Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.
As of today (Friday March 13th at 3pm), we are closing Manchester Acupuncture Studio in Manchester & Nashua for a planned 2 weeks, until March 30th, in light of the COVID19/coronavirus epidemic.
We don’t take this decision at all lightly, as we know that many in our community rely on MAS for healthcare. We are closing because we take our mandate to protect community health seriously. Evidence all around the world shows that the best way to ensure that this epidemic threatens as few in our area as possible is to limit its spread through physical-distancing. As you all know, we are typically open 365 days a year (in Manchester, a few less each year in Nashua), barring major snowstorms. This is the only time we have closed the clinic for more than two days in a row in 13 years of operation. But playing a role in helping to “flatten the curve” of COVID19/coronavirus transmission is paramount at this time.
To be clear, we are not aware of any confirmed case of COVID19/coronavirus in our staff or patient community. We are doing this as a precaution and to follow public health advice to limit gatherings of people. We hope that our closing will be part of the momentum of people staying home to prevent a severe outbreak. If ours and others’ measures to encourage physical distancing are successful, we may never see COVID19 become as widespread and destructive as it is in other places.
In two weeks, we hope to be open, but we will be evaluating and assessing this situation as it continues. We thank you in advance for your support and patience, and look forward to seeing you when we open our doors again soon.
We will remain active on social media, so you can stay connected to the clinic.
We hope that you all will stay connected to your communities and support networks in whatever ways you can, from a distance, and that you will reach out to local resources if you need support.
Let’s stay connected, and get through this together.
We’d like to share with you precautionary measures we are undertaking to ensure the health and well-being of our patients, staff and ultimately the vulnerable people in our region. In addition, we offer links to helpful public health information.
Thank you for your participation alongside our whole staff.
Most importantly, if you have symptoms of a cold, flu or diarrhea, please stay home and rest. If you've had a fever within the last 48 hours, please stay home and rest. The main symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Call your primary care physician if you’re in need of medical attention for these concerns. If you need to cancel your appointment due to illness, there will never be a charge here at MAS.
However, many of our patients present with common non-contagious/non-serious upper respiratory symptoms such as allergies, asthma or a lingering cough following a cold, and we will continue to offer treatment for these conditions as they do not pose a risk to others.
Please use hand sanitizer when you check in at the front desk and we ask for you to wash your hands on your way out of the clinic after treatment. When washing your hands, please wash for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water, as recommended by the Center for Disease Control.
In general, please do your best to avoid touching your mouth, nose, eyes and face with unwashed/non-sanitized hands in order to protect yourself.
Sources vary on the amount of space between people in which COVID-19 is likely transmittable: the World Health Organization says 3 feet, the Centers for Disease Control says 6 feet. Our recliners are all at least 3 to 5 feet apart. We have also created more space between recliners in Manchester & Nashua. Given this space provided, we consider our treatment spaces to be safe.
We continue to monitor notifications from the NH Dept. of Health & Human Services, Harvard Medical School and the CDC.
HERE ARE THE MEASURES WE ARE TAKING AT MAS TO ENSURE EVERYONE’S SAFETY.
At the beginning, end and throughout each day, we sanitize surfaces throughout the clinic that are frequently touched such as door knobs, doors and faucets.
We are now laundering blankets after each use. If you are able to bring in your own clean sheet or blanket to place on a chair, we'd appreciate the hand lessening the laundry load.
If you are coughing for any reason, we will provide a mask for you to wear in the treatment room. We understand the cough may be from allergies, asthma, or even heartburn, but it will likely help alleviate concerns from others sharing the space. Thanks for understanding.
Our mission has always been to offer acupuncture treatments to anyone who desires it, while keeping fees low. With your participation we can continue to serve the people who need us and keep our clinics a healthy and safe place for all. Thank you.
In closing, what can you do to limit the wide spread of this virus - or any cold or flu?
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Wash your hands often.
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Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
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Avoid touching your face.
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If you have symptoms of a cold or flu, please stay home and rest.
