AcuDetox / AcuWellness
A Powerful Path to Healing Through Community Care
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A Powerful Path to Healing Through Community Care
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, and under-supported. That’s why I’m so excited to share AcuDetox with you—a gentle, grounding treatment that supports emotional balance, reduces stress, and offers relief from cravings, tension, and trauma.
Whether you’re healing from chronic stress, addiction, emotional overwhelm, or simply need space to breathe and reset, AcuDetox can be a deeply restorative experience—and one that often feels surprisingly powerful given its simplicity.
The Origins of AcuDetox
AcuDetox—short for Acupuncture Detoxification—was developed in the 1970s at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. At the time, the community was struggling with the heroin epidemic and systemic underfunding. Western medical detox programs were failing, so a small group of radical healthcare providers looked to traditional healing modalities.
Inspired by Chinese medicine, they developed a simple five-point ear acupuncture protocol and began using it to help people safely and humanely withdraw from substances. The protocol gained traction after its success at Lincoln Hospital and was eventually formalized by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA).
The treatment was further championed by activist groups like the Black Panthers and Young Lords, who believed in community-led care and saw this approach as a way to empower people in their healing—especially those traditionally excluded from access to adequate care.
Why it Works: The Science Behind the Simplicity
The five ear points (sympathetic, liver, kidneys, lungs, and shen men (or "spirit gate")) used in AcuDetox are connected to the parasympathetic nervous system. By stimulating these points, the body is gently nudged toward balance.
Clients often report:
Deep relaxation
Better sleep
Improved emotional regulation
Fewer cravings for drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or sugar
Relief from anxiety, irritability, or feeling “on edge”
One of the reasons this treatment is so powerful is that it doesn’t require you to talk, revisit trauma, or analyze emotions. It allows your body and nervous system to process and release stress in a quiet, gentle way.
The Power of Community Healing
Unlike traditional treatments that happen one-on-one behind closed doors, AcuDetox often takes place in community settings—a room (or outdoor space) with chairs where people come together to heal.
There’s something deeply grounding about sitting quietly among others who are also choosing healing, without having to speak or explain. Many people say this is what makes the experience so profound: being seen, accepted, and held in community without pressure to perform or produce.
Sessions are quiet or conversational, depending on the space. You’re free to sit in silence, chat with someone else, or simply rest in the presence of others. When you feel ready, you ask the provider to remove your needles. The session becomes an exercise in self-trust and tuning in to your own needs.
What to Expect
You'll sit in a comfortable chair (or lie down if added to a massage).
Tiny, sterile needles are placed in five points on each ear.
The session lasts about 30–45 minutes, during which you can relax, rest, or reflect.
When you're ready, you simply ask your provider to remove your needles—there’s no rush, no pressure.
I'm now offering AcuDetox as an add-on to any massage for an even deeper release. As your muscles unwind, your nervous system gets a chance to reset too—creating a truly integrated body–mind experience.
Half of the add-on fee goes directly toward funding AcuDetox sessions for underserved communities through my private practice, helping extend this powerful work to those who need it most.
Want to Try It in the Community?
AcuDetox (also called AcuWellness) is offered throughout Northern Colorado by trained volunteers and practitioners. Many of these sessions are low-cost or donation-based, and you’ll find a welcoming, non-judgmental environment wherever you go.
👉 Visit boulderacudetox.org to find current locations and offerings.
Final Thoughts
AcuDetox isn't magic--but it often feels magical. It offers people a low-barrier, body-based way to feel better, reconnect with themselves, and support healing--especially from stress, trauma, addiction, or emotional burnout.
Whether you try it during your massage or come to a community session, I hope you'll five it a tra and see how deeply this gentle practice can support you.