Tag: Holistic health

  • Living With the Seasons According to Chinese Medicine: The MCAS & EDS Version (Are You Ready For Spring?)

    Living With the Seasons According to Chinese Medicine: The MCAS & EDS Version (Are You Ready For Spring?)

                Most of the posts on this blog start with hEDS as the baseline and expand outward to include MCAS and/or dysautonomia.  In this one, I’m centering MCAS.  Spring season brings its challenges for everyone, but when you’re a mastie?  Spring can be particularly and specifically extra difficult for those of us with MCAS.  This…

    Read more

  • Dysmotility, Anyone? (Gastroparesis & hEDS)

    Dysmotility, Anyone? (Gastroparesis & hEDS)

                The word paresis is of Greek origin and it indicates letting go of or weakening or slackness of muscle.  It refers to partial paralysis rather than a complete stopping of movement (paralysis).  When this word describes what’s going on with a person’s digestive system, it is a problem indeed.             Gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying)…

    Read more

  • The Languages of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes, MCAS, and POTS: Words Count

    The Languages of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes, MCAS, and POTS: Words Count

                How do you articulate your experience?              Yes, this is a loaded question.  If you read it and thought of your joints, your articulations, then you read it just fine.  If you went to the implication of verbalizing, you are also correct.  Even so, for the purposes of this blog post, I will focus…

    Read more

  • Congee For Zebras (Like Chicken Soup for the Ehlers-Danlos Warrior Soul, but Better)

    Congee For Zebras (Like Chicken Soup for the Ehlers-Danlos Warrior Soul, but Better)

    Chicken soup for the soul?  Eh.  What about Chinese congee, or rice porridge, for zebras?  To me, that sounds just right.   In this blog post, consequently, I want share some thoughts about comfort food along with some encouragement for the zebra spirit. We all need encouragement, don’t you think?

    Read more

  • Living With the Seasons According to Chinese Medicine: The EDS Version (Are You Ready For Winter?)

    Living With the Seasons According to Chinese Medicine: The EDS Version (Are You Ready For Winter?)

                Every season is nested into a context and has its own associations.  What do you think about when you ponder winter season?  Holidays, colder weather, the space in between fall and spring…? In my practice, about 80% of my EDS, MCAS, and/or POTS patients see winter through the lens of icy hands and feet…

    Read more

  • Astragalus for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and MCAS (Or… What is Huang Qi?)

    Astragalus for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and MCAS (Or… What is Huang Qi?)

                Astragalus… you may have heard of it. If you have EDS and/or MCAS and are familiar with the supplement options popular within the community, you probably have tried it too.  Astragalus grows in China, Mongolia, and North Korea and is a beloved herb in Asian tradition.  Its Chinese name is huángqi (alternate spelling: huáng…

    Read more

  • Self-Care For Folks With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Yes, You Do Deserve It)

    Self-Care For Folks With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Yes, You Do Deserve It)

                Self-care when you live with a complex disorder like EDS (especially if you have the usual add-ons like MCAS or POTS) is crucial…but what, for a person with chronic illness or pain, does this term actually mean?  And how can a person create a meaningful program if they already dedicate considerable energy to making…

    Read more

  • Red Light Therapy and Vibration Plates: Are They Good or Bad for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and/or MCAS?

    Red Light Therapy and Vibration Plates: Are They Good or Bad for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and/or MCAS?

                Have you ever considered trying red light therapy (RLT) or were you wondering about whether or not a vibration plate might be beneficial?  These are two popular tools used for mood support, skincare, wound healing, and pain reduction (RLT) and for lymphatic drainage, bone density support, and muscle stimulation (the plate).  You can go…

    Read more

  • “Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Tui Na, and You” Revisited (Some Thoughts on the OG Blog Post)

    “Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Tui Na, and You” Revisited (Some Thoughts on the OG Blog Post)

                It seems unbelievable when I look at it, but the first blog post I wrote about tui na and EDS went live in September of 2017.  At the time, I was already a certified practitioner. I had started treating patients in a shared office space and was in the process of completing my second…

    Read more

  • How Chinese Medicine Treats hEDS (Where to Begin)

    How Chinese Medicine Treats hEDS (Where to Begin)

                Acupuncture and other modalities of Chinese medicine can be an excellent resource for people with complex disorders, EDS and the common comorbidities included.  But do you know how to get the most out of your treatment when you’re complicated?  What happens when you are experiencing pain AND mast cells flares AND gastroparesis AND insomnia…

    Read more