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jess@reverieacupuncture.com.

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I help birthing people looking to have a more enjoyable child birthing year. 👶 Lover of hiking, books, & Trader Joe's. 🛒Check out the blog 👇

Jess 👶 MN Fertility & Prenatal
INSECTS AWAKEN // March 5th - March 20th⁠ ⁠ Ro INSECTS AWAKEN // March 5th - March 20th⁠
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Roots spread their toes and stretch through the soil, drawing in the nutrients needed to drive shoots upward, out of the darkness.⁠
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The frost releases its hold on the topsoil, allowing water from melting snow to bathe the new life below in the water.⁠
And insects awaken.⁠
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This node is about movement: upwards toward the sun and around our bodies underneath our skin, to help us function better in the world around this.⁠
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You can support yourself during this seasonal node with:⁠
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🌸 Massage - if you can do so safely, this is the most delightful way to move qi and blood.⁠
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🌸 "Avoid stress" is what the classics say. I'm going to ask you to find some stress management techniques that fit your lifestyle. Let's just say that after 2020, I'm never telling anyone to "avoid stress" again.⁠
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🌸 Another traditional recommendation - a fast. Please don't. I have a list of reasons and if I get into the details of why you shouldn't and what you should do instead I'm going to run out of caption space, so check out the link in the profile!⁠
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🌸 Consider medicinal wine - but talk to a practitioner before implementing this on your own. The dose and color can have wide ranging effects so check in with your acupuncturist.⁠
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🌸 Crack your windows - this isn't Chinese Medicine, but Eastern Wood and Western Air have the same shape and an excellent way to move qi in your home after a long, closed up winter is to open your windows. Just make sure you stay warm enough if you choose to do so!⁠
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This information is for general purposes only! Always check with your own practitioner before implementing any diet or lifestyle changes. 🖤⁠⠀⁠
KIND OF DISAPPEARED FOR A MINUTE // If you've been KIND OF DISAPPEARED FOR A MINUTE // If you've been around for awhile you know that will happen every once in awhile.

If you're new around here - hi, I'm Jess and I disappear every once in awhile because I'm listening to what my body and soul need.

My therapist and I had been talking about how I didn't have any hobbies after a decade of working 70-80 hour weeks that I'm still recovering from.

I found a creative thing that is true play. And then my neurodivergent brain went "ONLY THIS THING" #hyperfocus.

I dedicated all available resources to taking care of my patients and working through this mental block which means that IG, my newsletter, my blog - anything that wasn't my patients or THE NEW THING got sidelined.

So, I leaned into the elements:

🌿 Metal helped me set boundaries around my time. My planner and timers are my favorite way to do this.
🌿 Wood supported me through moving qi and blood more smoothly with the herbs I take during spring
🌿 and both of these things led to a more healthy fire - one that burning more joyously rather than raging.

Chinese Medicine (CM) helped me come back around.

CM isn't just herbs and needles. It's a whole system of medicine that doesn't just support you physically. It supports you mentally and spiritually. 

Sometimes, CM doesn't even look like CM because learning to respect the shape of it means learning to see it in our current environment.

It's knowing that I don't need to needle metal points, but rather that I need to establish boundaries. That I need to stop feeding the fire of my neurodivergence with cortisol and adrenaline.

