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8A | SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS Acupuncture from page 1A for many symptoms such as low back and neck pain, Every Wednesday from 11 headaches, nausea and symp- a.m. to 1 p.m., she offers acu- toms of depression. When puncture treatments to the performed by a certified acu- community free of charge — puncturist following FDA but she requests a donation regulations requiring that be made for those financially acupuncture needles be sin- able to make one. So far, the gle-use only, acupuncture is a clinic has provided almost very safe and effective treat- 5,000 treatments since the ment, according to WHO. program began. “This five-needle protocol, “We really saw a need to this ear treatment, is used in start this community acu- disaster relief, human inflict- puncture program. As we ed trauma, or with what we move into the 21st century, see in PTSD,” Patricia said. there’s just so much stress. “I’s a very effective treatment There’s political stress, there’s because we know now that environmental stress, there’s when you place these needles financial stress for people,” in the ear, it literally reroutes Patricia said. “This is just a the blood flow from the wonderful way to help people alarm system of the brain, manage that stress.” which is called the amygda- During the clinic, visitors la, to the frontal cortex. So sit in a dimly lit room sur- it helps people think more rounded by soothing sounds clearly and help them be less of running water from in- reactive to their triggers re- door fountains, and med- lated to trauma.” itative music floats in the In 2017, the U.S. Depart- background. Patricia moves ment of Health and Human around the room on a roll- Services (HHS) declared a ing stool with a caddy for her public health emergency be- acupuncture supplies, and cause of the widespread mis- volunteers Carol Carpenter, use of opioid medications. Donna Graves and Marilyn Opioids, a class of drugs Hansen help with anything found naturally in the opium her or the patients may need. poppy plant, are often used The treatment visitors re- in pain relief medication; ceive is called a five-needle however, opioids are highly protocol. Five hair-thin acu- addictive and, according to puncture needles are inserted the HHS, more than 130 peo- in each ear, which can offer ple die every day in the Unit- vast benefits, according to ed States from opioid-related Patricia. drug overdoses. “It does a lot of different Acupuncture gives physi- things for people,” she said. cians a non-pharmacological “It brings their central ner- option to offer their patients. vous system into balance so “Now with the opioid they feel less stressed, so they crisis in full bloom, it is a can make clearer decisions mandate that hospitals have and just feel better in their other, non-pharmacologi- body. It also helps promote cal options to offer patients healthy sleep and overall to deal with pain,” Patricia health and vitality. It enhanc- said. “We fit that niche. And es mental clarity and it helps it gives the primary care pro- people deal with pain and viders a referral that is not anxiety, and that ripples out expensive for the patient that in their family, their work, really helps them manage their community and be- their pain, and can help them yond.” come off of pain medications During the treatment, the that they no longer want to acupuncture needles are left be on.” in patients’ ears for 20 to 30 Points of Grace Communi- minutes. Patricia says she ty Acupuncture program has sees about 35 to 40 people partnered with PeaceHealth during that two-hour period Peace Harbor Medical Cen- and about 20 percent of visi- ter for the past three years tors are new to the clinic. to serve as a non-pharmaco- “We tried to span the lunch logical recommendation for hours because sometimes patients seeking alternative people who are working 8 to ways of managing pain or 5 can have a hard time get- stress. ting self-care treatments, so “Peace Harbor has com- I think this is a really nice mitted to reducing opioid way that they can come in on dependence in our commu- a lunch hour and get a treat- nity through education and ment and still have time to by providing alternatives for get a bite to eat,” she said. pain management, and acu- Acupuncture originated in puncture is a proven effective ancient China and is just one option for some patients,” branch of traditional Chi- said Susan Blane, Peace- nese medicine. The World Health’s community health Health Organization (WHO) director. endorses acupuncture as a According to Blane, Peace- proven, effective treatment Health is growing its toolbox for maximum pain manage- ment while minimizing the need for prescription opi- oids, and Wellspring offers beneficial alternatives. “Wellspring’s alignment with the PeaceHealth mis- sion of promoting personal and community health, and Patricia’s compassion and caring for her patients and for the community, makes this a very effective and beneficial partnership,” Blane said. Dr. Anthony Dodson from Peace Harbor says acupunc- ture may not help every pa- tient, but for those it can, it’s very beneficial. “It’s interesting that some of the patients that benefit the most from this commu- nity acupuncture program we don’t see because they don’t need to come in and talk to us,” Dr. Dodson said. “With this whole opioid epi- demic, the group that’s sort of forgotten is the people who have managed to do the right thing and manage their pain on their own.” According to Patricia, she sees acupuncture as an ad- dition to the care primary physicians offer patients. Acupuncture does not take the place of seeing a primary care doctor, but rather can serve as an enhancing, addi- tional treatment for patients. “We have convention- al medicine which is really powerful and really wonder- ful. It’s great for interven- tion, medications, surgery and physical therapy — and then there’s just this whole other realm of care that em- powers people in their own care,” Patricia said. “It gives people options on their own self-care. Not choosing one or the other, but really work- ing to integrate the two. And that really has been a theme in Wellspring clinic. We are working with physicians and encouraging people to see their primary care provid- er — to take the best of both worlds and what works for them to really captain their own healthcare ship.” Dodson said he has no doubt that trying as many different options for his pa- tients with their pain, aside from resorting to opioids, is beneficial. “I have a few patients that see Patricia and don’t use any pain medication. Sometimes it’s hard to talk patients into going to yoga for lower back pain or acupuncture, but the ones that do benefit,” he said. “This program is something that was never there before and the more available it gets, the more part of a regular health-care plan it becomes, and the more patients bene- fit.” Acupuncture has been shown to increase the release of endorphins, the chemical in the body often referred to as the ‘feel-good hormone.’ Endorphins actually work similarly to opioids in that they relieve pain and pro- duce feelings of euphoria, which can help with stress and mental health overall. The difference is that acupuncture does not come with potentially deadly side effects that research says opioids do. “The idea is just to help people feel as good as they can and function as well as they can,” Patricia said. A variety of things that acupuncture has helped in- dividuals with has been sur- prising, too, she added, in- cluding, “Sinus conditions, allergies. I’ve had people come in and it helps with their asthma. It helps with their immune function. It’s really far reaching.” With a background in public health, Patri- cia sees acupuncture as a wide-reaching source of treat- ment for many symptoms. “It’s low tech, it’s so safe and so effective. It doesn’t generate a lot of waste. We can serve a lot of people for very little money for a very huge pub- lic health benefit and I love that,” she said. From a public health perspec- tive, treatments COURTESY PHOTO should be afford- This patient receives Patricia Immel’s able for every- five-needle protocol for pain and body, according stress relief. to Patricia — meaning treat- to us today in the 21st cen- ments don’t cost a lot to ad- tury.” minister or to receive them. The Wellspring Clinic is “That affordability has located at 1845 Highway 126 two sides to it and acupunc- Suite H in Florence, Ore. ture just ticks off all those For more information on boxes,” she added. “I’m just the community acupunc- in awe of how this ancient ture program, visit thewell medicine is so timeless and springclinic.com/points-of- makes such a contribution grace. DENTURE SERVICES INC. LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Open 4 days a week! Here to serve your denture needs: Dentures Partial Dentures Immediate Dentures Implant Dentures Relines & Repairs Same Day Monday-Thursday 10am - 2 pm 524 Laurel St. 541-997-6054 William Foster LD Sherry, Offi ce Manager “As a denture wearer myself, I can answer your questions and address your denture concerns.” ~ William Foster, LD Financing: Citi Health Card 12 Month no Interest Curious? We’ll keep you in the know with news and features to satisfy your interests. 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