Who are YOU?

In October, donating acupuncture in the Mission district of San Francisco I learned about “Homes Not Jails” and met some amazing people.

In response to World Homeless Day - on October 10^th, 2012 a group of about 50 people gathered in Dolores Park in order to march to the Castro and temporarily enter a vacant building. The rally began at 5pm and according to Shadow, a woman I interviewed, there were 3-4 times as many cops as there were protestors. The cops “escorted” the protestors to the vacant building. Police in full riot gear remained outside the building while about 20 protestors went inside. An hour later the police stormed the building and arrested the people inside. Shadow entered the building shortly before the police did. She was on the second floor when they poured in. For the past year Shadow has been a part of the Occupy movement, first in Little Rock Arkansas, then in NY and now in SF – where she has only lived since August. A strong and beautiful 28 year old woman, Shadow does suffer from PTSD due to the NY Occupy riots. So when the cops entered the building she panicked and tried desperately to escape. But there was nowhere to go and she fell from the second floor breaking both of her feet. I treated Shadow in her wheelchair. Her feet had not healed, she could walk. Other parts of her body ache as well.

When most middle class people think about the homeless they have a particular picture in their minds. Hippies, drug addicts, people with mental disorders… and other negative beliefs. Yet that’s not always the case. There are lots of people who were just like you and me that tried to live the American dream. They went to college, got jobs or careers, cars and houses… and then the recession hit and those same people lost their jobs and got evicted from their homes due to foreclosures.

Shadow, the 28 year old homeless woman I met that day is not one of those people either but she is a graduate from Brown University with her BA in Asian History. And after being released from jail and living in a city she only moved to a couple of months ago Shadow is overwhelmed by the kindness that others have bestowed upon her. She was invited to live with people she barely knew.

There are ways to make a difference and there are ways to “give back”. If you can’t do what Shadow is doing than donate! If you can’t donate your time, donate your money. If you can’t donate your money, donate your time. Go to rally’s, write letters, make phone calls, blog, tweet, post youtube videos, volunteer. Do something to make a difference. If you don’t but wish you could, you’re part of the problem not the solution. If you don’t “have the time” that’s an excuse. I don’t have the time. I work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week but I MAKE the time, otherwise I have no right complaining about how I think things “should be”.

I also spoke to Bruce that day, a man involved in the 10/10/12 protest who was pushed down onto the floor by the police with a knee stuck into his back. He has a good sense of humor about it and calls it “his police knee massage”. But it’s not humorous because Bruce was still suffering from back pain 3 weeks later. Graham, another activist, received a concussion as he was pushed forcibly up against a wall by officers. And I was told about yet another man who had his head “bashed in” and was then interrogated in the hospital while he was practically incoherent. Shadow and others were denied pain medication while in the hospital and she ended up in isolation “wailing on the floor” from excruciating pain. Police brutality is nothing new but it will never be “right” and it will forever piss me off. These people were not armed, this was not a riot. These were peaceful protestors trying to make a difference in this crazy world. And they were severely punished. Arrested and held for 30 hours with a bail set at $325,000. While rookie cops take home $75,000 per year in salaries.

Homes Not Jails, which formed in 1992 advocates the use of abandoned and vacant buildings in SF to house the homeless. There are currently more than 35,000 unused houses in SF, a city with some of the highest rents in the country. Shadow told me this is because if a house is vacant for a long period of time the owner can get more money when he sells it than he could if someone is living there/renting – due to rent control I’m assuming. Having that many vacancies drives the rent up in SF in other newly rented units. There is also something called the Ellis Act which entitles building owners to evict all their tenants and take up to 5 years (after evictions) to renovate their buildings so they can then rent the previously rent controlled apartments at higher prices.

But since there are more than 35,000 vacant dwellings in SF and 10,000 homeless people here, you do the math. Personally this makes me very angry. I know a couple (the Corns) in LA who live in a house that takes up 3 city blocks in Beverly Hills and there are 2 people living there. This kind of decadence makes me ill. And then you look at Bea Johnson who downsized her living situation for her family of 4 and currently lives a lifestyle of zerowaste. I understand that such fluctuation and personal will are what makes “the world go round” but really if there are a million Bea Johnson’s and a million wasteful Corns they will only cancel each other out and no real progress forward will ever be made. Not until the Bea Johnson’s of the world outnumber the Corns 2 to 1 will change occur. Are you a Bea or a Shadow or are you a Corn? Are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution? 

How to Cut Genetically Modified Foods Out of Your Life

Do you have health issues? Who doesn’t, right? Most people have something bothering them whether it be chronic pain, digestive issues, allergies, headaches, lack of energy, auto-immune diseases and more. More Americans than ever now have life threatening diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

These issues are on the rise!!! Diabetes has more than tripled since 1982!!! Breast cancer has made a 75% increase in the last 10 years. These are astounding numbers. What is contributing to the rise in all disease, inflammation, chronic pain, allergies, etc.? Genetically Modified Foods (aka: GMO and GM)!!!! If you don’t believe me watch the film Genetic Roulette (http://geneticroulettemovie.com) You will see scientific proof about this very dangerous and widespread phenomenon.

