<< Previous   of   Next >> SCBJ/CHRISTINA HARPER  (click to enlarge) Massage therapist Mona Ramos provides both relaxation and specific health care massages for her clients at Everett’s Salon Retro. (click to enlarge) Snohomish County Business Journal/ CHRISTINA HARPER The ancient Asian practice of acupuncture is practiced by Jyun Shimizu at Acupuncture Associates on 9th Street in Marysville. (click to enlarge) Snohomish County Business Journal/CHRISTINA HARPER Former massage therapist Susan Pereira now specializes in her chosen field at Port Gardner Massage and Reflexology in the offices of Sound Holistic Health at the Everett Public Market. The techniques of reflexology focus specifically on finger-and-thumb pressure massaging of hands, feet and ears to releive stress and pain.

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Alternative health care options proving worth, moving from fringe to mainstream acceptance

By Christina Harper
Special to SCBJ

As people look at their diets and lifestyles in an attempt to stay healthy, so are they turning toward health modalities that previously might have been thought of as alternatives.

Now, naturopathic doctors, herbalists and others whose practices were often deemed to be on the fringes of health care have moved into the mainstream. More and more practitioners are helping a diverse spectrum of clients and at times even working with the patient’s physician toward the common goal of good health.

With many major health insurance companies covering massage and chiropractic services in their plans, methods such as cranial sacral therapy and acupuncture are no longer seen with the skeptical eye they were viewed with years ago. Acceptance is changing because alternative methods, many used in Eastern cultures, are helping people heal.

Here are the stories of three Snohomish County businesses whose owners work in massage, acupuncture and reflexology, three types of health care services that have come a long way from the outskirts of health care to the downtown main street.



Massage Therapy

When she was in corporate life, Mona Ramos thought of a massage as something she might have while on vacation. The ‘great one hour escape’ was a treat, a way of relaxing after months of meetings, deadlines and work challenges.

But when Ramos was injured in a traffic accident she began to see the health advantages of massage. Her results were so good that she began to think of a career change, contemplating helping others who might benefit from the ancient forms of touch therapy.

She’s now the owner of Meridia Massage, a business she operates out of Salon Retro, 6303 Wetmore Ave. in south Everett’s Pinehurst neighborhood.

As a licensed massage practitioner, Ramos works with clients in a variety of professions including nurses, construction workers, and those who sit at desks all day hunched up over keyboards.

Clients typically visit Ramos for 60-to-90 minute appointments. She uses long strokes and kneading motions to work body tissue and stimulate improved circulation, which releases muscle tension and pain, and helps with mobility and stiffness in the joints.

“Relaxation is just as important as treating underlying conditions,” Ramos said.

Some people who suffer from fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis, or those who have had hip or knee replacements, can benefit from massage, she said.

More employers are seeing how on-site chair massages can help their workers relax and feel better. Many Snohomish County companies, including The Herald and the Boeing Co., have a massage practitioner, such as Ramos, visit their offices. Employees book time, 15 minutes or 30 minutes for a session, for seated, fully clothed chair massages. Those sessions can be beneficial for people with carpal tunnel problems from sitting at their desk and typing for hours, as well as for people who carry stress in their shoulders, lower backs and necks.

Ramos does not believe that it’s a good idea to replace a doctor’s advice for any illness or ailment. She does educate clients on when to apply ice packs, for instance, and when to apply heat to relieve discomfort in certain areas.

“I encourage clients to be part of their own health care,” Ramos said. “I’m also in touch with their physician, if I have permission from the client, I will call and discuss the treatment I’m giving them with their doctor.”

Ramos works with many insurance plans that cover massage therapy treatments. A relaxation massage often costs $65 for 60 minutes. Some practitioners give only 50 minutes of an hour. Treatment massage is $80 for one hour and an insurance massage treatment for a specific condition is $120.

Meridia Massage has shown a steady increase in clients for Ramos. Her ability to learn new techniques keeps her practice at the forefront of massage therapy and keeps her achieving clinical goals for clients.

Ramos is adept at deep tissue massage, Swedish massage, hot stone massage, and Lomi Lomi massage, a Hawaiian technique. Not having medical training, she cannot diagnose illnesses and is not permitted to advise clients, but Ramos works in partnership with those she cares for as well as with their health care practitioners.



Acupuncture

Hearing about what acupuncture is and how it works can sometimes be confusing to those new to this treatment that has been used in China for thousands of years. In that part of the world, people believe the thin needles placed into certain points of the body help to stimulate the body’s systems and restore Chi, or energy, causing it to flow better to all parts.

