While Gathering Recliners

A blog post by Manchester Acupuncture Studio's Andrew Wegman about the simple and important connections made while building and running a community acupuncture clinic.
Originally posted on the website of The People's Organization of Community Acupuncture:
https://www.pocacoop.com/prick-prod-provoke/post/while-gathering-recliners

There seems to be some real momentum starting to move forward prepping for a secondManchester Acupuncture Studio clinic here in southern, NH.  For my part this weekend, I'd been out picking up recliners from folks selling their unwanteds on Craigslist. And I'm remembering how much I love the recliner gathering part of opening a clinic.

I don't know if it's simply Glorious summertime in New England, but I'm getting to meet folks who are clearly looking for a connection of some sort - a chance to offer a pat on the back, share a story of two, or making an extra effort to see the recliner off safely.  All to a person, simply show genuine interest in the acupuncture clinic the chair will be working at and the marvel that it fit in the back of my wife's Prius.  

It's been a real treat meeting a kind couple with a rust-colored recliner who happened to know of regular estate sales who will normally have recliners for 'next to nuthin'.  She'll be keeping me in the loop for future reference.

I was equally happy to have met the older man with a red Lane recliner, who's son 'didn't want it any more' who's recent attack of Bell's palsy got him a referral to his local Community Acupuncture clinic in Concord, NH. The last chairs of the day were delivered by a generous Dad with a big truck who lived across town from the clinic, who insisted making a trip so I didn't have to make a second one.  For his troubles, he got to see where his chair will seat many happy fannies.

One could make the observation that our clinics are simply spaces for connections to made; person to clinic, person to new friends and staff and fellow clinic-goers and of course, person to themselves.  I'm remembering the process of gathering for the creation of these spaces, is openly representative of the connections to be made, and a lot of damn fun!

an Acupunkik Oath

Shared by a comrade from Poke Community Acupuncture in Vancouver, B.C.


Because acupuncture does not have to be 
expensive in order to be effective ∂ Because
military budgets balloon while health care is 
cut ∂ Because nothing breaks through the
isolation of pain, illness and depression like 
healing in a room with other humans ∂ Because
our favourite way to spread the word about how 
well acupuncture works is to make it available to
people ∂ Because we are pleased to challenge 
the notion of value being attached to price
∂ Because there aren’t enough spaces where 
strangers switch off cell phones and slumber
side by side ∂ Because for thousands of years 
acupuncture has been practiced in groups ∂
Because returning acupuncture to its roots makes 
us the happiest of humble radicals ∂ Because
the vast majority of us love our work so much we 
couldn’t imagine doing anything else –
We are a part of the community acupuncture movement.




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