​Q: Dr. He, are you going to reopen all your clinics soon?
A: Nope!
Q: Why? SIP is ending soon!
A: Because we have never closed!

HeCares has proved to be a strong team battling this pandemic. With ample preparation of PPE, hightened sanitization, extending hours, we have been busier than ever. All of our team members have tested negative in COVID antibody. This adds more confidence to our team as well patients. Once again, HeCares Team has stood out and our service proved essential. 

As I stated in a previous blog, I have been doing a lot of cooking during this SIP time.  One of the beautiful things about Chinese medicine is that food is also a part of our medicine.  The first, and arguably most important line of health is eating the things that are appropriate for each individual person. If we can eat well we can stay healthy and reduce the need for further medical intervention.  Dietary and herbal consultations are services we provide to our patients at HeCares.  To begin with, one of the guidelines to eating properly is to eat what is in season and eat what thrives around in one’s environment.  Spring is such a wonderful time because there is so much abundance and many options.  So in this blog I would like to highlight the finer attributes of an often under appreciated local plant; the dandelion (Herba Taraxaci --Pu Gong Ying in Mandarin).  For many landscapers and gardeners, the dandelion is viewed as a weed.  At best, it might be recognized as being pretty and attractive to butterflies, bees and other pollinators but rarely is it actually seen as useful to the casual observer. But let’s look at this little plant for its real potential.
The entire dandelion plant is edible from root to flower (though it is bitter in taste).  Dandelion has been used in Chinese, Native American and Western medicine for centuries. In both Eastern and Western medicine the dandelion has been shown to have immune-enhancing, hepatoprotective, diuretic, and cholagogic effects.  This means it can help our immune system, help protect the liver, increase toxin elimination through urine, and stimulate digestive enzymes.  All things that I think are in particular need during our quarantine time!  Its properties are even more detailed in Chinese medicine as it falls under the category of Clearing Damp Heat and Eliminating Toxins. This is a broad category that roughly means it can help with many types of sores, lumps, and irritations both topically and internally such as acne or abscesses, even tonsillitis!  It is a key ingredient in a topical plaster used to treat swelling and bruising from sprains and strains. Dandelion, along with other herbs, is very effective in treating sore throat as well.  Again, a good thing to be thinking about during this Covid-19 pandemic. Dandelion can be drunk as a tea and is even used blended with other herbs as a coffee substitute. However, what I am really excited to share is that it can be a culinary treat!  Ever have dandelion cookies? Well try this lovely recipe.

Prepare Dandelion Flowers
1. Pick Dandelion Flowers from an area where pesticides or herbicides are not used.
2. Wash them and let them dry a bit before separating the petals from the green base.
3. Hold flowers by the tip with the fingers of one hand and pinch the green flower base with the other hand. This releases the yellow petals from their attachment.
4. Shake the tiny petals into a collection bowl prior to measuring them.
5. If you can’t make the cookies immediately, the intact flowers can be frozen for a short time in a covered container until you are ready use them.

Ingredients (I often double this recipe) 
1/2 cup oil (or fat of your choice. I like to use butter)
1/2 cup honey 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 - 1 1/4 cup unbleached flour (or gluten free alternative. I actually really love making these cookies using blanched almond flour but if using almond flour, use 2 cups flour) 
1/2 cup dry oatmeal 
1/2 cup dandelion flowers (use only the yellow petals)
Optional—1/2 cup dried cranberries for color and a little zing

Instructions 
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Blend oil and honey and beat in the two eggs and vanilla. 
3. Stir in flour, oatmeal and dandelion flowers 
4. Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet 
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes. (Shorter time if using the almond flour option 8-10 minutes). Cookies will be soft and lightly browned
6: Enjoy
​
So, before throwing the “weeds” of your garden into the green bin, ask yourself if there may be a way to use the medicine around you and have a little fun while you are at it! The dandelion is an easy place to start. You can make, a simple tea of leaves and stems for cooling the body, clearing the skin, and detoxifying the liver, a tincture or tea of the roots for immune system enhancing, or a lovely batch of cookies with the flower petals to lift the spirits and bring sweet joy into the household as part of your medicine. If you would like more ideas of how to use what we find around us to benefit our health, come in to the HeCares clinic for a consultation.  Cheers!

Leia Sutton-Barnes, L.Ac

​I haven’t had this much fun since the Army.

In 2003 while stationed in Seoul, South Korea, I was the chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons specialist assigned to the primary medical unit for the Yongson garrison. Thus, when SARS began to spread, I was attached to the emergency response team that would treat any patients that came down with it in our area. Fortunately, although SARS was quite lethal (up to 15% mortality rate), it didn’t spread fast, and was quickly contained before it could spread too far.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case with the Covid-19. Though the virus is less lethal (2-3.4%), it has spread much wider and faster than SARS. This has led to crises in China, and now Italy, where the medical system was overwhelmed by the flood of people who became sick. And now 6 states, including California, are under “shelter-at-home” orders. This mandates social distancing to prevent person-to-person transmission of the virus. The goal of these measures is to “flatten the curve” and keep the number of new cases from exceeding the capacity of the health care system to handle severe cases. 

What that means for us
HeCares is dedicated to providing quality healthcare to the community, and the current situation is no exception. We feel that acupuncture is an essential part of keeping the community healthy, and will remain open for the duration of the shut down order. We are taking special precautions, including cleaning down surfaces after each patient, sanitizing rooms, and washing our hands before and after each patient. 

In addition to providing our usual care, we can also provide treatments specifically to boost the immune system. We offer a specialized treatment to increase blood flow to the throat and sinuses, to keep your body strong at the virus’s point of entry. Additionally, getting treatments can reduce your stress levels, which also helps to boost your immunity. We are also providing masks and hand sanitizer to any patient upon request. 

What that means for you
If you are not actively sick, or in a high risk group, we encourage you to come to your regular appointment. High risk groups include the elderly, those with imapired immune systems or on immunosuppressant medication, and people with certain medical conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, cancer or uncontrolled diabetes. For everyone else, acupuncture is part of what can keep you healthy, and so long as you don’t have an active fever, we encourage you to still come in for treatments. 

What to do:

• Wash your hands regularly. Wash them thoroughly for 20 seconds, making sure to get the creases of the finger joints. When you can’t wash your hands, use alcohol based hand sanitizer. 
• Regularly wash down surfaces that your touch regularly, including door knobs and light switches. 
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with tissue or the crease of your elbow, not your hands. 
• Only wear a mask if you’re sick or a caretaker. Unnecessary use of masks creates shortages for those who do need it, especially medical personnel. 
• Maintain social distancing: stay away from crowded places, only go out when necessary, work from home if you can. 
• Do things that keep your immune system healthy:
  • Get plenty of sleep
  • Eat good food, including soups, fruits and vegetables.
  • Come to your regular acupuncture session!. Acupuncture and herbs can help you keep healthy by reducing your stress and boosting your immune system. 

What not to do:

• Don’t hoard equipment, such as masks. This can deny it to medical personnel who do need it. And remember, you staying healthy depends on those around you staying healthy as well. We’re all in this together!
• Don’t panic: stress and worry can actually lower your immune system and make you more vulnerable. 

The bottom line is we should be cautious but not panicked. At HeCares we will continue to serve our community and do our part to keep it healthy and strong. The virus can’t beat us, and together we can beat the virus!

David Dick, L. Ac., DAOM

In times of crisis, there are those who panic or hide in fear, and then there are those who realize that it is a time for creativity and ingenuity. A time to put our varied skills to their best uses.  The team at HeCares is one such group of extremely strong and ingenious people. Dr. He has been proactive from the beginning of learning about the spread of coronavirus by collecting and sending extra supplies to those areas in the most need at the time. In January, he started collecting extra masks and sending them to hospitals in China. In February and March he has been collecting sanitizers, masks, and gloves and giving them to our local communities as well. We have all participated in dividing and distributing sanitizer to our neighborhoods when there was no more sanitizer to be found at the drug stores.  Now, as this situation develops further, we are bringing in the creativity of our extended team: family.   

I am proud to know another such proactive, ingenious woman in particular. This woman happens to be my sister.  A cautious and creative person by nature, she took very seriously the threat of the virus as word came of its spread across the globe.  With the rapidly increasing numbers of cases, she also paid attention to the shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE), as did the team members at HeCares, and she thought, “what can I do to help protect my family and friends?” She went on-line and researched what the best, re-usable, filter equipment is out there.  She discovered that there is a company making carbon fiber material that is effective against dust, odors, hazardous fumes, particulate matter, molds, bacteria, and viruses! They have tested it in the UK and it has been shown to be more effective than the N95 paper masks. This material can be sewn to other fabrics. It can be washed daily and is reusable for up to 5 years!  A seamstress by trade, she pulled out her bolts of material, her sewing machine, and ordered a sheet of this carbon fiber. Having also worked in construction, she is very familiar with the N95 paper masks and knows how scratchy and uncomfortable they are, not to mention just plain ugly. So, she has been making masks! The ones she is making are more effective, more comfortable and much more attractive than the other masks. Her plan: protect my loved ones.  But it does not stop there.

As I walk through the grocery store, I see the majority of the people there not wearing masks.  Well, that is a matter of choice (in this country), which puts not only them in danger but also all of the people around them. I feel particularly concerned for the cashiers and clerks though. They are coming into contact with every person who goes through the store.  They are literally risking their own lives to keep the essential parts of our economy running. Unlike the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who know they are coming into contact with people infected with the coronavirus, these people have no idea if and when they may be exposed. Already tens of thousands of Americans are suffering from COVID-19.  The major problem we are facing right now is that we have one group of people pleading for more materials (medical workers), and the other group barely knows they need them (public at large), however neither group has much access to good PPE at the moment. So, what can we do? We can use this time of sheltering-at-home to help those who are out there being exposed! 

​My sister is a hero doing just that. She, despite living on very limited resources, bought this top of the line material and is making high quality, reusable masks! She already sent some to our parents, who are in the high-risk demographic, and to her siblings. Now she is making them available to the public. She has already spoken with the clerks at her local health food store and has orders from several of them for her masks.  She would also like to make them available to medical workers and is moving toward doing just that. Our aunt, a medical doctor and director of medicine for several hospitals in CA, also wants to try these masks. After reading online of doctors pleading for any assistance in personal protective equipment, I know now what I must do. I will put aside my acupuncture needles for the moment and pick up a sewing needle! I happen to have a sewing machine and I am ordering the same carbon fiber filters and cotton covering materials and having my sister teach me how to make masks, which I will be donating to hospitals in need.

And truly, this may go beyond the life span of the COVID-19. What if the medical professionals discover that they can have a new part of their wardrobe, like their scrubs, and have masks that they can wash and reuse instead of adding to the landfill? She may have just discovered one small way to decrease our medical waste for the long-lasting betterment of our planet. Necessity is the mother of invention. We all have to be on the team of saving the world! Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so. Let’s create something together!

Leia Sutton-Barnes, L. Ac. Lead Acupuncturist
​

Dear friends,

I take pride in calling this place home!

Instead of closing down, HeCares will remain open in Sunnyvale and Los Gatos as usual so that we may help those in need of relief and comfort. Beginning March 17, 2020, HeCares Team will kindly offer COMPLIMENTARY acupuncture to enhance your immune system and ease the stress and fear caused by Coronavirus pandemic.

This offer is available to the public regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, etc. However, in order to minimize the chance of community spread, only limited appointments are available. Due to likely high demand, seniors and individuals at high risk will be served first.

Thanks for your understanding!
🙏
9 am- 5 pm Monday-Saturday
500 E. Remington Drive, Suite 25
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

16575 LG-Almaden Rd. Suite A
Los Gatos, CA 95032

Please call 408 720-1766 or book online via https://hecares.janeapp.com/

We are all in this together!

Love & Strength,
💪
Frank He, L. Ac., QME, DAOM