"If we feel deeply, and we encourage ourselves and others to feel deeply, we will find the germ of our answers to bring about change. Because once we recognize what it is we are feeling, once we recognize we can feel deeply, love deeply, can feel joy, then we will demand that all parts of our lives produce that kind of joy. And when they do not, we will ask, "Why don't they?" And it is the asking that will lead us inevitably toward change. So the question of social protest and art is inseparable for me. I can't say it is an either-or proposition. Art for art's sake doesn't really exist for me. What I saw was wrong, and I had to speak up. I loved poetry, and I loved words. But what was beautiful had to serve the purpose of changing my life, or I would have died. If I cannot air this pain and... alter it, I will surely die of it. That's the beginning of social protest." -Audre Lorde

Devi Health has entered Intuit's Love a Local Business Contest, and has the chance to win 5K in May!!

Show your love for sliding-scale, community-centered acupuncture!

Vote Today!!!

And what exactly could Devi DO with 5K?

Glad you asked! It has been my dream to set up a fully functioning community acupuncture office, making my work even more accessible to even more folks. 5K would purchase at least 8 comfortable reclining chairs for group acupuncture, needles for months, a full herbal pharmacy, it could subsidize the cost of herbs for those who cannot typically afford herbs, it could subsidize the cost of some treatments. It could support trainings for other acupuncturists who want to do this kind of work but are not sure where to start or how.

You get it. What seems like a small sum would make a HUGE difference for my work and the communities I strive to support.

Please pass the voting link on to folks who would be supportive! THANKS!!!

Two more fantastic examples of how acupuncturists are sustainably working in the public health, thinking outside the box and addressing social needs in an affordable, effective way.

As Adam Burke says, "Historically, the role of public health has been in control of infectious disease, emergency preparedness, ensuring access to affordable care, and promoting community health. Acupuncture services are already an important part of public health service, especially in the areas of community-based HIV/AIDS treatment and in treatment of individuals with chemical dependency issues. Given its growing use in the general public, there is a greater potential role in a wider arena. Numerous studies show how acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain; this represents another important area of growth for this medicine. Providing acupuncture within a broader holistic context of diet, movement, and healthy lifestyle could be a potentially powerful contributor to modifications in health behaviors of all Americans."

Providing affordable acupuncture IS a form of providing public health. As acupuncturists, let's expand our vision for what being a health care provider can (and perhaps should) look like.

A Week Without Facebook -- Day One!

Actually tomorrow will officially be Day One, since I have checked Facebook probably 5 times already today. Ok, but what is this?

In an effort to take better care of myself and be a little more mindful, I'm experimenting with reducing the sorts of things I expose myself to that whack me out a little, and by that I mean: things that take me "off course", unground me, unsettle me, make me a little more nuts than I already am... ;) Facebook is, as I have noticed recently, one of these things.

Why do I care about this? As an acupuncturist and friend, I find myself having many conversations with my people about boundaries, living mindfully, and "self care". We ask each other, "What IS self care and what does it look like?" "Better yet, how does one practice self care on a CONSTANT basis and not get super irritable or stressed about how little self care one is doing", etc etc.

What I offer again and again is: you get to decide what self care looks like for you.

For some, it looks like going vegan. For others, it looks like beginning to eat meat again. For some, it looks like smoking weed. For others, it looks like smoking cigarettes. You get the idea. Obviously some behaviors come with added risks that we'd like to minimize. Obviously some behaviors come with dangers that we would like to minimize, but the decisions we make about what behaviors we choose strongly depend on our access to and awareness of different options as well as a host of other factors. For more information on this approach, check out the Harm Reduction Coalition.

But no matter where you are coming from, we do know that there is no magic Self Care pill you can take or Self Care Badge you get once you have completed a certain number of Self Care Challenges - getting massages, getting acupuncture, doing yoga, stretching, meditating...these are all great ways to help you heal and facilitate your self care, but even they will not necessarily ensure constant mindfulness, if that is even possible.

