Sidewalk Sale 2010 report

I just realized that I posted on Facebook about the Sidewalk Sale, but did not put it on my blog or twitter.  I apologize to anyone who would have liked to receive Free Acupuncture.  Come see us next year.

Every year, my office, A Center for Oriental Medicine, participates in the Wilmette Sidewalk Sale.  It is always the Friday and Saturday after the 4th of July holiday.  We offer Free Acupuncture to all comers.  We have done this every year since 2004.  Every year, we administer between 100-120 treatments over the two days.  This weekend was a record-breaker.  Friday, I had our associate Lisa Alvarez with me, and we together administered 81 treatments.  I was alone on Saturday (with the assistance of my receptionist/brother Michael) and gave 59 treatments.  So together we provided 140 treatments.  Of those, 2 reported that they found acupuncture to be painful.  10 reported that it was not effective.  That means that 99% reported that it was not painful and 92% reported that it was effective.  We treated back pain, elbow pain, foot pain, leg pain, sinus pressure, digestive discomfort, menstrual cramps headache, anxiety, stress, fatigue, shoulder tension, post-operative dental pain, arthritis, asthma, carpal tunnel, pinched nerves, weight loss, and several other conditions.  I really love helping people, and this is the most people that I have been able to help in a two-day period.  Even if none of the recipients become patients, it's still good to expose more people to acupuncture.

People tend to be so afraid of acupuncture, that a couple of time a year, we have to actually give it away to get people to try it.  I don't blame people for being averse to needles- the only one's we've ever experienced were big ones that hurt.  If, every time I saw a dog- it bit me, then I would conclude that "Dogs Hurt".  Not all dogs are the same.  Our dogs don't bite.  The needles we use are 50-100x thinner than a hypodermic needle (the ones used to draw your blood or give you a shot).  Most of the needles we insert are reported as painless.   Once people actually feel (or don't) what acupuncture feels like, then they realize that it is nothing to fear.

I am a bit wiped out from giving so many treatments, but some Tai Chi is helping to keep me together.
Be well.
Jason