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Please browse our repository of articles written by our Practitioners and Staff.
Our Articles/Blog
Meet our Practitioners: Grace Leung
Grace also has accumulated an incredible amount of education through pure determination. She has her Masters’ degree in Acupuncture, which wasn’t enough for her so she went to the well regarded Nan Jing University of TCM, where she also interned. ...
Meet our Practitioners: Bei Zhong
When you first meet Zhong the first things you’ll notice is how caring and friendly she is. Most people would not begin to guess the amount of schooling she has completed (you can visit her description on our practitioners’ page that lists some of the academic...
Meet our Practitioners: Jessica Rea
To continue with our practitioner meet-and-greet, next is one of our most dynamic practitioners: Jessica Rea. As long as I have known Jessica, she has been passionate about alternative medicine. She has a drive such as I have never seen to learn more about...
Meet our Practitioners: Yuxiang Wang
While we already have a page that introduces the Acupuncturists and Practitioners working here at CGICM, I’d like to take the opportunity to talk more about what makes these people so great and there is no better person to start with than Yuxiang Wang, Director of...
Human Crop Circles…? Or maybe it’s Cupping
Cupping Using suction, cupping helps to pull out toxins from the body and release fascial adhesions. This is especially useful for tight muscles and scarring. Types of Cups Cups come in many different sizes, and the most recognizable material that they...
Is Acupuncture Safe?
Is acupuncture safe? is a frequently asked question. Yes, absolutely, with a properly trained practitioner. Even still, there are some risks. The following outlines some of the risks and what properly trained practitioners do to minimize these risks. ...
How to Beat the Heat: TCM Style
Finally, after a long and cold winter here in Toronto, we finally have summer! But now it’s hot. Really Hot. And Damp. And for some, just plain uncomfortable. Heat afflictions such as sunstroke and heat stroke can be a real risk, especially with all of the...
The Sticky Truth about Ear Seeds
Chinese Medicine believes that there are microcosmic areas on the body that reflect the whole. By sticking seeds to acupuncture points in the ear, treatment can be sustained throughout the week. Ear seeds come from the theory of auricular acupuncture. Chinese...
More about Tuina
Tuina Massage is hands on manipulation that incorporates Acupressure. Instead of working through muscle systems, Tuina massage works through the meridian system and acupuncture points. Tuina massage is closely related to Shiatsu with its treatment style, function,...
Eating for your Constitution 2: Excess Types
Following up from last week, this is the second post in the Eating for your Constitution posts. As stated last week, medicated diet is one of the cornerstones of Chinese Medicine. There is no better- and more cost effective way to care about your health. You have...
Eating for Your Constitution: Deficiency Types
Medicated diet is one of the cornerstones of Chinese Medicine. There is no better- and more cost effective way to care about your health. You have to eat anyways, so why not eat the right things! There are a few general guidelines that everyone should follow,...
Diets for Children
Diets for Children A few years ago Yuxiang Wang wrote a book on pediatric type diets, which can be found here. In it she outlines some important points about feeding children. Individualized Diet Putting children on low fat diets to lose weight is...
Menstrual Phases: East vs West
Menstrual Phases: East and West The key to a woman’s health is their menstrual cycle. Menstrual symptoms such as irregularity, bleeding problems, and PMS signs are largely indicative of specific underlying conditions. Sometimes the mechanism of menstruation can be a...
Pregnancy Changes
Pregnancy Changes...Are you ready to integrate Eastern and Western Medicine perspectives when treating pregnant women? For those practitioners who have never heard of Debra Betts, her book The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth is an...
Diagnosing a Woman
*Note: the diagnosis of 'crazy' is excluded in this article for many reasons, mostly because women are beautiful and their intricacies deserve more credit... which is why both Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine have gynecology as a field unto itself. So here is...
Stress & Infertility
Stress & Infertility. There is a lot to say about stress and its impacts on our bodies. From causing headaches, to skin conditions, high blood pressure, anxiety, muscle aches, gastro-intestinal problems (just to mention a few), and in general decreasing the...
TCM & Acupuncture FAQ
Over the past month or so I've met quite a few people who are new to Chinese Medicine (TCM). Their first reaction to my profession has been a slight slinking back in their posture, a wary look in their eyes, and a worried look on their face. Their first response has...
Needling Confidence: Part II
This is Part II of a series on confident acupuncture needling. Please visit our previous post for the introduction and needling anatomy for the leg. Proper needling, including depth and manipulation depends on an understanding of the structures that are being...
Needling Confidence: Part I
Having just finished the CTCMPAO Practitioner exam, I’ve spent some time reflecting on what I found most helpful throughout my educational history – for the exam and in clinical practice. First has to be the amount of clinic hours required for my program, which...
TCM & Prednisone
Recently, I have come across clients who are on some heavy-duty drugs. The most common at the moment is Prednisone, and while it is a savior for many people with debilitating symptoms, it can have some devastating side effects. The biggest problem is that once...