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In 1939, researchers from the Harvard Medical School asked, “What makes for a happy life”? Between 1939 and 1944… they enrolled 268 Harvard sophomores… including future President John F. Kennedy… and 456 young men from some of Boston’s poorest, toughest […]

“Our world needs us to show up fully as ourselves-no one else-authentically ourselves. By doing so we can experience greater joy, truth, flow and love.”      Wendy Swanson, L.Ac. So true, right? Who am I? What is my purpose? […]

I love a good neighborhood café. Not only for a good cortado, or some time to focus on my writing (like right now), but because over time, you get to know the people. It becomes a sort of community. When […]

September is the perfect time to make room for a practice to uplift your spirit and support your health. Below are two testimonials for The Five Routines: Qigong Exercise for Powerful Results.  The first is from someone who has incorporated […]

The Five Routines: Qigong Exercise for Powerful Results is finally available! In this teaching and learning video, I demonstrate and narrate the exercises that inspired me to study Chinese Medicine. My experience changed my lifestyle and ultimately the course of […]

We are wrapping up production of the video of me teaching Soaring Crane Qigong: The Five Routines. I have always wanted to share the original form of this healing martial art that inspired so much change in my life. When […]

Not everyone has the time or resources to sit in the warmth of the Caribbean and gaze at turquoise to let the mind unravel its quirks and obsessions of the last few rather unusual years. We can do it, sometimes […]

“Can acupuncture help with stress?” the young woman cutting my hair asked last week. I get this question a lot. The answer is yes, and results can be felt immediately: relaxation, mental clarity, and deeper breathing. Constant stress leads to […]

How does one approach patients with compassion, skill, and insight? How can we support healing by creatively intertwining these three elements? Inspired by a reflection by a friend in clinical training at Yale New Haven Hospital, I share the following: […]

Chinese Medicine divides the year into five seasons, not four. This time of year, called “Late Summer”, begins around mid-August and ends with the September solstice. Late summer’s unique weather affects our internal environment. August and September are the dampest times […]

On a scale of 1-10 my anxiety level catapulted to a solid 10 last month. George and I had to make a trip up to CT to clean out a barn that was top to bottom, side to side full of […]

Many of my teachers and friends have chosen unconventional career paths. These individuals were curious, adventurous, not afraid to step into the unknown, and, if they were, they did it anyway. This takes not only courage but faith! Recently, I […]

Art on the Wire is a podcast where artists reveal a challenging time in their careers that leads them to new and unexpected ground. I was honored to be interviewed for the inaugural episode by my daughter in law Kathleen, […]

Last week I taught some simple qigong exercises to a group of psychotherapists on their lunch break. The balancing movements, breath awareness, and laughter helped exercise our bodies while clearing our minds and lifting our spirits. They left smiling and […]

“My friend injured his ankle and is getting dry needling. What is dry needling? Is it different from acupuncture?” a friend asked last week. I told him I would write a blog to address his questions. Here it is: Dry […]

O.K. This is the first time I have shared a recipe on my blog, but this is, in my opinion worth it and related, albeit circuitously, to acupuncture and lifestyle. Although it has some ingredients that people try to avoid […]

This is what I wrote on my Instagram account @mgacupuncture on New Year’s Eve when contemplating the year to come after a few days away: “Acupuncture practice intention for 2023: to support each patient in resolving their health issues so […]

What a good time of year to strive to improve our habits. Here are five guiding principles to help you in your unique journey toward balance: 1. Kindness: treat others the way you would like to be treated. 2. Use […]

I have a new space to practice acupuncture: a small sanctuary in the heart of the laid back Del Ray district in Alexandria, Virginia. Would you like to feel as relaxed as the woman in the photo might appear? My […]

Feeling like you need some solid ground to walk on? Political, economic or personal climate making your life feel a little less ‘solid’? Here are 7 exercises to help build a foundation of steadiness in this season of long days […]

“A form of exercise that can help to prevent and even support in treating disease,” read the description of the qigong class. I had never heard of this movement art before, which is similar to tai chi. “Really?” I asked […]

Feng Shui means the art of placement. In acupuncture work I begin with my surroundings, but this ancient art moves deep into my practice as well. There should be balance and elegance in a treatment strategy whether it is for reducing anxiety […]

