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Meet Tara Gregory, LAc.

12/1/2019

To all of my long-time patients, I’m happy to share that the exciting year of transitions continues ahead as planned. My new job at the Portland VA Medical Center is going very well; I’m enjoying treating tons of Veterans, introducing many of them to the wonders of acupuncture for their very first time. It has been a truly busy, but very rewarding, seven months in the new position. On the home-front, little Sophie is growing like a weed. She is five months old already and her favorite activities include singing, learning to sit upright, and “walking” the dog.

As for updates with the clinic, transitions continue on schedule with a few important updates ahead. For those of you who have been patients of mine for a while, you may recall that when I announced the move from private practice to the VA, I mentioned that my wife, Tara Gregory, LAc., will be joining the team at Alberta Street Acupuncture in the New Year. That plan is moving ahead, and Tara officially starts on January 4th!

Tara brings over eight years of clinical experience in private practice with her, including additional study in internal medicine, advanced study of Chinese herbalism, women’s health and fertility. Tara is also an experienced practitioner of yoga and meditation. She offers her patients guidance on healthy habits and tips from over 500-hours of yoga teacher training and a previous job as a personal chef. Please visit her website, taragregoryacupuncture.com for more details.

Tara’s Schedule starting January 2020
Tuesdays 10am-2:30pm
Wednesdays 10am-2:30pm
Saturdays 10am-2:30pm

Tara is credentialed with the following insurance companies: Aetna, American Specialty Health (ASH), Axis, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, CHP Group, First Choice Health, Health Republic, Kaiser (via PCP referral), LifeWise, Providence, Pacific Source, United Health Care (UHC) / UMR / Optum, and TriWest (VA Community Care network).

To schedule with Tara, you may call her directly at 503-479-5506 or schedule online.

In other news, Mallory Harman, LAc. will be staying on through February 2020 before heading back to Nepal in March as a team lead with Acupuncture Relief Project. Mallory’s insurance billing information will not change, so those of you who have CareOregon OHP will be able to continue seeing Mallory through February. Her hours will adjust slightly in January with the following schedule.

Mallory’s Schedule January-February 2020
Wednesdays 1pm-7pm
Saturdays 11am-5pm
Thursdays / Sundays TBD

To schedule with Mallory, you may call her directly at 503-893-5711 or schedule online.

As we move forward with combining practices in the months ahead, we’ll be reaching out and posting more updates along the way.

Meet Little Sophie!

7/14/2019

A quick note from Stephanie:

I'm excited to announce that Sophie joined the Gregory household on June 17th! Baby and momma Tara are happy and healthy, and we three are delighted to be at home bonding during this special time together. Sophie is such a little ray of sunshine, and a nice excuse to slow down and appreciate the little things in the world.

My new job with the Portland VA Health Care System is going well. I've joined the Center for Integrative Pain Care and my teammates are a wonderful group of caring, dedicated practitioners. I do still miss the Alberta Street Acupuncture crew and my old patients, though.

Mallory Harman, LAc. has settled into covering my practice and is doing a fantastic job! If you haven't yet had a chance to schedule with her, I encourage you to do so. A few quick reminders regarding coverage with Mallory:

- There is no change to the costs associated with your treatments
- Insurance coverage will continue without interruption
- Mallory works Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays

You may schedule with Mallory via the website and Schedulicity app, or you can call her directly to schedule or answer any questions at 503-893-5711.

In health,

Stephanie Gregory, LAc.

Upcoming Changes to the Practice

4/1/2019

It is with very mixed emotions that I write to you to share that I will be transitioning out of private practice and into a staff acupuncture position at the Portland VA Medical Center in May 2019. This is a brand new position in their Pain Clinic, which will provide me with the opportunity to introduce acupuncture to Veteran’s with chronic pain in an integrative team setting working alongside medical doctors, psychologists and counselors, physical therapists, nutritionists and others as part of the VA’s new Whole Health initiative. Being an Army Veteran myself, I look forward to this new chapter in my career. But it is not without much sadness that I’ll be making this change, thanks in large part to you all, the wonderful patients I’ve had the pleasure to work with over the last six years at Alberta Street Acupuncture Clinic.

