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The ancient traditional healing systems and practices around the globe were always holistic. Indigenous cultures across this beautiful blue marble embraced that for humans to heal, there had to be an understanding that we are all just microcosms of the macrocosm; we are profoundly and inextricably connected to Nature and all of her cycles and to one another. And that what we are experiencing physically and mentally is a keen and telling reflection of what is going on around us and within us.

What Does Holistic Mean?

The human body is miraculously equipped to be an extraordinary healing machine. Holistic medicine embraces 1) that the body and mind were made to heal and restore and 2) that a whole-person perspective is imperative when it comes to wellness. As more and more of us are realizing, we want to not only recover from physical and mental ailments without a long-term dependency on pharmaceuticals if possible but also long to have a vibrant life, the demand for holistic medicine is growing.  

Now, in contemporary medicine, holistic medicine embraces a litany of life-affirming treatments and practices – here are just a few.

Holistic Medicine Treatments:

• Acupuncture
• Cupping
• Moxibustion
• Herbal medicine
• Massage
• Meditation and prayer
• Ayurvedic Medicine
• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Qi Gong
• Reiki
• Breathwork
• Certain forms of counseling and coaching
• Aromatherapy
• Light therapy
• Nature therapy

Our Holistic Journey

When Awakenings co-founder, Laura Gries, experienced a brutal, cataclysmic life event, a car accident that left her completely paralyzed from the neck down, the initial acute emergency medicine she received kept her on this planet with a beating heart, thankfully. And, rather early on in her recovery, she committed every ounce of her determination to a grueling orthopedic rehabilitation schedule.

But as she recovered, especially after being woefully informed that for the rest of her days she would be in a wheelchair, she needed something more. Her journey from being an award-winning athlete to looking at this new and daunting life as a quadriplegic led her to embrace holistic medicine.

From Traditional Chinese Medicine, she used acupuncture, and from Ayurvedic Medicine, yoga, combined with her fierce grit and determination to heal, helped Laura build a new life. And in building that new life, she eventually became a licensed holistic health practitioner and yoga therapist, and she co-founded with Dr. Adam Gries,  Awakenings Health — a center for holistic health that utilizes multiple treatment modalities. Laura’s story is a testimony that these bodies of ours indeed have an astonishing capacity to heal!   

Principles of Holistic Medicine

Awakenings Health is based on the ancient and enduring holistic medicine practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  In TCM, every part of a patient’s life is brought to the understanding of the presenting health conditions. Not only the initial symptoms, but family medical history, the diet, emotions (in TCM – anger, fear, anxiety, fright, grief, pensiveness, and joy),  the seasons, the patient’s social setting, and relationships.  

At Awakenings, the philosophy of holistic medicine guides all of our practitioners.  Everyone on the Awakenings team believes that we have inborn healing abilities that require assistance sometimes. 

In the unique form of holistic medicine that we practice at Awakenings, we embrace the guiding principles of holistic healing that unconditional love is fundamental in healing, that the healer works with the patient to treat the whole person, and that we are all responsible for the health of our bodies and minds.  

Massage Therapy

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Perhaps a long-standing injury would benefit from massage therapy. Our licensed massage therapist, the amazing Chelsea Perry, has helped a patient recently find mobility in the shoulders and neck that they hadn’t experienced in months! And Chelsea is an expert in working with the parasympathetic nervous system – helping move the body from “fight or flight” to a place that allows her massage patients  to “rest and digest.”

Being in this state allows our bodies to heal. In a world where chronic stress and anxiety are growing, Chelsea believes that massage therapy is an indispensable tool for healing.

Holistic Health and COVID-19

Or maybe a viral pathogen, like COVID-19, has forced a person into a diminished life. Dr. Adam Gries has successfully treated dozens of patients in the last two years using acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and breathwork.

One of Dr. Gries’ COVID patients had tried all of the Western medical treatments for severe and lingering post-COVID syndrome. All of her doctors had thrown up their hands, unable to help her recover. The patient rejoiced when Dr. Gries didn’t do that. She says he “has listened intently to [her] health problems and treated them effectively.”

She reports that she went from hopeless despair to feeling better, in a rather brief amount of time. She is now a firm believer that holistic medicine at Awakenings is effective. 

Spiritual Counseling

Or, if a compassionate and listening ear is what is required, Dr. Adam Gries has helped many of his coaching and spiritual counseling patients go from post-traumatic stress to post-traumatic growth! He also has had remarkable outcomes treating depression, anxiety, and addiction issues with his powerful combination of acupuncture and transformational life coaching!

Patients find they depend less on pharmaceuticals, as they embrace Awakenings’ holistic medicine approach. Adam Gries says that as an acupuncturist and life coach, who has no doubt that the spirit is a tremendous healer, he wishes to “leave everyone he sees closer to finding their own personal peace and potential.” 

Acupuncture

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And Dr. Geng Wu is an exceptional addition to our holistic health center because she is trained in both Western medicine, as an M.D., and in Eastern medicine, as an acupuncturist. Dr. Geng’s patients have reported that her treatments are life-changing. Her gentle manner and brilliant mind have helped patients recover from severe insomnia, debilitating pain, and auto-immune issues. And we feel incredibly fortunate to have her expertise in fertility on board.

Many patients who had tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant, have found that Dr. Geng’s treatments have helped them not only get a positive pregnancy test but have a happy and healthy pregnancy. Dr. Geng Wu also would like to see her patients embrace more holistic approaches to personal beauty that don’t require chemical injections or surgery–she is a highly trained facial rejuvenation acupuncturist! 

Awakenings Health: Center for Holistic Medicine 

If a physical or health condition is plaguing you, or you just want to explore the holistic healing power of acupuncture, coaching, yoga, and massage – you can schedule by calling/texting us at 919.935.9832 or book online here.

As Dr. Gries always says, “Nothing but love to you!” from all of us at Awakenings. 

By Deana Vassar of Awakenings Health.