Category: News

Nicole Brown, L.Ac. covers on Monday, December 16, 2024

Nicole Brown, licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, returns to Boston Acupuncture Project on Monday, December 16. Appointments are available only from 1:00-4:00 PM, so book soon!

Nicole Brown is in private practice at nearby Inner Sage Boston Acupuncture & Wellness, LLC. She earned her Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) in 2008. Nicole also has extensive training in nutrition and functional medicine. She specializes in women’s health issues, fertility, hormones, and stress-related conditions.

Nicole talks to patient while another patient reclines in the background. All are wearing face masks. Photo by TDM Photography.

With her multicultural upbringing and background in psychology, Nicole has a unique perspective on health and healing focused on mind/body root cause and solutions. Nicole combines conventional and holistic approaches, educating and empowering patients to achieve lasting health and wellness.

BAP’s executive director, Oren “Ren” Pilinger, met Nicole when they both worked on Small Steps Project pop-up clinics with We Got Us, offering free holistic healing to the community. Ren can personally attest to the power of Nicole’s acupuncture treatments!

Don’t miss your chance to get an affordable acupuncture treatment from an excellent practitioner! Our regular sliding scale of $30-$60 applies (add $10 for a first visit). Save your spot now for Monday, December 16, 2024 by clicking here or on the button below:

Book Now

Give the Gift of Community Acupuncture

Imagine being able to gift someone relaxation, well-being, relief from pain, or a good night’s sleep. Maybe those things don’t go inside a gift bag under a tree, but you can give a gift certificate to Boston Acupuncture Project.

Purchase Online

The easiest way to purchase is to go to our Scheduling page and click the very first link. It looks like this:

Purchasing online will give you instant access to a printable gift certificate. The best value is the Three Acupuncture Treatments with Intake package. This covers a first visit plus two return visits at a slight discount.

Remember when purchasing a gift to please use your own name – otherwise it may be flagged as fraud. It must match the name on your credit/debit card! You can put the recipient’s name in the “Note To Business” section.

Purchase In The Clinic

You can also purchase a paper gift certificate in our clinic at 74 Fairmount Ave, Hyde Park, MA 02136 anytime we’re open:

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If you’ve purchased a certificate online and want a paper one to go with it, feel free to call or text us at 617-506-3868 and we can figure it out!

Give to a Neighbor in Need

You can also give the gift of community acupuncture to neighbors you don’t even know by contributing to our Pay It Forward fund. Neighbors who can’t afford to pay on our regular sliding scale can use a Pay It Forward treatment instead. This kind of gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law, because we are a 501c3 non-profit organization.

Happy Holidays!

Andrew Cheever, L.Ac. covers on Saturday, Sept. 16

We are excited to welcome Andrew Cheever, L.Ac. back to Boston Acupuncture Project! Book with Andrew directly by clicking this link.

Andrew earned his Master of Science in Acupuncture from Tri-State Acupuncture College in 2011. He has been practicing for many years at community acupuncture clinics Acupuncture Together in Medford, MA and Open Space Community Acupuncture in Somerville, MA.

Before moving to Somerville in 2015, Andrew practiced acupuncture at the New York Presbyterian Hospital’s pediatric oncology ward. He has experience working with individuals with physical, cognitive and social disabilities.

Andrew Cheever smiles at camera. He is a white man with a beard.

On Saturday, Sept. 16, Andrew covers at BAP. Please give him a warm Hyde Park welcome! Our regular sliding scale of $25-$55 (plus the added $10 fee for first visits only) applies.

Book with Andrew

Nicole Brown, L.Ac. covers on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023

Boston Acupuncture Project is thrilled to welcome Nicole Brown, licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, to cover a shift!

Nicole Brown is in private practice at nearby Inner Sage Boston Acupuncture & Wellness, LLC. She earned her Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) in 2008. Nicole also has extensive training in nutrition and functional medicine. She specializes in women’s health issues, fertility, hormones, and stress-related conditions.

