Every now and again I lose a potential patient because I still have a mask policy at my office. It is discouraging, to be honest. It makes me question myself too. Am I being neurotic? Is it stupid and useless to continue to mask in public and at my office? Maybe I should be cool (I guess) like other medical care providers and just go with the no-mask flow.
Or not….and here’s why:
Medical Care Offices Should Put Safety First
Leaving aside –at least for the moment– the argument that “masks don’t work and besides, COVID is over” (I mean…), there are other reasons to hold firm on a mask policy in a medical office. There’s the obvious: sick people go to medical offices and no matter how clean one keeps one’s office, airborne is airborne. Air filtration systems notwithstanding, a mask helps to keep people safe(r) and surely one would want to be protected at one’s medical appointment.
I sometimes wonder if the people who are adamantly anti-mask have much experience with COVID. Myself, I know people who have died from it, may they rest in heavenly peace, and I’ve treated long COVID patients.
*******
*******
Do you remember how frightening things were in the early months of the pandemic?
During that period, I was called upon to treat infected patients via Zoom. These were patients who were terribly ill and whose primary care physicians refused to see them in person. They were told to go to the hospital if things got worse, but to absolutely not show up at their doctor’s office. I walked family members/caregivers through acupressure at heat-clearing and lung-healing points and guided them through tui na (Chinese manual therapy) on the suffering patient’s ribs to help them breathe. None of my patients ended up going to the hospital and they did survive, but even now I will still cry if I talk about these experiences. The patients’ glazed eyes and difficulty breathing and the terror of their loved ones haunts me to this day. COVID is not “just the flu” or “like getting a cold” for some people. It’s not.
If people don’t want to mask at the store…well, ok (I guess). I’m always appalled when I’m grocery shopping and I hear someone hacking up a lung only to look up and see that they’re not masked. If I were out cosplaying the heroine from the Alexandre Dumas Fils novel, Camille: The Lady of the Camellias,1 I would wear a mask in public. But I guess that’s just me. And yet, the store is one thing, but…not masking at a medical office? Even if you view it as an expression of purity theater, it still does send a message when your healthcare provider wears a mask and requires you to do the same. This is a visible signal that your healthcare provider is doing their best to protect you. Why would this be seen as problematic?
Basic Common Sense
When I was just starting my practice I sublet a couple days a week from another acupuncturist who had a room in an aesthetician’s establishment. One day early on during my time there, I came out of my office only to see the owner of said establishment wearing a mask. This was pre-COVID and I had only ever seen public mask wearing during the H1N1 virus outbreak when I was still a Spanish professor. Masks were available for students and people were encouraged to use them if they were concerned. Some students did, others did not. Seeing my colleague masked up brought back that experience and I thought that perhaps she was ill. When I asked, she laughed and said that she’s up close to people’s faces all day and that she protects herself and them while she works.
So wearing a mask really isn’t a big political statement or an expression of neuroticism. People also do actually wear them for pretty simple reasons, like not wanting to breathe in others’ airborne gifts and not wanting to share their own. Construction workers and others who want to avoid breathing in fumes wear masks. Laboratory techs and scientists wear masks. And would anyone actually want to get surgery, for instance, from someone who couldn’t be bothered to wear a mask? I wouldn’t.
From a blog post I wrote in 2020:
“It’s not that tough. If you believe that wearing a mask helps you to avoid sharing your droplets with the world (and I do) then it makes sense to wear one.”
Wearing A Mask:
Some Thoughts On Loving Thy Neighbor And On Being Fabulous During A Pandemic
To me, it’s just not that big of a deal to wear a mask. Now, some patients truly cannot have the mask on for the treatment. I rarely treat children but will treat the kids of existing patients if there is a compelling reason to do so. In that case, I will allow the child to remove their mask once they are in the treatment room. Another instance would be facial treatments, whether aesthetic or for acne. In these instances, the person does need to mask in the common areas of the office, no exceptions, but they remove the mask when they are in the treatment room (and I air that room out and don’t use it for the next patient) and I can set things up so that they are able to leave without masking on freshly micro-needled skin (for example). I keep my mask on regardless.
But for pretty much everything else…I think that it’s easier to wear a mask for an hour at your acupuncturist’s office than it is to spend months or years or the rest of your life dealing with the after-effects of COVID or the measles. Don’t you think so?
