Building Healthy Communities
By Kayli Corbin
Photography by Emma Thompson
Developed in Asia well over 2,500 years ago, acupuncture is part of an incredibly comprehensive system of medicine that seeks to establish the free and balanced flow of energy, called Qi. Tiny filiform needles are inserted at specific points along energy pathways of the body alleviating both the symptoms of illness as well as the root cause.
Acupuncture for Everyone (AFE) is a local clinic offering personalized, full body acupuncture treatments on a sliding scale so you can come as often as you need. Their mantra is to ‘come often to feel great’ and they pride themselves in making that as easy as possible. Lynette, Davida, and Jessica offer acupuncture services at AFE and are very excited about offering community sessions. Community acupuncture simply means that you will be treated in a room with others. This allows the service to cost less so you can come more!
One of their clients, Cait, shared the following experience. “Upon arrival, I saw that the clinic is nicely decorated, comfortable, and relaxed, including a lounge area and kitchen with self-service water and tea. A private treatment room is available for those interested, but the main attraction of the clinic is the community treatment room. With four treatment tables and one recliner chair, the space is comfortable and inviting, bustling yet serene, spacious yet intimate. My practitioner had read my health questionnaire prior to our session and we had a quick chat about my treatment desires and goals before getting to work. Other clients lay on the tables nearby, but any apprehension I had about the community aspect of the clinic had vanished. My 30-minute session felt private and intimate (I even fell asleep) but there was a tangible healing energy in the space, as if we are all sharing our healing treatments with one another.”
It’s clear that their clients deeply impacted by the space, the energy, and the experience associated with community acupuncture. Davida Mitchell of AFE shared her philosophy, “I like to think of acupuncture as working with the organic intelligence of the body. One of my very favorite things about working with acupuncture is that it does not add anything to the body, it simply helps to guide a person’s physiology toward a more optimal, balanced state.”
In addition to their community acupuncture services AFE offers private consultations to prescribe herbs from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacopeia. Onsite practitioners also offer EFT, NAET, Face Reading, and AMMA therapy, all based on the same theoretical foundation as TCM.
Acupuncture and the entire branch of traditional Chinese medicine can be related to yoga or exercise – it can help keep you balanced and prevent illness when added as a regular part of your life. Check out acupunctureforeveryoneboise.com for a full list of practitioners and services. We promise you won’t regret investing in your health!
