When it comes to acupuncture, Jerusalem’s Jessica Newman is as legit as ever.
(Full disclosure: My partner and I both consider Newman an acupuncturist, but this article is not sponsored.)
Acupuncture is one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine with deep roots in traditional Chinese medicine. Over the years, its popularity in Western countries has only increased.
With that in mind, in jerusalem We sat down with Newman to discuss her life, practice, and common misconceptions about her work.
Where did you get your experience?
I was fortunate to grow up in Bettendorf, Iowa, a wild town of pure Americana filled with honesty, integrity, and work ethics. My father, Dr. Philip Newman of Washington, D.C., attended nearby Palmer College of Chiropractic and was known among his colleagues as a master healer and later credited with bringing applied kinesiology to Virginia. So, naturally, I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
He became an acupuncturist 33 years after practicing chiropractic.
By the sixth grade, I decided I wanted to become a natural doctor, following in the footsteps of my father and older brother, Dr. Moshe Newman, who had apprenticed at a clinic in Jerusalem before entering university.
I decided to pursue my Doctorate of Chiropractic and Master’s degrees in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at the same time at Southern California Health Sciences University South Bay.
I have a cousin, Jennifer Pearlstein. He was his BASI senior faculty member. [Body Arts and Science International] Pilates in Newport Beach. It was perfect timing. It was around the time that Pilates was starting to become very popular in Southern California.
Since I was in Southern California, I had the opportunity to work with Madonna’s famous Pilates instructor. matrix Staff, Oprah Winfrey; [actress] Daniel Fishel, I had the opportunity to teach him myself.
I work as a physical therapy Pilates instructor in Beverly Hills and have been involved in this integrative medicine practice in Southern California most of my life.
I received an award in 2018 for my work in treating over 12,000 patients at two urgent cares in Los Angeles with an approximately 91% success rate.
With my unique and vast collective experience, I wanted to come to Israel and serve with the wisdom I have gained.
Why should I consider acupuncture?
When I returned to California, most of the doctors were overwhelmed with patients, so they welcomed my acupuncture results, which were over 90% effective.
For example, at the US Healthworks healthcare provider, the medical director, physician assistant, orthopedic surgeon, and extremist specialist all send the majority of their patients to me. They were amazed at the results and even the medical director called me a “miracle worker.”
When I was a student, I read a study about the effectiveness of acupuncture. Most RCT meta-analyses consistently found the effectiveness of acupuncture in the majority of cases.
Great personal example. A 74-year-old man suffered from elephantiasis on his right leg and several large nodules on his arm and belly after being wounded in the Yom Kippur War.
For 50 years, doctors have not been successful. But after just five acupuncture and cupping sessions, I saw improvement. He has just finished his 35th treatment and his right leg is now almost the same size as his left leg and his nodules are rapidly decreasing in size.
What misconceptions about acupuncture would you like to clear up?
Evidence-based medicine is utilized as part of my specialty. I am careful to back up my treatments and discoveries with research.
A knowledgeable doctor at Shaare Zedek introduces us to a recent patient. [Medical Center in Jerusalem]. They had no real treatment to reverse Bell’s palsy in patients. Recent meta-analyses of RCTs [randomized controlled trial] The study showed a 70% prognostic success rate with 24 treatments over 8 weeks. After just seven treatments, the patient regained nearly 99% of his facial symmetry.
In my clinical cases, I have seen acupuncture unravel the mysteries of idiopathic diseases. [inconclusiveness] It is common in many Western medical diagnoses.
Another misconception I have seen is that less skilled practitioners influence poor patient opinions due to failed and inappropriate treatments. I’ve heard many cautionary tales from patients who have had terrible experiences with acupuncture here. Although there are many qualified acupuncturists in Israel, it is best to be cautious and research the academic background of your acupuncturist. And it’s always worth looking at patient reviews.
From my understanding, many alternative medicine fields in Israel are unregulated other than requiring a university degree. This means that there are no standards of quality of practice here. In California, in addition to a master’s degree in oriental medicine acupuncture, I also had to pass a rigorous state board exam.
As with all things, a thorough background check is always recommended when seeking medical services.
This could avoid many of the negative preconceptions that keep people away from alternative and complementary therapies, especially in Israel.
That being said, there is a common misconception that acupuncture is painful. The sensation has been likened to a pinch like a mosquito bite, but with proper breathing techniques and guidance, the whole experience is actually incredibly gentle, as if in 30 minutes he’d be You’ll feel like you’re taking a deep 3-hour nap.
How was your business affected by the war?
It seems to me that the war affected everyone’s life and, by extension, their business. It seems like almost everyone has lost someone or knows someone who has. We have lost our beloved nephew, David Newman. [may God avenge his blood]October 7th.
Not all are the same. I don’t feel like I’m the same person anymore.
In my clinic, I felt like I was going through the motions, supported by David’s memory.
David’s friends created an organization in his memory called Soldiers Save Lives. They have already raised more than $22 million in essential supplies for soldiers and displaced families.
During this time of national tragedy, I was so grateful to be able to put my own grief aside and focus on my patients to help others for David’s sake.
Patients still need help now more than ever. I have been providing community acupuncture treatment for PTSD to up to 10 people at a time using war points from the Acupuncturists Without Borders protocol.
We all could use some time to heal and recharge, so I’m here for that. ■
Jessica Newman’s clinic is located in Ramot, Jerusalem. Contact information is 055-943-9690.
