Zero Balancing I

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: August 20, 2025

11-14 December 2025

ZB I is a 25-hour professional, hands-on, body-mind therapy training, taught by Michele Doucette DC at Vermont Acupuncture and Wellness – 161 North Street in Burlington Vermont.

25 CEUs for MT, PT, OT, DC (VT), LAc
Register before October 11 at $595, November 11 at $695, and $795 thereafter. Email Michele directly to get the promo code for early registration.

What is more fun than feeling vital life force moving through your bones?  How does the skeleton relate to the deepest flow of energy and information in the body?  What happens in a patient’s life when they become grounded in the feeling of their unique embodied essence and and begin to live life with presence, ease, and grace?  How do tension patterns in the body form filters trough which people relate to themselves and others?  What are the mechanisms of held trauma and how is it released from the body? How can skilled, conscious touch reach all levels of a person; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual? How does transformative touch contribute to the evolution of humanity?  Join this joyful, creative, theoretically expansive, and clinically essential class and set things in serious motion in your personal and professional life.

Zero Balancing is a unique, hands-on, bodywork system of healing. It combines the Western view of medicine and science from the field of osteopathy with Eastern concepts of energy and healing from the field of acupuncture. ZB affects the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) by providing both structural therapy and energy medicine simultaneously.

Practitioners learn to engage, evaluate, and balance the deepest currents of movement through bones, joints, ligaments, and other soft tissue. Through touch we learn to access the body’s “interoceptive” mechanism of conscious awareness, self-referencing, and physical, as well as psycho-emotional, resilience. ZB facilitates deep relaxation that relieves musculoskeletal tension patterns caused by stress, injury, illness, suboptimal posture, etc.

ZB offers the opportunity to work with expanded states of consciousness and to address imbalances in energy fields that precede pathology (illness). It promotes an expansive meditative state that is grounded in the body and often allows clients to experience greater self-awareness, mindfulness, and insight into their personal health and wellness. ZB is effective for pain relief, improved joint function, and ease of movement. Side effects may include peace, happiness, clarity, and personal growth as ZB brings a person closer to his or her true nature.

It changes lives.

After 30 years of practicing ZB and 20 years of teaching it, I am still amazed and delighted at how profound, how relevant, how essential this work is for the world. ZB facilitates innate healing by creating the opportunity for people to feel their essential, true self and release tension patterns and subconscious programming that do not serve their highest good. It is effective for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness simultaneously because we learn to access the whole person through touch. It is my honor and my great delight to continue to share this work here in Vermont and internationally. 

Michele Doucette DC

Zero Balancing Faculty

ZBHA Board of Directors, chair

25 CEUs for MT, PT, OT, DC (VT), LAc
Register before October 11 at $595, November 11 at $695, and $795 thereafter.

Class will be held at Vermont Acupuncture and Wellness – 161 North Street in Burlington, VT.

Hours are 9-5. Note: this will be a small class with lots of one on one instruction. In the likely event it stays small, it will be condensed into three days December 11-13 (Thursday-Saturday)

To learn more visit zerobalancing.com and drmicheledoucette.com (check out the blog section for essays and videos about ZB)For more information contact Dr. Doucette at bones@sover.net   802-258-0459
Michele teaches in a way that my body can hear.
— Megan Shewe, OT

Getting a ZB session is like walking through a garden path…to myself.
— Diane L, client

I was not expecting to learn so many new things. I thought the class would just deepen my previous knowledge. Nice surprise! When I first took a class with Michele, a dozen years ago, I thought her to be an intelligent, professional, and highly knowledgeable teacher of ZB. Now, I see her as a wise woman; all that she was, and now so much more. She just KNEW what we needed as a class.
— Mary D’Amico PT

Zero Balancing compliments and augments the effectiveness of all my chiropractic care. It’s respect and attention to the whole person amplifies effective adjusting, regardless of technique, and allows magnified expression of a healthy nervous system
— Sean Lynch DC

