Clinic Closing + Care Options Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Public Health Precautions Amidst COVID-19

I have closed the clinic effective Tuesday March 17th through March 31st in an attempt to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of my patient population and our larger community. Public health and safety is my primary concern. I am personally and professionally employing social distancing at this time. 

Just to review the things we already know in case it is unclear: I, myself, may be asymptomatic and unaffected by COVID-19 but if I am exposed to someone who is (also potentially asymptomatic) there is the opportunity to not only become infected by the virus as an individual but also to transmit the virus to other people. That is a risk I'm not willing to take. 

My primary concern is for the contagious nature of the coronavirus. I treat people over 60 years of age and see many patients with compromised systems and autoimmune conditions. I do not want my clinic to serve as a vector for viral transmission (in any instance, but especially amidst this pandemic). 

Unfortunately, I think re-opening the clinic the week of March 31st is rather optimistic and we are likely on the verge of hunkering down for a span of a few months. If by March 31st the clinic is allowed to be open for operation, I will be adjusting my schedule to see much fewer patients per day, with appointment times an hour and 15 minutes apart so as to allow for social distancing and to maintain rigorous cleaning standards. If you have an appointment made for that week, I will be contacting you shortly to adjust our appointment times. 

Options For Care During This Time of Social Distancing

My primary concern is for our collective wellbeing and safety. Unique in this instance, as we all know, is the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus. 

To maintain the practice of social distancing, I have attempted a bit of creative problem solving in offering care and support to my patients and community during this time. The following options are what I have come up with thus far:

1. Health Intakes via Zoom + Press-Tack Kits for Self-Administered Treatment: This is an option for those who are familiar with and have experience with the procedure of acupuncture. We will schedule an appointment time for an intake and tutorial via email. I will deliver (or you can pick up) an individually packaged press-tack kit containing 60 press-tacks, an individually packaged alcohol swab (unfortunately these are in limited supply so if you have your own alcohol and cotton, that works, too!) and any adjunctive supplies such as a moxa stick. During our 40-minute consult + tutorial via Zoom we will discuss your health history and current presenting symptoms, your treatment goals, etc. I will provide a point prescription and live instructions for proper press-tack placement. A pdf with descriptions of point locations and pictures will be emailed to you, as well. 
***Press-tacks are teeny tiny acupuncture needles that are adhered to surgical tape. They are very short needles but offer stimulation to acupuncture points much like the needles we use during a typical acupuncture treatment. The bonus: you get continual point stimulation throughout the day and you can even sleep with them on for additional relief!
***60 press-tacks will provide 2-3 treatments, depending. Tacks usually remained adhered to acupuncture points for 1-2 days and offer on-going support.

2. Health Intakes via Zoom + Acupressure Guidelines: Not everyone is going to be comfortable with the press-tacks and that makes total sense. Acupressure/self-massage is an equally valuable option for relief. As above, we will schedule a tutorial via email and consult via Zoom. During our 40 minute online visit, I will guide you through self-massage at acupressure points specific to your symptoms, etc. I will email you a pdf of the prescribed acupressure points with descriptions and pictures of their locations. Please email katiefritz@ahimsawellnesscollective.org to schedule a meeting.
 

3. Herbal Consultations via Zoom: Chinese herbal medicine can effectively offer systemic and immune support. I use Chinese herbal formulas to treat both physical symptoms and to support the body and mind in processing emotional distress. If you are a regular patient and need your formula filled, please email katiefritz@ahimsawellnesscollective.org and we will arrange a refill and delivery or a pick-up.
***Some herbal products are in very high demand right now and are difficult to obtain and so some herbal formulas are in limited supply.  
***Herbal formulas should not be used to replace traditional medical care. If you have specific questions, please email me using the address listed above. 

4. Somatic Experiencing (SE) Sessions via Zoom: SE is a body-based therapy aimed at observing, experiencing and regulating the nervous system. Current conditions are even more unstable than usual, changing moment to moment at an intensely rapid pace. Our individual and collective vigilance is extremely high. During an SE session, there is discussion around current life stressors and triggers (COVID-19 of course being a huge source of stress for all of us). We also acknowledge that the current state of events exists in the broader context of your lived experience up until this point.

The focus in an SE session is less on discussion and more on body-sensations. For example, when you begin to talk about the current state of the world, or when you begin to even think about the current state of the world, what do you notice happens in your body? Does your heart rate increase? Do you notice your shoulders tense? Are you aware of mental or physical fatigue or confusion? Perhaps you feel less and less sensation in your body as you think about current events?

Together, we work to observe the trends and tendencies in your nervous system. We carve out an hour to modulate the pace of current events by processing the most bite-sized piece(s) of your physical and emotional experience. We carefully and gently give your nervous system the opportunity to complete some of its activation responses so that you can, slowly and over time, develop a greater capacity for systemic resilience. To learn more or to schedule an online SE session please email katiefritz@ahimsawellnesscollective.org. 

We Need Each Other

Many of you know that I spent the past weekend in St. Paul, MN learning and engaging the principles of Somatic Experiencing. If there is one thing that becomes clearer and clearer, it is that as humans we are hard-wired for social engagement. We are social animals. We need each other. 

It poses a real dilemma, then, to be secluded and separated from one another during a time of such intense emotional distress. When we are in the presence of another kind, caring, supportive and regulated human being, simply put: we heal. 

The challenges we face in light of this pandemic are many. Our basic sense of physical security has been severely compromised and we are being urged and, likely at some point, will be required to seclude ourselves from one another. 

