News & Articles
Acupuncture relieves stress and anxiety
Can Acupuncture Relieve Stress and Anxiety? The quick answer is Yes. AND, as important as acupuncture, Your self care needs to increase in proportion to the stress that is increasing around you.. To which, you might be thinking: If my mind doesn’t feel stressed,...
How to be less anxious in the very yang year of the Fire Horse
Woah Nellie! Are you ready to make the Fire Horse year an easy ride instead of an anxious one? Many of you may be wondering, what do I need to know about the year of the Fire Horse? The year of the Fire Horse arrived this month, and what makes this year...
How Can I Heal My Broken Heart?
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” - Rumi Happy Valentine’s Day 💗 Which has me curious just how open your heart feels right now… In Chinese Medicine, your Heart is your...
How do I stop feeling so tired?
Can Chinese Medicine help me feel less tired? Chinese medicine promises more energy with the Five Element arrival of spring this week—the moment when the wood element begins to gently emerge. This is the midpoint between the Winter Solstice (the peak of winter and the...
“It can’t be right to be this tired.”
This is a common time of year when patients tell me that something must be wrong if they are this tired. To which I say: You are right. On one hand, it is wrong that our culture doesn’t give us enough time—or permission—to rest. Right now, lazy days with a book by...
Is my food causing my mood?
Could my diet and lifestyle be affecting my physical and mental health? The first time I saw an acupuncturist, she told me that the chronic rash under my eye was coming from the beer and popcorn that were my end-of-day delight at my then-stressful job. To which I...
Can I stop giving in to my cravings this new year?
It’s a new year, so it means it’s that time of again. The time where we collectively gather our wills to resolve: To drink less, to weigh less, to scroll less… To exercise more, to save more, to sleep more… What are YOU resolving to do? What are some practical...
Are you making deposits to your water element strength
Happy New Year! While we celebrate new beginnings in our fast-moving, Western culture, the natural world is still deep in winter—the season of the water element. Winter is for resting, recovering, and dreaming—even if our culture doesn’t always value it. It’s the time...
Are you receiving the real gifts of the season?
Tomorrow marks the Winter Solstice—the most yin time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This potent moment of deep, quiet darkness invites us into meditation, introspection, and intuitive clarity. Journaling, dreams, and stillness are especially powerful right...
Are you on track?
Once upon a time, the season of autumn—associated with the metal element—was a moment for assessing the potential challenges of the coming winter. Was there enough food? Were the home and barn secure for family and animals? Would everyone make it through? While...
Does a paradox live within you too?
There’s a paradox that lives within me.
Charlie, I Ate Too Much!
Once upon a time, long before I was born, my grandmother had a little too much at a holiday meal.
Do you worry about post holiday food weird vibes?
I was recently visiting family when my Dad remembered how much I love these cookies from a local Italian bakery. He’d forgotten, though, that I’ve been avoiding grains—especially wheat. But those chocolate-robed Neapolitan cookies? My kryptonite. I didn’t want to...
Your medicine is to tend to your grief
In Chinese Medicine each season brings us themes and with them an opportunity to work on them in our lives. Autumn and the metal element offer us the opportunity to care more deeply for ourselves around grief. Whether it’s a fresh loss, lingering sadness or just...
How will YOU light your way into the darkness?
I LOVE this time of year: the crisp air, the lighting in the sky and a peculiar sense that the veil is indeed thin. Have you been able to connect to the deliciousness of the season? This week we experience the arrival of the earliest vibes of winter, the water...
Do you want easy flow in your life and large intestine?
In Chinese Medicine, digestion—the transformation of food in the stomach—is governed by the earth element. But the elimination of waste through the large intestine belongs to the metal element. When the metal element is out of balance, it could show up physically, in...
Got great, big, deep breath?
In Chinese Medicine, the lungs are considered a delicate organ—sensitive to seasonal dryness, environmental stressors, pollution, and of course, respiratory infections. Autumn, the season of the metal element, is the time to protect and nourish your lungs. As soon as...
How to mine magic from the post equinox darkness
We’ve now crossed the threshold of equal light and dark, equal yin and yang. Even on warmer days, the mornings carry a crisp chill, and the shade feels cooler than it did just a month ago. Seen through a spacious lens, this season invites us into a delicious journey...
Are you confident in your royal crown?
