Wellness Wagon

Since November, we have been hosting events, going to businesses, and running clinics off of Sue, the Wellness Wagon. For the better part of 2021 your donations went to the parts needed to build Sue, and now all of your donations go to providing FREE acudetox treatments around the Roanoke Valley. In March alone, your contributions helped raise $816.50, or the equivalent of 32 free treatments. Since July of last year, between the tips and private donations, we have been able to raise $10,868.30 for the Wellness Rodeos. The Wellness Rodeos now include over 32 partners from 20 organizations. In 2022, we have had 7 stops and now have established three permanent stops each month.

We appreciate all of your support! Whenever y’all tip, that money goes straight to providing free acudetox during the Wellness Rodeo events.

In March, we were able to provide free treatments to over 40 individuals in a series of our Wellness Rodeo Events. Once a month, we go to three locations; CHIP Roanoke (replacing our old SW stops starting in April), Paradise Cathedral off of Melrose, and the Roanoke Housing Authorities Jamestown Place. We couldn’t provide these services without your support, and we love all of our clients so much!

The Wellness Wagon has also been going out on the road to support businesses and events in the Roanoke Area as well. From Community School, to Roanoke College, to 5 Points Music for their Neomania music festival! Don’t forget we can take the bus to your office and treat your teams for only $35 per person or for an hourly rate.

Each Monday, from 11 to 2 (new hours in May!), you can come to us at 708 5th Street for the same De-Stress treatment for only $25. Walk-ins are still welcome, but you can also call to set up appointments or book online.

We love taking Sue our Wellness Wagon out on the road, and treating so many amazing individuals on the bus. We cannot thank everyone enough for their support!

Open House

Starting in May, we will officially be at our new location at 708 5th Street, SW. I am sure many of you have seen the exterior of our new building; a beautiful mural titled “As She Lays Among the Valley” by Toobz Muir. But now you will have a chance to see the interior. For the past several months Eric, Katie’s husband, has been hard at work renovating the building.

We are excited to let everyone know that the Open House will be Sunday, May 1st from 5 pm to 8 pm. The Lions Club has been gracious enough to allow us to use their lot for event parking. We hope to see everyone there! Refreshments will be provided.

Masking Policy

We are so ready to put COVID behind us, but for the time being we are continuing to follow CDC guidelines for medical facilities. Queenpin is a two person operation, so if one of us goes down, we all go down. Let’s stay safe and mask up a little longer.

Scheduling

You know we love our Queenpin Family and want to make sure each one of you can get on the schedule. Queenpin has been growing, and scheduling can be difficult. We recommend booking out 4 appointments ahead, whether that is each week or each month.

So Here is to 2022! And to growing the Queenpin business with all of our amazing clients!

The post Big Changes Coming to Queenpin appeared first on Queenpin Family Wellness.

It’s a New Year and at Queenpin I’m feeling pretty hopeful about 2022. My last year has been a year of worry, work, and wonder as we continued to serve the Roanoke Valley during a global pandemic. I built a mobile clinic (thanks to my phenomenal sidekick Eric, and your generous donations), hired an awesome office manager, Mike, who is also an acudetox specialist, and we’ve expanded our services to include the Bradley Free Clinic and the Wellness Rodeo, which partners with multiple community services to provide free health and human services to underserved populations. My goals in the upcoming year are to love more and give more, whether it’s to patients, family, myself, or my community. In 2021 my goal was to focus on making Roanoke a better place for me, my family, and my business. I’m going to keep that going in 2022 by continuing to support local businesses, local community organizations, and creating more opportunities for people to have access to meaningful healthcare experiences.

My hope for you in 2022 is to take it easy, love more, stress less. We can do it, Queenpin Family, let’s mask up and ride into 2022 on our pink bus made for poking! Happy New Year.

Much LOVE, Katie

The Wellness Rodeo

On Friday, December 10th we partnered with Feeding Southwest Virginia’s mobile unit, The Hope Initiative, and Virginia Harm Reduction to provide free services at the old 5th Street laundromat. We will be providing free services the second Friday of every month from 1 pm – 4 pm at the same location with a rotating group of services available. Our next Rodeo will be January 14th from 1pm – 4 pm. Check Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Speaking of that Old Laundromat…

We’re excited to announce that we’ve purchased 708 5th Street and are currently renovating it to be our new clinic. One of the first projects at the new space was the creation of a mural by Toobz Muir titled “As She Lays Among the Valley”. While she rests Eric will be renovating the interior. We’re hoping to move in by April 1, 2022. We are so excited to have a clinic all on one floor, though Katie isn’t sure how she’s going to get all her stairs in once we move.

