The Season

Achievements:

I have a patient who plays basketball for a college team, and has had knee surgery with post-op pain. I saw her once, and she has reported that the treatment greatly helped. She scheduled again, and I hope that she experiences more long-lasting relief before the next season starts. I worry about athletes, who don't let injuries heal as they should, sometimes.

Disappointments:

One of my fertility patients was scheduled for a labor induction at the hospital, but decided to try me a couple of days before going. She was willing to see how much acupuncture could move labor along before going the "scary medical route", as she put it. I performed the labor induction treatment on the 2 consecutive days that we had before her hospital appointment. She felt increased kicking while in my clinic room, and that continued through the first night. But the labor was not induced by me. Sometimes it takes more than a day or 2 of treatments. But I rarely get feedback after one treatment, so I was glad to hear what the 2 sessions resulted in. I will recommend a few more treatments within a week, when time allows.

Struggles:

Flu season is upon us. I am sad to see how many people can be knocked down and kept down for days or weeks, and in my mind it's unnecessary. We don't even need flu shots, if you can swallow pills, and have a decent immune system. The Chinese herbs that have anti-viral properties stop the cold and flu progression as soon as they start. One day of taking the herbs, at the first sign of fever or sore throat, and you're back to work/life. The popular cold-remedy called Airborne is a combination of this 'famous' Chinese anti-viral formula, and vitamins. But I always keep a bottle of the original formula in my at-home pharmacy, and I know I will never have to suffer a cold or flu again.
This goes for other conditions I see people struggling with, too. (Anxiety, for instance.) But the cold and flu is so acute, it is just too darn easy to treat to worry about.