Care not Cruelty + an Invitation

Acupuncture can produce a profound amount of physical and emotional regulation, promoting calm and resilience. When you set frenetic distractions aside for the 45 or so minutes of an acupuncture treatment, your body can release big, stuck feelings. 

There has been a torrent of tears in the clinic recently. There has also been spontaneous laughter and conversation that comes from the relief of rest and connection. I've never been more grateful to be a part of that process. 

Kindred is an acupuncture clinic and a home for healing, love, and neighborliness. It’s open to all who agree to basic tenets of mutual respect and care. 

Please keep in mind and spread the word that this beautiful space can be used for community events – ones open to the public and ones dedicated to a particular group. Just ask me (Korben). Let’s explore what collaboration can look like in our community. What future-imagining ideas or projects do you want to share? How can Kindred offer support?

I hope you can take the time to read my thoughts below on operating a humble enterprise based on caring in the current political climate.

Community not conniving

Under the present Trump administration and at this late stage of racial capitalism there is an endless chain of insults and injuries to our health, security, and to our humanity. It can feel impossible to process and respond to every assault. This tsunami of dystopian cruelty and pillaging is intended to overwhelm and divide us, to normalize intimidation, to stifle discussion, smother dissent, and destabilize judicial/legal processes. And, ultimately these unspeakable crimes against people and planet serve only to enrich a tiny circle of unelected billionaire gangsters. 

I believe (and of course most of you do) that a responsible and worthy life on this planet involves prioritizing activities and relationships that promote life and that are aligned with the collaborative nature of the living world. Sharing ancient knowledge and natural medicine as freely as possible is the small way I try to create and enhance life-giving properties and tendencies.

Yes, we are the rainbow woke mob.

I believe healthcare is a human right, and that means all humans. Kindred’s business model is designed to be accessible to as many people in our communities as possible. Because of the structural inequalities baked into the history of conventional medicine as well as “natural healthcare” in the US, it is only right to make efforts to create equity in terms of the availability of acupuncture. 

I believe we have a duty as healthcare providers to treat every patient with respect and to offer every patient our expertise and commitment to their healing goals. Every patient’s personal information is treated with the strictest of confidentiality. We recognize that some among our community have been or will be targeted by racist, anti-immigrant propaganda and state violence. This means that our care for these individuals and families needs to go beyond providing acupuncture. We will fight for the protection of the liberty and security of all those we have the privilege of having in our lives

An Invitation

We will have slightly earlier hours on Saturday, June 14th in order to attend the No Kings Rally starting at the statehouse. Our hours will be from 8am - 11 am. If you would like to join us via RIPTA bus, we will be meeting at the clinic at noon. 

We join with other organizations to stand against the Trump administration’s:

• fascist targeting of immigrants, non-white people, and LGBTQ people

• deputizing of US military personnel and unmarked ICE agents to kidnap US citizens and other innocent civilians without search warrants, just cause, and without trial

• attacks on DEI initiatives and infrastructure

• dismantling of civil society and defunding and gutting of social safety nets such as food assistance and health care

• systematic authoritarian attack on the justice system and the rule of law

• policy of abetting in a genocide of the Palestinian people and inflaming anti-semitism at the same time

• campaign against science, education, art, journalism, and truth

• strategic misinformation about the climate and the destruction of hard-won international agreements to combat global climate disaster

Thank you for your continued support of Kindred and for being a part of the community in community acupuncture.

Spring Special

Make an appointment for yourself on a Wednesday and bring a friend – their first appointment will be FREE!

Change of Seasons

It’s almost spring. It kind of is already, right? The stillness of winter is giving way to movement and growth. While there’s much to celebrate for those of us who cherish the warmth of the sun and the greening of the land, there are bodily health aspects to be aware of and to tend in this transitional season. 

Chinese medicine’s five element theory holds that different parts of the year promote specific energies in our bodies and minds, therefore call upon specific kinds of care for our individual health and for our communities. Spring is associated with the wood element. Its related organs are the liver and gallbladder. In balance, the wood element within us is expansive, supple, tender, creative and connecting; assuring the smooth flow of qi. In disharmony, it is restrictive, hard, inflexible, and isolating. 

Wood energy is about protecting yourself and your community through natural, sustainable growth. Acupuncture is a great tool for accentuating this energy. (Ask me about my favorite liver and gallbladder meridian points next time you’re here.)

木 | mù | wood 
represents growth

During this time of chaos in the world at large, we can send our roots deeper and hold on to each other. While we tend to the suffering around us, we can also take care of our own well-being. And we invite you to find that care in community.

Thank you for being part of the community here at Kindred Community Acupuncture. We are immensely grateful to be able to help you heal and fortify yourself. 

Welcome Gina!

There is a new face at Kindred Community Acupuncture for 2025.

If you have been here recently, you may have met Gina Lerman at the front desk. She is Kindred’s new office manager and communications coordinator. She is an artist and writer with an appreciation for acupuncture and meeting new people. Gina is currently studying to be a URI Master Gardener and learning Mandarin.

Stop by during the week and say hi to her!