New patients often arrive with a primary chief complaint. In the following scenarios, there is one main health concern with which they are troubled. It can be something physical like back pain or joint pain. It may be a hormone imbalance causing menstrual irregularity or infertility. It may be gastrointestinal disturbance that is wreaking havoc on their day. Sometimes it is an emotional imbalance in the form of stress, anxiety, or depression. The instability of the world at large, as well as what is happening in their personal home on a day to day basis, may both influence their physical well-being as well as their emotions.
Subsequently, I also treat new patients who arrive presenting with numerous health concerns. They communicate feeling like they are falling apart. They have a multitude of complaints and co-morbidities. Each one on its own may be significant and very troublesome. They are overwhelmed and frustrated that they cannot get a handle on their health. They report that things are getting increasingly worse. In these cases, their symptoms as well as their frustration level are exacerbated by having been schlepped around to see countless specialists. Each specialist is concerned with their unique specialty only, they are focusing on the bits and pieces that they can help. They fail to see or recognize the overall complete picture. During times like this, the patient will try Acupuncture as a last resort. They are literally desperate since nothing else has worked. They have exhausted every other option with no clear diagnosis or medical plan in sight. Gone are the golden olden days where the primary care physician treated the whole family, and knew each person as an individual with their entire health history in the forefront of their mind. Today, we are so specialized that the individual is broken into bits and pieces. Humpty Dumpty is how some of my patients see themselves before beginning Acupuncture treatment. They explain how defeated they have felt trying to remedy their health concerns. They describe themselves as broken. They have lost hope and are unable to see how they can mend their broken pieces.
Recently, I had the pleasure of enjoying the comedian Modi at the Comedy Cellar in NYC. I have not been to that venue since my high school days; just a couple of years ago. Surprisingly not much has changed! Modi cracks me up. He was trying out new material on his audience. He hits on the Jewish humor in a way that no one has done since Jackie Mason o”h of blessed memory. Laughter is the best medicine, and I highly support it! Sometimes you need a minute to laugh at yourself, and maybe even laugh at others a little bit, and just stop overthinking about everything going on in our midst. As part of his new material, Modi did a bit speaking about the medical profession and specifically focused on specialists today. At one point he pointed to the tiny most distal or end joint in his pinky. He said today you can have a specialist so specialized he treats only this joint, from here to here on his pinky, and nothing else. My husband sitting next to me was looking at me knowingly and laughing along. He often hears me complain about how I feel about the minutia of sub-specialties. Modi referenced the recent passing of the Turkish MP during his political grandstand who while verbally attacking Israel, suffered a heart attack on stage. Modi continued saying that if he was taken to a NY hospital instead of Turkey, he would have gone through the Goldstein pavilion, up the Rabinowitz elevator, down the Hershkowitz corridor, had a Goldstein stent put in, and quite possibly would have been saved by all the medical contributions from the Jewish people he felt so strongly at disgracing. As a side note, Modi finished the evening playing Hatikvah and the entire audience eagerly sang along.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine treat the whole person. Instead of breaking you up into bits and pieces, we literally connect the dots and put you back together again! When it comes to Holistic medicine, rather than treating or chasing a symptom, we treat you as an individual. This is where true healing occurs and lasts! Your treatment is custom tailored to you. Acupuncture builds on itself. You may feel more relaxed after each session. With cumulative treatments, you will reap the comprehensive benefits and find complete healing of both your physical and emotional symptoms. The goal is to live life pain free, with emotional balance and harmony. It is time to put yourself first! Mend the broken bits and pieces and achieve optimal wellness as we help put you back together.