Acupuncturists treat locals, healing together
Moscow acupuncturists have been providing trauma-relief clinics to build bonds between locals and help repair the community in the wake of the January shootings that killed three and left one injured.
Acupuncturists Kameron Schott, Cass McLean and Naomi Brownson administer the clinic, where Schott needles patients’ ears to help relieve insomnia, anxiety, depression, irritability and other symptoms common to those who have suffered from feelings of shock and loss, McLean said.
Jake Smith | Argonaut
Ellen Thiem, a Moscow citizen for nearly 40 years, quietly waited for approximately 30 minutes after her ear was needled in five places.
“When a tragedy like (the recent shootings) occurs, you scramble,” McLean said. “You look through your toolbox to find what you have to give help, and with acupuncture we happen to have a lot of really great tools.”
The trauma-relief clinics have been in session for four weeks, and McLean said they intend to continue administer them a while longer.
The protocol used in the clinic targets the sympathetic nervous system and organ systems most affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, McLean said.
“After a significant tragic event, some people get stuck in the sympathetic nervous system Fight or Flight cycle,” she said. “When your body is in a Fight or Flight mode, your parasympathetic nervous system starts to under-function and you start to experience symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, and depression.”
Schott said patients can be relaxed, invigorated or even tired for the rest of the day following treatment.
McLean said she knows some people are afraid of needles, and it’s usually the people who have only been exposed to shots and intravenous (IV) techniques.
Victoria Seever, a member of the Moscow community since 1968, said the auricular acupuncture treatment sent a pleasant, tingling, electric sensation through her body.
McLean said she uses stainless steel needles that are thinner than a human hair and 10 of the needles could fit inside a hypodermic needle.
Schott said bleeding and bruising doesn’t normally occur at the point of insertion, but are possibilities. She also said she has yet to see a patient receive needle shock, where in rare circumstances the patient can pass out from treatment.
Jake Smith | Argonaut
Kameron Schott, LAc, placed five needles in Shirley Murillo-Ulate’s ear. Each needle is smaller than a human hair.
McLean said, overall, acupuncture reduces inflammation in the body, boosts the immune system, reduces pain, releases endorphins in the brain and affects the nervous system — both the sympathetic and parasympathetic portions. She even said acupuncturists can reset the nervous system. Schott said acupuncture activates bodily systems that might not be functioning optimally.
In terms of how quickly pain relief occurs, McLean said acupuncture depends on several factors including the type of pain, pain severity and the age of the person.
“You can walk in with pain and walk out and never have the pain again,” McLean said. “It can be that powerful, but it’s really dependent on the person and how functioning they are when they come in.”
McLean said she tells her patients the full effects of the treatment will activate within 24 to 48 hours.
Schott said this type of medicine is believed to have originated in China. Acupuncture was part of an overarching branch of medicine including meditation, Chinese herbs and nutrition.
Schott said acupuncture hasn’t been practiced in the U.S. for long, and to her understanding, acupuncture was starting to be well known in the West around the time when President Richard Nixon was in office.
Schott trained at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland, Oregon, where she received her master’s degree. McLean received her Master’s of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Bastyr University.
Jake Smith can be reached at [email protected]