How can we best care for ourselves and care for each other during the coming months? I think the answer will look different for everyone. I will be drafting more emails than I normally do to try and connect you all to various virtual offerings and opportunities to engage with your loved ones and communities, as well as including basic suggestions for self-care that might help nudge us into healthy nervous system regulation. 

One final note...
These are very trying and unique times. As always, it is an incredible honor and an absolute pleasure to be a valued member of your care team. You all mean the world to me - you're such an impressive bunch!? I see so many of you with regularity, it will be difficult to adjust our routine. Please be patient with me as I try to adjust my in-person offerings and learn the ropes on virtual visits. And please be so patient with yourselves during this time. May it be a moment-to-moment personal investigation in kindness, generosity and gentleness. The rapidly changing circumstances are jarring, ungrounding and disorienting to say the least. I look forward to connecting with you all soon - strategically and safely in-person or online. Take good care. Please be safe, healthy and well.

Lots of love,
Katie Fritz

Nourishing The Heart

May this day support gentle self-reflection on our capacity for both giving and receiving love

The balance between giving and receiving is a very personal journey with the self and with others. On this mile marker towards the Spring Equinox, might we pause and give thanks inwardly or outwardly to those with whom we feel a sense of love, care and connection. What a beautiful gift it is to give and receive love. Bless your physical and energetic hearts forever and always. 

The Heart in Chinese medicine

All of the organ pairs in Chinese medicine govern or are responsible for specific physiological, emotional and spiritual functions that curate and contribute to our overall experience of life. 
 

Physiologically, the Heart governs the blood and blood vessels. It is responsible for the circulation of blood throughout the cardiovascular system. Heart all aflutter?? We treat arrhythmias in Chinese medicine. 

Emotionally, the Heart governs our experience of and access to joy. It is half of the Fire element in Chinese medicine. All of the things you intuitively associate with Fire: passion, excitement, joy, anxiety, mania are clinically associated and acknowledged within the Chinese medicine framework as pertaining to the Heart. We support healthy Heart Fire, tempering the flames that can flare in the instance of anxiety or mania. Alternatively, we support the slow smoldering embers required to lift one out of a depressive state, when one experiences a lack of joy. Either state can be experienced when this organ system is imbalanced.

Spiritually speaking, the Heart relates to our consciousness. When our hearts are beating, we are able in a very literal sense to be awake - we are alive, we are conscious. This can be expanded upon in a spiritual context to communicate an aspect of our being that relates to our awareness. Awareness meaning our ability to sense and to feel moment to moment in our own bodies and as we relate to others and the environment around us. This aspect of the Heart is something I frequently discuss with patients in my clinic. So often there is a discrepancy between the amount of outward moving awareness versus our inward moving awareness. Bless you, you beautiful nurturers. Present in every treatment provided is tending to the nourishment of the Heart.

Nourishing the Heart: Loving Connection

I took a functional nutrition seminar with Tom Malterre, MS, CN and he mentioned something quite remarkable to the class regarding heart health and disease. He stated that the current literature has identified that the number one determining factor in whether or not someone developed heart disease was not dietary choices nor deleterious lifestyle factors. He stated that the number one determining factor in regards to the development of heart disease was an individual's experience of loving connection. 

I mean, let's all just let that sink in for a second. 

That is so significant!? And I do not mean that to pressurize or add anxiety about one's heart health and their relationships but rather to bring awareness to the fact that the health of the physical heart is nourished and supported through our loving relationships (and it is validated by science).

So let's have a round of applause for the true-blue lovers, the steadfast partners, the loyal friends, the kind and generous family members and your sweet, sweet selves. Taking the time to be present and connect with other humans is good for our heart health. 
 

Nourishing the Heart: Acupressure

As vital as connecting with others is to our heart health, it is also an absolutely worthwhile practice to connect with and show love to ourselves. To be capable of loving generously is supported by our ability to acknowledge, care for and tend to our own needs.

A simple practice of self-acupressure can supplement the Heart energy, promote a state of calm and reduce one's experience of anxiety. HE-7 aka Heart-7 aka Shen Men (pictured above) is a very important point to nourish and support all of the functions of the Heart. 

Apply gentle pressure in the area of Heart-7, notice for yourself if the application of pressure feels good or feels tender. Perhaps you feel the effect of the local acupressure somewhere farther up your arm or even in the center of your chest. Repeat for several minutes or as needed throughout the day. 

Nourishing the Heart: The Breath

You're gonna be like "Fritz, enough with the breathing already!" but I can't because it's just so helpful!  

Either lay comfortably supported on your back if that feels like what would serve you or sit upright for a slightly more engaged posture.

Place one palm over your chest and place your other palm below or near your navel. Begin to draw your attention inward as you start to notice your breath. You might notice any number of sensations, restrictions, ease, fluidity as you focus on your inhalation and your exhalation. You might notice the sensation of your heart beating as you take the time to shift your focus to yourself. 

Over the course of a few breaths, see if you can coax or deepen your breath, widen the expansion throughout the sides of the ribcage. Breath more deeply into each of the areas underneath your palms. No need to be forceful, just see what is available to you in this moment of practice. 

Give yourself plenty of breath. Whether you breathe for 1 minute or 15 minutes is up to you. Notice how the simple act of focusing on the breath shifts your experience and allows you to engage with the present moment to moment experience (even if it's challenging at first). Repeat as needed throughout your day.