Gentle Health (2026)

11/03/2022

✨ This is where the medicine happens ✨

As I reflect on the last year in my home clinic I feel really happy and proud.

This room is so special and it’s provided a healing space for my patients and a beautiful reflective space for me to work.

Give me a call to find out what Chinese Medicine can offer you on your healing journey.

13/06/2021

Day of rest!
Currently the clinic space is the coolest room in the house, so I’m enjoying the chance to sit quietly, flick through my books and reflect on a lovely week of treatments.

Treating people with acupuncture is extraordinary; it’s often curiosity and a healthy dose of scepticism that brings people to the clinic, and then a journey begins bringing health and rebalance right back into focus; it’s really special. Getting messages from patients saying they’re feeling better and something has changed or improved is just the best!

I hope you’re having a restful and relaxing Sunday too, (football permitting) don’t hesitate to give me a call if you’d like to talk through how acupuncture may help you.

Head to my FB page Melissa Garland Acupuncture or website for more info.

19/04/2021

Sneak peak..
I have had a wonderful and creative weekend putting the final touches on my clinic space. I had the huge privilege of a very talented friend come in and take some pictures for the website - which I can’t wait to share. It’s all coming together, it feels like it’s taking an age, but it will be worth it! Once I’ve got the environmental health sign off I’ll have an official opening date! 🙌🏻

This is a little blurry teaser of my study corner, will share more details and official photos later this week 🌱🎍🌳🌷💚

Head over to Melissa Garland

02/04/2021

A poem for Good Friday:

My grandfather recited this poem to my Mum as a child (over 70 years ago!)
We’re not sure if these are his own words, but they are hauntingly beautiful and I wanted to share them today, on Good Friday; a day synonymous with grief and reflection for many.

“Learn to make the most of life,
Lose no happy day,
Time can never bring you back, chances swept away.
Leave no tender word unsaid,
Love while love shall last.
The mill cannot grind with the water that is past.”

Anonymous

30/03/2021

Vitamin D has been identified as a big player in helping your immune system fight off viral infections- especially in the upper respiratory tract.

“It modulates the systemic inflammatory response through the interaction with the immune system.” [Petrelli et al, 2021, Science Direct.]

How are your levels? Have you been supplementing over the winter? Now that the sun has finally made an appearance that doesn’t mean it’s time to ease up though, summer is the ideal time to maximise your stores in conjunction with sunnier days. If you’re curious about your levels you can ask your GP for a test, or pay privately for a finger prick test from companies like Thriva.

Vitamin D isn’t easily assimilated from food, although oily fish, egg yoke and red meat are good options. If your levels are low, look to supplements, and do so all year round if you want optimal levels.

I personally use Solray D because it’s the best, in my opinion, and all the family can use it as it’s an oral spray. This particular product is immediately absorbed, no detoxing via the Liver, just straight in and off to work.

Hope this is helpful and, as always, keeps you focused on preventative health.

Looking forward to sunnier days ahead! 🌞🌻💛

Links:- https://solrayd.com/solray-d-vitamin-d-spray

29/03/2021

The Heart is deeply revered in Chinese Medicine, depicted as ‘The Emperor’ and ruler of all the other Organs. Historically Chinese medicine physicians had very little time for the brain, seeing it as a ‘peculiar marrow’. When it came to matters of well-being and emotional health, the Heart and Stomach were considered far more important. I love how this ancient wisdom still flows through our lives today: “Follow your heart, listen to your gut”.

So, some Chinese Medicine headlines for you regarding the Heart:

🫀The Heart is a Yin organ and belongs to the Fire Element, the most Yang of all the elements.

🫀The horary time of the Heart is 11am to 1pm

🫀 The Heart has a number of important functions; it governs blood, manifests in the complexion, opens in the tongue, controls sweat and houses our Shen (spirit). It is also connected to the uterus forming a special pathway called the Bao Mai, which is important in fertility treatment.

🫀Imbalances can result in insomnia, excessive sweating, tongue ulcers, hot flushes, anxiety, depression and palpitations amongst many others.

🫀The Heart is our ruler and is precious, so it must be revered and protected at all costs. A broken heart should always be tended to, and a good acupuncturist can help this believe it or not!

🫀Nourishing the energy of your Heart is aided through restful sleep, yoga or Qi gong and practising compassion to both yourself as well as others. Heart nourishing foods to include are gogi berries, tomatoes, cherries, strawberries, and good quality red meat if you’re a meat eater (there’s lots of other foods on the list!)

🫀Hope you enjoyed this little insight, please add any comments or thoughts below 🫀

24/03/2021

“It’s not what you eat, it’s what you MAKE of what you eat.”

This is fundamental part of how Chinese Medicine looks at the digestion and assimilation of food.

If your digestive function is compromised it will be harder to absorb important nutrients, so the treatment of your Stomach and Spleen is always on our mind.

Different foods also have different energetics and what works well for one person doesn’t necessarily suit someone else.

