Acupuncture is a powerful way to re-calibrate the body’s energetic life force (qi).  Qi can become blocked through everyday life and ongoing stress. When stress is stored in the body over time, it can disrupt the natural flow of energy.  It can contribute to depression, anxiety, and even physical pain.

Gently move energy

By gently moving this stuck or stored energy acupuncture can create a sense of release that is often experienced as greater calm, clarity, and emotional balance. From a physiological perspective, we also understand that certain acupuncture points stimulate the central nervous system, prompting the release of endorphins into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. Endorphins are known to reduce pain, lower stress, improve mood, and promote an overall sense of well-being.

Release Chemicals and Neurotransmitters

The release of these chemicals and neurotransmitters may signal the body to activate its own natural healing processes—both physically and emotionally. When life feels overwhelming, acupuncture can  be a supportive way to help calm the nervous system and restore balance.

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Chinese Medicine was discovered in a time when we were living more in alignment with nature.

Our bodies are a reflection of nature and we use elements to describe the qualities of how our bodies function.  The five elements of chinese medicine are wood, fire, earth, metal and water.  Each of those organ systems correlates with many aspects of life such as time of day, time of year, emotion, tastes and sense organ.  The six healing sounds are a set of “qi-gong” exercises aimed at detoxifying and strengthening each internal organ.  You can choose to use them all at once or focus on one individually when treating a specific organ.  The sounds are specifically designed to release excess emotions from the tissues and organs of the body.  As a mind body practitioner, I know that even if the rational mind has moved on, the body can hold memory of trauma and stress for years.

These sounds help to release trapped emotions so that they don’t carry negative weight and impact health.

Also, a note on the Triple Warmer.

This is an organ that Chinese Medicine healers saw as a full body organ – most closely related to the lymphatic system and the immune system.

Qi Gong exercises incorporate posture, breath and visualization.  When you inhale visualize a color into a specific organ.  When you  exhale, release a sound and purge and release the emotion from that specific organ.

Start by breathing naturally into the lower abdomen.  On each inhale the abdomen will rise and on each exhale the abdomen will fall.  Breathe deeply and gently.  Don’t force the breathe. 

LIVER– Inhale and imagine GREEN light entering the liver

As you exhale the SHOE sound, imagine releasing ANGER from the liver

HEART – Inhale and imagine RED light filling the heart

As you exhale the HAW sound, release ANXIETY from the heart

SPLEEN – Inhale golden YELLOW light into the spleen/stomach/pancreas

As you exhale the WHO sound, release WORRY from the digestive system

LUNG – Inhale and imagine WHITE light filling up the lungs

As you exhale the SSSSSS sound, release GRIEF & SADNESS from the Lungs

KIDNEY – Inhale and imagine DARK BLUE light into each kidney

As you exhale the YOU sound, release FEAR from the kidneys

TRIPLE WARMER – Inhale and imagine CLEAR QI into the whole body

As you exhale the SHE sound, allow the vibration of love to fill your entire body

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What is Light Therapy?

Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT) is the application of light energy to tissue to obtain therapeutic benefits. The energy is used to improve cellular performance. LLLT is known for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties and has a variety of applications across many medical fields. Research has shown that LLLT can: increase circulation, accelerate tissue repair, decrease inflammation, ease muscle and joint pain, stiffness, spasm and arthritis and much more.

How Does Light Energy work for Pain and Inflammation? 

Specific wavelengths of light energy, when properly absorbed, up-regulates compromised cells and:

• Reduces Inflammation – By promoting the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, inflammation is reduced.
• Aids in Blood Flow – This process promotes the release of nitric oxide, which helps to increase blood flow, nutrient delivery and cellular health to the muscles and joints.
• Increases Collagen Production – Collagen is an essential nutrient that contributes to the strength and integrity of the ligaments.  Scar tissue and adhesions are reduced. 
• Stimulates Cellular Activity – The light (photon) energy is absorbed by photo acceptors in the mitochondria and used to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The ATP produced then stimulates various metabolic processes which can result in the repair and regeneration of cell and tissue.

What is Celluma? 

Celluma is a low-level light therapy (LLLT) device that is FDA cleared and based on NASA research, Celluma delivers blue, red and near-infrared light energy simultaneously to safely treat a wide variety of conditions. Each wavelength is absorbed by different molecules that act as a signaling mechanism for different cellular processes. For example, some reduce inflammation, some kill bacteria, and others enhance localized circulation. 

