Nicole Fillion-Robin LAc, MAcOM, Dipl. OM  Somehow the grass and native species are still growing after the freeze. Spring is a natural time of change, seeds sprouting with the promise of longer days. It’s a perfect time to focus on your liver and gallbladder meridians which play such important roles in physical and mental health.
The liver is in charge of blood flow, hormones, tendons. It does A LOT and can get grumpy. When out of balance people tend towards resentment, anger. The gallbladder meridian is in charge of giving you the courage to make big decisions. When out of balance, you might feel stuck or undecided. If you've felt especially stuck in big decisions these days, read on for a quick meditation that can help you get back in touch with your "gut reaction!" Nicole Fillion-Robin LAc, MAcOM, Dipl. OM So you want to find the best acupuncturist in Austin. If you’re short on time and you want to skip to the part where you book a free consultation for a quick Q&A, click the button below. If you want to read a little more about me before you do that, read on!
 Nicole Fillion-Robin LAc, MAcOM, Dipl. OM Humans are not meant to isolate themselves for over a year. We are by nature social creatures, many of whom receive love in the form of touch and hugs from friends and family. It’s no surprise that mental health practitioners are at an all time high demand! Last year between January and September, Mental Health America reported that “more than half a million people have reported signs of anxiety and/or depression. Anxiety screens were up by 634% from January and depression screens were up 873%.” Mental health tools have especially not been made accessible for BIPOC. Some good news in the taking responsibility world - this week, the American Psychiatry Association just released an apology to BIPOC for their “contributions to the structural racism in our nation and pledges to enact corresponding anti-racist practices.” I’m hoping to see more professional health organizations make similar statements. If you are struggling, You are not alone. If you’re struggling with mental health this year for the first year, I find that it helps clients to know
Need support?? AYAA has your backIn the meantime, if you need some support, I have a new offering for those who may not be able to access acupuncture at the full price. Accessible and affordable care has always been near and dear to my heart. Thirty minute sessions are now available for $49, designed so that you can afford to make this a weekly or biweekly ritual. No bodywork is included in these like they are in my one hour sessions, but the magic and mechanisms of acupuncture speak for themselves. Qi flows through a circuit in the body in 15-20 minute increments so these sessions are made to be long enough to modulate the body and soul’s response to stress and soothe both any aches and pains in that beautiful earthly vessel you’ve got. Acupuncture has been found to moderate levels of serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and norepinephrine in the body which leads to better mood, quality of sleep, better focus, sex and overall less grouchiness / panic attacks even when integrated into more standard treatments like talk therapy and SSRIs. Masks are required in clinic for all, as well as a temperature and O2 check at the door. You will still have your own room for this service. If you need sliding-scale therapy in Austin, some of my favorite organizations are:
As always, yours in health, Nicole Nicole Fillion-Robin, LAc, MAcOM, Dipl. OM I don’t know about you, but I was in my late twenties when I finally discovered what a period cycle looked like, how to count the number of days in it and how to know what the heck was going on with the bleeding/not bleeding libido/lack of libido. You might have seen one of these charts in 7th/8th grade biology and gone uhhhh.... unhun:  (photo cred to www.medium.com)
A lot of that disconnect, for me, came with me being on hormonal birth control for years and years and not knowing what my regular cycle looked like (and if you are too, no shame!). I switched over to team copper IUD (which has its own pros/cons) and then was faced with figuring out what was normal/abnormal for me. I’m not going to shame past-me. We’ll throw a lot of the blame on the quality of our sex ed in Texas, and the fact that there is also still some kind of weird stigma about talking about periods, cycles, and libido. That’s not helpful either. So here goes my best attempt at a Trail Guide to your Uterus, Explained by TCM, with some tips and tricks that work for most. PS: keep in mind that we’re going to go with the “standard” 28 day cycle here, but all uteruses and bodies vary so you might have a longer or shorter cycle and that’s fine, too! PPS: it’s SO normal for cycles NOT to be “normal” in your early menstruating years or after major events like stopping birth control, a miscarriage, the end of breastfeeding, an abortion, etc. Nicole Fillion-RobinLAc, Dipl. OM, MAcOM What a weird freaking year. I've struggled personally in writing as much as I typically do because all of the health and wellness tips seem ridiculously small in the grand scheme of the political, social and public health concerns we're all dealing with today. My colleague Reagan Taylor at AOMA put it perfectly with this meme:  Genius #mood credit goes to Reagan Taylor, LAc of @sacred.cicada.acupuncture Many of you may not know this, but I have a background of working in social services before my acupuncture days, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs always pops into my brain in tough times (picture below). I see a lot of the wellness "blocks" that people have been going through happening at the safety level, especially in the context of a pandemic and racial tensions. It's hard for people who do not have the luxury of working from home to go out everyday in a mask and feel safe. It's impossible for BIPOC to feel safe while existing in the world and simply turn on the news. Know that it's OK to feel stuck for now, it's OK to feel overwhelmed and unproductive and maybe a little insane. Have you gained 10 pounds because of stress and your yoga studio being closed? That's OK. Are you coping in ways that are not completely healthy? You are human, and you've survived another pandemic day, I'm proud of you! If you are not reaching your "self actualisation" goals at this time - it's not you, it's most definitely the world on fire in 2020. We're living in unprecedented times. If you need help with sleep, digestion, stress management or trauma, I'm here for you either in person with acupuncture or virtually with herbal support. Love, light and unapologetic revolution, Nicole  Maslow's pyramid. Image credit - good ol' wikipedia |
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