PRIDE Fund at Boston Acupuncture Project
In June 2024, BAP received a grant from the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Advancement to provide limited FREE acupuncture treatments to members of the City’s LGBTQIA+ community. We must give these treatments by mid-November! As of Oct. 9, 2024 we have room for 7 more participants.
Why the LGBTQIA+ Community?
The LGBTQIA+ community is disproportionately impacted by many health issues, including
Why Acupuncture?
Acupuncture:
- Treats depression4 and anxiety5
- Supports addiction recovery6
- Mitigates symptoms of chronic illness including long COVID7
Why Boston Acupuncture Project?
Our clinic is:
- The only dedicated community acupuncture clinic in the City of Boston
- LGBTQ-led and centering LGBTQ+ concerns
- Providing trauma-informed and COVID-cautious care.
How do I sign up?
If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who has never visited BAP as a patient before, you can sign up by:
- Using this specific link to book online,
- Calling or texting 617-506-3868 to schedule, OR
- Walking in during regular community acupuncture hours.
- Either way, say you want to sign up for the PRIDE program! Please mention this by name.
- We will ask you to register for an online account in our scheduling system.
- We will have an additional consent form for you to sign so you understand how to make sure you get all your funded treatments.
What Can I Expect at a First Visit?
Before your first visit, please fill out your health history and consent forms online!
When you arrive, your acupuncturist will give you a tour of the clinic space. Then you and your acupuncturist will discuss the health concerns you want to address using acupuncture.
You will find a comfy chair in the group treatment room, have a seat, take off your shoes and socks, roll up your sleeves and pants legs, and lean on back. Your acupuncturist will take your pulse, maybe ask you a few more questions, and then we will get started with some acupuncture, one point at a time.
20 minutes of relaxing with needles is a recommended minimum, but most people take about 45 minutes. It’s a good idea to give yourself at least one hour for your first acupuncture appointment.
After your treatment, your acupuncturist will ask how you are feeling, discuss your treatment plan, and can help you schedule your next visit.
References
- Moagi MM, van Der Wath AE, Jiyane PM, Rikhotso RS. Mental health challenges of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people: An integrated literature review. Health SA. 2021 Jan 20;26:1487. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v26i0.1487. PMID: 33604059; PMCID: PMC7876969. ↩︎
- “Substance Use and SUDs in LGBTQ* Populations.” National Institute on Drug Abuse. April 1, 2024. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/substance-use-suds-in-lgbtq-populations ↩︎
- Ward-Smith, Eli and Dr. Sav Zwickl. “Why Are Trans People at Higher Risk of Long COVID?” Trans Health Research. April 1, 2024. https://www.transresearch.org.au/post/long-covid
↩︎ - Armour M, Smith CA, Wang LQ, Naidoo D, Yang GY, MacPherson H, Lee MS, Hay P. Acupuncture for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med. 2019 Jul 31;8(8):1140. doi: 10.3390/jcm8081140. PMID: 31370200; PMCID: PMC6722678.
↩︎ - Yang, Xy., Yang, Nb., Huang, Ff. et al. Effectiveness of acupuncture on anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Ann Gen Psychiatry 20, 9 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-021-00327-5
↩︎ - Lin JG, Chan YY, Chen YH. Acupuncture for the treatment of opiate addiction. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:739045. doi: 10.1155/2012/739045. Epub 2012 Feb 22. PMID: 22474521; PMCID: PMC3296192.
↩︎ - Feng BW, Rong PJ. Acupoint stimulation for long COVID: A promising intervention: World J Acupunct Moxibustion. 2023 Jun 1. doi: 10.1016/j.wjam.2023.05.012. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37363407; PMCID: PMC10232723 ↩︎