Masks are still required in my office

What a difference a year makes. Thank you for your consideration, patience, and thoughtfulness during the most stressful times of this pandemic. I've tried my best to keep you all safe in my office and I sincerely appreciate that you've done the same to protect me.

Effective May 29: The Commonwealth’s face-covering order will be rescinded. The Department of Public Health will issue a new face-covering advisory consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance.

Face coverings will still be mandatory for all individuals on public and private transportation systems (including rideshares, livery, taxi, ferries, MBTA, Commuter Rail and transportation stations), in healthcare facilities and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings.

The Department of Public Health will issue a public health advisory effective May 29 that advises all unvaccinated residents to continue to wear face-coverings in indoor settings and when they can’t socially distance.

My priority is to ensure a safe environment for the most vulnerable. At this time, there is limited data on vaccine protection in people who are immunocompromised. Therefore I will continue to require you to wear a mask in my office. I understand this may be disappointing. I look forward to seeing your entire face smiling in the near future! Just not yet. So for now we can continue to make weird faces behind our masks. :) 

If you are fully vaccinated and may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 please contact me first. Although the CDC does not require quarantine or testing following a potential exposure, we have to be careful as there are high-risk patients who are pregnant or immunocompromised. I would like to give all concerned parties the option to reschedule.

If you forget your mask I will provide one for a $1 fee that will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Transplant Center.

I will continue to monitor the guidelines and will update accordingly. Thank you for your understanding!

Appointment policy throughout this holiday season

Thank you to those who have screened themselves and rescheduled appointments when you have been feeling unwell with questionable symptoms. I sincerely appreciate your consideration. Thank you for erring on the side of caution on my behalf. I will have the following policy for appointments until the end of the year.

If you attend a gathering with those outside of your immediate family or travel during this holiday season I ask that you get tested 3-5 days post exposure and receive a negative COVID 19 result or wait 2 weeks before scheduling your next appointment.

I wouldn't ask you to do something that I wouldn't ask of myself. I'll be transparent with my actions as well. I won't be traveling for the holiday and don't plan on attending any gatherings. If my plans change I will make sure to get a negative COVID 19 test result before scheduling appointments. If negative I will schedule appointments. If positive, I will isolate for 14 days before seeing patients.

Thank you and best wishes,

Christina

COVID-19 Control Plan to reopen Monday 6/8/2020

I will be following the state's COVID-19 control plan and will also be making some additional adjustments

SOCIAL DISTANCING

• I will wear a disposable surgical mask in my office. 

• If I have flu/cold symptoms I will cancel appointments and will reschedule to Telehealth appointments for those who would like. 

• All patients are required to wear a mask and wash hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering the office. 

• If a patient is experiencing flu/cold symptoms. I ask that they not come into the office. I will treat via Telehealth until they are symptom free for at least 14 days. After that time they are welcome to return (with mask).

• I will only be using one room for now. There will be a 30 minute gap between appointments. The intake will take place in the waiting room spaced 6' apart. However, I will treat couples and family members who have isolated together using both rooms. 

• I have a new consent form specifically for COVID 19. I'll need you to sign before treatment. 

HYGIENE PROTOCOLS

• I will continue wash hands before and after teach treatment.

• I will wipe down all touched surfaces between appointments (table, door handles, light switch, bathroom keys, etc.) with an EPA approved disinfectant.

• I will no longer be using cloth sheets. Just table paper. This will allow me to wipe the table down between treatments. I'll also have disposable pillow cases in addition to the paper drape sheets.

• I will have alcohol based hand sanitizer in treatment rooms and waiting room.

CLEANING & DISINFECTING 

• I have established a daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning schedule. 

I will plan to open my office on Monday June 8, 2020. Please email if you'd like to schedule an appointment. If you would like to schedule a Telehealth appointment you may do so the homepage.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Christina

Gift cards to support local businesses

My office will be closed until at least April 30, 2020. If you would like to purchase a gift card in advance it would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to meeting with you when I re-open. Please send me an email and I will add you to the newsletter mailing list for updates.

You can support your other favorite local businesses by going to Give & Get Local

Off Their Plate  and Feed the Frontlines are local organizations that were started to provide meals to healthcare workers and front line work force.

Off Their Plate started in Boston as a way to feed healthcare workers. Now it's going national.

Herbal Phone Consults available during office closure March 16 - March 31 2020

Hi Everyone,

Since I will not be able to see you in person for acupuncture. I would still like to be as supportive as possible. I will be offering Herbal Phone Consultations. It will be the same rate and length of time as the existing Herbal Follow Up consult. (30 minutes - $50). If you’re not already familiar with herbal medicine, it can be helpful in treating the same common conditions as acupuncture such as headaches, migraines, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, insomnia, allergies, and beginning stages of common head cold.

I use an online pharmacy that will ship the herbs to you directly. It will likely come as powder that you’ll dissolve in hot water and drink as a tea.

If you’re interested send me an email christina@backbayacupuncture.com and we can schedule a time to talk.

