February 2008 Wellness Ezine

Denver Center Therapist of the Month: Lily Jou     For almost a decade, Lily Jou has combined acupuncture and Tui Na massage to help patients deal with everything from daily aches and pains to injury recovery to the negative effects of chemotherapy. Jou graduated from Hamilton College in Upstate New York and in 1998 received a Masters Degree from the Pacific Institute of Oriental Medicine in acupuncture and Chinese herbology.     Jou is an award-winning instructor of Tui Na, which is a form of Chinese medical massage that is used to focus on specific problems, especially chronic pain. “[There are] percussion elements — you tap with your fingers and use your palms as percussion,” she says. “You’re pushing down an energy channel with the palm of your hands. ‘Tui’ means push and ‘Na’ means pull — so it’s a contrasting massage.”     In 2006, Jou received the Teacher Award from the Arizona School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for her instruction of Tui Na. This type of massage is great for focusing on chronic pain in the muscles and joints. Jou says that Tui Na has been particularly successful in curbing the pain that can come from Frozen Shoulder Syndrome. Tui Na can also help relieve pain that comes from arthritis, sciatica, as well as headaches.     Much of Jou’s acupuncture work focuses on pain reduction and injury rehabilitation. “In addition to reducing the level of swelling, acupuncture needles work at a deeper level to restore energy flow and bring circulation to an affected area,” she says.     Jou has had success treating sports-related meniscus injuries using acupuncture. She also regularly treats low-back pain, shoulder tightness, migraine headaches and menstrual cramps. It takes several acupuncture treatments before patients notice that their pain is incrementally improving, says Jou. “It might take 10 treatments to help with a problem,” she says. “It can take four to five treatments for people to realize that it’s slowly working.”     Emotional release work is another component of Jou’s acupuncture skill set. Through work that she calls “Medical I-Ching,” Jou works with patients to facilitate the release of past emotional hardships. From childhood trauma to lingering emotional pain and suffering, Jou’s Medical I-Ching work is intense healing that helps clients dig deep and release grief. The average appointment last two hours.     In addition to excelling at both acupuncture and Tui Na, Jou does extremely well with foreign languages. A Laotian immigrant to the U.S., Jou is fluent in seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Lao. When she isn’t practicing her language skills or working with her needles, she likes to hike, bicycle and rollerblade. Call 303-777-7874 to schedule your session today with Lily at the Denver Center. MassageSpecialists.com 2 locations to better serve you! 70 Broadway, Ste. 100, Denver, CO Open 7 days a week, 9 am to 9 pm | Boulder: 303-938-0388 | Denver: 303-777-7874