Back at the beginning of 2020 who would have a believed that COVID, social distancing and wearing facemasks would become the norm by autumn. By now, we are all used to standing in queues, sanitising hands and I even comment on TV programs that were filmed pre COVID where no social distancing is in place.
In early March as reports came out of China, Italy and Spain, we could see the spread of the virus. One thing was sure, something was going to need to change to slow the spread of the pandemic and then in late March the lockdown happened.
The lockdown for the acupuncture profession lasted until early August for me. Others may have restarted work earlier or later, depending on the requirements of their professional bodies, insurers as well as their clinic set up and personal circumstances. I started treating urgent cases first, then after restrictions were eased and I could treat more people.
I’m lucky, working from my home clinic I don’t have to share clinic space with other therapists, reception staff or the busy comings and goings of other patients. I’ve still had to make significant changes to the treatment room and reduce the number of clients I see each day to allow for cleaning and airing the treatment room to ensure that both my self and my clients are in a COVID secure environment. There are still some restrictions on who I can see and the treatments I can carry out and with the uncertainties ahead I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
One thing is certain, its great to be back helping people with acupuncture when the world around us still seems slightly bonkers. Wearing PPE is a challenge, my glasses steam up and on a hot day it’s boiling, but I’m getting used to it. Many of my regulars are returning for their maintenance treatments to keep them feeling well. I’m finding that I’m needing to use more points to treat anxiety and poor sleep for many people and I think that is just a reflection of what’s been happening around us. I’m still getting a steady stream of new enquiries for treating bad back, headaches and help with IVF cycles so slowly, very slowly things are inching back to normality – or rather ‘the new normal.’