sliding scale guidelines

Nov 11th, 2019

the talk about finances and "filling our cups" led me to make these sliding scale guidelines adapted from @wortsandcunning green bottles graphic

I changed some of the language, added systemic factors like living at the intersections of oppression or of privilege, added a line about dependants, and one about intergenerational wealth

these are meant to be open-ended guidelines so that folks can feel comfortable paying bottom of the scale when they need to, and also so that people with more means do not take advantage...cause if everyone pays at the bottom of the scale it's not sustainable

do you have any feedback?
would you like a copy of this?

I am still not sure how to feel about the notion of "filling our own cups first", because in a capitalist society it seems very hard to do so without centering wealthy/upper middle class people, and building more services that are not accessible to poor and working class folks

instead I have been trying to think hard about what is "enough"

maybe "enough" is covering rent and food, maybe it is being able to have reliable transportation, or warm comfortable winter clothes, or taking a yearly vacation

what does enough look like to you?
💚💛💜

unearthing conversations about money and sustainability

Nov 8th, 2019

these dark days and 🦂 season got me thinking about all that is hidden, underground and not talked about

for me a big one is money

I realized that many folks assume that when they pay me for services the whole amount goes to me

not so
the hidden truth is that 30% or more of each treatment goes to room rental, another 30% goes to taxes, and an additional 3% goes to Square for payment processing

that means that out of $20 someone pays for a treatment, only about $7.50 is left

and then there are supplies, website, and scheduling app fees

there are license costs ($500 every two years for acupuncturists), malpractice insurance ($480 a year) and a 🏔 of student debt (acupuncture school is about 100K)

real talk: trying to provide affordable medicine while meeting my own survival needs has been very difficult

as someone who grew up poor, my relationship to money alternates between survivalist panic, and nonchalant willful head-in-the-sand just hoping everything will be ok somehow, but it's has been a struggle to find a way to sustain myself AND keep providing low cost sliding scale treatments

if you offer services, how do you sustain yourself while prioritizing access?

if you pay for services, how do you decide how much to pay on the sliding scale? are you aware of how the money you pay is distributed and how much of it goes to your provider?

let's uncover this dirty business together
let's stick it to the capitalist notion that money should not be talked about, and let's build sustainable ways to create abundance with and for each other
✨💛✨

we are entering drying season - the season of the Lung

🌾🌾🌾Humboldt Park reminds us that we are entering drying season - the season of the Lung for our bodies

you might notice skin, eye and throat dryness, and possible respiratory challenges

to support ourselves during the dryness of the fall, eat foods that moisten the lungs, such as pears and apples
🍏🍏🍏
other moistening foods include white mushrooms, tofu, barley, millet, almonds, pine nuts, white sesame seeds, lotus root, pumpkin, honey, and soymilk

the body also needs extra fluids to deal with the dry environment, so think of adding tea and soups to yr daily meals
🍵🍵🍵
adding bits of pungent foods will also help clear the lungs and keep fluids moving in a healthy manner

think of adding onion, ginger, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, oregano and chili
💞🌶💞

what can help blood stagnation?

💜thank you to @salikaela for asking about blood stagnation💜

what can help blood stagnation?
here are helpful foods :)
tumeric, shallot, leek, scallions, chives, radishes, garlic, ginger, thin eggplants, basil, nutmeg, oregano, rosemary, pepper, aduki beans, kelp, seaweeds, wood ear fungus and other mushrooms, green and oolong tea
🍵🍵🍵
avoid cold foods like ice cream, iced water and too much raw food + be careful with direct cold air (like sitting under an AC vent, or going out on a windy day without a scarf)

use heat pads, and epsom salt baths or soaks to help circulation (heat is a vasodilator :)
🔥🔥🔥
blood stagnation can manifest in stabbing pain anywhere in the body, strong menstrual cramps, a purplish tongue, blood clots in monthly bleeding, stabbing head aches and more

