Acupuncture with Monica

Summer is HOT. And summer is generally the most social time of year! Sometimes the intensity of expending so much energy with potlucks, bbqs, picnics, concerts, and even vacations can start to wear us down. 

That’s why it’s necessary to come back to our own experience and to move through this season of maximum expansion (maximum heat and light) with an awareness of what we really need. 

While it feels wonderful to expand outwards, to enjoy more daylight and perhaps a more jam-packed social s...

Happy summer! It’s not just calendar-time summer. I’m starting to feel the full blossoming of the heart that summertime entails in Chinese Medicine theory. It’s the season of the Fire element, of warmth and connection.

A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at the Penn Museum Summer Solstice event called ‘Self-Care in the Summertime.” I really enjoyed helping participants create a personalized self-care action plan. This talk is based on my self-care workbook, which you can download from my website...

Though we had a cold and breezy spring this year, summer in Philly never disappoints in terms of its sweltering temperatures, steamy sidewalks, and heat-induced malaise. In Chinese Medicine, “summer heat” merits its own category as one of six external factors that can attack the body when temperatures run too high.

The symptoms of what Chinese Medicine calls a “summer heat attack” look a lot like heat stroke. If you find your pulse racing, are dizzy, feel super flushed, or if you stop sweat...

For several years now, I’ve been walking by a store near my house called The Nesting House, a children’s consignment store that also has some thoughtfully-selected new items as well. I recently had a friend who is pregnant come visit me, so I finally had an excuse to stop in and explore.

The West Philly location of The Nesting House (they also have locations in South Philly, Mt. Airy, and Collingswood, NJ, or you can order many of their inventory online!) is a true delight. It’s beautifully...

My favorite favorite lunch place (Picnic, on the Walnut Street Bridge) recently closed! I was so saddened by this loss. I was actually even sadder than I expected to be when I went there recently to get my last haul of local, seasonal, and hand-prepared goodness!

As you can see, I splurged big time! That foil-wrapped indulgence is actually a buttermilk biscuit with (more) butter and local strawberry jam.

The reason I loved Picnic so much was that everything was made by hand and prepared with...

“Generally, when we look at an object, we do not allow ourselves to see it properly. Automatically we see our version of the object instead of actually seeing that object as it is. Then we are quite satisfied, because we have manufactured our own version of the thing within ourselves. Then we comment on it, we judge, we take or reject; but there is no real communication going on at all.”

~Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Buddhist teacher, from his book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, page 2...

Flowers always help my heart feel connected to love. Whether I’m happy, or sad, or depleted, or joyful, I often turn to flowers to meet my needs for beauty and comfort and for that feeling of being “plugged-in” and part of the world.

I think it’s because flowers spring forth from the humility of the earth and represent creativity and perseverance to me. Plants never question if they should grow or not. They just keep reaching towards the light.

As we head into summer, the season of peak perf...

One of my patients recently told me, “I love it when you burn that stuff on my arm but I wouldn’t know how to tell people that you use fire in your practice.”

First, let’s talk about fire. The “fire” I’m using is a relatively mild form. If you’re picturing a flame thrower, forget about it! As in the picture above, I’m actually using a lighter to light a narrow stick of incense so that I can then use the incense to gently ignite a small pyramid of Chinese herbs pressed together and set atop...