Reintroducing Jade Kulhawy-Bartlett, R.Ac. & Bre Johnston, Diploma of Acupuncture!

With the start of the new year, we wanted to take the opportunity to reintroduce members of our H&H acupunking team as one member has completed her legal name change in recent months and our other is patiently awaiting board exam results to become a Registered Acupuncturist!

So what better way to get reacquainted with a fun Q&A!

If I were to describe myself in 3 words:	If I were to describe myself in 3 words:
Steady, earnest, detached	Curious, resilient, principled
What is your age?	What is your age?
About to turn 40! Very excited, I feel like each decade of my life is getting better and better. Or maybe it’s me.	36
Do you have any siblings?	Do you have any siblings?
One younger sister, and 3 step-siblings who I didn’t really grow up with.	Yes, I have a sister and brother
Are you a morning person or a night owl?	Are you a morning person or a night owl?
If I could reasonably be both I would be. When I was younger, definitely night owl. In the last few years I have found that I don’t like the feeling of sleeping in all that much anymore so gotta be the (relatively) early bird I guess.	A night owl, it feels quieter and easier to think.
Favourite things about the Winter season?	Favourite things about the Winter season?
I love the ways the slowness of Winter reminds me about its opposite, the quickness of Summer. I love being asked to meet the rhythm of the season, and learn about myself and my life by getting quiet and still. There is an intimacy to the Winter that one could miss, and I adore that Winter contains in it the seeds of the next Summer – all the buds start setting themselves and the Winter flowers show us the path through the dark.	The quiet gap before the busy season. There is a silence in winter that I really love.
Favourite soup recipe:	Favourite soup recipe:
This sausage, white bean and kale soup is the kind of thing I’m craving in the midst of wind and atmospheric rivers.	Buddha’s Soup (from the book Recipes for Self-Healing by Daverick Leggett) *Recipe listed at the bottom of the article
How do you stay safe and healthy in respiratory illness season(s)?	How do you stay safe and healthy in respiratory illness season(s)?
Making sure to stay covered and warm indoors and out, scarves when braving the wind and cold, and masking inside most public places. Also not letting myself get run down!	I regularly see a Chinese Medicine herbalist and so I have a few bags of magic in the cupboard for when I start to feel like I’m fighting something. Keeping a scarf on during the cold and windy days is super helpful. I also mask with a KN95 (Breatheteq) for indoor gatherings and on public transit.
What are you listening to right now?	What are you listening to right now?
About to start listening to Girl in a Band by Kim Deal on audiobook, the podcast “Bandsplain”, and I have been enjoying putting on Dizzy Gillespie records in my apartment while cleaning and setting things up.	I’m listening to a lot of Animal Collective, Slow Spirit, The Cure, Fleet Foxes, Velvet Underground, New Order, Flaming Lips, Underworld, Burial, Amyl and the Sniffers, Tool, Beach Wizard and Saul Williams.
How do you like to stay warm?	How do you like to stay warm?
Currently being cozy in my new apartment that is above ground and well-sealed from the elements!	A good toque, scarf, and gloves to break the wind Ginger tea Foot soaks and hot baths
What is your favourite way to be outdoors in the rainy season?	What is your favourite way to be outdoors in the rainy season?
I love going on long walks in the drizzle around lakes or any rainy gorgeous-smelling forest (as long as I can get right home after for more of the above!)	Rainy and windy weather is my favourite. I love walking in the rain listening to music, especially when it’s a bit cold so that I can really bundle up under my raincoat. I love hiking in the rain, I don’t think there is anything better!
Community acupuncture is important because…	Community acupuncture is important because…
Acupuncture is a deeply powerful medicine and I want as many people as possible to be able to access it! Our treatment volume, financial accessibility, and grounding in a politically collectivist history, is what Community Acupuncture a radically important practice to engage with, no matter what side of the needle you’re on.	Accessible healthcare is the future of medicine. What could be better than healing together in community!

Buddha’s Soup Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2″ cube fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4–6 heads bok choy, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 1 (8 oz) pack shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 pack medium or soft tofu, cubed
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• Soy sauce, to taste
• Bouillon of your choice
• 6 cups water
• Mung bean noodles, for serving (mung bean noodles make a huge difference in this recipe)

Instructions:

• Heat the toasted sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Sauté the garlic for a few minutes, until fragrant
• Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they soften.
• Stir in the ginger and sauté for about 1 minute.
• Add the bok choy and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Sauté for another few minutes, stirring gently.
• Pour in 6 cups of water and add 2 tsp bouillon (or 1 cube).
• Add the cubed tofu.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.