Welcome to the Fireweed Community! I hope that this is a space for mutual support, learning, and growth for all community members.
These guidelines help us create an environment where you can feel welcome to show up authentically while feeling respected. While we can’t guarantee a safe space for everyone, these guidelines are meant to serve as a way to help us create a space where people feel welcome.
These guidelines will evolve over time and with input from the community. If you have suggestions for changes or questions on how something applies, please email Kate at kate@fireweedacupuncture.com.
This community exists to help you learn practical tools for navigating life with chronic illness. We're here to support each other's journeys—not to diagnose, prescribe, or replace professional medical care.
Being part of this community is a matter of trust. Please don't share others' stories, experiences, or identifying details outside this space—including on social media, in other online groups, or in personal conversations. If something resonates with you and you want to share the concept elsewhere, make it about your own experience, not someone else's.
Screenshots, quotes, or references to other members' posts are not okay without explicit permission. Community access is for the specific member who has created the account; please do not share logins or materials.
There's no pressure to participate every day, comment on every post, or complete every monthly practice. Show up when you can, rest when you need to, and trust that this community will be here when you return.
We all have different bodies, different diagnoses, different circumstances, and different access to resources. What works for you might not work for someone else—and that's okay. Try to avoid "you should" statements and instead share what's worked for you when relevant.
While we're all learning and sharing our experiences, this community is not a substitute for medical care. Please don't:
Ask for or give specific supplement recommendations
Request or offer prescription suggestions
Diagnose others' symptoms
Recommend stopping or starting medications
It's okay to: Share what's working in your own health journey or discuss how you've implemented strategies you learned from your healthcare team. Whenever possible, please share where you got the information (such as a link to the source).
This is a space for both celebrations and struggles. You can share hard things—we want you to. But please share with care and be mindful of how your words might land for others. If you need to discuss potentially triggering topics (disordered eating, self-harm, suicidal ideation, detailed medical procedures), please use a content note at the start of your post.
We're all learning, and we'll all make mistakes. If something someone says doesn't land well for you, you can name that. If someone points out impact to you, receive it with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
As a neurodivergent-affirming space, we recognize that different neurotypes may have difficulty communicating; however, this does not excuse harm. If you are not sure if your tone is accurately conveyed in the post, you're invited to include a tone label (such as "genuine question" or "sarcasm")!
Our members come from different backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences. This includes different approaches to health, different belief systems, and different identities. Practice curiosity and respect, especially when perspectives differ from your own.
However, there is a zero-tolerance policy for racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry. Violators will be removed from the community without a refund.
This isn't a space for promoting your business, products, or services. If you have a resource that's genuinely relevant to a conversation, you can share it, but this community isn't primarily for marketing or networking. If you're not sure if it's okay to share, please reach out and ask first.
Being a member of this community does not establish a patient-practitioner relationship with Kate Thomas, LAc or Fireweed Acupuncture. The information shared here is educational and for general wellness purposes. The classes, podcast, community conversations, etc. are not individualized medical advice or treatment and are not a replacement for seeking appropriate health care.
If you're interested in working with Kate clinically, you'll need to establish care separately through Fireweed Acupuncture. Community members and clinic patients are welcome to participate in both spaces, but they remain distinct.
We center traditionally underrepresented voices. Health inequity is real, and many of us have been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or harmed by healthcare systems. We acknowledge that access to care, treatment options, and health outcomes are deeply affected by systemic oppression. This space welcomes and affirms LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, and fat people, and others who've been marginalized by society and conventional medicine.
We are neurodivergent-affirming. Brains work differently, and that's not something that needs to be fixed. We don't pathologize ADHD, autism, or other forms of neurodivergence. The tools and practices shared here are meant to support you as you are, not to make you fit a neurotypical mold. We also recognize that different neurotypes can sometimes have difficulty communicating across neurotypes, and this can sometimes lead to confusion or conflict. However, we do not prioritize one style of communication over another.
We reject wellness movements rooted in ableism and pseudoscience. This includes the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement and similar ideology that blames individuals for systemic health issues, promotes dangerous misinformation, or suggests that chronic illness is simply a matter of willpower or "clean living." Health is complex, and systemic forces can’t be overcome by single individuals.
We don't allow:
Hate speech, discrimination, or harassment of any kind
Diet culture rhetoric or body shaming (of yourself or others)
MLM/network marketing promotions
Unsolicited medical advice or diagnosis
Wellness trends that promise miracle cures
Sharing others' private information
This content will be removed without warning. Repeated violations may lead to removal from the community without a refund.
If you see something that doesn't align with these guidelines or makes you uncomfortable, please reach out to me directly at kate@fireweedacupuncture.com. I'm committed to maintaining this as a supportive space wherever possible.
These guidelines will evolve over time and with input from the community. These guidelines aren't about creating a space where no one ever says the wrong thing; they're about creating a space where we can all learn, grow, and support each other with care.
Thank you for being part of Fireweed Community. I'm honored to tend this space with you!
- Kate Thomas, LAc