Clinic updates
It’s been longer than we have expected since our last newsletter. As with almost everyone else, it has been an extremely challenging environment to navigate these past few months. We are happy to report that the clinic has been functioning wonderfully. Our heartfelt thanks for being able to support everyone through this challenging time.
As we continue to move forward into what looks like uncharted waters, we want to remind people to look to past events for clues about what is likely to happen next and how to conduct ourselves. Currently, we see two extremes of conduct in our society. We have, what I will call, the “Ostriches”, who are putting their heads in the sand pretending that we have nothing to worry about while avoiding any information that might suggest otherwise. At the other end of the spectrum are the “Chicken Littles” who are so paralyzed with fear that they can’t seem to do anything. In today’s environment, paradoxically, the Ostriches are the ones moving about too much and not paying any attention to Social Distancing guidelines, etc. and the Chicken Littles don’t let their children outside to even run around the yard.Both extremes are ignoring our modern understanding of how viruses spread and the ancestral wisdom that humanity has been using for generations to keep us healthy and safe.
In the clinic, we have worked to strike a balance between the two extremes - a sort of middle way. On the one-hand, we stayed open during the epidemic and yet are taking the possibility of accidental spread very seriously.
I mentioned that the clinic has been doing well this year, in spite of these being difficult seas to navigate. This is due in no small part to the fantastic team we have at the clinic right now. Let’s take a moment to introduce you to them:
First off, Ivette continues to quietly manage in the background, so you may not notice her out front as much as last year.
Yonsuk (who goes by Yon) continues to do a wonderful job as the clinical assistant. More recently, we added Judy who has been adding much, much, much needed organizational skills to the office. Kathleen has been so kind as to volunteer to help us with some of our patient care and outreach, when we get too spread too thin.
We have been working remotely with Covid patients as far as Oregon and New York. Earlier this year, we mentioned that this virus should respond as well to Classical Chinese Medicine formulas as did H1N1. So far, that statement is proving to be accurate. The difference is that, if not correctly treated early, things get much more serious quickly. Where H1N1 would collapse into a typical viral pneumonia type pattern, Covid is trickier at later stages. We hope to be able to share some stories about treatments later this year.
We also are keenly aware that current events are rapidly accelerating the broad economic shifts already under way in our society. To those who have lost jobs through this trend, our hearts go out to you. To that end, if your family experiences job loss, please reach out to us and we will do everything we can to help prevent an interruption of your care.
One of the advantages of running a values-based clinic, where your standard of care is placed first and above everything else, is that we have actually had to make very few changes in how provide care, even in our current environment. Everything from the seeds we apply at the end of treatments to the herbs and frequency of care is done to the following standard: As little treatment as possible, with improvement. This standard maximizes the results of treatment relative to the number of times you are being treated. Meaning that with each treatment or therapy, we carefully observe exactly how much effect it has on you and how it fits into the entire treatment process. We have found that, by treating in this way, we actually accelerate the results over a typical “throw everything, including the kitchen sink” treatment protocol.
Looking to the future, we know that the news is flooded with reports, models, and prognostications, so we won’t go into that. Just know that, in the clinic, we are preparing for even rougher waters in the fall after a relatively calm summer. If you remember from our prior newsletter
So, use the summer to get as healthy as possible. Continue to eat well, move, and enjoy the outdoors (safely). We are still offering the Lung Qi as a preventative and keeping a Triage Kit handy just in case someone gets sick, though we feel that the importance of this strategy will be even more critical in the fall. If you have an appointment with us and worry that you may have symptoms, call our clinic. We have a specific protocol to get you the care you need, while isolating you from our general patient population.
Epidemics have been a part of the human experience since the beginning. Just as our ancestors before us did, we will get through this. As we move forward, into what will undoubtedly be a new normal, our goal is to hold onto the best of what came before as well as be adaptable to what is to come. We look forward to navigating these stormy waters with you.
Posted in Clinic News