Top 3 Tips I Find Myself Telling Patients Again (and Again... and Again)

Over the years, I’ve noticed something funny — no matter what someone comes in for, whether it’s headaches, burnout, digestive issues, or muscle tension, I often end up saying the same three things.

These aren’t secrets. They’re simple, practical, and make a real difference when practiced consistently. So here they are — the top 3 tips I find myself sharing with almost every client:

1. Warm up your digestion — cold food isn't your friend

If you’re living off smoothies, raw salads, or iced coffee (especially in the winter), your digestive system might be struggling more than you realize. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, digestion is a warm process — like a little fire in your belly. Cold, raw, and damp foods smother that fire.

What to do instead? Start your day with something warm: congee, oatmeal, or a hot lemon water. Cook your veggies instead of eating them raw. Think stews, soups, broths — meals that make you feel nourished, not just full.

2. Don’t ignore your stress — it doesn’t just “go away”

Stress shows up in the body whether we acknowledge it or not. It doesn’t just live in your mind — it lives in your digestion, your sleep, your immune system, your hormones.

If you’re constantly in go-go-go mode without downtime, you’re training your body to live in fight-or-flight. That’s why acupuncture is so powerful: it helps retrain your nervous system, shift you into rest-and-digest mode, and remind your body what balance feels like.

But outside the clinic, daily stress regulation matters too. I often suggest a few minutes of deep belly breathing, a short walk without your phone, or anything that helps your nervous system downshift.

3. Your symptoms are messengers, not the enemy

Headaches, bloating, insomnia, anxiety — they’re not just “problems to fix.” They’re messages from your body, asking you to pay attention.

The goal isn’t to shut them down — it’s to listen. What’s the body trying to tell you? Are you overdoing it? Under-resting? Holding onto something emotionally?

In acupuncture, we don’t just treat the symptom — we look at the root. That’s why I’ll often ask about your sleep, digestion, mood, or even what your energy’s like in the afternoon. It’s all connected, and every symptom is a clue.

Want to feel more in tune with your body — and finally start feeling better, not just “fine”? Book a session and let’s get to the root of what your body’s trying to say.