05/09/2024
Pop Up Acupuncture Event for Q***r Youth post event glow: many participants had chronic pain, sinus pressure allergies, joint and mobility restrictions coupled with anxiety, housing insecurity, and stress of social pressures.
At this event for health and housing coalitions to organize for youth, acupuncture, haircuts, food, and clothing were available. Each sat in our chairs to try something new, despite fear of being poked in the ear, watching each other to realize it was only seconds before a wave of calm washed over. The room had moments of both stillness and lively conversation of sharing resources around dental services and even recipes.
“Wow, it’s so nice to sit here and not feel my joint pain for a while.”
“My sinuses are actually clearing up!”
“I don’t have a headache anymore!”
“[Laughter] I barely felt that! Is this what acupuncture feels like? It’s just a tiny pinch.”
Ear acupuncture or acupressure ear beads that stimulate and soothe the nervous system quite quickly is part of many clinic offerings, and has its roots in activism, with a detox protocol developed by the Black Panthers when they and the Young Lords who took over Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and merged the use of acupuncture with mainstream medicine.
Pictured is a fabulous group of my student assistants and our event coordinators in the Keith Harring bathroom at The Center on 13th Street.
Several coalitions were there offering services and information on healthcare and housing, especially for those who may face a vulnerable gap where they age out of some services and are not yet eligible to yet qualify for others.
There is no shortage of places in the city where free clinics could be facilitated for elders and youth who may not seek the service out.
Ideas are in the works, and if you are newly licensed or any length of time in practice and want to be a part of future pop-ups to serve, or if you have ideas of funding projects and pop-ups like this, please reach out!
📞 646-872-8576
💌stenmarkacupuncture .com
