Community: Help and be helped.

The "Community" in Community Acupuncture

I usually like to talk about the "Acupuncture" in Community Acupuncture, but today, and in light of current events, I thought I'd talk about the other half of this phrase-"Community." Community Acupuncture isn't just about having acupuncture on a sliding scale(though it's a nice perk!); there's something happening when a lot of people get together for a common goal. People getting acupuncture in the community room often tell me that there's a nice feeling they get while healing in a room with others.

If any good comes out of the tragedy in Haiti, I think it's that we are able to notice this feeling on a bigger scale. I hope you have felt it lately, as the money and the aid has been pouring into Haiti, it's a feeling so strong, I personally have to turn away for a little while. And yes, part of the feeling when watching these images is the mass grief, the shock, and the helplessness of being a world away from the aftermath, but I believe there is something more. Beyond the logistics, the politics, and the cynicism, there has been an outpouring of love and help from people all over the world to help these people we've never met, much the same way that it occurred after 9/11 and the South Asia Tsunamis.

We as humans want to give, want to help, and that can be a little scary by itself. We as a rule aren't too fond of emotions, actions and processes we can't control, and even this need to help our community can be a little discomforting. But there it is, and the more we surrender to this need to help and be helped, the better off we are as humans.

Help and be helped-that's a prescription for healing right there, and it's all around us everyday if we're open to it. It can take a lifetime to learn to do both-many people I see seem to pick one and stay with it their whole lives...and usually become exhausted in the process.

If one good thing comes out of the tragedy in Haiti it's that we can all learn to be healers, to learn to help as part of a huge community...so that we can learn to be helped as well.

I feel very lucky to live in the community of Glens Falls, NY. It's backdrop is the Adirondack Mountains. It's a four hour drive to New York, Boston or Montreal. There's plenty that's old here and plenty that's new. The people are incredible. I feel lucky to be part of Community Acupuncture, because I get to be part of a community that is helping others across the country, as well as in my own tiny clinic. And I feel very lucky to be a part of a world wide community that is trying hard to help a whole nation that is in the midst of a tragedy. I feel lucky to be in your community.

Stop and FEEL the Pain

From Warren:

Now that the holidays are behind us, I find it helpful to make time to slow down long enough to tune into what sort of damage I just caused my body by operating on autopilot with no reserve fuel for far too long. Unfortunately this is a bad habit of mine that has never successfully made the New Years Resolution list. I run on empty with no time to refuel body, mind or spirit…after all, I am invincible…or so I thought. Day in and day out I have been ignoring a pain in my back because I just don’t have time for pain. This is a flawed approach to taking care of one’s self. Pain is a way for the body to tell you that things are out of balance and that, perhaps you are doing too much. The other day my back pain transcended its ignorable status by grabbing my attention with electrical sensations in my toes, thus ushering in a new ailment: sciatica. It’s hard to avoid the car analogies when talking about the body…and I currently feel like the guy who ignored the first signs of needing new brakes. What could have been prevented with some general maintenance is now going to be a costly fix. Luckily I’m surrounded by talented practitioners of the healing arts and they will take time to help me overhaul the wreck that my body has become. This year, in an attempt to practice what I preach, I will make a concerted effort to not just stop and smell the roses, but to also stop and feel the pain. Being present to one’s body long enough to hear what it’s trying to tell you can save you a lot trouble in the end and help you keep out of the body shop and on the road of life.