For Kathleen Campbell, serving the public runs in the family.

The daughter of former New Mexico Gov. Jack M. Campbell says that she was greatly influenced by her father's work.

"I was always aware of the fact that my father was serving, working for the people of New Mexico," she says. "I was really influenced by the importance of service."

But Campbell hasn't chosen to serve the people of New Mexico through politics. Instead, she's opened an acupuncture clinic in an attempt to provide them with affordable health care.

Her clinic, Acupuncture Collective, uses a sliding scale to ensure that even Santa Feans with no health insurance or little money can afford to receive treatment. She does, however, accept Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth insurance.

Campbell's acupuncture is geared both toward those who want to achieve health and those who wish to maintain it. "The price is low, so they can come often," she says.

Her clinic uses a community setting — a traditional Asian treatment environment but a relatively new movement here in the states — to treat her patients. Eight comfortable chairs form a circle in the center of the clinic, where they can relax as soft music plays in the background.

"Treating patients in a community setting has many benefits," Campbell says. "It's easy for friends and family members to come in for treatment together, many patients find it comforting, and the collective energy can make individual treatments more powerful."

For patients who want a little more privacy, the clinic also has two tables separated by curtains.

Unlike many other acupuncturists, Campbell uses the Japanese method of acupuncture rather than the Chinese.

"I prefer Japanese-style acupuncture because it is more gentle," she says. "I wanted a style that suited my sensitivity and is still effective."

Acupuncture can be helpful for several health problems, including pain, chronic fatigue, and migraines, she said.

Campbell says that Eastern thought and medicine is a better fit for her way of thinking than its Western counterpart.

"Allopathic medicine is good for diagnosis, but sometimes falls short in treatment and management," Campbell says. "Eastern medicine addresses the cause of an imbalance. Western medicine addresses the symptoms."

But acupuncture wasn't always the route Campbell wanted to take. As a teenager, she played the drums and started an all-girl rock band called The 19th Amendment, which toured while she was still in high school. She later moved to New York City to continue with a music career, but soon changed her mind about that path.

"The lifestyle and hours of a musician are tough," she says. "Playing drums in a smoky bar is like jogging on a major freeway — after a while it's just not smart to do."

Campbell became interested in Eastern thought, and first studied massage in New York's Swedish Institute of Massage, but then moved back to Santa Fe to study acupuncture.

Campbell graduated from the International School of Chinese Medicine and apprenticed with acupuncturist Tom Duckworth for four years. She has been practicing acupuncture for 22 years.

She still plays the drums and is teaching herself to play the accordion.

Campbell says she enjoys helping people with their health through acupuncture.

"It addresses emotional problems, spiritual problems, and physical problems," Campbell says. "All those aspects are connected. There are so many ways of looking at illness and disease. It's very satisfying to see people getting better."