”When I am in a Zero Balancing session, i am in awe of my own body…that I could feel so much joy in my own body.”   — E. Stewart, client

Each fulcrum we practiced clearly touched both practitioner and person on the table deeply.
— Chris Allen, LMT

I find that simple ZB techniques to the spine really helps to integrate the chiropractic adjustment. Patients feel the difference, a sense of calm in the nervous system as it releases tension and tissue-held information  — Cindy Marcus DC                                                             

I’ve had a quantum leap forward in “knowing” what I am feeling in my hands and body. This work addresses the body in a way that supports, but goes well beyond basic  protocols.
— Mary Bradley, PT
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All Heal Salve

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: August 20, 2025

You may have noticed this unassuming little pot of salve on the shelf in my office. It may not seem like much, but this stuff is amazing! At the end of a walk recently my toes started hurting and I noticed I had an abrasion on one of my toes that was red and sore. I wondered if a tiny pebble got stuck in my shoe that irritated that area, or if it was more about the sultry heat. I was concerned that it was going to effect my future ability to walk and hike, so I found my salve and rubbed it on a few times. It felt better quickly and the redness went away too. I didn’t skip a beat and continued with lots of walking and hiking.

When my son was a toddler he used to get red spots on his inner thighs that I thought were bug bites. After trying various things that didn’t work I realized it was actually folliculitis, the inflammation or infection of hair follicles, the pores in your skin from which hair grows. His skin was getting irritated from urine. I put some All Heal Salve on there and voila. Since then I have recommended this product to several people for folliculitis and have had some happy customers.

All Heal Salve by WiseWays Herbals contains burdock root, chickweed leaf, calendula flower, comfrey leaf, echinacea leaf & flower, plantain leaf, St. John’s wort leaf & flower, and flower and gem essences in a base of olive oil and beeswax. These herbs come together to produce some impressive wound-healing synergy. It can be used on rashes, cold sores, minor cuts, scrapes and bruises, and other skin irritations. It is safe enough to be used on diaper rash and other sensitive body parts, and can be used on pets and horses too!

A great item for the medicine cabinet and it’s only $10.50 for 1 oz.

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HU58 & MegaSporeBiotic

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: July 23, 2025

Here are a couple Microbiome Labs probiotic products that I carry in my office: HU58 and MegaSporeBiotic. MegaSpore is Microbiome Labs’ flagship product and HU58 is its little sister. I love this company’s top of the line products.

HU58 is a single-strain probiotic with a concentrated dose of Bacillus subtilis HU58, formulated to support healthy immune function and maintain a healthy balance of intestinal microflora. It is a good probiotic to use in cases of gut infections and elevated ammonia levels. This product is gentler than many other more diverse probiotic supplements and is well tolerated by many people. It’s a good place to begin to restore the gut microbiome and then move to MegaSporeBiotic

MegaSporeBiotic is a probiotic blend of 5 Bacillus spores that have been shown to maintain healthy gut barrier and immune function:

  • Bacillus Licheniformis – Produces proteases that aid protein digestion, Produces full spectrum of B vitamins
  • Bacillus Indicus HU36 – Produces carotenoids: lycopene, astaxanthin, beta-carotene, and lutein, Produces quinols and vitamins
  • Bacillus Subtilis HU58 – Produces nattokinase and vitamin K2, Supports healthy GALT development
  • Bacillus Clausii – Supports immune function
  • Bacillus Coagulans – Produces L+ optical form of lactic acid, Supports immune function

The function of these strains of bacillus is to shift the pH of the gut and crowd out pathogenic bacteria to create space for keystone species.

Both of these products are spore based. The bi-phasic life cycle of the Bacillus spores allows them to remain dormant in harsh environments such as the stomach until they reach more favorable environments like the human gastrointestinal tract.

Once inside the large intestine, these dormant spores can change into their active, vegetative forms and begin colonizing in the gut. MegaSporeBiotic aims to RECONDITION the gut instead of reseeding with probiotic strains that cannot survive digestion or colonize the gut.

