I've had acupuncture a few times before and it really helped my creaky-ass knees, and when I moved…read moreto Portland last year I started looking for some help with sciatica, which came out of nowhere and oh my god is awful, IYKYK. I tried one place where it helped a bit but there just wasn't the vibe or connection (which is essential for the healing arts), and then I wound up at Maine Center for Acupuncture in mid-May when the left leg was flaring so bad I wasn't walking normally or able to get a good night's sleep. The first thing that happened on meeting Ryan was just that I felt *hope* about my situation for the first time: the way any healing practitioner responds is so important, and he listened to me and asked great questions (some totally unexpected!) and then assured me that I would get better. That's a basic assurance you really need at times. If you haven't had acupuncture before, let me explain a bit: you may feel all kinds of different ways, and the experience will vary each time. If something is really blocked up, it might be intense--I'd describe my first session for the sciatic nerve as akin to having a drain snaked--but there's energy and movement, and then relief. A day later I wasn't limping for once, which was a great start. Other times you'll have a floaty little trip. I've been continuing to go since then, and that's the other essential part of acupuncture to know: the benefits build over time. By now the pain is totally gone--I repeat, GONE--and we've shifted the treatment so that it's more about balance and mood, and the results have made me feel like my body and mind are both back on track. If you've got an ailment, acupuncture can address it. That's a lot of info, I know, but I've also heard so many people say that the idea of acupuncture makes them nervous, so I hope it helps! Also, if you think it's all a bit too woo-woo? Ryan is not only a compassionate healer but he's down-to-earth and hilarious; you'll also run into all kinds of people there (not that you're actually going to talk, b/c you're all gonna be needled up and zoned out). Which gets to my final point: the emphasis here is on *community* acupuncture, which means *affordable*. (You can also book private sessions.) The community setup is a peace-out room with 5 recliners, and appointments are staggered so that different people shuffle in and out; depending on the time of day you might be there alone, or with up to 4 other people. This was my first encounter with something like this and I'm always perfectly comfortable. Just another reason out of many to give Maine Center for Acupuncture a try--I very highly recommend it!

I was never interested in acupuncture. It's not that I was nervous about pins being tapped into my…read moreskin (after all, I'm certainly the tattooed up gal); I was turned off by the "new agyness" of it all and was seriously skeptical about it's effectiveness. Then again, who am I to judge a practice that's been happening for thousands of years? Since I believe you should try or do something before formulating an opinion - and at the gentle persuasion of a good friend - I gave in and went to see Ryan at Maine Center for Acupuncture. Talk about a revolutionary moment in my life. I arrived and was instantly greeted by Ryan - not the pristine looking monk I was expecting - who was wearing shorts, had some facial scruff, and possibly one of the most welcoming, friendly smiles I've ever seen. Despite filling out the three page medical history for him, we sat and chatted for a few minutes like old friends about my lifestyle, things that were bothering me, etc. Suddenly he gets down on his knees and starts pressing my knee. "You said you have tension in your shoulder?" he asked. I shrugged it off, "Sure, but I think it's because of yoga, so I'm not super worried about it." He presses his thumb into the skin of my knee and asks, "What about now?" Suddenly... no more tension in my shoulder. Afterwards, I was brought into a quiet room next to his small office where there were (I think) eight very large, very comfortable recliners in a u-shape. I was told to turn my phone off, put my bag behind the chair, take my shoes off, climb into the chair of my choosing, and just relax. There were four other people in the room (of varying ages and lifestyles) at the time, all peacefully reclined, pins sticking out of various parts of their bodies, paying no mind to the fact that I was there. I got into the recliner, and Ryan in a hushed voice asked me if I was so busy that my thinking wheels turned and turned all the time making it hard to make decisions. I said yes (how did he know that?!), he pushed a spot on my elbow then asked, "What's your favorite season?" Fall. "What's your favorite color?" Blue. Both times I answered without thinking, entirely without hesitation. I just blurted out the answer. Is blue my favorite color? Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't know. I quite like shades of green and browns... but apparently it's really blue. Anyway... that was the moment I was a believer. Since much of acupuncture is personal, I'll spare you some details (like what I specifically had worked on; but, I can tell you that for many days after I felt FABULOUS). If you have any worries (emotionally- or physically-based ones), tension, weird medical issues of any kind, headaches, arthritic, etc... you have no reason not to go see Ryan at MCA. It's INSANELY affordable ($20 to $40 for each session - you pick how much you can pay each time). It's comfortable (Ryan is the kind of person you want as your GP, your CPA, your car salesman, your Whole Foods clerk. And, it's relaxing... like, more relaxing than massages.