Our clinic is going to be featured in the business section of the Pioneer Press on Sunday, July 17th!  The article is called Open For Business and it is a followup to the original feature that was run in January of last year.  This time they are giving an update on how our clinic is doing and will include color photographs.  We’re very excited and it is only a week away.  So check it out!

Last week I had the honor of performing free ear treatments for Acupuncturists Without Borders for victims of the May 22nd tornado in Minneapolis. Many of the people who came when I was there had been there earlier in the week and found so much relief from their treatment that they returned for more. They reported reduced stress levels, improved sleep, better moods, and less anxiety overall. We had a great time giving back to the community.

Last week we were also featured on the channel 9 news, so check out this clip!

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/health/tornado-victims-get-free-acupuncture-jun-12-2011

Sarah giving free ear acupuncture for Minneapolis tornado victims

Free acupuncture treatments are being offered this week through Acupuncturists Without Borders to help our community recover from the May 22nd tornado. Everyone is welcome to receive free acupuncture to help with stress, sadness, anxiety, fear, and fatigue associated with the trauma from this disaster. I will be volunteering my time to provide free acupuncture treatments on Thursday at the Center for Families and possibly some other days.

Location: The Center for Families, 3333 North 4th Street in Minneapolis

Mon 6/6 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Tues 6/7 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Wed 6/8 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Thurs 6/9 at 12:00-7:00 pm

Fri 6/10 at 12:00-4:00 pm

Acupuncture will be provided in a community-style setting, with participants sitting in chairs, fully clothed. Sterile needles are placed in the ears only using the NADA Protocol. All treatments are performed by licensed acupuncturists. Please come for a free acupuncture treatment at the Center for Families. No appointment is necessary.

We’ve been so excited about using the NADA Protocol from our training for Acupuncturists Without Borders in January that we’ve been using it on our patients.  The response has been phenomenal.  People feel more relaxed and recover more quickly when we use these 5 points on the ear in addition to their usual acupuncture treatment. So  we have decided to offer the NADA Protocol ear acupuncture as a stand-alone treatment to make it more affordable for people who would like to come in more often for treatment.

We’re excited to offer new ear acupuncture treatments for only $25.  The treatments will be done community style (seated in a chair) with the 5 needles in each ear for 45 minutes.  The NADA Protocol was developed to treat behavioral health and is used for addiction, mental health, disaster and emotional trauma.  We have been using it to treat a wide range of issues, including:

• Quitting smoking
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Daily stress
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Eating disorders
• Insomnia

To schedule a NADA Protocol ear treatment, give us a call!

Ever since we remodeled my bathroom together, my dad has been telling me that I should enter it into a design contest. So I finally did. The actual entries are linked below, but first a little history on our design.

My father had a major heart attack just before I bought my first house. Together, we decided to completely gut and redesign the bathroom to incorporate the Craftsman style of my 1912 house with integrated asian characteristics along with sustainable materials.We moved the plumbing fixtures to more convenient locations to allow for a vanity with a countertop and installed a shower instead of just a bathtub. We used low VOC paint, slate tile on the floor, bamboo counters that I built myself, new beadboard, new lighting, all new fixtures, and a bath fan. I wanted the shower to look like the outdoor showers I’ve seen in tropical climates, so I used river stones, a bamboo fence, and shelves for plants in the shower. We did all of the work ourselves, except for some of the rough-in plumbing. We worked together, and I got to know my dad in a way that I never had before. He passed his skills and knowledge to me and I gained even more admiration for him.

http://youroldhouse.thisoldhouse.com/thisoldhouse/submission.jsp?id=115748

http://contest.bagsterwasteloss.com/contests/showentry/739607

While I was at it, I couldn’t resist entering my kitchen as well.

http://contest.bagsterwasteloss.com/contests/showentry/739610

As part of our commitment to provide a safe healing environment for all our patients, we have added some security measures at the clinic. Don’t worry, we have never had a problem with crime in this neighborhood, but we want to make sure we never do. So we had a lock installed at the front door that can be opened by entering a 4 digit code on the keypad. The code only works during clinic hours, and it means that we can keep the door locked while we are upstairs treating patients. If we haven’t already gone over the procedure for opening it, we will the next time you come in. But don’t worry – if you have trouble with the lock you can always ring the doorbell and we’ll come down to let you in. We think you’ll love feeling safe.