What. A. Year…but, spring is here! Everyone’s experience has been different, but undoubtedly, together we moved  through the intense disorientation of uprooted routines, overwhelming loss, steep challenge, and chaos, but amidst all of this, we collectively had an intense time of […]

Encouraging us to find the treasure in unlikely places,  The Beautiful Doldrums does just that, an eloquent blog post written by Annie Moyer, the owner of Sun and Moon Yoga Studio  “In a riveting true story of survival and redemption, author […]

Fall—the air gets crisper, the days shorter, we finish up projects started in the spring and prepare for new ones. We harvest the fruits of summer’s heat—apples and mums, pumpkins and corn. It is time to let go of long […]

Charles Chu, master calligrapher, painter and professor, explained to the crowd at the Yale School of Art the ‘secret’ of how to make one’s art, work and life compelling: “You learn the Law and then you break it, according to […]

I hope you have time during our collective experience of “social distancing” to try this 18-minute qigong exercise warm up. It was not filmed on the south coast of Barbados as pictured in this photo but rather in my living […]

To say this is a transitional time for us in the age of CO-VID-19 is an understatement. Instead of focusing on what we cannot do, lets take a look at some of the things that can positively affect our wellbeing: […]

One of the most useful techniques I learned in acupuncture school is Gua Sha (pronounced gwa sa), an ancient healing ‘cure’ that we learned as first year students from Dr. Arya Nielsen. Nielsen is largely responsible for the 2018 shift […]

With only 6 weeks until spring arrives, here are 6 ways to jump-start the body, mind and spirit: 1. Move: If you dislike doing exercise on your own, sample a yoga class, take a dance class or join a hiking/walking […]

Cosmetic acupuncture is coming more into the spotlight with celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Ashley Graham and many others touting its benefits. Angelina Jolie claims that it healed the Bell’s palsy that made her face droop on one side. In regard […]

From Health Matters published @shorelinetimes July 5, 2019 “OMG, that must be exhausting”, the yoga instructor exclaimed when I told her I was helping my son and his wife with their 3-month-old for the next year as they both went […]

Factory Girl: Homage to Andy Warhol, on display at the Mystic Museum of Art, is a work taken from the large body of work that I created in New York City from 1981-1988, After a 4-year career as a fashion […]

“Wildly imperfect” are the two words that came to mind when I assessed our newly decorated Christmas tree. It had a few worn out ornaments from my childhood trees, a dozen splashy ones from a designer friend and other home […]

Chinese Medicine divides the year into five, not four, seasons. Late summer begins around mid-August and ends by the autumn equinox. Just like all of the other seasons, its unique climate can dramatically affect our body, mind, emotions and spirit. […]

From The Shoreline Times; Aprit 27, 2018 by Maureen Goss Ah, spring on the Shoreline. People venturing into their yards with rakes instead of snow shovels, scraping the dead vines to uncover fresh earth already shooting sprouts. Daffodils dotting the landscape […]

How are the slow and graceful movements of qigong exercise similar to an acupuncture treatment? Next Tuesday, February 13, at the Guilford Free Library from 12-1 p.m., I will be explaining how acupuncture works. https://tinyurl.com/y86b3pmc A few simple qigong exercises will […]

What determines health? Of course there are our genes, our constitution, environmental factors, exercise, diet, and lifestyle, but there is more: what about beauty, art, and love? More specifically, as the subject of today’s blog: music. Project: Music Heals Us […]

Late summer often marks the time when we prepare to get back into a more structured routine undotted by swims in the sea, vacations and visits, growing gardens and gathering their fruits. We had a big event this summer when […]

Like most acupuncturists, I see a good number of chronic cases: people with diseases lasting three months or more. Pain that won’t go away, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and a host of other diseases can inspire people to turn to acupuncture. […]

Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest and most used medicines on the planet. Its philosophy and theories advocate living in harmony with the environment. When the seasons change, our bodies do this rather dramatic internal tango to realign with […]

How can we blend our bodies, hearts, and minds into building a life that lifts our spirits, soothes negative emotions, and improves physical health? Today, as I am homebound in this coastal blizzard that is fiercely striking at my windows […]