The first GMOs began in the 90’s!!!!

OK – so we know GM/GMO foods are killing us and our children but what can we do about it? Stop eating them! There are only 9 genetically modified food crops but many items from these crops are found in packaged foods in your local supermarket – below are the 9 crops and a link to a downloadable shopping list or Iphone app.

There are four ways to avoid GMOs per “Genetic Roulette”

1.     Buy Organic

2.     Buy foods that say they are non GMO. Many foods contain a label saying – “Non GMO Project Verified” -- http://www.nongmoproject.org/

3.     Buy products listed in the non GMO shopping guide (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/)

4.     Avoid the at risk ingredients all together (mainly: corn, soy, cottonseed oil, canola oil and sugar from sugar beets) – if any of these are grown in the US and do not say Organic they are GM.

Genetically Modified Crops in the US, 2012 according to Genetic Roulette at timecode 1:10:40.

1.     Soy

2.     Corn (not popcorn)

3.     Cottonseed (Oil)

4.     Canola (Oil)

5.     Sugar Beets (for sugar - used for sweetening, for example Heinz Ketchup contains GM Sugar Beets).

6.     Papaya (Hawaiian and Chinese)

7.     Zucchini

8.     Yellow Crookneck Squash

9.     Alfalfa (for hay)

This one, though not actually a “crop” is widespread and dangerous:

10.  Aspartame (which should never be consumed anyway as it’s highly toxic!!!) – this is found in almost all sugar free products including sugar free coke and pepsi. Here is Dr. Mercola’s article titled: Aspartame is, by Far, the Most Dangerous Substance on the Market that is Added To Foods - http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

 

What can you do to avoid GMO/GM foods?

·      Familiarize yourself with the 10 genetically modified foods and then stop eating all products containing them unless they have the labels USDA Organic or Non-GMO Project somewhere on the packaging. Better yet - eat more whole foods: fruits and vegetables!

·      READ LABELS!!!! – this is really important if you are buying any food in a package. If it doesn’t say USDA Organic on it or have the Non-GMO Project symbol, read what’s in it. If there is “high fructose corn syrup” it’s most likely GM corn syrup. If it says soy, it’s likely GM soy. Etc. If it does not say USDA Organic then it’s probably GM – period! Even if you find non-organic packaged food that do not contain any of the GM crops in it there still could be “hidden GMOs” – http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

·      Eat only grass fed meat. Corn fed meat contains GMOs.

·      Drink only organic milk and cream. Non organic dairy contains RbGH and GMOs.

·      Make sure your cheese does not contain RbGH or is organic.

When eating out (do’s and don’ts):

1.     Do eat salads and vegetables (but do not eat corn, zucchini, yellow squash, soybeans (ie: edamame) or papayas when at a restaurant!!!)
2.     Do eat (wild) fish (careful about fish that is high in mercury) Also note that they are currently genetically modifying Salmon but I don’t think it’s on the market yet. For a comprehensive list of fish that contain the highest levels of Mercury (including a printable wallet guide) go here: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp  Not all farm fish contain contaminants but many do. Ask the chef or server where they acquire their fish from. And there is a great debate about eating wild fish because many commercial boats are destroying the ocean and all life in it.
3.     Do eat... Rabbits eat grass so hopefully they are safe to eat in a restaurant as are Ostrich, Elk and Buffalo.
4.     If you order cooked vegetables ask what oil they are cooked in since Canola, Corn, Soy and Cottonseed oil are main GM crops.
5.   Don't eat chicken that's not organic. It turns out that chickens in the wild eat grass and small critters but commercial chickens are fed chicken meal which is made up mostly of corn :(  I don't know if it's safe to eat other game birds out because I would assume many are also fed chicken feed. (duck, squab, guinea fowl, etc.)
6.     Don’t eat soy or corn when you’re out.
7.     Don’t eat non-organic beef as it most likely contains GMOs.
8.     Don’t eat anything with non-organic milk, cream or butter in it or it probably contains GMOs and RbGH.
Actually eating out is a gamble!! Whereas there is no GM wheat for example there are many GM additives that are added to products containing wheat such as hamburger buns and pasta just to name a few. PLEASE read the information contained in the link below for a complete list of what to avoid when eating out!!!!
Here is even more in-depth information about avoiding GMOs when dining out!! -- http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/dine-out-non-gmo.html

Cooking:

You can easily buy and cook non-GM foods. Be sure to look at labels. For example non-organic soy sauce is made with GMOs. Non-organic corn chips are made with GMO corn, etc. Buy foods with the USDA Organic Label or the Non-GMO Project Label.

