Tag: wellness

creativity

Unleashed: How I Used AI to Find Affordable Acupuncture for Cancer Care Relief

Christa Avampato
Photo of me post-acupuncture

On Monday, I felt like I walked through a portal into a different world. Not through a book or movie, but in real life. This is a story about determination, the power of technology to improve our health, and the desire to heal through a combination of Eastern and Western medicine.

The Long Tail of Cancer Treatment

When I went through ACT chemo, a notoriously difficult treatment, I received acupuncture with Ryan Smith after every round. I responded exceptionally well, experiencing fewer side effects than most because of acupuncture. Now five years into cancer survivorship, I face a lot of daily side effects that I need to manage: fatigue, pain, anxiety, hot flashes, insomnia, and weight management are just a few of them. In August, my med regimen changes because I am (thankfully and gratefully!) five years out from active treatment and disease-free. Med changes are frightening for me because when I transitioned from ACT chemo to Taxol, Taxol nearly killed me twice. It turns out I have a deathly allergy to it and I received dense-dose treatment. So, add that to my anxiety load.

I knew acupuncture could help with these side effects and ease my August med transition. However, the cost of regular individual sessions has gotten prohibitive in NYC, where I live. I searched relentlessly for an acupuncturist skilled at cancer survivorship who also took my insurance. I came up empty-handed every time. For years, I heard the common refrain: acupuncturists do not take insurance. Stop looking, bite the bullet, and pay the small fortune as an investment in your health.

And then I tried one last time. I called United Healthcare, my insurance company, to ask if I could submit partial reimbursement for anyone in their network. The agent came back with something even better: a list of medical doctors practicing acupuncture in my insurance network. I was floored. And then I immediately assumed the experience would not match the care I received from Ryan during my chemo days.

Hacking the System with AI

I popped the list of providers into AI, explained my needs, and asked if it could identify a doctor who met my criteria. AI returned one name and identified the perfect provider for me: an MD, MPH, and acupuncturist who takes my insurance, conveniently located in midtown Manhattan at NYU Langone (where I already get all my medical care) with stellar reviews of 4.8 out of 5 stars after almost 3,000 patient ratings. Rather than paying almost $200 per session, I will pay my $40 co-pay. My mouth fell open. Could this be the diamond I searched for all these years?

I went in for my consultation a month ago, and in 15 minutes he showed me exactly how acupuncture could alleviate my side effects because they all stem from my body’s structure. I wrinkled my forehead. Structural? He explained the radiation I received on my left side essentially split my body in half, tightening my entire left side from my neck to my toes, which directly contributed to my symptoms. Through a few quick mobility tasks, he demonstrated that the strength and flexibility of my right and left sides were so different it felt as if I was two different people. All of that tension originated from the radiation on my left side, causing my left shoulder to tighten and roll forward compared to my right. Acupuncture, over time, could unblock all of that, allowing us to reteach my left side how to stay open.

I told him I believed completely in the power of acupuncture, and he said I did not have to believe. I will actually see the effects after every session. We do mobility tests before the treatment, and then we repeat the mobility tests afterward.

The Moment of Release

On Monday, he combined acupuncture, heat, and electrode stimulus for my first session. My body accepted the treatment so readily that my left side was actually freer than my right side post-treatment. Even he was surprised at how much my body wants to heal. That release lasted for about 72 hours. Not bad for being crunched for five years. As I left the office, I felt my life begin to shift. I felt unleashed.

What Comes Next

Our plan includes weekly sessions for four weeks. Then we will re-evaluate. We also plan to try a few other complimentary treatments, including a saline drip he developed to release the layers of fascia in my scar tissue from one another. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead, and how healing myself will help heal the world around me. And I cannot wait to share it all with you.

creativity

The Rebellion of Joy: Finding Your Inner Alysa Liu at Work

Christa Avampato

At the Milan Olympics, ice skater and gold medal winner, Alysa Liu, proved we don’t have to carry the heavy expectations others try to place on us. We can choose joy on our own terms instead.

Jaybeeinbigd22, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Link to image.

The typical Olympic broadcast follows a strict script. The music swells with drama. Commentators emphasize the crushing weight of the moment, the years of agonizing sacrifice, and the unbearable pressure on the athletes. We watch the screen and expect to see stress etched into every competitor’s face. We treat suffering as the ultimate proof of dedication.

Then Alysa Liu stepped onto the ice in Milan.

The media desperately wanted the classic, grueling redemption arc. They wanted the tears and the drama of a comeback. Alysa simply declined to participate. She refused to let the sport, the commentators, or anyone else tell her how to feel.