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Stool Testing with BiomeFx

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: July 23, 2025

As we’ve been talking about the microbiome, you might be thinking, “how do I know what’s going on in MY gut?” Stool testing is the primary way to analyze the community in your system, and BiomeFx is the testing lab that I use in my office.

BiomeFx is a convenient at-home stool test AND a comprehensive microbiome health assessment tool. It provides us with precise and detailed information about your microbiome’s health, composition, and activities. BiomeFx identifies which microorganisms are in your gut, which are missing, and how their presence (or lack thereof) affects your gut microbiome’s overall health and function. Using BiomeFx test results, we can design a personalized treatment plan that includes diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations to restore balance in your gut microbiome and enhance your overall health.

Exposure to specific risk factors can promote an unhealthy balance in your gut microbiome. These include:

  • Recent or frequent antibiotic use
  • Natural antimicrobials, including herbal formulas
  • Special or limited diet
  • Low fiber diet
  • Highly processed food diet
  • Foods and beverages containing artificial sweeteners
  • Stress
  • Poor sleep issues
  • Environmental toxin exposure
  • Smoking
  • Intense athletic training
  • Excessive alcohol use

If you have experienced any of these and have concerns about how this may impact the health of your microbiome, and your health in general, talk to me about getting this test done.

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Microbiome 101

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: June 22, 2025

We’ve been hearing a lot in the media about the microbiome, but what is it and why is it so important?

The microbiome is the general term for all of the microscopic organisms: bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, etc; that live in and on the human body. Most often when people are talking about the microbiome, they’re referring to the organisms that live in the gut, but we have different microbiomes on the skin, in the mouth, in the lungs, and in the urogenital tract. The gut microbiome is, however, the most densely populated and best studied.

Why it matters: For years there was a trend to think that all microbes were bad, and to be truly healthy we needed our bodies to be as clean as possible. This is when all of the antibacterial hand soaps, gels, and cleaning products became popular. But as we got cleaner, we saw a rise in illnesses such as allergies, asthma, and autoimmune conditions. The Hygiene Hypothesis suggests that our exposure to microbes early in life is important to the proper development of the immune system and research has shown that the more diverse our microbiome, the healthier we are!

In addition to helping us build a healthy immune system, a diverse and thriving microbiome helps to digest foods that our bodies can’t break down and turn them into nutrients, especially B vitamins and vitamin K, and short-chain fatty acids. (We’ll write about those in the future.) They protect us from harmful microbes by acting as a sort of internal police force. And they play an important role in mood and brain function (also referred to as the gut-brain axis). An imbalance in the gut microbiome can be linked to issues such as obesity, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and mental health conditions.

Now that we know what the microbiome is and what it does, how to we help it to be healthy? There are several things that influence our microbiome development and ongoing health. We inherit our microbes from our mother when we are born, so it’s important to make sure that babies born via C-section get this exposure. Antibiotics should be avoided except when truly necessary because these can indiscriminately kill the bacteria in our bodies, creating imbalance. To strengthen and diversify our microbiome, it’s important to eat a variety of plant foods and avoid excessive amounts of processed foods. Environment and lifestyle also affect our microbiome as stress and pollutants can negatively impact our critters.

When our microbiome has been depleted because of these factors, good ways to help build them back up is to eat lots of fermented foods like kimchee, lacto-fermented pickles, and yogurt, increase our intake of plant foods including veggies, fruits, herbs and spices, and, if necessary, take probiotics and prebiotics. We are now carrying two probiotic products from Microbiome Labs: HU58 and MegaSporeBiotic. Ask us which one is right for you!

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Beautiful and medicinal peonies

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: June 22, 2025

Peony root is commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine. We use white and red peony, and also the outer bark of the tree peony.

Classically red and white peony were not differentiated; it wasn’t until the sixth century that their distinct therapeutic actions were recognized. Read on to learn more about the different varies we use medicinally.

