Natural Alternatives Center for Wellness

Why Acupuncture for Endometriosis? Dr Stephanie Lipnicki, DACM, LAc  I can remember when I was attending Acupuncture school having the notion that I wanted to specialize in treating Gynecological disorders and fertility. When I left PCOM (the school I attended) and started converting my Massage Therapy practice over to Acupuncture, I felt that in the small town where I practice (Allentown NJ not PA), I needed to be able to help bring balance to everyone's lives.  So why then did I decide to specialize in endometriosis? After a major health crisis in 2017 (and no I have not written that whole story yet) and trying to recover from that (which I still feel like I am doing), I had to use my experience to help prevent others from experiencing the same pain I went through, and I wanted to be able to guide others with endometriosis on their path to finding tools to manage the disease.  Many #endowarriors (the catchy term that describes one who experiences the non-bliss that is ...

Morning coffee thoughts Can we help people without playing the blame game? Dr Stephanie H. Lipnicki, DACM, LAc I often read through social media posts to see what others with endometriosis battle with. My battles as an endowarrior are not necessarily the same as someone else’s battles. After reading a post today that indicated we’re responsible for our illness - I got triggered. Now the post wasn’t specific to endometriosis, but it said “you contributed to your sickness, so you need to contribute to your healing.” I’ve had endometriosis since I was 12. It took me 16 YEARS to get a Dr to listen to me and stop saying it was ‘painful periods’, and by the time I got someone to listen it was Stage IV endo. And believe me when I would sit there vomiting from the pain - as someone who went to Catholic School - the repeated question was what did I do wrong to deserve this. For a LONG time I felt something I did wrong got me where I was. I was 12 wh...

 Happy New Year!  Welcome to the 2021 REVOLUTION  Dr Stephanie H. Lipnicki, DACM, LAc I was recently reading a blog from Amy Pence Brown ( Amy's Blog ) about why New Year's Resolutions are so challenging. And let's face it they are. How many people sign up for gym memberships in January only to stop going shortly thereafter?  In Amy's article she talks about evolving instead of resolving to make changes and having it be a New Year's Revolution. I love this idea for a number of reasons! Let's take the word revolution. According to the  Merriam Webster definition , revolution is defined as "a sudden, radical, or complete change. . . a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something. . ." as well as "the time taken by a celestial body to make a complete round in its orbit." How fitting that we think of the New Year - whether you think of it as the annual new year, the lunar new year, or your birt...

  Winter Wellness  with Dr Sephanie Lipnicki, DACM, LAc I want to share a poem that I first heard on the show Little Bear  - when my cousin’s son was little and I would watch him while she worked. Little Bear was a Maurice Sendak creation - of Where the Wild Things Are fame, and they shared this poem  - which always makes me think of the Winter Solstice - which is at the end of the week, the poem wasn’t Maurice Sendak’s, it’s actually anonymous: Whether the weather be fine,  Or whether the weather be not,  Whether the weather be cold,  Or whether the weather be hot. We'll weather the weather,  Whatever the weather,  Whether we like it or not! Anonymous In NJ where I am, we  experience a change of seasons, so we need to weather the weather whatever the weather. But we can make it more tolerable by taking steps to stay by dressing appropriately, eating foods for the season, taking steps to exercise in a way that keeps us healthy, and mak...

 Congee Basics and Variations Dr Stephanie Lipnicki, DACM, LAc Ingredients:   3/4 -1 c of rice (I like to use Sushi rice, but any long grain white rice will do) 7-10  cups of chicken brother, vegetable broth, bone brother, water (the amount of liquid will depend on the thickness you like) Salt to taste (I add very little at the end) Really those three ingredients make a basic congee! Some people rinse their rice, I do not.  Stovetop Method: 1. Put liquid of your choice into your pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and add your rice. Next bring the rice and liquid back to a boil, once boiling lower to medium and simmer for about 20-35 minutes, stirring occasionally (you don't want the rice to stick to the bottom of the pot. 2. I generally add cooked protein and veggies to my congee after it has started to thicken (ideas for combos below). If adding raw meat you can add now as well, just make sure pieces are small or shredded. Same thi...

 The Separation of Yin and Yang. . . [Originally published April 2011] I had every intention of blogging on a topic every week and at the very least, once a month.  Well it’s been well over a month, and March came in and out like a lion for me and my family as well. I can remember sitting in classes learning about Chinese Medicine and all of its wonders. The root of all things Chinese Medicine could be broken down into Yin and Yang, always intertwining as one waxes, the other wanes going on and on until death when Yin and Yang separate and that which exists changes forever. My maternal grandmother passed away on March 14th, just before the Ides of March (my Uncle said she always told him beware of the Idea of March). She was 92 years young and I am certain that had she lived another 92, I would still feel like I did not have a long enough time with her in my life. She had a stroke on a Wednesday evening  and my Uncle found her early Thursday morning. It was a stroke docto...