You know… Autumn isn’t just a descent into darkness and difficulty. Every season carries both challenges and strengths. Right now, we’re fully in the season of the metal element, which corresponds to the lungs. The lungs inspire us with vital oxygen, then release...
Do you have a personal code of conduct?
A key concept associated with the metal element, whose season is now arriving, is integrity. The Oxford Online Dictionary defines integrity as: “The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” “The state of being whole and...
Could you use some comfort in the shadows?
I’m finding it a little easier to hit the snooze button these past several weeks… And last week I had to flip the light switch on when I removed needles from my last patient of the day. I personally feel a sense of delight about this, as I deeply enjoy the more inward...
Are you ready for more fun, less tissue?
It’s that time of year—packing away the camping gear, snapping back-to-school photos, and noticing the first hints of golden leaves. The early signs of autumn and the metal element have arrived.
Do you struggle to feel seen at work or in relationships?
I love the tools that Chinese Medicine offers us, not just acupuncture, but also herbs, Chinese Medicine nutrition, gua sha, cupping, qigong, even astrology and feng shui. So, let’s dig into that toolkit. I’m talking about the fire element, visibility and Feng Shui....
Do you wear your sparkles on your sleeves? (& Last chance for summer packages)
I love summertime and the fire element. The long days, sunshine, adventures, vacations. It is such a powerful breath of fresh air that keeps the year moving.
Are your ideas about masculinity outdated? (Happy Father’s Day)
Happy Father’s Day. Sending wishes of peace and vitality to those in the role of father and to those who feel challenged by Fathers Day for any reason.
Do you think it’s your hormones?
Your body’s physiology is managed through a group effort between your nervous system and your endocrine system (the system in charge of hormones). Which means that your hormones always have a role in your health.
Which (peri)menopause journey are you on? Strength & vitality or symptoms & inflammation?
You may have learned, via hilarious instagram memes, that a wide variety of symptoms (insomnia, body pain, brain fog, urinary issues, low libido, hot flashes and night sweats…) can be linked to hormone decline in perimenopause and menopause. Chinese Medicine has been...
Does your heart feel blown wide open or so tightly closed?
Could your boundaries use some strengthening or harmonizing? There are treatments that we can do to support the specific flavor of boundaries that you struggle with.
Are you stuck in an unrelenting hamster wheel of deadlines?
Western culture focuses on the solstices and equinoxes as seasonal markers, moments of peak elemental presence, for example, with wood element fully inhabiting the spring equinox and fire element fully inhabiting the summer solstice. The Spring equinox offers green...
Do you struggle to walk your path?
Feng shui has Answers And Solutions The umbrella of East Asian Medicine includes many modalities, including acupuncture, herbs, cupping… as well as Feng Shui. Feng Shui is a five-element-based system that looks at the interrelationship of how your home (as well as...
Will a cleanse help my joint pain?
You might be thinking “What is a cleanse?”. It’s a good question because there are so many of them out there… Juice cleanses, “The Master Cleanse”, Liver cleanses. It’s hard to know why and how one would do a cleanse. Generally speaking I consider a cleanse an...
Do you experience physical and emotional tension in the face of obstacles?
Your unmanaged stress is the cause of your body tension Usually in the spring I see an uptick in liver, wood element concerns. The wood element wants to experience forward motion, progress, creativity and growth in life. When there are obstructions to these...
If You’re wondering “Why am I so stressed these days?”
The answer lies in your digestive system If you’ve been on my treatment table, chances are we’ve had a conversation about the energetics of food. All food has an energetic quality that either augments or detracts from health. And, Chinese Medicine does not advise one...
Are you wondering: “How do I release anger from watching the news?”
Are you wondering: “How do I release anger from watching the news?”
How do I manage anxiety when the news is so stressful?
I”ll be honest, the actions that I usually rely on aren’t enough to maintain inner peace. It’s taking a deeper commitment and more time doing daily meditation, yoga, sleep and eating well to stay centered as I hear what is happening in the world and for my patients. And in a moment of mindlessness, if I open instagram, I’m completely thrown off. (Yes. I know what the simple solution to that one is.)
Are you prepared to dance with snakes? Advice for spring and the new year
I love, love, love the start of spring. For those new to my newsletter, I’ll explain: The start of spring, from a Chinese Medical perspective is the midpoint between the Winter Solstice (seen as the peak of winter and the water element) and Spring Equinox (seen as the...
Holidays are over. Can you stop obsessing about sugar?