Stress Reduction Clinics

Starting on Monday, January 10th Mike will be hosting our Mellow Monday Stress Reduction Clinics from 11 am – 1 pm. These $25 clinics will be held at 708 5th Street on the Wellness Wagon and will include an herbal tea, CBD gummies, auricular acupuncture (that’s in your ears, ya’ll), and ear seeds to go. You can schedule these appointments online.

Schedule Now!

Queenpin continues to partner with Blue Mountain Medical to offer certifications for patients who want to get their medical cannabis card. Holly and Katie have been extremely dismayed by the length of time that it take for our patients to receive their cards from the state. We wanted to assure you that we are reaching out to legislators to make sure that medical cannabis can be EASILY accessible to all patients. We are hoping for smoother sailing in 2022.

Interested in information about medical cannabis? Call Mike with any questions or to schedule an appointment

540-685-2718 ext 2

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Scheduling and Staff Changes

With the changing of the seasons we will have some scheduling and staffing changes. Tallulah will be starting high school, so not only will we miss her as our receptionist on Wednesdays, but I will be shifting my schedule so I can have more time with my family on weekends. Starting after Labor Day we will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. After 5 appointments available everyday with the latest slot being 6:40 on Wednesdays.  

We are excited to announce a new member to our team; Mike Holcomb!

If you haven’t met him already, we have a new office manager, Mike Holcomb. Mike was born here in Roanoke, Virginia, but spent most of his early life in the Virginia Beach area. He graduated from VCU in 2011 with a BFA in Communication Arts. Mike currently works as a Freelance Digital Illustrator, and has also joined the Queenpin Family as our new Office Manager.

Beyond working as a Freelance Illustrator, Mike has had over a decade in retail sales and management. He has joined the Queenpin Family after being a client for several months. He hopes his experience as a current client will help inform and create outreach of the benefits of acupuncture.

When Mike isn’t creating, he enjoys walking the Greenway and Kayaking during the warmer seasons. He currently resides in the Wasena area with his cat, Bagheera.

We also have a new member to the Haven, Kaylee Johnson of Aspen Womb Wellness

A message from Kaylee:

I am at The Haven on Mondays starting September 13 as I have scheduled sessions.   

I provide holistic pelvic floor therapy and overall maternal wellness throughout the seasons of motherhood through a trauma-informed, supportive, and empowering environment.  I look forward to connecting! More information can be found on my website www.aspenwombwellness.com I can be contacted directly at kaylee@aspenwombwellness.com OR call/ text 540-739-2953. 

New Service 

Starting the first week in August we added a new telehealth service. Holly Hart, DNAP, CRNA from Blue Mountain Medical will work with you to help decide if medical cannabis is right for you. Holly can certify patients for their Virginia Medical Cannabis card and walk you through the sometimes confusing process to obtain certification. 

Queenpin Merch 

We’re being fashion forward and spreading the word about how awesome it is to get poked in the ‘noke at Queenpin Acupuncture. Check out our great new apparel available for purchase including tanks, t-shirts, hoodies, and tote bags.

Wellness Wagon Update

We’re chomping at the bit to get Sue (The Wellness Wagon) on the road and opened as a community clinic for our Queenpin Fam! Eric is finishing up the electrical work and has started insulating her so you’ll be warm and cozy in the winters and cool in the summers. At this point we’re hoping to have her open in early November. 

The idea of our Wellness Wagon Rodeo traveling around Roanoke is also being developed behind the scenes. We continue to work with The Bradley Free Clinic, but have also added EnVision Roanoke as a partner, and are keeping in close contact with Arch Services, The United Way of Roanoke Valley, and the Roanoke City Health Department (please add links to these organizations websites) so we can work together to keep Roanoke healthy.

We appreciate everyone’s support and the awesome tips we’ve been receiving. Just remember 100% of those tips go to creating The Wellness Wagon, you are making something amazing happen! 

