Classical Five Element Acupuncture

Started for my shin splints… continued for my sanity! :-)
It’s funny how things work sometimes. My initial visit to Mary Jo was prompted by a HUGE amount of frustration associated with not being able to sort out some running-​related issues. As a non-​competitive/​recreational runner I’ve dealt with shin splints on and off for the past 20+ years. I’ve had X-​rays taken, dyes injected, and MRI’s… all to no avail. And when a well-​respected sports medicine MD in Eugene (a truly nice gent that has worked with top-​shelf athletes) told me, «Not everyone is cut out to be a runner», the frustration meter was pegged well to the right side of the scale. Having never been to an acupuncturist, it was with a sense of «I’m-not-certain-what-else-to-try?» that I made my initial appointment with Mary Jo.
For anyone else wondering whether (or not) acupuncture might work for them, I can’t say enough good things about my experience with Classical Five Elements Acupuncture! I actually, only half-​jokingly, tell people that it put me on a different path. As a then-​stressed out small business owner, the awareness I gained from working with Mary Jo added a certain sense of perspective that I had long ago lost, or maybe never even really had. It really was that big of a deal for me!
As for how it all worked, during my initial visit we discussed not only what it was that I wanted to get out of the process, but what the process would likely be able to do for me. To say that Mary Jo was exceedingly professional, honest, upfront, straightforward and thorough would be a total understatement. What I wasn’t expecting, but soon learned to appreciate, was that her interests extended beyond just what was going on with my running, but also included a more holistic assessment as well.
And how did things work out? Physically, the shin splint issues started improving after just a couple of sessions. But what I would have never guessed (not in a million years) was that the overall process (and the way that Mary Jo practices it) would provide something even more important: the sense of «balance» needed for me to recognize, and then respect, what my body was telling me. For the first time in my life I started to pay attention when things hurt enough that running hard wasn’t just going to be a silly idea that day, but very likely a stupid one as well. (At the time, I was one of those runners that would hobble before I’d stop; and simply push through the pain… in spite of knowing that there would be absolute hell to pay once I was done and the endorphins dissipated.)
What surprised me even more was that as my shins started to responded to the treatments, so too did my psyche. I started taking the time to listen. I felt better. I was less stressed. And, I was just happy to be running healthy… and not so disappointed on those days when I couldn’t run hard.
Fast forward to today (which is a couple of years since my initial visit) and I’m happy to report that the shin splint issues were totally resolved: totally! And even though I’m older (50-​ish), I’m now logging more (and faster) miles than when I first started down this path. Plus, all of that groundwork that Mary Jo provided in terms of being aware of, and working on, my sense of «balance» and «wellness» and «connectedness» still serve me well. Very well indeed!
Thanks Mary Jo!