The practice of acupuncture, an aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been an important part of health and wellness in Chinese culture for as long as 5,000 years. Used in China’s hospitals, acupuncture first gained the attention in the U.S. when James Reston, a New York Times reporter, traveled to China as part of an advanced team prior to President Richard Nixon’s 1971 visit. Reston suffered an acute attack of appendicitis, was admitted to a Peking hospital and underwent an emergency appendectomy. Reston was so impressed with acupuncture treatments for his postoperative pain that he wrote about it in the New York Times, opening an important window on complementary medicine.

In 1997, the National Institutes of Health formally recognized acupuncture as a mainstream medicine healing option, documenting its safety and efficacy for treating a range of health conditions. Nearly 20 years later, 2016 research data on acupuncture use estimates that nearly 20 million Americans over the age of 18 have not only tried acupuncture at some time in their life, but have been very satisfied with the results. Clearly, according to Christina S. Herlihy, Ph.D., chief executive officer for the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), there is a need for continued research and public education so that more people can access and benefit from the system of TCM.

Not willing to wait another two millennia for modern medicine to arrive at the same conclusions explained in the Chinese Huang Di Nei Jing, an ancient text presenting a complete view of the workings of the human body and a comprehensive medical system for the diagnosis and prevention of disease, as well as the preservation of health and life, Jingduan Yang, M.D., has taken matters into his own hands. Founder of the Tao Institute of Mind and Body Medicine, this leading physician, board-certified psychiatrist and international expert on classic forms of TCM has been educating medical students as director of the Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture Program at the Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, in Philadelphia.

Now Yang is reaching a wider audience with his book Facing East: Ancient Health + Beauty Secrets For The Modern Age, in which he makes an important comparison. “Classical Chinese medicine is like the wise elder statesman worthy of our reverence and attention, while modern medicine is more like a young whippersnapper racing to catch up,” says the faculty member of the Center for Integrative Medicine of University of Arizona.”

With such time-tested results being put to use by an experienced academic and medical professional such as Yang and the many local acupuncturists in Southwest Florida, many individuals are considering acupuncture as more than a placebo effect and using it as serious medicine for resolving the root cause of chronic illnesses. Natural Awakenings turned to the patients of local acupuncturists to learn how it helps them.

Betsy Perdichiczzi

Back and hip pain

At 80 years young, Marco Island resident Betsy Perdichiczzi wasn’t willing to accept the doctor’s prognosis to simply tolerate her arthritic back and hip pain. Initially, she tried massage for relief. Although it helped temporarily, the pain returned. After Perdichiczzi met an acupuncturist several times at her daughter’s karate events, she felt comfortable making an appointment. “I’m pain-free, feel 10 years younger and have recently enrolled in karate exercise lessons, as well as the tai chi classes he recommended,” enthuses Perdichizzi.

Sinus issues

A suggestion that acupuncture might help his back pain and seasonal sinus issues prompted Naples resident Joel Whittenhall, founder of a local community bank, to schedule an appointment for acupuncture, which provided relief from both issues and allowed him to get off pain medications that he used occasionally. “I’ve been going every three weeks for a treatment for the last two years. After I’m needled and lying on the table, I get the best 30 to 45 minutes of sleep,” says Whittenhall.

Dystonia

Fran Smith had a different reason for using acupuncture—dystonia, a neurological voice disorder that can cause the voice to break up or to have a tight, strained, quality. “Before I was going for regular acupuncture treatments, I could barely be understood across the bridge table,” says the competitive player, who also uses acupuncture and massage for wellness.

Digestive problems, bronchitis and headaches

Sue Goldsberry has used acupuncture for numerous reasons, including bronchitis, headaches and digestive problems. “I’ve gone in with a horrible headache and got immediate relief,” she advises.

Bell’s palsy, shingles and celiac disease

The image of having needles stuck in her skin didn’t appeal to Debra Jones when her chiropractor referred her to an acupuncturist 14 years ago. “I fainted whenever I had blood drawn, but we hoped for the best. I showed up for my first office visit with painful shingles in my ears, a paralyzed face and problems with the medications I was taking.   

During the first appointment, which lasted two hours, needling unfroze Jones’s face. She could smile and wink again. “Since then, I’ve gone for numerous health issues, nutritional advice and alleviating stress. Sometimes it only takes a few treatments to correct issues,” she says.

Jones jokingly refers to herself as Humpty Dumpty. “Acupuncture always puts me back together again, even when I broke my toe and my foot was casted up to my ankle. Only my toes could be treated. My doctor said that he’d never seen a casted foot that didn’t swell or turn black and blue. At the end of eight weeks, he put me into a boot wrap and told me that I didn’t even need physical therapy,” says Jones.

Kathy Meyer

Stress

Using acupuncture to maintain her chiropractic adjustments has helped Kathy Meyer immensely. “I didn’t have to schedule chiropractic appointments as often and I noticeably made more progress. Now I use acupuncture to sleep better, boost my immune system and manage my stress and adrenal fatigue,” says Meyer.  

