May Updates

Clinic updates, tariff info, summer seasonal info, and more.

Kate Thomas
May 21, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Hello!

Beaverdale Big Event is back this year, and Fireweed Acupuncture is a collection spot for donations again - drop off non-perishable food, menstrual products, diapers, and gently used clothing at the clinic for donation through May 31! More details on which organizations will receive each donation can be found here. Last year, more than 1,400 hygiene products, 575 clothing items, and 135 pounds of food were donated - help us make this year a success too! Drop off items during your appointments, or email me to arrange a time. Other Beverdale businesses are participating too - check the website for a list of spots to drop off donations!

This newsletter is going to be a bit shorter than usual - my eyes have been struggling with screens lately, so I am trying to use them less. Hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon!

Take care,

Kate Thomas, LAc

P.S. If you’d like to jump to a specific section of the newsletter, just click a link below!

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Clinic Updates

My schedule is a bit more full lately, so I recommend you schedule your appointments 2-3 weeks ahead of time to ensure you can get the time that works best for you! (More info was sent out to current patients about this - check your inbox if you missed it!)
The waitlist for new patients is back up! Click here for more info, answers to FAQs, and to sign up for the waitlist. I expect there will be a few spots open in June; the wait list will be notified first when there are.
The clinic will be closed June 30 - July 4, and the weeks before and after closures tend to be a bit busy too, so plan ahead!

Website Highlights

I recently wrote a blog entry to answer some FAQs people have had about how tariffs will impact the clinic. Almost all of my products are imported from one place or another, so tariffs will affect things eventually - click below to read more on how and when:

Tariffs & the Clinic — Fireweed Acupuncture

This entry is an update on tariffs and how they may impact the clinic in the future, as well as what I am doing to minimize the effect as much as possible. (Read more…)

Seasonal Information

On May 5th, we moved into the Summer season on the Chinese medicine calendar! It has definitely felt a lot like summer here for a few weeks, though it’s been much cooler this week. Summer is a time of rising Yang energy - outward, energetic, warm, expansive energy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Summer seasonal nodes, the Institute for Classical Asian Medicine has great descriptions (here is its page for Beginning of Summer node), and this site offers a lovely overview of all of the Summer seasonal nodes. Yesterday (May 20th) was the first day of Lesser Fullness!

My self-care reminder at the beginning of every summer: don’t forget to wear sunscreen! Even on cloudy days, UV rays can still reach the skin. Here’s more info on how to prevent skin cancer. Don’t forget to schedule your “skin check” appointments with a dermatologist, too - they’re quick and easy appointments that help you keep an eye on any areas of your skin that may be a concern.

In honor of Summer, I wanted to share this entry from last year on Summer and its emotion, Joy:

Summer, Joy, and Chinese Medicine — Fireweed Acupuncture

In Chinese medicine, we often say the emotion for Summer is Joy. And, yes, it is. But, as with everything in Chinese medicine, it is not just a concept in isolation; it is joy in connection or in relation to something. Connection to people, to our environment, to nature, to our purpose. (Read more…)

If you’ve been having a more difficult time finding Joy lately, I hope that entry gives a bit of useful perspective. I will also share one of my favorite Rebecca Solnit quotes: “Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated, and isolated, joy is a fine initial act of insurrection.” You can find the rest of the quote in her essay “False Hope and Easy Dispair” in her book Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities - which I recommend!

Recently

Reading

I’m still working my way through Emergent Strategy*, though admittedly much slower than I planned. Books I have on hold at the library keep arriving, and I put this one down.
Off the Spectrum: Why the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls* by Gina Rippon - a new book by a cognitive neuroscientist who has studied autism throughout her career. In it, she talks about how autism research, including hers, has been biased towards men. It is interesting to read the perspective of someone who was “part of the problem” (her words!) and is now re-examining the research to see where mistakes were made - even one of the most commonly accepted “facts” about autism, that the ratio of men to women with autism is 4:1, is incorrect!
A friend passed on this lovely essay from The Marginalian by Maria Popova: “How Should You Live Your Life: Marie Howe’s Spare, Stunning Poem ‘The Maples'“. The Marginalian is one of my favorite reads!

Drinking

I ordered some Verdant Tea to try fresh Dragonwell and their Loshan Green tea - both have been delicious! The Loshan Green makes an excellent “everyday” green tea and can be steeped many times.

*Affiliate link! I get a (very small) commission if you buy through these links.

That’s all for now! As always, feel free to email me back with any thoughts or questions.

Take care,

Kate

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