[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=””][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]By Ed Murphy
Our guest speaker at our regular lunch meeting onFebruary 19th wasWhitney Green, one of our own Club members. Whitney is a licensed acupuncturist, with a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, a Masters degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science from OSU. She also received clinical training in Advanced Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology at the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Nanjing, China. She practices out of the Keahi Health Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic in Lake Oswego.
Whitney started by talking about how she got into acupuncture as a profession. She said that she had a lot of pain in her body from the time she was about 13 years old through college, and had gone through several surgeries. She tried acupuncture and Chinese supplements, and was able to get off her medications, and did not need any more surgeries. She had wanted to go into medicine, but this personal experience attracted her to Chinese medicine.
Whitney explained that “Chinese medicine” originated in China over 2000 years ago. She said it was brought to the United States in 1970 when China and the U.S. opened relations, and includes Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Cupping, Moxa, Nutrition, Massage, and Meditative/Mindfulness Practices. She said it is different than western medicine because it views the person as a whole, and considers disease the result of imbalances in the body. To treat the disease, Chinese medical practitioners try to find and treat the root cause of the illness, and not just treat the symptoms. She explained that the imbalances may occur in the Yin/Yang, or Hot/Cold, Interior/Exterior, or Deficiency/Excess. She went on to provide examples of these imbalances.
Whitney explained, and showed photos of, the different types of treatment, such as cupping and moxa. Then she focused more specifically on acupuncture. She said acupuncture is performed by inserting single-use, stainless steal, sterile, disposable needles into the skin at specific acupuncture points in the body that have electrical properties. The needles, which are very fine and thin, cause a chemical response in the body. She purported that, if inserted at the correct points, the needles will unblock the energy pathways, or meridians, and allow the energy to flow properly. She said that there are 20 pathways that include 350 acupuncture points. In addition, there are hundreds more points, including several in the ears and feet. She passed around a little human figure that showed all of the acupuncture points and pathways.
Whitney reviewed the many different types of ailments that acupuncture can treat, ranging from cancer pain to diabetes to headache to low back pain. Whitney described what a visit to her office entails. She said that, after the initial visit and analysis, a typical treatment will last about an hour, with the patient resting for 30-45 minutes after the needles are inserted. She assured us that it is a very comfortable and relaxing experience. Using Judy Miller as her guinea pig, she demonstrated how needles are inserted. She said (and Judy confirmed) that it doesn’t hurt. Patients may feel nothing at all, or they may feel a warm, tingling, dull, or achy sensation.
You can reach Whitney at here.
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