For more information, we offer the following trusted resources:
CDC Facts About COVID-19
FAQ by an Intensive Care and Infectious Disease Physician
American Society of Acupuncturists Covid-19 Fact Sheet
Business and Employer Guidelines
Harvard Medical School
With National Sleep Awareness Week in mind (March 8-14th, didn't you know!) we thought to highlight the long-held use of acupuncture as a reliable tool to improve upon one's quantity and/or quality of sleep.
While there are plenty of studies to show how acupuncture treatments can help improve sleep - even as compared to medications, for the purposes of this post, we'd like to draw from our considerable observations at MAS clinics.
Along with reliable relief from physical pain, high stress and anxiety, improving one's sleep is among the most typical uses of acupuncture in our experience. So much so, insomnia sits on our list of no-brainer symptoms in our little Needles book.
In fact, unintended improvement in one's night of sleep is one of the more routine side-effects of acupuncture treatments.
Which is really great news considering the enormous number of people for whom a good night's sleep is frustratingly elusive. Even the Center for Disease Control has gone as far to call lack of sleep a 'public health epidemic'.
Whether trouble falling or staying asleep, caused by physical pain, endless thought-loops, hot flashes or sinus congestion, acupuncture will likely prove to be a helpful tool - and at MAS and other community acupuncture clinics, an affordable one.
Hot tip: Are your feet normally cold at night? If so, warming them up in bed may improve your sleep. We will often recommend a cheap and easy way to do this. Find yourself a hot water bottle (preferably with a soft fleece cover), fill it up (with hot water) just before bed and slide under your covers waaaay down at the foot of the bed. Your feet don't have to be touching it directly. That's it.
You'll probably want to be consistent with the hot water bottle for a few nights in order to give yourself a chance to see changes. We hope it helps.
As you've probably heard by now, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has landed in NH. It's not time to panic, but it's a good time to review what we can all do to reduce transmission of this and other contagious diseases. And it's a good reminder of how interconnected we humans are... we can help each other.
First and foremost, we ask you to stay home if you've got a fever, or chills or are vomiting. We do not, and never have, charged a fee for appointments cancelled because of illness –– even same day cancels. But we do ask that you give us a heads up. In light of COVID-19, if you're caring for someone who is sick, we suggest rescheduling your appointments until everyone is recovered.
Please be fever free for 48 hours before coming to MAS clinics for acupuncture, for the time-being.
Take care of yourself, and take precautions. They say those cheap paper masks don't work well to protect you from respiratory illness, but hand washing sure as heck does! Wash your hands. Get adequate sleep, eat nourishing foods, get some acupuncture. But Wash. Your. Hands. A recent study showed that washing ones hands five times a day reduces the likelihood of contracting a respiratory illness by 45%!
Be responsible to others. This includes staying home if you're sick. It includes coughing into your elbow or a tissue. If you're under the weather, or if you've been around someone who is, consider avoiding places where you might contact vulnerable people (kids, elders, immune-compromised folks), like daycare centers, nursing homes, and hospitals.
What we're doing. We always have, and always will, wash our hands thoroughly before and after each client. We're doing extra sanitizing. Our washing machines are running overtime. We pledge to stay home if we're sick. And we're keeping an eye on the NH Department of Health & Human Services for updates and recommendations.
Closing requests, in view of a possible pandemic: Check in with loved ones. Do not engage in xenophobia. Stay informed; avoid unreliable news sources. And support local and national efforts to enact universal health care. If some of us are left behind, we're all at risk.
With all that said, there's currently no reason to freak out. If you're feeling fine but a little stressed or sore, we hope to see you at the clinics. In fact, we depend on it.
So let's help each other through this unsettling time. Remember that regular acupuncture is an excellent immune-booster and stress reliever so we encourage you to come for treatment as part of staying healthy.
For the annual NH Magazine Best of New Hampshire, of course.
It's that time of year to cast a ballot for your all of your favorite New Hampshire places.
Would you consider plugging Manchester Acupuncture Studio into last question on the ballot, #119?
This is a bonus question for New Hampshire favorites that do not fit into any listed category.
The ballot is a few pages, but do not fret as you only need to answer ten questions, one of them being #119.
Kindly submit by March, 13th.
Thanks a million for getting the word out about affordable acupuncture in New Hampshire.