When to Add Light Therapy for Pain and Inflammation:

• Arthritis,Tendonitis, Bursitis
• Post Surgery
• Muscle and Joint Pain/Stiffness/Tension/Injury
• Torn Tendon, Ligaments and Cartilage
• Inflammation
• Fractures
• TMJ
• Carpal Tunnel
• Improved Circulation
• Diabetic, Venous and Mouth Ulcer
• Wound Healing
• Nerve Injury

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When I was studying Chinese medicine, I had quite a few aha moments. But one of the bigger ones was understanding menopause and its symptoms in a completely different way.

Chinese medicine sees this time in your life as the “second spring”—and honestly, I love that name because it completely reframes what’s happening. It’s not your body breaking down or something that needs to be “fixed.”

Patients come in thinking they’re a hot mess with menopause symptoms. This reframe allows them to understand they’re not falling apart. Rather, their body is making a really intelligent decision to stop spending its vital energy (we call it jing) on fertility and redirect it toward keeping them healthy and vibrant for the long haul. That’s an explanation you don’t hear much in western medicine, but it’s an incredible way to recognize that our bodies change and that this change is normal, healthy, and expected.

Here’s how it works from a Chinese medicine perspective. We’re all born with a certain amount of kidney essence (jing) that governs growth, reproduction, and aging. Throughout your reproductive years, you’ve been using that essence every month through menstruation and through childbirth if you’ve had kids. As you hit your late forties and early fifties, your body decides, “Okay, we’re done with the baby-making phase. Let’s use this energy for something else now.” It’s not about malfunction—it’s about your body being smart.

Now, the symptoms of menopause—the hot flashes that make you want to stick your head in the freezer, the night sweats that have you changing your sheets at 3am, the insomnia, the mood swings that have you crying at commercials, the vaginal dryness—none of that is random. Your body is trying to tell you something is out of balance.

Most commonly, these symptoms come from kidney yin deficiency. The kidneys (in the Chinese medicine sense) are like your body’s cooling system. As women age, that yin gets depleted. Your body can’t cool itself properly anymore, and you get this “empty heat” rising up. That’s a hot flash. That’s your night sweat. It’s not a thermostat malfunction—it’s a cooling system that needs support.

This also explains why some women feel anxious or get heart palpitations. The heart and kidneys are connected in Chinese medicine, so when the kidney yin can’t do its job of keeping things calm and anchored, your heart gets a little fluttery and your emotions get harder to manage. Everything’s connected.

But here’s the really important part: your menopause isn’t going to look like your friend’s menopause. Some women come in absolutely irritable, with sore breasts and massive mood swings—that’s usually liver qi stagnation from stress. Others are exhausted, gaining weight, and their digestion is a mess—that’s more spleen qi deficiency. This is why those one-size-fits-all approaches don’t work.

When you come to see me, I’m checking your pulse, looking at your tongue, asking you questions about what you’re experiencing. Then we figure out what’s actually going on with your body and create a treatment plan that makes sense for you—acupuncture, herbs tailored to your needs, dietary tweaks, lifestyle adjustments. We’re not just slapping a band-aid on symptoms. We’re helping your body find its balance again.

Menopause is a big deal. It’s a major life transition. You shouldn’t have to suffer through it, and you definitely don’t have to just “tough it out.” Chinese medicine can help you move through this time feeling more like yourself—less uncomfortable, more balanced, and actually trusting that your body knows what it’s doing. It’s not my job to fix you but to help you get through this transition more easily.

Going through menopause and looking for relief that goes beyond just managing symptoms? Let’s talk about what’s actually happening in your body and how we can help you feel better.

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I get asked all the time how acupuncture fits with conventional medical care. Should you do one or the other? Honestly, this question gets me excited because I’ve seen how much better my patients do when they get the best of both worlds.

Western medicine is incredible at what it does—diagnostic tools, life-saving interventions, emergency surgery, pharmaceuticals. I have enormous respect for it. If you’re in a crisis, you want modern medicine. What I bring through acupuncture is different but equally valuable. I look at the whole picture—your physical symptoms, stress levels, sleep, and energetic imbalances. I help your body heal itself and find balance. When these two approaches work together, that’s when the real magic happens.