I will not be leaving you all without care, however, as I’m excited to announce that I’ve hired Mallory Harman, LAc. to assume my practice at Alberta Street Acupuncture starting on April 30th. I’m very excited to welcome Mallory to the clinic – she earned her Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) degree from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and is currently licensed to practice acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in Oregon and Montana. Following graduation, Mallory spent four months working as an Acupuncturist and Primary Care Provider with the Acupuncture Relief Project, a non-profit organization providing medical support to underserved rural communities in Nepal. There she not only gained unique and invaluable experience, she was touched by the community and deeply reminded of the importance of trust, connection, and compassion in each of her patient visits. Read her blog post. She then traveled to Juárez, Mexico where she spent one week teaching and working with Promotores Descalzos (barefoot health promoters), a local school in the borderlands serving their community through acupuncture, safe spaces, and community support.

Mallory often treats using an orthopedic approach (looking at structural changes and gathering information through objective testing), while also choosing points and other therapies to support the person constitutionally and energetically. She loves to incorporate cupping, gua sha, and massage into her treatments when warranted. She believes in an integrative approach, often requesting to look over medical records and consult with other medical providers when necessary. Please visit our website to learn more about her.

Mallory will be working on Tuesdays from 10:30am-7pm, Thursdays from 9am-4pm, and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. ***Please know that the transition will not affect the cost for your care.*** If you have been using insurance for your treatments, your insurance plan will continue without interruption when you see Mallory. If I have been treating you on a cash-basis, that will also continue ahead without change.

Thanks for the many years of allowing me to be a part of your healthcare team.

With immense gratitude,

Stephanie Gregory, LAc.

Happy Lunar New Year - Welcome to the Year of the Pig!

2/5/2019

On February 5th we celebrate the start of the 2019 lunar year, saying goodbye to the year of the yang earth dog and welcoming the yin earth pig! This year also marks the end of a 12-year zodiac cycle, with 2020 bringing the start of the next cycle. As with any ending, it’s always helpful to spend time reflecting upon the past twelve-years, and to set goals and intensions for the years ahead.

Pigs are known for their kindness, generosity and enthusiasm. During pig years, it is important to practice tolerance and kindness towards others, cultivating compassion. Pig years are also marked by joy, and are typically regarded as auspicious years, good for investment and may bring about financial successes.

In five-element theory, the earth element is known for stability, harmony and nourishment. We call upon the Earth to ground us, cultivating her soils to grow our foods to nourish our bodies. Beware of an imbalanced earth element, however, presenting as becoming stuck in boggy old ruts or patterns of overthinking or excessive worry. The earth element also corresponds with our digestive center as we absorb the foods that nourish our bodies through the gut. In earth years, it becomes even more important to nourish the body with good quality foods to aid and ease digestion, avoiding the excesses of sugar, excessively fatty or greasy foods, and alcohol. Similarly, it is just as important to nourish the mind with happy, healthy, optimistic thoughts, supported through a regular practice of self-care and self-cultivation.

This year ahead also brings a new chapter in my life as well - my wife and I are expecting a new baby to join our family near the end of June! Stay tuned in the months ahead for summer schedule updates as we get closer to our sweet little piglet’s arrival.

Wishing you, your family and friends happiness, abundance and health in 2019!

Clinic Hours for January-June 2019:
Tuesdays 12pm-7pm
Thursdays 10:30am-4:00pm
Fridays 11am-7pm
Saturdays 9:30am-2:30pm

Happy Chinese New Year - Welcome to the Year of the Earth Dog!

2/19/2018

We just transitioned into the 2018 lunar calendar on February 16th, celebrating Chinese New Year and welcoming the year of the Yang Earth Dog!

As we leave the year of the Fire Rooster, many of us will welcome the calmer energy of the Earth Dog. In five-element theory, the earth element is known for stability, harmony and nurturance. Dogs are known for being friendly, loyal, devoted, and protective of their fellow pack-mates. The combination of the earth element and the dog year energy provides opportunities to care for and support others. The friendly and loyal nature of the dog year reminds us that through caring for and connecting with others we build trust and strengthen our communities.

The year ahead should bring about more stability however beware the excesses of earth. During Yang Earth years, potential exists for one to become bogged down in ruts and old patterns of overthinking and worry. In the year ahead it will be even more important to nourish oneself with fresh, quality foods as well as quality thoughts, avoiding excesses of heavy, fatty foods and alcohol. And don’t forget the importance of self-care and cultivation in the year ahead!

Wishing you, your family and friends happiness, abundance and health in 2018!

