The holiday season is delicious, but the abundance of treats, festive meals, and indulgent gatherings can leave us feeling sluggish, bloated, and heavy. In Chinese medicine, we call this food stagnation, and it happens any time our digestive system is overwhelmed.

As the days grow shorter and the nights stretch longer, you might notice your body asking for more rest.

If you’re like many people I see in the clinic, that can bring up resistance. You might find yourself thinking you should have more energy, that you should still want to be as active and social as you were in the summer.

But the truth is that nothing is wrong.

Your animal body is responding exactly as it should. This deep desire to rest is not a problem — it’s an essential part of how nature restores itself through the winter season.

We often use the word “appetite” casually—something about craving, willpower, or how much we eat. But the state of our appetite - do we have one or not - reflects something much deeper.

There is a tacit agreement in Western medicine that goes something like this:

“We can solve your problem without your participation.”

The problem is that we’re in an epidemic of chronic disease, so we know this approach doesn’t actually work.

Ever notice your mood or energy drop the moment the sun disappears?

It’s not just about the weather — it’s about your yang qi, the life force energy that fuels your warmth, vitality, and spark.

The Chinese Medicine tradition of Yang Sheng practices - "Nourishing life” practices - as the foundation for health and longevity.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the idea that perimenopause is a portal—an initiation into a new phase of life.

In this week’s video, I go deeper into what that really means—and how a Chinese medicine perspective can help us orient to this transition with more insight, agency, and compassion.

Perimenopause is everywhere right now.

It’s all over social media, showing up in wellness circles, health podcasts, influencer feeds, and probably even in your group chat.

I’m glad we’re talking about it.

But there are some important pieces missing from almost every conversation I see.

So let’s talk about it.

Here in Maine, the transition into autumn is unmistakable. The days are getting shorter, the air is turning crisp, and sweaters are making their way out of the back of the closet. As the outside world changes, so too must our bodies—and how we care for them.