July 2024

Hello!

Sorry this email is a bit delayed! I have to be honest: July has been a lot. I know I have had a lot going on, and almost everyone I talk to has also been managing a heavy load, too. I hope that we're all taking time to find pockets of joy when we can! I've been experimenting with watercolor painting, which has been really fun. (I'd love to hear where you've been finding joy - reply to this email and let me know! 😊)

This email is a mix of clinic updates, food therapy and summer wellness tips, updates on COVID precautions in the clinic, and information on voting in Iowa. It's a bit of a mixed bag of topics, but it feels pretty fitting for our current moment!

But at the top, I want to say this: let's take good care of ourselves, and let's also take good care of our community. That means resting, doing things to help ourselves feel less stressed, caring for our health, and more. But that also means taking care of others - helping each other out, taking COVID precautions, voting, and supporting local (and national) organizations that are working on causes you care about. This is the time to harness that yang summer energy to contribute however we can! One of my favorite illustrations of how we all have a role to play in social change is the Social Change Ecosystem Map - it is a great way to help us see the many different ways we can contribute, lean into our strengths, and avoid burning out! I wrote a bit more about it on my Instagram, if you're interested. I love the holistic, expansive, and inclusive view this map provides, and I hope you find it inspiring too.

Take care,

Kate Thomas, LAc

Clinic Updates

COVID & Clinic Policies

COVID is really spreading right now in Iowa! I've talked one-on-one with people but haven't addressed it in newsletters, so I will take this opportunity to share what I always do to protect you when you're in the clinic, and share a few requests I have of you when you come into the clinic.

What I am doing to protect you:

• The treatment room has a HEPA filter that is always running. This filter is rated for a much larger space, so it replaces the air in the room multiple times per hour!
• I'm currently wearing a mask with patients.
• I'm regularly cleaning frequently touched areas with appropriate cleaners.
• I always take a COVID test when I am unsure if my symptoms are allergies or an upper respiratory infection.
• I stay out of the clinic if I have been exposed to COVID.
• I am fully vaccinated for COVID, and will be getting the next booster when it is available.
• I stay up-to-date on current variants and their changing symptoms so I can be aware of what symptoms to look out for.

What I ask you do to protect me (and other patients!):

• Wear a mask in the clinic if you are having upper respiratory tract symptoms, such as coughing, frequent sneezing, sore throat, etc., even if you think it is allergies! You're, of course, welcome to wear a mask regardless of symptoms - but if you do have symptoms, please come prepared with a mask.
• Please reschedule your appointment if you are feeling unwell, or switch to a virtual appointment. I am happy to provide home care suggestions to help with colds, such as food therapy (including specific teas, foods, etc.) and herbal recommendations. There are many things you can do at home to take good care of yourself, too!
• Testing (using rapid tests) if you are feeling unwell, particularly within a few hours before your appointment. This variant seems to be showing symptoms earlier for people, even if they initially have a negative test, so continue testing for a few days after your symptoms start to make sure! You can still easily find tests on Amazon.
• Stay home if you have tested positive for COVID.
• If you're not sure what to do about your appointment, don't hesitate to contact me! You can email or text me, and we can figure it out together.

As many patients know, I have chronic health problems that are made worse by having COVID, so I am really appreciative of people being careful about COVID exposure in the clinic. Additionally, I have many patients with compromised immune systems, so reducing exposure in the clinic is very important!

I know we've been dealing with COVID for over 4 years now, and it is easy to feel exhausted with it all. It can feel very isolating and awkward to be the only person wearing a mask in public or to ask people if they have tested for COVID - I feel it too! (Even this email feels a bit awkward!) But again and again, I return to the idea that we truly need to practice and rely on community care and thinking of how we can take care of each other.

Voting Information

Since moving to Iowa, I've found the voting process here pretty tricky! If you're new to Iowa or haven't voted before, you may be confused, too. I've talked to many people lately who find the process a bit daunting. So, this week, I did my best to sort through Iowa voting information and summarize it: click here to read more about how to register and vote in Iowa! On this page, you can find links for where to check your voter registration, how to register to vote, how to locate your polling location, and more.

I also have an area set up in the clinic with voter registration information. I have printed copies of the Iowa voter registration form, and you can grab an envelope to mail it in! You can also find QR codes to take you to the relevant websites if you have an Iowa ID and want to register online. I am happy to help answer any questions you may have, too!

