gentle and effective acupuncture + bodywork + chinese herbal medicine in midcoast, me
welcome!
little rain acupuncture provides trauma informed care that strives to be appropriately attuned to each individual’s needs.
utilizing hands-on diagnostic approaches and attentive listening, our main focus is to support patients in bolstering daily quality of life and regaining easeful living.
Using these tangible diagnostic tools can help to either reinforce or redirect an understanding of a person’s presentation and symptom picture. Our bodies hold a lot of information that often lie beneath our awareness. By checking in with a person’s physical system, more information can be gathered to influence effectiveness and specificity of treatments.
some of my interests lie in working with people who work manual labor jobs and supporting those who experience post-treatment lyme disease syndrome, chronic illness and pain, nervous system dysregulation, trauma, difficult menstrual cycles, and challenges of aging.
some things we can work on together:
chronic + acute pain stress anxiety
common cold + flu allergies sinus issues
nervous system dysregulation insomnia
depression hormonal dysregulation
digestive distress chronic headaches
chronic fatigue pre + post surgery support
acute injury whiplash post stroke recovery
irregular/difficult/painful menses
autoimmune conditions edema aging support
excessive thirst + sweating addiction
a little about me
My name is sarah (she/her). I’m a former vegetable and flower farmer turned acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and bodywork student. In 2023, I put my midcoast Maine life and farm on pause to attend the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine in Washington.
I’m eager to return home in 2026 and share all that I have learned with my midcoast community. I look forward to working with you sometime soon!
for those of you looking for catkin flowers and dried flowers, the farm is on hiatus for the next few years. we’ll be back in 2027 with a re-envisioned iteration of offerings - certainly to include peonies like the ones below!
what is acupuncture?
“Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most common and dependable medical therapies used in the world. It is by nature simple, safe and effective health care.
Acupuncture practitioners use thin, sterile disposable needles inserted superficially into specific areas of the body in order to help the body’s ability to heal itself”
- Andrew Wegman
Why Did You Put That Needle There?
for answers to more questions about acupuncture, take a peek at this free informational e-book put together by a community acupuncture clinic in NH
for those who are not comfortable with needles, I can utilize low and non-needle techniques.
what are acupuncture channels?
Sometimes translated as meridians, these are the pathways in the body that acupuncture points are found within. These pathways allow for communication throughout the whole body. The channels provide a space for both physiology and pathology to occur and travel in the body. They exist in the empty space between our skin, muscles, viscera and other internal tissues.
A surprise to many, acupuncture channels are physically palpable. Palpating the channels can inform practitioners about what areas of the body are functioning smoothly vs. which areas are needing support. They are a way to tangibly engage with a person’s body to help diagnose and formulate a treatment plan.
These ideas come from Dr. Wang Ju Yi’s Applied Channel Theory and Engaging Vitality (osteopathic diagnosis applied to acupuncture practice). My training is rooted in both of these approaches.
modalities
acupuncture
gentle myofascial release technique
chinese medical massage (tuina)
visceral techniques (zang fu tuina)
cupping
chinese herbal medicine
moxabustion
why little rain?
My mom is from Beijing, China and my parents were living there the year that I was born. My mom tells the story of my birth as being in the same hospital room that she was born in. It was morning and very gently raining. I was given my name after the weather that morning - 小雨 xiao yu - little rain. I choose to use this name for my practice to honor my heritage and to also show appreciation for the culture from which this centuries old healing tradition originates.