January: New In Clinic
Here’s a quick round-up of what’s new in the clinic in January!
Before we get into the updates, just a quick note - my Winter Wellness class is $35 through February 2! The self-paced online class has over 2 hours of video content on Winter, winter wellness tips (including food therapy, acupressure, and more), and info on the Kidney and Urinary Bladder organs and meridians. Spring starts on February 3, and the price will increase to $50!
In this entry, you’ll find info on:
New products in the apothecary
New books in the clinic library
An updated Informed Consent form
A note about the clinic's social media accounts
New products in the apothecary
I brought in a few new skincare products for January! All products can be purchased online for local pick-up, or you can grab them at your next appointment. Email me first if you need something shipped, and we can set it up!
HobaCare 100% Jojoba Oil in 1oz and 4 oz bottles. Jojoba is a light, easily absorbed oil that can help with dry skin. The 1 oz bottle is a great travel size and is perfect if you need a basic facial oil for your gua sha practice!
TOMA Gua Sha Facial Sculpting Stone is the gua sha stone used in the clinic for Facial Rejuvenation treatments. I love this tool because of its weight, which provides the ideal pressure on the face during gua sha. The shape of the stone also fits perfectly to the different areas of the face! I also love using this on the upper traps and the back of the neck - it melts away tension! It’s made of bian stone, the stone traditionally used for gua sha.
TOMA Facial Sculpting Oil 15 mL is the perfect blend of oils and botanicals to help hydrate and calm the skin. It has a very light fragrance and creates the perfect glide for your gua sha tool. It is also an ideal moisturizer on its own! This is the oil used in the Facial Rejuvenation treatment in the clinic, and it is perfect for gua sha at home, too. I have very dry and sensitive skin, and this oil has quickly become my new favorite! Prep your skin with a hydrating mist first for the best results.
It's not new, but the Dit Da Jow 8.5 mL roller ($7.50) is restocked. This roller has been hard to keep in stock! Dit Da Jow, roughly translated to “fall hit wine,” is a topical liniment for painful muscles and joints. It’s ideal for inflammatory-type pain (hot, swollen, achy), injuries, and bruises. This roller was my #1 seller last year by a long shot! I carry a roller in my purse - you never know when you'll need it.
New herb formulas: I am transitioning most of the herbal formulas I offer from Great Nature/Blue Poppy to Kan Herbs. Most of the formulas are very similar, and a few new ones will be available, too! Kan Herbs offers bottles of 60 or 120 capsules, which is more convenient for people based on recommended dosing. One of the new formulas is MycoForte, a blend of 5 medicinal mushrooms great for everyday use to help with fatigue, sleep, stress, and skin health.
Why TOMA Skincare Products?
I picked TOMA products for the clinic because the company is transparent about their ingredients, ensures fair labor throughout the production process, and incorporates Chinese medicine herbs for best results! The owners of TOMA are both Licensed Acupuncturists and infuse their brand and their products with their knowledge and experience. I also loved how they encourage caring for the whole body, not just the skin - visit their website for more info and to see their entire product line!
New books in the clinic library
You’re welcome to stop by and read the books in the clinic, and current patients are welcome to take them home to read! Many of these are also available at the local libraries (search here), or you can purchase them through my Bookshop. (I’ll earn a very small commission if you do.)
It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)
by Dr. Karen Tang
This book is a fantastic overview of nearly everything you may want to know about gynecological and reproductive health care, with a focus on PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, PMCC, pelvic floor dysfunction, and more.
To learn more about Dr. Tang, you can visit her YouTube channel!
How to Keep House While Drowning
by KC Davis, LPC
I love her perspective on keeping up (or not!) with chores. Her biggest message - messiness is not a moral failing - is a refreshing take!
She has many practical ideas on getting important things done and letting yourself off the hook when necessary.
It’s written with ADHD people in mind, and this book is short, to the point, and easy to skim as needed.
She has tons of resources and information on her website, Struggle Care.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
by Oliver Burkeman
This is a bit of an anti-productivity book, or at least not a traditional one! It focuses on how we can make choices to make to make the most of the, on average, 4000 weeks we have to live.
It’s easy to read, meaningful, and often funny, and it makes you stop to think about how you spend your time (and if we really need to optimize our way into more work).
