Ryan Bemis is a writer and an acupuncturist with over 15 years of experience working in community health and outreach, with youth and adults, in the US, Mexico and Nicaragua. He is founder and director of the social enterprise, Crossroads Community Acupuncture. He is also founder and coordinator of the NADA Border Project and currently provides training, technical support and supervision for several community based free clinics in the US/Mexican Border Region. In addition he serves as a Certified Auricular Detoxification Specialist Supervisor for behavioral health programs in Southern New Mexico. For the past two years he has mentored acupuncture students at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine who are conducting research projects on the use of acupuncture within international community health/disaster relief. Ryan is a contributing writer and editor of Guidepoints, the only field publication exclusively devoted to the use of acupuncture within addictions, psychiatric and disaster relief settings. Ryan is nationally certified and licensed by the state of New Mexico to prescribe Chinese herbs and provide acupuncture services, holding the title of Doctor of Oriental Medicine. He completed a 4 year Graduate Master’s level program at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM), where he interned as an acupuncturist at several public health, psychiatric and addictions programs in Portland. Ryan received his addictions and acupuncture detoxification specialist training at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, NY, and at Outreach Training Institute in Queens, NY. He received honors for outstanding service from the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association at the 2011 annual NADA conferences in Kansas City: Psychological First Aid and Communities of Recovery and in 2012 at Yale University.

Mateo Bernal is nationally certified as an acupuncturist and holds a license to practice acupuncture from the state of Kentucky. He received his Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. He completed ear acupuncture training from the Lincoln Mental Health Center’s Acupuncture Training Institute in the Bronx, NY. He is certified by the state of New Mexico, as well as by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association as an Auricular Detoxification Specialist (CADS) to practice ear acupuncture as a recovery worker. Co-founder and co-coordinator of the Crossroads Border Project, Mateo currently works as staff at Crossroads Community Acupuncture in Las Cruces.

Stress, anxiety, hectic and fast-paced living often creates the need to self-medicate in order to feel calm, relaxed and in control of a seemingly out of control life. The constant need to soothe the mind can lead to over indulging and the chronic use of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, food, sex, television, video games and more. There are ways to soothe the mind and reduce feelings of stress without turning to self medication, or prescription medication. Ear acupuncture is a proven method for various conditions, including the prevention of addictions and recovery from addictions. For more information about how ear acupuncture can work for you, contact Mateo at 541-5660.