Spring 2020 -
Special Edition
Needle Notes
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First Things First...
Coronavirus Update
With the Coronavirus at the forefront of our minds Barry and I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know the status of our practice and offer the best information we have compiled about the virus and the attendant COVID-19.
After much deliberation,
we have decided to close our clinics for two weeks, so this is to let you know that we are cancelling any appointments scheduled between now and March 28. While we know this medicine is particularly well suited to these kinds of situations - boosting immunity, alleviating anxieties, etc. - given the rapidly changing circumstances with the coronavirus, we are following the movement of many our colleagues near and far. While we’re hopeful this may be an over “abundance of caution”, we’ve decided to take measures to minimize the potential spread of the virus. Please let me know if you have any questions. We will be back in touch in the next week or so as we know more and will get you back on the schedule as soon as possible. Be well!
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The following information regarding the Coronavirus was disseminated by the American Acupuncture Council and was sourced from OSHA and the CDC. We are including links to some of the best resources we've been following. While much of this material you may already know, we're including it here as a quick reference for some of the most important points to know about this health issue.
Symptoms of COVID-19
Infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can cause illness ranging from mild to severe and, in some cases, can be fatal. Symptoms typically include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some people infected with the virus have reported experiencing other non-respiratory symptoms such as digestive upset, including diarrhea. Other people, referred to as asymptomatic cases, have experienced no symptoms at all.
According to the CDC, symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.
Important Facts About the Coronavirus
Scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results provide key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease, and suggests that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects.
Best Practices for Staying Healthy
- Do your best not to live in fear or anxiety about the situation. Yes, it is a serious matter that requires our attention. However, it is important to note that when we get trapped in a fear response our immune systems shut down in favor of survival mechanisms, which actually further heighten our anxiety! Be wise and discerning about your lifestyle practices and choices, and trust you are doing what you can to keep yourself and your family safe.
- Fresh air is vital to healthy immunity - make a point of getting outside, daily. Even as little as 10 to 15 minutes three times throughout the day will benefit you.
- Rest! Get plenty of sleep and rest.
- Take some time off. Perhaps use this time for a personal at-home retreat where you just enjoy some time spent away from work, extra-curricular activities and the hustle and bustle of life. Walks in nature, healthy dinners together with your family, board games, curling up with a good book and limiting your social contact are all enriching ways to protect yourself from community transmission.
- Increase your consumption of anti-oxidant and nutrient-dense infection-fighting foods like: organic blueberries, raspberries, spinach, sprouts, garlic, onions, ginger, parsley, cilantro, spirulina, celery juice, bone broth and fermented foods and beverages.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of good quality water and herbal teas, is one of the best things you can do to flush out toxins from your body and help support the immune system.
- Keep your immune system strong by reducing your sugar intake and eating a balanced diet. Avoid eating processed sugars. Sugar weakens the immune system and makes it less able to deal with viruses and bacteria. Be sure to read food labels carefully.
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Helpful Health Links
Fun and Uplifting Links
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If we aren't already friends on Facebook, Like Us now by clicking on the above Facebook logo and keep your eyes open for some live conversations, readings and music that Barry and I are planning in the coming days. We will really miss seeing you - we miss you already! This is a way we can be in contact and hopefully keep a light touch in these troubling times. And, if you're not a Facebook user, please call or email and let us know how you're doing. It matters!
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Acupuncture Point of the Season
Liver 14 - Gate of Hope
This is the
Exit Point
on the liver meridian. It is found in line with
the nipple in a small notch at the inferior border of the rib cage.
This point is used to treat d
epression, distention and pain in the chest and hypochondrium. It is also helpful in resolving abdominal distention, hiccups and acid reflux. We picked this Point of the Season as it offers
something more on a mental / emotional level that seems particularly pertinent today. The Liver, which has its greatest strength in the the Spring season, is all about possibility, new beginnings, growth and a vision toward the future. While the situation at hand is serious, please remember to keep your thoughts turned toward what is good and positive in the world. We all have a lot for which to be grateful.
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Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change
This book, its title alone, is a comfort in these uncertain times. Pema Chödron, an American Tibetan Buddhist is a prolific writer and offers some of the best heart advice and wisdom in this book. Reading and contemplating her writing may help stabilize busy and fearful thinking.
We live in difficult times. Life sometimes seems like a roiling and turbulent river threatening to drown us and destroy the world. So why shouldn’t we cling to the certainty of the shore—to our familiar patterns and habits? Because, Pema Chodron teaches, that kind of fear-based clinging keeps us from the infinitely more satisfying experience of being fully alive. Her teachings provide a wealth of wisdom for learning to step right into the river: to be completely and fearlessly present even in the hardest times. When we learn to let go of our protective patterns we can live life fully and begin to naturally reach out to others in care and support.
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Be as Flexible as You Can Be - in Body and Mind!
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Amy W. Wheeler, L.Ac. - Barry Fudim, L.Ac.
offices in St. Johnsbury, VT and Hanover, NH
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