On the heels of recently being voted the No. 1 acupuncturist in the Moultrie News "Best of the Best" Readers' Choice special edition, Natalie Allard shared the array of benefits her 3,000-year-old form of therapy can offer folks who may not be familiar with it.
As the owner/operator of Ageless Acupuncture at 725 Coleman Blvd. in Mount Pleasant, Allard remembered moving back to the Lowcountry eight years ago with the goal of providing her services to the community after managing her own business in Asheville, North Carolina for 15 years.
The Mount Pleasant resident just knew that the "time was right" to open her current practice at the height of the global pandemic in October 2020.
"I just decided that I needed to open and people needed it. There's a lot of stress, lots of anxiety and all sorts of stuff going on," recounted the Isle of Palms native, who immediately attracted a steady stream of clients.
In describing what types of patients she treats and their conditions, Allard remarked that just about anyone is a candidate for acupuncture, as the form of Chinese therapy she practices can address far more than common back pain and muscle aches.
Acupuncture, which predates Western medicine, she added, is preventative in nature and can ward off heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, as well as mental disorders. A significant volume of her client base, moreover, consists of women hoping to solve their fertility issues.
Allard mentioned how she clarifies the way acupuncture works to her new patients by having them envision their bodies composed of several meridians running head to toe. And much like a garden hose with a bend cutting off water flow, an individual's meridians can also see the circulation of blood, energy, and vital fluids being impeded from stress-induced blockages.
"When we have stress and life and kids and work," continued the 21-year professional, "it puts little kinks in our meridian. So, it's the acupuncturist's job of figuring out where to put the points, and it helps to unravel those kinks in the meridian."
The end result is releasing one's stifled energy, as its flow throughout the body can alleviate the pain and anguish associated with digestive issues, sleeplessness, and panic attacks, among other symptoms.
In some cases, acupuncture can help wean people off anxiety medications as the patient becomes increasingly grounded and balanced following a number of regularly prescribed sessions. This desired outcome can also apply to folks on blood pressure drugs or cholesterol meds, all of which can trigger a multitude of side effects, according to the married mother of two college-aged children.
On that note, however, Allard cautions people not to think of acupuncture as a magic pill since changes in diet and lifestyle are also advised in order to achieve successful healing.
The wide breadth of benefits promoted by acupuncture, it was noted, make it a holistic type of therapy that doesn't require one to seek the services of multiple specialists to treat myriad ailments.
Allard further dispelled common apprehensions people may harbor over the process of having needles inserted in their shoulders, back, and other parts of their bodies. She explained that the needles in question don't go very deep and are actually about the width of a horse hair. In fact, most patients barely feel the pin-like instruments penetrating their skin.
"And once they're in, it's an incredible feeling of relaxation, as it's working to get everything moving and everything balanced," she offered.
"That's what I tell everybody: it's worth trying. It's not going to hurt anything, it's only going to help."
Visit Ageless Acupuncture to book an appointment or call 843-800-0759.