I will keep updating the page on my website until the election with new information, so if you have suggestions for me to include (or you notice anything that needs to be corrected!), please let me know! Soon I'll add some info walking through the process of voting, so you know what to expect the day of voting, as well as some FAQs - so send any questions you have my way. I'm not coordinating this voting information with any political group - I just want to help people sort through the steps to vote so everyone can make their voice heard this November. (And if you're a local business that wants to post the QR codes, too, let me know! 😊)

Summer Wellness Tips

• Stay hydrated! It is easy to become dehydrated in the summer, whether from sweating when we’re outside or being around AC and fans inside. Make a point of drinking water regularly and replenishing your electrolytes if you are sweating!
• Wear sunscreen! While not specific to Chinese medicine, sunscreen is essential to summer health! The American Academy of Dermatology recommends picking sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher, focusing on broad-spectrum (blocking UVA and UVB) and water-resistant sunscreen, and reapplying every two hours. For more information on sunscreen, visit the AAD website.​
• Food therapy can be a big help during the summer months - keep reading for more specific information!

Summer Food Therapy

There are a few ways to approach food theory for the summer! During summer, we can have many conflicting climatic, or weather, influences on our health—from humidity and dampness to dryness and cold from AC. There is also a lot of overlap in these categories, so the best way to see how something makes you feel is to experiment! Here are more details on the different aspects your body may be feeling:

• In general, avoid iced, cold, and too much raw food and drink. Even though it can be tempting to reach for an iced drink when it is hot, this can end up causing problems later - especially in people with sensitive digestion or pre-existing "damp" conditions! Eating some raw fruit and vegetables in the summer is usually okay - but if you start to have looser bowel movements or show more signs of dampness, you may want to eat less raw food.
• If you're feeling hot, focus on cooling (not cold!) foods. Signs of being too hot include, of course, body temperature, but can also show up in increased dreams, feelings of anxiety, migraines, and more. Focus on "cooling" foods below.
• When you're out in the humidity, focus on cooling and damp-draining foods. If you struggle with dampness and humidity - such as feeling lethargic, your body feeling heavy, brain fog, lots of extra mucus, etc. - then incorporate some "damp-draining" foods regularly.
• If you spend more time inside in the AC, focus on ensuring you don't get too dry or too cold. Signs you may be more dry include increased thirst, dry sinuses or throat, dry skin, dry cough, etc.

In general, red foods are considered "summer" foods, so when in doubt, pick something red! Then, consider the climate and how you're feeling. Remember, your needs can change from day to day based on the weather, so stay flexible. Re-read the list above if you're not sure which category applies to you! Try incorporating 1-2 of the foods at least once a day, and expand from there.

• Red foods: red fruit (berries, apples, watermelon, etc.) and vegetables (bell peppers, tomatoes, beets, red onions, etc.) are ideal this time of year!
• Generally cooling foods: Cucumber, tomato, eggplant, watermelon, green tea
• Cooling + damp-draining foods: mildly bitter foods (lettuces, bitter greens, etc.), mung bean, buckwheat, Job’s tears (aka yi yi ren, coix seed, or Chinese barley - it is a gluten-free grain)
• Cooling + moistening foods: apricots, grapes, pears (especially lung dryness), pomegranates, tamarind, watermelon
• A few herbs to help with heat + damp: hibiscus, lemongrass, mints, peach leaf, dried orange peel
• A few herbs to help with heat + dryness: peach leaf & peaches in general (this is a lovely elixir with peach leaf), tamarind
• A few herbs to help with cold: Warming herbs such as ginger, cardamom, etc. are helpful if you're feeling a bit chilled inside!

Ideas:

• Tea! Try making hibiscus or mint tea - you can drink it at room temperature or slightly cold. If you're out of the house, a Starbucks Passion iced tea is a cooling mix of the herbs above (just ask for light ice!). Red Dragon's Red Dragon tea is a great blend to brew at home.
• Add fruit to water, or have cucumber water if you're feeling especially dry.
• Job's tears and buckwheat make great grains for salad.
• Buckwheat also makes a great breakfast porridge - ask me for the recipe!
• The Recipes page on my website has more ideas on how to incorporate leafy greens.
• Snacking on fruits and vegetables is an easy way to eat them, too!

That's it! Take good care of yourself. As always, feel free to email me back with any questions.

Kate