Acupuncture in Queer Healthcare
Sophia Catanoso, L. Ac.
Folks have asked me what it means to be an acupuncturist that specializes in LGBTQIA+ healthcare. It means a lot of different things to me. Most importantly, I say this to let the community know that I am a safe and non-judgemental practitioner. The health disparities for LGBTQIA+ individuals are astounding. Nearly 1 in 6 LGBTQIA+ individuals experience discrimination in healthcare settings and 1 in 5 patients avoid seeking medical care altogether. I want to be part of the systemic change that desperately needs to happen for this community.
Minnesota Integrative Health Studio is an inclusive and community centered space for people of all backgrounds.
A treatment with myself will differ depending on what is being treated. I will ask a series of questions that are directly related to the issue and some that may seem unrelated. As a Chinese Medicine practitioner, we are taught that all bodies are different and should be treated as such. For example, two transgender men undergoing the same surgeries and taking the same medications will have different pattern diagnoses in Chinese Medicine. Our goal is to treat the whole body, so your diet, the way you sleep, the way you process emotions, etc are all factors in your pattern diagnosis.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help LGBTQIA+ folks in a multitude of ways, here are a few important ones:
- gender-affirming care/ reproductive health (pre and post surgical care, scar healing)
- hormone balancing
- mental/ emotional health (including PTSD)
- personalized treatments
Sophia (she/her) offers private and community acupuncture treatments at MIHS along with other therapies such as fire cupping, tuina, and guasha. She is experienced in LGBTQ+ healthcare as well as chronic pain, menstrual health, mental health, and more. You can book a session with Sophia here.
We have provided some resources that are helpful in explaining how acupuncture can help the LQBTQIA+ community and they are listed below.
“Acupuncture and Post-Surgical Care”
(book) “Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Medicine”
Chinese Medicine, Natural Transition, and the Gender Binary [interview with Katrina Hanson]