Shopping – What you can buy and what to look for:

1.     Be careful here!!! Trader Joes and Whole Foods carry GM food! And they refuse to label it or not carry it. So again, if it’s packaged make sure it has the USDA Organic symbol on it or the Non-GMO Project label on it (the word “natural” doesn’t mean anything).

2.     There are only 2 vegys (zucchini and yellow crooked neck squash) and 1 fruit (papaya) that’s GMO so you don’t have to buy organic fruits and vegys in order to avoid GMOs but organic is tastier and better for you (containing more vitamins and minerals).

3.     Buy grass fed beef, organic chicken and other game birds.

4.     Buy organic milk, cream and cheese.

5.     Fish (check mercury levels here: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp)

In my opinion the best places to shop are Good Earth in Fairfax, CA where they label GMO foods (including beef that have eaten GM corn) and they carry high quality and often local organic meats. Rainbow Grocery in SF, CA carries high quality local fruits/vegys and cheese. Bi-Rite in SF carries high quality organic meats, cheeses and other goods.

Water:

Because they have found the GM toxins in our water (as well as in the blood of city dwellers and in utero in pregnant women) we have to filter our water. Either reverse osmosis or buy natural spring water. Tap water can be toxic.

Again, if you need to find out exactly how horrible GMOs and RbGH are for your body (and how they kill oxen who eat them in 48 hours!!) please watch Genetic Roulette!!!!! (http://geneticroulettemovie.com/)

Many products that consumers ingest contain GMOs – one of these where GMOs are hidden is in Vitamins - Vitamin E is usually made from soy. Vitamins A, B2, B6, and B12 may be derived from GMOs as well as vitamin D and vitamin K may have "carriers" derived from GM corn sources, such as starch, glucose, and maltodextrin. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is often made from corn but since it’s rarely made in North America it probably does not contain GMOs.

For a downloadable and printable GMO shopping guide, Non-GMO tips (in English and Spanish) or the Iphone/Ipad App:

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

This downloadable is by far the most comprehensive one I have seen to date including “invisible GMOs” and brands that are certified by the Non-GMO Project and therefore DO NOT contain GMOs.

For a quick peek at a comprehensive list of all commercial products that contain GMO’s that you don’t have to download:

http://shiftfrequency.com/comprehensive-list-of-gmo-products/

Philanthropy

Although it’s not my intention to toot my own horn I realize that at this point in my life I’ve become quite philanthropic.

A year ago when the Occupy movement started in SF I had my own private acupuncture business. I was charging $110 for the first visit and $85 for follow up visits. I’ve now learned that what I was running was a “boutique acupuncture clinic”. This is what most acupuncturists do. I called it a private practice.

When the Occupy movement began some people posted in my acupuncture school’s alumni group saying they were donating acupuncture to the people who were involved in the movement, the people who were living at the end of Market Street in San Francisco. I couldn’t wait to get down there. I lived over the GG Bridge, about 40 minutes to an hour away and I was working full time at 3 different offices but I made the time to go down there and donate acupuncture. I met other acupuncturists who were doing the same thing, traveling from the East Bay on BART, riding their bikes across town – whatever it took. I felt a part of and everyone I worked on was more than grateful. I was making a difference. And although I couldn’t camp out on Market Street I was giving back in a way that I could.

While I was in acupuncture school my dream was to open a community acupuncture clinic. Community acupuncture was started in Portland, Oregon by Lisa Rohleder and Skip Van Meter as “Working Class Acupuncture”. It rapidly became a movement, first called CAN (Community Acupuncture Network) now POCA (People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture). The model is to treat 5-7 patients per hour in one large room for $15 - $40 per treatment (no more than $20 for the minimum cost). My plan was to open a community clinic. Lisa and Skip teach classes on how to do just that. Somewhere along the way I lost my vision and somewhere along the way of losing it, I found it again.

So that’s what I have now, a community acupuncture clinic in San Rafael called Tao. I treat patients for $20 a treatment instead of $85, making acupuncture more affordable to everyone. After I donated my time at the Occupy movement last year some of the other acupuncturists who were also donating time asked for more organization. I started a google group and a google calendar for people to coordinate -- and it all fell through the cracks. Shortly thereafter winter came and the Occupy campers were disbanded, by force.

A year went by. And quite recently a woman found the google group and asked for help. On October 10^th, 2012 – 20 people were arrested in San Francisco for protesting, they needed help. A woman contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to donate acupuncture to some of the people who had been arrested. Since opening, Tao the new community clinic on September 10^th I’ve been working 12-15 hours a day. The other Tao acupuncturist, Michiel and I have given away 87 free treatments thus far. It feels good and it feel right. People need it and can’t afford it. I’m not making my rent yet and it’s true I won’t be able to keep going this way much longer but it is the business model for community, it is what community is all about and I’m confident that it’s sustainable as all of my other friends who are running successful community acupuncture clinics have shown me.

