Ohio Valley Acupuncture

06/01/2026

People ask me about making moxa balm all the time. I finally wrote out some detailed instructions. Here is the link. It will ask you to subscribe, but you don't have to do that to be able to read it. If you decide to give this recipe a try, let me know if you find any mistakes or have any additional questions. I will try to update it.

https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahfick/p/all-about-moxa-balm?r=3lv6ue&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

05/31/2026

Now booking in Middleport, OH for Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Let me know if I can help!

05/30/2026

I've been getting a ton of questions about Alpha Gal. So far, I've been referring folks elsewhere, to acupuncturists or chiropractors who have the SAAT (Solomon's Auricular Allergy Treatment) training. But after listening to this podcast, I feel encouraged. At school, we learned of the existence of SAAT. We were taught auricular therapy for other things, and we had teachers who had attended the SAAT training, but they weren't allowed to teach us SAAT, because Solomon has it copyrighted. You have to sign an NDA when you take the training. I have moral qualms with the copyright thing. I feel it harms the public, and I don't want to take his training for that reason. But somehow, the existence of the training made me think I needed it in order to treat Alpha Gal. The truth is, I don't. I have a four year degree that gave me the skills to assess each patient as an individual and design treatment to meet their specific needs. Alpha Gal patients are no different from any other patient with regard to the need for individualized care, which you may or may not be getting when you go to someone who was trained to give a certain protocol for a biomedical diagnosis. So, bring me your alpha gal. As with all chronic illness, it will be a journey back to health, but I will do my best for you.

The podcast is made for practitioners, but I don't think it's above lay people's understanding, and there's a lot of good info that patients can use on their own to start doing lifestyle changes that will be of help. She politely talks a little smack about "protocols" that call themselves a "cure." She doesn't mention SAAT specifically, but I think it's safe to assume that that is what she's talking about.

05/23/2026

Status Update: I received email notification yesterday that my Ohio license is active. My books are now open with much wider availability at the Middleport office. Let me know if you want to book!

05/22/2026

Special thanks to Meigs County District Public Library for procuring the I requested! They will come in very handy for anyone taking an interest in dietary therapy in Chinese Medicine. All three books contain the basics of both diagnosis and food therapy in Chinese Medicine and help you choose foods that are right for you.

The Book of Jook is a small book all about a medicinal porridge that is often served at breakfast, or when folks are recovering from illness.

Nutritional Healing with Chinese Medicine is a fully fledged textbook. There is a materia medica of foods section that is all about the medicinal properties of individual ingredients, and the last 1/2 - 2/3 of the book is a cook book with recipes organized by season to encourage you to eat seasonally. Lastly, there is a chapter of blood tonic recipes.

Helping Ourselves is more of a quick reference guide for folks who kinda already have some of this down. It's just table after table of foods and their medicinal properties. Is it dry or moist, warming or cooling, sweet or salty? Which systems of the body does it interact with? There are no recipes in this book, so it is better for folks who want to design their own meals.

Enjoy!

05/15/2026

Another batch of moxa balm finished. My patients seem to run through it quick. I think when I get some time for writing, my next substack piece will be about how to make it. I get asked that a lot.

05/14/2026

There is a paywall, but I was able to read this through a gift article from a subscriber. Check it out if you can! "Western" biomedical science is starting to catch up to what East Asian Medicine has known for centuries. If you are interested in this line of "discovery," you can also check out the Radiolab episode mentioned in the article, and the book Spark in the Machine by Daniel Keown. I will link them in the comments.

The detection of another circulatory system in the human body could have enormous scientific implications.

05/13/2026

Bone brothin' again!

Pro Tip: Toss a few sticks of Astragalus root and a few sticks of Reishi mushrooms in with your bones. In this way your bone broth takes on mild immune tonic properties. Food is medicine!

Astragalus or Huang Qi is a flowering herb native to East Asia that has long been used to restore health from chronic disease such as HIV, Lyme, and Epstein Barr Virus. It also acts as a cardiovascular tonic, treating those recovering from heart attack and stroke. It is slightly warm, moist, and sweet and supports the Lung and Spleen systems.

Reishi or Lingzhi is a polypore fungus native to East Asia that grows on bases or stumps of deciduous trees, especially maples. It has long been used to help re-regulate immune response in autoimmune conditions including Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and chronic Lyme. It helps stabilize mast cells and reduce histamine responses. It is warm and bitter. It tonifies Qi and calms the mind.

To your health!

05/09/2026

🌿DON'T MISS IT! LIVING TRADITIONS POMEROY 2026 IS HAPPENING ON MAY 30TH!

This project is made possible by Mid Atlantic Folk and Traditional Arts Central Appalachia Living Traditions Project.

05/07/2026

Tuesday was an epic day in more ways than one. I passed my last exam, and Jeroch and Don from Appalachian Renewable Power completed the installation of my brand spanking new solar array. After living in an off grid tiny home in the country for 15 years, it hurt my heart immensely to be paying an electric bill again, especially when we got an $1,100 bill over the winter. Jeroch designed my system and got me connected with the Clean Energy Credit Union. Now instead of paying $450/mo to AEP (on the averaging plan) for the rest of my life, I'll just be paying $200/mo to the credit union until the system is paid off. So happy! Cheers to a solar powered clinic!