I am ‘home’ again, treating those I have known for many years as well as some I have just met. My new office overlooks the Town Green in Guilford, CT. The treatment methods that I use have been cultivated by years […]

The holidays are over and perhaps the New Year’s resolutions have faded. It is ‘ordinary time’—perfect for falling into healthier routines in our diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Here are three suggestions. Start small so it will stick. Here we go: […]

“Honoring daily life” is one of the eight guiding principles that Deborah Burke, the newly appointed dean of the Yale School of Architecture, uses when creating homes where people feel their hearts can dwell with ease. I recently went to […]

Chinese Medicine divides the year into five, not four, seasons. Late summer begins around mid-August and ends with the September equinox. As with all of the other seasons, its unique weather affects our internal environment and our organs. Awareness of […]

One small way to help engender peace in our world that so desperately needs it right now is by creating a peaceful environment at home. Easier said than done, at least for me, as my recent experience made me realize. […]

The classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, begins with shedding light on the concept of this childlike attitude: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind there are few”. According to this Zen Buddhist principal, anything can […]

Do you find that a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine at night are good for you? Are a brisk walk and some gardening better for you than going to the gym? Does a good […]

SPIRITUAL GANGSTER: those were the two words spelled out in white on letters on the black hoodie worn by our yoga teacher as she walked into the room. I did not know that this was the name of a new […]

Spring is five weeks away. Here are six ways to jump-start the body, mind, and spirit: 1. Move: If you dislike doing exercise on your own, sample a yoga class, take a dance class or join a hiking/walking group. 2. […]

As many of my readers know, I have been working on a memoir for a while. I wanted to share with you a snippet of the first chapter. The following is the beginning of my circuitous and revelatory route toward […]

Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize for discovering the key ingredient in a potent anti-malarial medicine. She calls this drug “a gift to the world’s people from Traditional Chinese Medicine.” Tu is 84 years old, and her work in providing […]

When someone is 91, has no arthritis and laughs easily, we naturally want to know more about how they rode through almost a century of life and be healthier than many who are a lot younger. A good diet and […]

When people ask me what I treat most often in my practice, I could answer with a long list of symptoms, syndromes, and diseases. Instead, I usually answer with one word: “stress.” In NYC, people work hard: long hours, lots […]

Some women are strongly opposed to ingesting food with added hormones but at the same time fill their bodies with hormones from birth control regimens for long periods of time, sometime years. According to the principles of Chinese Medicine, any […]

I have not studied aromatherapy, but I raised my son on a farm surrounded by acres of fresh earth that produce profound and changing aromas throughout the year. Like those who do study aromatherapy, I believe that these scents can […]

Four days per week, twenty high school students from the James Baldwin School on 18th Street walk to Integral Yoga on 13th Street to get credit in Health/Physical Education. They receive what every high schooler needs more than anything: the […]

It is ironic that joy is rarely grasped in the things the world tells us we must pursue in order to be happy: making lots of money, having power over others, having a showcase of a house or a family […]

Imagine 2 simple exercises that could unleash the potential of this brand-new year by helping you tap into a profound sense of well-being. Here they are: STILLNESS: Wise folk have suggested that if we don’t have time for half an […]

It is with great pleasure, I kid you not, that I welcome the whirlwind of the holiday season. The last month of the year becomes a frenzy of seeing people who are not part of my daily life, having food […]

This is what I remember about posing in the Oscar de la Renta dress shown here: The garment was brilliant—the softest black velvet combined ingeniously with shimmering gold fabric. I was not sure how to pose, to do that exquisite […]

I have a new office, a quiet sanctuary in the heart of Greenwich Village, the perfect place to retreat from the busy-ness of city life and seriously address your health. Autumn is a good time to harness the energy gathered […]

A friend of mind called last week blindsided by the fact the she needed surgery. Her anxiety level was 13 on a scale of 1-10. “What should I do?” she asked. Most of you whom I have treated can probably […]

I am in Paris. The City of Love. The city with the best bread, coffee and chocolate in the world. I lived here when I graduated from college, rather than pursuing my intention to become a doctor. Instead, I crimped […]