The holidays are well behind us, and while I hope your season was filled with joy and connection, Many of us overindulge in sweets, rich foods, and festive treats which can create issues with digestion, mood, energy and focus. As we exit our winter cocoons and step...
“It can’t be right to be this tired”
This is a common time of year when patients tell me that something must be wrong if they are this tired. To which I say: You are right. On one hand, it is wrong that our culture doesn’t give us enough time—or permission—to rest. Right now, lazy days with a book by the...
My resolution to schedule less
Happy New Year. I hope that your winter break was nourishing and filled with as much connection and merriment as you craved. I myself had a lively Thanksgiving holiday, which set me up to have a quiet winter break with opportunities to sit in meditation, stillness and...
Resting isn’t just for people who are unwell
In a recent podcast interview (it will air in February) someone asked me - how much rest is enough? And I gave them a classic Chinese Medicine answer. It depends. I love how unique, how specific and tailored this medicine is to each person, throughout the year and...
Are you trained for an emotional marathon? (& packages, gift certs, holiday hours…)
I was hoping the tone of this letter would be different - focused on Chinese Medicine and the seasons. Daylight savings on its own is stressful enough when the increasing quality of the water element starts to draw us inward, more hermity, more sleepy, more dreamy and...
How to nourish the metal element with spirituality (even for atheists)
Each season we have an opportunity to work on specific physical, emotional and spiritual themes. For instance, many of my patients are reporting dry skin, dry eyes, allergy symptoms, and miscellaneous sniffles. Autumn is the season of the respiratory system and the...
Let that shit go. Literally and spiritually.
One of my favorite metal element concepts is the idea of opening up to receive. From a physiological perspective this is the lungs (the metal element organ) receiving air, oxygen, the basis of qi needed to fuel our bodies. How are your lungs functioning this autumn?...
Why do I have dry cough (or grief) in the autumn?
In the office I am seeing an uptick in pulses that point to dryness affecting the lungs, dry cough, dry skin as well as new patients coming in to deal with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma, allergies, long covid cough and COPD. (And yes. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine are making a difference.). Every autumn, I also witness grief (the metal element emotion) coming back into focus.
Does acupuncture help IBS? (Because I need digestive relief NOW!)
Does Acupuncture Help IBS? The Bay Area is still quite warm and summery, but I feel and see the energetic shift in quality and I don’t mind it. Before we dive into autumn, metal element themes, let’s give late-summer, earth element, a bit more attention. I’m talking about digestion. How does that food move from your mouth, to stomach, to intestines… and how are your poops? If you’re someone who has been dealing with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS, this could be the post you’ve been waiting for.
Who Do I Have Food Cravings? A Chinese Medicine Guide To Seasonal Nourishment
I am asked this time and again in the treatment room. Food cravings can be a frustration all year but there are unique times of year, from a Chinese Medicine perspective to really look more closely at your nourishment to finally reduce those cravings. We are currently at such a moment, the season of the earth element.
Why Do I Struggle With Social Anxiety? The 5 Elements Have Solutions
If you struggle with social anxiety, it’s probably because of a combination of your Chinese Medicine Constitution, your Five Element Personality Type and the current state of your fire element. Chinese Medicine offers a unique perspective on anxiety: the role of the five elements and the seasons.
Can acupuncture treat athletic injury?
That’s right folks. Acupuncture is one of my ingredients and an effective ingredient for so many of my patients. Acupuncture is powerful for relieving pain and resolving athletic injury.
50% off New Patient Visits in honor of Mother’s Day
This week, in the Northern Hemisphere, we begin to experience fire element energy coming online. This isn’t a hard stop, where the enthusiastic, driven, wood element energy ENDS and flirtatious, creative, dramatic fire element begins. This is a process, a transition....
How many pains in the ass are you dealing with?
I’m not *just* talking about a pain in your piriformis muscle that radiates down your sciatic nerve, making work and commute and recreation and sleep all feel unenjoyable. I’m talking about that pain in the ass boss or deadline, that has you working late, that keeps...
Got all this wood element energy but nowhere to go?
I’ve been talking about how the wood element offers motivation, energy, and a kick in the pants to get moving on your life goals and projects. But what if you’re dealing with indecision or uncertainty… or a lack of confidence… or just lack of motivation? Just because...
You say you despise the wind? Frequent headaches and neck pain?