With her multicultural upbringing and background in psychology, Nicole has a unique perspective on health and healing focused on mind/body root cause and solutions. Nicole combines conventional and holistic approaches, educating and empowering patients to achieve lasting health and wellness.

Nicole Brown portrait by Malka Ahmed Photography. Smiling woman leans against brick wall with hand on hip.

BAP’s executive director, Oren “Ren” Pilinger, met Nicole when they both worked on Small Steps Project pop-up clinics with We Got Us, offering free holistic healing to the community.

Don’t miss your chance to get an affordable acupuncture treatment from an excellent practitioner! Our regular sliding scale of $25-$55 applies (add $10 for a first visit). Save your spot now for Saturday, August 12, 2023 by clicking here or on the button below:

Book Now

Yes, we’re still masking inside the clinic.

Today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ended the mask requirement for healthcare facilities. Clinics such as Boston Acupuncture Project can choose to retain their own mask requirements and we have decided to do so.

Throughout the pandemic, our highest priority has been to keep staff and patients safe inside the clinic. Masking is a proven prevention tool in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. We want to protect all of our patients including but not limited to our most vulnerable—for example, people with respiratory conditions, autoimmune disorders, those who are receiving treatment for cancer including chemotherapy and our pregnant patients.

Masks must be N95, KN95, KF94 or a surgical mask. No exceptions. We thank you in advance for following our policy. (Click here for the full list of our COVID-19 policies.)

We will no longer be asking symptom screening questions before your visits – however, we still ask that you reschedule or cancel your appointment if you are feeling sick. We also ask that you reschedule or cancel if you are in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. You will never be charged for a late cancel or reschedule due to illness or exposure. Thank you for participating in community acupuncture!

New Sliding Scale Guidelines

Our sliding scale has not changed. Boston Acupuncture Project builds community by providing widely accessible and affordable acupuncture. Boston Acupuncture Project is here for you – and thanks to you. But what does the sliding scale really mean?

We need to average $35 per visit.

We want to keep our sliding scale at $25-$55 for as long as possible. In order to continue to stay open and provide treatments, our clinic needs to average $35 per visit. (This assumes we’re averaging 40 visits per week.) This is a literal average – every dollar counts! But to keep it simple, let’s break it into 3 tiers:

Paying $45 or more helps us keep the low end of the sliding scale at $25, save for emergencies, and potentially even grow to have more open hours, more programs, and more staff.

Paying $35 helps sustain Boston Acupuncture Project financially. Thank you! This is the average payment we need to keep things running.

If you are only able to pay $25, thank you so much – please keep paying $25 per visit.

If you need to pay $25, we want you to pay $25.

No matter how much you pay, we want you to be able to get as much acupuncture as you need to see a real difference in your health concerns. Not only does your life improve, but then you can tell other people about how acupuncture helped you! And that helps us reach more new patients, and fulfill our mission.

So, if paying more than $25 would prevent you from getting as much acupuncture as you need, we do not want you to pay more than $25. We want you to get enough acupuncture. There are also plenty of ways you can help BAP keep our doors open that are not paying more on the sliding scale, if you’re interested!

If $25 puts acupuncture out of reach for you

If you are not able to pay $25 per visit, please talk to your acupuncturist! Generous community members who love getting acupuncture at BAP donate Pay It Forward treatments for neighbors unable to pay $25. (If you would like to donate a Pay It Forward treatment, please click here to visit our donation page.)

We want you to know that every dollar counts.

If you are able, paying above $25 makes a real difference for us.

We are counting on you to ask yourself the question. We can’t stay open if we can’t meet our financial obligations.

How do I know how much I can pay?

This is very personal. Below is one framework for thinking about where you might fall on our sliding scale. Thanks for being thoughtful!

