CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates - Chattanooga

Our mission is to provide a healing oriented medical practice with a focus on the whole person. Our primary care providers act as the continuing focal point for all the needed health care services for any individual patient. We provide ready access to personalized care from your own established provider.

Services include health promotion and wellness, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic disease. We are well equipped to meet the needs of the vast majority of patients while also maintaining a close relationship with any number of specialists in the Chattanooga area if the need arises for specialty services.

At CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates, we seek to provide these primary care services with compassion, empathy and respect for individual beliefs and values. As an integrated practice, all of our primary care providers have a close working relationship with and an intimate knowledge of the services provided by our providers.

Managing chronic pain or overuse injuries is challenging for both patients and physicians. According to the CDC, an estimated 1 out of 5 patients with non-cancer pain or pain-related diagnoses are prescribed opioids in office-based settings, and it's well-documented that long-term use of opioid pain medications can be associated with abuse and overdoses. CHI Memorial Integrative Medicine Associates offers acupuncture as part of their use of both conventional and alternative methods of facilitating the body's innate healing response. 

Acupuncture is an effective, non-invasive medical protocol focused on correcting imbalances of energy in the body. It's used to treat a wide variety of health conditions and helps people get and stay well. An acupuncturist activates the body's Qi to improve the body's function and promote the natural self-healing process by stimulating specific anatomic sites, commonly referred to as acupoints. 

For someone with back, knee or shoulder pain who doesn't want to be on medication, trying acupuncture is a great option. It's also proven helpful in my practice for people who are working with their physician to get off or lessen their medication dependence.

Cupping is an effective therapeutic method with a history of over 2,000 years in China. It is a simple treatment technique which can be used alone or in combination with acupuncture or moxibustion (the use of heat) to enhance the treatment. 

Cupping is applied by lighting fire into a glass bowl shaped cup to produce negative pressure in the cup, and then putting the cup on the body surface at a certain area or acupuncture point. The reduced pressure in the cup creates a vacuum and the skin will be drawn up by the suction forming a firm grip around the rim of the cup, promoting blood and qi (chee/energy) circulation…..and creating the now recognized round red marks.  Fire cupping is the traditional method, but there are also plastic suction cups and silicone cups where fire is not needed. Cupping is used to promote circulation, stop pain and swelling and increase range of motion. Other indications for cupping are headaches, dizziness, cough, asthma, indigestion, along with neck, shoulder and back pain.

There are different cupping methods:

• Retention Cupping is the most common form. The cup is applied and left in place. Retaining time varies, as well as the number of cups used.
• Flash cupping is characterized by repeatedly applying the cup and removing rapidly several times.
• Moving or Sliding cupping is a method of applying the cup then sliding the cup back and forth to enlarge the treatment area of the body.

Cupping is used only when appropriately indicated and should be applied by qualified practitioners. Contraindications to cupping include: skin ulcers, high fever, areas over large blood vessels, edema, dermatitis, and abdominal and sacral regions of a pregnant woman.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a treatment method that seeks to correct hormone deficiencies using molecules (hormones) that are identical to the hormones found in the human body. The majority of individuals using this treatment are post-menopausal women, but it is sometimes useful for pre-menopausal women and men as well.

Because caring for your emotional health is as important as caring for your physical health, the Center has a licensed professional counselor providing services to help you better manage stress, emotional issues, and the psychological aspects of physical illnesses.

Nutrition counseling focused on choices for optimum health and well-being, controlling or reversing chronic disease, or achieving your weight loss goals.

We are a primary family care practice (ages 5-99+) providing traditional, preventive, and wellness services as well as other healing practices - all under one roof.

• Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process
• All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.
• Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response.
• Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.
• Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.
• Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.
• Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
• Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development. 

A physician assistant (PA) is a licensed health professional educated to practice medicine with the supervision of a physician. A physician assistant provides health care services that were traditionally performed only by a doctor. In 49 states (excluding Mississippi), physicians may delegate to PAs those medical duties that are within the physician's scope of practice, within the PAs training and experience, and are allowed by law. Such duties include performing physical examinations, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting lab tests, suturing lacerations, assisting in surgery, providing patient education and counseling, and making rounds in nursing homes and hospitals. In 44 states plus the District of Columbia and Guam, physicians may delegate prescriptive privileges to the PAs they supervise.

