Acupuncturist Elizabeth Ropp

‘Acupuncture serves all the people, body and soul,’ says acupuncturist Elizabeth Ropp.

When Eana Meng was researching the roots of acupuncture in America for the Harvard University Asian Center, one of the first people she spoke with was Elizabeth Ropp, a licensed acupuncturist with the nonprofit Manchester Acupuncture Studio.

Ropp was instrumental in the 2017 passage of House Bill 575, which allows anyone competently trained in five-point ear acupuncture to become an Acupuncture Detox Specialist, or ADS. Such specialists can then offer treatment for substance use recovery, PTSD, or other mental and behavioral health issues.

Ropp refers to “unexpected connections” in the American history of acupuncture. The 1970s narrative includes Mao Zedong’s “barefoot doctors” serving rural China, Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs and Dr. Mutulu Shakur (the late Tupac Shakur’s stepfather) taking over a condemned hospital in the South Bronx when area residents were being ignored during the heroin epidemic. Acupuncture was also used by noted New York Times columnist James Reston who was being treated for an emergency appendectomy in China, J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO targeting Civil Rights leaders and members of the Black Panthers who trained in acupuncture in China.

The latest Tom Clancy or David Baldacci political thriller doesn’t hold a candle to this story.

Simply put, Ropp sees five-point ear acupuncture as a valuable tool in any first-aid kit and the more first-aid kits, the better. “Acupuncture serves all the people, body and soul,” Ropp says. “It ultimately asks, ‘Who has the right to heal?’” There are now 25,000 certified ADS practitioners in the United States and about 200 in New Hampshire.

ADS competency falls under the umbrella of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, and the city of Manchester has provided funds for training professionals such as social workers, first responders, EMTs, corrections officers and peer counselors. The Recovery Task Force of the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs has endorsed expanded training in acupuncture since the 2017 passage of the law.

Q. How does acupuncture work?

A. It allows the body to heal itself, especially when it comes to pain. It gets things moving.

Q. How did you get interested in acupuncture?

A. I was working as a massage therapist in a clinic in Washington, D.C., and was dealing with my own fatigue, depression and anxiety. I started getting treatment there, found it effective, and was sold on affordable treatment for people like me who had meager incomes.

Q. What was your training like?

A. It was longer than it needed to be. I went to school for almost four years. I studied Chinese medical theories, including herbs, diagnosis, the 300-point locations, massage modalities such as cupping, and needling techniques — both where and how to place the needles.

Q. What are some of the myths around acupuncture?

A. It doesn’t hurt. In fact, you might not feel much of anything. It’s been called a placebo, but this doesn’t explain why it’s been effective with so many animals.

Q. What is the training like to become an ADS?

A. It’s two full weekends followed by practical hours.

Q. What work did you have to do in advocating for HB 575, and why is the law important?

A. It was a grassroots effort that included testimony in Concord, phone calls, letters to the editor, and getting support from both veterans and families who had lost members to the opioid crisis. My work as a volunteer at a residential center and with Hope for New Hampshire Recovery made me see both the extent of the need and the value of what acupuncture had to offer. We couldn’t afford a lobbyist, but one did come forward to help us. I think I still am hyper-vigilant around defending the law, call it Post-Legislative Stress Disorder!

Q. What connection do you see between acupuncture and social justice?

A. I’m interested in a lot of social justice issues. The opioid crisis is so pervasive that a lot of tools are needed. Community acupuncture should be for everyone, and it only works if it’s affordable and accessible. Our basic philosophy is that when more people get acupuncture, then more people will get acupuncture. Patients often become practitioners. I am a Liberation Acupuncturist.

Q. Why is widespread use of ear acupuncture important?

A. Sadly, a member of the Nashua Police Department took his life last year. I organized treatment with another licensed acupuncturist and two ADS practitioners, and I treated 30 officers and staff within two hours. Chief (Michael) Carignan thanked me in a note for what he referred to as “a valuable service.”

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