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Chinese Medicine Chakras
Having trouble getting good sleep? Fighting a lingering cough? Tried everything for your allergies? Pat Casello-Maddox, associate provost at Northwestern Health Sciences University, says we should consider traditional Chinese medicine remedies.
“Think about health care as a map of the United States,” says Casello-Maddox, who has been explaining the benefits of Chinese medicine for more than 30 years as a practitioner, teacher, and administrator. “Maybe it is showing me annual rainfall or density of population. Or it’s telling me what your political leaning is in that state. All of those are maps of the United States, but they tell you different things.”
It’s much the same with health care, she says. Different practitioners look at the same body from very different perspectives. “Health care has lots of different ways we could treat you.”
In Western medicine, difficulty sleeping might lead from your doctor’s office to a sleep center to determine if you have obstructive breathing, Casello-Maddox says. In that paradigm, you are likely to be prescribed medications and a CPAP machine to help you relax and sleep at night.
“I am going to take an approach that is different from the sleep center and medications,” she says, “because Chinese medicine allows me to give you herbs that have much less risk of having adverse effects. It’s also usually a less expensive option.”
When you suffer from allergies, Western medicine might lead you to try multiple brands of over-the-counter antihistamines that you end up taking for months at a time. Chinese medicine might employ acupuncture and herbal remedies for relief instead.
Addressing the aches and pains from snow shoveling might have you reaching for the ibuprofen bottle. Chinese medicine offers remedies such as cupping that are “wonderful at loosening up those tight muscles,” Casello-Maddox says of using strategically placed suction cups to relieve pain. “We use it a lot in the wintertime.”
Familiar yet different
An office visit to an acupuncturist or Chinese medicine practitioner begins like any other visit to a doctor. You fill out health and family history forms and talk about what brings you to the office today.
“Then we add onto that some other questions to give us further indication of what’s going on with your body,” Casello-Maddox says. “So, we look at the tongue, and we look at the pulse. The pulse kind of tells us what’s happening right now; the tongue gives us the longer-term view of the person.”
The treatment may include a combination of acupuncture, massage, herbs, yoga, meditation and cupping – to stimulate or calm your body’s energy (Chi). They might seem exotic but have been proven to be effective. Chinese medicine addresses all manner of health issues based on a root-and-branch treatment philosophy.
“We don’t just look at the immediate symptoms but at the underlying factors, and we try to prevent future occurrences as much as possible,” she says. “So, the branch is to give the medication to get immediate symptom relief. The root solution is to make your body stronger, so you are resistant to those things recurring.”
Where to start?
Casello-Maddox is quick to say that you can’t drop by the drugstore and self-medicate with Chinese herbs; you will need to see a practitioner to prescribe herbal remedies as part of a treatment plan.
Finding a practitioner is often accomplished with a referral. Casello-Maddox recommends:
- Checking the National Certification Center for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine website. It offers a free online list by zip code of every practitioner who has passed their national boards and is licensed
- Looking for practitioners who offer community sessions where you can try acupuncture in a public setting for a reduced cost
- Attending a NWHSU teaching clinic, where advanced interns and licensed supervisors provide care for a reduced price
Casello-Maddox points out that Chinese medicine is being integrated into traditional clinics and hospitals, and Chinese medicine practitioners also refer patients to Western medicine doctors.
“It’s our responsibility as licensed acupuncturists and professional health providers to determine what is in the best interest of our patient,” she says. “I think the patients really appreciate that, too."
Located in Bloomington, Northwestern Health Sciences University is a pioneer in integrative natural health care education, offering degree programs in chiropractic, acupuncture, Chinese medicine—including a new Doctor of Chinese Medicine—massage therapy, nutrition, post-bac, pre-health/pre-med, and B.S. completion. Its clinic is open to the public, and provides chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, cupping, and physical therapy.
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