A Sense of Connection

Beverly Hutchinson was a student in the Swedish Institute's first Acupuncture Program class in 1996. The fledging program was a natural for her, since she had already graduated from the Institute's Massage Therapy Program and had been taking Jeffrey Yuen's continuing education classes in Chinese medicine for several years. Like many students, her path was both a personal and a professional quest.

"I became interested in acupuncture in 1985, when I noticed a brownstone in Harlem with a sign that read First World Acupuncture Association of North America," Beverly recalled. "I was looking for help with a medical condition and Western medicine could only suggest drugs that I would have to take for a lifetime. So I went into the little brownstone to see what was being offered. My path to where I am today began on that acupuncturist's table."

Health as Part of Community Life
Ms. Hutchinson found relief from her physical complaints, but also a valuable sense of community. The acupuncture practice was part of an effort by African-American activists to educate the residents of Central Harlem and the South Bronx about taking charge of their lives. Those activists were among the first non-Asian practitioners of acupuncture in New York City.

"Some of the leaders who had taken up the baton from the Young Lords ⁽¹⁾ and Black Panther parties, were from community organizations that had mobilized with South Bronx residents to look for natural ways to treat drug addiction. Mainly they were looking for alternatives to methadone," said Ms. Hutchinson. "A group called Vida Positiva, 'positive life,' was instrumental in creating the demand for natural medicine within the community. They organized talks, for instance, at St. Anne's Church on staying healthy in the seasons. That was one of the first things I was able to sink my teeth into." Ms. Hutchinson said she found the sense of community, along with a new outlook, played an important role in her return to health. 

"It was the people within the community who mobilized for alternatives that led to the changes in medicine we're seeing today," she said. "Now it is commonplace to use ear acupuncture ⁽²⁾ to treat drug addiction, including the program where I work, Project Samaritan, Inc. (PSI).  PSI also provides herbs, yoga, massage, meditation and Tai Qi for people with HIV/AIDS."

She has a practical approach to her work. "I don't think of myself as a healer. I think of myself as a self-healer. Often the interaction between practitioner and client is an educational process for both of them. It's not something you can study directly, it just happens in the moment, arising out of a certain sensibility, experience and openness.

"Whatever the situation, if I'm working with someone who needs symptomatic relief, I have to deal with that first. A person who has a pounding headache can't listen to an explanation of five-element theory." Whichever the need, Ms. Hutchinson remains within the community where her love for acupuncture began. Although acupuncturists now have greater visibility and acceptance within the larger culture, the struggle to harness the healing potential of economically poorer communities is something that continues to be a challenge.

References
1. The Young Lords was a political organization formed in 1969 by a group of Puerto Rican college students who felt they wanted to reconnect with their brethren in the ghetto. Some of their issues were self-determination for all Latinos, equality for women, community control of institutions and opposition to the war in Vietnam. They also organized school breakfast programs and street actions to demonstrate support for oppressed groups.

2. Read What is Qi? about acupuncture's calming effects on patients at Lincoln Hospital in Harlem.

For more information
About That Acupuncture Treatment in 1971 chronicles the James Reston New York Times article that ignited mainstream America’s interest in acupuncture.

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