Vegetables, fruits, flowers AND your health do not just happen without some serious effort. How can we cultivate the seeds of our well-being in this season of growth and renewal? Here are 7 suggestions: Find out what moves you from […]

Charles Chu, master calligrapher, painter and professor, explained to the crowd at the Yale School of Art the ‘secret’ of how to make one’s, art, work and life compelling: “You learn the Law and then you break it, according to […]

“So how exactly does acupuncture work?” the medical student asked me. I was carefully placing needles in a patient to treat knee pain at The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine. The question, often asked, is challenging enough given an hour […]

There are so many ‘invisible’ factors that determine the outcome of a healing. There is the support of family and/or friends, the patience with the process of moving toward health and a sense of gratitude in even the small milestones. […]

I am back in the park, exercising. I have added small weights to my qigong workout because weight-bearing enhances the health of bones. During a hike three weeks ago, I witnessed my father, who is four months shy of 90, […]

“Come on, pretty boy, show me what you got!” So chides the brawny trainer in Hudson River Park. His client sheepishly smiles as he passes me, while I am focused on my own exercises. He probably knows he is sweating […]

Before us we have as a huge gift, the months of July and August, in which we can gather the energy of the season. It is like a second chance at our New Year’s Resolutions, however, it is quite different […]

The lilacs are in full bloom, their fragrance intoxicating. Early spring jolted our bodies awake like an alarm clock before sunrise. But now we are past that initial shock. Longer and warmer days give glimpses of summer days to come. […]

Of all the seasons, spring affords the most movement, whether in sap flowing through the trees, crocuses breaking through the earth or buds blossoming. The increased warmth and light not only makes our outer world come alive again, but revives […]

Sometimes we need to step outside of the box of our routines to see our lives with a little more clarity. I had the opportunity to do just that as I accompanied my husband on a business trip to Georgia […]

Yale football player Matthew Barney was a compelling subject for a portrait. At the time, he was with a modeling agency in New York. His agency representative asked me if I could take some good pictures of him to put […]

Staying emotionally ‘clean’ is important for disease prevention. That means letting emotions come and go while giving them expression in the appropriate time and place. It means not ignoring them until they become suppressed or letting one ‘hang around’ too […]

What do we need to thrive and not just survive in our work, relationships and community? The answer may be simpler than you think. 1.Silence … the world is noisy. It is tough to ‘hear’ where, when and how to […]

You know the feeling. Your shoulders start to climb closer to your ears. Your breath becomes shallow or, worse, you inhale and hold it for way too long before exhaling. As a result, your stomach might tighten, along with other […]

The inner journey, that is. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a 46 day stretch when we are encouraged to spend time in stillness, perhaps do some fasting, and ‘indulge’ in charitable works all with the specific purpose of […]

What, no acupuncture? This is the question I am getting lately and here is why:   After years of studying Chinese Medicine and more years treating people in both clinical and private practice, I am taking some serious time off. […]

I’m not sure how I missed Neil Simon’s hit comedy, the semi-autobiographical coming of age movie Brighton Beach Memoirs when it came out in the late eighties, but I watched it the other night. Although it was set in a […]

President Obama’s dream to have health care made available and affordable to all is essentially guaranteed now that he has been re-elected. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, is set to go into effect in […]

Ashley Boyes, a 27-year-old American stroke victim, traveled to China for treatment, reported Brenda Duran in the January 2013 issue of Acupuncture Today. After seeing 9000 Needles, the documentary about a body builder who recovers from a stroke at the […]

  A “restorative lifestyle” is the secret to staying calm and maintaining a youthful vigor. Winter is a good time to cultivate it. Nature tells us to slow down to allow our bodies to build up energy for the spring. […]

We have been given another year, another chance, and a brand new blank canvas to create a unique piece of art with our lives. Hopefully it will compel with its composition, balance, harmony and light. That is how I see […]

This has been an extraordinary year in many ways. I want to send warm holiday wishes to everyone who has make this year most memorable—to my clients who have allowed me to use my skills, to my teachers, especially Matt […]

B.B. King, Bob Dylan, and Mary J. Blige: we listened to these artists and many more as we warmed up yesterday at Diane McCarthy’s 12 p.m. Simonson Dance class at DNA (Dance New Amsterdam), I saw my friends Marcia and […]

