…

Eyelid Infection[/caption] It can be miserable for all parties when your child has itchy, red, irritated or swollen eyes.  Kids want to itch and rub their eyes which generally makes the problem worse. These symptoms are usually caused by allergies, pink eye (conjunctivitis), blepharitis (eyelid infection/inflammation) or styes. I’m going to share with you a few remedies and techniques to help your child’s eyes heal faster so you can stop saying, “Don’t rub!”

Acupressure Points for Any Type…

What does stress look like in your life?

Is it too much to do with too little time? Trying to do it all perfectly? Guilt that you're not doing enough? Too little downtime or zero time to yourself? Or perhaps you have toxic people or relationships that zap your energy? An unhealthy work situation? A long commute? No matter what the stress is, we all have it in one form or another.

In Chinese medicine, stress affects the Wood Element first!

I daresay that modern Western culture, with its emphas…