In the Area: LEAP Winter Farm Share

Our Farm Share is a weekly box of fresh produce raised by farmers in your local area. It is a convenient way to eat healthier, especially during the darker and less abundant time of the year. A Farm Share is an investment in your health, your environment, and your local economy and a great learning experience in eating seasonally where you live.

The winter farm share runs from November through January. In addition to produce it included other local foods such as cheeses, meat, preserves, grains, honey, etc…a true celebration of local food. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available. Members can also choose to add-on and egg share and a bread share if desired.

All shares are offered at half price for anyone with SNAP-EBT, Medicaid, WIC, or anyone with a child in Head Start or CHIP. 

The post September 2021 Updates appeared first on Queenpin Family Wellness.

• Do you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or diarrhea?
• Have you lost your sense of smell or taste?
• Have you been around someone that you suspect has COVID-19?

If you answered yes to any of these, please contact the clinic ASAP so we can come up with a plan. 

Policy Changes:

• Please check your appointment confirmation email and sign the COVID -19 release form if you haven’t done so already.
• No other family or friends are allowed in the clinic during your appointment.
• Our schedule is shorter and the increased demands of spacing, distancing and disinfecting means we are limited on the number of patients we can see in a day. Our days fill up quickly and usually have a waiting list. Schedule 2+ weeks in advance if at all possible.
• We cannot accept walk-ins. Contact the clinic for last-minute appointments.

For Your Treatment:

• Masks are required. Please wear your own or we will provide one for you.
• Please wear your mask at all times.
• Queenpin staff will wear masks when we are working with patients.
• When you arrive for your appointment come in and the receptionist will direct you where to go.
• Please don’t enter the building before your appointment time.
• We reserve the right to refer out or refuse treatment for any patients who presents with concerning symptoms or cannot follow the above guidelines.

If you have any concerns, questions or feedback, please get in touch! We are evolving and fine-tuning every week and your feedback is important to us. 

The post COVID -19 Policies (3/15/2022) appeared first on Queenpin Family Wellness.

We’re thinking of you. There’s no better introduction really, because it’s the bulk of what is going on in our business today. Every day Alex and I check in and try to figure out how we can best serve our patients; who we are concerned about that might not be getting care, who is alone at this scary time, what options we can offer at a distance, as well how to serve people in our clinic in Roanoke. We are committed to staying open as long as we can serve you safely, which is also a question we ask ourselves daily, “Are we putting our safety and the safety of our patients’ first?” Today it is yes, and we are open.

We’ve made some changes in our procedures. We have suspended our cancelation fee during this time. Times are uncertain, we understand. Please bear with us as our operating hours shift to accommodate the ever changing demand for treatment. 

In Roanoke, we are seeing both private practice and community clinic patients on the second floor. All appointments will be in our private practice rooms, just one patient and one practitioner at a time. Our waiting room is closed. Please wait in your car until your appointment time. Wash your hands or use sanitizer before entering the treatment room. Let’s keep it clean, folks! 

Expect a phone call before you treatment asking you some screening questions:

• Have you traveled in the last 30 days?
• Do you think you may have been exposed to someone who has CODIV-19?
• Do you have a fever? A dry cough? 
• Are you over 65, have impaired lung function, or immunocompromised? 

If you are sick or if you answer yes to any of these questions, stay home. (And we should all be home as much as we can). We suggest you do a phone consultation with Alex for herbs that can be shipped to you. If not, come on in and get poked. We’re ready for you. 

Most importantly, we want to hear from you! Email us, call us, and know we’ll be emailing and calling you to check on you. If you have questions about things you can do at home, let us know! Check our social media. We’ll be posting tips on how to stay safe and sane. Suggestion on things we can share on social media? We want to hear them. Our social media maven Autumn is always happy to have new ideas. 

Most importantly, know that you are being thought of and cared about, even when you are not physically in our space. You are a part of the Queenpin Family, and family sticks together. We hope to hear from you soon. 

-Katie, Alex, Autumn & Lana (The Queenpin Crew)

The post A Letter For Our Patients appeared first on Queenpin Family Wellness.

I’m loving Dr. Brene Brown’s podcast Unlocking Us. It’s real. It’s helpful. It’s vulnerable.

Podcast. 

Books.

Ted Talk

The post The Inconsistent Book Club #2 – Dr Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us Podcast appeared first on Queenpin Family Wellness.