Gratitude supports health. Just think about that slight smile and feeling of warmth that comes from a mutually nourishing conversation, a satisfying meal when we are hungry, or just some time alone to reflect on the small or very big […]

For the last two and a half weeks I have been working on a manuscript that was requested by an agent. As a result, I have gone through many of the journals I have kept over the years. I realize […]

It is deep autumn. The dampness of late summer has dried up with the first frost. The last of the leaves are hanging on, some still glorious in their purple, orange, red and gold. This is the season to gather […]

Treating the symptoms of a disease can be faster and often much easier than addressing its root. Any chiropractor with the required 300 hours of training to use acupuncture needles should have some success in alleviating pain. But to treat […]

“You’re an acupuncturist, right?” my doctor said last Friday when he walked into the exam room for my follow-up on a routine colonoscopy.   “I am,” I answered not knowing what would follow.   “My daughter just had a baby,” […]

Sometimes we just need a little courage to take a gradual right, or even a sharp left, off of our pre-planned journeys in life. This may be how we find the place that most suits our highest and best purpose. […]

Mary Hart of Healing Heart Acupuncture shares her thoughts on the coming season from a personal and Chinese medical perspective. She relates how needling a particular point (Gate of Hope) helps to support her patients in making healthy change in […]

Someone snapped this photo of me (in yellow) giving a demonstration in “Exercise as Medicine” last night at the New York Open Center. It was wonderful to share my passion with so many. Next week, the five week class begins […]

Here are four reasons to take the “Exercise as Medicine” class I will teach at the Open Center this fall: One: A fresh beginning. It is a new season—the start of the ‘year’, so to speak, that will bring us […]

A vacation is only a vacation if one can vacate, right?  Case in point: James Heaton’s post about when he went away last week with his wife and three kids.  I am sure you can relate. I know I can. […]

Chinese Medicine divides the year into five, not four, seasons. Late summer begins around mid-August and ends with the September solstice. Just like all of the other seasons, its unique weather affects our internal environment. Late summer is the dampest […]

What if we did not care what others thought? What if our choices were not driven by materialistic standards or prevailing cultural trends? What if we acted not only for ourselves, but with a deep care for our communities, for […]

The Dead Sea is called ‘dead’ because there are bodies of water running into it but not moving out. It is the same with the skill of acupuncture, or any skill for that matter. If we do not use it, […]

Yesterday at 3 p.m., I headed west to the Hudson River and found some shade under a tree to practice qigong. Under another tree, a young man to my right was practicing an ambitious dance routine. Nearby, a woman lay […]

“Few see it. Fewer choose it. What’s your wild rabbit?” As Don Draper of Mad Men knows, all good advertising pulls you in and gets you to think twice, or best of all, begin to imagine. “Hmmm,” I thought after […]

Last night, a good friend of mine, Dr. Benjamin Abelow M.D., sent me an opinion piece that he wrote for a local newspaper in the Berkshires  where he lives. It made me think about the hamburger I had eaten for […]

The following article by Maureen Goss was published in the March 2011 issue of Westview: The New Voice of the West Village. A List of Things to Do — or Not Do — When Winter Finally Wanes Ah…spring in the […]

Spring arrived in perfect style yesterday with sunshine and temperatures in the 70’s. Here are 3 things I am doing to support my well-being this spring: Juicing: Every other day this week I have enjoyed the new addition to Jack’s […]

“Tea tempers the spirit…harmonizes the mind”. So wrote Lu Yu many centuries ago in his ‘Classic of Tea’. I have a tea room in my office now where clients can enjoy a few sips, if they choose to, after a […]

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers. Sending each of you some inspiration on this day that we celebrate LOVE! An uplifted spirit infuses the body/mind with vital life energy to help bring us back in balance.  Here are five words that […]

We need time away from our routines to learn to ‘listen’ to the language of our bodies. They are like instruments always playing the ‘music’ we need to hear to bring us to healthier places That ‘music’ can be a […]

The cold weather has arrived. Winter is the time to reflect on how our lives match up to what we envision for ourselves and for pondering how to close that gap in the coming more active seasons. Here are some […]