MRSA and fibromyalgia

A brown recluse spider bit Beverly Morris during the cleanup after Hurricane Charlie. She was seriously ill for approximately seven years, suffered from serious pain as well as the skin infections Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA). When she finally went to an acupuncturist, the first three months were the most difficult. “I went weekly for an hour. As I began feeling better, she recommended other holistic things and prescribed two rounds of blood work three months apart. The results were used to design my herbal program. Everything worked and I began feeling better. Although MRSA never goes away, she succeeded at putting it into a dormant state.

Camden Smith

Autoimmune disease, allergies, fertility and neuropathy

Consistently for 15 years (with a three-year break), Camden Smith relied on her acupuncturist’s second specialty, Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) to help her with a host of allergies, autoimmune disease, neuropathy and Type 1 Diabetes. Virtually a walking miracle, Smith suffered with early onset of menopause at age 36. Thanks to acupuncture, NAET and a holistic autoimmune physician, she got pregnant at age 39 and is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl born on February 18. “Anyone who says acupuncture and NAET are witchcraft should and see me and my daughter,” says Smith.

Lenka Spiska

Stress, balancing hormones and fertility

Reading articles on alternative medicine introduced Lenka Spiska to TCM, which she has been using for 12 years. “After many years and thousands of dollars spent on every possible fertility procedure and drug, I turned to a knowledgeable acupuncturist. She helped me to be able to conceive my first child and successfully make it through the second pregnancy. I’ve used acupuncture to balance my hormones and energy, as well as for keeping my body healthy despite the ravages of stress.

Laura Casey, a registered nurse, successfully recovered from an autoimmune disease with NAET acupuncture treatments. “Nothing natural is a quick fix. It’s about discipline and a healthy lifestyle. I enter private homes and independent living facilities, and even though I am exposed to a lot of germs from working in pediatrics and with our aging population, I rarely get sick. For prevention and wellness, I rely on acupuncture and homeopathy,” says Casey.
 
Rosacea, cancer, arthritis and weight loss: Acupuncture has helped Reggi Wilson alleviate rosacea symptoms, navigate her cancer treatments and achieve weight loss. First introduced to it 40 years ago through an Herbalife distributor, Wilson recently returned to using acupuncture regularly to maintain an internal sense of calm and peace.  

Healing and wellness strategies

Fran Smith, who continues to play competitive bridge, believes that the majority of individuals are timid when it comes to TCM’s healing and wellness strategies. “It’s too challenging for most people to accept that needling the toe can help the ear. Our society unfortunately connects the dots between drugs and cures, when in fact they only mask symptoms. When you’re desperate, it’s easy to get lured into thinking that pharmaceutical chemicals can solve every problem. It’s just not true,” she says.

Perhaps the scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla was right when he proposed that the day science begins to study non-physical phenomena it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence. As Yang suggests, let’s hope discovering the science behind the components of TCM doesn’t take as long as it has for us to discover it. In the meantime, we have knowledgeable acupuncturists that in the state of Florida are considered primary care physicians.  

Local Resources

Patricia Acerra, AP, 2335 9th St. N., Ste. 303B, Naples; 239-659-9100. PatriciaAcerra.com.

Acupuncture Care of Naples, Charles Caccamesi, DOM, AP, 501 Goodlette Rd. N., Ste. D100, Naples. 239-877-2531. AcupunctureCenterOfNaples.com.

Acupuncture Center of Naples, Xiu Qiong Cen, OMD, AP, 5683 Naples Blvd., Naples. 239-513-9232. AcupunctureCenterOfNaples.com.

Acupuncture Solutions, Jack Morris, AP, 6628 Willow Park Dr. Ste. C, Naples. 239-293-4005. Facebook.com/JackMorrisAP.

Alternative Natural Healthcare, Michelle Brown, AP, 26381 S. Tamiami Tr., Bonita Springs. 239-947-6234. AlternativeNaturalHealthCare.net.

Arthur Teubner, AP,DOM,  Fifth Ave. S., Naples. 239-451-3282. ArthurTeubner.com.

Balanced Health, 19 Bald Eagle Rd., Ste. B, Marco Island. 239-248-0455, BalancedHealthConcierge.com.

Complete Well-Being Center, Rosemary Harris, AP, 684 Goodlette Rd. N., Naples; 239-404-0648. CompleteWellBeingCenter.com.

Gulfcoast Acupuncture, Phyllis C. Weber, AP, 6300 Corporate Court, Ste. 104, Fort Myers; 1250 Tamiami Tr. N., Ste. 301, Naples; 239-841-6611. GulfCoastAcupuncture.com.

Healing Arts Center, John E. Patton, AP, LMHC, 1063-1065 Fifth Ave. N., Naples; 239-262-6828. HealingArtsCenterOnline.com.

Liu’s Acupuncture Center, Tianyi Wei, MD, OMD, 803 Myrtle Terr., Naples; 239-403-9077. Zhongwei Liu, OMD, AP, 8971 Daniels Ctr. Dr., Ste. 304, Fort Myers, 239-298-9076. LiusAcupuncture.com.

TAE Healthy Aging Center, Terri Evans AP DOM, 3811 Airport Rd. N, Naples; 239-430-6800. TaeHealthyAging.com.

The Center for Natural Healing, Candace Tranter-Cool, 4632 Vincennes Blvd. Ste. 104, Cape Coral. 239-452-5600. TheCenterForNaturalHealing.biz.