Green doctors and therapists
IHAVE been going to reflexol ogy sessions since I pulled a back muscle in December. After my first visit, which of course healed my lower back, I found myself going back to see my therapist almost once a week. I have recommended him to my friends, who recommended him to their friends; and am now afraid that I’ve just shared my therapist with the rest of the world.
But really, I don’t mind. I like to share all the good news about the latest developments in the fields of reflexology, acupuncture, acupressure, heat therapy, and ayurvedic treatments. They are actually old Eastern practices, which were eclipsed by Western drugs and treatments, and rendered too common by foot massage and “spas” in every corner of the city, by “therapists” who do not even have a background in basic anatomy.
Our therapist is a passionate physical therapist who took further studies in Singapore after securing his degree, and after a few years, experience in one of the best hospitals in the country. He gently explains each “number” in a chart, citing what organ of the body he is stimulating. Sometimes it hurts so much you want to kick the pain away; but after the treatment, you thank him because you can actually do away with your regular massage, as his treatment is good for a week’s relief.
This is a new green job: Reflexology Therapist. He works with his bare hands, uses menthol and camphor rubs, and a lot of talk about what part of your body needs stimulation.
While I endure and enjoy the session with mixed feelings, I overhear two people arrive for acupuncture in another room with the same problem: insomnia. They said they have tried everything from sleeping pills, to Valerian, to walnuts and all kinds of medication. They stay in the room for 30 minutes while needles and pins placed on parts of their body that induce sleep. Again, the acupuncture doctor sees them for a bit, inserts the needles, then allows them to rest while he sees more insomniacs. The doctor is an Acupuncture Specialist.
It is interesting to note that many doctors are now taking Eastern ways and combining it with Western education. Integrating all the goodness of Eastern medicine with Western discoveries in research and technology. These are the new doctors. They are more open to combined ways of healing, not just with the use of drugs but with a holistic approach to preventive medicine and health maintenance. These are the Integrative Doctors.
One such doctor is Dr. Dana Calimbas, an M.D. from Davao who introduced me to the Nuga heating pad treatment for my ever stressed trapezoids. Five months later, I am still a believer in heat treatment for body aches, and even for bacteria, which she says, is in our blood.
Another is Dr. Romy Paredes of Cebu who practices Chelation and removal of toxic heavy metals in the body. (Would you believe we could be carrying heavy metals without knowing it?). Both of them are good and I have been happy with what I have become because of their help.
Last but not the least is my breathing therapist of the Buteyko method, Jac Vidgen. I took the course under Jac last November. Believe it or not, I actually got rid of my hypertension medication after the combined treatments of Dr. Romy’s Vitamin C Therapy, Dr. Dana’s heat treatment, with and Jac capping it up with my breathing class.
So, these days, it would help to get to know this new breed of doctors and therapists. They make you live well, as long as you eat well and sleep well, of course.
Happy Dragon Year! I love everything Asian and Eastern and am glad I was born on this side of the world. Don’t you feel so lucky to be Asian? I am.
Chit Juan is a founder and owner of ECHOSTORE sustainable lifestyle, Echomarket sustainable farms in Serendra and Podium malls. She also heads the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines and the Philippine Coffee Board Inc., two non- profits close to her heart. She often speaks to corporates, youth and NGOS on social entrepreneurship, women empowerment, and coffee. You can follow her on twitter. com/ chitjuan or find her on facebook: Pacita “Chit” Juan.
puj@echostore.ph