Synergistic Movement: An Acupuncturist’s Story Behind Blending Identities to Create a Healing Space

In today’s world, dedicating time to care for ourselves, especially those of us in the LGBTQ+ community, is as important as ever. Whether this care is physical, mental, spiritual, or all of the above, it’s helpful for the community to know not only where those inclusive spaces are, but also about who is behind the creation of those spaces.  Meet Lin Duffyhill (she/her), owner of Synergistic Movement.

Synergistic Movement is an LGBTQ+ safe space for acupuncture and sports injury recovery. For AAPI month, OFM wanted to highlight Lin’s story. She shares her experience growing up as an adopted Chinese-American and how she has navigated blending her eastern and western experiences to create her business of healing. 

Read on to learn more from OFM’s Q&A with her.

Tell us about your business!

Synergistic Movement is a sports injury focused acupuncture clinic located just outside of the Sante Fe Art district here in Denver, CO. We take a holistic approach to treatment, tailoring different methods to meet the unique needs of each individual. Through hands-on therapies such as acupuncture, Fascial Stretch Therapy, Muscle Activation Techniques, cupping, movement assessments and corrective exercises, we are passionate about empowering others to optimize their performance and return to the things they love to do, stronger than ever.

Let’s talk about identity. You were born in China but were adopted and have lived here in Denver ever since you were 4. What was that like growing up? Do you feel like that has had any influence on who you are today? 

I believe that being adopted from China has had a massive influence on who I am today. Those that are adopted, particularly internationally, are oftentimes raised in a community that doesn’t reflect who they are. It can be pretty expensive to adopt internationally, so it isn’t uncommon to be raised in an affluent, white community. My mom was a single mom who had two adopted Asian children, and we grew up in Park Hill, here in Denver. Park Hill was a wonderful place to grow up, but it didn’t have a lot of diversity, so I was often the only Asian kid in class or on my team.

However, my mom did a really wonderful job keeping us connected with our heritage and made sure that we knew where we came from. We attended heritage camp every year—a weekend-long camp specifically for adopted children from different countries. I was adopted from China, and my brother was adopted from Korea, so we were able to attend two camps a year. These camps were wonderful because we were able to be around other children with a similar story to us, looked like us, and had similar experiences. There were panels of other, older adoptees that were willing to share their stories and how they combatted the emotions that resulted from being in those kinds of spaces. 

Growing up, there was always this disconnect between what I looked like compared to others around me. I think every child and human experiences this in their own way, but for me, it was always wishing for blond hair, blue eyes, etc. As I got older, I was able to appreciate and respect my story. There is a nature vs. nurture aspect of growing up and experiencing this world. Everyone has their own version of it, and I am so grateful that I had the support to be able to explore this and find myself and define myself, within these spaces. Having the identity of many different cultures can be challenging because it often feels like you are never enough of one or the other to fully be accepted. But there is a space that you can be accepted for being exactly who you are. I feel like Synergistic Movement is a physical manifestation of that—a little bit of Western medicine and a little bit of Chinese medicine, and that the perfect blend of both may be exactly what you need.  

As an LGBTQ+ Chinese American, why is diverse representation so important, especially in your line of work?

I think that belonging and acceptance from those around you are inherently things that we crave as humans. I think more often than not, this desire can be a really isolating thing. Reflecting back to being a kid, especially middle school, high school, and college, there was so much bending, changing, and trying to mold myself into what I thought I needed to be to fit in. This ultimately led to being pretty unhappy if I’m being honest. I was never pretty enough, athletic enough, smart enough, rich enough, white enough, Asian enough, etc.

After many years of learning my story and finally seeing myself not as “not enough” of one thing, but instead, a beautiful blend of a lot of things, has only helped me launch my business into what it is today. This is a space where as long as you are willing to accept me for me, I will give that same respect back. If you are willing to meet the needles, the cups, the herbs, this medicine halfway (or at least some of the way), they will meet you the rest of the way. I am the ultimate blend of Chinese American cultures, and so is this practice.  

What communities are you a part of?

I’m fortunate enough to be a part of many incredible communities: the LGBTQ+ community, the rugby community, and the Easton Muay Thai community. I used to play for Denver’s Black Ice Rugby team, which is where I met my wife. I am on the medical staff for the professional women’s team, the Denver Onyx. Last but not least, I am a member and coach at Easton for kick-boxing and kids’ Muay Thai. All of these communities are welcoming, diverse, and incredibly empowering.

How did you get started on this journey for your business?

Since I can remember, I was always playing a sport. Unfortunately, with that, came a fair share of injuries. After developing a good relationship with my high school athletic trainer, Lisa Smith, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in sports medicine.

Going into my undergraduate program at Oregon State University, I was accepted into the Athletic Training program. However, I had joined the varsity rowing team my freshman year, and by my junior year, I had reached a fork in the road between the clinical requirements for Athletic Training and practice requirements for the rowing team. Naturally I chose the sport (much to my mother’s dismay). After graduating I found a job at a sports recovery facility back in Denver, and that led me to meeting some incredible practitioners. Over the years, I got certified in a variety of modalities: Fascial Stretch Therapy, Muscle Activation Techniques, Lokte Method, and Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine.

What makes your business unique?

