Spreading the Wealth of Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Fertility!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Evanston Acupuncture Practice!
Evanston Acupuncture Practice! I am excited to announce I am now practicing acupuncture in downtown Evanston at Wellspring Integrative Medicine on Mondays by appointment! 847-217-3505.
More about my practice and background:
More about my practice and background:
Nicole has practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine
since 2001. She has extensive experience with complex conditions in
integrative medical settings. She has a Master's of Science in Oriental Medicine
from the Midwest College for Oriental Medicine, is national board
certified in Oriental medicine and is a state licensed acupuncturist. Nicole holds a
specialty board certification in Oriental Reproductive Medicine and is a
fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine
(ABORM). She completed a post-graduate fellowship in Oriental
reproductive medicine in Nanjing, China through ABORM where she studied
with four top reproductive doctors in Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) hospitals. While her special interests are women’s
health and fertility, she also treats pain, digestive and respiratory
disorders, immune disorders, anxiety, insomnia, stress related
conditions, and pediatrics.
Nicole's practice is guided by the principle that gentle intervention promotes normal functioning. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are combined when appropriate to address the unique manifestations of imbalance in each individual. Practitioner and patient collaborate to find and remove obstacles to healing and to add nourishing elements in the realms of diet, lifestyle and self-care practices.
Nicole's practice is guided by the principle that gentle intervention promotes normal functioning. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are combined when appropriate to address the unique manifestations of imbalance in each individual. Practitioner and patient collaborate to find and remove obstacles to healing and to add nourishing elements in the realms of diet, lifestyle and self-care practices.
Her
interest in Chinese medicine was sparked while studying qigong and led her to Shanghai where she lived for four months and interned in an integrated TCM hospital. She has since studied yoga and meditation through the
Himalayan Institute, and is a former teacher and clinic supervisor at
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Outside of practice, Nicole enjoys being a mom to her two young children.
Nicole Hohmann, MS, Dipl.OM, L.Ac. FABORM
847-217-3505
nicolehohmann@yahoo.com
Monday, March 18, 2013
Yin and Yang and the Basics of Balance
Yin and Yang - a Roadmap on the Path to Balance
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we often talk about the idea of yin and yang. This concept is really a whole system of understanding natural phenomena. It is like putting on a set of glasses in which to view the world-an epistemology, a way of thinking. It is the fundamental beauty of Chinese medicine, in my opinion. It is what makes it "wholistic"- what differentiates it from the reductionist viewpoint of Western medicine. Western medicine zeros in on the tree. Chinese medicine steps back and looks at the forest and how each tree inter-relates. In this sense, it shares the idea of interdependence of multiple factors in a system with the science of ecology. The jewel of Chinese medicine is that this elegant framework can help us achieve a healthier life in all aspects of our existence. We can keep it in our pocket like a map or a GPS to help steer us down the path of balance.
There are a few basic rules that are important to keep in mind as we later talk about the different realms of health and how to apply the ideas of balance.
1. Everything can be understood in relation to its opposite.
Yin and yang are a system of correspondences attributed to natural phenomena and nothing can be seen in isolation. Day is yang, night is yin. Activity is yang, rest is yin.
2. Yin and yang are mutually engendering.
Day transforms in to night, night transforms into day. Activity eventually necessitates rest, after rest we awaken and become active.
3. Yin and yang are mutually interdependent.
You can't have day without night. Both are important for balance and have distinct roles. You can also think of this in that nothing is inherently good or bad, but how it affects the balance of the system is what makes it so. Too much activity can be harmful just as too much rest can be harmful. The answer is not to get rid of one or the other, but to balance them appropriately.
And what is appropriate to maintain balance in our self is constantly changing depending on the factors that affect us any given day. What amount of activity and rest are appropriate one day may not be the same as another day. We are dynamic organic systems in a constant state of flux. We are not machines that can be understood and fixed by being reduced to its parts. Western medicine can intervene quite well in cutting out offending parts with surgery, but it does less well with nourishing our inherent healing potentials and healing chronic disease. Through the lens of yin and yang, Chinese medicine is yin, Western medicine is yang. Both have a role to play in health and disease. We have gotten into trouble by relying too much on Western medicine. We need this yin of Chinese medicine wisdom, of ecological philosophy, to heal healthcare, our society and our lives.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we often talk about the idea of yin and yang. This concept is really a whole system of understanding natural phenomena. It is like putting on a set of glasses in which to view the world-an epistemology, a way of thinking. It is the fundamental beauty of Chinese medicine, in my opinion. It is what makes it "wholistic"- what differentiates it from the reductionist viewpoint of Western medicine. Western medicine zeros in on the tree. Chinese medicine steps back and looks at the forest and how each tree inter-relates. In this sense, it shares the idea of interdependence of multiple factors in a system with the science of ecology. The jewel of Chinese medicine is that this elegant framework can help us achieve a healthier life in all aspects of our existence. We can keep it in our pocket like a map or a GPS to help steer us down the path of balance.
There are a few basic rules that are important to keep in mind as we later talk about the different realms of health and how to apply the ideas of balance.
1. Everything can be understood in relation to its opposite.
Yin and yang are a system of correspondences attributed to natural phenomena and nothing can be seen in isolation. Day is yang, night is yin. Activity is yang, rest is yin.
2. Yin and yang are mutually engendering.
Day transforms in to night, night transforms into day. Activity eventually necessitates rest, after rest we awaken and become active.
3. Yin and yang are mutually interdependent.
You can't have day without night. Both are important for balance and have distinct roles. You can also think of this in that nothing is inherently good or bad, but how it affects the balance of the system is what makes it so. Too much activity can be harmful just as too much rest can be harmful. The answer is not to get rid of one or the other, but to balance them appropriately.
And what is appropriate to maintain balance in our self is constantly changing depending on the factors that affect us any given day. What amount of activity and rest are appropriate one day may not be the same as another day. We are dynamic organic systems in a constant state of flux. We are not machines that can be understood and fixed by being reduced to its parts. Western medicine can intervene quite well in cutting out offending parts with surgery, but it does less well with nourishing our inherent healing potentials and healing chronic disease. Through the lens of yin and yang, Chinese medicine is yin, Western medicine is yang. Both have a role to play in health and disease. We have gotten into trouble by relying too much on Western medicine. We need this yin of Chinese medicine wisdom, of ecological philosophy, to heal healthcare, our society and our lives.
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