“Health care matters to all of us some of the time. Public health matters to all of us all the time.”

--Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General

The upcoming changes to the United States healthcare system and the global rise of healthcare costs have contributed to an increased awareness and use of complementary,or alternative, healthcare. More and more patients are working with their family doctor and additional sources of health management to create a total health and well-being plan.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), wellness is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”

Stress can lead to poor performance, greater likelihood of disease, longer recovery times and missed time from work. The Buck Consultants’ 3rd Annual Global Wellness Survey reported that stress is consistently cited as the top health risk driving wellness programs in most areas of the world.

In Asia, the most important objective for employers is improving workforce morale. For more than a decade China has had a sub-ministry of traditional Chinese medicine with entire departments dedicated to areas such as licensure, research, product standards, education and foreign trade in traditional Chinese medicine.

Massage therapy is not just for the wealthy traveler visiting a destination spa or country club anymore. Community wellness centers are springing up all over the United States and the world. They are quickly becoming the best places to find healthy and affordable services, often fully or partially covered by health insurance.

Largely, these centers are supported locally by word-of-mouth advertising, brand recognition and community outreach. They do not just serve their clients, but their communities as well.

Did you know that the Lansing area has had one of these centers for over 20 years? Creative Wellness, located in East Lansing, is one of the largest holistic health centers in Michigan with close to 50 employees and offers many services and classes that are found all over the world. The center also donates hundreds of hours a year toward corporate and nonprofit fundraising and to increase awareness of the value of complementary health services.

Clinical and rehabilitation massage is available to help patients with conditions such as old or recent muscle injuries, back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, postural disorders and rehabilitation following an injury, illness or surgery and chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.

Creative Wellness also offers treatment options like traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is an effective form of healthcare that has evolved into a complete and holistic medical system. Oriental medicine in the form of acupuncture has been used for several thousands of years and is an honored tradition to maintain and promote health.

The WHO recognizes acupuncture and traditional medicine’s ability to treat over 43 common disorders including arthritis; migraine headaches; low back, neck and shoulder pain; gastrointestinal disorders; premenstrual syndrome; stress incontinence; sexual dysfunction; sinusitis; asthma; allergies; bronchitis; depression; anxiety and substance abuse addictions.

Employers and healthcare providers are also recognizing the benefits of wellness, not only for personal health, but also for a healthier bottom line. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 58 percent of U.S. employers in 2009 offered at least one type of wellness benefit, with the trend continuing in 2010. Proactive healthcare, decreased health issues and faster recovery time equal cost savings and happier employees.

Creative Wellness accepts insurance and works with most major medical insurance providers for our varied services. Medical flex spending accounts can be used for massage, chiropractic, acupuncture and other services.

The global trend of well-being care has also determined that the individuals receiving these services benefit greatly from the standardization and often licensing of certain practices. Annie Haas, Creative Wellness’s lead acupuncturist, was appointed in 2010 by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to the Michigan Board of Acupuncturists, for a term of four years through 2014.

Chiropractic care is also growing as a noninvasive way to treat many issues that might otherwise require costly surgery and longer recovery. Creative Wellness has chiropractors who work with patients to restore spinal movement and increase mobility. For those patients who prefer gentler techniques, and for many elderly clients, the Activator Method Chiropractic Technique and Sacral Occipital Technique (SOT) are also available.

Creative Wellness has successfully cultivated referral relationships with many area doctors and health providers so that patients have access to a well-rounded treatment program.

As Eastern medicine has made its way to the West, so has much of the culture surrounding the entire well-being experience, not just the particular session treatment. The Asian market puts great emphasis on presentation protocols and the healing arts. The setting where one experiences a healing treatment is very important to the overall sense of well-being.

In order to best serve our patients and continue with the tradition of creating healthy lifestyles we are moving to a bigger building in the first quarter of 2011.  Our new location will be just across the parking lot from the current building in the Asher Court complex.

If your insurance policy does not currently cover any type of complementary, preventative or well-being services, now is the time to let your voice be heard on these issues. Companies around the world are currently looking for ways to increase employee health and decrease healthcare costs. The types of services discussed in this article are a way to do just that.

As we all know, wellness is the best preventative medicine.

Christine Reay is co-owner of Creative Wellness in East Lansing. She is nationally certified in massage therapy and bodywork, and specializes in clinical and sports massage.