Our overwhelming focus at MAS is to remain a reliable source of affordable needle-naps, as often as we can make it happen for whomever seeks them out. We keep all of our in-house systems as uncluttered as possible as well and in this spirit, we keep product sales to a minimum. Frankly over the years we've learned frequent acupuncture treatments can make many pain-relief products unnecessary in the end.
However, many people have gotten a lot of use out of the few terrific products we do keep available; the Spring Wind Muscle and Joint Rub, Chinese Herbal Compresses, and lip balm among them.
Now that we're heading into the middle of winter, we thought we'd mention a new product on our shelves: Emily's Super Dry Skin Soother. If you're like us, you can find your elbows, hands or feet cracked and dry this time of year. Emily's Chinese herbal salves do a phenomenal job alleviating this and more stubborn situations like psoriasis and eczema.
Emily's is a local product developed by acupuncturist, Mike Arsenault of Ipswhich, Massachusetts. He originally made this salve for his daughter. We've received a bunch of positive feedback in the few short weeks it's been available at MAS and wanted to highlight this shared experience. Thanks, Mike for making such a great line of products.
Friends,
After careful consideration, we've made the decision to raise the sliding-scale fee for acupuncture treatments to $20-$40 starting March 1st, and wanted to give you ample notice.
We will continue to offer sliding-scale fees without income verification: simply put, you'll continue to decide what you pay at each visit.
There are two reasons why this decision was made:
1) In the 13 years MAS has been in operation, we've not raised our prices. The cost of almost everything else has increased in the meantime; utilities, rent, insurances, office & clinical supplies, trash collection, credit card processing fees, repairs and on and on. We've managed to stay viable throughout the incremental increases of costs, but the time has come for us to adjust in order to continue to meet the organization's goals for sustainability.
2) We have always been committed to providing highly-effective acupuncture treatments at low rates, along with providing a living-wage to our full-time employees. With the fee increase, our aim is for our staff to see a modest raise that will help in keeping pace with increasing costs of living.
MAS will continue to offer top-shelf, individualized treatments, most if not all days of the year, at fees far below market rates for acupuncture. This will never change.
Lastly, you will not see other rate changes at MAS. This decision was made with long-term stability in mind; for both the staff and for patients in Manchester & Nashua as well.
Thank you for making MAS a part of your days and for taking acupuncture treatments with us as one of the ways to take care of yourself. We sincerely look forward to working with you for years to come.
As the year comes to a close we want to offer our gratitude to you, dear readers and clinic-goers.
Thank you for making MAS a part of your days and for taking acupuncture treatments in our recliners as one of the ways you take care of yourself.
Thank you for telling your friends, confidants and family about MAS and the benefits of acupuncture. We certainly rely on our communities to spread the word about MAS clinics – thanks for all you do to support the clinics and get the word out about accessible acupuncture.
Thanks very much for writing positive online reviews for the clinics. It is quite helpful. We appreciate this very much!
Thank you for your donations! This past year, many of you made donations in cash or in-kind. The clinic spaces are made more warm & personal with the inclusion of your art, your comfortable recliners and your plants passed on to all of us. Our doors are open because of your offered financial support and we really can't say thank you enough.
If you've been by MAS Manchester over the past few weeks, you've no doubt had your attention drawn to the terrific artwork of James Shelton, a Rhode Island-based community acupuncturist.
The Ancestors Project by the front desk (pictured above) honors those who have worked in radical ways to arrange the bedrock that POCA (The People's Organization of Community Acupuncture) and community acupuncture clinics like MAS have grown on to.
Here's a recent interview with James, a POCATech graduate, about the project.
Our colleagues Stef & Lisa at Guelph Community Acupuncture in Guelph, Ontario Canada penned a terrific primer on what acupuncture can offer, given specific challenges many of us face over the next few weeks.
Community Acupuncture During "The Holidays"
Monday, December 5th, 2016
by Stef Cordes & Lisa Baird
We are told "The Holidays" is a time of community & celebration and a time to reconnect with loved ones. However, this is not the case for everyone. Not everyone celebrates this time of the year. And the holidays can be a triggering, lonely time for many; a reminder of things in our lives that aren't working and/or a reminder of what we've lost. The holidays can be incredibly isolating, especially at a time when family, celebration, and joy take centre stage in media, in stores, at work, and in our social circles. Even people who do enjoy this time of year often report feeling quite stressed in December.
Community acupuncture can help.
Acunaps for General Stress Relief
Whether you're stressed out because you feel alone or stressed out because you're stretched thin by fitting in events and shopping into your already busy schedule, acupuncture could very well make the difference between a bad day and a good one. We regularly tell people that "acupuncture doesn't have any major side effects, unless you count relaxation and a good night's sleep" because a reduction in stress is often apparent even when we don't needle for it specifically.
Acupuncture for Digestive Support
Folks often find it challenging to stick to their usual diet over the holidays. Frequent large meals and indulging in foods we seldom eat can mean bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and not-so-pleasant (perhaps even urgent) trips to the bathroom. We effectively treat digestion with acupuncture all the time. It may not make you eat differently, but it can support the body to handle digestive challenges more effectively. (To learn more about how community acupuncture can aid digestion, visit our blog post about CA and digestion.)
Acupuncture for Grief
Every year we are inundated with images of smiling, happy families and partnerships, which reminds many of us of what we don't have. For some, the holidays is a time when we think of dead, estranged or absent family members, partners lost, or the plan of a family that never came to be. This time of the year is well-known for triggering grief that we thought was long gone. It can be very disorienting and confusing. We don't talk a lot about grief, and there's a general expectation that you'll "get over it" in six month to a year.
At GCA we don't think of grief as something that you "get over", but as something that we process throughout our lives that can get easier with time. Community acupuncture can support us to process some emotions in our bodies without needing to say things out loud. (There are probably a couple people who work at GCA who have metabolized a good chunk of grief in one of our recliners.) For more on how community acupuncture can be supportive with grief, visit this blog post.
Acupuncture for Mental Health
Sometimes seeing family is difficult, as families can be complicated! We are most likely to be triggered by our families and those closest to us and the holidays can be an especially emotionally volatile time. Seeing family can be so stressful and overwhelming sometimes that even the anticipation of a gathering can send folks into a downward spiral. Community acupuncture can help us to feel more relaxed, at ease, and resilient in the face of challenging life situations. And our group setting is a tangible reminder that even if the holidays and the idea of family makes you isolated, you are not alone.
For those of us who don't see family over the holidays, or who struggle to connect with family, the holidays can be the loneliest time of year. The days are short, so folks already tend have less energy and are more likely to stay indoors. We know that a great deal of mental health complaints can dramatically increase this time of year; a lot of folks come for anxiety, depression, panic attacks, post traumatic stress symptoms or other mental health concerns. The good news is that acupuncture helps many of us to manage difficult emotions and triggers.
On that note, our upcoming holiday hours at MAS clinics:
Manchester
X-Mas Eve: 9am-1pm
X-Mas Day: 9am-Noon
New Year's Eve: 9am-1pm
New Year's Day: 9am-4pm
Nashua
X-Mas Eve: 12pm-4pm
X-Mas Day: Closed
New Year's Eve: 12pm-4pm
New Year's Day: Closed
