Ch-ch-ch-changes…

Can you feel it? It’s officially Spring. Flower buds are popping out, green is beginning to show, and the warmth is returning. In Chinese Medicine, Spring is the element of Wood, and the season of new growth, creativity and planning. It also corresponds to the Liver, an important organ in cleaning the blood and detoxifying the body. As we move out of winter, we find a renewed energy of growing and greening. Spring is an ideal time to rejuvenate and cleanse our bodies. Here are a few tips to get the most out of this amazing transition!

How to put Some Spring into Your Step.

There are lots of ways to promote the movement of Liver Qi (energy) and to help your body get moving with the season. It’s super important to ease into these activities, as too rigorous a plan can leave you feeling more exhausted and wiped out.  The goal is to move your body gently, eat the right foods and ensure plenty of rest. In Chinese Medicine, we aim to follow nature, and nature always seeks equilibrium. You’ll find these tips will help you tune into the world around you, and feel your best.

• Get outside! Just like those little budding flowers and grasses, it’s time to get out of our winter hibernation. Being outside and moving your body helps Liver Qi to flow, which will ease your moods and any irritability you may have been dealing with. 
• Stretch. The Liver also corresponds to the tendons and ligaments in Chinese Medicine. The Liver provides the sinews with blood, helping us to get moving again. So get out there, and be like those new little plants and Strreeeeeeetttch! Try Yoga or Tai Qi.
• Eat Green Foods. The color associated with Spring and the Liver is… Surprise! Green! Eat Green colored foods like Leafy veggies, arugala, peas, and asparagus.
• Sour Stuff. The flavor associated with Spring is sour. Sour foods like lemon, pickles and sauerkraut can help your digestion. 
• Acupuncture. We don’t put needles in you just for fun, we promise! We do it to move your Qi! Acupuncture moves qi in the body, helping you to balance, heal, and feel amazing. 

Meet our new Acupuncturist!
Lisa Bullis – M.S. (TOM), L.Ac.

Lisa has a Masters of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. She studied at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, California and at the Cheng Du University Hospital in Sichuan, China, graduating in 2003.

Lisa is passionate about accessible and affordable health care.  She co-founded Meeting Point Acupuncture in 2007. She sold her practice in November 2010 and opened Pin & Tonic shortly after.  Selling Pin & Tonic in 2015 has enabled her to expand her private practice to focus on patient care while continuing to work with a local non-profit, the Chanda Plan Foundation as well as advise and advocate for a Medicaid pilot program in Colorado which provides acupuncture to persons with spinal cord injuries.

When not working Lisa can be found hiking, gardening, raising bees and boogying to bluegrass music with her husband, children and dog Bella.