READ THE BLOG
not your typical acupuncturist’s blog
Prior to becoming an acupuncturist, I was ravenous for information on the medicine.
I scoured the early aughts internet for anything I could find, but there were too many missing pieces. Tragedy struck the psychology lab I worked in, and I made the decision to switch from helping people through a western lens to helping people through an eastern lens.
Now, I get to write some of that content that I had hoped to find…
…and it turns out that a decade into practice, what I write about is not at all what I would have expected from myself back then… and that’s ok. I think some of it is better, because rather than being an encyclopedia of acupuncture knowledge, this blog views life through the lens of Chinese medicine, which helps you understand better how it can help you in your everyday life.
xo, Chryssa
Caring for the Girls: A Self-Guided Breast Ritual for Tenderness, Knowledge, and Resistance
Blog 9 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: AND OTHER STORIES ABOUT YOUR GIRLS
This final post in This Might Be Dense isn’t more data; it’s devotion. Download a self-guided ritual to connect with your breasts in tenderness, presence, and power.
On Stardust, Microplastics, and the Divine Body That Holds Them
Blog 8 of This Might Be Dense: And Other Stories About Your Girls.
Your body is made of stardust… and microplastics. Born into a world saturated with synthetic chemicals, we carry the burden of modern life in our cells. But even polluted bodies deserve reverence. This is a love letter to resilience, grief, and the sacred act of choosing beauty anyway.
This Might Be Dense, But It’s Also Yours
Blog 7 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
Women have always passed wisdom through conversation. Before search engines, there was gossip: vilified by patriarchy, but essential for survival. This post is an invitation to reclaim the power of talking about our bodies, out loud, with each other. Because silence has never kept us safe. But each other? We just might.
BI-RADS, Risk, and the Rating Game
Blog 6 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
Your mammogram says “BI-RADS 3.” Your breasts are dense. You’re told to “follow up in six months”… but you’re left with no plan and no peace of mind. This post breaks down what your report actually means, how to understand your real risk, and how to advocate for care that sees the whole picture.
The Screening Situation
Blog 5 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
Mammograms miss up to 50% of cancers in dense breasts. Learn why standard screening may not be enough, and how to advocate for the imaging you deserve.
When the Girls Are Always Yelling
Blog 4 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
Fibrocystic breasts hurt. A lot. This post unpacks the invisible toll of chronic breast pain, how it affects sexuality and embodiment, and how to support your body with care instead of dismissal.
Milk, Density, and What No One Told You
Blog 3 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
We track everything during pregnancy… except the breasts that are expected to feed our babies. This blog explores a theory: do dense breasts make more milk? With tenderness and a little righteous rage, we unpack the overlooked connection between breast tissue, lactation, and the postpartum body.
Not All Girls Are Built the Same.
Blog 2 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
Breasts aren’t static objects. Learn how breast tissue actually works, how density affects pain and detection, and why knowing your body is a radical act.
Mine Now: From Object to Self
Blog 1 of THIS MIGHT BE DENSE: and other stories about your girls
When breasts are claimed before you’ve claimed them yourself, embodiment becomes anti-patriarchy work. This blog is about reclaiming what’s always been yours.
Is Acupuncture Worth It?
Acupuncture is an ancient practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), focusing on restoring balance and promoting the body’s natural healing processes. But in today’s fast-paced world, many people are used to quick fixes: take a pill, suppress a symptom, and move on.
Acupuncture takes a different approach. It works with your body, addressing root causes instead of masking symptoms. If you’re considering acupuncture but are hesitant about the cost or commitment, let’s explore what you’re really investing in.
What is a feminist facial?
Many people walk into a session expecting a beauty treatment.
They expect to be pampered, to receive something indulgent. And they do, but not in the way they thought.
Instead of walking out with a new mask, they leave having shed one.
Life Requires Care: Embracing the Reality of Being Alive
Those feelings of wanting to take the easy way out when it comes to being human reflect Patriarchal Earth: Accumulation happens when we don’t do the work of maintenance (think about if you never vacuumed — dust and other gross things accumulate) and accumulation can feel heavy, so it then further diminishes our ability to maintain. (For anyone well versed in TCM: this is phlegm.)
TL;DR: WE’RE NOT IN THE PRACTICE OF TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES.
PMS and Sensory Overload: A Wake-Up Call to Lighten the Load.
Suddenly, everything is too much: too loud, too bright, too… too.
The things you usually handle with ease — partner forgets to unload the dishwasher, leaving it to you; dog barks because a person deigns to walk past your house; coffee spills because you looked up while walking — feel unbearable.
You might think (or be conditioned to say and believe) that you’re irrational or overreacting, but the truth is far simpler: your body is responding exactly as it’s designed to during this phase of your cycle. The world isn’t any noisier or brighter; your ability to filter and tolerate it has simply shifted.
And while, based on the world we live in, that doesn’t feel ok, our bodies are still ok for doing it. I promise. Even though the world doesn’t have space for it, even though women are derided and chastised and any emotion is chalked up to PMS with a big eye roll, here’s my take on why feeling those things can actually help you move through the uncomfortable feelings, come out the other side, and better your world and the world around you because of it.
Utilizing acupuncture in the management of post-viral sequelae.
no, i didn’t author a study.
Catchy name though, right?
I just think it’s important to think about the utilization of folk medicine and standardized versions of what we consider “alternative” medicine when it comes to the basic maintenance of our meat suits.
your face, the storyteller.
When faced with change (even something seemingly small, like relaxing a habitual facial expression) the nervous system often reacts with fear and rigidity. It perceives the unfamiliar as a threat. However, discomfort doesn’t always mean that something is wrong; it’s often an indicator of growth, especially within a safely held space.
“So, how did you become an acupuncturist?”
Many of my current patients met me blonde — it’s how I’ve been most of my postpartum life — so now that I’m back to my natural color, I get the question, “Why did you choose to go so dark??” a LOT.
And the truth is, my hair has always been a reflection of the way I navigate life: a little chaotic, deeply intuitive, and rarely in a straight line. Every new shade or style has marked a transformation — of how I see myself, of what I’ve learned, and of the direction I’m moving toward. Becoming an acupuncturist was no different. It’s been a winding path, full of detours and reinventions, but looking back, I can see it all had to happen this way.
I'd say let's talk about the elephant in the room...
It's a lot of wildly swinging hormones, for a lot of women in their late 30s and into their 40s (and 50s!).
That is a huge rotating portion of the population and yet most women are left in the dark about this inevitable period of time in their lives.
Damp Heat, you MoFo.
To be clear: this doesn’t mean shirking comfort! In fact, this is a an attempt to find more comfort in things. The more flexible you are with your definition of what it means to be physically comfortable, the more comfort you’re actually going to feel.
Earth-Centered Medicine
This mirrors the philosophical idea of “as within, so without” — as within meaning what’s going on inside of you, so without meaning what’s going on outside of you.
It’s not a perfect theory, but it’s a lens you can use as a tool to help center where you are and how your environment affects you: for instance, do you surround yourself with people who let you stay petty, or do your people challenge you to make yourself better? Do you exist in an environment that smothers you, or is it one that allows you to thrive?
Consistency is not exciting, and why routine gets a bad rap.
A small way around this can be to engage in what's called microproductivity: where you break larger tasks down into smaller, more manageable bits.
When you do this, you reduce overwhelm and increase your odds of not procrastinating yourself into oblivion.