Healthy Thoughts from North Seattle Community Acupuncture

The Survey Results are In!

Thanks to all of you who responded to our survey. We heard back from many more than we expected, and that’s a very good thing! Here are some notable stats and feedback:

Q: How effective has acupuncture been for your health?
82% said pretty to very effective

Q: How well do we care for you?
100% said pretty to very well

Q: How comfortable is the clinic?
100% said pretty to very well

Q: What do you like best/least about clinic?
Best: Us, Our caring nature, The natural music, The art and quilts
Least: A little cold, A little noisy,

Q: What Clinic events interest you? (most popular)
Acupressure workshop
Foot Massage workshop
Tai Chi class

Thank you so much for such positive feedback. We are very pleased that you are satisfied with our service. We will continue to work on improving what we do. Being a medical practitioner guarantees a lifelong learning curve!

The North Sea Goals for 2011

We have done well in our new Pinehurst location and have great hopes for continued improvement in 2011. Currently, we are at 50% patient capacity, which means we have plenty of room for growth. Based on your survey feedback:

• We doubled the number of natural music CDs in our iTunes library to give you more listening variety.
• We have another quilt or two coming, and there will be a few changes in the artwork this year.
• We raised the temp a bit in the clinic. Many will always have cold hands/feet during treatment regardless of the temperature. We are trying our best to treat your ache without making you bake!
• We installed more than 500 square feet of insulation in the ceiling to cut down on ambient noise
• We will be giving acupressure and foot massage workshops during the first half of 2011! Please watch our website and newsletter for details.
• We will continue our Free for Me and My Friend days throughout 2011.

Best wishes to you all in 2011 and beyond. Hope to see you soon!

This past Friday, as I removed the needles from one of my patients, she turned to me and whispered, “thanks for the terrific vacation. I had a wonderful time.” To me, acupuncture is an effective medicine for treating a wide range of illnesses and injuries. Sure, it’s relaxing. It’s a bonus that comes with the treatment. However, it’s all in your point of view, isn’t it? Soft blankets, low lighting, gentle music, a zero-gravity chair, plus an acupuncture treatment that improves your health. Hey — no surcharge for baggage! That definitely adds up to a terrific vacation.

North Seattle Community Acupuncture – come fly with us!
Departures from Northgate throughout the day, Monday through Saturday
Don’t forget your hat!

www.northseaforme.com        206-524-6428

Affordable healthcare is on the move as North Seattle Community Acupuncture moves to a bigger, better location within the Northgate area. To introduce itself to the neighborhood, the North Sea is hosting an Open House on Saturday, June 5^th, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm at 11329 Pinehurst Way NE, Seattle, WA 98125. You will have a chance to tour the clinic, ask questions of the acupuncturists, and enjoy something good to eat and drink, too.

Expanding its footprint from 400 to 1100 square feet, the North Sea provides eight chairs for low-cost treatments throughout the week. Patients suffering from a wide variety of illnesses or injuries can get a complete acupuncture treatment for only $15 to $40 paying whatever is comfortable and with no insurance required. Even for people with insurance, the fee range extends far below typical co-pays, so it is a great deal for everyone! You can call to make an appointment (206-524-6428) or even appoint yourself on the North Sea’s website (www.northseaforme.com). Either way, the process is easy and convenient.

North Seattle Community Acupuncture opened in June 2009 as Seattle’s fourth Community Acupuncture clinic. Currently, there are nine independent Seattle clinics that stretch from Shoreline to Columbia City, and more than one hundred sixty around the world. They all follow the guidelines of the Community Acupuncture Network (CAN), an international organization focused on providing affordable healthcare for everyone. Patients pay low fees, are treated in a group setting, and are welcome to stay as long as they like. Many studies have shown that healing works best in a supportive, relaxed environment. That’s a key goal of Community Acupuncture, healthcare for the entire community in a community-style setting.

I’m an avid bridge player. I love the game because it has so many nuances, and especially because I have to make the best of whatever cards that I am dealt.

Bridge is split into two parts. The first is “bidding”, where you estimate how many tricks you will take during play. The second is the actual play. If you take what you bid (or more), you win! The more you bid, the greater your potential reward.

Sometimes, your hand looks bleak and you figure there’s no way you’re going get the contract. Then, your partner pipe’s up with just the right bid and a perfect match emerges between the two of you! Suddenly, things aren’t looking so bad.

Play commences and you do everything to take the most tricks possible. With a combination of straightforward play, good timing, and some finessing, you make your contract and declare victory. Ahhh - it feels great to team up with someone, make a good plan, and succeed.

