Fall 2021

In the summer of 1983, The Police were on their Synchronicity Tour, my friends and I got tickets to see them at Shea Stadium, and I was about to turn 16.

I went for a physical, required for a bike trip. That was the summer’s highlight, breaking up the doldrums of a part time warehouse job. At the doctor, I flagged an odd asymmetry in my leg and 48 hours later I was having a (benign, but we didn’t know that at the time) bone tumor removed from my fibula.

I spent the summer in a giant plaster cast (no bike trip, no swimming, no Shea Stadium, you get the picture.) I went through most of 11th grade on crutches and then a cane. I got super defined arm muscles, one very strong leg, a dramatic looking scar, and an interest in all things medical. I look back and think that this was my first tilt toward the study of Chinese medicine.

Eventually I got back to biking, then running, and along the way, yoga, all without giving much thought to my slightly compromised leg but over the past year it’s posed a few challenges, some of them pretty humbling. I’m in desperate need of a reset, and I know I’m not alone.

On the heels of one of my favorite weekends, the NYC Marathon, I’m confident that I found it. Totally inspired, once again, by the 30,000+ runners, a few of whom I’ve had the privilege of working with, I'm capturing this fabulous energy, with plenty to spare. It’s impossible to watch it and not be affected.

Especially after a year and a half of grief, loss, anxiety, and uncertainty, we’re in need of exactly this kind of soul filling event. I can’t wait to see my runners in the office this coming week for their recovery. And to share their energy, pride, and satisfaction with everyone else. As we launch into the quiet season of winter, we need all the good juju we can muster – I have some to spare, thank you runners, and look forward to sharing it with you.

You’ll find me at either my Carroll Gardens or Manhattan locations, and together we’ll continue on the path to health.

Sikowitz.com

Summer 2021

I’ve given much thought to why house plants, gardening, puppies, and sourdough baking captured the imagination and time of many people, myself included, during the pandemic.

These small, steadfast reminders helped us truly understand that the only constant is change.  And after the year we’ve had, embracing change and uncertainty seems prudent.

Of the very many miles I walked over the past year-and-a-half, many were on the Brooklyn Bridge.  In February (though it feels like years ago) walking back and forth for my vaccinations felt just about perfect, unseasonably warm, a strange fog. I made this glorious structure my screen saver.  Seems perfect. 

OCTOBER, 2020

The only thing that is certain right now is whatever nature is serving up. Here in New York City, that means the leaves are changing colors, daylight hours are shrinking and the air is getting crisper. I take tremendous comfort in this predictable rhythm and have relished every single long walk, open sky, and fallen leaf.

We don’t know what the months ahead will bring.  In fact, that’s probably the biggest lesson we’ve learned from all of this: the unknown is greater than the known. So let’s find our way through this together, connected, and as healthy as possible.

Before March, 2020, most patients coming in described their stress levels as ‘high’. And back then, that was accurate. But now, many months into this pandemic, those days are nostalgic memories of how ‘easy’ things used to be.

Anxiety, coupled with a level of grief, a collective mourning for all that we’ve lost is real, and requires focus and attention to manage, lest it overwhelm us. Get help. Take time for yourself and your loved ones. We’re in this together.

March, 2020 Unprecedented Times

Dear Friends,
 
In a word, unprecedented. These are uniquely scary times.   
 
Yesterday, seeking solace in routine, I jogged over to Brooklyn Bridge Park.  I glimpsed the Statue of Liberty just as the B52s came on and I won’t lie, I felt a lump in my throat.  The B52s take me back to the early 80s – big hair, parachute pants, and hardly a care in the world, though the cares seemed big at the time.  The Statue of Liberty always brings my Grandma Lily to mind, and though I’ve run this route a thousand times, this combo, at this moment, got me.  
 
Grandma Lily had a long and storied life.  She arrived in New York around her 7th birthday, having left Poland to escape religious persecution.  She arrived in New York Harbor with her sisters -- poor, barely literate in Polish, her mother terrified and facing a new life filled with challenges, and yet, Lily always had the cheeriest of outlooks. A call to her any time throughout my life meant basking in her several-second-long sing-songy greeting in her unmistakable voice:  Dah-ling!  It was worth the long-distance bill.

