The WestTown Alternative Health Project (WAHP) is a group of alternative health practitioners and community activists organized to serve the healthcare needs of low-income people while creating a more egalitarian and collective way of working together. WAHP consists of men and women who have been and are involved in social change efforts and are looking or a way to combine their ideals for social change with their skills to improve the health of those around them.
For too long we have seen and felt the effects of poor health on people's ability to fight back and make change, say WestTown Alternative Health Project practitioners. Good health and healthcare are crucial to the struggle for self-empowerment and revolutionary social change. All too often we find activist groups addressing crucial political and social issues but failing to fully integrate themselves and their work into the communities into the larger community. Health is one of the most critical areas in which activists and community overlap.
The WestTown Alternative Health Project offers these services:
Herbal Therapy supports and nurtures one's pursuit of wellness. Herbal therapy is useful as bodily support in ailments related to stress, fatigue, overwork and low immunity.
Massage Therapy addresses health concerns such as poor circulation, knots in muscles, stress, imbalance in energy currents in the body, and overloaded lymph systems. Our therapists are skilled in Swedish massage, shiatsu, deep tissue, polarity, lymphatic massage, foot reflexology, and chair massage.
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in strengthening the immune system, pain and stress management, treating internal disorders, detox, smoking cessation, and much more. Related therapies include acupressure, moxa, and cupping.
WestTown Alternative Health Project provides services on a sliding scale. Vida Health Clinic, where WAHP is housed (1112 N. California Ave.), offers alternative therapies free of charge for people living with HIV/AIDS. For information or to get involved, leave a message at 773.235.2909.