Acupuncture helps people in Northwest Colorado detox
Sasha Nelson
Craig — Acupuncture offers people overcoming addiction an alternative therapy to help with detox.
“Acupuncture involves the insertion of extremely thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body,” according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Barbara Fix is a licensed acupuncturist with 14 years of experience and has used both acupuncture and acu detox in her practice at the Natural Health Care Center in Craig.
“They target the nervous system and tell it to knock-off whatever it’s doing, producing a relaxing sensation,” Fix said.
Acu detox focuses on five points in the ear that when stimulated can reduce stress, control cravings and help the body eliminate toxins, according to the website of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, the organization responsible for developing the acu detox protocol.
“Acu detox helps with nicotine cravings and it can also help with detox from any substance, as well as reducing stress and improving sleep,” said The Foundry Treatment Center Clinical Director Jasmine Aranda.
The Foundry is located in Steamboat Springs and this week provided almost 200 people with free acu detox treatment as part of a training program for three new practitioners.
Aranda is one of the providers and has received treatment herself.
“There’s just this real calm sense of myself afterwards,” she said. “Things don’t activate my stress response so much. It kind of quiets the volume down.”
The needles Fix uses for acu detox are tiny pinch slightly when inserted.
“There is a little poke,” Fix said. “There can be some achy sensations and then relaxing sensations.”
About 75 percent of patients find relief through the treatment, Fix said.
“If you’re not ready to quit it’s not going to provide that motivation, you have to be self- motivated,” Fix said.
If you’re motivated, it can be a natural, gentle way to help overcome addiction.
“We are exploring the idea of providing this to the community once a month,” Aranda said.
For more information, contact Fix at 970-824-7744 or (70-846-3539 or contact Aranda at jasmine.aranda@foundrytreatmentcenter.com.
Contact Sasha Nelson at 970-875-1794 or snelson@CraigDailyPress.com or follow her on Twitter @CDP_Education.
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