Health Wisdom: Returning to our Roots

by Jude Thilman

The April/May 2014 issue of the AARP Magazine informs us that heart disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis remain seriously prevalent in the US. With all the new drugs on the market, why aren’t the rates of these and other diseases going down? Could it be that those drugs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be? I am a bit skeptical whenever I read the lengthy warnings that accompany each ad for a new miracle ‘treatment’ or ‘solution’ that is ‘proven to increase bone density’, etc, etc. You gotta wonder if some of them may be doing more harm than good.

We turn to nature to calm our anxious minds; to stimulate our creativity; to inspire our spirits. Why not turn to nature to heal our bodies? There are many approaches to achieving and maintaining good health. Our body is a vital, dynamic organism and is best served with many different natural remedies, not one symptom-targeting pill created in a laboratory.

More and more people are taking charge of their own health and turning back to natural remedies. They believe that many natural healing treatments and herbs complement each other and should all be available in the same place. There are no static formulas, no ‘one size fits all’ medicines. At Dragonfly™ we help you explore options and find what is right for you. What is comfortable to do or take for nausea, pain, sleeplessness? If one therapy doesn’t work, we try another. Having trouble with mobility? Is your energy low? Have you tried acupuncture? Bowen therapy? A Yoga, stretching or T’ai Chi class? Lymphatic or other kinds of massage? Are you anxious or stressed out? Try meditation (it’s not what you think).

Dragonfly™ offers Chinese medicines, locally grown herbs, and a variety of cannabis and non-cannabis preparations, including juices, tinctures, capsules and salves.

dr-sanjay-gupta-cnn

Many of the cannabis herbs are not psychoactive and none of them are addictive or have side effects. We specialize in the high CBD

[cannabidiol] medicines, which are made from the part of the cannabis plant that reduces inflammation and has been especially useful in treating epilepsy, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, neuropathies and other conditions. The CBD medicines are non-psychoactive. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, on CNN, has been eloquent in his description of the effectiveness of CBD medicines.

“… Someone dies in the United States every 19 minutes from a prescription drug overdose, mostly accidental. Every 19 minutes.”

—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN.com, August 8, 2013

At Dragonfly™, we like to humorously point out that we are not “alternative” medicine.  Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years.  We are “traditional” medicine.  The pharmaceutical industry is the “alternative”.  It’s only been around for less than a century!

  • Walk-in Affordable Acupuncture Clinic
    Tuesdays from 1 – 2:30. $15 – 40 sliding scale
    Emily Head is a licensed traditional acupuncturist who uses both nutrition and acupuncture to heal the body from within.
  • Bowen Treatment
    by appointment. Bowenwork is a gentle manual therapy that works through the fascia and the autonomous nervous system to help the body heal itself. Bowenwork can be done through light clothing, and is completely safe for everyone, from infants to the elderly, from athletes to people with chronic conditions.
    Antonia Burrows is a licensed Bowen practitioner
  • Walk-In Chair Massage
    Wednesdays 12 – 2pm. Relieve the stress built up in your neck, shoulders, arms and back
    No appointment necessary.
  • T’ai Chi is a gentle, short form of this art of moving meditation
    Dyana Sangraal is our t’ai chi teacher.
    FREE on Thursdays, 5:30 – 6:30
  • Yoga – for Everyone
    Yoga as Healing Therapy. Yolanda Pritam Hari Kaur teaches.
    FREE, Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
  • Meditation: It’s Not What You Think
    Introductory guided meditation practice
    FREE on Saturdays, 8:30 – 9:30
  • Lymphatic Massage/Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD)
    by appointment. A light, rhythmic form of massage that stimulates the lymphatic system to cleanse waste products and pathogens from the body, and drain excess fluid from the tissues. It also reduces edema and all kinds of swelling, especially post-surgery.
    Antonia Burrows is a licensed MLD practitioner.
  • Deep Tissue Massage and CranioSacral Therapy
    By appointment. For relaxation, stress-relief, healing, and a sense of well-being