Happy Year of the Rat! The spring of WuZi, the
Year of Earth Rat, will start on February 4, 2008,
although the Chinese New Year will be February 7, 2008
according to Chinese Cosmology. The rat is
quick-witted, smart, and very active. Chinese medical
predictions for this year include an increase in lung
and heart diseases, as well as an increase in
digestive troubles. Obviously I cannot verify this
information, it is only a gentle reminder to keep up
with your personal health care program.
I’d like to share some good news. The new clinic I’ve
joined, Urban Wellness Group, has opened and is
getting busy. Check out the beautiful website:
www.urbanwellnesspdx.com. We are in SE Portland, a
short walk to Mt Tabor Park and an even shorter walk
to my new home. If you’re in the nabe, come check it
out, take a seat in one of the deluxe comfort chairs
and have a cup of custom-blended tea! Our front desk
team, Marya and Kara, are people specialists and would
love to give you a tour.
If you haven’t heard, I’ve gone bicoastal. In
December I spent 10 days in NYC seeing patients;
providing holistic medical consultations and
acupuncture treatments. The venture was a great
success, and the relationships begun in December are
continuing in the form of phone consults until I
return again. Thanks to all of you who provided
feedback on the first visit! My next trip is planned
for late April, dates forthcoming. Please contact me
if you are interested in scheduling an appointment.
In conjunction with practicing good medicine and
helping people regain more balance in their lives, one
of my goals this year is to live more sustainably and
lessen my ecological footprint. In addition to the
daily walk to work, I am beginning a new project
called the Eat Local Challenge. In the Pacific
Northwest, we have the opportunity to eat much of our
food from local farmers markets and from our lush
backyards. To celebrate the coming of spring, I am
hosting an Eat Local Dinner Party on March 15, 2008.
My vision is to not only get a little closer to my
food and where it comes from, but to also mobilize and
challenge my local community to join the local food
movement. Check out more at 100milediet.org or
Locavore Nation on NPR.
I’m happy to share that the Breast Cancer Companion, a
manual for holistic practitioners, is coming along
splendidly. I have teamed up with a local breast
cancer specialist who lectures nationwide. We are
developing a unique guidebook for practitioners and
doctors who are interested in supporting their
patients with breast cancer who are undergoing
conventional cancer treatment. We are projecting a
late springtime publication. If you or anyone you
know is in need of this kind of support or would like
to know their options, feel free to consult me at
504.445.9771 or drjennings@urbanwellnesspdx.com.
Hope to see one and all of you in the near future!
Until then, treat yourself well and enjoy life.
Sending springtime energy from Portland, OR, where the
daffodils are already pushing up through the ground.
Yours in Health,
Dr Kelly Jennings