Kindo Integrated Health Center: Says Dr. Rapkin, ‘Oriental medicine: Ancient but effective methods for modern times’

From: Kindo Integrated Health Center

890 Elm Grove Rd.

Elm Grove, WI

Contact: Dr. Arthur Rapkin, (262) 827-4000

or Jordan Fox, (414) 352-2645

For Immediate Release

(Milwaukee, October 12) — “Oriental medicine has been described as an ancient but effective method for modern times. It’s an energy medicine that’s thousands of years old—and it’s about nourishing, cultivating and supporting health. The ancient philosophy that inspired it sees health as more than the diagnosis of disease. It sees the body as a miniature ecological system.”

The speaker is Dr. Arthur Rapkin, who treats patients with a combination of acupuncture, acupressure, visualization, Chinese herbology and modern medical technology in his Kindo Integrated Health Center offices in Elm Grove.

“We treat for a wide variety of ailments and difficulties,” he explains.

Dr. Rapkin, who has been practicing Oriental medicine for more than 25 years, says one of his patients was helped by acupuncture treatments for her acid reflux and back problems.

“Another was diagnosed with colitis. We utilized acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbs to significantly reduce her colitis-related pains,” he says.

A third patient was a local, well-known soccer goalie who was helped by a combination of acupuncture and visualization. “He was a high achiever but needed to improve his performance and endurance,” he said.

“We had been working with him for four years or so. He first came to us for help with a chronic problem he had with his throwing arm. Conventional physical therapies weren’t helping and he wanted to try acupuncture.

“We achieved positive results almost immediately. Then he asked if there were any other benefits from acupuncture. I asked him about some of the difficulties that goalies have and what he wanted to improve about his performance.”

He replied that shots at a goal’s corners were the most difficult to block. With that in mind, Dr. Rapkin used acupuncture points on the goalkeeper’s legs to strengthen them and create more freedom of movement. He also used visualization techniques to improve his performance.

Comparing Oriental medicine to Western medicine, Dr. Rapkin says that Western medicine is more about the body as a machine. “Its job is typically to fix, repair and/or replace malfunctioning parts. Oriental medicine acts much more like a gardener than a mechanic. We’re here to make adjustments, strengthen the body’s ability to withstand disease and stress and to reduce the harmful effects of stress.

Oriental medicine’s strength, he explains, is in its holistic approach to evaluating the entire person. “While most people come to us with a specific complaint or concern, Oriental medicine’s true strength is in preventing disease from occurring at all. It can predict imbalances in the ‘human ecological system’. When we feel a patient’s pulse, we’re not just concerned with the number of beats per minute. We look for various types of energies that flow throughout the body and can learn of any imbalances and actually make positive changes.

“If someone has an obstruction of certain energies having to do with the liver or the production of hormones, this can be detected by the pulse, and as environmentalists, we can make some adjustments.”

In addition to acupuncture and hands-on body work (acupressure), Oriental medicine utilizes herbs to support the treatments that patients experience. “Herbs are extremely important–the internal medicine of Oriental medicine,” Dr. Rapkin says.

“Did you know that about 75 percent of pharmaceutical drugs come from herbs? The difference is that Oriental medicine uses formulated herbs–most of our formulations have been in existence for about 2,000 years are in medical texts. They are extremely effective because Oriental medicine professionals have the knowledge required to pair the appropriate formula with the appropriate ailment. Making an appropriate diagnosis and determining the correct formula to use are the keys to effectiveness.”

Each formula includes about 9-13 herbs that in specific proportions produce a synergistic effect.

“These products are safe, all natural and can be taken in conjunction with Western medications without harm or interfering with a treatment plan from a primary care provider,” he says.

The reason Oriental medicine works so well is it treats the underlying patterns of illness, according to Dr. Rapkin. “As an analogy, when waves hit a beach, we see them break but we know they started out elsewhere–with energy and movement. When we feel someone’s pulse, we think of energy and movement and can predict how and when the waves of illness will hit the beach. Headaches and vertigo, for example, are like waves hitting the beach. So is painful menstruation. Once we predict the problem we can take steps to alleviate it.”

Dr. Rapkin is available to speak on wellness topics (at no charge) to employee and community groups. For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact Jordan Fox, 414-352-2645 or jfpr@ticon.net.)