The BMW Guggenheim Lab is “a mobile laboratory traveling to nine major cities worldwide over six years… the Lab addresses issues of contemporary urban life through programs and public discourse. Its goal is the exploration of new ideas, experimentation, and ultimately the creation of forward-thinking solutions for city life.”  Sounds like good times, no?

Here’s the 411:

“Free Community Health Care Day”

Sunday, September 25, 2011
12–3 pm
BMW Guggenheim Lab
@ Houston Street and 2nd Avenue 
Services are free to the public

Stay after for “Active Ingredients” at 4-5pm, a medicine show including practitioners and participants of Third Root, exploring alternatives to pills and typical venues of health care.

What is community acupuncture?

Community acupuncture usually involves 4-6 recliner chairs set up in a single large room, where several patients receive their treatments simultaneously.  It is offered on a sliding scale, which enables practitioners to offer more affordable and accessible acupuncture care.  Some clinics require appointments, some are by walk-in.

And, sometimes the setups vary.  For instance, when I worked at St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction, auricular NADA protocol (read more about it in my previous post) was the usual community acupuncture available (though my colleague and I would needle other easily accessible areas at times, depending on the needs of the patient.)  No appointments were necessary, so there would often be a stream of folks coming in.  And the service was free with signup to the agency.

How is community acupuncture different from a treatment at a private practice?

When receiving acupuncture in a private practice setting, the patient consults with the practitioner in a private room, where they are then treated on their own table.  Intakes are often more comprehensive, treatments are by appointment only, and fees are non-sliding.  Although both setups can also include other modalities of acupuncture, including:  cupping, moxibustion, tui na, and non-acupuncture modalities like reiki, these are often more integrated into a private practice session.

However you choose to do it, come join us for some renegade acupuncture this Sunday!  I’ll be the gal with a lot of ink, and the gentle touch.