Jyun Shimizu takes a different approach with his patients at Acupuncture Associates on 9th Street in Marysville.

“I talk to patients about science rather than energy,” Shimizu said.

He explains that the tiny, thin needles are rarely felt by anyone as they are used, but inserting them creates massive blood flow at those points, which is the key in repairing tissues.

“Probably 99 percent of people don’t feel anything during treatment,” Shimizu said, but they do feel the results.

Shimizu explains that acupuncture stimulates endorphins and calms the nervous system.

“When the nervous system is in jeopardy, acupuncture helps,” he said.

The ancient practice of acupuncture has been helping so many of Shimizu’s clients that he has expanded his services to three locations: Marysville, Bellevue, and Puyallup. In many ways, he has approached his business differently than some other practitioners.

“My vision and intention is to raise the awareness of how acupuncture can help people,” Shimizu said.

Before coming to the United States Shimizu practiced acupuncture in Japan where it has a 3,000-year history. In 2003, he opened Acupuncture Associates. He believes that in the past three to four years especially, at last 10 to 20 percent of the population has become more conscious about acupuncture.

“In the United States, now, it is more and more accepted,” Shimizu said.

In contrast, in his native Japan the pattern of health care has been to lean more toward Western medicine in recent years. Shimizu said that since trends in Japan often follow those of America, acupuncture will once again be more popular there as the population here becomes more accepting of it.

Typically, Shimizu sees clients for one hour in a session. The person rests on a comfortable table and is able to relax. Needles are placed in various points of the body such as the scalp, joints, arms and legs, depending on what ailment the acupuncture is treating: migraine headaches, hormonal issues, chronic pain management and many more conditions. After a few minutes of relaxation the needles are removed.

“You are training the nervous system by having acupuncture,” Shimizu said.

Many hospitals in this country are incorporating acupuncture into their treatment plans, including Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

Another positive sign of its acceptance is that most health insurance companies now cover the cost of acupuncture, exception for Medicare, Medicaid and Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries.

“Not yet,” Shimizu said.



Reflexology

Susan Pereira was a massage practitioner when she first heard about reflexology. It made an impression on her when she realized she could spend a whole career working only on hands, feet and ears, and be perfectly happy specializing with that range of treatments.

But at that time, several years ago, reflexology could only be administered by massage practitioners, which wouldn’t allow her to work only in that area. For a while, during the mid-1980s, she ventured into jobs in the corporate world on the East Coast. When she returned to the Northwest she realized her massage license had lapsed.

In 2003 new opportunities arrived for Pereira when she received a notice in the mail: reflexology had been separated from its link to massage therapy.

“Finally, you didn’t have to be a massage therapist to practice reflexology,” said Pereira, who quickly took advantage of the new ruling by enrolling in school to become part of a new health care practice that was becoming more and more acceptable to people as a way to feel better.

By applying pressure on feet, hands and ears with finger-and-thumb techniques, she can make positive changes in a person’s organs and body systems.

“I tell them it’s an ancient touch therapy that relaxes the whole body,” Pereira said. She explains that reflexology works on the principle that the organs of the body are linked and mapped out on the feet, ears and hands. It is first and foremost a relaxation technique, Pereira said, but with many diseases having a foundation in stress Pereira sees clients for a variety of problems: stomach issues, feet problems, the onset of diabetes, insomnia and even cardiovascular problems.

“I see reflexology as an integral part of preventative health care,” Pereira said.

Today, Pereira is co-owner of Port Gardner Massage and Reflexology in the offices of Sound Holistic Health at the Everett Public Market on Grand Avenue near downtown Everett. One client came to Pereira after an emergency angioplasty. She had him inform his doctor of the reflexology treatment plan.

“The doctor said, ‘Oh, yeah, that will be good for you. It has well known benefits for cardiovascular systems and diabetes,’” Pereira said.

She believes doctors and others in health care are more accepting of reflexology than previously. Pereira believes that sometimes drugs and surgeries are the best things for patients, despite the positive effects of reflexology.

Once again, it’s a health care option that is just becoming accepted in this country even though Sweden, Norway and other countries have integrated reflexology treatments from chiropractors, homeopathic doctors and reflexologists into their health care system.

“In Denmark everyone knows about reflexology,” she said.

The cost for 30 minutes of reflexology on the ears, hands, feet, or a combination of all three, is $35. A 60-minute appointment is $60, she said.

Although reflexology is not yet covered by insurance companies, hospitals throughout the country, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, have been using the practice.

“When Dr. Oz (professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University) goes on Oprah, gives a demonstration of reflexology and says that he uses it on his patients and staff, that’s a pretty big endorsement,” Pereira said.