 
Today, I am doing my best to channel Grandma Lily.  It’s not easy, so I’ve adopted a mantra:
 

Control what you can control

 
 Toward that end, here are some of the things I’m trying to control, and I’m hoping you’ll consider joining me:

• Social Media:  Set a timer, and power down all screens an hour before bedtime.

• Food and Drink:  Of course, maintaining a healthy diet is more important now than ever.

• Check In:  Reach out to friends and family, especially those who are positive influences in your life.

• And Me:  Please check in with me!  While I’ve closed my practice temporarily, I would love to hear from you; I’m happy to communicate via email, or set up a time to catch up on FaceTime or a phone call.  At a minimum, I can walk you through some acupressure points that are extremely helpful in times like this.  It’s barely been a minute, and I already miss my office, my work, and you.

• Interested in supporting your immune system?  Here is a video from Peter Deadman, a beloved scholar, writer and teacher in the Chinese medicine world, which he has generously shared.

• And there is no wrong way to massage the most immune supportive acupuncture point in the world, used in 99% of all point prescriptions and shown in the photo here, right below the knee. 
   
  I know if I could call Grandma Lily today, she’d promise me everything would be okay, and I’d hang up feeling a little bit better.  I hope this email provides even a moment of that kind of reassurance.  
   
  I’ll be back, and I can’t wait to see you when I am.
   
  In Solidarity,
  
  Margaret 
  
  

Sikowitz.com
119 West 23 Street
 Suite 802 
New York,  NY 10011
 

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Winter 2019

Oh winter – how you make it difficult.  Short days, cold weather, drab skies, and though rare this winter, piles of old snow.  The Chinese medicine calendar long ago understood the challenges this season poses and says that in deep winter it’s time to hunker down and relax.  The Danish, I've more recently come to learn, even have a special word for this — hygge — that many have come to embrace.  But it’s the rare New Yorker who can unplug, curl up and re-emerge when those first daffodils surface.

So, how to cope? Since I’ve spent nearly every winter of my life in New York, I’ve gotten it down to a science.  Here’s what works for me:

Sleep: 8 hours is a great goal.  If you have the chance on weekends, stay in bed later than usual and read, relax, rest. 

Eat: eat well, especially cooked foods, and on a regular schedule.   A planned, moderate food plan with regularly scheduled meals is key to preserving energy. Try following my mantra – if it’s food, eat it . . .if it has a bar code, skip it.

Move:  this one can be tricky.  I’m much less likely to run or hop on a bike before or after work when it’s dark and cold outside, and I’m really not a gym person.  So I try to mix up my routine and involve a friend who can help me stay on track.  If I say I’m going to be there, I am much less likely to hit snooze.  

In those rare moments when you get sunlight, movement and good company, take it.  A perfect winter walk is a very special thing 

Winter is finite, and a great time to recharge the batteries.  Take full advantage.  Spring is around the corner (46 days at the time of this writing)! But who’s counting?

Spring 2018

Hello!

Happy Spring. 

What a long winter that was, too. Flowers are in full bloom and plans are set for good summers all around. This is the nature of the The Year of the Dog, busy, active and on the go. If you're born in a dog year (1970, 1982, 1994, 2006) this is your time. Prepare for mostly harmonious relationships and pay off for your loyalty. 

Not a Dog? Me neither, but I'm still finding it's a time for hard work, taking comfort in the important relationships ('Human's Best Friend', and all) and the pure pleasure of finding fun wherever possible. Think Snoopy. That's got to be good.

So, let's keep this good thing going. I have even more tools to keep you healthy, having finished an amazing two-and-a-half years of study with a world expert in dermatology and autoimmune disorders - a tremendous boon to my patients. 

One of the other constant sources of inspiration is my own effort to age with grace and good health. Let's be clear: I'm not that old, but, still that's what the process is called! So, with every mile I jog (6th half marathon is this Spring, yes!) each OM on the yoga mat, and every Citi Bike errand I run (yes, with a helmet) I'm thinking of how to use Chinese medicine to benefit the process. I am very confident that I can help you do the same (young and old alike).