Welcome!

This blog is intended to be the future online home of my business, Spoke Acupuncture and Wellness. My hope is that, in the meantime, this blog becomes my space to share my discoveries, connect patients and friends to helpful, health-related resources, and provide some simple, plain-English advice for incorporating Traditional Chinese Medicine principles into every-day life.

So, what's Spoke Acupuncture and Wellness all about? It basically breaks down into two main aspects that will set my practice apart.

Our cruisers are always picnic-ready

Goal I: Serve the Minneapolis Cycling Community. I am lucky enough to live in a community (Northeast Minneapolis) where people are notoriously passionate about biking. Of course, everyone is welcome regardless of their preferred method of transport, but the decor and services provided will be chosen with the bicycle commuter in mind. My hope is to find a space conveniently located off a bike trail with plenty of bike parking wherein I can provide specialized treatments for common complaints related to cycling: knee injuries, shoulder problems, etc.

I love bicycle commuting for so many reasons. First, it embodies the kind of healthy lifestyle that I advocate to my patients. It exemplifies the utilitarian kind of exercise that happens as a consequence of one's lifestyle. Instead of having to find the time to incorporate exercise into one's routine, exercise is already an essential part of the routine. Second, biking encourages people to adapt to the conditions outside rather than constantly struggling to limit their exposure to the elements. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, harmony depends on our ability to adapt to the environment, while the extent to which we fight against it determines how much we suffer (sitting in our house with the heat turned up to 80 degrees is not adapting, by the way!). Third, bike culture represents a certain "do-it-yourself" attitude in which a person with no formal training can realistically acquire all the knowledge and tools necessary to care for their own vehicle (or, if they're like me, they can find a nice person who's willing to offer help with upgrades and repairs!). Just as Chinese medicine at its best seeks to turn each patient into their own doctor, every avid biker is, to a certain extent, their own mechanic. Last and perhaps most importantly, bikes are non-polluting, super-efficient machines. Less pollution benefits everyone's health on a global scale.

Goal 2: Provide practical, relatable advice and care. The Spoke approach will be to provide answers and solutions to patients in the simplest terms possible. Although I have studied herbs in the "Wise Woman Tradition" and much of my practice involves energy and intuition, I aim to bridge the gap between the spiritual-Pagan-Earthmother image of alternative health care and the world in which I actually live my life. Alright -- to be fair, I think I live in both worlds; I perpetually have one foot on the spiritual plane, but I assure you - the other is firmly planted in a world governed by the laws of empirical science. I appreciate that there is a certain mystical element to acupuncture and plant medicine that may never be fully explained, but I believe that acupuncture and herbs are just as miraculous for the things they do to the body on an observable, physical level. Cinnamon, for instance, can "dispel wind-cold," according to Chinese medicine. According to phytochemistry, Cinnamon contains a multitude of compounds that support the immune system. Either way you choose to look at it, it's a good idea to drink some strong cinnamon tea when you feel a cold coming on.

So that's me, and that's the vision of Spoke! I hope I will be able to provide some insight regarding how easy it can be to apply the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine to your own routine.