AcuBalance Updates: A Call For Jars & COVID-19 Testing Opportunity
Hello AcuBalance Family!
We hope you are all doing safe and well as we continue to navigate these tumultuous times. Andrea and I are working harder than ever to provide a safe place for healing, restoration, and revitalization. We have two updates we wanted to share with you:
A message from the Herb Room: The current "herb jar" situation
An opportunity for FREE COVID Testing through UofL (PCR + Antibody testing!)
A new pandemic-related challenge that has sprung up in recent months is a national shortage of mason jars. It appears Americans are really getting into canning vegetables or perhaps making pickles. Unfortunately, that means we're having a harder time finding mason jars and lids to use for packing herbal formulas. If you still happen to have some jars from a previous batch of herbs, please remember to return those to us when you can. You can simply leave them on the front porch of our clinic, and we'll bring them in. They don't even need to be clean as we wash all of our returned jars on a sanitation cycle!
Mostly, we just wanted to give everyone a heads up: in all likeliness, at some point in the near future, we may have to send patients home with a pack of raw herbs to cook at home on the stove top. Don't worry – this is actually super-easy, and we will provide instructions. It is very hard to mess up, I promise!
...Actually, there are a couple advantages to cooking your own herbs. The boiling of the ingredients is the part of the preparation that takes the longest, so if we are not doing that portion as much, we'll be able to prepare your formula for you to take home more quickly. Plus, if you enjoy the herb-y aroma of our clinic, that's what your kitchen will smell like! Most benificially, being able to interact with the ingredients – to see the individual components of your custom formula – is a great way to connect with your healing process.
If you are currently taking an herbal formula and would like to go ahead and voluntarily begin cooking your herbs at home, let us know! That would be a big help in keeping the herbal pharmacy rolling smoothly!
As COVID-19 continues to escalate at a devastating rate, many of us are
Anxious regarding whether or not we have been exposed to and/or have contracted COVID-19.
Curious if we have contracted COVID-19 in the past and now have antibodies for it.
Well, now you have an opportunity to receive a FREE COVID-19 PCR Test + COVID-19 Antibody Test through the University of Louisville!
The Co-Immunity Project is a large scientific research study led by the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, the Center for Predictive Medicine, and the University of Louisville with several partners teaming up for the individual phases. Using their combined forces, they will study COVID-19 infection and immunity among healthcare workers, the broader Louisville Metro-Jefferson County community, and track movement of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Louisville’s wastewater and surface water.
The Goal is Fourfold:
Identify risk to hospitals and frontline healthcare providers and their patients so we can inform healthcare systems about potential stressors when making staffing decisions
Understand how SARS-CoV-2 moves through neighborhoods and businesses with effective, nimble, and economical wastewater-based epidemiology
Determine if SARS-CoV-2 is present in surface water and provide tools for public leaders and waterway users to make informed decisions and expand approaches for monitoring surface water throughout Kentucky
Learn the rate of infection in the Louisville Community so Louisvillians can make informed decisions about their participation in society at this concerning time.
The COMMUNITY Aspect of the Project & How to Get a Test:
Through the Community Study portion of the Co-Immunity Project, researchers at the Envirome Institute will test a large number of community participants every eight weeks to monitor active and healed COVID-19 infection rates. This continual testing of both ill and seemingly healthy participants is paramount to tracking SARS-CoV-2 since many individuals may not display or recognize the symptoms of COVID-19.
Participation includes a short survey, a nasal swab PCR test, and finger stick antibody test. The nasal swab tests for active infection. The finger stick tests for past infection by looking for antibodies in blood. Results for both tests are shared with participants. Results from the nasal swab are available in 48-72 hours. Results from the antibody finger stick test are available in 2-3 weeks.
Testing is done by appointment in drive-through settings in multiple locations across Louisville. Testing and results are provided for free to participants.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER NOW BY CLICKING HERE
I (Andrea) got my test done today - it was fast, efficient, and painless! The skilled workers made the nasal swab portion a breeze; just some slight discomfort and eye watering and the finger-stick was painless. You can do a whole lot for yourself and our community by signing up at your earliest opportunity.
Well, that's all we have for now. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions (or if you have any jar leads!) and we look forward to seeing you in the clinic. We are well-stocked in PPE and continue to make all the necessary adjustments to our clinic operations to make AcuBalance a safe and peaceful place to heal.
Until then, Mask Up. Wash Your Hands. Stay Safe. Make Good Decisions. We Love You!
Cheers,
Dr. Colby & Andrea