Flying Turtle turns six!

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Flying Turtle Healing Arts turns six this month! Thank you all so much for being a part of this amazing journey. Every day, I am thankful to be able to grow as a practitioner (and human being) with such a wonderful group of people! I am deeply humbled by your continued support of my practice.

We are celebrating once again by sharing the love and giving away gift cards to other local businesses in Davis Square. Since Flying Turtle is six years old, we are giving away SIX $20 gift cards to these neighbors: Dave’s Fresh Pasta, Dakzen, Davis Squared, Diesel Cafe, Flatbread, and Milo’s personal favorite*: Opa Greek Yeeros. Everyone who came in for a treatment in September will have their names tossed in the virtual hat for the drawing. I will announce the winners in October on Facebook and Instagram.

As always, stay well and I hope to see your faces soon!

Fannie

*Because he only has to show up and Demetrius will give him meat scraps

The new so-called “normal”

Since reopening the clinic in June, I really appreciate how everyone has cooperated with the new safety protocols such as wearing a mask throughout the entire treatment and washing/sanitizing hands before entering the treatment space. I traded my street clothes for baseball shirts and scrub pants. I must admit: they are wicked comfy.

I’m also happy to report that the landlord has followed through with upgrading the HVAC filters to the type that traps particles as small as a virus, which complements the air purifiers that I have running constantly in each treatment room. I hope the beds have remained comfortable despite having the fleece lining and electric blanket removed in order to wipe down the beds afterwards. 

Thankfully, Massachusetts numbers seem to be holding steady in Phase 3 with an infection rate of around 1% despite students returning to campus for the fall semester. MA has the highest testing per capita in New England as of this week. Mask-wearing is turning out to be the magic bullet in keeping this pandemic under control, so let’s all stay vigilant and continue to protect one another by wearing our masks and getting tested.

New insurance billing and FSA accounts

If you use your health insurance to get acupuncture and have not been in the clinic this summer (or changed policies), please be advised that I have switched to a new billing service and will need patients to re-enter their insurance info using this link so that we can continue to bill your insurance carrier when you next come in.

A few people have also asked about using up their Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) towards acupuncture. The answer is yes, absolutely! Many people already use their FSA/HSA funds towards their co-pays but they can also be used for treatments and herbs that is not covered by insurance. There are only three (!) months left in the year, so I suggest getting some appointments on the calendar soon.

Referral bonuses are now donations to charity

As most of you know, when people help spread the word about Flying Turtle Healing Arts, I give out $10 Starbucks gift cards for every patient referral. This year, however, I asked my awesome referring peeps if they would mind if I donated the money instead, given the times we live in. Everyone agreed and I have since sent $100 to Feed the Fight Boston and $80 to Equal Justice Initiative.

Thank you one and all for your generosity and especially for your faith in me as a practitioner! This quarter, our beneficiary will be Bicycles Battling Cancer. Although the ride has become a virtual one, my husband and our friends at Team Bondat were determined not to miss out on their 11th year of raising money for the American Cancer Society. Cancer didn’t go away just because COVID19 showed up. It just claimed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a 20-year cancer survivor, last week when she finally succumbed to complications related to metastatic pancreatic cancer. For her and for the many people in our lives affected by this disease, our fight continues. 

Finding Joy (aka Staying Sane)

Yesterday, a friend sent a very timely thread about hitting the six-month wall during a sustained crisis. Dr. Aisha Ahmad posted originally on Twitter, saying that “this 6 month wall both arrives and dissipates like clockwork. So I don’t fight it anymore. I don’t beat myself up over it. I just know that it will happen & trust that the dip will pass. In the meantime, I try to support my mental & emotional health.” Let’s continue to be kind to one another and ourselves. We’re going to get through this!

Meanwhile, for the cutest distractions around, check out Caesar the No Drama Therapy Llama at the Oregon protests and the new panda cub in the National Zoo. Here’s the link to the panda cam. (You’re welcome.)

Stay informed

For great info on the coronavirus, Dr. Robin Schoenthaler, MD from MGH has been posting fantastic Facebook updates on COVID19. (She’s also on Medium but I noticed that she includes local statistics like school-specific infection rates on Facebook.)

I also found a couple of resources on masks: