About This Service
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recognizes that the body, mind, spirit, and environment are deeply interconnected. Through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), seemingly unrelated symptoms, emotions, and experiences are understood as part of meaningful patterns - offering insight, clarity, and support. Treatment focuses on restoring balance in qì (vital energy), Blood (xuè), and body fluids (jīn yè) to both prevent and treat disease, drawing on practices known as the eight branches of Chinese medicine.
At Soma, our registered TCM practitioner most commonly uses the following practices:
Acupuncture & Moxibustion (zhēn jiǔ) – A Japanese style of acupuncture, which is a gentle technique using very fine, single-use needles, ideal for sensitive folks. Moxibustion is a warming therapy that improves circulation and eases pain by burning mugwort on or near the surface of the skin.
Manual Therapies – Cupping (bá guàn), scraping (guā shā), and Chinese therapeutic massage (tuī ná) are non-invasive techniques that release muscle and fascial tension, increase blood flow, reduce stagnation, and have traditionally been used for pain, colds/flus, and lung conditions.
Chinese Herbal Medicine (zhōng yào xué) – Individualized formulas are prescribed for acute and chronic patterns, using high-quality herbs sourced from Spring Winds. Herbs are freshly ground into powders and dispensed as teas for cost-effective dosing.
Shí Liáo – diet therapy rooted in TCM theory, considering one’s relationship to food, body, environment, and social aspects.
Sessions often include questions about your health history, along with a physical assessment through pulse-taking, tongue observation, and palpation of acupuncture meridians. TCM is a wholistic approach that aims to restore the natural flow of qì and Blood, addressing both immediate symptoms and the underlying root causes. Since the acupuncture meridians connect and communicate with the organs, tissues, and bones - and respond to emotions and the environment - TCM can support a wide range of physical and mental health concerns for people of all ages.
Offering Community Sliding Scale Acupuncture
one Saturday/month to start
Sliding Scale Acupuncture treatments are offered in a private treatment room using a focused, efficient approach to care. Appointments are scheduled 20 minutes apart and include a brief check-in, palpation-based diagnosis, and treatment, followed by approximately 30 minutes of rest on the treatment table. Staggered treatment times allow the practitioner to care for multiple patients efficiently, helping to keep acupuncture accessible and affordable. This option also supports the frequency of treatments often needed for chronic conditions. This style of practice is inspired by the founders of Working Class Acupuncture, which draws from the Lincoln Detox Collective in New York City in the 1970s.