New Practitioner!

Happy New Year! There are a few announcements to share at Vital Integrative Medicine!

With the shift to 2021, I find myself feeling some relief and hope but more than ever before there is the awareness that there is still a lot of work to be done. And as always, the work starts with ourselves. I am so inspired to see people taking better care of themselves, seeking self-care and wanting to learn more about alternative medicine. This shift is powerful. Each change we make in lifestyle trickles down to generations to come.

With that being said, I am so happy to share the the news of another team member joining Vital Integrative Medicine! I would like to introduce you to Christy Evans. I have known Christy for years. She was once my patient in San Jose, where we both lived. Now, she lives in Reno and will be working remotely with patients. She has extensive training in a technique called Holowave. She is able to tap into a patient’s energetic field from afar and tune into specific body parts, organ systems, emotions, beliefs, and more that may be preventing the person from achieving the health or healing they are seeking. Here is a little bit more from Christy on her background.

Christy Evans

As a Holowave practitioner, I am able to create a personalized healing activation and individualized wellness plan for each client. The Holowave Self-Empowerment System was founded by Masha Levina. I was led to the path of Holowave healing and healer through my own health crisis. Through my healing transformation, I have been required to listen to my intuition and utilize my multi-disciplinary trainings to grow deeply on all levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. It is my joy to now be able to share my gifts and healing modalities with you. Together we can create a path toward health optimization and personal empowerment.

My passion for healing began with my masters degree in speech-language pathology. I worked with adults who experienced neurocognitive injuries and required rehabilitation. After several years working with this population, I became motivated to help people stay well. This led me to trainings and certifications in yoga, meditation, qigong, astrology, and many other wellness modalities. Additionally, I am certified as a practitioner of the Holowave Self-Empowerment System, and I am actively pursuing a certification in holistic nutrition.

The journey to understand embodied wellness led me inward where I discovered our multidimensional nature. I realized that physical health is not isolated and requires a holistic approach. This understanding led me to the importance of disentangling from old, stored negative emotions and limiting beliefs as an integral part of the wellness journey. My greatest joy is witnessing the transformation from healing to empowerment where the body knows how to heal and soul radiates purpose.

Nature is my balm. I lean on the 5 elements as a roadmap for holistic wellness. My husband, son, and I relocated from California to Reno, NV to be immersed in Nature. As a family we enjoy time outdoors, snow shoeing, hiking, skiing, playing soccer and sports, sun gazing, hammock swinging, paddle boarding, and earthing. My most recent creative outlet is art in the form of acrylic pouring which brings out my joy for play!

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I like to think of her as a medical intuitive, and have been blown away by her readings on patients and on myself. Layers of my own conditioning and dis-ease have been uncovered within her practice. It is such a blessing to be able to collaborate with her and to unravel some tough cases together. Below is a testimony from a patient who has benefited from acupuncture and Holowave.

“I feel like Iris and Christy saved my life!! I began seeing Iris in November because I was having extreme pain in all of my joints. She worked closely with me to get me on the right acupuncture schedule and she put me on herbs that helped considerably with my swelling and pain. She recommended a session with Christy to see if there were any underlying factors we were missing. Christy's remote analysis was spot on! She made some recommendations that were extremely supportive to my immune system and I continued to check in with her to see if there were any tweaks that needed to be made.
My pain level in November before visiting the clinic was an 8 and today I am at 0, and I owe it all to Iris and Christy! They really complement each other and offer a complete approach to healing.”

~Jessica M.

Such amazing healing has come from her joining us and I am so excited she is part of the team. As always, we work together to provide the most comprehensive healing protocol for you!

ADDING SATURDAYS!!

Beginning in March, I will be offering acupuncture appointments every other Saturday. The appointments will be bookable online and will likely go fast. So if you are interested in booking on the weekends, please head to vimheals.com or send an email to iris@vimheals.com so we can reserve your time. Of course, calling is always an option as well at 408-780-0443.

