Well first of all, Jen, one of our acupuncturist/owners is a lefty.

Second, because of the importance of the left hand. The Japanese style of Kototama Inochi is one of ways Caroline practices acupuncture. In this style, the left hand is considered more important that the right hand. The right hand is used to insert the acupuncture needle. However, it is the left hand that feels the Qi of the patient rising to meet the needle. It also makes the connection between the acupuncturist and the person receiving treatment.

Third, with our name we pay tribute to Chief Left Hand, for which Left Hand Canyon, northwest of Boulder is named. North of Lafayette, the town of Niwot (“Left Hand” in the Arapahoe language) also bears his name. Chief Left Hand was the leader of the Southern Arapahoe tribe. He was a man of peace who strove for harmony between the Native Americans and the white settlers. The strife between the two groups eventually ended in the tragedy of the Sand Creek Massacre. For more about Chief Left Hand we recommend Margaret Coel’s fascinating account of his life and the struggles of his people, Chief Left Hand: Southern Arapaho.

Some interesting facts about left-handed people:

• Only seven to ten percent of the adult population is left-handed.
• Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater.
• Higher levels of auto-immune disorders and learning disabilities have been tied to left-handedness. However, left-handers also show a higher degree of spatial ability, mathematical thinking and creativity.
• Left-handers excel particularly in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing.
• Peoples of the Andes consider that lefthanders possess special spiritual abilities, including magic and healing.
• Four of the five original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed.
• One in four Apollo astronauts were left-handed - 250% more than the normal level.

A Few Famous Lefties:

• Gerald Ford
• Ronald Reagan
• George H.W. Bush
• Bill Clinton
• Barack Obama
• Joan of Arc, French heroine
• Lloque Yapanqui, Inca monarch
• Alexander the Great
• Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor
• Julius Caesar, Roman general
• Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer
• Helen Keller, advocate for the blind
• Edward R. Murrow, correspondent
• Ted Koppel, journalist
• Jay Leno, host
• John Wesley Hardin, Western gunslinger
• Bart Simpson, cartoon character
• Lewis Carroll
• H.G. Wells
• Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, composer
• David Byrne (Talking Heads)
• Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
• Dick Dale (guitarist)
• Jimi Hendrix
• Chuck Mangione, trumpet
• Paul McCartney (the Beatles; Wings)
• Robert Plant (Led Zepplin)
• Albrecht Dürer
• M.C. Escher
• Paul Klee
• Michelangelo
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Dan Aykroyd
• Carol Burnett
• George Burns, comedian
• Charlie Chaplin
• Tom Cruise
• Matt Dillon
• Robert DeNiro
• W.C. Fields
• Greta Garbo
• Whoopie Goldberg
• Cary Grant
• Kermit the Frog
• Rock Hudson
• Angelina Jolie
• Steve McQueen
• Marcel Marceau, mime
• Harpo Marx
• Marilyn Monroe
• Kim Novak
• Richard Pryor, comedian
• Robert Redford
• Julia Roberts
• Mickey Rourke
• Eva Marie Saint
• Jerry Seinfeld, comedian
• Dick Smothers, comedian
• Brent Spiner
• Emma Thompson
• Bruce Willis
• Oprah Winfrey
• Joanne Woodward
• Greg Louganis (diving)
• Mark Spitz (swimming)
• Bruce Jenner (decathlon)
• Dorothy Hamill (skating)
• Marvin Hagler (boxing)
• Oscar de la Hoya (boxing)
• Norman "Boomer" Esiason (Am.football)
• John McEnroe (tennis)
• Martina Navratilova (tennis) - ambidexterous
• Monica Seles (tennis)
• "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (baseball)
• Reggie Jackson (baseball)
• Babe Ruth (baseball)
• Casey Stengel (baseball)
• Darryl Strawberry (baseball)
• Ted Williams (baseball)