So before I said yes to helping the 20 people I posted the question on my school’s yahoo group asking for help and volunteers. There are hundreds of people in the group (many living in SF) and most of them have boutique clinics. Not one person responded. So after another 15 hour work day and 6 hours of sleep I jumped up this morning and grabbed Michiel and we both drove an hour to SF in order to donate time we barely have in order to help people who really needed it. People who are trying to make a difference in this world.

I’d like to tell their story in the next blog. But first a word on giving and philanthropy. How many people can look at themselves in the mirror and say “I helped someone today who needed help and couldn’t afford to pay for it”? How many people in this world will sacrifice their desire for money or their time to help others?

I belong to an organization where there is the need for “service”. There are hundreds of members in this organization yet all the service positions are held by a handful of people, the same handful. People who do service, always do service and people who don’t, never do. Which one of those types of people do you want to be? Selfless or self-serving? I know that I’m making a difference in the world when I help others, when I give selflessly. It’s never too late to make that difference. 

Why Did I Choose to Open a Community Acupuncture Clinic?

I want to do a little blog about why I chose community acupuncture. What led me to this path? I was in private practice for 2+ years and it was going well. I charged $110 for the first visit and $85 for follow ups. I was making a living albeit not a huge one but I was able to support myself. And I was only working 3 days a week or less. Sounds pretty good right?

Then Living Social offered a "deal" on me and everything changed. 242 people bought that deal and it was for a 90 minute treatment each. You do the math. Even if I worked my full 8 hour days for those 3 days a week I could not treat all those people in 6 months. And they were demanding! Not all of them, most of them have been lovely but it's always the 20% that ruins it for the rest of the people, 'eh?

So after 4 months of working my butt off for $17 per 90 minute treatment, that's right, $17 - I decided I wanted no more of this. But it didn't end there. So many people tried to book the last 2 weeks of the deal (50 more people) that I extended the deal for 3 months - even though legally I was under no obligation to do so. This, of course, made me a tad resentful even though it was my choice. And I made it easy for people, I paid for an online booking service and had booking ONLY for Living Social patients. But still they called and I had to call them back and some couldn't work the online booking and so it went. In the end I ended up making .85 cents an hour and going out of business.

I know the idea of Living Social is to get people to come back but no one could afford my $85 per treatment. I gave 20% discounts and some returned once or twice. Out of the 242 patients only 1 still comes in. That's a 1% return rate for .85 cents an hour for about 500 hours of work. I don't have to tell you that it's not worth it!

So yes 4 months into the LS deal I decided that I wanted to follow my dream and open up a community clinic instead. And here are my reasons why....
1. Most people can't afford $85 an hour once a week for an acupuncture treatment.
2. I couldn't have the patients remain more than 20 minutes with the needles in because I had to get them out of the room for the next person.
3. Listening to people go over their "tape loop" of problems was not helping them or me.

Instead with community:
1. It's $20 - $40 a treatment, pay whatever you want, no proof of income required. == it's affordable!
2. Patients can remain up to 90 minutes with the needles in if they want.
3. And since the magic is in the needles, not in the talking - they get the real magic.

Does everyone want to be treated in a community setting? Nope. But I've found those people can't afford private acupuncture either so I'm not losing a patient either way. Those people just don't get acupuncture on a regular basis.

I'll write another blog on exactly what community acupuncture is. You can also read about it on my website. www.TaoCommunityAcupuncture.com

Free Acupuncture Days!!

We are offering free acupuncture on Saturdays through November 2012 from Noon to 4pm. PLEASE COME IN FOR YOUR FREE TREATMENT!!! There is no limit and it's for returning patients as well as new patients.

If you'd like to schedule an appointment you can do so on our website: www.TaoCommunityAcupuncture.com

We look forward to treating you!!

Welcome to Tao

We are a new Community Acupuncture Clinic in San Rafael, California. The mission of this clinic is to provide quality healthcare at affordable prices. Our rates are a sliding scale of $20 to $40 per treatment. Pay what you want, no proof of income is required. This clinic is being started by Kimberly Anne Hoffman and Michiel Coyote both of whom are California state licensed acupuncturists and herbalists.

The front of our clinic is a retail herbal store where customers can purchase Chinese Herbs, Aromatherapy and Flower Essences among other health related items. The back of our clinic is a community style acupuncture space. We have massage tables separated by shoji screens and soft music.

We welcome our community and we are happy to be able to offer this type of healthcare which is based on a model founded by CAN (Community Acupuncture Network) and continued by POCA (People's Organization of Community Acupuncture).

On this blog we will try to post health related advice and issues. We also have a twitter feed and a website which contains even more information. 

Come visit us!