In health,
Stephanie Gregory, LAc & Hazel Gregory, Dog

Clinic Hours for January-June 2018 Teaching Schedule:
Tuesdays 12pm-7pm
Thursdays 10:30am-4:30pm
Fridays 11am-7pm
Saturdays 9:30am-2:30pm

Fall Season and New Clinic Hours

9/6/2017

As we leave behind our unseasonably hot summer and transition to fall, it’s a wonderful time to reconnect with the rhythms of nature. Just as the trees drop their leaves and nature lets go of its’ excesses in preparation for the colder, darker days ahead, fall provides an opportunity for humans to evaluate our routines. It’s a time establish and affirm activities that benefit and nourish our bodies and souls, letting go of habits that are superfluous or unhealthy.

And for many of us, myself included, fall also brings the start of a new school year! Soon I will return to my position as adjunct professor at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine teaching Anatomy to first-year Chinese medical students. From September through June of the 2017-2018 academic year, I will be teaching on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and Thursdays.

Starting September 13th, my clinical practice schedule at Alberta Street Acupuncture Clinic will adjust to accommodate the teaching schedule as follows:

Tuesdays 12pm-7pm
Wednesdays 2pm-6pm
Thursdays OFF
Fridays 11am-7pm
Saturdays 9:30am-2:30pm

To schedule an appointment, feel free to call me directly at 503-893-5711, or visit the appointments page for online scheduling. I’m looking forward to helping you maintain your healthcare routine this fall.

Happy Chinese New Year - Welcome the Yin Fire Rooster!

1/23/2017

Chinese New Year, marked by the start of the lunar calendar, comes early this year on January 28th, 2017, ringing in the year of the Yin Fire Rooster!

As we say goodbye to the unpredictable chaos of the 2016 Yang Fire Monkey, we move into the somewhat calmer, more steadfast year of the Yin Fire Rooster. Yin fire energy encourages us to cultivate warmth and insight. It is time to nourish the relationships and inter-personal bonds of those closest to us, our family and loved ones. But beware on a larger scale, in five-element relationships fire melts and reshapes metal so this year could see the structures of long-standing institutions and governments come under fire, becoming vulnerable to destabilization.

People born in rooster years are known for being trustworthy and loyal, responsible and disciplined workers, brave and committed individuals who value order and planning. To harness the energy of the rooster year, it is best to set clear intentions for the year ahead, to cultivate patience, and focus on practical, pragmatic solutions to problems encountered. The 2017 rooster year is not the time for spontaneous decisions and throwing caution to the wind – continue to work hard and stay the course. Focus on doing less but doing it well, paying attention to detail, and creating a positive, lasting impression.

Wishing you, your family and friends happiness, abundance and health in 2017!

Tasty Pear Sauce to Support the Lungs during Cold & Flu Season

11/22/2016

Pear sauce is an easy to prepare food remedy to help relieve the nagging, lingering dry cough with sticky, stubborn phlegm that seems to be characteristic of this fall’s cold virus. But don’t wait until you have a cold to try out this recipe – it’s also a healthy preventive snack that will strengthen your lungs and boost your immune system as we enter into the coldest, darkest months of the year. And it’s tasty!

Ingredients:

4 whole Pears (Bartlett’s work well)
½ cup Water
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Ginger powder
¼ tsp Cardamom
1-2 tsp Honey to taste

Total Time: 30min
Serves: 4-6

Directions:
Peel and chop pears into 1-2in. sized pieces.
Place chopped pears in medium saucepan, stir in water, lemon juice and spices and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and cover with lid for 15min or so, stirring occasionally until pears are soft and cooked throughout.
Remove from heat and add 1-2tsp honey to taste.
Blend cooked pears into pear sauce with blender, immersion blender, or for thicker chunky sauce mash with potato masher until desired texture is reached.

Serve! Pairs well (haha the pears pair well, get it?) with a savory winter squash recipe, or tasty for breakfast or mid-day snack with some nuts.

For those new to Chinese medical nutrition, foods are categorized by two main properties: their thermal nature and their flavors. When referring to thermal nature, we describe foods as hot, warming, neutral, cooling, or cold. The thermal nature describes how the food helps to balance the heat or cold natures within our bodies; do you feel warmer or cooler after eating certain kinds of foods? Warming foods help to support the more yang functions of our bodies; our body’s ability to digest foods, transform nutrients into useful substances, to fight off infections and rebuild after injuries, it’s the fire of metabolism. Cooling foods nourish the yin substances in our bodies; providing the building blocks for blood and body fluids, nutrients for muscles, bones, joints, and overall provide the physical substances that make our bodies.