Here’s an example from when my kids were little. They’d wake up with a fever and sore throat, and I’d take them straight to the doctor every time. Why? To rule out strep or anything serious. If it was strep throat, that antibiotic worked faster than any herbal formula and protected them from serious complications. Western medicine was exactly what they needed. But if the doctor said it was just a virus, I’d use my herbal formulas at home. They got better without unnecessary antibiotics, and their bodies stayed responsive to antibiotics for when they really needed them. That’s getting the best of both—it’s not either/or, it’s knowing when to use what.

In my practice, I see a lot of people with chronic issues—neck, back, shoulder pain, migraines, osteoarthritis. Many have been on pain medications for months or years. With regular acupuncture, many can significantly reduce their medication or even stop it altogether. Given the risks of long-term pain medication use, that’s life-changing. I’m not replacing their medical care—I’m complementing it with more relief and fewer side effects.

What makes this work is communication. I want to know your medications, what your doctor said, how your treatments are going. When someone comes before surgery, I help calm their anxiety and prepare their body. After surgery, I support healing while their surgical team handles post-op care. 

When women with infertility come in, we help support their reproductive goals either for those wishing to conceive naturally or for those going through infertility treatments. We’re all working toward the same goal. 

Our clinic has  built relationships with many doctors and healthcare providers, and they see their patients healing faster, managing pain better, getting pregnant and feeling more in control. This is integrative care—not rejecting modern medicine, but enhancing it with healing modalities that address what conventional medicine sometimes misses.

I have so much respect for Western medicine and am grateful to work alongside physicians who respect what acupuncture brings. When we combine these approaches thoughtfully, patients get the most comprehensive, safe, and effective care possible. You shouldn’t have to choose between modern medicine and ancient healing wisdom. You deserve both.

Curious about how acupuncture might complement your current medical care? Let’s talk about your situation and how we can work with your healthcare team to support your healing.

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In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters. With the constant bombardment of emails, texts, to-do lists, and daily responsibilities, paying attention to our bodies is often ignored—or completely forgotten. In response, the body usually begins to send “small” warning signs asking for  these signals go unchecked for too long, they tend to grow louder and more difficult to ignore, sometimes becoming “out of control.” The longer a symptom is dismissed, the more serious it can become.

For this reason, it’s important to take stock of seemingly minor bodily functions as a way to ensure the body is working properly. Here are a few basic processes worth monitoring:

1. Bowel habits.
In Chinese medicine, digestion is foundational to overall health. Bowel movements should be regular and free from pain or urgency. Frequent belching, bloating, gas, or acid reflux can also be signs of imbalance.

2. Sleep.
Ideally, a person should be able to fall asleep with relative ease and remain asleep for at least seven hours. Frequent waking, vivid or disruptive dreaming, temperature fluctuations, or excessive tossing and turning are not considered optimal.

3. Pain.
In Chinese medicine, pain is often viewed as a sign of blocked or stagnant energy. When pain is frequent, persistent, or progressively worsening, it is an important signal that should be addressed.

Shifting focus toward bodily awareness may feel like a burden, especially when these functions have long been taken for granted. However, addressing small discomforts in the present can help prevent much larger problems in the future.

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“How do I  know acupuncture is helping?”

A patient may notice they feel a little better—or just different—but still wonder if that change is truly from acupuncture or from something else. A healthy dose of skepticism is very common, and completely understandable. To answer this question, it helps to understand how the body heals and how acupuncture works.

Acupuncture works differently than taking a medication. Medications often provide quick relief. For example, when you take an NSAID for pain or inflammation, you may feel better fairly quickly. However, this relief is usually temporary. The same is true for many daily medications—such as those taken for allergies, digestion, or sinus issues. These treatments often help manage symptoms but don’t always address why the symptoms are happening in the first place.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine take a holistic (whole-body) approach. Rather than focusing only on the symptom (what we call the branch), acupuncture works to address the underlying imbalance (the root). When the root is supported, symptoms naturally begin to change and healing can occur.

