Pine Acupuncture, founded by Vincent Lu, opened earlier this month on June 3. Lu, who identifies as a creative, dedicated a lot of time to producing music prior to opening his own acupuncture clinic. As a result, Lu says though the clinic is open to all, it is dedicated to the local artists in the community of South Minneapolis, where the clinic is located.
“This focus meets a specific need for the area that I live in. It's also a community that I'm a part of.” Lu continues. “The goal is to not just relieve their symptoms within the session, but to be able to improve their lifestyle to help them flourish in their crafts.”
Lu’s father is Vietnamese. He says he and his mother adopted a lot of medicinal techniques passed down from his father’s family. Lu says his Vietnamese heritage is what inspired him to pursue his career in acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine.
“Traditions have always been an important part of my life. Practicing tradition and culture makes me feel the most connected and alive. There's something about being able to access knowledge that has been passed down, and then using it to connect with the community that I'm a part of,” said Lu.
Pine Acupuncture takes a personalized approach to treatment. Lu says his clients have a choice between acupuncture, cupping (heated cups on the skin), tui na (pinch and pull massage), gua sha (skin scraping), and moxibustion (heat therapy with mugwort leaves). Lu learned these techniques through his Masters In Acupuncture program at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington.
The clinic also offers food therapy, which Lu says is a favorite due to its connection to his family’s traditions. He says he remembers fondly from his childhood the immune boosting herbal broths and special anxiety combating herbal teas drank in his family home.
“It helps me to feel like I'm using something from my ancestors.” Lu continues. “That connection makes me feel very grounded. And it feels very special.”
The clinic is located at 4100 Grand Ave S and is open Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-6pm, as well as weekdays by request.
Editor's note: A previous version of this script misstated Lu's educational background. The script has been corrected.
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