NEW PRODUCTS!!

I am now proudly offering products from Standard Process! This company goes above and beyond in terms of quality, training, and results. I am so excited to offer more alternatives for patients. The supplements are natural and food based.

Also, I now have two new products from Pure Encapsulations. Many of my patients know, use, and love this brand. I have had a lot of patients recently request some support for memory so I am now carrying MemoryPro. This helps with cerebral blood flow and supports neurotransmitters in the brain. I am also now stocking MotilPro which is promotes regular bowel movements by stimulating gut motility neurons.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

If you have any questions about Traditional Chinese Medicine or any of our offerings at VIM, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here for you!

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Iris Martin is a Licensed Acupuncturist in Pasadena, California specializing in pain management and fertility. She loves sharing her passion for natural approaches to health and wellness through her online articles and at her clinic at 501 South Arroyo Parkway. Call 408-780-0443 to book an appointment.

Well Care vs. Sick Care

There have been many shifts taking place in our world. It’s overwhelming as we start to really look inside at our beliefs, what is important to us, how we impact and are impacted by others. The bigger picture stuff at play in this moment in time is really something to behold.

As I’ve written about in past posts, one major shift within my paradigm of practicing Chinese Medicine is that I have a greater focus and passion for keeping people well instead of making them better once they are sick. We always knew that our medicine was powerfully preventative, but the masses still preferred sick care so that was the vast majority of my patient load. Of course, sickness and pain are inevitable in this life and acupuncture is an amazing alternative for sick patients.

In light of recent events, I am no longer able to treat sick people. There are a lot of ways to define “sick”. I am specifically referring to those with a cold, flu, or similarly infectious bacteria or virus. In the past I would encourage sick patients to come in for treatment as acupuncture can really help kick out the pathogen and speed up recovery time. But for now, and maybe always, treating sick patients puts my other patients and myself at too great a risk.

We see this move away from in-person appointments across specialties, as we see shifts toward telemedicine in offices where, before covid, half of the people in the waiting room were there because they were sick. I am hopeful that this will actually make the medical system a bit more efficient and will definitely cut down on germ spread.

I feel that it is important to write more about such concepts because I believe it needs to be the focus of our health and self-care from this point forward. Being proactive about our immunity and self-care practices during the pandemic is important, but I want to reiterate that this should be the way you operate in your life from this day forward. Now prevention is the name of the game. I have been pondering how covid and the regular flu season might intersect. Testing will be the only real way to differentiate serious illnesses from your common cold as covid has staked a claim in quite the array of symptoms.

Prevention is also definitely something to consider when choosing a health insurance plan. Pick one that covers acupuncture, chiropractic, and other alternative forms of care. Think about how you can set aside money for such services if you don’t have coverage. Consider a lower deductible plan so that you can use it regularly throughout the year rather than only in crisis. Think seriously about finding a naturopath, nutritionist, therapist etc. It is quite clear through this pandemic that we all could use a bit more support than we may be affording ourselves. When you have a well-rounded approach to your health and wellness, it becomes more likely that you can avoid co-morbidities, autoimmune diseases, and poor diet-induced health concerns that directly relate to an increase in mortality rates.

Think about it as an investment. What better way to spend your hard-earned money than on a healthier you?

If you are the kind of person who waits until you are completely out of commission before seeking help, I encourage you to shift your perspective. Don’t ignore “little” things that keep cropping up. Look at symptoms that your body displays as opportunities to tweak an imbalance. Get your team (yes, team) of preventative and alternative health care practitioners lined up and schedule regular visits that you go to even if you are feeling great. The time for radical self-care is here.

Iris Martin is a Licensed Acupuncturist in Pasadena, California specializing in pain management and fertility. She loves sharing her passion for natural approaches to health and wellness through her online articles and at her clinic at 501 South Arroyo Parkway. Call 408-780-0443 to book an appointment.