Acupuncture is one of the most widely used traditional medicine practices in the world, according to a 2021 World Health Organization report. A component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has become increasingly popular in the U.S. over the last 40 years in helping to manage multiple health issues. Scientific studies have corroborated acupuncture’s effectiveness in pain management, while oncology studies suggest that acupuncture helps strengthen the immune system and can reduce the effects of chemotherapy. Since 2020, Medicare and Medicaid have covered acupuncture for chronic low back pain.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific points on the body along lines of energy called meridians, to help balance and restore the energy flow, or qi, of the body.
We spoke to four licensed acupuncturists in Fairfield to learn more about this time-tested practice.
Five Element Acupuncture
Jenn Howland has been practicing traditional five element acupuncture in Fairfield since 2018. “With five element theory, you really become more aware of how nature functions,” she says. “We were trained extensively to understand the elements in nature, to see these dynamics in people, and to support the body’s unique wisdom of healing and innate intelligence.”
Howland explains that five-element acupuncture involves a comprehensive examination of mental, emotional, and physical aspects, looking for the underlying cause of symptoms.
“Clearing blocks and re-establishing a natural flow is part of every treatment,” she says. “Diagnosing and treating the root cause helps a person come back into balance and harmony, so that the body’s healing processes can function better. It’s a system of treating the whole person and not just the symptoms.”
Howland uses acupuncture to help with headaches, knee or shoulder problems, surgery recovery, and PMS, among other things. “When imbalance starts in the body, it starts at subtler levels and gets more noticeable,” Howland explains. “One of the first signs of imbalance is emotional distress, mental agitation, or rumination. You don’t have to be in agony and pain. One of the main causes of sickness in this day and age is stress. Treatment helps calm the nervous system, which means that your body is able to heal tissues better. Addressing stress levels is very helpful for the body to stay healthy and balanced.”
Whole-Person Treatment
Natan Bar-Shimon, of the Fairfield Acupuncture Clinic, has been practicing Acupuncture since 2001 and completed a Doctoral degree in Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in 2013. “Acupuncture uses acupuncture needles to make the body feel better, to have a smooth flow of energy throughout the body,” he says, noting acupuncture’s wide range of applications. “Most people hear about acupuncture for pain and aches, but acupuncture, as part of Chinese medicine, treats the whole person. So I treat anything—digestion, gynecological issues, mental issues, sleep problems, emotional issues, musculoskeletal issues, skin problems.”
For clients who are afraid of needles, or for infants and children, Bar-Shimon uses tiny “baby” needles. “The regular needles are pretty small,” he explains. “They’re hair thin, but the baby needles are even smaller. Most people don’t feel them going in, and once they’re in, people usually relax.”
He notes that acupuncture can treat a variety of conditions. “I’ve had a few people with peripheral neuropathy from cancer treatment. . . . Acupuncture is really good for that. It seems to work well for problems with sleeping, and helps people during pregnancy and labor.”
Overall Relief
William Berno has been an acupuncturist for 30 years. Berno was on faculty in the theater department at MIU in the late 1980s, when his parents’ health deteriorated and he moved to Florida to take care of them. While there, he met a man who said acupuncture helped clear up his long-running stomach problems. Intrigued, Berno visited a nearby acupuncture school, decided it was the right path for him, and enrolled. “It’s a good job, it’s a joy,” he says.
Berno recognizes that new patients are often afraid acupuncture will hurt. “It doesn’t really hurt that much, if at all. . . . There’s a sound that all acupuncturists love to hear—snoring. This is my theory: When you put the needle in, the brain doesn’t say, ‘Oh good, acupuncture, here we go.’ The mind says, ‘Foreign object in the body, send out the beta endorphins, the painkillers.’ When the painkillers come out, the body gets very relaxed. I think that’s one of the major things that people don’t realize—we’re fooling the mind.”
He says most clients come in for sciatic pain, back pain, and digestive issues. He offers a sliding scale on pricing to make acupuncture more accessible to those “on a low budget,” and frequently treats veterans. “It’s wonderful—the VA covers acupuncture, so it’s free for them.”
He adds, “Acupuncture can’t fix everything, but it can make the person feel better. . . . I just feel I’m here for service, and I get a lot out of that.”
The Mind-Body Link
Leora Rosenberg, who recently moved back to Fairfield, first began her career in natural medicine studying Maharishi Ayurveda at MIU. She later pursued naturopathic medicine in Seattle, Washington. After exams one day, a classmate suggested she try acupuncture. “It helped with the fatigue and stress of grad school,” she says. “I was hooked.”
While studying with Chinese doctors who practiced both Western medicine and acupuncture, she learned the psycho-emotional meanings behind many acupuncture points. “There are points for grief, points for fear, points for trauma,” she says. “We were taught that whenever we treat pain, we always treat the shen, or spirit, because pain disturbs the shen.”
Rosenberg also completed a naturopathic residency specializing in functional digestive disorders in Portland, Oregon. She treated many patients with IBS, SIBO, and GERD. “Acupuncture can help tonify the digestive system and address the mind–body disturbances often accompanying IBS,” she says.
While back in Fairfield, several clients encouraged her to train in cosmetic acupuncture, so she completed Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture training with Dr. Martha Lucas in Denver, Colorado. Cosmetic acupuncture is a natural approach to reducing fine lines and wrinkles that uses facial and body points and often brings helpful side effects such as improved sleep, digestion, reduced stress, and less jaw pain.
Rosenberg enjoys helping people with back and neck pain, sciatica, and migraines, as well as digestive disorders, anxiety, and women’s health issues. She recently completed additional training in fertility support, pregnancy support, and menopause transitions.
Ancient Practice – Modern Relief
The ancient practice of acupuncture, dating from over 3,000 years ago in China, has found a secure niche in our modern world. Whether you’re searching for pain management, trauma relief, or improved energy, this traditional system is a good choice for promoting whole-body health.