Acupuncture in Tagbilaran City, Bohol

While in Bohol, I went to see Dr. Jefferson Huan Ong for acupuncture treatment. Dr. Ong is a licensed doctor of medicine and graduated from Cebu Doctor's College. He went to China to train in acupuncture and has now opened an acupuncture clinic in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Dr. Ong is accredited with the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), a government owned and controlled corporation attached to the Department of Health. 

I can't believe that Bohol is so fortunate to have this alternative treatment available. 

Had I known about acupuncture during my pregnancy, perhaps, I never would have gone through two days of induced labor and ended up with a c-section just the same. Oh well, I am charging everything to experience and blogging about it so people are informed of other choices.

 

Dr. Ong was very accommodating. He agreed to see me during his lunch break, though, it was a bit unusual. I had no other time and was running really late for my other activities. He explained very well what the procedure is about. It was my first time to have a heated moxa (a bitter herb) used on my acupuncture needles. Dr. Ong explained that sometimes a person's qi (pronounced: chee) is very deficient that you need external stimulus like the heat from the moxa to fire up the qi. He also adds that the moxa is used to treat dysmenorrhea, insomnia, etc. People with insomnia would put moxa herbs under their pillows and would have really deep sleep and very vivid dreams. 

Clinic facade

From Dr. Ong's flyer:

What is acupuncture? It is an ancient system of treating and preventing disease developed in China. It has at least 4,000 years of history and is based on the balance of the vital energy of the body called Qi (chee). Qi follows consistent pathways through the body connecting the outer skin and muscles to inner organs. By inserting very thin sterile needles into the skin and underlying tissues, a well-trained acupuncturist can manipulate the flow of the qi and improve the target health issue.

How does it treat disease? Diseases are generally classified as excess or deficiency of qi. The manipulation of qi along its pathways in the body allows the physician to regulate the flow, reducing excesses and increasing the deficient. Obstructed pathways which are usually responsible for pain are also freed through manipulations. An herb called moxa from the Mugwort plant is sometimes heated over the acupoint to increase positive energy. this is especially useful in diseases where pain has been present for a long time (e.g. arthritis, spondylosis, disc diseases, etc)

Acupuncture is safe to combine with most modern medicines and maintenance medications should be continued even while undergoing acupuncture.

Inside the clinic

Is it painful? The insertion of the needle is hardly perceivable due to the very thin gauge of the needle used. When the needle contacts the acupoint, there may be one of a number of sensations around the area. Feelings such as numbness, tingling, heat or cold, heaviness or a sensation of electricity passing through the limb may be felt. This is called the "arrival of qi" and is directly related to the benefit that can be derived from the acupuncture session. 

Dr. Jefferson Huan Ong, M.D.

What diseases can be treated with acupuncture? Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that all diseases can be treated using acupuncture becase the qi affects everything in the body. The World Health Organization however has a list of around 30+ medical conditions approved to benefit from acupuncture:

• Low back pain
• Neck pain/stiffness
• Sciatica
• Elbow joint problem
• Knee pain
• Arthritis of the shoulder
• Sprains
• Facial pain/Bell's palsy
• Headache (including migraine)
• Dental pain
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMU) dysfunction
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Induction of labor
• Correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation)
• Morning sickness/dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain after surgery
• Stroke
• Essential hypertension
• Primary hypotension
• Renal colic
• Leukopenia
• Adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy
• Allergic rhinitis including hay fever
• Billary colic
• Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
• Acute diarrhea
• Primary dysmenorrhea
• Acute abdominal pain
• Peptic ulcer/gastritis
• Insomnia and generalized anxiety

Moxa

Location:  

   Point of Care Acupuncture Clinic

Upper Ground Floor, Bohol Quality Mall

CPG Avenue, Tagbilaran City, Bohol

Philippines

Phone:  

   +63 38 411 3164 loc. 294 (landline)

+63 920 962 3457 (mobile)

Clinic Days: 

   Monday to Saturday but call for appointment

Rates: PHP500 for first session

PHP300 for succeeding sessions

Losing Weight through Acupuncture

Lingling has been my acupuncturist since June this year. She has helped me overcome a horrible health scare. Anyway, Lingling has been sharing with me how most of her clients would use her acupuncture services for weight loss.

 

It has been studied that women who used diet, exercise, and acupuncture lost more weight than those who did diet and exercise alone. Needless to say, any person who battles with weight must undergo a serious lifestyle change. Acupuncture has few risks unlike certain medications. It works by enhancing neuroendocrine functions that regulate body processes including metabolism.

Contact Lingling through:

Center for Managing Stress and Wellbeing                                                                          

Ground floor LPL Center (separate entrance beside reception of the building)                     

Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati                                                         

Tel. No. 491 4509/ 0922 486 5578

Acupuncture

health shoppe

I made a trip to the Quezon City office of the Integrative Medicine for Alternative Healthcare Systems (INAM) Philippines, Inc. I understand that many doctors and therapists who are also acupuncturists trained with INAM.

The INAM office is very unpretentious and spartan. I was asked to answer a questionnaire. Then, I was led to see a medical doctor who first examined me. She asked about my medical history and checked my blood pressure. The verdict: my ailments are stress-related. She warned me against stress and commented that 80% of all illnesses may be linked to stress. She recommended acupuncture treatment for me. She also asked me to pursue a hobby that will help divert my attention from the everyday stress.

Then, I had to see a clinician. She again went over my medical history. She emphatically pointed out that acupuncture will only work with good diet and constant exercise. She also recommended more water intake. She proceeded with my initial treatment. This clinician is very fast. I did not realize that she was already poking me with needles because she was very fast. It was no surprise that she has been doing acupuncture for around 13 years.

I was left to rest for 30 minutes. I was feeling refreshed after my channels were opened.

In the end, I paid PHP200 for consult with the doctor; PHP350 for the acupuncture treatment; PHP75 for the 10 needles; and PHP65 for the test tube. I was told that the succeeding acupuncture treatment will only cost PHP300 per session plus I get to re-use my needles. These charges are way lower than commercial rates. No wonder, people from places as far as Pampanga go all the way to INAM for treatment.

I peeked at INAM's medical and laboratory package. The rates are not bad at all. For example and executive package costs PHP1,375.00 and includes:

• complete blood count
• urinalysis
• fecalysis with occult blood test
• fasting blood sugar
• creatinine
• blood uric acid
• cholesterol
• triglyceride
• high density lipoprotein
• low density lipoprotein
• HBsAg screeing
• ecg
• physical examination

INAM also offers other services such as ear acupuncture for stress management, smoking cessation and substance abuse; cupping (ventosa); moxibustion; tui na massage; chi nei tsang massage; nutrition; herbal medicine; taichi and qigong classes and other healing exercises, and; massage by a traditional hilot.

Inam is open from Tuesday to Saturday at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is located at

82-A Malakas Street, Bgy. Pinyahan, Diliman, Quezon City
Tel Nos: 926 3356; 926 4810