As the the world is breaking down right before our eyes, it is important to understand the opportunities we have at hand to make large scale changes. During this episode, the Prescriptshens crew took it upon ourselves to layout how we must seek to understand, accept, and champion ideas that differ from what we perceive to be our normal. This includes concepts, perspectives, and visions that might have been labeled "far-fetched," "impossible," or even "radical". It is from this place of conversation that our group believes, many of the issues we are currently facing as well as the longstanding struggles that have surfaced, can be tackled. The globe was hit hard this year and all of us are coming to realize just how sacred our mental health is when so much of our "normal" lives have been lost. We hope that many of you our there listening resonate with this discussion in order to take it upon yourselves to further the conversation that brings integration rather than separation.  

As the human race continues to deal with unrest on a multitude of levels, the PrescriptShens crew decided we should unpack how these unprecedented times are affecting the youth. The question of a generation being labeled as the "lockdown gen" or the "protest gen," functioned as a fulcrum to the conversation. These events which for many are once in a lifetime type moments, are easily ingrained into the growth cycle of our children. Psychology recognizes a specific criteria known as Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs), that predispose children to future mental health related struggles. Therefore we wanted to offer our perspective and suggestions regarding how to manage ACEs and overcome the inherent labels of the world's current events. So if you are a parent, caretaker, or mentor of any kind, please be weary of how future generations are internalizing the present unstable conditions on earth. 

As the title eludes to, this week's topic was all about shadow work. Due to the immense pressure cooker we have all been in during the time of Covid-19, our team decided to jump in the deep end of our internal darkness. As you listen though, we hope you find the glimmers of hope, light, and evolution as we believe all forms of transformation must begin with some semblance of struggle. It is this very peculiar situation of doom and dismay that drives us to actually address the personalized lessons each of us are faced with during times of adversity. As we shared our experiences, we wish for all of our listeners to voice theirs. For it is of the utmost importance that we as humans honor the shadow work in one another so that we may all rise above the vail of Covid-19. Listen to your Shadow, it knows, so go out there and play! 

In the midst of quarantine, the PrescriptShens crew took to zoom for its first ever virtual podcast discussion to tackle the idea of connection & our future social paradigm. As the world as we knew it is in the past, humanity must shift itself along with our perception of ourselves and each other. This topic traversed healthcare, politics, and social dynamics, in order to encapsulate how we as a collective are facing the metaphorical mirror during this time of stillness. As a result we are all left with the questioning of who we are, how we see our fellow women and men, and the envisioning of what comes next for us all. Through the lens of Chinese Medicine and taking into account mental health, we all came to agree that a period of unprecedented Yin will yield much positive and transformative change (yang) energy. Let's all believe in HOPE! 

As we all in this global community tussle with the ever changing environment at hand, Prescriptshens wanted to tackle the idea of how to stay calm. In times of struggle is when we most surprise ourselves, along with seeing different facets of our being as well as within others. These times of large shifts upset the balance to a point where it is all but impossible not to react. Although, as we mention in this podcast, what are the ways to find equanimity or some sense of harmony during this change that comes from a place of such mystery. From those discoveries, come great enlightenment and ease. We wish everyone the best as that journey is only known to each individual. 

The Prescriptshens crew took on the topic of interpersonal and environmental generosity in order to bring awareness to a cycle of reciprocity that can both nourish ourselves along with the world around us. As we have spoke on in the past, humans are a microcosm to the large universe around us, therefore in showing gratitude and compassion to our habitat we inevitably receive that back in an exponential manner. This truth holds water for the case in which we as humans learn to come from a place of generosity towards one another that bolsters the global community in way that allows us to see value in more than ourselves, leading to the inspiration of stewards of the world rather than the individual. 

Our discussion honed in on our own personal experiences with self care as well as experiential wisdom gained from interacting with others. We delved into the importance of creating a routine, setting boundaries, increasing awareness, and most of all giving yourself the space to honor however you choose to nurture your being. Learned or unlearned concepts of self soothing along with acknowledging our inner child prefaced the forum of the how and why certain individuals are better or worse off at truly finding their self love and care. Finally we correlated the 5 element system to societal trends and forecasted the future themes to which would elicit change in the realm of large scale self care. 

Aging can manifest in a multitude of ways for each individual, but the constant is that it will happen to all of us. The choice we as people need to make is how do we deal with that fate. In this discussion we laid out topics, trends, and questions to invoke the inquisition of our listeners to examine their relationship with aging. Is there prevention, adjustment, or crisis when faced with the human reality of a changing body, mind, and soul. Whether that change has a direct correlation to one's mental decline or the fact that aging can be difficult to accept, in either case we must protect our Shens preemptively. 

Relationships play such a pivotal role in our lives, that at times we might need an elevated perspective to truly account for the complexities at hand. These relationships come in all forms, both intra- and inter- personal, ranging from familial, romantic, intimate, societal, business, environmental, and of course humanistic universality. In navigating relationships, we learn about the world within and outside of ourselves. This is an opportunity to bring those two worlds into balance, but as we all know, life isn't always easy within those relationships. As a result, processing, integration, growth, and healing will all need to occur, time and time again. Therefore, we urge all of you in the PrescriptShens community to examine and reorient yourself within any relationships that you deem out of alignment. 
& as Dee Dee stated "if you are having trouble with that [reorientation], we can provide herbs to help."

~ PrescriptShens 
Dee Dee, Hoang, Jessica, Sean 

With a focus on Pediatrics, our group talked about the array of modalities and perspectives needed to treat one of population's most sensitive groups. Kids are in a constant state of growth and absorption, therefore it is even more important to stay on top of their health and abilities to thrive. In regards to mental health, adverse childhood experiences (ACE) is one of the most prominent factors in predisposing the youth to future issues with mental health. As we spoke about in this podcast, digestion in children is immature, which can be related beyond simply diet, but instead includes all potential stimuli in a child's life. Consequently we as healthcare providers understand this facet and seek to help our youth in their journey by reinstating the "it takes a village" philosophy. This village is not simply made of people, rather a complex multiplicity of resources, experiences, and therapies that lead to healthy relationships in the home nucleus plus worldwide community. 
POWER TO THE KIDS!