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Healing touches

From acupuncture to massage, traditional Chinese medicine has taken hold in the West.

By NANCY PARADIS
Published September 5, 2006

In 1971, acupuncture was relatively unknown outside Asia. That's when the front page of the New York Times carried an article by White House correspondent James Reston on receiving the treatment for pain after an emergency appendectomy in China.

But roughly 2.1-million U.S. adults reported having used acupuncture in 2001, the most recent year for which statistics are available, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

There currently are 287 state-licensed acupuncturists in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Citrus and Hernando counties.

One of the oldest healing modalities - it dates back several thousand years - traditional Chinese medicine (often termed TCM by practitioners and patients) comprises five branches:

* Acupuncture, which is what most people associate with Chinese medicine. In Florida, these practitioners must be licensed by a state agency.

* Herbal therapy.

* Tui na (massage and manipulation).

* Exercise therapy.

* Diet therapy.

'An odd language'

Based in Taoist philosophy, TCM views a person as a unified energy system, in which the body and mind balance each other. It takes a holistic approach to health and disease, treating the whole person.

This is in contrast to the most common allopathic (Western) medicine - which is perhaps 200 years old and treats isolated illnesses and diseases and their symptoms.

"Traditional Chinese medicine speaks an odd language," says Robert Linde, an acupuncture physician at Acupuncture & Herbal Therapy in St. Petersburg.

At its most basic, TCM aims to restore balance between yin and yang, described as complementary opposites. Linde, a member of the American Herbalists Guild, says his job is to help create that balance in patients, allowing their bodies to heal.

Ideally, he would prefer not to see patients in crisis but rather to teach them how to be well.

"TCM won't cure cancer, although it can alleviate the side effects of treatment," says Jeff McConnell, who uses acupuncture among other complementary or alternative modalities in his clinic, Hands for Healing, Needles of Light, in St. Petersburg.

"But a person whose body is in balance is less likely to develop health problems."

A consultation with a TCM practitioner can be quite different from walking into a medical doctor's office: The diagnostic methods acupuncturists and herbalists use include examining the tongue, taking the pulse, looking at the skin and asking questions that might seem irrelevant, such as whether you prefer hot or cold weather. They also have learned in their training to use the senses of hearing and smelling.

A good TCM practitioner often will recommend that their patients go to an M.D. for lab and other diagnostic tests.

Examining the five branches

Acupuncture: Hair-thin needles, generally 10 to 20, are inserted in the body at specific points according to the diagnosis. The stainless steel, one-time-use needles are manipulated to unblock and stimulate the flow of energy and thus restore balance to the body. They can be left in place from 10 minutes up to an hour. Acupuncture is considered particularly useful for acute and chronic pain, as well as gastrointestinal, gynecological and other problems.

Herbal therapy: While herbs have been used for thousands of years all over the world, in Chinese medicine they are often combined in specific formulas based on the diagnosis. Given that certain herbs can interact with medications, it is important to let your medical doctor know if you are taking, or plan to take, any herbal formulas. Seek reliable sources for herbal preparations, as purity and potency can vary.

Tui na ("twee nah"): This therapy uses a variety of massage techniques, acupressure (using pressure rather than needles) and cupping (drawing out toxins through the use of suction cups).

Exercise therapy: This generally focuses on tai chi (a series of flowing movements designed to improve flexibility and relax the mind), and chi kung (breathing exercises in standing or sitting poses).

Diet therapy: The use of food as medicine in TCM does not look at the Western concepts of vitamins, minerals, etc., but at the energetic properties of food, such as whether it's warming or cooling.

For more information

The Florida Department of Health's Board of Acupuncture licenses acupuncturists. Information can be found at www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/praes/index.html, or call 850 488-0595.

* Robert Linde, Acupuncture & Herbal Therapy; www.acuherbals.com, (727) 551-0857.

* Jeff McConnell, Hands for Healing, Needles of Light; www.handsforhealing. net, (727) 823-9000.

* The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is part of the National Institutes of Health; nccam.nih.gov/

* www.acupuncture.com

Nancy Paradis can be reached at (727) 893-8342 or nparadis@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 5, 2006, 06:32:29]