Blue Heron Acupuncture & Wellness

Updated Illness policy:

If you feel sick, please give our office a call to help decide whether or not to reschedule. In some instances we will ask you to reschedule or switch to a Telehealth for an herbal assessment to help with your symptoms.

If you test positive to Covid, we ask that you have a negative test before coming into the office. If you are an outlier that feels 100% fine, and is still testing positive weeks after feeling 100% better, please check in with us so we can formulate a plan.

If you or your family has a known COVID exposure, please call and check in with us about any upcoming appointments, so we can formulate a plan.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we aim to serve all our patients, some of which are immune compromised, and try to keep Lindsey healthy to avoid office closures.

What do worry, gas, bloating, and fatigue have in common?

Deficient Spleen & Stomach Qi!

In the world of acupuncture, our digestion is considered the Central Pivot of Health--meaning, if you aren't' breaking down and absorbing your food properly, how can you possibly power all the things in your body?

Like building proper hormones

like building proper levels of neurotransmitters

Like supporting red and white blood cell production...

You get the picture.

The first sign can be brain fog or fatigue, or (this is crucial to look out for) loss of appetite in the morning.

If any of the above are happening, then it's time for an acupuncture tune up.

If you're a returning patient, you can schedule online or call our office book.

New patients need to call the office at 360-417-8806.

Let's talk strength.

From an energy perspective, strength training gives us more energy.

How?

According to Dr. Casey Means, in the book Good Energy, building muscle through strength training, increases the number of mitochondria in the body. And remember, the mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cells.

Specifically, non-HIIT strength training increases the number of mitochondria.

In Chinese medicine strength training gives positive feedback to the organs in charge of our muscles-- the Spleen and Stomach pair. By strengthen the tissue associated with these organs, we strengthen their Qi or energy.

It also strengthens the organs in charge of our bones--since strength training causes the muscles to tug on the bones stimulating them to build stronger bone structure and more bone cells. These organs are the Kidneys and Bladder. Just like the Spleen and stomach, when we strengthen the tissues associated with the organs, we strengthen their Qi.

AND who are the biggest players in feeling good, solid energy throughout the day in Chinese medicine? You got it, the Spleen, Stomach, & Kidneys.

Final shout out about the bone tugging stimulus, this ALSO is protective against osteopenia and osteoporosis---especially for peri- and post-menopausal women.

It is my humble opinion that everyone benefits from a solid strength program. If you don't know where to start, let me know and I can direct you to some great local resources, including local trainers, or an app based program that takes the guess work out of starting a strength program from scratch. I'm not affiliated with any of these, I just want to help you feel comfortable incorporating weight training into your life.

Your bones, mitochondria, and energy will thank you.

Neck tensions got you done?

Sometimes it pays to work your ankles.

In acupuncture the points farthest away on the same channel of the pain are the most powerful at releasing the pain. (This is over simplified, but you get the point).

If you have a tight occiput, check in...do you also have tight achilles? The channel that has some juice points right at the base of the skull, also goes through the achilles.

Grab a foam roller or tennis balls and find the most tender points on your calves. Sit on them for 30-60 seconds. Then do some achilles stretches, and massage just on either side of the tendon behind your ankle bones.

Then seen how your neck feels.

Follow for more & Sign up for our Newsletter!

If you struggle with anxiety, PTSD, or depression, acupuncture is a powerful tool to help you retrain your nervous system.

How?

First, I get to know what your unique pattern is of imbalance.

Next, the acupuncture points I select work in conjunction to drop your nervous system out of a hypervigilant or fight or flight state, and teach it that it's okay to hang out in the rest and relax nervous system.

I'll also select points that address the core layers of emotions associated with anxiety, or PTSD, or depression. Is it layered with feeling unsafe? or layers with overstimulation or overwhelm? Is it layered with worry or guilt or feeling inadequate?

These are all layers that will be represented in your pattern of unique health and often you don't even need to talk about it.