Why does mindfulness matter? That is a very big question, the answers to which are varied and even controversial. I do know that when I do not make decisions mindfully, when I go on autopilot, I notice that I tend to begin to lapse in my self care. I begin living a very "amped up" sort of life, rushing everywhere even when I don't have to, not breathing well, not really eating well, not sleeping well, and henceforth not exactly living well. And it's ok. There are reasons why people dissociate from their daily lives and seek "distractions" or "self destructive behaviors". I have my reasons and so do you. But it's all good.

What I mean by that is: Seeking mindfulness and practicing self care is not about adding to our self hatred - let me say it again and emphasize it: Practicing self care and seeking mindfulness is not about adding to our self hatred.

As far as I can tell, it's about noting where we're at, honoring that place, checking out what our options are, and deciding where to go next based on our current resources and access to helpful tools. Sometimes it is not the right time to try something new. Sometimes it is. And it is different for each person.

I am interested in checking out what it looks like to bring an increased quality of mindfulness to my life. Plain and simple. It will benefit my patients, my relationships, and my relationship with myself. And it looks like going without Facebook this week is how I will explore what self care and seeking mindfulness looks like. For me.

As you might have guessed, I am not going into this without tools for the moments when I am craving Facebook (yes, I compulsively check Facebook some days, it is very strange, but it is what it has become). Obviously, internet is not off limits. I will still update Twitter and this blog. I have a list of short story ideas that I would like to develop. I have a list of friends who I would normally connect to on Facebook, via comments left on their pages, but this week perhaps I will email them directly. How's that for a genius idea? ;) I also have a stack of books I might read instead of checking Facebook. You get the idea. What might I do with allllll the extra time spent on Facebook? You might see more frequent posts on this blog! You might see a new and improved Devi Health website! You might see my taxes get done (well, you won't SEE that, but you know what I mean.) The possibilities are endless, and that is sort of cool.

Wish me luck, and as always let me know what you think.

--Tanuja

Thoughts on Racism

Tanuja responds to a blog post on race at Community Acupuncture Network's website.

Check it out and let me know what you are thinking!

And Now For Something a Little Different:

Check out this great article on wellness, prevention and how we might use the principles of healing to approach our economic and political strategies.

I appreciate that acupuncture is positioned in this article as a modality that "nips it in the bud", "gets to the roots", and encourages us to look within for analysis instead of ever seeking external ease.

Thanks, Anand Giridharadas!

Welcome to Devi Health: the Blog!!

At Acupuncture.com, Lawrence Howard, LAc, MSAc, submitted an article this month called The Mind of an Acupuncturist.

He writes, "The mind of an acupuncturist is complex. They listen to the Western complaint, convert it to TCM terminology, treat the patient, and then translate their findings back into Western terms in order to interact with Western-minded people. In summary, there’s a whole lot more going on in an acupuncturist’s mind than 'sticking a pin where it hurts.'"

Well said. The mind of an acupuncturist is complex...and then some. We also ask questions about a patient's overall health, her eating and sleeping habits, her emotional landscape, her exercise habits, her sexual habits, and then some - we observe a patient's posture, her facial expressions, her hand gestures, the sound of her voice, and then some - it all fits together to create a pattern, and that pattern is what we treat.

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I am grateful for the acupuncturists who made this profession legal, at least in Illinois where I practice, and who are continuing to make it more "mainstream" and widely accepted as a legitimate, complimentary mode of health care.

At the same time, acupuncture is not securely legal in every state, and in Chicago, where there is an abundance of acupuncture available, I often hear comments and questions from friends, family, and patients that indicate that even if we are present and abundant, we are still unknown (and in some cases, untrusted) by a sizable portion of the population.

Thus, we have the opportunity to take our presence to the next level, the level of not-just-legal-but-accepted-and-relied-on. In my opinion, we will accomplish this not "just" as practitioners of a health modality but as health educators.

We have to keep talking about what we do and why we do it, and not just in text-bookish, technical terms. We have to continue attempting to convey the meaning of and behind the work we do, what drives us, what makes us continually more and more relevant as health care providers. And then some.

So consider this blog an attempt to bring "and then some" to fruition.

Thanks for visiting, and let me know what you think!

Be well!