I felt a light tap as the delicate needle went into my ankle. Within moments my racing thoughts settled and I felt my awareness shift to the present moment. My breath. My body. My baby.   I’m now 41 weeks pregnant, a week past the expected date of arrival for my second child. I’m hoping to go into labour naturally without needing to be medically induced, and with some evidence to show that acupuncture can be effective in encouraging a natural start to labour, I’ve had a series of appointments with Amrit Dean, a registered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner... Read full article »

I'm writing this letter to you because I know how you feel. You may have just been diagnosed with one or more of the chronic diseases sweeping the world in what has been called an epidemic - heart disease, cancer, diabetes or an autoimmune disease like multiple sclerosis. Maybe you've suffered all your life with asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis, thyroid issues, sinus issues, gut issues, migraines, back pain, chronic fatigue, depression or anxiety.   I’m writing to say I know how you feel. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease ten years ago. I thought I was seeing a... Read full article »

My two-year-old son was screaming. Lemon juice had gotten into a tiny cut on his finger and the sting in conjunction with a missed daytime nap meant he was feeling especially emotional and vulnerable. As far as he was concerned the pain in his finger signified the end of the world.   Luckily I’d just been reading about the power of placebo and I had an idea. I would ‘placebo’ my son. Before I tell you about what I did, let me explain a little about the placebo response.   In the last decade there has been an explosion of... Read full article »