The festivities are over. Extreme socializing done. Now is the time put into effect the means to achieve the intentions that will find us  in better shape next year at this time–physically, economically, emotionally—any aspect of our lives that is […]

This is the scene that I see when I stand in front of my office building and look across the street. When I moved my practice from the bustling streets of Soho in 2008, my intention was to create a […]

Rick Weisbrot worked with the tennis players at the US Open last summer using his skills as an acupuncturist. I was interested in hearing about his experience and asked him some questions: Were you part of a medical team? I […]

In ancient China, most doctors had an art form in which they were proficient—calligraphy, painting, poetry, playing a musical instrument, martial arts or others. It is important to exercise the part of the brain that is intuitive, creative, non-linear, and […]

The holidays are only a couple of months away. Time for some Fall wellness inspirations.  Here are 4 suggestions: If you have seasonal allergies, consider consulting with an acupuncturist. Resolving allergies, according to Chinese Medicine, is not a one time […]

The day before yesterday in yoga class my ‘tree balancing’ posture was near perfect. I focused on some sun dappled leaves outside the third floor studio on 13th Street and my mind seemed as quiet as a still lake. I’m […]

We had a frost last night. The first of the year. I thought it the perfect time to republish the article I wrote for the September 2010 issue of Westview: The New Voice of the West Village. It is a […]

“In the end, for each individual, it is as rational to believe he or she WILL be among the survivors as it is to assume that he or she won’t… We must fix our hearts and minds on a clear […]

“So, how did you get interested in acupuncture?” people often ask me. The truth is….I never really chose acupuncture so much as it chose me. I needed to be healed and it wasn’t going to happen with a quick trip […]

Acupuncture is an integral part of my personal wellness routine but the strong spine of a healthy life requires much more. This past summer I learned lots about what I need not just to maintain my health but to help […]

Fellow acupuncturist, Rick Weisbrot, who is working with the tennis players at the U.S. Open, inspired me to host my first ‘Acupuncturist’s Acupuncture‘ session. Last week several acupuncturists came to my office to watch Dr. Carolyn Bengston show us how […]

Every acupuncturist needs time to replenish their energy (chi) because of the nature of the work we do and that is exactly what I have been doing. It has been brilliant to be clipping errant vines and weeding at sunset […]

What a brilliant way to begin my three month sabbatical this past Memorial Day weekend—hiking, practicing qigong at sunset, and even going for a very quick swim in Long Island Sound (very, very cold but refreshing!) I am grateful for […]

I know, it is only spring and I am already talking summer…but this is an unusual one for me. During the months of June, July and August I will be away from the office for professional development and renewal. Professionally, […]

“I don’t know whether or not acupuncture deals with arthritis, but if you have any ideas about treating it, please let me know”. Last month I received this question in an e-mail from a woman with knee pain. In response, […]

In last week’s blog post, I shared with you a type of breathing that is particularly useful when feeling stressed because it helps balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.  This is called abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing in which the […]

You know the feeling. Your shoulders start to climb closer to your ears, your breath becomes shallow, or worse, you inhale and hold it for way too long before exhaling. Chances are good your stomach might tighten along with other […]

It is the women who determine whether or not a society will function. If they are not treated well, nothing will work. This is what Donna Karan stressed, one of four women speaking at Urban Zen last Wednesday evening on […]

A group of teens from the James Baldwin high school for “students at risk” listened to a teacher at Integral Yoga teach talk about the connection between mind and body. She told them that the mind is like a body […]

Last night, three friends and I saw Bill Cunningham New York at the Film Forum. Cunningham photographs ‘style’ for the New York Times–on the street, at parties, and at fashion shows here and abroad. That he continues to be so […]

The following article by Maureen Goss was published in the March 2011 issue of Westview: The New Voice of the West Village. A List of Things to Do — or Not Do — When Winter Finally Wanes Ah…spring in the […]

“How many vacations do you take a year?”  This is one of the questions I ask new patients. Why? Because time away from our routines is good for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I am in Barbados practicing what I […]

I was happy to hear my friend tell me over lunch of his renewed commitment and inspiration to create fine art for his upcoming exhibition. Artists, when using their gifts well, have the ability to jolt us out of the […]

