Acupuncture
by Margo A. Ragan
I believe an acupuncturist saved my life. Two years ago I had severe pain in my feet, so much so that I could hardly walk without wincing. Three podiatrists said I had pronated feet, one prescribed a custom fitted pair of orthotics and another taped my feet. I spent hundreds of dollars on special shoes, but the pain persisted, day and night.
During a visit to California, my son urged me to visit his acupuncturist. Since I had nothing to lose but my pain, I scheduled several treatments with the acupuncturist, who told me there was a problem with my blood flow. He recommended that I get a blood test when I returned to Pennsylvania because he suspected there was a blockage somewhere in my system.
I was shocked with the results. I have a rare blood cancer, treatable but not curable. At the time of diagnosis, my blood was becoming increasingly thicker, a ticking time bomb for a stroke, heart attack, or worse! With strict medical supervision and daily medication, I am now living life to the fullest. The intense foot pain, was a symptom of the disease as blood was pooling at my feet.
Given my experience, I was delighted with the assignment of interviewing Mary Ellen M. DeVito, an acupuncturist whose office, Trinity Acupuncture, is located at Georgetown Crossing in Doylestown. At first it seemed like there was a kind of language barrier that kept me from understanding the essentials of this ancient art.
An hour with Mary Ellen solved that problem. She showed me detailed diagrams of the human body so that I now have a better appreciation about acupuncture, meridian paths and chi, life energy points. Mary Ellen has an entire program designed to alleviate any anxiety or apprehension expressed by her clients. Her office library is filled with informative brochures, background music is soothing and calming to silence one's nervous energy. Mind, body, and spirit are being addressed.
Mary Ellen's credentials are impressive. She holds a BA in psychology from Kean College, New Jersey, an MA in acupuncture from Won Institute of Graduate Studies, Glenside, and completion of an intensive two year herbalist program with David Winston Center for Herbal Studies.
“It would be correct to say that a running theme throughout my life has been an awareness of my body, and my desire to be healthy,” Mary Ellen explained. “I was a gymnast as a teenager, and was conscious of the importance and impact diet and food made upon the body. I studied macrobiotics and began reading about the Eastern view of holistic healing.”
Part of what attracted Mary Ellen to acupuncture was that it was a different way of healing, and was used successfully for centuries in Eastern cultures. “Western culture looks at the body in separate parts, whereas the Eastern view describes the body as a natural landscape, where chi, or life energy flows through the meridian paths. When there is a blockage of the chi, there will be a physical result,” she said.
Mary Ellen believes an important part of her job is to educate. “As soon as a person hears the word "acupuncture,” they think of needles, and fear them. Or, they simply have misinformation about what acupuncture can and can not do,” Mary Ellen said. “Once they understand the reasoning behind the procedures, they come on board with the treatments.”
If you make the decision to try acupuncture and are open to the practice, Mary Ellen makes the entire program comfortable. She will first interview you, to determine what ailments have brought you to her door. “The most common complaints are anxiety and depression, insomnia, sinus problems, headaches and arthritis,” she said. “There are usually ten treatments necessary.”
One of the interesting questions she will ask, is for you to stick out your tongue. “When I look at your tongue, I am checking its size, shape, color,” Mary Ellen said. “It really is reflective to what is going on in the body. The tip of the tongue relates to the heart, behind the tip—the lung, center—stomach, sides—liver and gall bladder, back—kidney. These are clues that help me get to the root of the problem.”
Even as the treatment period progresses, the acupuncturist will continue to check your tongue with each visit. As your body gets healthy, your tongue will reflect those changes.
Not only is the tongue giving her vital information, but so do the ears and pulse. Mary Ellen demonstrated to me how she takes a client's pulse, and what she is able to learn from their sensations about the client's general health. “Our techniques are simple but profound,” she said.
Now comes the needle part. Naturally, only single use sterile package needles are used. The needles themselves are hair thin, and you barely feel them when they are in place, seemingly placed randomly all over your body. The truth is that they are placed at strategic points along the meridians to release the chi energy in your body.
You may feel a slight pressure at the needle site, or possibly, a tingling or itch. That would occur, according to Mary Ellen, when the acupuncturist has tapped into the chi, which is important in bringing the body back into balance.
When I asked why my acupuncturist placed so many needles in and around my ear, Mary Ellen explained that the ear lobes stimulate endorphins, which relieve pain even down to the lower extremities such as my feet. Puzzle solved!
The treatment lasts from one half hour to an hour, where you lie on a comfortable bed, with soothing music such as vocal chants or the sounds of ocean surf breaking on the shore in the background, and perhaps a blanket over your body. The office lights are dimmed, and before you know it, Mary Ellen will be tapping on your shoulder to tell you that the hour is over - it is that relaxing.
According to Mary Ellen, the acupuncturist is not trying to replace Western medical practitioners. In many instances, she coordinates her efforts with health care professionals who are treating the same individuals. “I have been asked to help with patients who are undergoing chemotherapy, and their Western trained physicians recognize the benefits of acupuncture in these instances,” said Mary Ellen. “We can help the patient avoid nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.”
Mary Ellen does have some suggestions for anyone considering acupuncture. She encourages questions about credentials and state licenses; this separates the professionally trained individual from the rest of the pack. Also, it is proper to ask to see the sterile needle packs. “No self respecting acupuncturist would be offended by that question,” Mary Ellen said.
Nor would an acupuncturist resist referring a client to a physician. “An acupuncturist cannot treat a person more that 60-90 days if their condition does not show signs of improving,” she informed. “We are ethically bound to tell the person to see their doctor at that point.”
Mary Ellen does give talks within her Bucks County community, explaining how this ancient Chinese practice embraces the balance of mind, body, and spirit in order to achieve health holistically. “Chinese medicine can fill in so many gaps in our understanding of that balance,” she concluded. “When I speak to people who are coming to me out of desperation from their pain, I tell them, let me be your first resort, rather than your last.”
For information, contact Mary Ellen M. Devito, 3655 Route 202, Suite 225, Georgetown Crossing, Doylestown. 215-760-1691. www.trinacu.com or trinity.acu@verizon.net.
Margo Ragan is a freelance writer and lecturer at Holy Family College who lives in New Hope, PA.