PULSE / Health
How do you describe a typical acupuncture treatment?
NS: The patient first fills out a form listing all areas of his or her con- cern. The typical treatment takes about one hour and is tailored to each patient based on the diagnosis of the patient using the Chinese eight principals and pulses. This is followed by the symptomatic stage of the treatment which is usually the part that treats the patient’s pain.
Acupuncture Please provide an overview of acupuncture.
NS: Acupuncture is a complete system of medicine based on the 12 dif- ferent regular meridians in the human body. The name of each merid- ian is derived from its pertaining organ. If the energy or Qi (pronounced “chee”) circulating or flowing through these meridians becomes blocked or stagnant, it causes varying amounts of pain or other symptoms. When a person is in balance, he or she does not get sick. In China when the patient gets sick, they fire their doctor because he or she is supposed to keep the patient well.
TE: Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient healing art that assists your body in allowing wellness. Any time there is pain in the body, it’s due to stagnation of Qi and/or blood. Acupunc- ture works to eliminate this stagnation, allowing the body to move in the direction of health, wellness, and balance. Acupuncture is a great, drug-free way to assist the body in regaining balance and health without side effects.
What is the purpose of acupuncture treatments?
NS: The purpose is to remove blockage, stagnation, eliminate pain, and improve Qi flow in the channels to balance the patient and to eliminate other symptoms.
TE: Acupuncture treatment allows the body to move in the direction of balance, health, and wellness without the use of harmful pharmaceuti- cals or radically invasive medical procedures.
TE: In my office, a typical acupuncture treatment consists of a brief question and answer period that allows me to arrive at a TCM di- agnosis. I use the TCM diagnosis to formulate a personalized treat- ment plan that includes acupuncture points, possibly TuiNa (Chinese massage) to address pain complaints, Chinese herbs if appropriate, recommendations for diet and exercise adjustment, and sometimes home treatments such as hydrotherapy or meditation. The acupunc- ture needles stay in place between 20-45 minutes depending on the individual patient.
What leads a client to seek out acupuncture for their ailments? Compiled by: Nathan Steere While no health practice is a “poster child” for alterna-
tive medicine, acupuncture is probably the closest. The prac- tice comes up on television and in movies any time the director wants to convey a treatment that is foreign or unusual. Yet for all of its exotic allure, acupuncture continues to grow in pop- ularity in the United States as a possible solution for people seeking relief that does not involve pills or surgery. Given its reputation for helping patients who are suffering from chronic pain, it’s not surprising that with a majority of senior citizens, Naples is home to many practicing acupuncturists. We turned to Doctors of Oriental Medicine (DOM), Dr. Nicholas Shirghio and Toni Eatros, to learn more.
NS: Patients seek out acupuncture for different reasons – recommenda- tions from friends or others who have experienced successful healing, or because they’ve been told surgery is required for their ailment. Per- haps the patient has already had surgery and acupuncture is the “last resort”. Unfortunately, the latter reason is the most prevalent.
TE: Many come only after they have unsuccessfully tried to treat their ailments with standard medical approaches. These patients are often on a variety of pharmaceuticals that only mask the original ailment, and often have caused side effects that have decreased the patient’s quality of life. In my opinion, if a person would visit an acupunctur- ist at the first sign of an imbalance or symptom, their ailment could often be successfully treated with minimal visits and without the use of harmful medications.
What do you think is the role of acupuncture in the modern world?
NS: I believe that acupuncture bridges the gap between western or conventional medicine by successfully eliminating pain or other ill- ness, and by referring patients who would be better treated by more conventional modalities.
TE: Many patients are very disenchanted with the current medical model and approach to health care. If you don’t want to take prescrip- tion medication or have surgery, then acupuncture can be of great benefit.
Although there’s growing evidence for its effectiveness, I’m sure you meet plenty of skeptics. How do you react to those who aren’t convinced?
NS: Positive results are the best evidence of effectiveness and will make believers out of the skeptics. TE: I practice a technique called the Balance Method. When I use
this method on a non-believer who has elbow pain, they become instant believers because after I insert the correct needle in the opposite knee, the pain is reduced within seconds to minutes. It is extremely hard to remain skeptical when the elbow pain has gone from 8/10 to 3/10 with- in one to two minutes of having the needle inserted.
What do you say to individuals considering acupuncture, but who are scared or worried?
NS: Don’t let uncertainties stand in the way of healing; after all, acu- puncture does no harm and has no side effects when administered by a qualified practitioner. The hair-like needles are one-use, disposable,
14 | Pulse Magazine SWFL
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