Photo credit: Emma Delk
Dr. Jen Fox demonstrates the holistic medicine practice of “ear seeding” at her new clinic, Healing Point Acupuncture, in Elm Grove.
Dr. Jen Fox is looking to fill a gap in health care services in Wheeling with the opening of Healing Point Acupuncture, a new clinic specializing in acupuncture services.
Since opening her practice in June, Fox has been providing Wheeling residents and the surrounding area with acupuncture and other holistic medical treatments to treat a wide range of conditions, from chronic pain to anxiety.
After earning her doctorate in acupuncture, Fox opened an acupuncture practice at Hulse & Connection Chiropractic, 242 Krueger Road, and began expanding medical options in her hometown.
Mr Fox explained that acupuncture is a non-invasive treatment that involves inserting thin needles into specific points in the body to target “pathways in the peripheral nervous system that go directly to the brain”.
“Our bodies have a central nervous system that branches off into the peripheral nervous system,” Fox explains. “These nervous system pathways connect directly to the brain and send signals to the brain that release chemicals, neurotransmitters, and hormones that set off a healing chain reaction.”
Fox noted that acupuncture differs from dry needling in that rather than inserting needles into the painful spot, needles are inserted into various “distal points” that are “most effective at treating systemic issues throughout the body.”
“When someone comes in with a headache, we have a number of distal points that we can use to treat them, regardless of the type of headache they have,” Fox explains. “If they have a dull or sharp headache, depending on where the pain is, we use different points to treat that pain.”
While the treatment can ease chronic physical pain, Fox added that by targeting different endings in the nervous system, it could also help treat conditions such as digestive issues, stress and anxiety.
“Acupuncture has very few side effects and is easy to administer,” Fox points out. “It’s great to see people integrating acupuncture with Western medicine and activating the body’s natural healing processes to help them.”
Fox treats patients of all ages, from young children to the elderly, but says he treats those under 14 with traditional Chinese massage instead of acupuncture.
In addition to acupuncture, Fox also offers holistic treatments such as cupping, which he explained involves applying cups to bare skin to stimulate blood flow to specific areas of the body.
“A patient came in and told me they hadn’t been able to move their hip for a year,” Fox recalled. “I gave them a cupping session, and then Dr. Terry (Hulse) did a chiropractic adjustment. The patient said they couldn’t remember the last time they had no pain, but by the end of the week, the pain was gone.”
In addition to acupuncture and cupping, Fox also offers auricular seeding, in which small seeds or grains are applied to points on the outside of the ear that “correspond to the area of symptoms.”
At the end of each session, Fox performs an infrared therapy treatment, which involves shining an infrared lamp on different parts of the body for pain relief, relaxation and improved circulation. Infrared light “improves the circulation of oxygen-rich blood in the body, which helps cells regenerate and repair,” Fox explained.
As Fox brought her holistic practice to the Wheeling area, she found that local patients who were unfamiliar with acupuncture responded positively to the treatment.
“I think a lot of people turn to acupuncture because research has proven it works,” Fox says. “They Google it or do their homework before coming in and they say, ‘I didn’t know acupuncture could help with all of these conditions.’ It’s great to see awareness of acupuncture and other holistic medicines growing in this area.”
To schedule an appointment with Fox, call 304-830-2937 or visit www.HealingPointsAcu.com .
