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<< Previous   of   Next >> Darren Breen / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Acupuncturist John Donald treats a patient with needles half as thick as normal needles. Donald says the needles can be that thin because they don't need to be hollow like traditional acupuncture needles. The patient said he has always had tension and that the acupuncture therapy has helped relax him.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, March 3, 2008 Acupuncture: pain relief, minus the ouch factor Acupuncturist John Donald brings his 'gentle dentistry' approach to Everett. By Debra Smith Herald Writer EVERETT -- Renee Anderson had tried just about everything to find relief from migraines. They had become so debilitating that the Everett woman missed seven straight days from her job at the county prosecutor's office. That's how she ended up at John Donald's acupuncture practice. Anderson knew people who had found relief trying the ancient Chinese technique. After several sessions, Anderson isn't completely cured, but she is feeling "remarkably better," enough to go back to work. It's effective enough she said she'll pay for sessions out of pocket if she needs more than the dozen covered by her insurance plan. Like Anderson, many of Donald's clients come to him as a last resort. He recently opened a clinic at 2804 Grand Ave., in a newly renovated office space in the Everett Public Market building. His clinic is part of a cluster of businesses that form Sound Holistic Health Center. Donald, a licensed acupuncturist with a decade of experience, decided to move his practice from Issaquah partly because that area had become saturated with acupuncturists and Everett remains underserved, he said. Donald considers himself the "gentle dentistry" of acupuncture. The notion that acupuncture must be painful is one misconception he tries to correct. He practices a Japanese style of acupuncture that's gentler and subtler than the traditional Chinese style. He uses smaller needles and fewer of them. New patients are often surprised at how few needles he uses. A gentler technique can be just as effective, he said. "It doesn't have to be a torture session for people to benefit from it," Donald said. Anderson, his patient suffering from the migraines, described the sensation as "not even like a pinch." At a recent session, Donald used eight needles in her feet and wrists connected by tiny wires that look a bit like jumper cables. One end of each wire is negative and the other positive, creating a passive circuit that allows a subtle migration of the body's own electromagnetic energy from cell to cell along the pathway between the two points, he said. A typical session could also include infrared heat therapy, electro-acupuncture or additional massage. After inserting the needles, he leaves the patient alone in a dimly lit room for 20 to 30 minutes. Most patients relax enough they take a nap, he said. He explained that acupuncture works by increasing the circulation through specific areas of the body. It also raises the neural pain threshold, stimulates the immune system and facilitates the body's natural healing ability. Traditional Chinese medical theory attributes the effectiveness of acupuncture to balancing the "qi" through a system of channels or meridians that traverse the body. Western scientists have a different view of how acupuncture works, but the traditional medical community now widely recognizes its efficacy. The Providence Regional Cancer Partnership in Everett offers acupuncture to help decrease pain, nausea and vomiting some patients experience with chemotherapy. Another misconception is that acupuncture is appropriate only for treating pain, Donald said. He's treated patients with problems as diverse as infertility, asthma and allergies. About three-quarters of his patients experience satisfactory results, which he defined as feeling well enough to return to work and play. About 20 percent experience some benefit, and the remaining 5 percent don't respond, he said. Most patients know within a few sessions whether acupuncture will be effective, he said. Acupuncture is not as effective at treating cases where there is a structural problem in the body -- for instance, worn cartilage in the knee. It can treat the pain caused by the knee problem, but it won't reverse the problem. He also said some patients don't respond because of a psychological block. He believes others don't respond because they may be too heavily medicated. Acupuncture practices in Washington received a boost in 1999 when the state began requiring insurers to cover services provided by all of the state's licensed categories of health care providers, including acupuncturists. Donald called that move bittersweet: It has helped ease acupuncture into the mainstream, but along with legitimacy comes paperwork and regulations. Acupuncturists tend to be mavericks and it was hard for some to follow the rules, he said. Most major insurers will cover his services, he said, and about 15 percent of his business is directed by insurers. A small percentage find him themselves, but the bulk of his patients in Everett have come from word-of-mouth referrals from other patients and other medical providers. Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.

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