Tom Almaguer has a trigger finger.
His condition has nothing to do with guns. It’s a medical affliction that, according to his doctor, makes the 66-year-old speech teacher’s fingers lock up. And they’ve been hurting. A lot.
But today it hurts a little less–and not because of the medicine the doctor prescribed, which didn’t help a whit, or the X-ray, which didn’t provide any answers–but because Almaguer just finished his first session with an acupuncturist.
The acupuncturist, who, like a growing number of holistic practitioners, believes that traditional medicine doesn’t always have all the answers to everybody’s aches and pains, spent half an hour talking to Almaguer–longer than the few minutes that most of his doctors have spent with him. After diagnosing him, she inserted needles between his fingers and in his wrist, sent gentle electric pulses into his fingers and massaged his hand. And he felt better. Immediately.
“I have a little more movement in my hand,” he says. “I’m not pain-free yet, but I think I will be after two or three more treatments.” The cost: $65 for the first treatment; $45 for each additional treatment.
Almaguer is hardly a lifelong student of the ways of alternative healing. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” says the Truman College instructor. “Generally, I’m very square where medicine and doctors are concerned. But I wasn’t getting anywhere with this thing, so I figured why not try it?”
Why not, indeed. More than a third of Americans have tried some form of alternative medicine, says Dr. David Edelberg, founder of American WholeHealth, which has two alternative medicine clinics in Chicago.
So, what is alternative medicine? According to Edelberg, it’s the healing and often ancient arts that conventional doctors don’t practice, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, aromatherapy, biofeedback, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, therapeutic touch and massage.
Alternative medicine can’t fix everything, says Edelberg. “Conventional medicine is much better for trauma, for major illnesses, for conditions requiring surgery, for acute illnesses where rapid intervention is needed, such as a burst appendix, coronary or perforated ulcer. I myself am having a hernia repaired and no way does alternative medicine help that. You need a good surgeon for that.”
But alternative medicine does wonders for other ailments– chronic conditions such as pain, fatigue, sinusitis, recurring back problems, asthma, migraines, Edelberg says. “If patients are stuck in a condition they just can’t get rid of and they feel they’ve reached an impasse with conventional medicine, then exploring the world of alternative medicine is safe and often extremely effective,” he says.
But be prepared to do some work. This isn’t like going to a doctor, having him tell you what’s wrong and leaving with a bottle of pills, says Edelberg. “Alternative medicine requires participation by the patient. There may be dietary changes, exercises to do at home, relaxation techniques to learn, books to read. We ask patients to be very pro-active in their own health care. And instruction is not what every patient wants.”
Edelberg believes the most effective doctors are those who integrate conventional and alternative medicine.
The idea is that the mind and the body are intertwined. And the body doesn’t always need pills to fix it; it can be healed from within. Your chronic lower-back pain may be caused by stress. If pills haven’t relieved it, holistic therapies might. Your migraine headaches may be eliminated by relaxation techniques. Your panic attacks could respond to meditation. If your doctor told you you’re just going to have to learn to live with that sinus pain, she might be wrong.
Edelberg recommends that when you seek alternative therapies, you keep your regular doctor informed about it.
The initial diagnostic visit to American WholeHealth costs $75 to $125. Follow-up visits are $50 to $100, depending on the kind of therapy that’s prescribed; it’s often a combination of treatments. For most conditions that can be helped by alternative medicine, you should see improvement after 5 to 10 visits, says Edelberg. American WholeHealth centers are located at 900 W. Fullerton Ave. (773-296-6700), and 150 E. Huron St. (312-951-1117). The Fullerton center holds free workshops and tours from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.
Some insurance companies will pay for alternative medicine. Some won’t. But many people find their health insurance will cover a part of the treatment, says Edelberg.
At the Waveland Wellness Center in Wrigleyville, another alternative medicine clinic that is supervised by medical doctors, an initial consultation is $120 for a half-hour. A doctor evaluates patients and prescribes a course of treatments.
Acupuncture, which involves inserting needles in the body to redirect the body’s flow of energy, is $70 for the first hour-long session; $50 for subsequent sessions. A first treatment by a chiropractor, who typically does spinal manipulation, nutritional therapy, physical therapy, orthopedic and neurological examinations, diagnostic imaging, blood tests and other laboratory work to help with lower back pain, headaches and other injuries, costs $60 to $110 for an hour at Waveland Wellness Center. Return visits are $40 to $60.
Biofeedback, a system that teaches you how to relax by teaching you how to control your heart rate, blood pressure and other bodily reactions to stress, costs $80 a session.
A session with a holistic psychiatrist is $175; follow-ups are $125. Massage therapists charge $60 an hour. The center, at 1346 W. Waveland Ave. (773-935-5050), holds occasional free health and wellness lectures.
A doctor may practice holistic therapies, but you don’t have to be a doctor to practice them. To practice acupuncture and chiropractic, you must be certified by the state.
For holistic therapies that aren’t state licensed, interview the practitioner about her training and experience, recommends Patricia Ann Brown, Waveland’s direcor. It’s also important to “choose someone you connect with and who is a good listener,” she adds. Find out in detail, before starting treatment, what exactly the person does and how it will help your specific problem. Also be clear on what your insurance will and won’t cover.
You can find holistic practitioners in the phone book. They also advertise in free publications that you can pick up in health food stores.
For referrals to massage therapists, call the American Massage Therapy Association (708-354-2682 or 847-864-0123).
The National College of Chiropracti provides referrals for treatment by graduates. A typical treatment is $35. Treatment by a student chiropractor at the school’s on-campus clinics in Chicago, Lombard, Aurora and Woodridge is $23 per visit. Call 800-622-1373.
The Midwest Center for the Study of Oriental Medicine (773-975-1295) holds free holistic health clinics on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. or Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 909 W. Montrose Ave. in Chicago, Suite 206.
The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (202-232-1404) will send you a list of NCCA board-certified practitioners of acupuncture, Oriental medicine and Oriental body work. Send $3 to NCCA, Department 0595, Washington, D.C. 20073-0595. Or download the list for free at www.nccaom.org.
To see if the school your acupuncturist attended is accredited, call the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (301-608-9680).
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (800-521-2262) will provide referrals to physicians who practice acupuncture.
