SHERIDAN — It pinches at first, as thread-thin needles prick the ear’s cartilage. But the pinching soon diminishes to a dull soreness and, eventually, just pressure. As the needles stay in, other things — bad memories, cravings, stress — drain out, trickling out the ear canal with a satisfaction similar to finally expelling that last drop of water from your ear, after a long swim.
At least, that’s how Acudetox works for some, according to JuDee Anderson, Acudetox practitioner and supervisor of the free Acudetox clinic held each Wednesday at the First United Methodist Church in Sheridan.
Dressed in a muumuu and continuously sanitizing her hands, Anderson circulates the church basement, inserting needles into ears with a comforting serenity.
Acudetox, Anderson said, targets five key acupuncture points in the inner ear. Intended to target the sympathetic nervous system, kidneys, liver and lungs, inserting acupuncture needles into these pressure points is intended to calm the subject, detoxify the body and limit anger, grief and irritability. At Anderson’s clinic, the acupuncture is coupled with herbal tea, stillness and instrumental music to maximize the procedure’s soothing effect.
Acudetox, Anderson said, was originally developed in the Bronx in the 1970s, when members of the Young Lords, a Chicago-based street gang dedicated to improving community health care and self-determination for Puerto Rico, took control of a borough hospital unaffectionately nicknamed “The Butcher Shop.” Because the hospital offered no services to treat opioid addiction, Anderson said, members of the gang developed Acudetox to help the community get off drugs.
The practice expanded from the Bronx and became an established acupuncture practice. Now, Anderson said, acudetox is practiced at more than 700 drug and alcohol recovery centers and used to treat acute trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health disorders.
Acudetox made its way to Sheridan’s First United Methodist Church through Anderson.
After receiving her Acudetox licensure three years ago and becoming a licensed Acudetox trainer recently, Anderson has practiced Acudetox — among other acupuncture treatments — in the community.
To train other Acudetox practitioners, however, Anderson needed to offer free clinics for trainees to practice the craft. Requests for Acudetox instruction, coupled with demand for mental health services generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated a clear need for a free clinic, Anderson said.
In Dec. 2020, the acupuncturist requested federal COVID-19 dollars and asked First United Methodist Pastor Jim Barth for space to host the clinic. She received the funding, and Barth agreed to host.
“The church is called to help its community,” said Barth, who has himself experienced Acudedox. The clinic, the pastor explained, performs a service to the community by offering free stress-relief services.
Since the clinic began last year, Anderson and a group of dedicated Acudetox patients have gathered in the church’s basement every Wednesday. Anderson is now considering adding other relaxing treatments, including massage and mindfulness practices, to the clinic. To date, Anderson said she’s performed Acudetox on over a hundred people and trained three new acupuncturists, with five more awaiting certification in the new year.
Anderson has also accumulated a devoted group of clinic regulars.
Acudetox offers “a moment for yourself,” a moment to wind down and refocus on what’s important, said Alexandrina Moisuc, one clinic regular.
Julie White Hawk agreed; she said the release and serenity of the practice keeps her coming back. White Hawk hopes to get certified to perform Acudetox in 2022.
“It gives me an opportunity,” said Carlton Bennett, who has attended the clinic off-and-on for the past few months, “to sit quietly and…reflect on my past.”
The treatment is popular, Anderson said, because it empowers the body to balance, calm and detoxify itself.
“It stimulates the body to do what the body can do,” Anderson said.
But the clinic, Anderson said, also empowers the community. It offers Acudetox for free, in a confidential setting, with no insurance involvement and no questions asked. Anyone can access these services, Anderson said, “without any strings.”
Free acupuncture clinic offers to destress the community - The Sheridan Press
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