Center for Natural Healing in Cape approved as primary choice for veteran acupuncture therapy
The Center for Natural Healing has been approved as a primary choice for veterans to receive acupuncture therapy, showcasing impressive results for those being treated.
Noneen O’Rafferty, owner of the Center for Natural Healing on Vincennes Boulevard in Cape Coral, said they have wanted to help veterans for awhile and to be approved to offer the therapy is just “amazing” because it was the Neurology Services of Veterans Affairs which decided that what it could offer veterans was not enough.
“The opioid abuse epidemic was really affecting the vets. They said last year over 68,000 were addicted to opioid painkillers and that leads to homelessness, suicide and addiction,” she explained.
O’Rafferty said acupuncture will not cure everything, but it is an adjunct to therapy that veterans can receive.
“It’s getting them off their pain meds,” she said.
Veterans have to go through their VA primary healthcare doctor who then prescribes the acupuncture therapy.
If their pain level is under a five out of a scale of 10, O’Rafferty will see them once a week. If the pain exceeds five, she will see them twice a week to get the pain levels down.
In addition to pain, she also works with veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She will see the patient once a week to help with PTSD.
“There is a point I do in their ear for relaxation,” O’Rafferty explained.
One of her patients shared that they were able to cope with life more, as well as get along better with others after the acupuncture therapy.
“It’s not just with physical pain, it’s emotional coping day-to-day as well. That is the big thing that impresses me,” she said.
The reason why acupuncture works is it starts relaxing the energy and helps blood flow, which then helps with nerves.
O’Rafferty said if someone seems very pale, she works on their kidney energy and if someone is worrying all the time, she works on their stomach and spleen energy. If someone is very angry and flies off the handle, then she works on their liver and gallbladder energy.
There is nothing wrong with the organ, just the energy that runs through the organ system, which is affected by strong emotions.
“Fear, worry and anger are the three big ones that I work with,” O’Rafferty said.
She said with acupuncture she has to understand what is taking place in the body. If they are experiencing back pain, O’Rafferty then has to say, “how is it affecting this person” and see if the organ system has been damaged in the process.
“Sometimes they are in less pain and they can think clearer. They don’t fly off the handle. Just a general mood improvement,” O’Rafferty said.
The treatment typically includes 12 needles. She will spend about an hour with her patient, which begins with a conversation and discussion of what they are experiencing. From there the patient will lay down and relax for about 40 minutes while listening to soft music.
“Once the needles come out, the treatment keeps on working over the next few days,” she explained. “Patients fall asleep on the table and say ‘I haven’t been that relaxed in ages.'”
In addition, she also provides scar release therapy through some mild electric stimulation, which is done through some exercises that starts breaking up and releasing old scar tissue.
“Scars hold emotions and scars create adhesions. Sometimes they can get a pain in their hip and it is coming from a scar on their other hip,” she said.
O’Rafferty said she loves working with veterans, especially when she sees the smiles when they start feeling better.
“I’m so grateful to be able to help in some small way. They offered up their lives for the country for us, so it is a bit humbling,” she said. “They have been around and around for years seeking any form of pain relief and they don’t want to be hooked on the drugs.”
The Center for Natural Healing is located at 4632 Vincennes Blvd., Suite 104. For more information, call 239-542-5600.