Spring has officially arrived and is here to stay in the Chicagoland area! The flowers are blooming, the buds on the trees are flourishing, and the pollen is in the air. This also marks the beginning of my last trimester here at NUHS, as I will complete my MSOM degree in August. I promised myself that I would make more time to do things outside once the weather was warmer.

During one of my acupuncture clinic shifts at the NUHS Lombard Whole Health Clinic, I went for a quick walk between patient visits. I was really curious to see if the same bird family was going to re-nest in that tree on campus. It doesn’t look like it so far, but I will check in a few weeks to see if that changes. Last week I took a visit to Lilacia Park, which is about two miles from campus. What a good decision! The lilacs and tulips were in full bloom, and it was fragrant and quite beautiful. I think I found my new favorite study area for the summer.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is often in alignment with the cycles of nature. So as trees begin to come alive and expand, we must also mirror their energy and begin to increase our physical activity. To my fellow students, make sure you are spending some time outside each week, as a student balance is integral for our success.