They'll be paired with other health discomforts like digestion that feels 'off', or digestion that is wildly unpredictable if the imbalance is more extreme.

Or insomnia, or irregular menstruation, or PMDD, etc.

Often if you struggle with anxiety, PTSD, or depression, there are other struggles that may, when you go to your doctor end up with completely normal labs. BUT you still don't feel your best.

That's where acupuncture and Chinese medicine shine.

If you are already a patient, let's talk more about this.

If you aren't a patient, you can get on my waitlist for new patients (I'm currently unable to take new patients at the moment), AND watch for my release of my anxiety Webinar that comes with a PDF and Anxiety workbook to give you REAL tools to learn what patterns of anxiety you have, and how to use a simple ladder approach to support yourself at home.

If you want to be emailed of the release, DM me.

Life with anxiety is often demoralizing.

There's often negative self talk. Trying to understand why these emotions seem to run away with us.

As a practitioner, I often see about 75-80% of my anxiety cases are related to a system that is exhausted. One or multiple organ systems will be drained, wiped out, running on empty.

(remember in Chinese medicine an organ system is a concept bigger than the organ it is named after--ie we call the Liver an organ system...b/c in this medicine it is a BIG concept, bigger than the physical organ itself--which is pretty big).

What does this mean?

It means no matter how perfect you are doing all. the. things-- you will be predisposed to a sudden flooding of emotions, because your body doesn't have the ability to anchor them or gracefully roll with the punches.

I want this to be encouraging. I want this to be a post that helps you drop the negative self talk about being in control or whatever it is that haunts that inner monologue.

Because it is encouraging. You CAN build those organs back up once you know how. You can take small steps (b/c we all know big steps just add to the overwhelm), and slowly climb the ladder back to a fully functioning, ROBUST & STRONG system, that will let you roll with the punches again.

Pictured is a moxa stick. One of many tools that we use to strengthen our body when it is depleted. Moxa is Artemesia or Chinese Mugwort and it burns at an infrared frequency. Acupuncturists use it on points to strengthen organs, build blood (both red and white blood cells and plasma), shore up deficiencies in the adrenal glands, etc. It is all about hte point selection that you do moxa on.

If you want help with your anxiety, follow for more.
If you can't get in as a new patient, I am in the process of finalizing a Webinar and handout on all the ways to identify which organs are tired, and how to shore them up.

DM me if you want to be a list when I release this tool and anxiety workbook.

Port Angeles Friends,

Stop by today for a relaxing acupuncture treatment & donate to the Dream Playground rebuild. All donations go directly to the Dream Playground Rebuild. Donate what you’d like for your acupuncture treatment. Treatments are 30-40 minutes. & bring a friend if you want to try it out in the same room

We have openings at 11:30, 11:40, 12:10, 12:30, 1pm & 1:30pm.

Stop by at 832 E 8th St.
Blue Heron Acupuncture & Wellness
Right at the corner of 8th & Race

Help us support the Dream Playground Rebuild & at the same time, get a relaxing acupuncture session!

I’m doing a pop up acupuncture clinic on Saturday, Jan. 27th, from 10am to 2pm. This is open to EVERYONE. You do not have to be an established patient. You can take this opportunity to try out acupuncture if you’re acu-curious.

This will be a little different than a referral session. I’ll take you to your room, feel your pulse, and then place the points based on one of four treatments of your choosing.

Treatment options:
1. Stress relief
2. Athletic recovery (come in after a hard workout on Friday or Saturday AM)
3. Immune support
4. PMS relief

Each room has space for you to bring a friend or a spouse to also receive a treatment at the same time. One of you will get the treatment table and one can get acupuncture while seated in a comfy chair. One of rooms will have two zero gravity chairs instead of the treatment table/chair set up.

So if you have a friend or spouse that you want to chill with on Sat the 27th & both if you support the Dream Playground rebuild, please bring them 😉

To help this fundraiser flow smoothly, I’ve created online booking for the event. Hop online now to book your session. Link in the bio.

