Here’s an article I wrote which was published in the local Lotus Guide for Healthy Living, Jan-Apr 2021 issue, upon the re-opening of my business in February 2021, in Paradise, Ca (I lost my business in Paradise due to the Camp Fire on November 8, 2018):
Herbal Medicinal Treasures in Paradise
This article is to point out that powerful plant medicine can be used to help yourself heal and can be found even where it may not be expected, in a small mountain town that is being reborn!
Research into the importance of and benefits from an integrated model of health care has been recognized at the federal level for at least 20 years now with the formation the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (NCCAM was renamed to National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) in 2014). One important indication of integrative medicine’s increased acceptance is NCCIH’s recent educational campaign geared towards veterans and military personnel discussing such topics such as managing chronic pain, PTSD, stress/anxiety and insomnia using ‘complementary practices’. A recent new analysis (3/17) of a National Health Interview Study, which was conducted by the CDC from 2010 to 2014, shows that veterans are in much more pain on average than non-veterans, and the ‘NCCIH is partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense on 13 grants to research military and veteran health with a focus on non-pharmacological approaches to pain and related conditions’. The Veterans Health Administration has used acupuncture and chiropractic treatments for many years now, amongst other complementary practices, such as massage, hypnosis, meditation and yoga. The Veterans Choice program, which began in 2015, also allows veterans to go to local acupuncturists and chiropractors for pain management treatments, with prior authorization, so that a veteran does not have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or drive more than 40 miles to the closest VA facility. For Butte County residents, that includes every veteran needing such services for pain management, given VA authorization or approval.
Originally published April 2017 in the ‘PARADISE RIDGE Lifestyle & Resource Guide’, a Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau publication.
An article co-written by Dr. Oz about the benefits of acupuncture such as musculoskeletal and arthritis pain management, insomnia and reducing side effects of radiation and chemotherapy:
The You Docs: Why we still like ancient acupuncture, by
Michael Roizen, M.D. AND Mehmet Oz, M.D.