The New Wave in Wellness

Alternative Therapies like Massage, Hypnosis and Acupuncture are Yielding Real Results

If there was a chance you could reduce pain, alleviate stress and improve nearly every function in your body — without a trip to the pharmacy — would you be interested?

Odds are, most of us would jump at the thought of pitching a few pill bottles from the medicine cabinet. Maybe that’s why alternative therapies and integrative, drug-free medicine options are becoming more popular with patients around metro Detroit.

At least that’s what Gail Elliott-Patricolo of Beaumont Health System says. She’s the director of Beaumont’s Integrative Medicine program, which offers a number of programs for patients, including yoga, naturopathy, Reiki and clinical massage. One of the most popular options with patients, she said, is acupuncture therapy.

“The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture (as beneficial) for just about every bodily function. It can help with the reduction of pain, infertility, treat urology issues, gastrointestinal issues, migraines, neuromuscular problems. The list goes on and on for the successes of acupuncture,” said Elliott-Patricolo.

The idea of acupuncture, she explained, is that cells in the human body contain huge amounts of energy, and our bodies are composed entirely of those cells. So when acupuncture needles are strategically placed on certain nerves, they act as something of a receptor, encouraging the brain to direct healing to that area.

The hospital’s Reiki services work in a similar way, with gentle touch on or even placing hands just above an affected part of the body, drawing energy to that area to promote restoration.

Beaumont has seven acupuncturists on staff and, in February, booked 800 appointments for the therapy. The ancient Chinese methodology is quickly picking up popularity in the United States among many physicians.

“The hospital now supports it for its employees, which is very exciting to me. Insurance in some states already covers acupuncture. I think we’re going to see more and more of that in mainstream medicine,” said Elliot-Patricolo.

Source of the story is  here.