When evaluating whether acupuncture is helping, it’s important to pay attention to measurable changes over time. Improvement doesn’t always mean symptoms disappear right away—especially at first. Progress is often gradual. Common signs that acupuncture is working include:

• Symptoms or pain become less intense or resolve more quickly
• Fewer flare-ups, or flare-ups that are easier to manage
• Improved sleep, digestion, energy, or mood
• Faster recovery after stress, illness, or physical exertion

Because acupuncture works with the whole body, improvements don’t always show up where you expect them to first. For example, you may notice that:

• Sleep improves before pain fully resolves
• Digestion becomes more regular
• You handle stress better
• Recovery from illness, workouts, or surgery feels easier

When multiple systems in the body begin functioning better, that is a strong and reliable sign that acupuncture is supporting your health.

Healing is not always instant—but when change is consistent and builds over time, it’s a meaningful indicator that the treatment is working.

The post “How do I know Acupuncture is helping?” appeared first on Michigan Associates of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.

Love, Monica

The post Monica Mae Leibson celebrates 20 years as an acupuncturist! appeared first on Michigan Associates of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.

As parents, we often focus on what we say to our children about health. While our words matter greatly when they are young, what ultimately leaves the deepest impression is what we model as they grow older. The way we respond to illness, injury, pain, and limitation teaches our children how to relate to their own bodies for the rest of their lives.

This matters deeply in my work as an acupuncturist with over 20 years of clinical experience. I regularly see adults who lack resilience in the face of health challenges and who hold rigid or dysfunctional beliefs about their bodies. Many people unconsciously operate from a binary framework: health is good, illness is bad. In reality, the human body is far more nuanced. This kind of black-and-white thinking often leaves people without the emotional tools they need when something inevitably goes wrong.

Being With Pain First, Addressing It Second

Children experience physical and emotional pain frequently—it is a normal part of being human & especially of childhood. When a child comes to us distressed, the most important first step is presence. Offer full attention without minimizing or amplifying their experience.

Underreacting can look like dismissing their pain with phrases such as “you’re fine” or “it’s okay.” While these statements may be factually true, they can feel invalidating in the moment. What a child needs first is to feel understood. Once the initial emotional intensity has passed, curiosity can follow. Instead of saying, “You barely hit your head,” try asking, “How hard did you hit it?” or “Is it feeling better or worse?” Only after this comes support: “I’m sorry that happened. What would help right now—ice or a hug?”

Overreacting, on the other hand, often involves rushing in with heightened anxiety: “Oh no! Are you okay?! Did you get hurt?!” This adds emotional intensity rather than meeting what is already there. Often, this response is rooted in a parent’s own anxiety about health and safety. Over time, this can unintentionally burden a child with the belief that they are fragile or that something is always wrong.

What we want to offer our children instead is a deep, internal sense of safety: No matter what happens, I am okay. Whether they experience injury, illness, bullying, or emotional hardship, they are still fundamentally safe, loved, and supported. This mindset fosters resilience, grit, and emotional endurance.

When a child shares any challenge—physical or emotional—the first task is not to fix or solve it. It is to see them. Emotional attunement goes a long way in helping people feel known and supported. After that, it’s appropriate to ask, “Would you like help thinking through this, or do you just need to vent?”

Normalizing Health Challenges

Health challenges are not only normal—they are expected. Living in a body means encountering pain, dysfunction, and limitation at times. When illness is framed as something shameful, people internalize beliefs such as “this is my fault,” “I should have prevented this,” or “I should have control over my body.” These narratives are both inaccurate and harmful.

Even with excellent nutrition, exercise, and self-care, the body will still encounter imbalance, illness, and injury. Acknowledging this reality can feel unsettling, even powerless, for some people—but learning to tolerate that feeling is important. When we can sit with a degree of powerlessness, we are better able to discern where our actions truly matter and where acceptance is required.

Unfortunately, healthcare messaging often oversimplifies this balance. Many people are left believing that if they just tried harder, followed the right rules, or took the right supplements, they could avoid illness entirely. This is not true, and living with that belief often leads to guilt, anxiety, and disconnection from the body.

Teaching Children to Listen to Their Bodies

One of the most valuable skills we can pass on to our children is body awareness.

When should you eat? When you’re hungry.
When should you rest? When you’re tired.
How do you know what you need? You learn to listen.

This applies to sleep, hydration, learning styles, relationships, and how we engage with the world. The more attuned we are to ourselves, the less dependent we become on external authorities to dictate our choices. This does not mean ignoring the wisdom of teachers, elders, or healthcare professionals—it simply means cultivating internal guidance alongside external knowledge.

