Northshore Acupuncture Center offers monthly affordable community acupuncture treatments where attendees reflecting the diversity of our community in terms of income level, age, race, gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity and physical abilities gather for healing.
Community acupuncture sessions are held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center:
April 11 & 25, 2024May 9 & 23, 2024June 13 & 27, 2024July 11 & 25, 2024August 8 & 22, 2024You can register for sessions by calling Fleetwood-Jourdain at (847) 448-8254 or at cityofevanston.org/register. The cost is $10 per month for Evanston residents and $30 per month for non-residents.
During the community acupuncture experience, participants will be treated in a group, sitting comfortably in chairs, fully clothed. The acupuncturist (Amy) will place up to five small, sterilized disposable needles into specific sites on each ear. If you don’t love needles, magnets or Vaccaria seeds can be taped on an ear acupressure point instead.
The five-needle acupuncture treatment is used as an integrated therapy for addiction along with counseling, support groups and 12 step programs. The protocol reduces cravings and minimizes withdrawal symptoms for more than drug or alcohol addictions – it is also helpful if you are experiencing withdrawal from caffeine, nicotine or sugar. The protocol is beneficial for anxiety, trauma, PTSD, sleep issues, and stress.
Additional benefits from the treatment may include: calmness, better sleep, stress relief, pain relief, and a stronger connection with your inner resilience.
The five points are: (1) The Autonomic Point which calms the nervous system and helps with overall relaxation; (2) the Shen Men or “spirit gate,” which reduces anxiety and nervousness; (3) the Kidney Point, for calming fears and healing internal organs; (4) the Liver Point for detoxification, blood purification, and processing anger; and (5) the Lung Point, which helps with letting go of grief.
We provide community auricular acupuncture sessions in a format similar to that developed by Dr. Mutulu Shakur, the Black Panthers and the Young Lords at the Lincoln Hospital Detox Center in the South Bronx in the 1970s as a tool for liberation and community health.
The Black Panthers and Young Lords were instrumental in broadening the use of acupuncture beyond the Asian community in the United States. They used acupuncture to help fill the gaps in quality healthcare for people of color. To learn more, I recommend reading Dr. Dandridge’s The Unusual Tale of Acupuncture, Racism and African American History in the USA, and watching the documentary Dope is Death.
Any money raised from the regular sessions beyond the cost of the supplies are used to provide subsidized acupuncture treatments for community members experiencing hardship.
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