Sarah Jenkins' Feature

Mount Royal's Optimal Therapies' team is getting to the point.

The department has now added acupuncture to the complementary and alternative medicine offerings in the EnCana Wellness Centre.

Dr. Sarah Jenkins, a registered acupuncturist and doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is excited to join the Mount Royal community and is looking forward to educating and treating patients.

“Although they have been around for over 4,000 years, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine have only been practiced in North America for about 30 years, starting in California and gradually spreading across the U.S. and Canada,” says Jenkins, who graduated in 2004 from the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Victoria, B.C.

While acupuncture has become a more recognized practice in Canada in recent years, B.C., Alberta and Quebec are currently the only provinces in Canada to offer regulatory colleges for acupuncture and TCM. A new legislation was recently adopted in Ontario to regulate the profession. The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario is expected to be operating in a few years.

Jenkins says first-time patients should be prepared to have their tongue and pulse examined.

“I look at the patient’s radial pulses, which are reflective of the energetic functions of different organs in the body,” she says. “I also look at the appearance of the tongue, which can indicate imbalances in the system.”

From that initial meeting and the patient’s symptoms, a diagnosis can be made and a treatment plan can be recommended. Some of the holistic therapies Jenkins uses include acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal therapy and cupping massage.

Over the past 75 years, TCM and western medicine have often been used together for optimal results. Depending on the patient's needs, Jenkins will recommend a combination of therapies, which may include naturopathic, chiropractic and massage therapies.

“Length of treatment depends on the person and what treatment is required, whether it is chronic or acute problems that the patient is looking to get treatment for,” she explains.

Jenkins is currently taking appointments on Wednesdays, which can booked directly through Optimal Therapies at 6917.

- Marnie Powell