Alternative medicine relieves many ailments
From our weekly issue dated November 25, 2009
Practitioner Louisa Suta with a client at her Takilma office. (Photo by Linda Corey-Woodward, for I.V. News)
For many patients, Western medicine does not provide the happiest solution to a health problem.
So some have turned to alternative medicine for help, as a complementary form of health care, instead of drugs or other Western medical treatments. Illinois Valley residents have access to a wide range of alternatives to suit their wallets and preferences.
Alternative medicine once was not regarded well. It was considered “folk medicine” and not scientific. As the demand for more therapy choices grew, some alternative practices were accepted as effective by Western doctors of medicine and insurance companies.
These include chiropractic, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, naturopathy and tai chi. The latter is a Chinese system of slow meditative physical exercise designed for relaxation, balance and health.
Such alternatives address a patient’s spiritual and physical health, and are offered at Illinois Valley community centers and private offices. Chiropractic Wellness Center (Cave Junction) offers chiropractic and massage therapy.
Several massage therapists and acupuncturists have offices in Selma (Julia Raneri), Cave Junction (JoAnne Stone, Tina Haemmerline and Rachel Goodman) and Takilma (Louisa Suta). Dr. Margaret Philhower practices naturopathic medicine in the Takilma Community Association building where Suta’s office is. Tai chi is taught at Illinois Valley Senior Center in Cave Junction and at the Selma Community Center.
Residents have found relief from pain and ailments through traditional Chinese medicine. Treatment can include acupuncture, herbs, meditation, nutrition, exercise and massage for nearly any physical or emotional problem.
The San Francisco 49er team was the first NFL organization to employ acupuncturist John Steinke, who was Suta’s sports medicine teacher. Now most major teams have an acupuncturist on staff. Suta provides “sports medicine enhancement” and injury treatments.
Suta has an arsenal of tools for treating physical and emotional ailments. She says that she sees a lot of chronic pain, insomnia, asthma, headaches, stomach and liver disorders, emotional issues and a variety of injuries. She uses combinations of methods to treat compromised immune systems.
In other cases, Suta said that she has treated arthritis, spider bites, fatigue, hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome, Bell’s palsy, and numbness in the limbs. Also migraine headaches, auto-immune disorders, chronic back pain, temporomandibular joint syndrome and PTSD, “using a combination of modalities.” She notes that chronic conditions often require continuing maintenance. Her patients, she stated, have reported relief of their symptoms and a sense of well-being after receiving her treatments.
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With acupuncture, she uses electro-acupuncture which involves pairs of needles attached to a device that generates a continuous low electrical pulse between them. This is used to provide pain relief in chronic pain conditions.
Suta states, “This method enhances the effect of needling therapy and can increase the level of analgesia (pain relief). It significantly extends the period of treatment effectiveness.”
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is a healing system using plant, mineral and animal material to promote continued healing in-between office treatments. A patient may be given herbs to decoct at home, or powders, pills or other healing methods. Several of Suta’s patients, she said, swear by the use of her remedies for treating respiratory ailments, boosting the immune system, increasing energy, relieving infections and a host of maladies.
Besides seeing Suta in her office at 9335 Takilma Road, people enjoy attending her Wednesday evening community clinic. People gather for ear acupuncture and a comforting mug of hot herbal tea. Suta’s warm, compassionate manner draws people to the clinic from far and near, according to a regular attendee.
The Wednesday clinic targets emotional disorders including PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress. Donations are welcome, but no one is turned away for lack of money, according to Suta. There is no charge to military veterans. The clinic is held from 6 to 7 p.m. and usually includes guided meditation.
Regular attendees Linda Hallowell, Sanne Stenh?j and Shelly Heon say that they leave with a sense of well-being after the gatherings.
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