There are several factors that effect insurance coverage of counseling sessions. Although other limitations may apply, here are the most common factors: counselor's credentials, plan limitations and exclusions and if your insurance plan provides coverage for the specific counseling session.

Most people can benefit from acupuncture. Many use acupuncture to relax and alleviate the stress of life. Others use it to treat conditions they have lived with for years, or acute conditions that come up. Many people find that they have at least one friend who has had acupuncture and can share a story about their experience.

The number of treatments and frequency is customized for each person and depends on several factors: constitution, the severity and duration of the person's condition, and the quantity and quality of a person's Qi. Some people experience immediate relief, while others require a longer treatment plan. A minimum of one month is expected to see significant changes. 

Each person has a different medical history, and that's why it's important to offer a variety of solutions based on that individual's needs. Wear and tear injuries, degenerative conditions, lifestyle, exercise level and age are all important factors I consider when developing a personalized treatment plan.

In Chinese medicine Qi, or vital energy, flows throughout the body and protects it from pain, illness and disease. It circulates through specific pathways called meridians. The quality, quantity and balance of Qi influences a person's health, and it can be affected by physical or emotional trauma, stress, lack of exercise, overexertion, seasonal changes and diet.

In Chinese medicine Qi, or vital energy, flows throughout the body and protects it from pain, illness and disease. It circulates through specific pathways called meridians. The quality, quantity and balance of Qi influences a person's health, and it can be affected by physical or emotional trauma, stress, lack of exercise, overexertion, seasonal changes and diet.

Many patients feel nothing, and others may feel a small tap followed by a sensation of warmth or heaviness. Most patients find the sensation of acupuncture pleasant and leave feeling relaxed. We can adjust our needling technique for hyper-sensitive, weak or older patients.

After taking a full health history including symptoms and lifestyle, an acupuncturist completes a physical exam of a person's pulse and tongue. This helps the practitioner create a structured treatment plan and detect any imbalance of Qi that may contribute to health problems. 

Once the imbalances are detected, hair-thin, solid, surgical stainless-steel needles are inserted to unblock the obstruction and balance Qi. The insertion creates micro tears in the tissue, sending signals to the body to send elastin and collagen to that specific location to aid in healing. Patients may experience a heaviness, tingling or dull ache where the needle is inserted. This is known as the 'Qi sensation' and is a completely normal sign that the treatment is working. With Qi freely circulating throughout the body, adequate nourishment is reaching the body's cells, organs, glands, tissues and muscles. This can eliminate pain and restore balance and the body's ability to heal itself.

 A typical office visit will last from 45 minutes to an hour. You should eat something before coming and wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes.

Acupuncture is recognized as an effective treatment for a range of conditions, including: 

• Abdominal pain
  
• Allergic rhinitis
• Anxiety 
• Bell's palsy
• Chronic gastritis
• Diabetes
• Earache or headache
• Facial pain or spasm
• High blood pressure
• Morning sickness and induction of labor
• Insomnia
• Knee or shoulder pain
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Neck, spine or low back pain 
• Plantar fasciitis
• Post-operative pain
• Prostatitis 
• Rheumatoid arthritis 
• Sciatica
• Smoking cessation
• Sore throat 
• Stroke
• Tennis elbow
• TMJ dysfunction 
• Ulcerative colitis

The term "natural" hormones has come to designate hormones that are also called "biological-identical". "Synthetic" hormones refer to those that are manufactured with a chemical configuration that is not possible in the human body but mimics some of the native hormonal activity. These definitions do not reflect the dictionary meaning of these terms but refers to the general use of them.

Compounding or formulating a customized dosage for an individual is a function pharmacists may legally perform if a practitioner request it. The individual ingredients may or may not be restricted to prescription items. In short, anything that is compounded must have a prescription.

The price range compares favorably with other hormonal treatments and in some cases can even be less. The average cost per month can be $40-$55 depending on each patient's needs.

Due to the large volume of insurance plans that are available, it is difficult to know if a certain plan would cover the medication. Take your insurance card to the compounding pharmacy and ask.

Side effects may occur if one type of hormone becomes predominant and is is out of balance with the others. When trying a natural bio-identical hormone regimen, if you are not experiencing significant improvement with few or no side effects, a follow-up assessment should be made to determine the proper balance. There can be a period of adjustment; with patience most patients are improved and symptoms resolved within 2-4 months.