Acupuncture gets its overdue respect

Acupuncture gets its overdue respect

RACINE COUNTY — When Arthur Shattuck first came to Racine some 27 years ago as Racine’s first acupuncturist, some people he encountered were not even sure what acupuncture was.

That’s not the case anymore as even physicians and oncologists at local hospitals increasingly refer patients to him at Roots and Legends Chinese Medicine at 3209 Washington Ave. in West Racine. And that’s a common experience among other acupuncturists in the Racine area as knowledge and acceptance of the ancient Eastern form of healing spreads among the public in general.

Acupuncture incorporates the use of needles to stimulate pressure in points of the body and that has been found to provide relief for — and in some cases remedies — a whole host of ailments, from psychological disorders, to stress, to joint and muscle pain to gastrointestinal disorders even to cancer and erectile dysfunction, local practitioners say.

The needles

Many people are aware of the needle aspect of acupuncture and wonder whether it’s painful, how long a treatment takes and whether it is affordable.

“Just because you’re sticking needles in people, it’s interesting to people, it catches your eye,” says Keith Garofalo, who operates Red Dragon Acupuncture at 4401 Taylor Ave. near the Georgetown area.

But Shattuck and Garofalo say the needles don’t cause any more pain than a pinch or a mosquito bite. They are small, sterile and disposed of after use. A small discharge of capillary blood is not uncommon.

“We’re accustomed to the huge hypodermic and something that’s big and hollow and either shoving something into our body or taking something out,” said Christie Kern at Racine Community Acupuncture, 10502 Northwestern Ave. in Franksville. The needles acupuncturists use are “tiny and not hollow, so generally you don’t feel it. I always say that If you’re uncomfortable let me know and I’ll fix it.”

The typical treatment with the needles inserted lasts about 45 minutes, the local practitioners said. And once complete, the patients may not only be feeling relief for their ailments but also enjoying a side effect of the release of endorphins to the brain.

“There is such a relaxing side effect from it, people just sort of float out of here,” Shattuck said. “And sometimes people do it (acupuncture) just to relax.”

At Racine Community Acupuncture, Kern encourages people to doze a bit after their treatments.

Return visits

Does acupuncture require ongoing return visits? Shattuck says if he can’t provide some change in feeling or condition in six treatments, he will refer his patients to other kinds of treatments. Kern’s clinic is a walk-in facility, where patients come and go as they please. And Garafalo says it is up to the patient, but says he does think ongoing therapy is beneficial.

“How often do you want to feel good? All the time? Or just every once in a while? Every six months?” Garofalo asks.

One of Garofalo’s patients, Katie Taylor, 38, of Racine, says she does note differences when she does not see Garofalo regularly for her joint pain issues.

“I no longer take any pain medications or any of the medications I used to take just by having acupuncture once a week,” said Taylor, who previously saw a rheumatologist for her pain. “I highly recommend it. I already have a friend who comes here and another who is thinking about it.”

Eastern medicine

For Shattuck and Garofalo, acupuncture is just one of their healing tools. Shattuck focuses first on diet and herbs before turning to needles. Garofalo also incorporates massage, physical exercise and movement like tai chi, and even cupping, which works like a suction to pull up layers of the skin to allow better circulation to disperse metabolic waste.

At Racine Community Acupuncture in Franksville, Christie Kern turns to the needle first, but also hosts seminars on other forms of spiritual and metaphysical healing and lifestyle practices.

Despite different approaches, all three acupuncturists note that in China, acupuncture and other ancient Eastern healing techniques tend to be the first path toward healing as opposed to Western medicine which relies heavily on prescriptions and surgery.

“If you go to a hospital like Froedtert (in China), there’s probably 800 acupuncturists, 800 herbalists and one guy down the hall doing Western medicine. It’s just the opposite of here,” said Shattuck, who has done 20 internships at Chinese hospitals “The World Health Organization of the U.N. recommends acupuncture as the first line of defense for 50 different ailments as opposed to Western medicine.”

So does it work?

The benefits of acupuncture are becoming more accepted in Western culture so that now even the Harvard Medical School has acupuncturists on staff. Shattuck, while acknowledging that acupunture “won’t grow back an arm,” says he has seen a 70 percent success rate in his practice. Kern believes that 100 percent success rate is possible, depending on the will of the patient.

“It certainly can stop the progression of any disease and often reverse it,” said Garofalo. “There really is very little acupuncture can’t help with if you’re a good practitioner and you understand what you’re doing. You can’t fix everything 100 percent, but it certainly can help with most conditions.”

Source of the story is here.