To me, bridge is a simple metaphor for life. Each of us is dealt a set of cards and the challenge is to work with others to play them as best we can. Sure, some hands are better, and some are worse. I don’t think anyone wants crappy cards. What we’re given isn’t the challenge - we’ve got no control over that. The challenge is what we do with those cards. The best way to play them is by taking every opportunity to know ourselves, build good friendships, and care for those around us. Life’s a game, so play it well and play to win.

Three No Trump,

Steve

North Helpline (our local food bank)
is very low on inventory. This year, they are serving
25% more than last!

They are especially low on canned goods like
vegetables, fruit, and soups. Other needed items are
rice and pasta (mac n’ cheese is very popular). Staples
like tuna, chili, beans, and peanut butter are great, too.

This Friday and Saturday (Feb 5th and 6th),
NEW or RETURNING Patients will receive
FREE treatments if they bring donations
for North Helpline

Please Give to a Good Cause. Thanks!

Of the many studies I have read concerning health and longevity, they have all agreed that people in relationships were generally healthier and lived longer than those who weren’t. Yet, there are people out there, on their own, who live long, happy, and healthy lives. Others, surrounded by friends and family, are miserable and die young. How is this possible?

Perhaps these studies could have looked at the data in a different way. What if they divided surveyed people into two groups - those in a healthy relationship with themselves, and those who were not? After all, some of my best mentors and guides have taught me that, if you don’t love yourself, you can’t really love another.

Have you seen this? People, content with themselves, glow when alone and shine even more when they are partnered? Conversely, people, unhappy with themselves, look discontent no matter where they are or who they’re with. What if feeling alone is all about attitude and not about the lack of actual company? I’ve known some awfully lonely people who were physically surrounded by others. At times, I’ve been one of those folks. How about you?

I think it happens to many of us throughout our lives. We have moments when it seems nobody is cheering for us, not even ourselves. It’s important to see those times as just passing moments, something that we experience and move beyond. We need to be there for ourselves. When we are, we are not alone. We exude confidence attracting others to us.

One of the reasons I love Community Acupuncture so much is that it gives us the opportunity to be with ourselves, in a comfortable, non-threatening setting. It allows us to relax and re-tune our bodies, to rebuild confidence in our physical, mental, and spiritual being, and then to show others and inspire others to do the same. Community healing is a gift that helps us realize we are never alone.

Be well ~
Steve

to make a life change. That said, it’s almost never easy either!

Some changes are just a matter of preference. Will I eat lunch every day or not? Others are so obviously beneficial that they scream for action. One change I went through years ago was just like that. It literally saved my life. I quit smoking. And from that experience, I figured out a few things regarding life changes which have stayed true for countless other changes during twenty five years.

1. You have to want to do it
2. It has to be for yourself
3. Declare victory as much and as often as possible
4. Stay committed. The road gets easier with time.

I have lost count of how many times I’ve heard people say “I guess I should” or “I really oughta”. I call these the “oughtas”. You know…I oughta do this, I oughta do that, blah, blah, blah. There’s no commitment in an “oughta” statement. It comes from guilt and has no power behind it. So don’t expect anyone with an “oughta” to stick it out.

I’ve also lost count of how many times I’ve heard “my wife wants me to lose weight” or “my children want me to quit”. I call these the “wannas”. She wants, he wants, they want, want, want, want. There’s no commitment in a “wanna” statement. Like the “oughtas”, it comes from guilt and there’s no power behind it. Don’t expect anyone with a “wanna” to follow through.

YOU have to want to make the change, and YOU have to clearly see the benefit of it so you develop your own commitment to attain it. How do you keep up that drive? Stay committed? By dividing up your big challenge into lots of small challenges for which you will declare victory as you overcome them.

You want to quit smoking? Think of your first month as 31 daily challenges to not smoke. Go smokeless for a day? Declare victory. Go smokeless for two? Declare a bigger victory. Before you know it, you’ll stop cheering each day and start cheering once a week, then once a month, and then…your new behavior will part of your life and no longer a big deal. Can Acupuncture help you with your challenges? Yes it can - with the cravings, anxiety, and will power to keep going.

What if you fall off the wagon? Then get right back on! How long did it take you to ride a bike? Drive a car? Master Microsoft Word? The most important thing is to stay committed. Keep trying. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Energy and persistence conquer all things”. Let’s see you conquer some, too!

Be well ~
Steve

Stretchhhhh! Nothing like a good stretch, especially after New Years.

