Free Acu Detox treatments to help Mollie MacAdam Reach her Goal
(Crystal A. Proxmire, 9/18/2011)
Mollie MacAdam likes to poke her friends. And not just the cute little “pokes” you get on Facebook either. In fact, if you come out to visit her on September 24 or October 1 you can get poked for free as well.
MacAdam is currently working towards her certification Acu Detox, which is a form of acupuncture that uses needles inserted into the flesh of the outer ear to trigger healing, relaxation and detoxification.
In order to get certified by NADA, the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, the 39-year-old Ferndale student must do a minimum of 40 practice treatments. MacAdam is working under Darlene Berger of Community Health Acupuncture Center to get the experience she needs. On Saturday, Sept. 24 and Saturday, October 1 at CHAC there will be free Acu Detox sessions for those who sign up for the no-cost appointments.
The treatment involves having five small pins inserted into specific points of the outer ear. The pins are only as thick as two human hairs, and MacAdam says most clients do not even feel them go in.
The insertion process takes less than a couple of minutes and the client is then able to relax in the large comfortable recliners of either of CHAC’s spacious community rooms. Here people rest, many beneath warm fuzzy blankets with their eyes closed and their feet propped up, while soothing music lulls them into a dreamlike state – or sometimes even to sleep.
The pins should be in for at least half an hour. Some patients chose to indulge for as long as an hour or more. Many times people feel only relaxation, though some patients can feel the energy moving in their bodies as the pins work to stimulate their senses.
“If people are nervous, deep breathing can calm them down,” MacAdam said. “The first point balances the sympathetic and para-sympathetic systems so you feel instantly more relaxed.”
MacAdam has lived in Ferndale for the past ten years and is also going to Oakland Community College to get her associates degree in Exercise Science. Her long term goal is to go to acupuncture school, though for now it is cost prohibitive. Doing Acu Detox treatments could be the way she raises money for the classes.
“When it comes to having a business here, I want to contact veterans who are coming back from all the wars we have had over the years who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and making Acu Detox available to them at an affordable price.”
The procedure is designed to help those who are recovering from additions or stress-related problems. It encourages the body to detoxify and the relaxing qualities help individuals cope with life. 
According to the NADA website “The procedure functions as an adjunct to a comprehensive treatment program offering the basic therapeutic elements of counseling, education, family involvement, mutual support group involvement, supportive health care of general nature. Clients in all types of treatment settings including inpatient, outpatient, incarcerated, shelters, harm reduction and street outreach can utilize this treatment. Among the benefits reported by clients and clinicians are improved program retention, a more optimistic and cooperative attitude toward the process of recovery, as well as reductions in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance and need for pharmaceuticals.”
MacAdam explained that acupuncture can make someone feel instantly more relaxed, but that long-term treatment gives the body the most benefits. “Balance takes time,” she said. “In America we are used to instant results. Take a pill and feel better. But we’re only treating symptoms. Eastern medicine like acupuncture looks at the body as a whole and helps you to care for yourself in a more holistic way. It is slow, but effective.”
MacAdam is not just an employee and a student, she regularly receives acupuncture treatments at Community Health Acupuncture Center as a way to feel healthy and balanced. She has already treated over 20 people as part of her training, in addition to the dozens of times that she has poked her own husband and other family members.
If you would like to help this energetic young lady reach her goal – and benefit from a relaxing visit to the center – you can sign up for the free treatment at http://www.communityacucenter.com or call (248)246-7289 for more information.
