by Sue Staropoli, M.A.

Featured Healing Modality: Acupuncture.
Featured practitioner: Pat Callahan, Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist

Acupuncture For Health: Margie's Story

Many people turn to complementary health care as a last resort - when they have unsuccessfully tried everything else western medicine has to offer to deal with their health challenges.

How refreshing it is to hear the story of a young woman, Margie - a medical student in the process of becoming a western doctor - who says her "main reason for seeing (her acupuncturist) was really health maintenance - to keep my internal organs functioning at their optimal level and to protect them from damage due to my often sleepless and stressful life as a student."

So what is it about acupuncture that has such a significant effect preventively? As Margie described: "it would help me stay healthy during medical school, and help me to feel relaxed so that I could be more focused while I studied."

Pat Callahan, a licensed acupuncturist who is certified in Oriental medicine and Chinese Herbology, explained that acupuncture is based on the understanding that "the body is not just skin, bones, muscles, nerves, blood. We are energy beings with specific channels for this energy to flow through our bodies. Dis-ease is blockage or imbalance in these channels of energy. The approach of Oriental Medicine is to determine where this imbalance is - whether it is an excess, deficiency, external invasion - what role is played by emotions, diet, activity. We ask so many questions to try to determine the root cause of a problem - not just treat the symptoms. This medicine affects the mind, body and spirit."

Acupuncture is one component of the broader medical system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), "a well of medical knowledge gained from over 4,000 years of observation, investigation and clinical experience." (For more information see www.medicinechinese.com)
TCM is a complicated system that requires extensive training - to learn firstly, the basic principles that underlie the system (Yin and Yang, Five Elements, The Vital Substances, Meridians, The Zangfu System, The Causes of Disharmony);secondly, how to diagnose within this system (internal causes, external causes, miscellaneous causes) and thirdly, treatment (Acupuncture, Herbology, Tuina (massage), Qigong, Diet Therapy).

Margie's story is unique in that she has experienced acupuncture since she was a child. At the age of 6, her mother took her for acupuncture as a means to address the presenting problem of a skin condition, after western dermatology treatments (which included a daily regimen of creams and baths in tar) were only minimally effective. A patient and thoughtful acupuncturist first worked with moxabustion on her (a therapeutic use of dried herbs burned near the acupuncture points on the body) and slowly introduced her to needling.

Margie says she has had 5 acupuncturists - "one for every place I have lived. Each one is very different in style and effect, and it has been interesting to compare them."

When Margie first came to Pat Callahan, she had stiffness in her back and rosacea - but her main reason was health maintenance. The holistic nature of Pat's work is clear as Margie describes the thorough interview process before each treatment - discussing her general health concerns, how things are going in her life, etc. Margie reports: "Usually this takes a few minutes because I have learned to become mindful of every change in my body, from sleep patterns to appetite for certain foods, to bowel movements - so I take time to report them all to Pat."

Pat takes pulses, makes assessments and then puts in the needles and allows Margie to relax for 30-40 minutes. "At first, (as always) it is hard for me to relax and just allow the treatment to sink in, but before I know it, I am in a very deep state of relaxation. It is a very efficient way to take the body to a state where it can work on healing and restoring itself." Margie receives treatments about once a month - usually immediately following a college exam. "While most of my friends were off drinking beer or going out to eat for burgers after the exam, I was on the acupuncture table, in a deeply restorative sleep, allowing the needles to bring my exhausted organs back to normal functioning."

That is one of the key elements of all forms of complementary health care, the core belief in the self-healing power of our body, mind and spirit - and the importance of making choices that will bring us the peace of mind and body that we need for the vitality and longevity we desire.

Margie, like many of us who are receiving the benefits of complementary healing modalities, recognizes that there is no one modality or treatment that is the solution to our health concerns, and that many factors affect our state of health and mind. Besides acupuncture, she has incorporated daily yoga practice, dietary changes, herbal formulas, and a positive attitude into her lifestyle. "I have learned that even if there is nothing 'wrong' with me by Western medical standards, there is a spectrum of health - and I want to take care of my body now so that I will always be on the 'optimal health' side of the scale. Most importantly, though, it has given me a deep respect and appreciation for other cultures and their 'different ways of seeing and understanding the world.'"

Margie's father was a Western MD and wanted nothing to do with acupuncture and other healing modalities, while her mother was open-minded and allowed Margie to "grow up with acupuncture as a central healing modality." "This dichotomy was interesting to me, and had a major influence on how I decided to structure my life and work." She is pursuing a degree in western medicine - but at a school (U of R) that has a "tradition in teaching medicine through a biopsychosocial model which essentially dictates that you need to look at the whole person - including his or her emotions and relationships - in order to fully understand and treat the disease process."

As Marge reflects on this experience, she describes, gratefully, "I feel like I can count on Pat with my health needs - that she really is a partner in taking care of my body. I appreciate how Pat educates me about the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine…gives me handouts…and lets me come to my own conclusions in my daily life or medical treatment…. Also, just last week, I came to her office without an appointment because of intestinal discomfort due to antibiotics I was taking. Pat treated me right there on the spot - she understood that I needed help. I was moved by her willingness to accommodate my immediate health needs in spite of her busy schedule. I wonder, will I be able to treat my patients in the future with the same kind of understanding and responsiveness? I hope so."

Pat reflects: "Margie is a pleasure to work with. It is a pleasure to work with someone who is so aware. She knows when she is out of harmony and when it is time for a treatment. She pays attention to what is different and always feels better after the treatments. Again, I am excited to be working with someone who is going into Western Medicine with such a foundation of the effectiveness of Eastern Medicine. She will be a wonderful ally in the Western world because she will have had experience in the blend of the best of both worlds."

The blend of East and West. That is a wonderful challenge to us all. Not to think self-righteously that any one modality, or any one way of looking at things is the answer. Margie reminds us of the importance of prevention and remaining open to the many ways to stay healthy, reduce stress and make choices that nurture our body, mind and spirit.

Aren't we blessed to have such an open young woman in our next generation of doctors!

Thank you Margie and Pat for sharing your experience with us!

*Margie is not her real name.

Reprinted with permission from Nature's Wisdom Magazine.
Volume I / Issue V (Early Autumn 2003)