Plus- your body also wants warm food in winter. Try to eat 75-100% of your food cooked.

Save raw/cold foods like salads, smoothies, yogurt, etc for spring/summer.

Or do compromises, like roasted or sautéed veggies over raw salad greens for a salad with mostly cooked foods.

But ultimately follow the advice of the photo carousel—winter is about rest & restoring our foundation to build a solid base for our health the rest of the year. So save those cleanses for spring when the seasonal energy supports it.

For more seasonal food advice, make sure to follow this account & sign up for the newsletter. Link in bio.

November Giveaway!

With the launch of my facial gua sha packages, I've teamed up with the fantastic Buena Luz Bakery to offer you a cozy self-care package.

The winner will receive:

🌕 A Facial Gua Sha Package- one quality facial gua sha stone, one bottle of Vitamin C Brightening or Balancing Oil (your choice), & my virtual webinar on neck & pain relief + skin care with facial gua sha
🌕 $20 gift card to Buena Luz Bakery

Giveaway guidelines:

✨ Follow Both of Our Accounts
✨ Like this post on each profile
✨Tag 2 friends or as many as you'd like
✨Share this on your story for bonus entries

Winner will be announced on Nov 9th

We swiftly moving into the season of the Lungs 🫁 in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

If you’re new to TCM, the capitalized organs relate to a larger concept of the organ— so the Lungs are part one part of the key players that are responsible for a strong immune system.

Their season is autumn, and it is both when they fry out for attention if they are weak & the BEST time of year to rehabilitate, strengthen, & protect your Lungs (and lungs).

They are also the metal element in TCM, so the metal of acupuncture is truly appropriate 😉

How do you know your Lungs need help?
➡️getting sick easily
➡️ shortness of breath doing simple tasks
➡️feeling melancholy or getting stuck in sorrow (for more than a day)
➡️easily priding phlegm in the throat, nose, etc
➡️worsening, persistent allergies
➡️sweating easily or having a really narrow temperature range of comfort —iknyk (you can only happily exist between 70-72 degrees)
➡️struggle with easily getting constipated
➡️you have a very harsh inner critic

There’s more, but those are the easiest to identify.

So if you notice these, especially getting sick easily. It’s time to reach out to see about some Lung strengthening acupuncture & herbal medicine, as well as some easy food hacks to add into your diet. Remember, food is our first medicine.

Intrigued? Want to learn more?
➡️sign up for my newsletter today. Link in the bio.

& grab my intro to Chinese medicine & food therapy course. It’ll teach you the simple food hacks to support your lungs & allllll your organs. Plus you’ll learn when you need to schedule an appointment to get your health back on track before it become a big deal.

DM for details or look for the video course on my website. Link in the bio.

Back to School Doesn’t Have to = Getting Sick.

I used my 12 years of experience helping families stay healthy to put together a digital recipe book with 25 recipes full of the vitamins & minerals your immune system needs to thrive.

The intro tells you what the fab five nutrients are for a stellar immune system & what common ingredients have them.

In addition to having 25 recipes to fall back on, you’ll also be able to use them as inspiration for your own immune boosting recipes.

Grab it from my nutrition business website (https://www.vitalqinutrition.com/products/p/immune-boosting-recipe-book) today for only $9.50. 😉🙌🍲

Stay comfortable during ALL stages of pregnancy.

Did you know that acupuncture can help with the common discomforts of pregnancy—from morning sickness to third trimester sciatica?

Baby pushing a rib out of alignment?
Hip pain from stretching ligaments ?
Charlie horses at night?

Acupuncture can help!

Morning sickness making it hard to eat? Acupuncture can definitely help and even insurance companies recognize that acupuncture helps with nausea from morning sickness.

If you want to feel your best during pregnancy or are starting to try, give me a call to find out how acupuncture can help keep your pregnancy easy.

Phone: 360-417-8806
(Landline, so no text capabilities 😉)

www.blueheronacuwellness.com

How does acupuncture help with injury recovery?

