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Still far from mainstream in America, acupuncture is one of many Eastern-born practices making their way from the big cities to suburban areas such as Cary.
Along with other Chinese traditions and practices, acupuncture was highlighted during the notoriously reclusive country’s “coming out” party as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ancient practice of using needles to treat ailments originated thousands of years ago in China.
If not yet mainstream, Richard Shwery said the practice has become much more widespread than when he sought treatment as a teen, or even since he started studying it in Los Angeles.
While Westerners might envision relaxation and ultra-thin needles from the few images we’ve seen, just what is acupuncture, and what do those needles do?
A different approach
Acupuncture is a system of medicine, quite different from the Western approach, that focuses on “treating the whole person,” Shwery said. When the peripheral nerves are stimulated with needles, that in turn activates changes in the brain, which then signals positive changes in functions of organs throughout the body.
The idea of acupuncture is not new to Stephanie Smith. She said she has long been “sold” on the benefits.
That’s partially because she was introduced through circumstance. A friend was studying acupuncture some 30 years ago, and Smith said sometimes she would be the “guinea pig.”
“I just saw the benefits early on,”
Smith said.
Smith, a mediator for custody cases and a Raleigh resident, has used the treatments for everything from thyroid problems to digestive and joint problems.
She still sees Western doctors, but she said the acupuncturists she has seen have helped educate her “on the role I can play in my own health.” Smith currently is seeing Cary acupuncturist Huijeong “C.J.” Choe.
Choe, who is from South Korea, had an uncle who was a well-known acupuncturist there.
Choe studied in New York; he and his family moved to Cary less than a year ago.
He said patients often seek him out when other treatments haven’t been successful.
“They’ve tried everything they know of and it failed or doesn’t work as much as they want it to,” Choe said.
Richard Shwery said he sees patients who have a personal commitment not to take medicine if they can avoid it, and others who are referrals from clients who have had success with treatment.
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It spreads by word of mouth. We also get physician referrals,” he said.
Treating ailments from A To Z
Frozen shoulder, menstral cramps, headaches, back and neck pain, insomnia and depression are among a short list of treatable ailments, acupuncturists say.
Although Richard Shwery adds, “acupuncture helps a lot of people, it doesn’t work for everybody.”
It has worked for Yvonne Cropp of Raleigh. A patient of Bonnie Shwery, Cropp has had such noticeable improvements in her health that she has told several friends about it.
“As far as I know they’re all still going” for treatment, Cropp said.
Acupuncture treatments supplemented by Chinese herbal medicine have helped Cropp, a personal trainer and yoga teacher, with irritable bowel syndrome, a fairly common ailment. She says she is doing so well she is in “maintenance mode,” with acupuncture monthly and the herbs in between.
Cropp, 39, said she also suffered from a very rare but painful female disorder known as vulvodynia since her teens. Cropp said the disorder is often misdiagnosed. She has been pain free for about a year.
Cropp said she thinks people don’t really need to understand acupuncture to reap the benefits. “There’s a lot of mystery [among nonpractitioners] around what do the needles do,” she said.
Practitioners say acupuncture does not promise a cure for chronic illnesses, but management ? reduction of pain and inflammation, for example. Noticeable results could take a few or several visits.
One reason the medical practice has not become more widespread is that many insurance companies don’t cover treatments, so it remains an out-of-pocket expense for many.
It is an expense Smith is willing to bear. With an acupuncturist, “I never feel my ailments or symptoms are being dismissed,” she said. “Somebody is listening.”
Some states such as California, where many insurance companies pay for treatments, are more progressive than North Carolina, where they are not covered by most companies.
Although Cropp said her treatments for IBS are being covered by her insurance company.
Whether one is forking out the money or not, a visit involving needles can be intimidating. Bonnie Shwery said that the feeling usually quickly dissipates.
“The needles are hair thin. People don’t feel much. They’re resting; many people fall asleep,” she said.
On their Web site, the Shwerys link to several studies that have been done that show benefits from acupuncture, such as increased levels of endorphines ? the “feel good” hormone.
“The prestigious National Institutes of Health held a Consensus Conference in 1997 and, after examining over 2,300 published studies, concluded that acupuncture was clearly effective for many conditions,” their Web site, acupuncturecenterofcary.com, states.
Cropp doesn’t need studies. For her, the bottom line is results.
Where to try it
Huijeong “C.J.” Choe can be reached at Eastern Acupuncture, 1340 S.E. Maynard Road Suite 203 in Cary. 388-1889.
Richard and Bonnie Shwery can be reached at Acupuncture Center of Cary,
874 Walnut St. Suite 320. 461-0730 or acupuncturecenterofcary.com.
Contact Wendy Lemus at 919-460-2605 or wlemus@nando.com.
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