About 24 years ago, Iris sat down for the California Acupuncture Licensing Exam.
Having graduated from the four year program at Samra University of Oriental Medicine with a Master’s Degree, Iris had already passed the national exam. But California, with stricter standards, is one of the few states that requires their own test.
The exam, laughs Iris, “It’s as if the test were written by acupuncturists whose purpose was for you to fail, just so you leave the state to eliminate competition.”
She studied rigorously, even changing her diet and habits to increase her alertness. Then she sat down to tackle questions like:
Which of the following conditions would lead to a differential diagnosis of chronic rather than acute bronchitis?
A. Weak spleen causes phlegm damp to rise to the lung, and wind cold invades the lung
B. External excess hinders spreading functions of the lung Qi, and phlegm damp prevents Qi from descending
C. Weak spleen causes phlegm damp to rise to the lung, and deficient kidney cannot make lung Qi descend
D. External excess hinders spreading functions of the lung Qi, and excess in the lung coincides
She passed on the first try.
Today, in one of the two offices of her thriving acupuncture business, Iris looks around and smiles, “My parents didn’t want me to do this. They wanted me to get a ‘real job.’”
Though Eastern medicine was introduced to the US in the 1800s, it was quickly overwhelmed by advancements in Western medicine. It was “re-introduced” in the 1970’s, after Pulitzer prize-winning journalist James Reston visited China with Henry Kissinger. James underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and doctors administered acupuncture to alleviate post-operative pain. He wrote a feature extolling the experience for the New York Times in 1971, “Now, About My Operation in Peking.”
In 1997, the World Health Organization approved acupuncture, which validated its efficacy. Coincidentally, people were growing weary of invasive medical treatments and the troublesome side-effects of popular medicines.
Still, in 1999 it was considered fringe, a career for “granola-y” folks or those who study Asian culture. For Iris, a young woman who worked part-time in retail, it seemed a bit incongruous. “It wasn’t a popular career choice at the time,” she states.
She left Los Angeles and moved to NYC in 2000, worked for hire in NYC and in 2006 opened her own midtown office. Most of her patients then were new to the world of acupuncture.
At that time, people were embracing organic food and homeopathic remedies. The opioid crisis was brewing and individuals wanted alternatives to pain medication. Her practice thrived.
In 2013 she and her husband moved to Westport. She kept her NYC office and opened a second office in Westport.
Then, as now, she and her staff specialize in infertility and gynecology, as well as pain management and allergies.
So, how does acupuncture work?
“It helps the body do what it already wants to,” Iris explains. “[Women are] born able to reproduce, we have to figure out what’s getting in the way.”
Thin needles are inserted into certain points on the body that stimulate the central nervous system. This re-balances your “Qi” (a body’s energy flow) and helps your body release natural chemicals organs run at “optimal level” thereby aiding in healing and restoration.
“Bodies are like factories with feedback signals, and feedback systems need to be balanced,” says Iris.
The points are determined by the problem and the symptoms. Determining “acupoints” requires knowledge of Western medicine and biology.
“If your symptoms include 'a cold uterus' you need to warm it up,” she instantiates. “The underlying issue can be completely different for each woman.”
“Most women have ‘liver-y’ stuff. There are points along the feet and hands for this. Two points are a dual function, like a recipe - one or two things, then add one more and it takes it to another level.”
Determining the core problem requires talking. “I’m like a therapist sometimes,” she says. Especially in areas of infertility and pregnancy, women are typically exhausted of pokes and prods, of well-intentioned but unwanted advice, and the emotional toll. “My patients want someone they can confidently share their personal struggles with, without judgment."
These discussions, along with clinical experience and help determine the course of action. Lab work helps, too.
Acupuncture has become so entrenched in today’s medicine that to describe it as “alternative” sounds inexact. Much prefer “complementary”; Iris and her staff treat patients alongside physicians and other healthcare practitioners.
Noa Health & Acupuncture
NoaCenter.com
“Bodies are like factories with feedback signals, and feedback systems need to be balanced” - Iris
“If your symptoms include 'a cold uterus' you need to warm it up. The underlying issue can be completely different for each woman.”