The simple answer: by improving blood circulation and lymphatic circulation in the tissues surrounding the injury.

Some injured tissue like tendons, ligaments, and cartilage have less blood flow to begin with due to the amount of blood vessels that deliver to them. So an injury to one of the above takes longer than an injured muscle.

So acupuncture can come to the rescue by delivering better blood circulation.

Certain points also help specifically with calling the cells responsible for rebuilding different tissues to the injured area. It's like sounding the alarm or a wake up call to get to work!

So if you have a tendency to heal slowly, or you just want to ensure a healthy recovery to an injury, give acupuncture a try.

Accepting new patients:
Give us a call at:
360-417-8806

Did you know I work with all stages of pregnancy?

I have ten years of experience helping pregnant folks with:

✨Morning sickness in the 1st trimester or the entire pregnancy

✨Helping with low blood pressure

✨Help with anxiety as you think about all the what ifs

✨Helping with all the aches and pains as the baby gets larger-- we're talking back pain, knee pain, rib pain, sciatica, etc.

✨Helping turn breech babies (effective about 40% of the time)

✨Helping prepare for labor

✨Postpartum care

Want to learn more?
Give a call or email me today

360-417-8806

[email protected]

Plus sharing is caring, know a friend that's pregnant or wants to become pregnant? Please share this post with them.

Did you know Joint Pain responds well to acupuncture?

Most pain does, honestly.

In this photo dump, I'm working on a case of frozen shoulder with some thoracic back pain.

Last photo is gua sha performed on a different individual to address an old whiplash injury.

Curious what acupuncture can do for you?

Sign up for my newsletter and go take a gander at my website.

www.blueheronacuwellness.com

Ready to become a new patient?
Call 360-417-8806

Kiddos can get acupuncture!!!!

Or the non-pokey alternative to the 'puncture part of acupuncture:

Such as:

Teishin meridian massage,

acupressure with the Teishin (AKA magic wand),

acupressure with fingers,

the blinky light --red laser on acupoints,

cupping therapy,

and pediatric herbal medicine.

If you have a kiddo that needs some holistic health care for seasonal allergies, getting sick easily, insomnia, night mares, digestion issues, give me a call.

360-417-8806

Aaaaand I take most insurance. ; )

Seasonal allergies got you sneezing, itchy, and dragging?

Guess what? Acupuncture can help!

Acupuncture helps to get your immune system to calm down it's overactivity in regards to pollens ,smoke, pet dander, molds, etc.

I typically use a combination of acupuncture, cupping therapy or gua sha to help reduce your body's inflammatory load, while helping remind your immune system that it doesn't need to attach all the air borne allergens.

Sometimes we may consider using an herbal formula that is individualized specifically to you and your pattern of allergy symptoms.

And guess, what?
I also have pediatric training.

For the kiddos, I have non-needle options like acupressure, using a teishin (I call this the magic wand) to massage along acupuncture meridians, magnets, and cupping. If kiddos want to try needles, they can, but I never force them to try the more pokey treatments.

I am currently accepting new patients, and accept most insurance.

If you are ready to ditch the itchy ,water eyes, sniffles, and pollen woes, give me a call at 360-417-8806 to book your first appointment.

Heavy periods sucking your energy?

I can help.
If you have a heavy period and can predict when it comes, the best option is to schedule an acupuncture session at the beginning of your period.

I’ll do direct moxa (pictured here) on these fantastic points that slow your flow.

Plus we can also get you on an herbal formula all month to prep for your next flow.

And I often come up with some great lifestyle tips too that help lighten that pesky heavy period.

Intrigued?

Give me a call to get your first appointment booked and check out the website to learn more about acupuncture & period health

📞360-417-8806

Sports therapy—-

Did you know acupuncture is helpful at quicker recoveries from strains & sprains?

It’s also known for improving recovery from tough workouts, races, & other athletic events that stress the body.

