Time seems to move faster and faster and we’ve just welcomed the Year of Fire Rooster! If you missed it in January, here’s your second chance to plan and set goals for this year!

I don’t really know much about Chinese Astrology but I’m hoping this year will not rock my boat too much. 🙂 From what I’ve been reading, 2017 is subject to the Fire element in its Yin form.

“Yin Fire expresses warmth and insight, as well as the quietness of privacy and family ties. Rooster Years are a combination of righteousness and justice, bombast and logistical efficiency.”

The Illinois Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ILAAOM) organized a celebratory dinner in Chinatown this past weekend and most of our AOM students and teachers attended. Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend because of my busy schedule and 4 exams coming up, but I was happy to hear everybody had a wonderful time. ILAAOM offered different scholarships, raffle prizes, an auction, and they also had a couple of speakers. I wish we could have these events more often and not only for the New Year!

Besides school, clinic and work, I kept myself busy with my monthly Center for Education and Development of Homeopathy (CEDH) seminars and an online course from Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine.

I’m proud to say I went back to my usual High Intensity Training (HIT) routine three times per week, bright and early in the morning! I’ve been dealing with some neck and shoulders issues and I thought exercising and some cupping would help me release some of the stress that gets stuck in those muscles. But I’m also dealing with the winter blues because I miss the sun so much!