Take care and I wish you and your loved ones the best in health. - Christina

Office policy regarding COVID 19

Hi Everyone,
I hope you’re all well. Crazy times we’re in. Information is changing and updated so quickly it’s hard to keep up. In some ways it keeps us in the present moment because it’s impossible to plan too far ahead. There are too many variables beyond our control. We have to be flexible. I know that may be particularly hard and anxiety producing for “planners”. It’s ok. Just take one day at a time. That’s all we can do. 

Thank you to everyone who has given me a heads up that you’re not feeling well before coming in for your appointment. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. I feel conflicted because I know a treatment would benefit you as an individual. But right now we need to make the health of our community a priority. If you experience fever, body aches, and respiratory symptoms stay home, rest, and contact your PCP for their advice. Keep me posted too and let me know if you have any questions. 

In addition to all of the precautions CDC recommends make sure to eat well, take your vitamins and get enough sleep. It’s easy for our minds to go dark and panic during times like this. Focus thoughts on what is going right and what you’re grateful for no matter how small.

I listened to this podcast and thought it was great! Informative, practical advice and entertaining. As a graduate student she traveled to Africa to teach theater. Within 2 weeks she contracted malaria, then dysentery and rehabilitated in a leper colony and got a staphylococcus infection. But being in the colony protected her from a coup that was taking control! Just learning that bit should make you curious to learn more.

Virology (COVID 19) with Dr. Shannon Bennett
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ologies-with-alie-ward/id1278815517?i=1000467968660

I plan on being in the office for my regular hours. If learn that I’ve come into contact with a COVID positive patient or if I exhibit symptoms myself I will close the office.  I’ll update you if there are any changes.

Take care. Be kind to yourself and those around you. Let’s all try to act with compassion and empathy and not out of fear. - Christina

Boston Voyager Magazine article

I have some exciting news to share! Boston Voyager Magazine highlighted my practice in their "Boston's Most Inspiring Stories" section.

"The heart of our mission at the BostonVoyager is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our city. In the recent weeks we’ve had the privilege to connect with some of the Boston’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool. Check out the rising stars from Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South End and surrounding areas below."

Rising Stars of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, & South End

Share the Care: Save $10

More Than Words (MTW) is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. Your donations of books, DVDs, CDs, and video games are the building blocks for MTW to grow, thrive, employ, and empower youth.  I will offer a $10 discount off of your 60 or 90 minute fee if you bring in any of the following items.

       CONDITION:  new, gently used and better condition

• Fiction and Non-Fiction hardcover and trade paperbacks
• Antiquarian, Unusual, Collectable books
• Current text books, University Publishers (Harvard Press etc.)
• History books
• Cookbooks
• Art Books, Coffee TablePicture books
• Children's books
• Philosophy and Religious books
• Classics
• CD Audio books
• Music CDs (original cases intact, no scratches or home burns)
• DVDs, Blue Rays, Video Games

       I will NOT accept the following:

• Encyclopedias, periodicals, magazines, music cassettes, VHS tapes

For more information CLICK HERE

Acupuncture for Foot Pain

A few years ago I presented at the grand rounds for the Podiatry department at MGH. I spoke about conditions that I’ve treated such as plantar fasciitis, morton’s neuroma, fractures, sprains, and neuropathy from chemotherapy and diabetes. Although there are acupuncture points on the feet, these points do more than just treat pain in the feet.

As acupuncturists we treat the body holistically, not just putting needles in the site of the pain. There is a whole process that leads up to the first needle insertion. First we review a patient’s health history then check the tongue, pulse, and palpate the body. This gives us information on what channels or organ systems we want to work on. Next, we think of which points will be most effective. They will be a combination of local points in the area of the pain as well other parts of the body. When inserting the needle we keep in mind how we want to use the point and what type of needling technique will be most effective.

The bladder, gallbladder, stomach channels originate on the head and end on the feet. This is why points on the feet can resolve a headache, stomach ache or dental pain. The liver, spleen, and kidney channels originate at the feet and end on the trunk of body. This is why when someone comes for treatment for one specific condition, other seemingly unrelated symptoms start to resolve as well.

If you've been struggling with pain from plantar fasciitis, morton’s neuroma, sprains, or neuropathy, try acupuncture and you may notice your other ailments resolve as well!

 CLICK HERE if you have additional questions or to schedule an appointment.

FAQ About Acupuncture Needles

There seems to be a lot of mystery about acupuncture, is it safe, what does it treat, how does it work? I’ll try to answer the most common questions over the next few blog posts.

Are acupuncture needles clean and safe?

Yes. All acupuncture needles come in sterile packages and are disposable. They are never re-used.

Is there medicine on the needles?

No. Unlike syringes, acupuncture needles are thin and solid. There is no medicine on the needles. The insertion of the needle stimulates your body’s healing response.

Do the needles hurt?

Not in the way a shot at the doctor’s office feels. Sometimes there is a little pinch, sometimes you won’t feel anything at all. After the needles are in, people report feeling a heavy sensation that is relaxing.

Are there side effects?

The most common side effect is feeling relaxed.

I hope this helps to ease some of your concerns. If you have extra questions please leave a comment or contact me.  I’ll be happy to answer any more questions that you may have!