Carolyn Rabiner, L. Ac., Dipl. C.H., has been providing Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine health care for 33 years. Ms. Rabiner is Board Certified in both acupuncture and traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (NCCAOM).
At High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts, a comprehensive approach is used to provide natural solutions to a wide range of health concerns. Services are tailored to the needs of each patient, so that the root cause of the problem is addressed, rather than only the symptom. The technique used at the clinic is quite gentle and minimal - people are surprised at how deeply relaxed they become!
Treatment is based on the ancient tradition of classical East Asian Medicine and is enhanced by techniques developed through contemporary research.
CONDITIONS TREATED
INSURANCES ACCEPTED: Aetna, CDPHP, MVP, Cigna, NYSHIP
At High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts, we believe in treating the whole person, not just the symptoms. Our holistic approach combines acupuncture, herbal medicine, and lifestyle guidance for optimal wellness.
Acupuncture is a part of a medical system that has been in practice for over 3,500 years. This system, East Asian Medicine, includes acupuncture, traditional Chinese herbal medicine, physiotherapy, exercise therapy and diet therapy. Today, East Asian Medicine is researched and practiced in hospitals and clinics around the world.
In Chinese Medicine, a patient and his/her condition are viewed as a whole system rather than only focusing on the symptoms of a disease. It is an integrated systems model, based on the understanding that the body’s many systems must be in balance in order to function in a healthy manner. When a body is healthy, the qi, loosely translated as the body’s functional energy, flows smoothly along the system’s energy channels, called meridians. Each system in the body has a corresponding meridian. When a person displays outward symptoms of disease, the practitioner analyzes this information in order to determine the pattern of disharmony. A thorough examination, which includes questioning, examination of the pulse and tongue, and observation of the patient’s physical and expressive characteristics, enables the acupuncturist to understand which systems are involved. Once the diagnosis has been made, the practitioner determines which therapies would be the most effective in restoring balance.
Acupuncture is a functional therapy, promoting the body’s natural healing capacity. Treatment involves the insertion of tiny, pre-sterilized, disposable, stainless steel needles at precise points on the body. These points are located on the meridians and are stimulated to regulate the flow of qi. Oriental Medical theory states that disease or pain is caused by disordered function of the various systems in the body; qi (pronounced “chee”) regulation helps to restore these systems to proper balance.
Modern research confirms that acupuncture works in part by stimulating nerves which in turn evoke brain and body chemistry changes. Acupuncture causes the release of endorphins, just as exercise does. It increases blood circulation, reduces inflammation, modulates the immune system and helps regulate the nervous, digestive and endocrine systems.
Treatment at High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts addresses imbalances that may originate from more than one root cause, and are often compounded by stress. In Chinese Medicine, it is understood that mind, body, and spirit are intrinsically interrelated. There is no concept of the split between mind and body which exists in the West. The notion of the mind as a sort of "ghost in the machine" - the body, simply did not arise in the Chinese Medicine concept of mind and body.
Modern research continues to confirm the link between chronic negative mental/emotional states and disease. In Chinese Medicine, different emotions are attributed to each of the five main organ systems - the heart (excess joy), spleen (worry), lungs (sadness), liver (anger), and kidneys (fear). In this system, this works both ways: not only do certain chronic negative mental/emotional states impact healthy organ function over time, but also, blockage in an organ system may ultimately manifest as a particular chronic negative mental or emotional state.
While in Chinese Medicine, these organ systems are in many ways similar to the way they are viewed in Western biomedicine, they are part of a systematized view of human functioning that has distinct differences. For instance, the heart, while being responsible for pumping the blood, is also understood as being related to the mind and cognition. The Chinese character for the heart is open at the top to emphasize the importance of being able to both receive the spirits that come down from heaven and to allow the heart to become empty, to resist the constant temptation to fill it with unrestrained passions.