“Let the breath inform the movement,” is what a teacher said in yoga class the other day. It took me years to become aware of my breath and I try to do exactly what the teacher suggested, not only in […]

Last week when it hit 54 degrees, the first rush of spring moved through me as I walked from my home to the office. No bitter cold to shrug up against—shoulders dropped, big breath in. I could almost see the […]

Two months ago, the cover page of the Sports Tuesday section of the New York Times had a photograph of Jets fullback Tony Richardson lying prone with two lines of acupuncture needles down each side of his back. It said […]

Last weekend the trail heads where I enter the woods to hike around the well-worn paths were piled high with snow blocking my entry. I desperately needed some fresh country air coursing through my arteries, veins, lungs, alveoli. It was […]

One silken thread of silence is often all we need to sew the different textures of our lives together. We can weave our work, family, friends, art and downtime together in ways that reflect our essence in true and meaningful […]

In my last year of acupuncture school, a teacher told us to create practices we love by individualizing them according to our unique brand of helping. At the time, it seemed a dream to have an office in my neighborhood […]

Sometimes, we just have to say no when everyone thinks we should say yes in order to pursue our passion, even when we have no idea where it will lead. Such was the case when young Arya Nielsen declined acceptance […]

Anyone who works in New York City knows the absolute necessity of balancing work and downtime. Casualties of not getting this mix right can result in insomnia, excess muscle tension (i.e. backaches, headaches, stomachaches, etc), and, as we say in […]

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day was spent in the mountains of Vermont sitting before the fireplace with my son, husband, sister and father. Usually there are more of us, but this seemed the perfect mix this year […]

“The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others.” This quote from Ghandi rings true on this last day in my office for 2010. I am grateful for my personal and professional blessings […]

COMMUNITY YOGA AT URBAN ZEN “Its wonderful, such a great way to start the week,” said Lauren Bush after the Monday morning community yoga class in the West Village at Urban Zen, the non-profit foundation launched by Donna Karan. Every […]

Yesterday, I received this gorgeous photo of northern California from my friend Susan who told me she is “taking a break from Facebook” to actually see her friends in person. As usual with this good friend on the other side […]

I know, Thanksgiving is not even here yet and I am advocating getting ready for spring. You will thank me when the daffodils start to sprout and you start to look for lighter clothes, think of joining a gym and […]

For most of my adult life I have kept a journal in which I write most mornings. It is kind of a ritual. Eat breakfast, write for 10 minutes, close it up and get on with my day. I never […]

“I want to be dancing with you when I am an old lady”. That is what Lynn Simonson, creator of a technique that allows any body to dance regardless of age, injury or expertise, use to tell us when we […]

Almost every patient I treat gets gua-sha—the Asian healing technique so well known in the East that usually the ‘cook of the house’ administers it to whomever is in need–whether for a cold, a tight neck, ‘a chill in their […]

No matter where we are, we have two abundant resources to help us restore and maintain our balance—the earth and the sky. The energy of the earth is yin, and the energy of the sky is yang. They are opposite, […]

Here are some solid tips to get you flying into fall and beyond with a spring in your steps and a smile on your face: LET GO: If you have not used it in a year, it is not yours. […]

“To Boob or Not to Boob”. That is the question asked in a blog recently by a therapist as she pondered whether to pump up her chest with some fake ones to see a new client after a double mastectomy. […]

I took this photograph on a Saturday morning in a dorm at Yale University. Every week, undergraduates of various fields of study met to practice calligraphy. No one received ‘credit’ for the time spent there. Even toward the end of […]

Looking effortlessly cool in a jacket, jeans and jewelry has more to do with how we feel about ourselves than how much we spend on clothes and accessories. What we choose to put on each and every day is our […]

Our eyes are remarkable organs—allowing us to marvel a sunset, a Matisse painting, devour a great book or just cross the street, cook a meal or drive a car. So what do we do to care for them? Here are […]

I always thought diminished eyesight was permanent until my last year of acupuncture school. Under the guidance of Kiiko Matsumoto, the world renowned acupuncturist, my clinic team and I worked on a 54 year old man who had lost most […]

Feng Shui, literally translated as “water-wind” sounds like what it means—the art of placement in the rooms where we dwell so that chi (energy) flows freely to maximize our comfort, ease and health. Feng shui is one the eight branches […]

