Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which values preventive medicine over emergency disease intervention, invested much into developing a complex and effective understanding of the causes of disease. The reason for this is likely because in ancient China a traditional Chinese physician’s job was to keep the people of his village healthy. This philosophy is one that Rosemary Harris, acupuncture physician and owner of The Complete Well-Being Center, in Naples, enthusiastically embraced from the moment she began studying TCM at the Acupuncture and Massage College, in Miami.

“The highly prized job of being the emperor’s physician came with a life-and-death stipulation. If the emperor got sick, his physician was held responsible and could be executed. This is quite different from today’s medical model of treating diseases,” quips Harris, who worked in human resources management until a midlife epiphany led her to realize that she was “in the right church, but the wrong pew.”

“The awakening to a need for a deeper sense of fulfillment led me to switch to something in health care that was more hands-on, personalized and natural,” notes Harris, who holds a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Public Health Care Policy and Management.

Harris, who opened her first office in Miami, respects Western medicine, has a solid knowledge of it, and takes its perspective into account when it’s time to diagnose her patients. “But I prefer the Eastern medicine approach of treating the person rather than the disease. Every individual is different. Their personal and work environments are as unique to them as their mental and emotional states, which is also true of the way their illness affects them. I’m like the old-time country doctor who enjoyed spending time talking with patients. This helps me get to know the individual and decide how to treat them effectively with common sense approaches such as acupuncture, the cold laser, cupping, electro-acupuncture and micro-current therapy,” says Harris.

Cupping increases circulation and helps to move lymph by lifting the fascia of the muscles. Electro-acupuncture is the application of a pulsating electrical current to acupuncture needles as a means of stimulating acupoints. Moxibustion is a TCM therapy that uses a dried herb known as artimisia (mugwort) to stimulate circulation through the points and induce a smoother flow of blood and qi.

Low-level cold laser therapy comprises treatment with a handheld device that utilizes specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue. Non-thermal photons of light emitted from the laser penetrate from two to five centimeters into the layers of the skin to reduce pain and inflammation as well as to stimulate healing on a cellular level. The device is U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration-approved for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Microcurrent therapy restores normal frequencies within the cells and stimulates an increase in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy that fuels all biochemical functions in the body. It also bumps up protein synthesis, which is necessary for tissue repair. The ensuing enhancement in blood flow and decrease in inflammation translates into reductions in pain and muscle spasms, as well as increased range of motion.

“Mind, body and spirit must be in balance for true health, which is why I treat the whole unique person warmly and without judgment, rather than just treating the illness or disease,” notes Harris.

Complete Well-Being Center, 684 Goodlette Rd. N., Naples. 239-404-0648. CompleteWellBeingCenter.com.