Your acupuncturist may drill down into your diet as part of your healing journey, not with a view to adjusting calories or identifying missing nutrients, but with a view to identifying the foods that will complement your recovery.

That said, in general terms, Spring is a great time to start to introduce fresh greens and up your fruit and veg, which your Liver will LOVE. Eat a rainbow, up your fruit and veg and listen to your body.

notwhatyoueat

22/03/2021

It’s World Water Day 🌊

Water is one of the most precious resources available to us and equally, one of the most taken for granted.

According to 2.2 billion people around the globe, so 1 in 10, don’t have access to fresh water.

I have been walking 4km every day this month with my 10 year old, who signed up for after researching his geography project. He watched Fara’s story (see comments) and was upset that this video had only had a few thousand views, while a YouTuber chasing his Mum around the garden for no apparent reason can get millions of views...

He’s raised £309 so far - I’m very proud of him!

In Five Element acupuncture Water is the most Yin of all the elements, its synonymous with winter, the emotion of fear, the colour blue or black and it can have a mysterious quality too. It’s a beautiful element with the power to both nurture and destroy, and I’m always in awe of Water both in nature and the clinic room!

20/03/2021

Today marks the Spring Equinox; the sun shines directly on the equator and day and night are equal in length.
Equi - equal Nox - night.

In Chinese Medicine terms, yin and yang are perfectly balanced, and in Five Element theory we move from Water; most yin, to Wood; more yang.

It’s a meaningful day, and a good time to pause and reflect before we spring forward into the new season.

Happy Spring Equinox! 🌊🌳☀️🌚

17/03/2021

This beautiful quote has been popping up all over social media this last week.

It’s got me thinking about the change of season from Winter to Spring and how this plays out in our bodies and emotions.

Spring can be a really uncomfortable time for some people, as old illnesses resurface, depression and frustration flare up and allergies start to ni**le. If this is you, it may be time to call your acupuncturist!

The predominant Yang energy of Spring is so beautifully illustrated here in Dickens’ writing.
If you’ve wondered what yin and yang are all about... just look to nature and the seasons, as well as art, music and literature. There’s always clues! Dickens knew!

🖤🌳🤍

12/03/2021

Sleep is a critically important part of our children’s growth and development. The NHS guidelines tell us that within a 24 hour period children aged 6 to 12 should ideally sleep 9 to 12 hours 😴. The reality may be very different however and our children have faced unprecedented levels of stress and disruption over the last year. Lifestyle factors such as extra sugary food, circadian disrupting blue light, worry and lack of exercise have added to the strain and left our exhausted little people often staring at the ceiling or acting up despite being desperate for sleep.

As part of my paediatric acupuncture specialism, I’m learning and exploring treatments which may help children’s sleep issues. This got me thinking about what you can do right now to get the whole family’s sleep in shape - especially before the kids break up for Easter and the lovely lighter evenings throw a spanner in the bedtime works!

💡 What’s the energy like in your home after dinner? Is there any wind down time? Is everyone on their devices? Think about your routine and how you’re modelling bedtime (I know, easier said than done) but could you lead by example? We should all switch off our devices ideally 2 hours before bedtime💡

💤 Physical relaxation can be encouraged with reading, chill out music, warm (caffeine free) drinks and a hot bath or shower. Emotions can be smoothed by calmly talking through the day together. This might help alleviate any worries BEFORE the kids’ heads hit the pillow. I think many older children are so busy that despite being exhausted, the only time they get to think is when they lie down. If those thoughts are troubling or worrying then sleep isn’t going to happen. 💤

There are so many parents going through the same thing right now but we can make things better, one step at a time and one night at a time! I hope this post gets some sleep ideas flowing. Sweet dreams! 💭

12/02/2021

Feb 12th 2021 is Chinese New Year and we are entering the second, of this 12 year celestial cycle - the year of the Metal Ox.

Legend has it that the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to his palace in a great race, and decreed the order in which they arrived would dictate their place in the order of the Chinese calendar. The Ox, being steadfast and strong, would have arrived first, had the Rat not tricked him by catching a lift on his back and then jumping down and taking first place.

What an interesting allegory when you think about how last year, (the year of the Rat) played out!

I was first given a book on Chinese horoscopes as a child, and I delighted in reading about each animal character and then quizzing my relatives about their birthdates to discover a fresh take on their characters and their approach to life! It was fun and insightful and always rang true!

Do you know your animal sign?

The 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac are:

The Rat 🐀
The Ox 🐂
The Tiger 🐅
The Rabbit 🐇
The Dragon 🐉
The Snake 🐍
The Horse 🐎
The Goat 🐐
The Monkey 🐒
The Rooster 🐓
The Dog 🐕
The Pig 🐖

Whatever you’re doing today, this is a wonderful way to acknowledge the beginning of a new era, and I wish everyone celebrating a joyful, peaceful and above all a steady new year! 🏮🐂

Gentle Health

11/03/2022

13/06/2021

19/04/2021

02/04/2021

30/03/2021

29/03/2021

24/03/2021

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