A doctor visit that involves needles is usually not looked upon as a favorable experience. But what if a needle could cure everything ranging from exam stress to stomach problems?
A growing number of students is taking advantage of the University Health Center’s Acupuncture Clinic, showing a trend toward a more holistic form of medicine.
More than 1,250 appointments were booked at the clinic in 2005. Seventy percent were students at the university, while 25 percent were faculty, staff and visitors, according to Pamela Gandy, an acupuncturist for the Health Center.
“I went there because I was having some problems with irritable bowel syndrome and all my general practitioner did was give me some pain killers,” said Kevin Weiss, a senior chemistry and biochemistry major. “After I left Pamela’s office, not only did I feel better, but I felt more chilled-out than I ever have before.”
The art of the healing needle is not new. Acupuncture is the oldest continuously practiced medical system in the world and focuses on the person as a whole, including mind, body and spirit. It is based on the idea that energy, or Qi (pronounced “chee”), flows through the body much like blood and can get blocked up in about 350 points on the body due to injury or stress, Gandy said. An acupuncturist uses needles or the warming herb artemisia vulgaris to penetrate and release the clogged energy.
“It’s like when you have a full balloon and you pierce it with a needle,” Gandy said. This is how we restore energy circulation in the body. It’s not like a Band-Aid – it gets to the root of the problem.”
The needles, which are the width of a few human hairs, are sterilized and only used once.
“I don’t feel anything unless she hits a certain point that corresponds to energy. Then it kind of feels like a hot tong,” Weiss said.
When Gandy started the acupuncture clinic with fellow acupuncturist Greta McVey in 1998, the university became the first to have an acupuncture clinic on the campus, she said. Gandy, originally an administrator for the physics department, said she turned to acupuncture as a career after it cured her stress, allergies and shoulder problems.
Now, other universities, including the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Towson University, are beginning their own acupuncture clinics with Gandy’s help.
“The whole culture is crying out for something more holistic and spirit-based,” Gandy said.
Gandy is not only affecting students’ health, but their futures, too. She said she has seen about one student a year pursue acupuncture as a career after they graduate.
“I want to become an osteopathic doctor, which means instead of just focusing on the individual physical problems in a patient, I look at their whole wellness,” Weiss said.
Gandy works three days a week at the clinic, while her new partner, Sheryl Nook, works the other two. McVey left to pursue animal acupuncture.
Treatment costs $50 without the university health plan, much less than outside treatments, which can range from $75 to $400 in major cities. But Gandy recommends those interested plan their appointments well in advance.
“We are always booked, five days a week, all day,” she said.
Contact reporter Megan Hartley at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