This past weekend in the Bay Area was blustery indeed! For some, the wind is a bracing, exciting opportunity to sail or fly. And for others, it’s an opportunity for irritation, discomfort or pain. Have you ever sat under an air conditioner at work? Felt the cold air...
The delight and tension of life force moving through you
The wood element supports humanity in creating a vision, seeing the steps to achieve it, and putting one foot in front of the next to get there. This life force energy coming online can feel like pure enthusiastic, delight. AND when you gather energy to move past...
WHY are you the way you are?
The Five Element template helps me diagnose physiological imbalances. It provides the basis for acupuncture treatments and herbal prescriptions. AND, it’s the reason that I tell some of you not to eat ice cream if you feel heavy, foggy or bloated. The Five Elements...
Did your “Dry January” lose steam?
It's that time of year. Dry January. Does it sound like a bummer to you? Did you feel inspired but lost steam last weekend? Here in the backyard of wine country, wine offers many a profession, a way of life and a deeply important hobby. Alcohol can be a vehicle for...
What a Rebel! Acupuncture and Transformative Wellness with Marie Bowser
Rebel: "A person who resists authority, control or convention." At first I was unsure. Am I a rebel? Then I was like, OH! OF COURSE I AM! I had so much fun being a guest on the *What A Rebel* podcast of artist and graphic designer, Lisa Mazur. We talked about how to...
The most wonderful(ly bizarre) time of the year
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, we are entering a tunnel of bizarre dissonance. Nature is beckoning you inward toward quiet contemplation, stillness and rest. The weather and the diurnal rhythms support this time of incredible potential (more on the powerful...
How do you befriend darkness when eternal summer is prized?
Are you sleeping later, craving quiet, maybe a little extra introspective? This is normal! The earth, the seasons, the natural progression of energy is beckoning you inward. Nature is asking you to slow down, rest more, sleep more and involute.
Do you have time to be unwell? Then tend to your grief
Have you been tapped into the emotion of grief the past few weeks? Whether it’s re-connecting to a personal loss or feeling the collective sorrow of humanity, it’s all happening right on time. Grief and sorrow are quintessential metal element emotions in the metal element season of autumn.
Balancing yin and yang
I talk about the five elements alot but a core concept in Chinese Medicine is the idea of Yin and Yang, depicted symbolically in the tai ji symbol here . On an even more basic level than whether your personality or constitution or the season you're in is best...
Would you Cast Your Vote For Me As Best of El Cerrito?
I’ve mentioned in past newsletters that pride is a metal element concept. Pride in your identity, in your qualifications and in your achievements. Showing off your diploma, your certificates, awards, medals, trophies and owning your accomplishment CAN be a sign of...
Royal Sovereign, Spoiled Princess or Cinderella, Which archetype are you?
One of the archetypes of the metal element is ROYALTY. This might conjure images of crowns, purple velvet or kissing rings. And, sure, but, nowadays, a metal element person will present impeccably dressed, wearing classic, high end clothes and jewelry. But more...
How you chew your food is how you chew your thoughts
When you hear about the idea of the “Earth Element” it should evoke the avatar of someone who is grounded, solid and reliable. If you’re an earthy type, YOU are the one who shows up in a crisis, who handles the situation, and in fact, KNOWS the best way to do it. And...
Barbenheimer teaches us about the five elements
Barbenheimer teaches us about the five elements
Digestive Specialty
Lately, I’m seeing a number of patients dealing with digestive complaints. End of summer is a common time of year for these complaints to flare up. Vacations with unusual food for you, maybe more alcohol or sugar, stress of traveling, even drinking water that you’re...
Are you on track for your best summer and 2023?
Are you on track for your best summer and 2023?
Cultivate spirit (yes, even atheists) to nourish inner light & fire
I’ve been sharing for weeks about the fire element: sparkles, joy, creativity, drama, panache, amusement parks, fireworks, fun in the sun – ingredients that nourish fire element folks and ingredients that can nourish the fire within all of us.
Can you have too many sparkles? (A cost-benefit analysis)
Do you ever feel like a kid in a candy store? I do. There’s something so fun about trying new and exciting things.
Do you want to know the five elements of Pride?
I love June. The vibe in the air shifts to full on fire element vacation mode. Opportunities for evening pickleball and hikes make the days seem endless. AND of course the rainbows…
Marie Bowser Acupuncture Voted Best of El Cerrito
Best Acupuncture Practice of El Cerrito California
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