*******
*******
Protection Against Chemical Smells
Another reason I mask and probably will for the rest of my life is due to sensitivity to chemical smells. My office, like any decent healthcare provider’s office, has a no-perfume policy. And one of my super-specialty areas is Ehlers Danlos syndrome. This disorder of connective tissue is deemed a rare condition but really? It’s not. Hypermobility is more common than one might think and the comorbid conditions that often go along with the collagen dysfunction mean that EDS people who also live with POTS and MCAS and dysautonomia often cannot tolerate extreme chemical odors.2
I personally cannot tolerate strong perfume and do not get me rolling on the subject of Febreze. I wear a mask when I’m in stores in part to avoid strong chemical fragrance odors. My office does not reek of these poisons but when I go out in public, many places do and I have to protect myself from the “fresh, clean scent” of horrors like Febreze and other similar.3 Hence the mask.
People who come to see me do not have to worry about these smells because my office is cleaned with scent-free products and perfumes are not allowed4…plus we all mask. Win-win!
The Bottom Line
I am a highly skilled practitioner, I am the author of the book Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and I have a lot of credentials and options for wellness strategies. If someone wants to miss out on my wonderfulness because they refuse to wear a mask for an hour, well…it’s a bummer, but I need to protect myself and my existing patients. COVID is not over, and it looks like measles are making a comeback. I need to protect myself and my patients and masks are a part of my safety strategy.
Do I feel somewhat like an idiot, like I’m one of the few that still masks? Sure. But with the number of EDS and other complex conditions patients I treat, I feel like I have a duty and an obligation to them. Do I worry sometimes that I am losing potential patients because I maintain a mask policy? Yes, but if a person categorically refuses to mask then maybe I’m not the practitioner for them. My EDS, MCAS, MCCS, and autoimmune condition patients need a safe place to get treatment and masks are an additional layer of protection that they need from me.
Honestly, I do not love wearing a mask but I do it because it’s the right thing to do. This I sincerely believe.
What about you?
What do you think about masks…and would you be ok with wearing one to your visit?
*****
*****
Dr. Paula Bruno, Ph.D., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, an AOBTA-CP traditional Chinese bodywork therapist, a health coach, and an author. She maintains an active and growing practice at her Austin, TX office. Dr. Bruno is also available for distance appointments for wellness consultation or coaching.
In her first career, she was a Spanish professor.
Dr. Bruno’s specialties as a Chinese medicine practitioner include: • Musculoskeletal health (acute or chronic pain relief; Ehlers Danlos syndrome & hypermobility support) • Digestive support, gut health, and weight loss • Aesthetic treatment, including scar revision • Men’s health • General preventative care and wellness support for all persons.
She is the author of Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide. Dr. Bruno also maintains a second website, holistichealthandheds.com, with resources and information curated specifically for people with hEDS and HSD.
When you are ready to discover what traditional medicine plus a vibrant and engaged approach to holistic health can do for you, either contact Dr. Bruno or book an appointment online.
*******
*******
Two Hearts Wellness does not accept paid advertising on this website
Note: Material on this web site site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, illness, or ailment. A Chinese medicine practitioner in Texas identifies syndrome patterns but does not diagnose illness. Material on this web site does not purport to identify syndrome patterns.
*****
- If you have never experienced the marvel of this tome, Camille (1848) relates the story of a French courtesan who dies of consumption (after much turgid drama). Definitely worth reading! ↩︎
- This is a patient population that can’t afford to get long COVID. Nobody can afford to get long COVID, but folks who live with complex chronic disorders really do not have the extra energy to add a new chronic condition to their roster of afflictions. They, just like people with–for instance–cancer, or who are otherwise immunocompromised, deserve the extra layer of safety that a mask provides when at their medical care appointments. ↩︎
- Proctor & Gamble insist that Febreze is safe but not everyone would agree with that. See, for instance, “The Dangers of Febreze” and “7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Febreze-Or Other Chemical Air Fresheners.” My personal experience with Febreze is that it gives me extreme MCAS flares and I have had a number of patients who experience the same or similar. As to perfumes, there are extreme cases, as with “Your fragrance could kill me: Living with multiple chemical sensitivity” and, to a lesser degree, “Fragrance Allergy (Perfume Allergy).” And with or without overt chemical sensitivity, it’s wise to consider whether synthetic fragrances are worth it anyway: “Tests Show Designer Fragrances Contain Endocrine Disruptors.” See also “Fragrance compounds: The wolves in sheep’s clothings” and “Perfume chemicals tied to hormone disruption and health risks.” ↩︎
- Refer to “Why the doctor’s sign says fragrance free office…..” for some valuable observations on the subject of scent-free medical care offices. ↩︎
Two Hearts Wellness 