In my previous practice, I had a number of athletes use acupuncture to improve performance.

If you want to learn more, follow this account & sign up for our newsletter.

Link in the bio

Get your back back with acupuncture!

Acupuncture is well known to reduce back pain.

If you're ready to feel what acupuncture can do for your back, give our office a call---

360-417-8806

We accept most insurances, and are happy to walk you through your acupuncture benefits.

Not ready, but curious?
Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our website:
www.blueheronacuwellness.com

New business cards arrived!

I love our new logo.

Have you checked out the updated website yet? If not, take a gander. Link in the bio.

Or:
www.blueheronacuwellness.com

Ps-sharing is caring. Help me spread the word about our IG account. Have a friend that’s acu-curious? Send them to this account 😊

Virtual Intro to Facial Gua Sha & neck pain relief

Learn the basics of Facial Gua Sha +
⭐️A 5 min & 20 min neck & jaw tension release

+⭐️an insomnia relief acupressure protocol that has helped 30 patients get consistent Zzzzs

Early bird pricing is $25 if you sign up by Wednesday.

Don’t have a gua sha tool? Attendees get 15% off any tools purchased same day as the class.

Sign up with the link in bio— Intro To Home Gua Sha

Got neck pain?

Jaw tension?

Insomnia?

IT band tension?

Want to improve hair quality & reduce tension headaches?

I have some self care tools that have been working wonders with my patients in Walla Walla, and now I have them here in Port Angeles.

I’m thinking about setting up a virtual class on neck & jaw pain relief, plus insomnia tips.

Are you in?

Comment below to let me know.

Did you know that a few acupuncture points around your foot and ankle can have BIG impact on reducing headaches? ⁠
⁠
If you've been noticing more headaches lately, first, check your hydration level. You may need to drink some electrolytes daily now that summer temps are here in the valley. ⁠
⁠
If hydration isn't solving your headaches, it's time to try acupuncture. ⁠
⁠
Ready to learn more? Give us a call today! 360-417-8806
⁠

⁠

Got Pain?

Acupuncture is an excellent first step at getting your body out of pain fast.

Whether it is chronic or acute, acupuncture is well documented at treated pain.

Joint pain.
Back pain.
Period Pain.
Sprains, strains, torn ligaments, post-surgical recovery, etc.

Acupuncture also works well in collaboration with other medical modalities like physical therapy or to help you recover from surgery as quickly as possible.

Interested in learning more?

Hit follow, and give us a call to get on the schedule.
360-417-8806

The next 6 weeks of the membership is EPIC!

Do you have neck tension?
Jaw Tension?
Insomnia?

I will show you the BEST tricks that I've cultivated over the last 10 years of my clinical practice as an acupuncturist to ditch neck & jaw pain, and get sleeping again.

Not to mention, I'll explain the upcoming rollercoaster of emotions that early spring will gift nearly 80% of us with.

I'll also explain why and how to use food as your BFF to calm the emotional whirlwind. I'll even give you better tools than chocolate and french fries.

Aaaaand, in case you missed it, to help with the current economic uncertainties, I've dropped the price of my membership to make stress relief much more accessible.

New price is just $27/month.
Sign up for a month, and cancel at any time.

https://www.vitalqinutrition.com/this-vital-life

Start de-stressing, and at the very least, get rid of that super tense neck.

To Your Health, my friends!
To Your Health,

Lindsey Thompson, licensed acupuncturist since 2022

That’s right. Acupuncture is exceptional at getting rid of period pain.

And regulating your period

And reducing PMS

And making a heavy flow no longer heavy

And improving fertility if that’s a goal

And so much more.

I have 10 years experience making periods easy.

If you want holistic help with your period, shoot me an email to get set up as a new patient.

I start seeing patients in PA in April.

If you’re a returning patient of Kathryn’s, you can schedule a returning patient appointment online.

Link in the bio.

This is one of the deepest compliments about the clinic space I create. My goal is for you to feel calm the moment you enter.