There are five types of flavors in Chinese medical nutrition; salty, spicy, bitter, sweet and sour. These different flavors help to strengthen different organ systems and promote various functions in our bodies. For example the sweet flavor, referring to the sweetness of squash or grains instead of processed sugar, helps to strengthen the digestive system. The spicy flavor helps to open our pores and our sensory organs, clearing the lungs and nasal passages, and boosting circulation.

Following Chinese nutritional concepts by eating foods that are seasonally and climatically appropriate, tasty pear sauce is perfect for the late-fall in the Pacific Northwest. Pears are considered slightly cooling, as are most fruits, with the flavors of sweet & slightly sour. The sweetness helps to strengthen the lungs and digestive system to help clear excess phlegm and mucous from the body, while the cooling and sour nature helps to moisten dryness and quench thirst. Pears are particularly well suited for sticky, slightly yellow phlegm with dry throat and cough. They also help to ease constipation, which if severe can also contribute to shortness of breath as the lungs and diaphragm may not have space to descend fully on inhalation.

As pears are slightly cooling and moistening in nature and it’s already cold and damp outside during our Pacific NW fall and winter, we use warming spices and cook the pears to balance their nature and effect. For this recipe I’ve chosen cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to balance the cooling effect of the pears, to further support the phlegm relieving properties, and to support the digestive system. Cinnamon is one of the most frequently used food-grade herbs in Chinese herbalism and is quite popular in western cooking as well this time of year. Cinnamon is warming and invigorating to promote circulation throughout the chest and to the extremities, while its spicy flavor also helps to transform phlegm, harmonize digestion, and boost the immune system. Ginger and cardamom are also food-grade herbs; they are warming and have a particular affinity and beneficial effect with supporting the digestive system. Oftentimes following a cold our digestive system can be compromised, with reduced appetite and sluggish transit.

The honey, which can be added or left out of this recipe, is neutral in temperature and sweet in flavor. It helps to moisten the lungs and respiratory tract, easing dryness, reducing nasal congestion, and reducing constipation. Locally sourced, raw honey is particularly beneficial as a food-grade herb for those suffering from mild seasonal allergies in the spring and fall.

Enjoy!

Exciting News!

9/26/2016

I took some time off last month to marry my partner of four years - hooray! With our marriage I have changed my name to Stephanie Gregory. I also have a new business web address reflecting the change, www.stephaniegregorypdx.com, though my old web address will continue to forward to the new address for the forseeable future.

I am also happy to share that I recently took an Adjunct Faculty position at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine here in downtown Portland, teaching first-year Master’s degree students human anatomy. With this new teaching position, my private practice hours at Alberta Street Acupuncture Clinic have changed a bit, to include adding a full day of appointments available on Saturdays.

My private practice schedule for the September 2016 – June 2017 academic calendar is as follows:
Tuesdays 10am-7pm
Wednesday 9am-1pm
Fridays 10am-7pm
Saturdays 9am-3pm

Rest assured with these new hours, I still have plenty of availability to see lots of patients. As always, you’re welcome to schedule with me online via my website, or by phone at 503-893-5711. And don’t forget, the best time to boost your immune system before the flu-season is during the fall!

In health,
Stephanie (Grant) Gregory, MAcOM, LAc.

Happy Chinese New Year and Welcome to the Year of the Fire Monkey!

2/7/2016

February 8th, 2016 rings in the start of the lunar New Year and welcomes the playfulness of the Fire Monkey!

Fire years bring about full expression of the seeds of thoughts, ideas, and goals planted during the proceeding wood years. Now is the time for calling upon courage and strong-will, seizing opportunities, employing clear heart-centered communication and being creative to allow these ideas to develop, expand and flourish into tangible actions and results.

The energy of monkey years is much like the animal they’re named for – unpredictable, inventive, playful and curious. Being flexible and adaptable during a monkey year is highly encouraged, for one can never be too sure what lies ahead when dealing with monkeys! It’s also important to maintain a healthy sense of humor and wit to call upon during the unpredictability of monkey years. Enjoy the high energy, liveliness and optimism that monkeys bring.

The start of the lunar New Year is also the perfect time to set new intentions. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are a great way to cultivate health and wellness. I look forward to helping you meet your health goals in the year ahead.

Wishing you, your family and friends happiness, abundance and health in 2016!

Author

Stephanie Gregory, L.Ac. is a board-certified acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist practicing at Alberta Street Acupuncture Clinic in Portland, Oregon. She is also a Faculty member and Anatomy instructor at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.

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