COVER STORY
The Art Of Massage And Acupuncture Feeling stressed out lately? Looking for a new way to manage your pain? Try getting a massage or visiting an acupuncturist! By Kaylee Duff Pain is a fact of life. We beat our bodies up doing physical labor, whether for a job or in a gym. Muscle pain, back pain, headaches and the like are all things we live through every single day. But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if there was a way to relieve pain and stress? Since 2019 is all about taking care of our bodies in every way we can, we are addressing unique forms of alternative pain relief. Massage therapy and acupuncture, while not at all new, are less popular ways to manage pain and stress. In fact, these practices are rooted in culture and history, and offer a holistic path to wellness. A few years ago, Terry Blankenship founded Panda Acupuncture Community Clinic, which is located in Merion Village. True Q’s editor talked with Terry about the ins-and-outs of alternative pain management, and how we can use acupuncture to address a wide variety of ailments.
Kaylee: Tell me a little bit about massage therapy and acupuncture? Terry: I’ll start with massage therapy and how it influences the body. Generally, with high stress levels, certain biological and physiological functions in the body are slowed down. [High] stress levels can prevent proper blood flow and tighten muscles, and influence how the body functions overall. The idea with massage is that it has the ability to influence the circulation throughout the entire body. By doing that, it allows processes in the body to return to normal. That’s why sometimes people have headaches, because lack of blood flow to certain parts of the head. Strengthening and loosening the muscle allows the blood to be able to reach areas where it normally should go. In regards to acupuncture, it has a similar effect on the body. It’s targeted for loosening muscles that are very tight, but it also has a very strong effect on things like increasing lymphatic flow and the immune system. It has a strong influence on the nerves in the body, helping them with conductivity and propagation. It’s also good for overall metabolism, and helping to regulate metabolism the body. I could spend days talking about acupuncture.
What are some things you would tell people who might be unfamiliar with or unsure of acupuncture? People compare the needle to a cat’s whisker, because of how flexible and tensile it is. It’s very small. Generally, average sizes are a half-inch to one inch. It doesn’t have much depth inside the body. The primary influences are on the superficial layer of the skin and muscle. The key point I would mention to draw people to acupuncture is that it’s a non-invasive, non-medicinal (meaning non-drug or pharmaceutical) way to help pain levels. It has very little to no side effects. In the U.S., the amount of malpractice with acupuncture is very, very low. In the last 20 years, it’s between five to seven percent. That just reinforces its ethicacy and safety. There’s such a wide variety of things that it can be used for. When people think of acupuncture, they generally associate it with pain relief. It also is TRUE Q MAGAZINE
really good for a lot of other things. I’ve been treating a lot of people lately for Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, frequent migraines, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, just to name a few. There just seems to be a lack of knowledge for the range for this service, and what else it can do besides back pain, is something I see a lot in the Midwest.
How did you get involved in this line of work, especially with the options for alternative pain management? I started massage school right after high school, so I’ve been doing massage work for about ten years. About my sixth or seventh year, I decided that it was time for a new challenge. Also, there’s only so much you can treat with massage. Acupuncture gives you a scope to be able to target a wider range of disorders to treat. I started working with an acupuncturist in Gahanna named Melissa Yang. She trained in Beijing, at one of the best schools in the world. She really opened my eyes to the range of what it can do. Having her for a mentor for four years, especially during school, was very helpful. She showed me the uniqueness of this service, and also how to use it in a business setting, to be able to help so many people on a daily basis. The ability to provide effect care and pain relief on a bigger scale, the power of it is quite fascinating.
What advice would you give to someone coming in for their first appointment? What should they expect, or how should they prepare? I would suggest having a strong relationship with your practitioner initially, and knowing that the practitioner will guide the patient through every step, from start to finish. They’ll explain everything as it’s being done, that way there is a true understanding. Since acupuncture is such a unique service, I find it’s best to educate the patient as thoroughly as possible. The experience within the office here is guiding them through the process and informing and educating would be the best way to secure their trust, for the best outcome possible.
Learn more about Panda Acupuncture and holistic, alternative pain management at pandaacupuncture.co. JANUARY 2019 | 21
