Welcome to the Blog!
Know your body, transform your life, with Dr. Liz Carter
New to the blog? Start Here...
Choose a category to dive into the top picks of my articles and guides to get you started.

Can you treat trauma as an acupuncturist? My perspective after 14+ years in the field
Trauma has been a huge buzzword in the natural healing space in recent years and has only picked up steam post-pandemic.
People are more dysregulated and overburdened than ever.
They’re aware that they have health issues caused by trauma and they’re struggling to find solutions.
You might be feeling the call more than ever to treat trauma in your practice and if you’re like most acupuncturists, you need to feel like you’re truly helping your patients in order to feel fulfilled in your practice.
So what’s an acupuncturist to do? Can you actually help people with their trauma?

You don’t need to do talk therapy to treat trauma as an acupuncturist. Here’s why Use a bodywork-based approach to decrease your stress and be more effective
Many acupuncturists are intimidated to treat trauma because they think they need to approach it like a psychotherapist would.
Acupuncturists don’t receive the kind of education needed to facilitate those conversations and treatments so of course you’ll feel out of your depth!
In order to effectively treat trauma as an acupuncturist, you need a different game plan.
One where you rely on your strength as a bodywork practitioner because bodywork can be extremely effective for trauma and emotional concerns.
![Simple + Festive Pumpkin Pie [Dairy Free, Egg Free, Refined Sugar Free, Gluten free option] Enjoy this classic dessert with an allergen-friendly twist](https://www.drlizcarter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Pumpkin-Pie-for-blog-1080x675.jpg)
Simple + Festive Pumpkin Pie [Dairy Free, Egg Free, Refined Sugar Free, Gluten free option] Enjoy this classic dessert with an allergen-friendly twist
This pie is the perfect blend of pleasant warming spices, sweetness, and it has a great texture without needing eggs.
The filling is vegan and refined sugar free. It would be very easy to add dairy back in if that’s your preference!
And I have a few crust options for you! I’ve included my Grandma Marie’s lard crust that everyone in my family uses. It’s simple and never fails. It’s also easy to use butter instead.
If you can’t do gluten, here’s a gluten free crust recipe that goes well with this pie.

How I Teach My Patients to Do Intermittent Fasting Learn from my 10 years of personal and professional experience
This blog is a follow up to The Truth about Intermittent Fasting which is an in-depth look at my personal experience with intermittent fasting and how it impacted my struggle with anorexia and binge eating.
It’s a great blog for anyone who has disordered eating, body image issues, and those who are tired of generalized nutrition advice that’s so hyped up it’s hard to tell what’s a money making trend and what’s actually helpful for your health.
So we’re on the same page, let’s define intermittent fasting.
With intermittent fasting, you’re choosing a period of time to eat and a period of time to not eat, or fast, each day.

The Truth About Intermittent Fasting Get clarity around when it’s beneficial and when it’s harmful
Intermittent fasting has taken the nutrition world by storm over the last few years.
Like any craze, there’s bound to be legions of enthusiastic followers who have tried it out for 2 weeks then start proclaiming that it’s the best thing in the world and EVERYONE SHOULD DO IT.
The truth is much more nuanced, as you might have guessed.
I want to lay it all out for you, from the benefits to the subversive, hidden messaging that comes with any nutritional fad.
I’ve included my own experience with intermittent fasting and my clinical experience working with patients who are interested in it.

Diagnosing Level in 5 Element Acupuncture Get to the root imbalance and help your patients heal
One of the main differences between 5 element and TCM is diagnosing and treating the level of your patients’ dis-ease.
In 5e, it’s crucial for the practitioner to ascertain on which level – body, mind, or spirit – their patient’s discomfort is primarily located during every treatment.
Here’s how and why we need to diagnose level for our patients to get the best treatment outcomes.

Integrating the 5 Elements into Your TCM Practice It’s easier than you think and benefits you and your patients
One of the biggest questions I get from practitioners is if they can integrate the 5 elements and TCM into their diagnostic and treatment process.
Yes you definitely can, and it’s easier than you might think.
Let’s dive into why you can integrate them so smoothly, how you might integrate them, and the main benefits of doing so.

Why You Need to Know Your Own Elements As a Practitioner Enhance your clinical abilities and your own health
As practitioners, we know that our role is to help our patients heal.
What many of us often overlook is how our own health and internal balance contributes to our patients’ progress.
The 5 elements are an excellent tool to help you understand your patients, but also to increase your insight into yourself.
Here’s how knowing your own elements as a practitioner can enhance your clinical abilities and lead to happier, healthier patients.