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<\/a>\u201cThe first time I walked in here, my back pain was at a seven and my knee was at an eight. I walked out, and my pain was at a two,\u201d said longtime patient Jesse Whitemire, USAF, Ret. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t miss [my treatments] for anything, because I know I\u2019m going to feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 1969, Whitemire has been through more than 30 surgeries related to a host of sports injuries. He has had surgery on both knees, both hips, his shoulders, and ankles, and had the prescription list to match. One of the benefits to his acupuncture treatments has been going from six to eight Percocet tablets a day to one to two tablets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so pleased about that,\u201d Whitemire said.<\/p>\n
Needles in a nutshell<\/strong><\/p>\n Acupuncture is a 3,000-year-old healing technique of traditional Chinese medicine, according to the UC San Diego\u2019s Center for Integrative Medicine. It operates from the philosophy that the universe, and the body, consist of energy in two opposing forces: yin and yang. When the forces are in balance, the body is healthy.<\/p>\n The forces stay balanced by a constant flow of energy, or qi (pronounced \u201cchee\u201d), along specific pathways, or meridians, through the body. If the flow of energy gets blocked, like water getting stuck behind a dam, the disruption can lead to pain, lack of function or illness. The Center describes acupuncture therapy as releasing blocked qi, stimulating function and evoking the body\u2019s natural healing response.<\/p>\n Acupuncture stimulates specific sites on the body, known as acupoints or pressure points, to access the meridian and change the flow of energy. It operates under the belief that the body is a connected web \u2013 to work on your feet, for example, a clinician might stimulate a point on your ear. One of the first steps of diagnosis at the clinic is to look at a patient\u2019s tongue \u2013 the landscape of the top of their tongue is like a roadmap to what is going on within the body.<\/p>\n Stimulation is most commonly done through the insertion of fine needles into the skin. But it\u2019s not one-size-fits-all for the needles. There are long ones and short ones, thicker ones and thinner ones, and even different size handles.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re tools \u2013 just like you would use a Phillips screwdriver or a traditional screwdriver in different situations,\u201d Erin Raskin explained. Raskin is one of the supervisors of the Veterans Clinic and a faculty member at PCOM.<\/p>\n Raskin also emphasized the importance of self-care from the patient and taking a look at the whole person \u2013 the yang sheng.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just address the back pain and get out the door,\u201d Raskin said. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole person that\u2019s attached to that back. We\u2019re trying to empower the patient him or herself.\u201d<\/p>\n Her counterpart, Christin Cronin, put it this way concerning the hour-long treatment philosophy: \u201cIt does matter what you do the other 23 hours of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n When they were working with Rhonda Klumph to get her stomach in balance \u2013 after a foot <\/em>surgery, Klumph\u2019s stomach was so acidic she couldn\u2019t eat anything but mashed potatoes for three months \u2013 the treatment included more than needles on acupoints.<\/p>\n Klumph was given specific recipes and healing foods to bring her digestive system back in balance. Now she is back to eating a normal meal again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great success,\u201d Klumph grinned.<\/p>\n She also shared how acupuncture has helped her with back and foot pain. Excruciating back pain is what first brought Klumph to the clinic. After the needling, she was sent home with \u201cseeds\u201d in her ear \u2013 tiny black seeds from the vaccaria plant or small pellets that are taped on the ear over specific acupressure points.<\/p>\n \u201cI would push on them and feel the pain just melt away,\u201d Klumph said. \u201cThey were placed in the perfect spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Many patients also emphasized how acupuncture affects their sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cI go home [after my treatments] and I sleep so well, so comfortable,\u201d Susan Inumerable said.<\/p>\n Inumerable\u2019s husband, Jerry, is retired Air Force and she works as a nurse. They both come for concerns with their neck, shoulders, and rotator cuff. Inumberable also used to suffer from plantar fasciitis in her feet, but that has been completely cured, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes no sense to a Western trained nurse how [acupuncture] works, but it does,<\/em>\u201d Susan said.<\/p>\n Just for military<\/strong><\/p>\n Although PCOM has several externship clinics and works with many unique populations, the clinic in Linda Vista is specifically offered for the military. Cronin served in the Marine Corps and after being on the faculty of PCOM, noticed the need for a military-centered clinic.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw just how creative military members got to treat their pain,\u201d Cronin said. \u201cThis is a different way in which to take care of them.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that it\u2019s not that current military medicine doesn\u2019t want to help; it\u2019s a question of resources. The PCOM Veterans Clinic offers another resource.<\/p>\n The clinic is available for the military and their attached family. Raskin and Cronin both emphasized the symbiotic relationship and the importance of a support system for the service members.<\/p>\n Treatments are offered free of charge. PCOM provides the supplies, American Legion Post 731 donates the space, and the students volunteer their time as part of their clinic hours.<\/p>\n Senior Abby Fleisner said she chose to complete her hours at an offsite clinic, such as the veterans one, instead of the in-house PCOM student clinic because of what the clinicians are exposed to.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are all different kinds of stories, of scenarios, that you wouldn\u2019t see [in the school clinic],\u201d Fleisner said. \u201cYou\u2019re more exposed to traumatic situations, but I find this setting more interesting and more rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n The Veterans Clinic is first come, first served on Wednesday nights from 5:30-9:30 p.m. when school is in session. The American Legion Post 731 is located at 7245 Linda Vista Road. For more information about the clinic, call Christine Cronin at 619-847-9613.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>