Hi Tom, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been an acupuncture physician for almost 20 years and a massage therapist for over 25. My interest in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine started after I noticed having an irregular heartbeat. I saw my conventional Western doctor and then a cardiologist, and I had blood tests, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, a stress test, and wore a Holter monitor for a continuous record of heart rhythm over 24 hours.
At the end of it all, the cardiologist told me that she agreed that I had an irregular heartbeat, but she couldn’t say why. She said I could take a medication called a beta-blocker but actually recommended against it because my blood pressure was very good already. Her only other option was that I should just live with it. Those seemed like bad options to me – take a medication the cardiologist thinks is a bad idea, or live with a scary thing happening to my heart. At the time, I was taking T’ai Chi lessons from an acupuncture physician, and I asked if he could help. He was absolutely sure he could, so I started getting acupuncture treatments and taking herbs. It did wonders for my heart. I watched him treat people for pain, of course, but also for things like anxiety and depression, a lung abscess, insomnia, and many other things. And I thought that’s what I’d like to do. I informally apprenticed with him for a while and then went to school.
Many people don’t realize it’s a four year program, with two and half years of clinical internship, and then you have to take State board exams. I opened my practice in 2001, and I’ve been helping people feel better ever since. And now this month brings a big change. Jade Tree Wellness Center is joining with Florida’s Natural Farmacy. This will allow us to continue offering acupuncture, massage therapy, and herbs and now we’ll also be able to offer Vitamin B injections, Magnesphere treatments, Nutritional counseling, Lymphatic drainage, Homeopathy, and more. It’s a huge step for me that I hope will benefit my patients even more.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? Oh my, no. Many people have never had acupuncture, and they may not know a lot about it. When I’m talking to folks about how I can help them, it must sometimes sound to them something like this: “Hi! You don’t know me, but come to my office and take your clothes off, and I’ll stick needles all over your body. It’s VERY relaxing, and you’ll feel MUCH better. Trust me…” I mean, really? That’s a big trust step that I’m asking, and I really appreciate the thousands of patients over the years who have been willing to take it. But I’ve learned over the years to make it sound less scary. The needles are so small, you can fit a half a dozen in the hole of a hypodermic needle. They’re sterile, one-time use disposable medical devices, and the procedure is very safe, mostly painless, and, yes, very relaxing. You’d be amazed how many people fall asleep during a treatment. There’s also a lot more research available that supports acupuncture, and people are getting more open to the idea.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We’ve been in business since 2001. February will mark our 20-year anniversary, and there are good reasons we’ve lasted this long. In every decision we make, we try to see how this will help our patients or our prospective patients. Personally, I believe that Western medicine can do amazing things, but it seems like it’s frequently not practiced very well. Typical general practitioners in America may see 30-40 patients a day, and the number one complaint of patients is that their doctors don’t listen to them. How could they? How do you see 35 patients, write your progress notes, prescribe and treat properly in a single day?
At Jade Tree, we spend a lot of time with each patient, we listen to what they have to say, and we try to address their concerns. It’s important to treat someone’s symptoms – every patient wants to feel better. But you also have to look for the root causes of problems and treat those, too, or the symptoms will never go entirely away. Acupuncture excels at this. Plus, we also prescribe traditional herbal formulas and practice Tui-na, a Chinese type of massage. We may include moxibustion in a treatment. Moxibustion is the burning of an herb on an acupuncture needle or near an acupuncture point to stimulate the point more strongly. Treating the whole person has to be the goal, and you need to use all the tools at your disposal to do the best job for your patient. That’s what we’ve tried to do for almost 20 years.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
All of my teachers deserve credit. My first acupuncture physician, Craig Frisbie, who introduced me to acupuncture. Dr. Hai He Tian, one of my teachers from school, with whom I still stay in touch. Eric Warden, my business partner when we first opened the clinic and a dear friend still, even though he lives far away now. Dr. Ku, who owned the school I attended. But I can’t even name them all! Dr. Li and Dr. Li (there were two of them) and Dr. Xue and Dr. Fan and so many others…they all taught and shared and helped so much. And then my family and friends, who’ve been there for me through good and bad…my dad was so proud of me! My wife Julie has been so supportive as I’ve grown the business and made changes over the years. But when I talk about my teachers, they haven’t all been the ones at school.
My patients have taught me so much, and they’ve been so supportive. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve taught me about strength, or helped me change my perspective, or encouraged me to expand my knowledge, or even brought me food! It’s thanks to my patients that I’ve learned about things like Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (once known as RSD) or discovered that one of the herbs I use for pain can also help with some types of skin fungus. A patient we were treating for back pain discovered she didn’t need antidepressants anymore, providing a wonderful example to me of how treating the whole person, even if your focus is on one place, may end up changing a person’s whole story. I owe so much to so many. I hope I’ve done my share in taking care of the people who have come to me with pain and hope and trust.
Contact Info:
- Address: Florida’s Natual Farmacy, Inc. 2370 Dr. MLK St. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33704
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.JadeTreeWellness.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadeTreeWellnessCenter
Image Credits
Portrait of Tom Elman taken by Jonah Gilmore All other photos by Tom Elman