When interviewers tried to hand her a narrative of crushing pressure, she set a firm boundary. She clarified that their anxiety belonged to them, not to her. She left them with their own heavy baggage and skated with pure joy, freedom, and love for the sport.

She performed her way.

The Performative Stress Trap

That level of boundary-setting offers a profound lesson for all of us, especially in our professional lives.

Every day, people try to hand us their stress. A chaotic workplace demands our panic. A frantic project timeline insists we sacrifice our well-being. We absorb this urgency as if it is mandatory. People tell us this is the job and there is no other way; it is a job after all, right? We learn to perform stress to prove we care about our jobs, our communities, and our goals. If you aren’t exhausted and worn out, you don’t care enough about anything.

Alysa proves this burden is optional. You can care deeply and perform at the highest level without letting anxiety consume you.

Bring the Olympic Ice to the Office

Figure skating is Alysa Liu’s actual job. She treats it with immense respect and masters her craft, but she refuses to let the job dictate her emotional state. We can apply this exact framework to our own careers to protect our energy and reclaim our joy.

  • Reject the manufactured panic: Colleagues and clients often treat minor delays as catastrophes. You do not have to participate in their panic. You can calmly solve the problem without absorbing the frantic energy.
  • Decouple exhaustion from value: Corporate culture often rewards burnout as a badge of honor. Challenge that standard. You can deliver exceptional results on a project while maintaining firm boundaries around your evenings and weekends.
  • Treat joy as a performance enhancer: Alysa performs better because she skates free of anxiety. We execute our best ideas, strategies, and creative work when we feel relaxed and engaged, not when we feel terrified of failure.

We often believe that caring about our work requires us to suffer for it. We confuse anxiety with dedication.

This week, look closely at the emotional loads you carry at work. Are they yours, or did someone else hand them to you? You have the power to reject the default setting of suffering. You can choose to execute your work, live your life, and navigate your challenges with relaxation and fun.

You get to decide how you experience your own career. We are all a work in progress, and there is a freedom in knowing, living, and working with that truth. Your freedom and joy can and will inspire others. Alysa proved that to all of us. Let your own light shine, and go out there and be a light for others.

creativity

The many forms of medicine

Christa Avampato

Every day, I’m grateful for the gift to be here with all of you. As a cancer survivor, I’m alive because of science and modern medicine. In addition to those incredible resources, there are also many other forms of medicine that we can embrace to support our health and well-being.

Nature is medicine.
Fresh air is medicine.
Healthy food is medicine.
Water is medicine.
Movement is medicine.
Meditation is medicine.
Peace is medicine.
Joy is medicine.
Laughter is medicine.
Love is medicine.
Creativity is medicine.
Music is medicine.
Purpose is medicine.
Friendship is medicine.
Community is medicine.
A pet is medicine.
Freedom is medicine.
Time is medicine.
Travel is medicine.
Access to care is medicine.

creativity

In the pause: Join The Mindful Rebels

Christa Avampato

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themindfulrebels.com

My dear friend, Marita, has been on a quest to create tools and practices for mindfulness. I find daily inspiration in her posts, and every time we get together I feel more motivated, calmer, and happier. Marita’s growing her audience for The Mindful Rebels and I hope you’ll join the journey. Find Marita on Instagram at @themindfulrebels, Facebook at The Mindful Rebels, and her blog http://themindfulrebels.com/. Be prepared to be inspired by her vision to create a global community that supports comprehensive health for all living beings. Be a Mindful Rebel.

creativity

In the pause: Prayers of healing for Phineas

Christa Avampato

Phineas had surgery to remove a small mass on his gum and several teeth along with it. It turned out to be a bigger mass than the veterinarian thought it was during the exam. Whether it grew in size between the exam and the surgery or if they underestimated it, I don’t know. I had a hard time holding it together at work. On my way to pick him up I had myself a good, long cry on the metro. He’s in a lot of pain and on heavy medication during this two-week healing process. The lab will biopsy the mass and let me know if it is benign or malignant, and then we will go from there. Obviously, I hope it’s benign. If it is malignant, then he will get the very best care that money can buy so long as he can have a high quality of life. Again, I’m immensely grateful that I got him pet insurance when I adopted him.

I get choked up when I think about it; I know someday I will have to let go of Phineas. I made that deal with the devil, and I accept it. I’m just not ready yet. Not now while it seems that the country (and maybe the world) is falling apart and my future feels so much in flux. I understand that there is no good time to lose an animal you love, and especially not one as dear as Phineas is to me and so many others who know him. But Universe, really, now is not a good time. And it won’t be a good time for a good long while. So if by chance you could help this little guy maintain his unsinkable nature for a while longer (maybe 20 years or so, just until I get my general sense of anxiety under control) then I would really appreciate it. Thanks for your consideration.