Easy Allergy, Cold, and Flu DefenseThis sunny but still cold weather means that allergies are here early WHILE colds and flus are still happening. How can we support our respiratory systems to be a good first line of defense without overreacting?
I'm so glad you asked! Because I love helping people prevent and treat their allergies, colds, and flus. I first got into acupuncture because of my allergies, chronic colds and sinus infections. So I understand the suffering. And I know the other side—freedom from worrying about managing my sinuses. Freedom from headaches, brain fog, post nasal drip, coughing, clogged ears, and fatigue! Plus freedom to go out in nature and enjoy the sun!
Today I’m going to share with you my favorite "easy self-care" recommendation that gives immediate relief from allergies, colds, and flus! I must say that if you want to treat the root cause of your respiratory issues required to experience the kind of freedom I described above, it’s best to get a personalized acupuncture and self-care treatment plan. But I won’t let that stop me from sharing this tip with you now so you can get started right away. And don’t let that stop you from sharing it with your loved ones!
Body Experiment: If you want to support your respiratory system, pick up some Xlear Nasal Spray the next time you are in the office. It washes and soothes nasal membranes, prevents contact with allergens and viruses, and keeps nasal membranes healthy so they are a better first line of defense. It has grapefruit seed extract, which is a natural antimicrobial and antiviral, plus xylitol which is beneficial to the respiratory system and acts as a surfactant to help loosen particles from the nasal membranes. (P.S. they sell it at Oliver’s, Whole Foods and places like that too.)
Here’s how I use Xlear:
2 sprays in each nostril, 2-5 times per day.
Wait a bit, then blow your nose to clean it out.
- Prevention: Xlear morning and night.
- Exposed: Xlear after exposure to allergic irritants or colds/flu.
- Allergies, Colds, or Flu Symptoms: Xlear throughout the day when allergies are bothersome or cold/flu symptoms have started.
I discovered Xlear after I already had a handle on my sinuses, and I was feeling pretty healthy. Even then, my respiratory health improved using Xlear regularly.
I’ve recommend Xlear to friends and patients (often before they get in for their first acupuncture treatment). My patients recommend it to friends and loved ones. So many people tell me that their allergies, colds, or flus were squashed because of it, even without acupuncture or other self-care. It’s that effective!
That’s why I’m so excited to recommend this experiment to everyone looking for a quick treatment for their sinuses. Try out my favorite respiratory system hack and let me know how the experiment goes.
If you want to talk more in depth about your allergies or respiratory system ask me at your next appointment and I’ll be happy to discuss custom formulas, diet (that’s a biggie for allergies, sinuses, and the immune system), steaming, and more. No one body is identical to another, and I don’t think people’s treatments should be either. That’s what makes Chinese Medicine so effective – it's the diagnostic methods that help me create truly customized treatment plans.
Upcoming EventsI've always been fascinated by sound healing, and now we have an expert Sound Healer in house–Jules Sears of Primal Peace Sound Healing–for our inaugural sound healing workshop.
Tuesday, February 25
from 6-7:30pm
at Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness
In this fun and interactive workshop, you’ll learn how specially designed tuning forks can stimulate, balance, and promote wellness and deep inner harmony. Each participant will receive a mini tuning fork tune up as Jules applies the forks on potent points!
The sound waves of the forks vibrate and travel deeply into the body. Their rich resonance and vibration connects with and supports the body’s natural frequencies, stimulates and balances the physical and subtle energy field, and promotes wellness and deep inner harmony.
Seats are limited, so click the link for more details and to register to save your seat! I hope to see you there.
What We’re Treating in the ClinicEveryone knows that spring is allergy season, but did you know it’s also migraine season? For some people, especially when they don’t rest enough during the California winter, their bodies get over-excited to jump into spring that the energy gets stuck in the head which causes headaches and migraines. With our early spring-like weather, I've been treating more headaches recently.
The good news is that with the style of acupuncture I do, when you have a headache, most patients report relief as soon the treatment starts – even while they are lying on the table. Acupuncture works best as preventative medicine, so remember you don’t have to wait for a headache to make an appointment. I love helping people prevent and treat headaches and migraines so they can get back to doing their thing.
Existing patients can book online here. Make sure you get a confirmation email and click "CONFIRM" in that email. You are also welcome to call or email us if you prefer to schedule that way, or you’re not finding any appointments that work for you online.
New patients need to call or email us to set up their first appointment because there is just too much information we need to share with you.
Tuesdays in 2020We’ve been seeing patients on some Tuesdays for a couple months now. Normally Tuesday is our admin day, but once a month we’ve opened up a half day on Tuesday for patients and occasionally we open up a full day. We're doing this when Christina takes Friday off to meet with her monthly resiliency women’s group or if she is out of the office on another day.
Our online scheduler is up to date with available appointments, and Jules can give you a heads up if you’d like acupuncture on a Tuesday.
New Year, New Insurance?Have there been any changes to your insurance? Make sure to let us know before your next appointment so we can re-verify your benefits. It’s a busy time of year for verifications, so it’s taking our billing department 48 hours verify benefits. And acupuncture is like the black sheep of insurance. The billing department has to call and talk to someone and ask all sorts of acupuncture specific questions. But we’d rather do that now than get surprised when your claims come back. Everyone hates insurance surprises!
If you have Blue Shield in 2020: Click this link and check out this information. There are some big changes for some plans and we're trying to help all our patients get informed. Let us know if you have questions about your ability to use your insurance in our office.
If you want to lodge a complaint that ASH is managing your acupuncture benefits for your Blue Shield Covered CA plan: A representative of ASH told a colleague that not enough providers want to work with ASH. It's possible that Blue Shield might change and opt out of ASH for 2021 and hopefully sooner! If Blue Shield members like you contact Blue Shield and complain, it can help!
Call 888-256-3650: Ask to log a formal complaint about your health insurance. Get a reference # at end of call.
or
Online: login to your account, scroll to bottom, "send message about" > choose benefits inquiry.
Sample Script:
"I want to voice my complaint please. I do not want American Specialty Health (ASH) to manage ANY portion of my Blue Shield Health Insurance, especially not acupuncture. I've chosen Blue Shield as my health insurance company and agreed to pay its premium for Blue Shield's high quality of care and reputation.
I do NOT want any portion of my health insurance plan to be subject to the poor reputation and horrible care that ASH offers. If ASH is managing part of my Blue Shield plan, I am getting HMO benefits for PPO prices.
Please remove ASH from managing any portion of my Blue Shield plan in 2020."
Happy Respiratory Soothing Explorations!
Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc
