Year of the Monkey Wrench

We are three quarters into 2020 and so far it has been a year of total upheaval.  According to the Chinese Zodiac we are in the year of the Yang Metal Rat. I propose that we dub it the year of the Monkey Wrench.  Any plans one thinks he or she may have, forget it! Here comes a monkey wrench thrown at it!  COVID-19 all over the planet--an actual pandemic--soaring unemployment, children at home and those parents still with jobs having to figure out a way to reconcile time parenting with work, old folks being cut off from their communities, families, and support groups for fear of infection, flaring racial tension, publicized police brutality, political and ideological battles, extreme global weather patterns causing fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, extreme heat waves and extreme cold fronts, suspension of our team sports and many forms of exercise and entertainment, to name some of the big ones. There is probably more one could add to the list if she really tried. Oh, lets not forget smoke exposure and evacuations. What does all of this add up to for us in our everyday life?  Well, the bottom line is stress.  People are experiencing incredibly high levels of stress right now, which can manifest in many different ways. For some it causes feelings of “panic attacks”—shortness of breath, chest tightness, heart palpitations, etc. For others it may cause headaches, neck pains, whole body pains. For still others it may affect their digestive system, throwing everything off. Could be pain and bloating, constipation, loose stools, indigestion, etc. Or possibly it is affecting sleep, mood, and concentration. These are all ways that individuals may respond to excess stress when he or she is not able to process and transform that stress. The one effect that is not quite as obvious is that sustained high levels of stress also lowers the immune function.  This would be extremely bad in a time of a pandemic. So, what can we do about this?  If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you are actually quite normal and are not doomed but it does require some action.  Fortunately for us, humans have faced stressful times in the past and have kept great records of it. That knowledge is the heritage of our Traditional Chinese Medicine and what we practice here at HeCares. 

Over the past 3000 years, humans have had to face even tougher times than we are facing right now and have survived. And, we have learned a lot about how to cope with the challenges facing us.  We do no have to do it alone. We have the help of herbs, acupuncture, movements and doctors at HeCares who can help guide you through the proper use of all of these.  Right now, we have herbal formulas that can help with the side effects of smoke exposure. We have acupuncture treatments that can help with not only the symptoms of stress but also can help you become more resilient to the on slot of new challenges and actually process stress more effectively. We can help you find ways to stay fit even without the access to your gym. We even have herbal formulas that have been effective against the coronavirus and are beneficial for promoting a stronger immune system.

So, how are you going to take care of yourself during these trying times? The answer; come to HeCares for treatment. We are here to help you. We may not be able to stop those wrenches from flying, but we might be able to help you to feel more capable of ducking out of the way!

Leia Sutton-Barnes, L. Ac. Staff Acupuncturist

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