healthnwellness
GREAT POINT PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN SAGER
INTERVIEW BY ROBERT COCUZZO
EXPLORING THE HEALING POWER OF ACUPUNCTURE WITH ERICA MARRERO
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rica Marrero has been passionate about acupuncture since she was in her twenties. Through acupuncture, she was able to resolve her severe anxiety and back pain, as well as the underlying emotional issues that caused them. Due to this transformation, Marrero focuses her own acupuncture practice on Nantucket on not only the physical body but the emotional life of each patient, empowering them to make transformational changes in their own lives. N Magazine spoke with Marrero to learn more about the life-changing healing power of acupuncture. For those completely unfamiliar with the treatment, how does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture is all about balancing energy and making sure that the channels of energy in the body—known as meridians—are open. When the energy is flowing properly, you have perfect health. There are twelve major channels in the body. Each channel links up with the next, creating a giant circuit. Through repetitive use, sicknesses and emotional trauma, these channels can get small blockages, which can eventually become a dam in the channel. When this happens, it causes pain or dysfunction in the body. As an acupuncturist, I find where these blockages are and release them with fine needles, allowing the energy to flow with more ease and ultimately allowing the body to heal.
Would you recommend acupuncture as a regular treatment, as opposed to one addressing an acute need?
I recommend both. Often, a patient comes in for one acute condition, but because acupuncture is a whole-body medicine, they notice a positive change in other areas of their health. I have patients who come regularly for pain management. Acupuncture also promotes deep relaxation by calming the sympathetic nervous system and releasing endorphins, which ultimately is preventive medicine. What are a few of the lesser-known benefits of acupuncture?
Acupuncture is known to benefit overall wellness and relaxation, but it also has been shown to lower blood pressure
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