03/25/2020
Reproducing one acupuncturist ‘s statement on our role now, and my Response, see below, and read her letter first, far below, my response above:
I’ve been meditating on this as well. My office is in my house currently, a section of a downstairs room. I saw patients for a week, then stopped on March 20th, for ten days, just to be sure, and reformulate. One thing I saw: I suck at prophylactic hygiene. There was no way I was going to be able to protect others, though for myself, I wasn’t worried, relying on the strong doctors immune system, and a lot of hand washing. I might’ve felt differently in an office environment. Also, I felt I was managing risk, as this was the beginning of the pandemic here. At the start of that week, there were no known cases in my small town, and perhaps one in the state ( NM). But now, we are told to stay home except for essential activities.
Here’s a thought, What if our offices had entry rooms where someone could undress, and leave their belongings- and if these entry rooms were cleaned well every day, (would an individual feel comfortable knowing that other people had been in these rooms? And how many people?)- and then immediately go into the shower and wash with soap? Then on leaving, if they put on the same clothes,( or a change of clothes, even better) their exposure would be no different than the risks conferred by venturing outside of their house in the first place. Well, not appreciably different,( safe cleaning after every person) I wager, unless they, or someone else, are coughing when they come into the treatment room, (and out of the shower.) But this is an estimate of the situation, and must change as the situation changes. Still, I do not have an entry room, and am not letting patients shower in my house, right now, I’m just not equipped to disinfect properly, I feel, at least not if there are many people coming. That last week I had six patient visits. And then I decided to wait ten days, and check in with them at the end of that time, to see how they are. In short, I might accept some risk, for a small number of patients, and myself, which will decline in number if this thing escalates here.
(But if the hospital gives me a hazmat suit to wear and welcomes my work, I would be right there. I want to help. But I need to be better equipped.)
So do you let coughing people into your treatment room(s)? I mean there are reasonable risks, perhaps? Or not? We do see the doctors in Wuhan wearing full containment suits, all day, as Dr Chen pointed out in the elotus video. Obviously, there is no way to drop the risks to zero, and therefore, the most Procrustean approach is to stay home.
But what about bringing people Chinese herbs by drop off? The study Dr Chen referenced certainly showed their utility. If I was sick, I would definitely want them. Or before I was sick, if I thought I was exposed.
But will the doctors let us walk into the hospital and bring them these herbs?Would we want to do this? If it were me in the hospital, I would ask a friend to bring them, Heat them up, and I’d drink em. Definitely. So I will buy some from Kamwo soon.
So...the issue here is one of medical systems, health care delivery. Will the hospitals work with Chinese medical practitioners? Will the patients want us to treat at their homes? Will the TCM folks want to go to their houses?
if they come to an office, how to dis-infect it well enough, and by what standard?
For me, I judged this based on the state of explosion of the pandemic. Office open at first, closed, as things get tighter, in step with the state of society.
That still leaves a chinese herbal delivery business, which I plan to run on an income based basis ( honor system) so all can be served. With open declaration as to what cleaning procedures are used.
For those who keep the office open, part of the doing so, should include this description as a way to inform the public as to what health care system is in place ; and it should evolve as the situation changes.
That’s my thoughts,
Ben
On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 4:02 PM Alyssa Dazet L.Ac. Dipl.O.M wrote:
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To The Global Acupuncture Community.
There is always more than one way to view things and I’m here to put words to a view that I know must be in the hearts and minds of more than just myself.
It isn’t easy to express this. It feels scary, intimidating and intense.
If you feel aligned with my words, please share this message, stand beside me in support, and spread your own message too.
There is a divide in our profession right now to stay open or to close. (This is not referring to areas where there is not a choice due to what has been locally mandated.)
We are all in different stages of life, with different constitutions, different home lives, and different mindsets, which will impact what a practitioner chooses to do.
What breaks my heart is the judgment, shame, and lack of support that is being placed on acupuncturists choosing to stay open right now from others in our very own profession.
I strongly feel that our medicine can help greatly in this time. During this time of crisis is a particularly huge opportunity for us to support Western doctors when they desperately need help.
I am not encouraging you to stay open if it doesn’t feel aligned for you, I support you choosing to close. What I am doing is offering encouragement and a voice to those that are open.
There is a strong opinion out there that we should close our doors to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Yet our medicine is one of the only medicines I know that successfully treats viruses and boosts immunity.
Non-essential treatments, doctors, and surgeries are being canceled and closing their doors because their medicine doesn’t have the answers for treating this pandemic.
Our specialty IS prevention. Perhaps giving treatments is actually what WILL slow the spread. In my perspective, this IS essential at this time.
We are Eastern medicine trained doctors of infectious diseases, viruses, immunity, and prevention. From an Eastern medicine mindset, we DO have the training for this situation.
Keeping our practices open isn’t because of the money. It’s because of why we became acupuncturists. For what we believe in our hearts and souls about this medicine. For a pandemic that needs answers right now and knowing our medicine has them.
Not only does treating our patients hold the strong possibility of helping to prevent the spread and contraction of COVID-19, it also helps patients with pressing matters who can no longer reach Western doctors and helps to filter the patients that should be seeking Western care.
I could share countless examples from messages I’ve received with the most recent one being,
“Last week I sent a patient to urgent care for potential deep vein thrombosis, I was correct.”
In addition, if we take a stand to help support IN the hospitals, this could change the projection of this outbreak.
We have now seen several references on how Chinese medicine has successfully treated COVID-19 in China.
ie. https://www.elotus.org/article/how-covid-19-2019-ncov-currently-treated-china-tcm
Plus many of us have already confirmed the success of Chinese medicine through our own COVID-19 experience of treating ourselves or someone we know.
ie. I received this most recently from a colleague who treated herself through an intermediate case and is now healing from COVID-19 “With this the lungs simply DO NOT open again without acupuncture. It’s like a progressive worsening. That is only my experience (and now my mother’s). And I’m so grateful we have this wisdom!”
And once one reaches a COVID-19 recovery stage, we then have a whole other ability to help in ways no other medicine can. But let’s not wait to help until the end.
From my perspective, now is not the time for us to do things the same way we’ve been doing them or to worry about overstepping minor inconsequential guidelines. People are dying now. People need help now.
Now is the time for us to act like the doctors we are and to bring our medicine’s answers to this pandemic in every way we can.
COVID-19 is creating a divide to our profession and I wish it wasn’t. The one thing I encourage you to do and plead for you to listen to me on is to not judge or shame your colleagues for the decisions they are making – closed or open.
Instead support them in any way you can. The more divided we become, the weaker we become.
We should be rising as medical leaders from this global pandemic, we should not be falling apart.
With love, Alyssa
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Reus Street • Pensacola, Florida • 32501
Disclaimer: This article is compiled, translated and edited by John K. Chen and Lori Hsu from three references to inform the readers how COVID-19, the 2019 novel coronavirus, is currently treated in China. For readers who may have such an infection, contact and consult your primary physician, go to....
