Simple. Powerful. Balancing. Help anyone feel better right away. Accessible for everyone to learn and practice. Join us for 3 hours of historical and practical education on ear seeds and how you can heal yourself and others with this tiny seed, the vacarria plant. It is so powerful at removing stagnation and relieving pain in any body system that in Pinyin  it is called Wang Bu Liu Xing – “even the emperor cannot stop us.” 

Auricular acupuncture and ear seeds stimulate the vagus nerve – our primary pathway to a parasympathetic “rest and digest” state. It is ideal for use in group settings and has been proven effective internationally for addiction, withdrawal, emotional regulation, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

This simple 5 needle protocol was developed first in the 1970s in Hong Kong, then adopted in the Bronx by the Black Panthers and the Young Lords to treat addiction. The first hour of hour workshop will be focused on watching and discussing segments of a documentary about their work. In recent decades, Acupuncturists Without Borders and many other on-the-ground justice medicine initiatives primarily employ this protocol for quick, powerful and accessible community medicine.

Gina Mauro L.Ac (pictured far left) founded Albany Community Acupuncture after her time doing relief work through Acupuncturists Without Borders in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Born and raised in the Albany area, Gina has always felt a strong call to serve the Capital Region community in a meaningful way.