I’m pretty much obsessed with peonies. I had a bouquet of lovely pink peonies at my wedding 18 years ago. My anniversary is next week!

Here are some peonies that I have been growing. None of these are the specific variety we use in Chinese herbal medicine. I’m working on getting the medicinal varieties next.

White Peony root – Bai Shao – Paeoniae Lactiflorae Alba Radix

sour, bitter, mildly cold

enters Liver, Spleen channels

Bai Shao nourishes and cools blood, softens the Liver, extinguishes wind and relieves muscle cramps and pain – especially when used with Gan Cao – licorice. Bai Shao is in the Tonify Blood category.

Bai Shao’s sour flavor restrains the Liver, anchoring the blood and preventing the yang from floating upwards. It is therefore used in formulas that have a calming effect and can be helpful with palpitations, anxiety or insomnia.

It harmonizes the nutritive Qi and is used together with Cinnamon Twig – Gui Zhi – to harmonize the surface / defensive Qi (aka immune system).

Red Peony root – Chi Shao – Paeoniae Radix Rubra

bitter, sour, slightly cold

enters Liver, Spleen channels

Chi Shao is bitter and therefore somewhat draining, and it is in the Regulate the Blood category. It invigorates blood, expels stagnation and stops pain. Like it’s white cousin, it is also nourishing to the Liver blood, but clears more heat from the blood.

Tree Peony root – Mu Dan Pi – Moutan Radicis Cortex

acrid, bitter, slightly cold

enters Heart, Liver, Kidney

I love the smell of Mu Dan Pi.

Mu Dan Pi is in the Clear Heat category and is often used with Sheng Di Huang – fresh rehmannia to clear heat from the blood. It also gently invigorates the blood to disperse stagnation. When used with Chi Shao – red peony – the invigorating properties are enhanced. 

Tree Peonies have a woody stem that doesn’t die back every year. It’s the bark that is used medicinally.

I think this one is actually Peaonia veitchii even though when I bought it said it was a tree peony. Let’s see if I can get a real one for next spring.

Stunning, right?

White Peony
Tree Peony
Yellow peony
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Let your Qi flow with Zero Balancing

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: May 7, 2025

Happy Spring. It is here! Buds are popping out everywhere.

This is the time of year when fresh new life sprouts up and out of the ground – from dormancy to action. When the yang energy rises upward in the spring there is a risk that it can get stuck, causing stagnation which can show up as headaches or other pain – or emotionally as in irritability or frustration.

Every spring I recommend moving the body – exercise helps your Qi flow. In addition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and Zero Balancing can be of great help.

I spent this past weekend hosting and participating in an advanced Zero Balancing class about the Spirit of the 5 Elements. We learned a few new fulcrums and got into touching a deeper level in the body. It was rather profound. I can’t wait to share my new stuff with you.

If you were thinking you need a treatment to help your Qi move more smoothly, but aren’t in the mood for needles – or just want to try something new – come get a Zero Balancing session. SCHEDULE NOW

What the heck is ZB? I sometimes refer to it as structural acupuncture and it is super relaxing. I use my hands rather than needles to balance structure and energy, working primarily with bone and fascia.

It can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with acupuncture. For a more detailed dive into what it entails, check out this post I wrote in 2019:

Zero Balancing, Acupuncture, Physics and Delux Treatments
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Coconut Curry with Chicken Tofu and Vegetables

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: May 7, 2025

Through the years many people have asked me for this recipe. I like to spruce up the basic curry with lots of veggies to make it super delicious, but keeping it simple works well. Curry is very flexible, so see what’s in your fridge and use any protein and veggies that you have available. If you have a can of coconut milk, curry paste, chicken or tofu and a few vegetables you’ve got enough to make a curry.