I believe everyone should have access to acupuncture and wellness care. Since opening, Queenpin Acupuncture has worked to make acupuncture more accessible in the Roanoke Valley, but we can always to better.

In her April, 29, 2020 article, “In a Pandemic, Is Wellness Just Being Well-Off”, writer Amy Lorocca explains that the wellness movement was started by revolutionary groups in the 60’s as a way to provide healthcare and education to underserved communities. Unfortunately, as time has gone by many effective treatments have become available only to people who can afford the services. For low income or underinsured patients, access to these safe, effective and preventative treatments is only for a limited amount of time because the program ends, funding dries up, or patients have personal barriers such as limited transportation and childcare.

For years I have dreamed of opening a mobile clinic that could partner with other like minded mobile units so we could have a Wellness Rodeo of sorts in neighborhoods where access to preventative and alternative medicine isn’t available. I was waiting for the right moment: maybe when I retire, maybe once my kids are out of the house, maybe when Roanoke is ready, maybe when I have expendable income to pour into the mobile clinic of my dreams! But as with most things I really want, I realized that there is no perfect time to start a mobile clinic. The time is now.

In the next few months you’ll be hearing a lot about Sue, our beautiful bus, that my husband Eric is converting into a mobile clinic. You’ll learn about our plans to make acupuncture and wellness accessible to ALL PEOPLE, and you’ll learn about how you can be a part of making it happen. For the first time since I’ve been in practice, when you come in for a treatment you’ll be allowed to leave a tip, but not just any tip, a tip that goes 100% into our bus Sue who is becoming our mobile clinic. Once she’s built your tips will ensure that underserved communities in the Roanoke Valley will get the best care Queepin has to offer.

Make sure you check out Instagram and Facebook pages for updates on what’s happening next!

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For my extroverts here are a few things that me and my extroverted friends are incorporating into our new normal:

Online:

• Some neighborhoods are organizing ways to check in on local neighbors. Many of these opportunities are listed on neighborhood Facebook pages, and/or NextDoor, another social media outlet geared exclusively toward specific neighborhoods. 
• Check out a podcast called Someone to Tell it To which trains you how to listen, but also gives people a platform to tell their own stories. There is also FeelReal.net where you can engage in online community chats on various topics. 
• I have enjoyed visiting with friends and family by teleconference, but I have just recently learned about games you can play while teleconferencing with family or friends! We have played Drawful 2 with friends, and my brother’s family loves the Jackbox Games Party Pack. This morning I ran across an article in The Independant that listed 5 other fun games you can play while on Zoom. 
• Both locally and nationally there are some great online classes. I have an extrovert friend who signed up for Master Class online and she, her husband, and son are all taking classes on a variety of topics. She also took an online group writing class through LITerati.academy. The students actually interacted with each other and class facilitators during the class, listening to each others’ stories and giving feedback.  
• Light, non-judgemental, silly Facebook groups can be really fun. I am trying to limit my social media, but there are two groups that I love to check in on because they are so fun, and NO DRAMA. Weird Second Hand Finds That Just Need to Be Shared, and Cooking Lounge. 

In person: 

• I have been walking in my neighborhood a lot and connecting with people.  I love chatting with folks while standing 6 feet away! I’ve read about the greenway being very full these days. As an alternative, try checking out some of Roanoke’s awesome neighborhoods to walk through… many with wide streets, little traffic and only a handful of people around

As our new normal unfolds we’ll have to find ways to feed our extroverted souls. It is a learning process that will be stressful because we’re learning a new skill; how to be social, but distant. It will take work, but in the end connection is what will keep us sane. 

-Katie

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It doesn’t come up in conversation much, but before I moved to Roanoke, I spent 5 weeks on a mostly solitary meditation retreat in France. It was beautiful and pastoral. I was about 30 min from the nearest town with no wifi, no phone, no TV. Maybe some other time, we can delve into what I gleaned from that experience and why anyone would want to do that to themselves. But for now, let me tell you this: I have some ideas on how to make it 15 days without loosing your mind (too much).

