Root Health to Re-Open
A little update on my journey with breast cancer
I ran into a client on the street the other day. We were both elated to see each other. She shared that I looked great and asked how I was doing, which drove home an important point—most people I get to see in my practice have no idea how I have been since being diagnosed with breast cancer! So, without further ado, an update:
I am doing really well, all things considered. After a lot of scary tests, the main course of treatment was surgery to remove the parts of me that had gone rogue. The cancer was localized, meaning it had neither spread to my lymph nodes nor systemically. Accordingly, neither chemo nor radiation was indicated—woohoooooo!
For the last couple of months I have been focusing on recovering from surgery and, perhaps more importantly, healing systemically. I have learned a lot about the marriage of holistic care with western medicine, the damaging effects of sustained stress and fear, and the various components of what it means to be well. Acupuncture, counseling, meditation, friends and family, crying, laughing, supplements, physical therapy, gratitude, my beloved canine companion—all are proving powerful medicine.
This has been a tender, scary and strangely life-affirming experience. I have been blown away by the outpouring of generosity and support from my community, including from many of you. To each of you who has reached out—a card in the mail, hot food, help with medical bills, offers to walk my dog, or simply held me in your thoughts—my sincere gratitude.
I was sharing with a colleague my experience of accepting help—deep appreciation mixed with shame for being in a position of need. She reflected back to me something I’m exquisitely present with and that I believe may speak to many of us:
Learning to receive is a big, humbling and beautiful lesson.
May each of us have a space where we can land, be present and feel held in unconditional positive regard. May each of us know we are whole, regardless of diagnoses or life circumstances.
Changes at Root Health
Just like the seasons of life and the weather outside, change is abound at Root Health. Check out my nifty new website at www.roothealthclinic.com. Aaaaand I am once again taking appointments! For your convenience, you are now welcome and encouraged to schedule online. Snag those treatment slots before they fill up! You’ll also notice the option to pre-pay for your treatment and take care of invoices with the click of a button.
What remains consistent is my commitment to ensuring access to care by accepting insurance, the same great value for individual treatments and the same discounts for seniors, students and the first and second treatment for co-op members. In the same vein of access to acupuncture for all, low-cost treatments will be offered again in the near future. Beloved clients who have taken advantage of this service in the past, please check back soon. Thank you for your patience as this treatments option gets an overhaul. This will be shifting to a true community-style setting rather than the current individual sessions.
Liver Season
‘You are my liver’ is a common expression in some Asian cultures. Rather than the heart, which gets a lot of shrift in western culture, this saying reflects the importance of this multi-faceted organ. We are transitioning from kidney (winter) to the season of the liver (spring). What died, rotted or found time to rest in the winter creates potentially fertile ground for what will spring forth with the return of sunlight.
Liver is the wood element, green and has a strong coursing action to dispel blockages. It calls on us to get outside, move among the trees, enjoy tender spring greens once they are available, and to ditch those things that are causing stagnation or no longer serving us. This is a great time of year to fast, do a deep spring cleaning and get in for acupuncture to help course liver qi, i.e. that life force that flows through all living beings.
Whatever your desires for the coming season, I remain honored to hold space for the work you are doing. What a gift to be entrusted as your practitioner and to feel well enough to practice. I hope to see you soon!
In humble gratitude,
Kameron