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Doctor Feel Good |
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If you have tried to lose weight with
every diet, but those stubborn pounds keep hanging on, you might try
Auricular Therapy like Penny Kane, 42, of Waterford. After six months
of therapy with Dr. Dan Taylor of Lake Orion, Ms. Kane has lost
thirty-eight pounds and now weighs a pleasing 122 pounds. Ms. Kane is
four foot eleven and started out at 160 pounds. Her goal is to be 113
pounds, what she calls her "adult weight, when I felt the best" by her
birthday in May. Ms. Kane has been going to Dr. Dan Taylor, DC since 1980 for his chiropractic and holistic approach to wellness. "About two years ago we discussed recent training that he had in Auricular Therapy and how it might help my weight," said Ms. Kane. An award-winning baker, Ms. Kane is faced with constant weight control challenges. She has won numerous awards at the State Fair since her days in the youth division including the 1999 Archway Cookie Champion. Penny rewards her customers (she owns and manages Penny's Personal Travel in Waterford) with her specialty cookies. The treadmill and Eat Right 4 Your Type (a diet based on your blood type) by Dr. Peter D'Adamo are other weapons Ms. Kane is using to win the battle with weight. Kane says, "Auricular Therapy makes it easier to stay on the diet and exercise program and tough it out. Instead of it feeling like a grind, it takes me one day closer to my goal. It keeps me from hitting the wall and quitting." Dr. Dan Taylor, 49, or as his patients affectionately call him, "Dr. Dan", became interested in Chiropractic medicine when he read an article at the age of 21 while attending the University of Michigan to be a Dentist. He received a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Physiology at the University of Michigan in 1976. "I decided I didn't want to be stuck in someone's mouth all day," Dr. Taylor smilingly said. He worked for a year for Chiropractor and mentor, Dr. George Kousak of Waterford after graduation. In February of 1980 Dr. Taylor received his Chiropractor license and began his practice. In training to maintain his license and to find therapies "that help people," according to Dr. Taylor, "Auricular Therapy made sense as sort of an offshoot of acupuncture." "People are more receptive to this therapy than acupuncture," stated Dr. Taylor. Ms Kane agrees, "You can feel it, but it doesn't hurt." Dr. Taylor structures the Auricular Therapy to the individual, but on a general basis he charges a fee of $150 for the first week, of basically unlimited visits; subsequent visits he charges $15. For many patients he uses Auricular Therapy for pain or healing as an adjunct to Chiropractic, herbal or other treatments. In this case, he may not charge the patient, since the therapy is not covered by insurance. Auriculotherapy is administered mostly to areas of the ear (auricular) to stimulate nerves corresponding to areas in the body. "The therapy stimulates the brain through nerves to send information to parts of the body," according to Dr. Taylor. The Stim Plus Pro, a microcurrent device invented by Dr. Jay M. Holder is what Dr. Taylor uses for therapy. There are devices similar to the Stim Plus Pro available in catalogs that anyone can purchase. Dr. Taylor cautions, "Other devices are not constructed the same way and without the proper training the results would be hard to predict and possibly counterproductive to the goal." Dr. Holder, President and Teacher at The American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders and a Chiropractor, became involved with Auricular Therapy when he was running addiction programs and through research. He describes the Stim Plus Pro he invented as the, "Most powerful diagnostic system in the world." It is a small hand-held probe that delivers between 5 and 20 Hz of microcurrent to specific ear points for 15 to 30 seconds per point. "The therapy re-balances and helps the body restore the amino acids (also known as reward chemicals or neurological transmitters)," according to Dr. Holder, "to help us feel a sense of pleasure or well being". What Auriculotherapy is not, according to Dr. Holder, "It is not an Oriental treatment like acupuncture and it does not use meridians." "It is a medical treatment, invented by Neurologist Dr. Paul Nogier in France in the 1950s and is used as an adjunct therapy," Dr. Holder explains. "As a treatment system it is very effective for hundreds of conditions or diseases," Dr. Holder asserts. He also warns that the treatment is a temporary remedy. Other factors like the person's determination, health and counseling play a role. Persons with medical credentials wishing to obtain training in Auricular Therapy can contact The American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders for their one-day ten-hour session which costs $225 for the session. Books, notes and the Stim Plus Pro device are sold separately. Not everyone is a believer. Dr. Raouf Seifeldin, MD, Associate Director of the Family Practice Residency Program at North Oakland Medical Center and Assistant Professor at Wayne State School of Medicine said, "I looked at it several years ago for possible help with smoking cessation. I am skeptical of this therapy because of the lack of scientific studies and the waning effect of the treatment." He does admit, however that several of his patients, family members and friends have had success with the therapy. Dr. Harsha Jayatilake, MD, Department of Family Medicine at Wayne State School of Medicine and Board Certified in Holistic Medicine wholeheartedly promotes Auricular Therapy as part of his medical practice that includes Acupuncture and other forms of Alternative Medicine. Dr. Jayatilake states that, "The ear represents the whole body." He has used it for the treatment of pain, migraine headaches, substance abuse and stress management for about eight years. He said the duration and type of treatment varies. "It isn't the same as take two aspirins and the pain will go away", Dr. Jayatilake states. He begins with a week to ten days of intense treatment (using traditional Chinese Acupuncture or Auricular Therapy) and then depending on how the person responds (and factors like counseling), he starts to back off the number and frequency of the treatments. He does caution that there is no guarantee for the procedure. Mary Dietrick, 48, a certified massage therapist and owner of Body Tech uses the Stim Plus Pro along with her massages to, "enhance the massage experience." She also uses it for a few patients that wish to stop smoking. Ms. Dietrick was introduced to Auricular Therapy through longtime friend Dr. Taylor. "Dr. Taylor originally introduced me to massage therapy," said Ms Dietrick. "I've known Dr. Taylor for about twenty-five years; he is such a caring person," Dietrick said. Ms Dietrick and Dr. Taylor trade professional practices. "Mary is one of the few practitioners that I will go to if I have a problem," stated Dr. Taylor. "Pain control, allergies, weight loss, smoking cessation, addictions and depression," are some of the major uses according to Dr. Taylor. Dr. Holder sites the five addictions, "Drugs and alcohol, sex, eating disorders, work and gambling for the use of Auricular Therapy as an adjunct therapy. "There is no condition that Auricular Therapy is not appropriate for," Dr. Taylor read from his notes from a class taught by Dr. Holder. What about treating cancer patients? Dr. Taylor said, "You can treat the symptoms…pain, stomach problems and depression to make the patient feel better and possibly help them to heal faster." Speaking of healing faster, Diane Jarvis, 46 of Sylvan Lake, owner of Lady Di Foods and an insurance agency, says "Dr. Feel Good" (as she calls Dr. Taylor) has helped her using Auricular Therapy. He used it along with Chiropractic and herbal treatments for a knee she injured while skiing, specifically a knee sprain. "It is amazing what he did for me in just two months," Jarvis said. She has been skiing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado (which was her original goal) and now she is skiing in the Alps in Italy. Jarvis stated, "I'm taking it slowly, my mind is a bit behind my body." Ms. Jarvis is what you might call an extreme skier. She has trained with the best; she drops the name Picabo Street, two-time Olympic Gold Medallist, very casually as someone she trained with. Getting back on the slopes was very important to her. She stopped by Dr. Taylor's office before heading off to Italy to make sure everything was OK. Dr. Taylor said she is, "Doing fine and out on the moguls." Sandie Parrott is a freelance writer living in Clarkston with her husband and zany Cairn Terrier, Abbey. |
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