1. Practice Compassion: This is a time of huge change, fear, and worry for all of us. This isn’t a vacation and there’s no reason you would act like it. Give yourself some grace to indulge and heal and rest. Eat some chocolate. Take a nap. Watch all of West Wing again. It’s okay.  You are going to tap into some self-soothing behaviors while we collectively grieve. Do things that help you feel better, without judgment, and then check in to make sure they actually help you process. Mantra: “I am doing the best I can with the situation at hand (and so is everyone else).”
2. Have a Schedule (And Then Keep It Flexible): Wake up and go to bed at the same time. Eat at regular intervals. Set aperiod of exercise each day. And then leave some time for whatever arrises in between. Post your schedule on the bathroom mirror or a wall with blocks of organized to take care of your responsibilities and yourself. If you’re working from home, set that time in the morning for the high brain-power work. This is true for the chore you’re hoping to knock out, or some schoolwork for the kids. This doesn’t need to be scheduled to the minute – in fact, you are valued, and valuable if you don’t do anything ‘productive’ right now! If you’ve got more free time than
   you’re used to, and writing that novel or cleaning out the basement actually sounds good, schedule that into your week.Set aside a few hours a day to work on it and then take time to do something else. Leave the afternoons for something more enjoyable. We are returning to the schedules that we existed in before 9-5 work day or the 9-9 work day and that is a big change for most of us.
3. Move Your Body: This is more necessary than ever with most of us staying close to home. Get outside! Even just a quick stroll around the block will boost your mood. Gyms, yoga studios, apps, and trainers are posting classes online. Take 20 min each day to move your body in a way that you enjoy.
   1. Center of Gravity Yoga in Lexington – register for daily online classes 
   2. Uttara Yoga Studio – recorded meditations and private digital classes
   3. Down Dog, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Workout – all free until April!
4. Be Intentional With Your Connectivity: There is no need to constantly check news and social media. Set some limits on how much noise you’re letting into your head. Maybe even SCHEDULE IT! Intentionally reach out to specific friends and family. Set some digital dates. Write a letter. Phone a friend.
5. Take Time for Reflection: Taking 5 min to meditate, reflect, practice gratitude, journal, etc will make a big difference in your headspace. You will need a way to process what’s happening and your time at home. If the waters get too deep, there is digital counseling available. I highly recommend the folks at Roanoke Valley Counseling Center and they have moved their services online – reach out!
   1. Journaling Resources 
   2. Insight Timer – my favorite meditation app
   3. Calm App – a patient favorite for guided breathing and meditation
   4. Practicing Gratitude 

During my days in France, I woke up at the same time, ate at the same time, limited my distraction, took daily walks, napped, wrote long long long letters to loved ones, did gentle yoga, and meditated (a lot) . And found that rhythm to be incredibly peaceful. I felt healthy and sane. I was alone but didn’t feel lonely often. When I did have rough, emotional day of loneliness, fear or confusion, I felt like I had room to experience those things and process them, rather than having to rush to the next activity. I spent a lot of my free time writing; given the historic nature of what is happening write now, it’s a great time to dust off that blog or journal.

So hang in there. Find things to enjoy. Put on clean clothes every day. And I’ll see you on the other side.

-Alex

More resources for anyone using this time for reflection and meditation:

Creating a Home Retreat – with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield

Lama Tsony in Natural Bridge, VA – COVID Diary #1 

The post Spending Time with Yourself appeared first on Queenpin Family Wellness.

First, A Few Favors from Us:

Please wash your hands or using hand sanitizer before coming into your appointment.

If you are experiencing a fever, cough or shortness of breath, please get in touch before making an appointment. We have some options that can support your healing while keeping the clinic safe for staff and patients, including herbal medicine which can be shipped to you.  These formulas have been used very successfully in China to treat the infection.

If you are in a high-risk demographic (over 60, any existing lung conditions, suppressed immune function, etc.), please consider a private acupuncture treatment. This helps control any viruses you are exposed to, including the flu. 

We are asking our Community Acupuncture patients to disinfect their chairs after each treatment. 

For you:

We always practice Clean Needle Technique, which severely reduces the chances of spreading any form of illness between patients or ourselves. This includes a set routine of disinfecting all supplies, lots of hand-washing/sanitizer, always disposing of needles properly, and piles & piles of laundry.

On top of our normal precautions, we are disinfecting communal surfaces (door knobs, screens, etc) multiple times a day, and increasing our cleaning and laundry schedule.

Most important of all, keep taking excellent care of yourselves. Get some good sleep, eat real food, supplement with elderberry or vitamin C, and do things to de-stress. Sometimes we need a break from all the information.

We are here to support you – let us know if you have questions or concerns. 

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