Modeling this kind of listening means making accommodations when our bodies ask for them. I once treated a patient who went skiing during an acute back pain flare because he didn’t want to “hold his family back.” Predictably, his pain worsened and lingered longer than it would have if he had rested.  If he would have hit a bump the wrong way on the slopes, he may have injured himself for life. While there are moments when pushing through is appropriate, our culture consistently overvalues constant high functioning—often at the expense of long-term physical and mental health.

Teaching Critical Thinking

As our children grow, we cannot follow them around telling them what to do. Instead, we must teach them how to think critically and make informed choices.

I remember when my children were between eight and eleven—an age marked by constant questions as they began comparing our family’s values with those of others.
“Why do they drink soda at dinner?”
“Why can my friend stay up until 2 a.m.?”
“Why are they allowed to watch rated-R movies?”

Rather than responding with authority alone, I chose education. I explained that their brains were still developing and that sleep was essential for emotional regulation and clear thinking. As an empath, I shared why I wished I had been more cautious about exposure to violent media—once seen, those images are difficult to erase.

I explained that we don’t drink soda because liquid sugar spikes blood glucose quickly, and that most people in the U.S. benefit from thinking in terms of diabetes prevention. It wasn’t about restriction or morality; it was about understanding risk.

This approach paid off years later when my daughter encountered vaping in middle school. When I asked if she had ever considered it, she said, “No—I’m an athlete.” That response came from years of conversations about fueling and respecting her body. She wasn’t just hearing my voice—she had internalized her own values.

I believe education is essential, but it should always be age-appropriate. It is important to avoid oversharing information that may lead a child to internalize the belief that they must do everything perfectly in order to be okay. Instead, consider cultivating a practice of gratitude for the body, mind, and spirit. It is easy to focus on challenges, yet our bodies support us in remarkable ways every day—through functions such as digestion, vision, and circulation—that are often taken for granted.  The more we can model this gratitude, the more our children will be able to embody it. 

Finding the Middle Way

Health does not have to be all-or-nothing. When my daughter was around 13, she and her friends wanted to go to Starbucks—often. While saying no entirely might have been the “healthiest” option on paper, I recognized the developmental importance of social connection at that age.

Instead, we compromised. If she chose a sugary drink, she also ordered egg bites to include protein and fat, helping to stabilize her blood sugar. Was it perfect? No. Was it realistic and sustainable? Yes.

This middle path—between rigidity and resignation—is often where the body thrives. It reduces stress, supports mental health, and reflects the reality of living in our culture, particularly for teenagers. Balance, more often than perfection, is what allows both our bodies and our families to flourish.

The post Raising Children with a Resilient Relationship to Health appeared first on Michigan Associates of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.

The building blocks of Chinese formulas are single herbs. Each herb is categorized by its taste, temperature, and channels affected. The taste of an herb reveals its function: bitter drains, sour astringes, sweet tonifies, spicy disperses, and salty softens. Because taste corresponds with function, the overall flavor of a formula often reflects what it is designed to accomplish.

The temperature of herbs also has specific effects on the body. For example, a patient presenting with a “hot” condition—characterized by sensations of heat, red skin, and excessive thirst—requires cooling herbs. Some herbs make this quality easy to recognize: watermelon is inherently cooling, whereas ginger has a naturally warming effect.

Finally, each herb enters and influences certain acupuncture channels. Accurate diagnosis in Chinese medicine depends not only on identifying the nature of the problem but also on locating where it resides. For instance, heat in the Heart channel differs greatly from heat in the Liver channel. Using the wrong herbs—such as those that clear Liver heat for a condition rooted in the Heart channel—will lead to unsuccessful treatment.

Herbs are rarely used alone. Instead, they are prescribed in formulas, carefully balanced combinations designed to treat specific patterns of disharmony. These formulas, many over 3,000 years old, are often modified for each patient in modern practice. The true skill of a practitioner lies in selecting the correct base formula and then adjusting it with additional herbs to suit the patient’s unique presentation.

Formula modification is the final step in prescribing Chinese herbs.  Most people have several patterns and therefore one base formula rarely addresses the entire picture.  Therefore, being able to add or subtract single herbs to traditional formulas is imperative in successfully treating the condition.  Sometimes a subtle dosage change or the addition of a single complementary herb can make all the difference.

In the end, the greatest reward is seeing the many benefits patients experience after taking herbs—a true testament to the effectiveness and artistry of Chinese herbal medicine.

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