3 bottles under a heading The Green Bottle - where you fall on the sliding scale. Vertical axis is labeled financial privilege - how full the bottles are. Horizontal axis is labeled Personal Financial Experience - what you experience inside each bottle. Bottle on left is full. It says: I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic needs; I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs; I own my home OR I rent a higher end property; I own or lease a car; I am employed OR do not need to work to meet my needs; I have regular access to health care and financial savings; I have expendable income; I can always buy new items; I can afford time off or a vacation. Middle bottle is half full. It says: I may stress about meeting my basic needs but still regularly achieve them; I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs; I own or lease a car; I am employed; I have access to health care; I might have access to financial savings; I have some expendable income; I am able to buy some new items and thrift others; I can take a vacation annually or every few years without financial burden. Bottle on the right has very little and says: I frequently stress about meeting my basic needs and don't always achieve them; I have debt and sometimes it prohibits me from meeting my basic needs; I rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing; I do not have a car and/or have limited access to a car but am not always able to afford gas; I am unemployed or underemployed; I qualify for government assistance including food stamps and health care; I have no or very limited expendable income; I rarely buy new items because I am unable to afford them; I cannot afford a vacation or have the ability to take time off without financial burden. Bottom says that Basic Needs include food, housing, and transportation. Expendable income means you are able to buy a coffee, go to the movies or a concert, buy a new book or clothing or similar items every month, etc. Designed by Alexis J. Cunningfolk at WortsAndCunning.com

Small Steps Healing Project making big waves

Group photo of (Left to Right) LaShyra "Lash" Nolen (founder of We Got Us Project), Golda and Cornelie Jean-Charles (Haitian-American sisters who have a business called I Love Me Reiki https://www.ilovemereiki.com/), Dr. Tolbert Small, Oren "Ren" Pilinger (lead acupuncturist at Boston Acupuncture Project), Geri Hughes (Blue Willow Acupuncture), and Eana Meng, founder and director of the Small Steps Healing Project.

In the past few months, over 150 community members received free holistic healing thanks to the Small Steps Healing Project, part of We Got Us. Boston Acupuncture Project had the opportunity to contribute to this work.

Community Empowerment

What is We Got Us? From their website: “The We Got Us Empowerment Project is a Boston-based collective of Black community members, health professional students, and allies dedicated to empowering our communities with education about medical racism, COVID-19, and the vaccine. We also seek to promote public health and to influence policy in order to help keep our communities safe and healthy.”

The Small Steps Healing Project, a community-based collaborative, aims to “increase access to acupuncture and holistic healing for the historically marginalized populations in Boston and beyond.” Harvard medical student Eana Meng named the project after Dr. Tolbert Small, physician to the Black Panthers and one of the first American doctors to practice acupuncture.

Eana and other Small Steps Healing Project volunteers organized eight pop up clinics around Boston, providing acupuncture, reiki, sound healing, and more – all free for the community.

Learning and Celebrating

This past Saturday, October 22, 2022, Eana arranged for Dr. Small to fly out and speak in Dorchester. We learned more about Dr. Small’s trail-blazing life and work as a Black physician and activist. It was wonderful to be there and an honor to meet Dr. Small.

Healers from around Boston

Check out the work of some of the other healers participating in the Small Steps Healing Project:

Click arrow to see more photos. Photos 1-5 courtesy of Elizabeth Ropp, L.Ac. Final group photo courtesy of the Small Steps Healing Project.

Short trailer video by Eana Meng about her research journey! More videos at https://www.wegotusproject.org/small-steps-project

Acupuncture Outdoors in Summer 2022

Boston Acupuncture Project still offers Bubble Block appointments at the clinic during our regular clinic hours.

What is a “Bubble Block”?

Bubble Blocks reserve the clinic for one full hour, for up to 4 people. (Or just for yourself!)

The name comes from earlier in the pandemic, when many people were only interacting with others in their “bubble.”

Bubble Blocks cost $100 minimum – add $10 for each new (first-time) patient. Anyone new should fill out health history and consent forms before you arrive. 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel or reschedule a Bubble Block.

Book Now

Outdoor Appointments

This summer, Bubble Blocks head outdoors – to your back yard!

Interested in hosting a Bubble Block at your outdoor location?

Call or text us at 617-506-3868 or fill out the Outdoor Acupuncture Appointment Request Form online (click here).

Request Now
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