San Francisco’s American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Celebrates its Community Ear Acupuncture Clinic’s 18th Year in Operation
The ever increasing cost of healthcare has been a problem among people with ballooning health issues for decades and the search for affordable healthcare can be long and result in little to no refuge against high premiums. Despite all the negativity surrounding the issue of healthcare, there is a silver lining and it comes in the form of alternative medicine, or Ear Acupuncture (EA), to be specific. The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine celebrates its 18th year in operation, providing affordable healthcare to the Bay Area.
Ear acupuncture is an independent micro-system of acupuncture, not unlike foot reflexology, where points on the ear act as reflex points for the whole body. EA became famous in its ability to treat drug addiction, cravings and withdrawal symptoms in a community setting. Other protocols have subsequently been developed to address a wide variety of illness such as insomnia, anxiety, stress related symptoms, pain, smoking cessation, menstrual disorders and PMS, as well as general wellness and preventative care.
In an effort to provide quality, holistic healthcare to those who may not otherwise be able to afford it, the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) started The Community Ear Acupuncture Project in 1994.
“Our Ear Clinic is an under-used gold mine of virtually free healthcare in the Bay Area,” said Jonathan Wheeler, one of ACTCM’s Clinical Supervisors. “The result [of the clinic] is high quality, amazing healthcare for the community four days a week that anyone can access.”
Visiting the ACTCM Ear Clinic is similar to visiting any physician’s office. A new patient will be required to fill out the necessary paper work and be asked to describe any ailments to a practitioner who will then administer the acupuncture treatment. For those who have an aversion to needles, an effective yet alternative treatment is available upon request. Once needles are in place, patients can sit back and relax, drink free herbal tea, meditate, read or talk quietly with a neighbor. Patients are seen on a drop-in, first come, first served basis and the donation-based treatments typically last 20 – 40 minutes.
The long and dreary road to finding an affordable healthcare practitioner can finally end. ACTCM’s Ear Clinic is open weekdays at varying times of the day. For more information, visit https://www.actcm.edu/clinics or call 415-282-9603.
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About American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) has provided affordable, quality health care to the public and trained professionals in acupuncture, massage and Chinese medicine since 1980. In addition to its graduate curriculum, ACTCM offers continuing education, public education, community outreach and clinical services in acupuncture and herbal medicine. ACTCM has been the recipient of many awards for its curriculum, faculty and clinic, and has been voted “Best of the Bay” by both the San Francisco Weekly and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. ACTCM is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.