On June 1, Carbondale Acupuncture Center will host an open house to celebrate 20 years of serving the community and to thank everyone who visits the center, located at 54 Weant Boulevard.
Normally this small stucco building exudes a quiet and calm atmosphere during the day, but on June 1st from 6pm to 8pm, the space will come alive with an evening party in the spirit of welcome and wellness.
For the past 20 years, the team at Carbondale Acupuncture Center has offered a variety of wellness services including herbal medicine, therapeutic massage, nutritional counseling, and of course, acupuncture.
The center first opened with a team of four people: Dave Teitler, acupuncturist Nancy Tull, masseuses Christina Byrne and Jill Meadows, and while most of the original team has since left the clinic, all four remain in the Valley.
Although staff have changed over the years, the team has remained small and always aims to provide personal, thoughtful and compassionate care.
Teitler moved to Carbondale from Boulder in 1997 in search of a small town with a strong sense of community.
“I couldn’t be happier as a practicing physician working in the town where I live,” Teitler told the Sopris Sun. “I’m so pleased to be able to serve the people in the community where I live.”
Today, Carbondale Acupuncture operates with a team of six practitioners: Teitler and Alexis Mahon specialize in acupuncture and herbal medicine, while Georgia Ackerman, John Ackerman, Becky Koski and Abby O’Regan provide massage therapy.
Over the years, Teitler has noticed a gradual increase in the popularity of traditional Chinese medicine in the United States, particularly acupuncture. Teitler, who has been in the profession for 29 years, said that while most new clients used to have never had acupuncture before, now most new clients have some experience. “In the 30 years that I’ve been doing this, our profession has grown exponentially,” he said.
Though the sign says “acupuncture,” herbal medicine also plays a key role in the clinic’s services, with carefully crafted prescriptions made from dozens of dried plants to treat a range of conditions. Teitler recently traveled to China to observe the plants that inhabit the hundreds of glass jars kept at the clinic in their natural habitat.
When it comes to acupuncture, Teitler noted that the people who come to the clinic aren’t all of a certain type or mindset: “Conservatives, liberals, ranchers, hippies, businessmen… there’s not much distinction between people looking for solutions to problems that Western medicine hasn’t been able to solve.” Carbondale Acupuncture Center caters to a diverse range of the community, which he continued, makes the center’s services all the more fulfilling.
By the way, one of the most rewarding aspects of healing is building long-term relationships with clients of all kinds. Tyler jokes that he only sees his clients when they have a problem, but in a town like Carbondale, familiar faces are everywhere. “You probably won’t see them in a professional capacity for years,” he says. “But it’s wonderful. [to see them] Go to First Friday, Mountain Fair, Dandelion Day, etc.”
Whether you’re a longtime friend of Carbondale Acupuncture Center or new to our holistic services, you’re welcome to come along to the celebration and say hello to our healers. The party is also a way to give thanks to our clients and community, without whom the center would not be what it is today.
Twenty years later, Teitler said they show no signs of slowing down. “We’ve got a lot more to do,” Teitler concluded. “We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”