To further improve your experience here at Beautiful Ama, we just had a new high-efficiency furnace installed. This means you won’t freeze in the waiting room anymore and the temperature in our treatment rooms won’t fluctuate so much because the furnace is gently warming the rooms at all times. We also installed a humidifier and the best air filtration system available, so you’ll be breathing super clean air that has a comfortable amount of moisture in it (better for taking a little snooze while your needles are in!). Finally, we had central air-conditioning installed, so the waiting room will be cool this summer and we won’t have to run those loud window units in the treatment rooms. We think you’ll love the improvements so much that it will be even harder to get up off the warm treatment table and go home!

Our patients sometimes ask us whether the herbal formula we are prescribing for them contains common food allergens. Being board-certified herbalists, we undertook a project to figure out exactly which formulas we can safely prescribe to our patients with food allergies. We have completed a list of common allergens that are not usually contained in the formulas we use (corn, eggs, fish, milk, and shellfish) and ones to watch out for (gluten, soy products, and tree nuts). We made handouts that list the Chinese and common names of herbs that are common allergens, the formulas containing those herbs from each of our 3 herbal manufacturers, and the base materials used to stabilize the herbal tablets. If you would like to take home this information, please ask the next time you have an appointment and we’ll be happy to share it with you.

In January, we attended 15 hours of training for Acupuncturists Without Borders, where we learned more about using ear acupuncture and the NADA Protocol. This technique was developed to treat addiction (including smoking, alcoholism, and street drugs), but can be applied to a wide range of conditions. It uses 5 needles in the ear and is the system used by Acupuncturists Without Borders to treat trauma victims, including the wildfires out west, flood victims, hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and a variety of other emergency situations. We are a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders and hope to travel to Haiti or Nepal later this year.

In the meantime, since the NADA Protocol helps reduce stress, improve sleep, and improve wellbeing, we are using it in our clinic along with regular acupuncture to treat mental health, insomnia, weight loss, and quitting smoking. The overwhelming response has been that our patients love the technique because they feel so much more relaxed and balanced after treatment. If you’re interested in trying it out, come in for acupuncture and ask us to add these points in your ears as part of your regular treatment. We hope you’ll love it too!

We recently became members of Acupuncturists Without Borders and are super excited! The clinic will be closed January 26th to 31st while we are in Arizona for training.  This will prepare us to set up volunteer clinics in areas where people are suffering from natural disasters and other traumatic events. We’re excited to be able to contribute our skills on a larger scale and hope to volunteer in Haiti later this year!  For more information on what Acupuncturists Without Borders does, check out the website and a description of what we do below.

http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/

“Treatments last from 30-60 minutes with people receiving treatment while sitting in a chair fully clothed. Under the NADA protocol needles go on the ears. The treatments done by AWB acupuncturists are effective for helping people facing enormous stress, anger, frustration, depression, fatigue and other emotional and physical pain. The therapeutic effects happen quickly and can last a long time. These simple acupuncture treatments can have a transformative effect without requiring the traumatized client to talk. Done in groups, community acupuncture can help break the isolation often felt after traumatic events. Even those who resist traditional treatment for Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are often willing to receive acupuncture. Treatments support rebuilding strength and resiliency, essential for the recovery process. Acupuncture treatments have a calming effect and help those struggling with anger, hostility and frustration. Our treatments are free and available to all who need them. We are committed to helping the primary survivors of traumatic events, as well as emergency responders, relief workers and others affected by the emergency.”

Because I have received such an overwhelmingly response of support from people wanting to send money to my family in Nepal, I am going to do 100% matching of everything donated which means anything you donate will be doubled.  In a country where even $10 makes a difference, think about the huge impact you can make.  And my family gets 100% of the money because I wire it directly into their personal bank account.  If you’re thinking of helping someone in desperate need this holiday season, please consider sending money to this family with 4 children who are struggling to survive.  I consider every donation to be a gift to me as well, because their quality of life is something that is most important to me. I will be sending the money on Friday, December 17th. Thank you all so much for your generosity.