blood stagnation is often a secondary pattern, meaning that it is not the root issue, but a symptom of something else (for example blood deficiency, or systemic fluid issues, or inflammation), so check in with your trusted acupuncturist for more focused support
😊😊😊

blood building for vegetarians

sept 28th, 2019

💝this week several folks have asked about vegetarian and vegan-friendly ways to build blood, so I thought I'd make a cute graphic for ya! ❤

beneficial blood building foods for vegetarians are red fruits and veggies such as beets, 🍒, dark 🍇, red cabbage, yams, blackberries, raspberries, plums, strawberries

also - miso, tempeh, black sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, leafy greens, eggs, stocks and broths, black and kidney beans, molasses, cinnamon, root veggies, nettles, dandelion, dates and figs

avoid coffee, refined sugars and chemical additives

blood deficiency is very common if you bleed monthly, or have high levels of stress

it can look like dizzyness, palpitations, dry stools, skin and hair, brittle nails and fatigue/waking up still tired. It can also look like feeling thirsty but no matter how much you drink 🌊, your mouth still feels dry

if you eat meat go for bone broth and eating high quality meat a couple of times a week. If you eat fish oysters, octapus and eel are 👌
❤💜❤

so I threw out my back...

Sept 16th, 2019
so I threw out my back...
first time I've ever had to cancel clinic and not show up for acupuncture

it made me think hard about the things I discuss with patients that I have a really hard time doing myself

slowing down
taking time off
listening to my body
knowing when to say no
feeling like if I stop the whole world will come tumbling down
operating from abundance instead of scarcity, and stressing out every day about how I will make rent

I am trying to take this as an opportunity to get right with my body,
while holding that we live in a system that demands overwork and shut down as the norm

I dream and imagine worlds where we can go at our pace, where different abilities are honored, where slow time is part of the work week, where resources are distributed fairly, and basics such as healthcare, housing and food are covered

what is your body yearning for?
what worlds do you dream of? (shout out of gratitude @hajihealingsalon and @free_bodypt for reacting with care to my not being able to show up, and to all that have checked in and helped out❤❤❤)

summer, the season of the💓

We are in the middle of summer, the season of the💓
***
and this season is surely testing our collective hearts!
***
a heart being tested can look like palpitations, vivid dreams, difficulty sleeping, tongue/mouth sores, chest tightness and inability to slow down
***
the stress point on the ear, and Heart 8 on the palm of the hand are both excellent acupressure points to give your 💜 some support!
***
give them a good rub when you are feeling stressed, when too much is being demanded of your heart, when PTSD is flaring
***
the heart likes red foods like berries, beets, red meat (in moderation), red beans and even a bit of red wine
***
it also likes deep smells like sandlewood, frankincense and neroli
***
to easier 💖 times, my loves!
to a world where our collective hearts are seen, held and respected fully
💓💜💓💜💓💜💓💜💓💜💓

there is no health justice until there is racial justice

July 1st, 2019

there is no health justice until there is racial justice
***
there is no health justice until disparity remains between
*who gets sick,
*who suffers higher incidences of maternal and infant mortality,
*who is more likely to be exposed to lead and other toxins,
*who is more likely to die from untreated common illnesses like the flu and pneumonia,
*who is more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, and fibroids
*who has access to mental health care and dr visits (and can expect to be treated with dignity during those visits)
***
let's keep fighting, strategizing, organizing, protesting, boycotting, caring for one another, dreaming up, thinking hard, looking inward, pushing forward, finding systemic patterns, and loving fiercely
💜🔥💜🔥💜🔥💜🔥
-thank you @bykellymalka for the beautiful illustration-

community acupuncture

June 25th, 2019
community acupuncture means sliding scale affordable treatments
***
it means meeting people where they are at, and creating a space to hold and witness with someone instead of trying to fix then
***
it means fostering community and a safer space for folks to heal on their own terms
***
it also means looking at the bigger waves of oppression and injustice, and pushing toward a more just world
***
I offer acupuncture for free/donation to social justice grassroots organizations around Chicago
***
if your org is in need of some acu care get in touch, and we will make it happen💗

