Dear Acupuncture Ohana,

I’m opening my books and will be back on Kaua’i seeing patients from Friday, April 17th through Tuesday, May 18th. It feels good to say that. 

Spring is here. If you’ve been feeling a little off, a little tight, or just ready for a reset—this is a beautiful time to come in. Visit the site to book your sessions: www.leeacupuncture.biz

In Chinese medicine, this is the season of the Liver— a time of gentle movement, clearing, and new direction. Spring offers a different frequency, from the quiet inward nature of Winter to the expansive energy of Spring. It doesn’t always feel easy, but there are treasures in times like this.

You might notice:

• a bit more irritability or emotional movement
• digestion feeling different
• body feels sluggish and damp
• tension in the neck and shoulders
• or simply a sense that something in your life wants to shift

Nothing is wrong.
Your body is trying to open and move forward.

Spring symptoms aren’t random—they are the body asking for movement as the LIVER QI longs for full expression, growth and change.

What Happens in the Body in Spring (TCM Lens)

• Liver Qi rises and expands → energy moves upward and outward, like sap in the trees
• Yang energy awakens → the body shifts from storage (winter) to action (spring)
• Circulation increases → blood and Qi begin to move more dynamically
• Detoxification pathways activate → Liver and Gallbladder work harder to clear stagnation
• Tendons and sinews become more active → connected to the Liver system
• Eyes and vision sharpen (or strain) → Liver opens into the eyes
• Emotions surface more easily → especially anger, frustration, and unexpressed tension
• Wind becomes a dominant external pathogen → affecting the head, neck, and immune system

Common Spring Symptoms (Signs of Movement + Stagnation)

These are not random—they are your cleanse pathway speaking.

• Irritability, impatience, quick frustration
• Mood swings or emotional sensitivity
• Feeling “stuck” but restless at the same time
• Tight neck, shoulders, jaw, or upper back
• Headaches (especially temporal or behind the eyes)
• Eye strain, dryness, or twitching
• Bloating, gas, or irregular digestion
• Alternating constipation and loose stools
• PMS symptoms or breast tenderness
• Waking between 1–3am (Liver time)
• Increased dreaming or vivid dreams
• Feeling wired but tired
• Cravings for sugar, alcohol, or heavy foods (Liver seeking release)
• Skin flare-ups or rashes (heat rising to the surface)
• Seasonal allergies (Wind + Liver imbalance)
• Dizziness or a sense of internal “wind”

During this time, I’ll be offering a Spring Reset through Chinese Medicine—
simple, supportive herbal care and practices to help your system release what it’s been holding and come back into flow.

How A TCM Spring Cleanse Can Support You

• Moves Liver Qi → releases emotional and physical stagnation
• Supports bile flow & digestion → reduces bloating and heaviness
• Clears internal heat → calms irritability, skin issues, and inflammation
• Nourishes Blood → supports tendons, eyes, and hormonal balance
• Anchors rising Yang → helps with sleep, anxiety, and feeling scattered
• Expels Wind → reduces allergies, tension, and head symptoms
• Restores smooth flow → body, mind, and direction come back online

If you want to do a 10 day cleanse with me, please let me know by replying to this email or sending me a text at 808-652-3746.

Once you reserve, I will reply to your request, ask you a few questions and begin preparing your cleanse so it’s ready for you at the start of your treatment window. If your body is asking for a reset—this is the moment to act on it.

And finally, a small share from the land—

Things are coming to life—exciting, wild, full of beauty.

We’ve been studying the County ordinances, getting clear on what can be built and how to move forward with integrity. Seedlings are now rooted in our hydroponics system, quietly establishing themselves. Although at the time of writing this, we are hoping they survive the snow that is falling this evening. Last week it was high 70’s here. Tonight thunder lightening and snow.

With the mill and excavator, we’re pulling downed trees, getting to know the mill and preparing wood for drying—laying the foundation for what will eventually be built.

I recently fed the soil around the first set of orchard trees near the house with stabilized LAB, a Korean Natural Farming preparation I made months ago. I’ve been waiting for the right moment, and it finally felt time.

In the coming days, we hope to use a 50-gallon sprayer we found on the land—moving through the property, feeding the soil in a more expansive way. There’s something deeply satisfying about tending the land like this. I can’t wait to get down to the trees in the lower southern fields where the trees are very old, need serious pruning but are still massively productive. 

The grape vines we pruned are already beginning to fruit. Last week we’ve planted a jujube tree (Da Zao) and two cherry trees. What is also growing are calendula, echinacea and ephedra.

Also,there are early plans taking shape to build our first cabin later this year.

Spring blossoms in the apple and pear orchard. 

Sky lupine is a nitrogen fixer. It works with bacteria in its roots to pull nitrogen out of the air and store it in the soil. It enriches poor or depleted land. On the land, these are growing on a 6 acre patch that has a burn scar from a fire that happed several years ago. Bees love lupine because it provides nectar and pollen in early to mid spring. It is also a host plant, a part of native habitat chain for butterflies and insects.  She also anchors fragile ecosystems after disturbance like a fire by helping with erosion control and stabilizing the land. Not edible. In fact, they are known to be toxic if consumed.

This is a picture of the south-facing part of the land. You can see the burn scar. In August the Forest Service will come and clean this up to reduce fire risk. But to the right down the mountain, there is something very special. There is one trail that has a couple of bear dens. The bears like to sleep under these ancient apple trees that produce a ton of fruit. The craggy branches have formed into the shape of dens for these bears.

This Ponderosa Pine tree is just outside of the house. The pine tree doesn’t rely on insects to pollinate. Instead the male cones release pollen which is then carried by air, and the female cones receive it and stores seeds.  The needles and the pollen from this pine tree should not be consumed. Better to harvest pollen and needles from the Eastern White Pine, Douglas Fir or a Sugar Pine which both have 5 needles per bundle as compared to this Ponderosa Pine which has 3 needles per bundle. More later on these other trees which are all over the place around here.

This is the Northern slope of the land. Just near this location we went to visit a tree that had been struck by lightening the other night. The lightening left a bright orange streak alongside the entire length of the tree looking like a deep scratch through the bark and into the tree. Pieces of the tree were scattered everywhere. Powerful. 

I’ll share more as I learn more.

For now, take a breath.
Let your body soften a little.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sending you blessings for all that you desire and more.

Aloha,

Linda