This is the season of the sunflower—one of summer’s brightest blooms.  During these sunny  summer  days I have been thinking about how I can incorporate more time in my week to finish the book I have been working on for […]

There are so many unrealized ways to reduce unhealthy stress in our lives.  Try these: Ping Pong: I take to the table to relax, to keep my hand fast and brain sharp AND to ‘break’ from something I am working […]

The wisdom goes like this: Spend ½ hour a day in stillness but, if you are too busy, then spend one hour! Why? Sometimes we get so busy that our actions have no meaning because we are doing them for […]

Being an acupuncturist is like being a detective, where one has a brilliant and thousands of year’s old body of knowledge to help uncover and treat people’s pain, discomfort and distress. Every person that comes through my door is a […]

Summer is here, and with it lots of colorful and delicious vegetables to enhance health. My friend Ben, who has a medical degree from Yale, has his finger on the pulse of the latest research regarding many aspects of health. […]

A few months ago, Lisa Lelas, asked me to be a guest on her T.V. show Simply Organized to talk about how I manage my time and life as an acupuncturist. I declined. At the time, and still today, I […]

Last Sunday, The New York Times published a piece by Gretchen Reynolds entitled, “A Workout for Your Bloodstream: The Molecular Effects of Exercise”. In it she states that scientists recently published findings that only 10 minutes on a treadmill causes […]

Can acupuncture treat depression? Yes, but not always. Sometimes, it works best in combination with medication and talk therapy or with just one of these two. Sometimes acupuncture alone is enough to counter the unique rhythm of a depression. My […]

Crane Style Yoga is an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western exercise designed to energize the body, calm and focus the mind and tether the spirit. A beginner’s ‘workout’ contains seven simple, yet deceptively challenging, exercises. They are: abdominal breathing, […]

In a sense practicing acupuncture is like the creative process of any artist in that we observe, we are astonished by what we see and feel, and then we do what our gift and skill set allows—whether that is to […]

Some things to consider when creating a healthcare system that works in the highest and best interest of the patient. Consider the alternatives. In our country, the Western Medical Model prevails. It is wonderful for many things, but like any […]

What is your excuse for not taking a day off? Does it sound something like “I should be doing something”, “I need to make a living”, “What would ____ think?”, “I don’t have time to waste”….You fill in the blank […]

What I like most about acupuncture and oriental medicine is the way the person is treated as a whole. For example, a headache is unique. A person presenting with one will be treated in a different way than anyone else […]

Here is my one sentence answer twenty two years later after first learning the Five Routines: Soaring Crane Qigong is a form of exercise rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine that uses gentle but challenging movement along with mental focus and […]

CHALLENGE YOURSELF. Last weekend, my father, who turned 86 two months ago, joined me on a hike described as “moderately strenuous”. It was NOT. We had boulders to climb while hanging on to rooted tree stumps and about 21/2 hours […]

As many of you know, I have moved my office from the bustling streets of Soho to one of the most beautiful mixed residential/commercial blocks in the West Village at 26 West 9th Street. The office has two treatment rooms, a large window in […]

It is almost springtime and I am in Barbados with my family getting a jump start on the summer sun. This morning my son and I took to a beach on the West coast scouting for some good photos he […]

What do we need to thrive and not just survive in our work, relationships and community? The answer may be simpler than you think. 1.   Silence…the world is noisy…it is tough to ‘hear’ where, when and how to move in […]

Vacation: the process of vacating. Giving yourself time to let go of daily concerns, allowing some open space while you put your routine aside. Impossible to go to the Caribbean?  Try ‘vacating’ in smaller more regular doses: Go on an […]

Maureen Goss, M.S. L.Ac,  From October 2009 issue of Westview Mainstream medicine is increasingly recognizing acupuncture as an effective treatment for many disorders including osteoarthritis. According to the largest scientific clinical trial of acupuncture ever conducted, which was published in […]

Article from  January  2009 issue of Westview Magazine On July 26th, 1971 James Reston authored an article in the New York Times that introduced most Americans to acupuncture. He wrote it from his hospital room in Beijing after undergoing an emergency […]