Hastings Acupuncturist Treats Patients from Toes to Forehead, Mind to Spirit

Hastings' Paula Haberman is not what you might expect when you make an appointment with an acupuncturist; first of all, she's not Asian. She's Canadian.

But after nine years working as a traditional physical therapist and many years as a dancer, Haberman turned to traditional medicine after nothing helped with a trigger point in her own shoulder.

"I'd wake up constantly at night and couldn't take a deep breath," she said. "At first, I was skeptical about trying acupuncture, but after one 45-minute treatment it was better. Regular PT had never had that kind of effect for me. Suddenly I could breathe again."

So after studying physical therapy at NYU, she went back to school for a license in acupuncture at Tri-State College in New York.

Haberman warns though that patients can't have that kind of "acupuncture is magic" expectation coming for treatment.

"There are some chronic conditions that take a long time to correct," she said. "New patients need to walk in open to seeing what happens; you can't expect to be completely cured after one session. Though sometimes, with acute injuries, that does happen."

So, if not magic—and not voodoo—how does acupuncture work?

Unlike more mainstream orthopedics or physical therapy, acupuncturists look not just at a person's complaint, but at his or her whole body.

"I always look at a person from toes to forehead," Haberman said. "I choose which points to insert the needles to promote the body's own healing mechanism, or homeostasis."

That acupuncture is called energy medicine, Haberman thinks is "a little too new-agey", but she does believe it works on a physical, spiritual and emotional level. 

"Some people will actually have an emotional catharsis from acupuncture because they've been holding physical tension in certain places for soo long," she said.

Of course, that tension translates into pain—but sometimes it goes well beyond the physical discomfort.

"I've always been interested in energy healing because I can tell by intuition how bodies hold tension," she said.

Haberman's most gratifying experience professionally was treating a doctor who, she said, wasn't originally open to acupuncture. 

"The doctor was diagnosed with a very rare and bizarre condition that causes no peristalsis in his esophagus," she said. "He ended up in the emergency room multiple times with extreme pain. He finally came to me after being referred by a friend, and it was amazing. His episodes decreased dramatically."

He was also able to stop receiving Botox injections for the problem.

Haberman believes that doctors are becoming more open to working with acupuncturists and other holistic practitioners, but that the ideal symbiosis is not there yet. 

"Western medicine is still seen as 'true' medicine in this country," she said. 

But for many of Haberman's patients, acupuncture helped where more traditional modalities failed.

"I treat people for digestive problems, gynocological problems, orthopedic issues, stress, anxiety, insomnia and even to alleviate post-stroke symptoms."

And to answer the question everyone's been waiting for: Does it hurt?

"Mostly not; most patients say they can barely feel the needles go into the majority of points," she said. "However, it can be a little painful in the problematic areas—but then they usually get a great deal of relief."

Haberman purposefully uses "really thin" needles, which she says makes it more comportable for patients.

"What's most amazing about acupuncture, I think, is that it releases endorphins—which helps relieve stress and alleviate pain."

And unlikesome practitioners who believe Eastern medicine should supplant Western modalities, Haberman thinks acupuncture is "a great compliment to physical therapy, chiropractic treatments and psychotherapy."

Learn more about Paula Haberman and her practices in New York City and Hastings here.

Reach Haberman via email here: info@acupuncture-et-al.com