Teenagers are growing up in a demanding and dramatically changing world. According to Chinese medicine, the teen to young adult years are considered to be a transitional phase from the fire element to the earth element. This basically signifies a time when experiences with connecting with others and living life full of joy and wonder is transforming into a need for self-security, finding a center, and feeling nourishment from within. Discovering these intrinsic needs is immensely challenging in a world dominated by a culture that has become more technologically dependent, less interpersonal, and has been bombarding youth with an over-abundance of heavy choices and options. This fire to earth phase can be one of the most hormonally, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually difficult one, potentially leading to self-abuse, suicide, violence, and mental illness- at epidemic proportions in the United States alone.

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Youth need an outlet, a place to release, and people who genuinely connect and acknowledge their individuality. They want others to be real and they can see through the masks that many adults wear to hide their own insecurities. They want to feel like they are respected and given the freedom to discover their own self-sufficiency.

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How can Chinese medicine help struggling youth with some of the most direly serious problems of their lives? 

My interactions with my patients is all about empowerment for self-care.

Teens are guided through how Chinese medicine works: treatments balance the qi (energy) and blood flow in the body, herbs assist in addressing physical discomforts and nourishment, and diet, exercise, and lifestyle counseling meets patients where they are at to come up with an achievable, realistic, and motivating plan.

Acupuncture and the other physical modalities used can truly help teen patients connect with their bodies and tap into the places that need work or nourishment and the areas that have been holding too much stress or stagnation. These treatments can also be a major release for those who feel the need to cut themselves or drug themselves to relieve any kind of pain or unwanted feelings. Since the body, mind, and spirit are all intricately connected, the effects of the treatment are felt at all levels; they can calm restless or depressed minds and enliven torn spirits.