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home > healthworks
 It's
a thought many of us have trouble understanding-placing needles on your
body will help relieve your pain or soothe your spirit. But acupuncture
has been practiced in China for thousands of years with great success.
David Yoo, DC, operates Yoo Chropractic & Acupuncture Clinic in Olathe.
He is presenting a class on
acupuncture for Saint Joseph Health Center's Well·Life department
on Tuesday, March 13.
"The goal of traditional Chinese acupuncture is to maintain internal
balance and harmony," explains Dr. Yoo. "In Chinese medicine, a body's
vital life force or Qi (pronounced chee) promotes function within the
body. There are different ways Qi can be unbalanced and acupuncture is
just one way of regaining the balance."
Dr. Yoo says acupuncture is used to treat a variety of symptoms and diseases.
"Acupuncture is phenomenal for chronic conditions-pain management, the
relief of nausea for cancer patients, headaches and emotional problems.
The results are almost immediate. Overall, acupuncture has an 83 percent
success rate."
Kim Holcroft is a believer. She went to Dr. Yoo because of pain in her
shoulders and headaches. "A friend of mine told me about him," says Holcroft.
"I was a little apprehensive (about acupuncture) but decided it was worth
a try. It doesn't feel anything like you would expect. It's doesn't hurt
at all, in fact, it's almost a tickling sensation." Holcroft says her
pain was gone after the second visit. "He's very reassuring," Holcroft
says of Dr. Yoo. "You just know it's going to work."
The Well·Life department has been offering information about alternative
medicine because people want it. "We have had many requests from our customers
for information or where they can find a reputable acupuncturist," says
Jeanette Metzler, Well·Life coordinator. "There seems to be a lot of misinformation
on the use of alternative therapies, especially something that involves
needles for a purpose other than an injection. Our goal is to provide
accurate information that can be backed by research."
Dr. Yoo believes there is a place for both traditional Western medicine
and traditional Chinese medicine. "I get a lot of referrals from medical
doctors and refer a lot of my patients to them," says Dr. Yoo. "The Asian
way is so different from the American way-not just in medicine, but also
in life in general. It's just a different way of approaching and treating
conditions. We look at the body as a universe. If our universe is harmonious,
we have good health."
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