Foundational Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2-3 Tablespoon curry paste (red or panang)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Chicken and/or tofu – about a pound – chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:

  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 carrot, sliced thinly on the diagonal
  • 1-2 cups mushrooms – white, shiitake or any variety, sliced or quartered
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 Tablespoon lemongrass, minced
  • 1 kaffir lime leaf, julienned
  • 1 Tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut or palm sugar
  • 1-2 cups green beans or broccoli, pre-steamed
  • 1-2 cups kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1-2 cups of broth

Optional Garnishes:

  • Lime
  • Thai basil
  • Cilantro
  • Toasted peanuts or other nuts, chopped
  1. Start steaming any veggies that need it and get some rice going.
  2. Heat 2 Tablespoon of the thick cream from the top of the canned coconut milk and/or 2 Tablespoon coconut oil and curry paste.
  3. Sauté onions in coconut cream until translucent, then add pepper, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf. Mix and let cook a few minutes then add half a can of coconut milk.
  4. Spread chicken and/or tofu evenly over the top of the veg mix, sprinkle with curry powder if desired, sugar, and salt right on the chicken. Let cook for 5 or more minutes, then turn over.
  5. Add the rest the of coconut milk, the rest of the vegetables, fish sauce if using and/or salt to taste. Add water or broth if you want to make it soupier. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are cooked.
  6. Serve over rice or have as a soup. Garnish with lime, fresh herbs or nuts.
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Gaia Herbs’ Liver Cleanse

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: April 23, 2025

Spring is the season of the liver and gallbladder, and of growth and transformation, the season when life is exploding everywhere around us. But that rising, expansive energy can get stuck and lead to stagnation symptoms such as irritability, frustration, explosive anger, tight shoulders and neck, headaches, and PMS.

When in balance, the liver gives us the capacity for vision, planning, flexibility, and assertiveness. Exercise is a great way to keep your qi moving and and your liver energy at its best. Acupuncture, zero balancing and herbal medicine can also help.

While not a classical Chinese formula, Gaia Herbs’ Liver Cleanse, with milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion, and burdock, as well as other liver supportive herbs, can help free that stagnation. It encourages the movement of Liver Qi, supports both phases of liver detoxification, helping to fully clear toxins and stimulating bile production and release.

Find this fantastic Liver Cleanse supplement in our online store!

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2025 Year of the Green Snake

By Kelly Kaeding | Published: January 30, 2025

29 January 2025 is the first day of the yin wood snake year. It’s quite a contrast from the year of the dragon even though it’s another wood year – last year was yang wood and this year yin wood. Wood signifies spring and fresh new yang energy sprouting up and out. The image was the baby dragon last year with it’s all over the place roller coaster energy and this year it’s the baby green snake – not a threat.

The yin wood energy of this snake is soft, quiet, inwardly focused and forward moving. The snake is tuned in and able to see straight through to reality and stands for truth. Thanks to the snake energy, the knower in you will be accentuated this year.

In a way this year is like a blank slate and we have the opportunity to create. If we clarify our intentions and walk into our power in a thoughtful measured way, there is potential for great transformation, but we need to patiently and diligently make it happen. Take it slow, step by step and don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Next year is the year of the wild stallion and with that energy whatever foundation we laid this year is bound to flourish at least 3 fold next year.

Catch the wave of evolution. Be open to positivity this year and let’s see what happens. Some astrologists call this a truth and reality year and forecast positive change. This year is supposed to be a good health year. I’m down with that!

Beware that the snake is prone to inertia. Keep moving so your qi doesn’t stagnate. The snake can be a loner so you may want to make efforts to connect with people – while preserving enough alone time for creativity, stillness and self-reflection. This is a good year to deepen your intuitive skills and focus on self-healing.

Inner freedom, awakened levels of consciousness and wisdom will be available more than other years. Be present and respect your inner voice. Listen to your heart for guidance this year, let’s make sure joy is one of our goals.

Thanks to Marlyna Los, CT Holman, Gregory Done, & Elias Lonsdale for sharing their snake wisdom with me so I could get a feel for this mystical year.

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