Community Highlights: Meet Kate Barry of DENVER COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Barry.

Hi Kate, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Denver Community Acupuncture opened in the Lower Highlands neighborhood of Denver in 2010. From the onset it has been women owned and operated, with the mission to provide high quality, affordable acupuncture to our community. In our model, everyone is treated in the same room together which allows us to treat more people efficiently and offer treatments on a sliding scale. We have dim lighting and soft music playing and we speak quietly so its not too distracting. Patients find it comforting to be amongst others also seeking to relieve suffering and promote healing, since suffering and healing don’t exist in a vacuum. We also have a small apothecary where we sell Chinese herbal medicine, natural supplements, topical treatments, and vitamin B12 injections. We have always shared our space with other like minded practitioners of natural medicine and we feel fortunate to have a wonderful network of talented healers to refer our patients to if we feel other healing modalities would be beneficial to their well being. In September of 2024 we moved our business to Wheat Ridge. It was bittersweet, as we loved our old neighborhood in north Denver, but we were also ready for a change and we adore our new location on Clear Creek with stunning views of the mountains, trees, and flowing water. Along with our 4 acupuncturists who provide community acupuncture, our current clinic is also home to a naturopathic doctor, a psychologist, a private acupuncturist, and a massage therapist. We love the opportunity to offer all of these natural health promoting and incredibly powerful healing modalities to our community in Wheat Ridge, Denver, and the surrounding areas.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our road has been both smooth and bumpy! Probably the biggest challenge we’ve endured was Covid. When we were forced to close down for 3 months we quickly pivoted to diving deeper into our studies of Chinese herbal medicine and offering online herbal consultations. It turns out Chinese herbs are incredibly potent in helping the body resolve Covid. It was very satisfying to be able to help others while we weren’t able to physically see them. We had lots of trips to the post office to mail herbs and immune support supplements all over the country, something totally new for our business. Once we were able to open our doors again, we went from seeing 4 return patients per hour to 3 and seeing every 3rd person in a private room so everyone would be safely spaced more than 6′ apart. We had to do a lot more running around! Our amazing front desk staff had to work extra hard screening everyone who came into the clinic, taking everyone’s temperature, making sure no one was sick and everyone was masked with hands clean or sanitized. It’s bizarre to think back to all the extra precautions we had to take every moment. We are grateful we were able to help so many in our community through a hard time, and so glad to be on the other side! Another big struggle was our recent move to Wheat Ridge. After being at our previous location for 14 years, we were extremely comfortable there. We had created a peaceful healing sanctuary in the midst of the city. It was calming to walk in off the busy streets and breath a sigh of relief. But the time came for a change and we heeded the call. Big moves like this are never easy. Physically going through all of our things and deciding what to keep and what to bring into our fresh, new space. And you can image the amount of extra things that pile up over 14 years. The purge was satisfying. When we first toured our new location, we felt at home right away, enjoying the breeze off the creek with birds swimming in the water and flying overhead. The practice of Chinese medicine is deeply rooted in our connection to nature, so it felt gratifying to be amongst trees, flowers, and all the creatures that live there with gorgeous views of the mountains in the distance. While the move was exhausting and it was terribly sad to say goodbye to our old neighborhood, we are thrilled to have a fresh start in a beautiful space. We’ve continued to create a place that is relaxing and calming were everyone is welcome.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about DENVER COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE?
We want to make acupuncture accessible to everyone interested in this powerful healing modality. We treat all sorts of conditions. Often patients will come in with back pain and realize acupuncture also helps with their insomnia, digestion issues, anxiety, eye twitching, hormone imbalances, or stress relief. When people ask what we treat the most, I often say the many manifestations of stress, as it can wreak havoc on all of our systems and make us vulnerable to more ailments. In this fast paced world of rushing around and endless to do lists, we offer a lovely, peaceful environment for you to relax and unwind so your body can be in a state where it is capable of deep healing and transformation. We intently listen to each individual and craft unique treatments for each patient depending on their diagnosis and presentation. Along with acupuncture we may recommend cupping, herbal medicine, exercises, stretches, or diet and lifestyle changes. All of our practitioners are highly skilled and devoted to their practice. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to help improve the quality of life for so many people.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a very sensitive child with lots of big emotions. My family likes to joke that I was always crying! And honestly I did cry a lot but I laughed and smiled a lot more. I loved playing music, dancing, crafting, swimming, and being outdoors, especially in nature. I also loved learning, especially science and math which was not the most welcomed choice for little girls in the ’80s. I didn’t let the lack of encouragement stop me though, it motivated me to prove anyone who discouraged me wrong.

Pricing:

• follow up acupuncture treatment $40-$70
• initial acupuncture treatment $65-$95
• cupping treatment $45
• vitamin B12 injection $20

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.denvercommunityacupuncture.com