New and updated patient forms
This section may be a bit boring, but I value transparency! So, here are a few updates on patient forms:
A new Informed Consent form went out to all patients and will be effective February 1. Most of this form is the same, but I added a section that clarifies when people are considered current patients and when their care has "lapsed" (or, in clinical terms, care has been terminated). This was an unofficial clinic policy before, and now it is official!
Here are a few highlights of the changes to the Informed Consent - make sure to read the whole section when you sign it!
Patients are considered current patients if they’ve had an appointment within the past 6 months.
After 6 months, you will need to re-establish care with a new patient appointment. New patient appointments have limited availability, and the ability to re-establish care will be limited based on the availability of these appointments.
You are free to discontinue your care for any reason and at any time (of course!).
I may determine it is necessary to permanently or temporarily terminate care for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
non-payment of account balance,
four or more late cancels in 365 consecutive days,
two or more no-shows in 365 consecutive days,
refusal to fill out forms after being given reasonable accommodation in completing them,
and/or inappropriate or unsafe behavior.
I may discontinue care and refer you to another healthcare provider, including a different acupuncturist, if your care is reasonably deemed outside my scope or experience.
I’m hopeful this will be the last form update for a while! I know last year had quite a few revisions, and I appreciate your patience. As my practice has grown and new situations have come up, I’ve needed to adapt my forms - but I’ve done my best to see into the future and hopefully have anticipated most situations! 😊 Patients are always welcome to email me for clarification on a form!
A few final notes related to reviewing forms:
I have the Financial Policies available on my website, and I’ve included an easier-to-read summary with “if this, then that” style bullet points on that page. You’re always welcome to refer to this if you have a question about cancellation, late, and no-show policies, weather cancellations, insurance, and more. Remember that, while I do my best to keep the page updated, the form you’ve signed is the official form, so any discrepancies on the website don’t override the signed form.
I have a posted Illness Policy on the website for easy reference. Please take a look at it if you’re feeling sick!
For all other signed policies, you can log in to the Patient Portal and review the signed versions under “Forms.” Once there, you should see all your signed forms; to view a PDF version of any form, click “View.” If you have any trouble accessing this, email me!
If you have pending forms to sign, you will see the word “Complete” under the form instead. Once you have completed the form, it will change to “View,” and you will be able to download it.
A note about clinic social media accounts
The short version: I am quitting social media, and all future clinic updates will be through my newsletter, website, and blog. You can sign up for the newsletter here!
A bit more info: I had already stopped using social media on January 1st, intending to continue posting clinic updates using third-party apps. Using social media felt like a constant buzz in the back of my head, and my attention felt fractured, and taking a break from social media allowed me to claw back some of my focus and attention. And it did work! After just a few days, my brain felt quieter and calmer, and I was feeling more creative. The unending comparison game on social media faded into the background, too!
But, with the new policy changes Meta has settled on, I have no interest in returning to any of their products. I am not deleting the accounts, but I won’t post new updates there for the foreseeable future. I am also not changing to other social media; frankly, I am exhausted by it and want and need a break. I don’t like what it does to me, my focus, my interactions with people, and what it does to our society. Fortunately, my business is not heavily based on social media, so it doesn’t require a huge pivot. My only regret is that I will miss the connections I’ve made with local small businesses - so don’t hesitate to email me if you’d like to connect! (And, if you’re a business owner looking to get away from social media, reach out! I have been compiling resources for marketing off social media.)
I typically focus on Chinese medicine and health-related topics here because I know that is why people visit my website. But, it feels impossible for me to talk about why I quit social media without mentioning a bit of my background. My undergraduate degree is in rhetoric (persuasive speech) and women’s & gender studies; my degree focused on critiquing media, discourse, and political speech, especially related to women and LGBTQ+ discourse. For over 20 years, I’ve been involved in LGBTQ+ and women’s rights efforts, from founding my high school’s first Gay-Straight Alliance in a small town in Wisconsin in 2005 to working in an abortion clinic, and more. It feels incompatible with my values to continue to use Meta products, and it’s impossible for me not to see how social media has warped our communication - and the power they have over us and, by extension, our small businesses. I’ll miss the connections I’ve made with people on social media, but I’m taking this as an opportunity to strengthen my in-person connections and find new ways to reach out and meet people!
That’s it for January!
Stay tuned for February’s blog posts - sign up for the newsletter to keep in touch, and I’ll include links to the newest blog entries, along with seasonal health info, behind-the-scenes looks, subscriber-only sales, and more!
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