{"id":33794,"date":"2020-11-12T15:45:26","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T20:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=33794"},"modified":"2020-11-13T14:55:27","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T19:55:27","slug":"acupuncture-practitioners-say-treating-for-depression-during-pandemic-is-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/11\/acupuncture-practitioners-say-treating-for-depression-during-pandemic-is-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Acupuncture Practitioners Say Treating For Depression During Pandemic Is On The Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Katherine \u201cKat\u201d MacKenzie is the owner of Acupuncture Nirvana in Glens Falls.
Courtesy Acupuncture Nirvana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf
\nAfter being deemed non-essential and forced to close at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, acupuncturists were permitted to reopen in June. During the closure, the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY) pushed for the governor to grant the profession essential status.
\n\u201cWe were closed for two-and-a-half months, and then we were granted essential status,\u201d said Katherine \u201cKat\u201d MacKenzie, licensed acupuncturist and owner of Acupuncture Nirvana in Glens Falls. \u201cWe fought for it and got it. We have a very strong association (ASNY), and they went after it and they won.\u201d
\nMacKenzie is an incoming board member of ASNY, the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY). During the shutdown, she helped author a 22-page document that contained COVID-19 reopening guidelines and recommended best practices. It was distributed to all acupuncturists in the state.
\n\u201cWe reopened in early June and saw one patient an hour,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have all of these new cleaning procedures. We disinfect everything that can possibly be touched. We have to go a lot slower. I used to see 55 to 60 patients a week, and now I see 35.\u201d
\nNone of MacKenzie\u2019s patients have suffered from COVID, but she is seeing the impact the pandemic is having on mental health. Her patients are reporting high levels of anxiety.
\n\u201cWe have mostly been treating pain and anxiety,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a ton of anxiety. Almost everyone is anxious. We treated anxiety before but it\u2019s never been to this degree.\u201d
\nMacKenzie also treats other conditions including allergies, gynecological and fertility issues, migraines, and digestive issues. She incorporates Chinese medicine into her practice and is currently enrolled in a clinical herbalist program. She hopes to establish an in-house apothecary by the summer of next year.
\nLicensed acupuncturist Bridgette Shea, owner of Ageless Acupuncture in Saratoga Springs, is treating several patients who recovered from COVID but have lingering and often debilitating symptoms.
\n\u201cI\u2019m finding that the combination of acupuncture and herbs\u2014Chinese medicine\u2014is what works best,\u201d said Shea. \u201cI treat them with acupuncture because the body work really helps. Most of them have lung stuff going on still or something chest related or upper back related that was related to when they had the actual acute infection. I\u2019ll also do some cupping on their backs to draw out some of the leftover heat, inflammation, or dampness that may still be residing in the body.\u201d
\nAccording to Shea, acupuncture has proven to be beneficial for both the physical and mental well being of her post-COVID patients. Many report feeling depressed due to the lingering symptoms of the virus.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s depressing, and the feel like they will never get better. When they start coming in for the body work, it really helps to alleviate their symptoms but it also helps to get them into a better mental state,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce they start feeling better physically, they start feeling better emotionally. By treating the body with acupuncture, we are also treating the mind.\u201d
\nMany of Shea\u2019s patients are suffering from inflammatory disorders or other chronic conditions. When treating her patients, she incorporates a combination of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine.
\n\u201cI enjoy working with people who have more chronic conditions like long COVID or Lyme Disease because I see how well the acupuncture, the lifestyle guidance, and the herbs all go together to help the body be a less hospitable environment for the pathogen,\u201d she said. \u201cIt helps the body to balance the immune response as well.\u201d
\nShea also leads seasonal cleanses that are intended to reduce inflammation and create balance in the microbiome of the gut. Her recently released book, Cultivating Your Microbiome, provides detailed guidance on managing gut health naturally.
\nLicensed acupuncturist Danielle DeVivo, owner of Phoenix Rising Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic in Saratoga Springs, also works extensively with patients suffering from pain and inflammatory conditions including fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease. DeVivo specialized in fertility while in acupuncture school and was diagnosed with Lyme after graduating.
\n\u201cThat sort of led me into my specialization of treating these types of diseases,\u201d she said.
\nNational Institutes of Health (NIH) studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment alone or in combination with conventional therapies to treat numerous pain and inflammatory conditions.
\n\u201cIt is very effective. I would say that 85 percent of the time we get what I would specify as a good result\u2014meaning it brings your pain down measurable,\u201d said DeVivo. \u201cAnd there are a lot of things we can cure. Things that are curable are things that don\u2019t have underlying conditions. Things like tendonitis, tennis elbow, torn meniscus, sprained ankle. For things that aren\u2019t necessarily fixable like arthritis, we can manage the pain.\u201d
\nDeVivo is not treating COVID patients, but the pandemic has had a devastating impact on her practice. Many of her chronically ill patients are too concerned to leave their homes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf After being deemed non-essential and forced to close at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, acupuncturists were permitted to reopen in June. During the closure, the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY) pushed for the governor to grant the profession essential status. \u201cWe were closed for two-and-a-half months, and then we were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":33795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nAcupuncture Practitioners Say Treating For Depression During Pandemic Is On The Rise - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2020\/11\/acupuncture-practitioners-say-treating-for-depression-during-pandemic-is-on-the-rise\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Acupuncture Practitioners Say Treating For Depression During Pandemic Is On The Rise - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf After being deemed non-essential and forced to close at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, acupuncturists were permitted to reopen in June. 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