AcuTake is an online publication created to improve acupuncture education and access.

Here’s the idea: In order for access to acupuncture to expand, people must demand it. But in order for people to demand it, they have to understand it.

Understanding acupuncture does not come from clinical trials. Understanding acupuncture comes from learning to make sense of acupuncture theory and hearing stories about how acupuncture changes people’s lives in the real world.

AcuTake shares a little of both. Mainstream media attempts this, but we go a little deeper. All writing, editing and photography for AcuTake is done exclusively by acupuncturists (usually this one).

So why is improved access to acupuncture important?

Under the conventional medical model—riddled with bureaucracy, over testing, undue dependence on pharmaceuticals and rigid research practices—we are steadily growing sicker, heavier and unhappier. Acupuncture is an effective, safe and low-cost antidote to this vicious cycle.

Acupuncture makes sense of the inconsistencies that too often lead to misdiagnoses, wasted resources and debilitating side effects. Acupuncture deals only in gray. It prioritizes context and individuality over signs and symptoms. This is a wholly unfamiliar, at-times uncomfortable, and vitally important perspective on health. Ultimately, it empowers people over systems.

More broadly, acupuncture helps us see the world differently. It is a tool for opening up possibilities and helping people feel unstuck. On everything from the way we do business to the way we change seasons to the way we use technology, acupuncture can teach us how to lead better lives.

AcuTake does not distribute medical advice, think acupuncture is a panacea, nor represent acupuncture in all its forms. AcuTake is merely a seed, an introduction of certain acupuncture-based ideas that hopefully help people view health and life through a new lens.