Thank you for listening and sticking around. DM me or comment if you're comfortable; shared experiences make us feel less alone. 🖤
MARCH IS HERE // The days get brighter every day a MARCH IS HERE // The days get brighter every day and I'm loving it. What about you?⁠⁠
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🌿 FRIDAY FOLLOW- UPS // So, it was a fun experiment but I am tabling the Friday Follow-Ups for now. There are better times of day and of the week that I could be doing them so I'll wait until I can do them at those more convenient times. 🖤⁠⁠
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🌿 SURVEYS // Email surveys are going out. I'm working on putting together an IG friendly link page for you all to participate as well. ⁠⁠
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🌿 APPOINTMENTS // March appointments are open for private and home visits. Click book now in the @reverie_acupuncture profile.⁠⁠
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🌿 PACKAGES // You asked, I answered: Fourth Trimester packages are now available in addition to Sitting Moon packages. DM me for the link!⁠⁠
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🌿 COVID // There are no planned changes to the COVID policy. Please continue wearing masks at appointments.⁠⁠
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Spring is everything I had hoped it would be so far. How about for you? 💮💮💮⁠
DOES YOUR BRA FIT CORRECTLY? // Did you know that DOES YOUR BRA FIT CORRECTLY? // Did you know that you're probably wearing the wrong size of bra?⁠
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Some studies so that up to 80% of bra wearers are wearing the wrong size meaning that:⁠
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⛔ their cups cut in⁠
⛔ their straps cut in OR fall off their shoulders⁠
⛔ the gore digs into their sternum⁠
⛔ or their rib band cuts in⁠
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This is because the way a lot of us were taught to measure our bras was to measure the rib cage or underbust, then to measure the overbust, and that the difference between the two would tell us our cup size.⁠
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That's actually only 2 of the 6 measurements that you need to take to find a bra that fits snugly against your rib cage without digging in, have full cups that don't overflow, and have straps that stay in place without digging in.⁠
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YES IT'S POSSIBLE⁠
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So, if you can:⁠
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🌿 Find someone to help you find your actual size⁠ (I like the r/abrathatfits subreddit)⁠
🌿 If you can't find your size, find your sister size within your favorite brand⁠
🌿 Practice quick lymph and blood moving massage techniques when you take your bra off⁠
🌿 Don't wear a bra at home⁠
🌿 Don't wear a bra to sleep⁠
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Save for future reference! 🖤⁠
HEY YOU 🖤 // I got some great feed back about m HEY YOU 🖤 // I got some great feed back about my reel earlier this week so I put together this infographic for you so save for your reference.⁠
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DM me if you would like any of the links!⁠
HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR CHEST LATELY? // I know that HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR CHEST LATELY? // I know that on Sunday I talked about the disconnected we’ve been taught to have regarding our breast and chest tissue.⁠
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But self-exams are important!⁠
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What’s nice is that if you regularly connect with your tissue in the form of massage you are more likely to notice changes because you’re familiar with the landscape.⁠
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But once a month, you should still check your chest.⁠
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Here are some tips:⁠
🌿If you menstruate, your self-exam should be about a week after your bleeding ends. This is usually around D10 or D11⁠
🌿If you don’t menstruate, your self-exam should be done when you aren’t sensitive to touch⁠
🌿Start with a mirror and observe the tissue with arms down and arms raised to look for irregularities and discharge⁠
🌿Lie down, and with the pads of your fingers use a pattern to check in with the tissue using some sort of pattern – across, down, or in circles⁠
🌿 Don’t forget to check the lymph nodes in the armpit!⁠
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One of the most important things to know is that finding some lumps is completely normal and not a reason to panic. But there are reasons you should call your doctor. According to the Mayo Clinic, these include:⁠
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❗changes in tissue, especially changes that are markedly different than surrounding tissue⁠
❗changes in texture of skin, visible shape of tissue like bulges or ridges⁠
❗bumps, lumps, or knots near or in your armpit⁠
❗signs of inflammation (redness, warmth, swelling, and pain)⁠
❗discharge⁠
❗change to nipple (pushed in instead of sticking out)⁠
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I love Chinese Medicine but if you see any of these changes, your acupuncturist shouldn’t be your first medical touchpoint. Check in with your primary care physician.⁠
SO HERE’S THE THING // You have probably overly SO HERE’S THE THING // You have probably overly medicalized and overly sexualized your breast or chest tissue without realizing it.

You don’t touch it until you’re doing your monthly exam (if you even do that) because anything beyond that is *whispers* naughty.

It’s not.

It’s just a part of you that needs attention, care, and respect.

Consider connecting positively with your tissue regularly. 

This is why and how you can start (provided your care team supports this lifestyle change 😉)

You have a natural detox system in your body called the lymphatic system. It’s the sewer system for our blood and naturally carries away toxins and wastes.

Wearing bras negatively impacts the ability of the lymphatic system to carry away wastes. 

In 1991, a study found that premenopausal cis-women who didn’t wear bras had half the risk of developing cancer as those who did wear them.

You don't have to stop wearing bras and if you choose to wear a bra, consciously moving lymph and fluids out of the breast tissue when you take it off is a positive and cancer-preventative action you can take!

🌿 Get some oil and apply it in a thin layer
🌿 Start by the armpit to clear the lymph nodes in the area
🌿 After about 15-30 seconds you can start to move around the breast/chest tissue itself: outside, top, bottom, and inside, occasionally using long light strokes back towards the armpit

You can do this for a couple of minutes whenever you take your bra off or a few times a week for 5-10 minutes per breast.

I first learned about breast massage from @drclaudiawelch in her book ‘Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life.’

Do you practice breast or chest massage? Comment below! 👇
RAIN WATER // February 19th - March 4th⁠ ⁠ Chi RAIN WATER // February 19th - March 4th⁠
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Chinese Medicine was developed in a more temperate climate than Minnesota, so warmer weather in the Nei Jing seems to be fast tracked compared to the world around us.⁠
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Here in Minnesota it's definitely not raining yet but the days are getting longer AND they're getting snowier.⁠
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Using seasonal living as a guidepost is less about the literal interpretation of the world around us, and more about recognizing the shape of changing yin and yang in the world.⁠
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So, it's not about the temperature, it's about the apparent yang of the lengthening day.⁠
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And it's not about the rain, it's about the increase of humidity.⁠
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Increasing early spring temps + cold climate + humidity = snow.⁠
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🌸Stay warm: Keep wearing all your winter gear. It's still cold out. This goes for more temperate climates that are getting rain instead of snow. People put their warm weather gear away too early.⁠
🌸 Support your digestion: A big focus of spring is your immune system and a big part of your immune system is what you eat. Eating easy foods like rice or congee helps overburden digestive systems fight off the increasing dampness.⁠
🌸 Move gently: dampness is heavy and it slows movement. Making sure that you're moving intentionally every day can prevent pain and stiffness from setting in.⁠
🌸 Get acupuncture and massage: things are starting to move now that the days are getting longer. Make sure that your channels are open and free so that qi and blood can move and nourish your body.⁠
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👇Tag a friend you think would be interested 👇⁠
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This information is for general purposes only! Always check with your own practitioner before implementing any diet or lifestyle changes. 🖤⁠⠀
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© Jessica L Gustafson and www.reverieacupuncture.com, 2017-2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jessica L Gustafson and www.reverieacupuncture.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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