I decided to take a little blogging “breather” around the holidays, but I’m back now. Hope you all had a good vacation. I sure did - low key, but restful.

In mid-December, I blogged about the Four Pillars of Preventive Medicine and left the last pillar “Treatment” for another day. The treatment I’m talking about isn’t what you get for sickness or injury. That’s not preventive, it’s “reactive”, a reaction to something you sustained. Perhaps you caught a cold or broke your ankle? (I hope not!)

The treatment I’m talking about is “proactive”, received before you get ill or injured, to help you stay healthy and active. What am I talking about? I’m talking about massage to keep your muscles, tendons, and ligaments pliable and unbound. I’m talking about Chiropractic care to keep your spine in line. And, I’m talking about Acupuncture to keep your mind and body well balanced with less pain, less stress, more energy, and more regularity.

There are many modes of preventive treatment. I thought I’d provide just three for you to consider. Feel free to comment about others you’ve tried and found helpful. The most important thing is not which one you choose, but that you choose at least one! Make it a regular part of your life.

So few seem to have time for preventive treatment. Sure, we bring our cars in for oil changes, tire rotations, and radiator flushes. Why not us? Especially because we intend to keep our minds and bodies much longer than we keep our cars! YOU are your own greatest investment. Please do what you can to keep yourself in good working order. In life, you need to be present to make things happen.

Be there in 2010 (and beyond)! Good health to you ~

Steve

Excerpts from an article by Amy Beth Arkawy

Dean’s Rx for Senate Health Bill: “VOTE NO”
NEWS JUNKIE POST
Dec 17, 2009

Too bad Howard Dean’s not calling the shots. If the former DNC Chair–who’s also a physician–was at the helm the so called Senate Health Reform bill might actually contain change we could still audaciously believe in.

Today, as the nation’s largest union, the AFL-CIO joined the SEIU in vehemently opposing the current legislation, former President Clinton issued a stern statement calling opposition “a colossal blunder.” Clinton said the bill may not be perfect, but passing it is “the only responsible choice.”

As it stands the Senate version strips virtually all real reform out of the bill. Long gone is a public option, robust or otherwise ( a minimal public option remains in the House bill), And thanks to what “say no Joe” Lieberman called the “tyranny of the minority” when he co-sponsored anti-filibuster legislation back in 1995, so is the consolation prize Medicare buy-in option for folks over 55.

Here’s a link to the whole article. Real reform coming? As I blogged back on August 28th…Nope

Please be well. We can’t afford to be sick!

Steve

Think “Preventive Medicine” and what comes to mind? Testing. The medical industry has a myriad of tests for breast cancer, cervical cancer, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and so on. Testing is important as one of the four pillars of preventive medicine. It’s the “do I have it yet?” piece, which is pivotal, but the part of preventive medicine for which we have least control. The other three components, Awareness, Lifestyle, and Treatment, deserve at least equal attention.

Preventive medicine begins with Awareness. Each of us needs to understand what “good health” means and become aware of the dangers present that can cause us illness or injury. Some of these dangers concern us all, such as smoking. Others are specific to our genetics, our work or where we live. European Jews need to be aware of Tay-Sachs disease, miners need to be cognizant of black lung disease, and those who live in sunny climates or spend lots of time outdoors need to be mindful of skin cancer

Based on our background and particular situation, we need to consult our physicians and take the tests most appropriate for evaluating our current health. For most of us, if the tests come back negative, our interest in preventive medicine stops right there until we decide to test again. This is a great failing within our society and medical system. We stop short of the third pillar of preventive medicine, Lifestyle, which can do so much to improve the quality of our health throughout our life

Beyond testing, we need to evaluate our lifestyle and make the practical or necessary changes to minimize the likelihood of illness or injury. Does everyone need to make the same changes? No. Our situation is unique to each of us. Do these changes guarantee good health? No. They just increase our chances for a life of good health. So why make changes if there’s no guarantee? Because, it’s not enough to just grow old

One of the greatest fears of many, including myself, is to lose our abilities and independence as we age. How about you? Are you looking forward to becoming infirm, incapacitated or dependent? Then do what you can, when you can, however you can, to tune your personal lifestyle for maximum health. For the things you can change, do so. For the things you can’t, protect yourself. And for the things you still desire, even though they hurt you…well, that’s where Treatment comes in. More about treatment on another day

If you are looking for guidance regarding Preventive Medicine, check out these websites:

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Preventive Medicine Research Institute
HealthFinder.Gov – Preventive Medicine

…and it wouldn’t hurt to visit your acupuncturist either! {8^)

Be well ~
Steve