Spring, the season of the Liver

We are at the height of spring, the season of the Liver
🌱🌱🌱
The spring is all about growing, sprouting, coming out of hybernation and putting your plans into action
***
In the same way the Liver is the organ system that makes things happen in the body, gets you up in the morning and helps you get motivated
***
The liver system gets clogged up and frustrated when things do not go its way, or when your plans are thwarted
***
That feeling of tension you might experience when you are stuck in traffic, or things don't go your way, is a thing of the liver
***
One point in particular, Liver 3, is especially helpful during frustation and tension
***
Find that tender spot on the foot and press/rub until the acheiness melts to soothe the Liver and relieve frustration
💛💛💛✨

LIVER 3 Acupressure Point

How do "alternative medicines" uphold the medical industrial complex?

May 23rd, 2019

How do "alternative medicines" uphold the medical industrial complex?
***
How do we begin dreaming up health systems centered around the people who need them most, instead of just the people who have most access?
***
From @mia.mingus "The Medical Industrial Complex is an enormous system with tentacles that reach beyond simply doctors, nurses, clinics, and hospitals. It is a system about profit, first and foremost, rather than “health,” wellbeing and care. Its roots run deep and its history and present are connected to everything including eugenics, capitalism, colonization, slavery, immigration, war, prisons, and reproductive oppression. It is not just a major piece of the history of ableism, but all systems of oppression"
https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/medical-industrial-complex-visual/amp/

Lineage of TCM

Miriam Lee
Mutulu Shakur
Master Tung
Ing Doc Hay
Micheal Smith
***
This medicine has a rich radical history
***
It was not created for the rich and powerful
***
It was created out of struggle and necessity and survival and a need for care
***
I hope to keep this history at the forefront of my mind, and always struggle to uphold and center its lessons

The NADA Protocol

The NADA Protocol has been used, since it was developed by the Black Panthers and the Young Lords at Lincoln Detox in the 70s, to support people with PTSD, addiction issues and chronic stress
***
And it can do so much more!
***
Here is more info about each point!
***
I offering the NADA protocol to BIPOC organizers on the regular for free/donation.
Email me at ChiaraAcupuncture@gmail.com to get yr spot
💜💛💙💚

Sliding scale acupuncture

May 8th, 2019

Sliding scale and affordability are key to access healthcare
***
Acupuncture in the US has been coopted and developed into a medicine for the wealthy, with treatments ranging from $80 to $120 per visit
***
For the medicine to work consistent treatment is needed, once/week for moderate health issues, and more for acute or serious illness
***
That's why a different paradigm is needed
***
I got into the medicine to bring it to people who could not afford the mainstream prices for acupuncture. People like me: immigrants, single parents, teen moms, disabled folks, people on welfare and poor/working class queer folks
***
That's why all treatments are sliding scale, pay what you can (No one turned away for inability to pay)
***
*What is preventing YOU from accessing acupuncture? *How could the medicine be more accessible to you and your community?

The Black Panthers, The Young Lords, and acupuncture

May 7th, 2019
The Black Panthers and Young Lords were a vital part of bringing acupuncture to the United States
***
In the early 1970s, they organized a detox clinic at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, and developed a 5 point ear acupuncture protocol for detox and stress reduction
***
They taught people in the neighborhood how to needle, so the community could be empowered to support each other in treating addiction, ptsd and chronic stress
***
The Black Panthers and Young Lords were visionaries in imagining an approach to healthcare from a place of harm reduction and community-treating-community
***
Lincoln Detox was shut down by mayor Ed Koch in 1978, but the NADA protocol is now widely used worldwide for addiction recovery, in refugee camps, border zones, conflict and disaster areas
***
As a practitioner I try and keep these questions at the forefront:
*How do we make healthcare more accessible?
*How do we create healing partnerships built on mutuality instead of power-over?
*How do we move away from the expert/patient relationship, and hold that each person is an expert in their body, experience and well-being?