*NEW!* My therapeutic Bath Bead shop:
  • http://HealingMaven.etsy.com - The essential oil blends that I make based on traditional chinese herbology now have their own store! Therein you can find my famous PenguinZzz bath beads much beloved by insomniacs, fibro-sufferers, and stress-bunnies world 'round. Coming soon, (by october hopefully) my post-workout muscle recovery bath beads will join the party. (And yes, I do send free samples. Check out the site for details, and/or email me and ask.)

    Online TCM Resources:
  • Acupuncture Today - A monthly publication with the latest news and research in the world of chinese medicine. It's written for practitioners, but it's fairly accessible. They have a nice little introductory article called The ABCs of Acupuncture, with a number of more links to educational articles on specific subjects within the sphere of chinese medicine.

  • TCM World - Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation. This is a nonprofit educational organization, with another good introduction to chinese medicine, (a bit more theoretical than the last.)

  • And of course, my blog, coming soon. :)

    Frequently Recommended Books:
  • The Web That Has No Weaver - Chinese Medicine 101. This was required reading my first semester of school. It gives a basic overview of the chinese medical theories.

  • A Tooth from the Tiger's Mouth: How to Treat Your Injuries with Powerful Healing Secrets of the Great Chinese Warrior - For the weekend warrior, personal trainer, chinese medicine student, or injury-prone klutz. Great book on chinese sports medicine written at a layman's level. The daily qi gong massage alone makes it worth buying, but the exercises for general health and how to recover from specific injuries are other noteworthy highlights. This book does a brilliant job of explaining why I wince every time someone tells me that they've iced an injury.

  • Live in the Balance: The Groundbreaking East-West Nutrition Program - Try to ignore the over-hype in the title. This is actually a fairly good, if a bit over-simplified, look at chinese medicine and its relation to diet. I talk to patients about dietary advice all the time, but never have more than a minute or two to do so. If you want a more detailed explanation, give this book a try.

    Happy Resources:

    Happiness, beauty and joy are an important part of good health. I truly do believe that to be surrounded by art is good for the soul. Here are links to a couple of artists whose work makes me stop and go "Ooooooh."

  • Wearable Sculpture - The artists on this site make truly lovely and unique (most pieces are one-of a kind) wire (and semi-precious stone) jewelery -- fine art that can be worn. If nothing else, go over and find the link to their flicker account. You can easily kill an hour or two looking at the pictures of all the lovely things they've made over the years. The slideshow is an entirely meditative experience. :) I own a number of their pieces and I'm very happy with them.

  • Wetdryvac & Co. - Wetdryvac is the online handle for an artist who does some truly gorgeous prints of imaginative watercolor works. I have a handful of their prints, and (when I get them framed) they will grace my office walls. Go enjoy!