Acupunktrix: Acupuncture, Apothecary, Birth and Death Guide

07/18/2026

I’m not on facebook much, but you can find me more regularly on Instagram ! The_Acupunktrix is my name over there!

06/01/2026

Happy Pride!

I’m gonna try an experiment!

If you can help donate so deserving folks in the LGBTQIA 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ community in Buffalo can get a full 1.5 hour acupuncture and herbal consult session venmo me @ Tamara-Rettino and put PRIDE or a pride flag in the subject line!

If you want to try a full acupuncture session for the first time (this also applies to folks who have only come for my free group community nights) but cost has been a barrier for you, message me to apply! This is honor system not trauma olympics. You don’t need to give me a sob story. I mean, you can if you want, but if you tell me you are in need, I will believe you! All I ask is that you share one of my past posts that speaks to you and tag me.

Because I am a stroke survivor living with several chronic diagnoses ( including fractured spine), I can’t sustainably work for free! But I will give one session completely on the house and however much money we raise will cover sessions for additional people!

Even if you have just five dollars to give, a bunch of five dollars can cover my supplies and time and give healing to someone in need. Every time I raise enough money during June to cover a session I will post it and post that we have a new winner.

To sum up :

💰Can help someone in LGBTQIA community get acupuncture? Donate!

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Q***r and want to try acupuncture but can’t afford it? Apply by messaging me. Share one of my old posts and tag me!

Let’s see of together we can help folks feel better!

05/30/2026

05/23/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYsJDhLFj-E/?igsh=MWRpdjBnbXZlNTBwbQ==

05/03/2026

https://www.instagram.com/p/DX4U_sQFqfd/?igsh=MWhjM2pmcXR2eWFldA==

02/21/2026

In the morning, I will be temporarily (or perhaps permanently) disabling my account). I need to conserve my energy and focus on the real world. The horrible things I have been called by people on the left in the past few days, from nasty antisemitism to vile comments about me defending the use of art and dance in Revolution have brought me to a place where I realize I need to be present with myself, my love, my family, my pets, my home, my patients, and my community . Social media has had some lovely benefits but it has also caused great misunderstandings and untold amounts of stress. My health and my heart need a good long break.

Be Well. Call me or email me if you need me or have something to share.

02/20/2026

Resistance and revolution require a diversity of tactics. Art is fundamentally important because it speaks to the hearts and minds of people, many who may have been on the fence or in opposite camps. Art, music, theater and dance move us. Look at protest songs, the work of puppet makers like Bread and Puppet, the Theater of the Oppressed work or Augusto Boal. Books, graffiti, songs,murals, paintings, posters, zines, dances…these are all ways to disseminate messages, experiences, information, and emotion.

Condemning and belittling artists is what fascists do. Are you following influencers that are condemning art and policing our cultural expression?

On the red neck poppa’s post mocking the creative dance performance that honored the murders of Pretti and Good, comments say things like “they should be organizing not rehearsing” or this is offensive to their memories or I’d rather —-than watch this. People labelling me a “liberal” for saying I think it’s important work. Ooooh, I’m wounded to the core. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️. Man…go jump in a lake.

What are YOU doing oh mighty keyboard warriors besides tearing down real forms of resistance? Feeding division and creating litmus tests to wokeness is not the flex you think it is.

It’s all hands on board against racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, fascism, and the cruelty and lies of the rich. If people want to dance about it…let them. If you’d rather whine over your keyboard, to try to make yourself sound cool and tough and like whatever the hell you’re doing is the only valid form of resistance…have it. But you aren’t helping, you’re harming.

Grandmas at home knitting hats for kids in the street with shields are in the resistance. Moms who provide child care so other people can be street medics, are in the resistance. People who bring groceries to immigrants, do jail support, carry signs, call reps, plan direct actions, make educations zines, write protest songs, are all in this fight in real ways. Stop mocking people who aren’t helping the way you think is cool and get out of the way and let them do it.

02/18/2026

Enjoy a laugh at my expense, and maybe learn something.

I’ve been wanting to make some cayenne tincture for a little while.
Cayenne is great for circulation, inflammation, and pain relief. It’s also an awesome thing to have on hand if you’re in a crisis or disaster situation and your energy is flagging and you just need to call on that last bit of reserves to help you stay sharp and effective.

I disinfected my hands, but ignoring all good sense, I didn’t use any PPE as I (minimally) weighed and crushed my peppers. I figured meh, they aren’t super hot, I’m hardly touching them before they go into 100 proof vodka. Ha. Even with good handwashing, I am still feeling a little spicy and very awake right now. Don’t be like me, wear gloves. But wear them BEFORE you handle the peppers, not after.

Cuz, this one time…

I was in my apartment in Jenin, Palestine 🇵🇸 cutting chili peppers to make a big lentil soup when I got a call from the Red Crescent ambulance 🚑 station that they had a woman in labor and they needed me on the call.

I wash my hands well. They literally picked me up from my apartment in the ambulance. I glove up in old school latex gloves with the powder. We pick up this poor mama who is telling me she needs to push.

There is a man in the back with us, so she asks me to do the vaginal exam under a sheet. No problem. I’m now used to that. We are bumping wildly down an unpaved rocky road. Also…we are being shot at by the IDF. So, basically an average day for us.

She’s fine, protected by my gloves. We get her to the hospital in time to give birth. But the whole time the pepper oils were being spread over my hands by the powder and locked in under the gloves. By the time I took the gloves off, my hands were blistered.

It sucked with the heat of a thousand suns.

All this to say, be safe. Be smart. Don’t be like me. Pepper is a powerful medicine, and lovely in pain relief salves. But be careful! And don’t touch your eyes or your fancy bits!!!!

This message has been brought to you by experience. I do dumb s**t so you don’t have to.

02/17/2026

Woo boy. Might delete later. 😂. PS. Sorry to my partner and friends who were there for this. It wasn’t fair to you, had you needed to help with the fallout if things had gone differently. But they didn’t…😬

02/15/2026

Yesterday, I got the best 💗Valentine’s message from a patient. I remember that treatment. I’d been seeing her for a little while and I said “We are throwing the kitchen sink at you. Today is the day!”

- “A year ago I came to you desperate to get pregnant and you told me we were going to make it happen. I remember seeing you the day before Valentine’s Day where you threw the kitchen sink at me. I can’t believe how much my life has changed for the better in just one year. I am so in love with my beautiful baby girl and I feel like you played a huge roll in making my wish come true! Hope you are doing well and are enjoying your day! Happy Valentine’s Day - 💖🥰”

I love being able to help bring health and joy into the hearts of the people I work with. I have the best job.