It is up to you to then learn how to make the refreshing drink we call lemonade out of them.
I was handed one of those opportunities recently in the form of a stroke. The stroke happened following a lovely, active hiking holiday I took to Mexico. When we returned -38 wind chills greeted us at the Calgary airport. The following day on Jan 30, about 6 weeks ago I had a stroke. I realized what was happening when I could not feel temperature with my left hand and which had become increasingly stiff as the day progressed. As I waited for a ride to come and bring me to hospital or clinic to get this checked, I did acupuncture and moxa on myself using the points I was familiar with from working on several patients who had used Acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation or recovery.
The good news is my left arm and left face recovered very well from these early treatments! Through the quick referral system in place for TIA or strokes I was assessed by multiple scans and tests a few days later confirming the size and scope of the stroke. The Doctors and Stroke Specialist, were surprised by the quick reversal and recovery from usual stroke symptoms, of paralysis of face and arm, as well as sensory recovery. They encouraged me to continue receiving acupuncture or other rehabilitation for any lingering symptoms.
AS you know in Traditional Chinese Medicine, we look for root causes, and do not just treat the branch or symptom. I am very grateful to the western medicine tests that helped identify the underlying problem of irregular and too fast heart beat as the reason for the stroke. I continue to search for the root to that root too, and may have a hint with a ongoing problem called sleep apnea. A little personal history here is that 3 of my 4 grandparents, and my Dad, all had similar events in their lives, at about the age I am currently. Plus in TCM I know that wind cold, such as I experienced at the chilly Calgary airport, in a body that is overtired from 15 days of hiking holidays, set the stage for me to have a stroke. More good news is that I have preemptively been taking supplements to guard against or recover from stroke for a couple of years due to my family history.
So that is the lemon part of the story. Now to the lemonade portion.
I like and strive to live a balanced life. As my business has grown in the 5 years I have been doing acupuncture, this has become more challenging. I really enjoy my work and hate telling a client that the next opening is 2 weeks from next Thursday, so I would squeeze them in around the edge of the schedule and sacrifice some of my time to stay balanced and well rested. I now need to address that and write to inform you I will be working a significantly reduced schedule for the next few months. I am aiming to get a locum (substitute) BC registered acupuncturist in place to attend to the needs that I am currently not able to meet.
In order to heal I need to listen to advice I often give out to my patients to get more rest and listen to one’s body. In doing this now, I am hopefully expectant to return to good health soon.
So instead of viewing this as a lemon – or not being able to currently do the work I love, I am choosing to view it as an ingredient to get me to the prize of enjoying more lemonade! Or in translation – more balance and recovery for me, and a have a second acupuncturist/ wholistic health practitioner at Flourishing Health to meet your health optimization needs. I hope to be able to introduce you to that person in the near future and ask you to include me in your prayers or vibes for restored health in the meantime. Online bookings can still be made from the website. I (Heather F) am limited to booking about 10 hours per week currently, & Lori Bru continues to offer her craniosacral or massage services several shifts per week from the Flourishing Health space at 503, 7 Ave, Invermere. As always these appointments may be booked online from our website: https://
There is also a new BCRMT starting in my building whose name is Sophie Berkoff and bookings can be made online with her too from her website: sophieberkoffrmt.com
In closing I am grateful for having the TCM tools to treat many ailments, and especially the ones for stroke most recently. Thanks for supporting your health with the tools I offer, and know that it is my sincere desire to continue to do so.
Healthy Regards,
Heather
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