The ability to treat the whole person. I specialize in sport injuries, so my experience, skills, and expertise are around sports medicine and treating the body as a whole. Between my background in Muscle Activation Techniques and my work with my mentor Derrick McBride, most of my assessments are based around limitations in movement patterns and looking at how your body moves in a global sense. From there I can identify a weak link and focus in on the finer details within the dysfunction.

What separates Synergistic Movement from other sports medicine clinics is in addition to your aches and pains, I can also provide support for the headache, insomnia, stomach pain, menstrual cycle issues, etc. Chinese medicine does such a phenomenal job assessing and treating the body as a whole. There are also scenarios where the pain may not be related to an injury or specific moment. For example, sometimes your body will respond to different emotional events/triggers/patterns with physical pain, and when the traditional western medicine approach to pain relief doesn’t help, that’s where I come in.

What is your “why” that keeps you showing up? 

My “why” is to create a space where people always feel welcome, a space that will keep exploring and investigating how to provide you relief when others say there isn’t anything you can do, that you need to stop doing what you love, or simply just leave you hopeless. I think there are far too many stories of people seeking out Western medicine and are left with no answers, a bottle of pills to take, or just terrible bedside manner that left you discouraged and frustrated. I may not always have the answer or the fix right away, but I’m willing to continue to work with you towards your goals—whether that be with me or another practitioner. 

A quick example of this is, I was treating a 75-year-old female who was dealing with a chronic cough. It started with a cold that she caught when her son passed away. This quickly developed into pneumonia, and a year later, she had a persistent cough that just wouldn’t go away. She did all of the Western medicine things—all of the inhalers, nebulizers, rounds of steroids, but nothing helped. Desperate, she was willing to try acupuncture, which she had never had done before. After a full intake, we found that her cough would typically get a little worse around the holidays, when the grief of her son passing was heightened. In Chinese Medicine, grief is associated with the Lung. When grief is heightened, it will impact the function of the Lung, which is to descend and disperse Qi (energy). When this is dysfunctional, it leads to things like coughing. After just one treatment, she was able to see relief from her cough, and within four to six sessions, her cough went away. 

This is a clear example of doing everything to the letter with Western medicine. She was a compliant patient and did everything she was told to do, but did not see any relief from Western medicine interventions. Her doctors were a bit stumped, and to their credit, were very open to having her try acupuncture and Chinese medicine. 

What kinds of things have surprised you in terms of seeing results after treatments?

All kinds of things! I say this a lot, but I still get amazed at some of the results from these treatments.

A few notable outliers:

I had a patient who is a nurse practitioner who had ceaseless diarrhea for about two weeks. She did all of the Western medicine interventions and nothing was touching it. After taking an extensive intake about all of her symptoms (which were seemingly unrelated to just her bowel movements, such as emotional state, pulse, thirst levels, sleeping habits, etc.) we were able to tease out a diagnosis that aligned best with her symptoms. We did one treatment, and she had one good bowel movement, and then it came back. We did one more treatment, and the diarrhea was completely gone. 

A 30-year-old patient with hives all over her trunk. She had these hives for a few weeks. Taking antihistamines, assessing detergents/soaps, even deep cleaning her house were not changing it one bit. We did a treatment, and we could see the hives disappearing on the table while we were needling. After that session, they returned mildly for the rest of that day, and then after that were completely gone. 

A 42-year-old male patient came in with neck and shoulder tension that he had for at least four years. He had done seemingly everything—chiropractic, massage, rolfing, physical therapy—and none of it helped. After one session, he said that this was the best he had felt in years and felt 80% better. 

I think the coolest thing about my job is that people will come in feeling a bit hopeless, tired, frustrated that nothing is working, but walk out with renewed hope, possibility and hopefully with a little less pain than they walked in with. 

Given the current climate we are in, sometimes the day-to-day can feel really overwhelming. For those who may not be able to access acupuncture or even are afraid of needles, what other modalities of care do you recommend? 

Fear of needles is far more common than you may expect! I always talk you through what to expect before even needling you. Once I start needling, I can go at whatever pace is best for you; we can pause/stop at any time, and I’ll check in as often as you would like me to. However, there are a lot of other options/modalities at our disposal. Fascial Stretch Therapy is an excellent way to treat the whole body and is actually quite relaxing for your nervous system. Herbal teas and tinctures are another great way to treat a lot of ailments with the same framework as Acupuncture, but without having to use any needles. For example, chrysanthemum tea is an excellent way to help a lot of eye-related symptoms. Cupping, especially on the back, is a really excellent way to help release a lot of the stress we hold in our body. 

While I do believe that acupuncture, fascial stretch therapy, and cupping are all great modalities, I think one of the best benefits of treatment is sitting there and just relaxing. There are no distractions during your session. You simply get to sit there and just be. It is not uncommon for people to fall asleep during these sessions and even just that uninterrupted time can be really beneficial for people in the exhausting climate we are currently living in. 

Traditionally, acupuncture appointments can be pretty expensive. This pay wall may limit the ability for a lot of people to access the care that they need and deserve. Because of this, I will be implementing a “pay what you can,” sliding scale treatment day. This will be one Sunday a month, 30-45 minute sessions and you pay what you can. I wish I could do more, but at least this will be a good place to start! 

Where can people learn more about Synergistic Movement?

You can find us online, through our website, and on Instagram!

All photos by Becky Duffyhill. See more of her work here!