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Physical therapy, orthopedic medicine, cortisone shots and handfuls of pain pills couldn’t relieve the back pain of Anacortes resident Kaaren Malson, who “could picture myself stuck in a chair, which is what I was.’’ Shoulder and arm problems forced Margaret Cartwright of Sedro-Woolley to use her left arm to raise her right to scrawl on Christmas cards; doctors prescribed pills “that take care of the pain, but not the problem,’’ she says.

Desperate, they both turned to the needle — acupuncture treatments by Lisa vanHaagen, who conducts practices in Anacortes and Sedro-Woolley. Cartwright used Christmas money from her children for acupuncture, and after two or three treatments and monthly followups, “I’m back on track,’’ she says.

A combination of acupuncture and chiropractic treatments has allowed Malson to toss four medications she used to take daily. Despite arthritis in her feet, hands, back and knees, she can work in the yard, take longer walks, shop, even refinish the deck. “I couldn’t even think of doing something like that a year ago,’’ she says, adding, “So the Chinese know what they’re doing with this.’’



IMPROVING THE FLOW OF QI



Practiced by the Chinese beginning about 2,000 years ago, the World Health Organization recommends acupuncture for more than 40 conditions, including respiratory and urinary infections, gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure, hormonal problems, painful muscles and joints, headaches, sleep problems, anxiety and depression.

Acupuncture promotes natural balance in the body through the stimulation of strategic points called acupoints. The energy channels, called meridians, have points of access, where energy called qi can be encouraged by the insertion of needles to flow faster or slower, or energy can be gathered or released. “When you have imbalance in your body, a traffic jam in the body, certain areas don’t get nourished, and that causes pain ... Where there is blockage, there is pain,’’ says Matthew Van Dyke who practices at his Skagit Valley Acupuncture and Herbs in La Conner. With the needles, “you’re undoing the traffic jam, or redirecting the traffic.’’

“The Chinese believe all pain is in the stagnation of energy,’’ says Dr. Suneil Polley, who operates Alive and Well Acupuncture and Naturopathy in a former birth center house at 331 E. Division St., Mount Vernon. vanHaagen quotes a Chinese saying: “Where there is the stagnation of qi and blood, you’ll find pain. And where you find pain, you will find stagnation and blood.’’



MEDICAL APPROACHES, EAST AND WEST



Patients often turn to acupuncture after traditional Western methods have failed them. “We’re known as the doctors of last resort — ‘I’ve tried everything, so I’m going to try this,’’’ says vanHaagen.

“People are searching for an alternative,’’ says Polley. “We’ve taken Western medicine as far as it is practical ... It’s expensive. It’s hard on people — chemotherapy, radiation ... great gobs of pills, pharmaceuticals, and they cost a lot ... People are looking for something that’s gentler, what they’re more comfortable with, where they are listened to.’’ She adds, “Our system is based in laboratories, Chinese medicine is based on observation over 5,000 years.’’

Not that the acupuncturists have walked away from all Western health methods. vanHaagen regularly refers her patients to medical doctors, who in turn recommend her for some treatments. “My practice’s philosophy is ‘The right treatment at the right time,’’’ she says.

Polley says she approached acupuncture as a skeptic. She worked as registered nurse when her studies of Naturopathy and herbs led her to a chiropractic schools, where she was introduced to it. “I didn’t see how it could work,’’ she recalls. “It was based on energy. You could only base it on how they felt.’’ She opened her practice early this year.

Van Dyke was (South Seattle Community College) student fascinated with Eastern philosophy when he received a free acupuncture treatment on his ear at a career fair. “I didn’t know what to expect at all,’’ he recalls. “I was amazed at the relaxing sensation.’’ He studied acupuncture at the Five Branches Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Cruz, Calif., where he earned a masters degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There, he became impressed by how rapidly people healed; sports injuries that typically took weeks and months to mend instead healed in a couple days. He practiced in Leavenworth before opening his La Conner clinic with life partner Jenya Williams this spring.

vanHaagen was studying to be a medical doctor at Bastyr University in 1995 when a course on Chinese medicine stoked her interest in acupuncture. “I took it and I was completely impressed ... I realized this was where it was at,’’ she says. She opened her Sedro-Woolley practice in 1997 and her Anacortes practice in 2004.



THE TREATMENT



The acupuncturists say the misconceptions about their practice include that the treatments are expensive, can be only used to treat pain, that the needles are unsterile, and that many needles are required. But for most people, it all comes down to the needles themselves: are they painful? “People have phobias of needles, thanks to Western medicine,’’ says Van Dyke.

The needles are used only once, and are the size of five hairs, not like the thick hollow needles used for injections. Patients will feel a gentle ##### upon insertion, or nothing at all. The face, ears, hands and feet sport the most powerful entry points, says Polley, who has patients ask, “There’s pain in my hip — why is the needle in my toe?’’ The needles stay in for at least 20 minutes, sometimes up to an hour, and during that time some of the patients, particularly the insomniacs, fall asleep.

But before the needles come the diagnosis. The first office exam typically runs 90 minutes. “It makes sense philosophically,’’ says vanHaagen. “The way we treat somebody is very individualized. We make a diagnosis and treat to that diagnosis ... In Western medicine, we tend to treat everyone fairly much the same.’’

The therapists examine the colors and textures of the tongue, check the pulse, ask about digestion, bowel movements, sleep patterns and headaches. vanHaagen says she doesn’t like to see patients when they are “scattered,”’ such as after exercise or sex, or hungry. Patients also are asked not to wear makeup or perfume — she wants to see the color of your lips and the fingernails.

Infertility problems and pain control are among the specialties at Alive and Well. Pain management a specialty at Skagit Valley Acupuncture and Herbs in La Conner. A patient who lost a leg felt his remaining leg was headed toward that same fate through stagnation. After acupuncture treatments, the blood flow improved, the blisters went away, and he is able to sleep without pain pills, says Van Dyke.



OFFERING OTHER EASTERN TREATMENTS



Acupuncture isn’t the only treatment provided by the Skagit practitioners. vanHaagen also offers cupping, in which cups made of glass or other materials are placed on the skin with a vacuum created by heat; dermal friction (Gua Sha), rubbing on an area of the body with a blunt, round instrument; dietary advice; sonopuncture, the use of sound vibrations instead of needles on acupoints; and herbs, vitamins, minerals and medical foods. She also offers acupressure — used be some folks wary of needles — which is not as long lasting or comprehensive as acupuncture, but can help with pain and headache.

Polley provides needle-free acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Van Dyke’s practice includes herbal therapy, the massage of Tui Na and nutrition/dietary considerations. Van Dyke is certified to teach and practice Medical Qi Gong (exercises such as Tai Chi) through the International Institute of Qi Gong, and is a certified instructor of Jin Gui Golden Shield Qi Gong. “I try to put the healing in the hands of the patients, and give them tools to heal themselves,’’ he says. His Medical Qi Gong class meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Inner Wave Canter, 215 E. Washington St., La Conner. For more information, call (360) 466-1800.