The Villages - August 2022 - 17
The Rise of Alternative Medicine
Several decades ago, modalities such as herbalism,
acupuncture and even yoga and tai chi were less
popular in the Western world, and in some cases, even
taboo. Many people were skeptical of the unknown, and
unwilling to test the waters.
However, studies published in the National Library of
Medicine say the use of complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) in the American adult population
increased substantially during the 1990s. Acupuncture,
massage and chiropractic care were making an
impression, attracting public attention and the interest
of modern researchers. Cheshire believes the opioid
epidemic spurred awareness of alternative health options.
Evidence-Based Treatment
Acupuncture is considered safe when administered by
a well-trained practitioner, and cost-effective for various
conditions.
According to
the Acupuncture Evidence Project,
the following conditions were positively treated by
acupuncture or shown to potentially improve with
treatment: knee osteoarthritis, migraine prevention,
neck pain, obesity, post-traumatic stress disorder, restless
leg syndrome, sciatica, shoulder pain, stroke rehabilitation,
smoking cessation and more.
In Cheshire's office, acupuncture treatments are administered
via thin, sterile needles. Historically, acupuncturists
worked to balance the flow of energy in the body by inserting
the needles into strategic points believed to stimulate
health and help prevent disease. According to John Hopkins
Medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe
the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points
connected by pathways or meridians. Cheshire's integrative
health approach is more straight forward.
" It should be relatively painless when I do it, and the first
thing I'm doing is lengthening muscles in the body, " he said.
" So, if you've got neck pain and back pain, spasms - it's
going to lengthen the muscles and increase microcirculation
blood flow to areas to help areas so you can heal faster and
experience less inflammation. It causes the body to release
more endorphins and serotonin, dopamine. "
By triggering the nervous system to produce pain-fighting
chemicals in the body, acupuncture may not only help ease
pain, but also reduce feelings of depression and leave patients
feeling more energetic.
MAGAZINE
17
" I've been doing this for 22 years, " he said. " When
I first graduated from school, (acupuncture) was fairly
popular but when the problems with opioids began,
people were really enlightened, and said, 'Oh, no, we
need to do something.' That's when acupuncture really
became more popular - not just here, but around the
country. "
Many health insurance companies now provide
coverage for patients.
" And more doctors started saying, 'Okay, let's work
with this,' and now, it's like anything - word of mouth
and referrals; acupuncture is getting more press as more
people do it, it's becoming less foreign. "
The Villages - August 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - August 2022
Contents
The Villages - August 2022 - Cover1
The Villages - August 2022 - Contents
The Villages - August 2022 - 1
The Villages - August 2022 - 2
The Villages - August 2022 - 3
The Villages - August 2022 - 4
The Villages - August 2022 - 5
The Villages - August 2022 - 6
The Villages - August 2022 - 7
The Villages - August 2022 - 8
The Villages - August 2022 - 9
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The Villages - August 2022 - 11
The Villages - August 2022 - 12
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