Fall Newsletter
Flu is coming early, oh joy!
If you are ill this winter we want you to be aware of our cold and flu precautions. You may come to the office for an in-person visit if you meet the following criteria:
It has been over 24 hours since you have had a fever or chills.
It has been 7 days or more since your respiratory ailment started.
Your cough is reasonably controlled.
During the cold and flu season, we will continue to have all patients and staff wear masks in the office. Free masks are available at the entrance.
Preservative-free flu vaccines are here in both regular and high doses.
Homeopathic influenza preventative is now available at the Apothecary. Ask Alex at the Apothecary about dosing instructions. We recommend this highly for anyone who can’t or doesn’t receive the flu vaccine. It also serves as a booster to those who do.
Marguerite Returning!
Marguerite will be slowly transitioning back to Helios from her maternity leave, by helping from home to start. You may notice her calling from a number you aren’t used to but feel free to return calls to that number. It will be 720-839-6988.
IV news
We have a new intravenous recipe for post-COVID and influenza recovery. Ask your practitioner about it. It is packed with recovery nutrients: Vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, glutathione, and B complex.
“Yes” on Proposition 122
Although politics and medicine ideally should not overlap, occasionally they do, and we
wanted to offer our perspective on Prop 122 on this year’s ballot. Proposition 122 would allow
the personal use of psilocybin mushrooms and certain plant-based psychedelic substances by
adults 21 and over but would ban sales except in licensed “healing centers,” where people
could ingest them under the supervision of trained facilitators.
We are acutely aware of the interconnectedness of mind and body. There is no way to
heal the body without addressing the mind, and vice versa. This ballot measure is an exciting
opportunity to expand the toolset for healing. There is abundant research surfacing from
reputable medical schools (John Hopkins, Harvard Medical) that have shown how psychedelic
medicine can be used to heal a multitude of ailments including PTSD, addictions, OCD, and
trauma.
Furthermore, in recent years, we have witnessed patients who have undergone
treatment using ketamine or psilocybin with a trained facilitator have had incredible breakthroughs
that have positively changed the course of their lives. I have had patients crippled by PTSD find
stable ground to move forward on for the first time in years. This by no means is to serve as a
replacement for other types of emotional therapy, but rather an important option to access in
the journey to wellness.
Long Covid: What I Have Learned
The prevalence of Long-Haul Covid ranges between 20-30% of all those who have tested
positive for COVID-19 at some point. People are suffering and, for the most part, not finding
answers in the conventional medical model. This is not a statement to discredit hard-working and
thoughtful doctors in hospital settings, but more a point of awareness that the tools they have
at hand within those settings are struggling to find effective solutions for many long-haul
patients.
What I have learned in these past two years in treating those with Long-Haul Covid is
that the ancient principles of eastern medicine can hold up to this “new virus.” Through
observation and careful listening, the underlying disease patterns become clear which leads to
a successful healing path. Ancient herbal remedies that have treated humans through several
pandemics are still relevant and effective. As a practitioner, I must stay nimble in my thinking
and am constantly reminded to change protocols as the body begins to heal and reveal other
physiological imbalances. There never was a “one-size-fits-all” for effective medicine, and this is especially true with Long-Haul sufferers.
Long-Covid has reminded us that there is always more to the story than one’s symptoms. There can be underlying nutrient deficiencies, untreated co-infections such as chronic Lyme or Epstein-Barr, or organs that were already burdened. These pre-existing conditions set the stage for stagnant recovery post-COVID. We have sharpened our detective skills to uncover the root causes of why Long-Covid is affecting some and not others.
All this to say, after two years I am so excited to share that there is hope, there are solutions, and that suffering is not inevitable. The path to healing may not be straight and narrow, but the path is lit with wisdom that is centuries old.
Margaret Hampton DACM
Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
