AculoverNAUM: TCM Daily Secret

  Sleep is an essential part of our health, yet so many people struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrefreshed. Modern science shows a clear link between anxiety, stress, and poor sleep quality —and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a unique lens for understanding why this happens and how to help your body find calm and balance. The Science: How Anxiety and Stress Affect Sleep According to medical research, anxiety can make it hard to fall asleep because racing thoughts and worry keep the mind active when the body should be winding down. Anxiety and sleep problems feed each other—poor sleep increases worry, and worry makes sleep harder. Stress likewise impacts sleep by keeping the body's stress response systems active at night. This can heighten cortisol and other stress hormones that make it difficult to relax and drift into deep rest. This creates a cycle: ➡ Stress and anxiety → difficulty sleeping → daytime fatigue → more str...

Mary sat across from me in my clinic with her eyes glowing with the excitement of possibility. "We decided to try for a baby!" she exclaimed, "So... what should I do now?" I smiled, appreciating her enthusiasm. "Have you been preparing your body for pregnancy?" She blinked, puzzled. "I mean... we just decided and would make it. Isn’t that enough?" Her question, though innocent, reflects a broader societal oversight: yet when it comes to creating a new life, many simply assume that conception is a matter of chance, not preparation.  But in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and increasingly in modern research, we know that the months leading up to conception shape not only fertility but the long-term health of the child. The Missing Puzzle Piece in Parenthood Dr. Aviva Romm, a Yale-trained physician and midwife, states in her book The Natural Pregnancy Book that “a woman’s health three to six months before conception can profoundly impact the he...

  In our fast-paced world, we all often find ourselves trapped in a relentless cycle of stress, overwork, overthinking, and sleepless nights. While modern solutions sometimes involve medication, a growing number of people are now seeking natural, non-invasive remedies that address the underlying issues.  One such remedy is acupuncture - an ancient practice that has endured the test of time.  Acupuncture: An Ancient Healing Practice for Modern Stress  Acupuncture is a foundational component of Traditional Chinese Medicine/TCM. The practice involves the placement of thin, sterile needles into specific points on the body. These points are to lie along meridians – ‘pathways that carry vital life energy, or “Qi’ as communicating with other meridians.  By gently stimulating these acupuncture points, the treatment aims to restore balance and harmony to the body’s Qi and Blood flow, promoting overall health and wellbeing. It is the same logic that needle stimulation aim...

  Will acupuncture survive in the age of evolving artificial intelligence? I've been wondering as an acupuncturist how the quickly developing AI technology would impact manual acupuncture in the future. This article is based on my short conversation on the future of acupuncture with AI.  Q) Do you think that acupuncture will endure AI advances?   >AI replied: Yes, acupuncture will survive and even thrive in the AI-driven era. It offers unique benefits that modern AI-based technologies cannot entirely replicate, including its deeply personalized, human-centered approach to healing and its focus on energy balance.  Acupuncture excels at treating chronic conditions and pain, and AI integration enhances its diagnostic and treatment precision, bringing acupuncture into alignment with evidence-based practice. AI tools will not replace acupuncturists but rather act as complementary resources.  From wearable devices monitoring patient vitals to predictive analyt...