Complementary Healing Comes of Age

More and more, people are pursuing holistic healing for its long-term health potential, and New Brunswick is no exception. This trend is encouraging for young entrepreneurs, Alana Paul and Daniel Daigle, co-owners of Eastern Spirit Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shediac Cape.

Alana and Daniel are Chinese Medicine practitioners. While acupuncture is the most well-known Chinese Medicine practice, Eastern Spirit Acupuncture also offers a range of other traditional therapies, including moxabustion, a technique for warming acupuncture points to increase circulation of energy; bodywork techniques that include massage or acupressure, or with tools such as cupping and gua sha (pronounced gwah sha); herbal therapy, and diet and lifestyle counselling. Used in combination, these techniques offer a potent solution for successfully creating a balance between the mind, body and spirit.

Daniel has known he would be an acupuncturist since he was 15. He received treatment for his knee pain and re-occurring strep throat, and became convinced that he was suited for Chinese Medicine. He says that even nursing was just a “stepping stone” for his true passion in Chinese Medicine. Alana most appreciates Chinese Medicine’s built-in ability to acknowledge the whole person. She underwent Chinese Medicine treatment while working in Korea, receiving a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and Tai Chi exercises. After a month and a half of weekly treatments and Tai Chi, she noticed that her posture problem, which was not something she was having treated, had improved. “That’s when I got a sense of how connected mind and body were – my back problem was actually a symptom of my stress. This made me want to pursue holistic healing as a career.”

Both graduated in 2012 from the Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC, where Alana received a three-year Diploma of Acupuncture and Daniel received a four-year Diploma of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In addition to their acupuncture training, Alana also holds a degree in neuroscience from Dalhousie University and Daniel has a nursing degree from Université de Moncton.

Partners in both business and life, Daniel and Alana are committed to offering high-quality holistic healing. They are also dedicated to promoting awareness of Chinese Medicine. At this time, acupuncture is regulated in five provinces in Canada and Daniel and Alana expect it will soon be this way in New Brunswick. “In regulated provinces, any acupuncturist must have a three-year diploma or longer in order to practice,” points out Daniel.

In January of 2014, Daniel opened a second location in Moncton at the Health and Wellness Cooperative at 123 Halifax Street based on the model of community acupuncture. Acupuncture is performed in a group setting using sliding-scale pricing from $15 to $40 – depending on what the client can afford. “The results achieved from acupuncture are the same, whether they’re in a group setting or in a one-on-one session,” states Daniel. “It’s important to me that people are not limited to getting treatment for only what their insurance covers. Acupuncture in Canada can be quite expensive. Community style is based on how it is practiced in China where one receives acupuncture frequently over a short period of time. Because I see multiple people at the same time, I can cover my expenses and keep the price more reasonable.”

Both Alana and Daniel are appreciative of the excellent assistance they received from CBDC Westmorland Albert. “Having access to business training such as proper accounting and bookkeeping practices etc., as well as receiving funding through applying and receiving a business loan allowed us to get up and running much more easily than if we’d tried to do it by ourselves,” says Alana. They are grateful to Michel Gallant and Karen Robinson for their help at every step to achieve Alana and Daniel’s passion of providing alternative healing in the Shediac area.

So what’s in the future for Eastern Spirit Acupuncture? This dynamic duo are hoping to expand the community acupuncture model to other areas of New Brunswick, open a full herbal dispensary in Moncton that would sell both Chinese Medicine and common western medicinal herbs, as well as creating self-care courses using Chinese Medicine theory and acupressure training courses.

Stay “in-tune” for more developments!

©Marlene Oulton 2014