Frustrated with costs and impersonal care, patients increasingly
turn to Eastern medicine
Whether it’s exercise or alternative medicine, more and more San
Benito County residents are looking to ancient Asian practices for
health and fitness.
Frustrated with costs and impersonal care, patients increasingly turn to Eastern medicine
Whether it’s exercise or alternative medicine, more and more San Benito County residents are looking to ancient Asian practices for health and fitness.
Robert Barry has been practicing acupuncture and therapeutic massage in Hollister since 2002, but he has been working as an acupuncturist since 1998. Barry said that interest in the practice is definitely growing and that new people come to him all the time looking for relief.
“People are turning toward eastern medicine because basically there is a health care crisis. People are dissatisfied with the level of health care they are receiving from doctors. They go to a doctor with a problem and immediately he throws a prescription at it. With acupuncture and alternative medicine it’s a lot more hands on,” Barry said.
He explained that on average a diagnostic visit with a doctor lasts seven-and-a-half minutes, whereas at his clinic the average diagnostic visit lasts 45 minutes. People like being with a health care professional on a more human level, Barry said.
Acupuncture is one of the five branches of traditional Chinese medicine, along with herbalism, massage, nutrition and so-called “energetic work” such as tai chi and qi gong, Barry said. It has been used for thousands of years to treat an array of ailments, from migraines to cancer.
Tiny needles as small as one-sixth of a millimeter are inserted into the skin along what are called “meridians,” or channels of energy. These meridians correlate with nerve pathways and connect to all areas of the body – the surface layers such as the skin and muscles, as well as deeper layers such as internal organs.
The theory is that when Qi, or energy, is flowing in a healthy, unencumbered manner, people are in a more balanced state of living. When Qi gets blocked or becomes stagnant due to injury or illness, needles are used to realign the body by influencing deeper physiological and cellular functioning of the body, said Barry.
“By pressing certain points you can influence the body’s cellular function, which begins the healing process,” Barry said.
Barry began studying acupuncture after suffering chronic back pain for 10 years and finally sought the assistance of an acupuncturist. After several treatments he was cured, he said.
Valerie Sheldon, a resident of Hollister has been using acupuncture for four years. She suffers from fibromyalgia – long-term, body-wide pain in joints, muscles, tendons and other soft tissues.
“The acupuncture really helps with the pain. Plus it’s totally relaxing. This really works wonders,” Sheldon said.
Pat Schleeter of Schleeter’s Academy of Martial Arts has been teaching martial arts for 19 years, but only more recently started offering classes in Korean tai chi, properly known as tae guk kwon.
Tai chi is a Chinese concept introduced in the late 1300s. It is often promoted and practiced as a martial arts therapy for the purposes of health and longevity – it is considered a soft style of martial art. An art applied with deep relaxation or “softness,” it can be beneficial for dexterity, balance and mental relaxation.
“Essentially, 20 percent of the world practices some form of tai chi,” Schleeter said. “I started out teaching the method as part of the curriculum for my advanced class. So that later in their training they learn the healing arts.”
Tae guk kwon has been shown to reduce stress and to help with overall well being, Schleeter said. Essentially it forces a person to take a break and practice deep breathing. When you breathe you are conscious of your body, Schleeter said.
After Schleeter began teaching the method to his martial arts students he decided that he would offer the class to people outside of his karate classes as well and now offers stand-alone tae guk kwon classes whenever demand is high enough.
He offers tae guk kwon courses in one-hour sessions with five or six sessions per course.
“The students always feel the benefits. Some of them tell me that they start their mornings each day practicing them,” Schleeter said.
He estimated that the enrollment in his classes has increased.
