🎉 New Faces and Springing Forward With Less Grip and More Flow

New Faces at Thrive

The year of the fire horse promises fast-moving change and heart-led action and that energy is alive at Thrive. You’ll be seeing several new faces in the clinic, and it feels like people are following their hearts as they gallop out and gallop in!

I’m excited to share that we’re welcoming a third acupuncturist to the team: Dylan Hawhee, LAc.  She’ll begin by shadowing Christina over the next few weeks to synch up with the Thrive flow and systems, and will start seeing patients May 5.  Dylan and I met in 2017 and have long imagined working together.  I’m so glad the timing has aligned.  I’ll be sharing more about her very soon (you can peak at her bio here), but first a few more new faces to introduce…

Our administrative team is also evolving to support our growing clinic.  We’re expanding with a part-time team model to create both flexibility and consistency in patient care.

We’re grateful to Darien, who has moved on to pursue photo and video work.  He played a key role in strengthening our systems and always brought his bright, welcoming smile while helping connect people with acupuncture.  We wish him the very best as he follows his heart in true Fire Horse spirit.

In the interim, my husband Kevin Hawks has stepped in as part-time office manager.  Some of you may not know how much he’s contributed behind the scenes over the years—managing our expansion into the current office (creating the design drawings for the buildout, making and refinishing a lot of things, ordering, putting together, and installing all the things!)  I often say that he made Thrive look like a million bucks on a much smaller budget.  Kevin has been a manager in a variety of small businesses and has a natural eye for making things work smoothly for both patients and staff.  I’m deeply grateful for his support during this transition.

We’re also happy to welcome Julie Schlander as part-time receptionist.  A few of you have already met her as she began training last week.  I’ve known and admired her for many years, and I’m thrilled she’s bringing her warmth and attention to detail to the front desk.  I’ll share more about her soon!

We’ll be adding another receptionist as our schedule continues to grow.

Still here with us:

Alisa Yu is still with us on Mondays on the reception team and has been helping train us all on some of the details that keeps things running smoothly.

Megan Rauch, LAc is still seeing patients Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, bringing her soothing and effective approach to acupuncture and herbal medicine.

And yes, it’s me Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc—I’m still here, right in the middle of all this Fire Horse energy—caring for patients, guiding the team, and helping Thrive grow in a way that feels aligned and supportive for everyone.

Thank you for growing with us.  It’s an exciting season at Thrive, and we’re committed to making sure you feel supported every step of the way.

 

Springing Forward:  With Less Grip, More Flow

One of my favorite questions (for myself and my patients) is: “How can I improve something without being gripped?”

We’re often taught that if something matters, we should push harder.  Focus more.  Power though.  And sometimes it works—for a deadline.  But it doesn’t work well for the body and mind.

Take the hips as an example.

They’re designed for movement: rotation, extension, forward motion, pivoting.  When that movement is restricted, the body adapts.  And adaptation always comes at a cost.

This is how hip dysfunction shows up in our clinic every week:

“My jaw won’t relax.”

“My low back keeps flaring.”

“My knees ache after walking.”

“My shoulders are tight all the time.”

You might notice it when you stand up after sitting—that dense, gripping sensation in the front of the hips.  Or when you try to lengthen your stride and something feels blocked.  Or when stretching helps for a day… and then the tightness returns.

Your hips sit at the center of your kinetic chain.  When they stiffen, stress redistributes—in the jaw, low back, knees, and neck.

It’s not just physical.  You don’t just feel tight.  You feel contained. Restricted. Heavier than you should.

In Chinese Medicine, the hips correspond to the Liver and Gallbladder channels—systems responsible for smooth movement in the body and mind.  They govern:

• Physical mobility
• Tissue flexibility
• Emotional regulation
• Decision-making
• The ability to pivot when life changes direction
• Resilience

When these channels don’t have flow, it doesn’t only show up as tight muscles.  You might notice:  You feel less adaptable.  Small decisions take more energy.  Irritation surfaces more quickly.  You feel like you’re pushing forward instead of moving fluidly.

Hip pain is rarely “just tight muscles.”  It’s often:  Ropy, restricted ligaments.  Lingering systemic inflammation.  A deep emotional pattern the body hasn’t released.  And yes—sometimes literally a pain in the ass.

If your hip pain keeps trying to get your attention—especially if it’s been lingering for more than 4–6 weeks—we’re no longer in “stretch it and hope” territory.  We’re looking at a pattern the body has learned.  After years of treating hip pain, one thing is consistent—the body will keep repeating a pattern until it’s properly addressed.

When you come in for hip pain, we look at what’s driving that pattern and create a structured plan to unwind it. Typically twice a week for 3 weeks, then once a week for 6 weeks.  Because hips that have been compensating for years don’t unwind with occasional care.  They respond to consistent, targeted intervention.

Acupuncture works by:

• Improving circulation to deep stabilizing muscles.
• Reducing inflammatory signaling.
• Interrupting guarding patterns.
• Regulating the nervous system so the body no longer feels the need to brace.

We also truly effective topical herbal lineaments, balms, patches and soaks to bring quick relief and custom herbal formulas that support healing and pattern change in between treatments.

And when the pattern behind the hip imbalance shifts, it’s rarely isolated.  Patients often notice tension softens throughout the body, back pain decreases, knees feel more stable, sleep improves, and your body and your thinking move more efficiently.

If your hips have been quietly limiting you—physically or otherwise—it may be time to address the pattern directly.

You don’t have to stay braced.

Movement—real movement—is possible again.

Book an appointment online https://thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com/ or get in touch 707-527-0868, thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com.

P.S. If you know someone who has been having hip trouble, forward this email to them.  People often think they “just have to deal.”  That resignation? That’s part of the pattern too.  But patterns can be changed—and we’re here to do exactly that.

  

Have You Checked Out The New App For Online Scheduling?

Want to make scheduling your appointments online even easier?  Download the Jane for Clients App (Jane is the name of our online booking system).  Everyone says it’s more streamlined and foolproof than the web based booking site.  By the way the web base booking site isn’t going anywhere.

Download for Apple

Download for Android

It’s super intuitive, but if you want more details, check out the Jane App client guide.

 

Here’s to galloping along with heart!

Christina and Team Thrive

P.S. Please share this with anyone you think could benefit from any of this info.