By Sophia Romeri, Interview date: 10/16/14
Geralyn Kruger has been practicing acupuncture for over five years. She has a vibrant presence and a thriving practice. She received her diploma from the New England school of Acupuncture in Newton, MA. Starting at a young age, even before acupuncture began to be the focus of her life, she had always had an affinity towards health and proper nutrition. She also found yoga early on, and her yoga practice continues to be a priority in her personal agenda today. One of Geralyn’s strengths is her ability to focus. When she loves what she is doing and is passionate about it, there is little that can stand in the way of her success. Geralyn has been an avid long distance runner and musician. She graduated from UMASS Amherst with a degree in Political Science and Cello Performance. Being a long time musician, Geralyn quite naturally transferred her fine listening, tuning, precision, and practice skills to her present work. Acupuncture is an excellent fit for her because she has a tactile talent, and also the ability to feel subtle energies in order to gently guide them in the right direction. Just as a musician works with their instrument to create perfect harmony and tempo, she now works with her patients to help them perform to their best! Geralyn has a swooping calm eloquence to her, which anyone in her presence can feel and benefit from. Below are some questions I asked Geralyn:
S: What’s challenging about being an acupuncturist?
G: I see a lot of very complicated cases, it’s big piece of what I am building my practice on and what I am attracting lately. Many of my patients have a lot of different symptoms happening simultaneously and have had their ailments for a very long time. Often, they have tried all kinds of other modalities first without success, and then they decide to try acupuncture.
I have seen so many instances in which the body can heal and repair despite how chronic a problem might originally be. The key is finding the root cause. Acupuncture works by stimulating the body’s ability to heal itself. And so the challenging part and also what I truly love about my work is being a detective and figuring out each person’s treatment plan. That’s my favorite part - if you give the right treatment and find the exact right points, it’s like a lock and key. It’s amazing the way the body will heal itself if you just give it the right nudge. I truly enjoy the challenge and no treatment is ever the same.
S: When you say “lock and key,” what does that actually mean in the body? If you find a point that works, what is happening in the body?
G: There are hundreds of points all over body, and you can think of them like a vast signaling system or a web network. Between the cells, the nerves, the muscles and the bones, everything is communicating all the time. Each point has a form and a function of it’s own and then when combined they work in synergy to signal a message to the body to heal itself in a specific way. From the moment we are born, and throughout our whole life, the body is continuously striving to regain homeostasis and balance. If you nudge the body in the right way and give it the right signal, you illicit the body’s own innate healing response. Nothing is more powerful than that – the body’s ability to heal itself. The tiny hair – thin needles are used to provide the stimulus.
S: Kind of reminds me of caring for a garden. Like you are cultivating the ground, the foundation.
G: Yes, Absolutely. A main theory in Chinese medicine is nourishing the root of the person. Much like the plants in a garden, it is important to have strong healthy roots. If there is a strong foundation, then everything can grow and heal from that strength. It’s a perfect analogy, really. And that is the beautiful challenge I was referring to earlier- I always must ask: “What is the root of this symptom?” Whether someone has headaches, back pain, or allergies, it’s a different approach from other medicine. For example, someone can take an over the counter medication for a headache and the pain may temporarily be relieved. But Acupuncture asks why the person is getting headaches in the first place. It does not seek only to stop the pain in the moment, but stimulates the body to heal in order to not have headaches in the future. The goal is long term healing.
S: What’s your goal with every patient?
G: I want to help each person live his or her life with more energy, comfort, happiness and freedom. Many people originally come to me with a complaint that really prevents them from living their day-to-day life happily. So the first goal is to stimulate healing so that their days are filled with greater and greater ease. As the body heals, I look for other important markers to improve such as deeper sleep, better digestion, stronger immune system and increased ability to handle the stress in their lives.
S: What is the most difficult part of your job personally?
G: Well, I am so passionate about this work and there is so much to be done that it can hard to “shut off”. I’m that person that goes home after my day and spends time researching things for my patients. I am always doing continuing education, trying to learn more, and trying to better my own self in order to be a more effective practitioner. It’s hard to shut off if you really care about people. It’s why I do this work in the first place. And so it’s not so much that this part is “difficult”, but that it is different than a lot of other jobs. With that said, it’s a real honor for me to be given the responsibility to deliver the best possible care to each and every patient, and I give it %110. I honestly feel blessed that I get to care this much about what I do.
S: So, if in acupuncture you’re trying to help everyone to be his or her best self, how does the patient know what that is? And how do you recognize when someone is more naturally yin or yang and what their constitution is?
G: Well, when I first sit down with a new patient at their Initial Consultation, they fill out a very thorough Health History Questionnaire and we talk about goals. We talk about what they want to focus their treatment plan around, what is bothering them most, and then we systematically discuss every category of the body – from digestion to immune system to sleep to emotions. It is by going through every system of the body that I see the patterns emerge which lead to telling their unique constitution.
To answer how the patient knows they are moving toward balance, the most striking evidence will be when their main focus complaint is relieved. For example their migraines go away, their Achilles tendonitis heals, or perhaps a fertility patient successfully becomes pregnant and carries to term. And beyond that, we monitor different general markers of vitality: Sleeping well at night. A stronger immune system. Smoother and more efficient digestion. Feeling more at peace and able to handle the stress in their lives.
In fact, that is one of my favorite parts! For example, a patient might originally come to me for back pain but then suddenly realize they are now sleeping better. Or they come in for allergies and suddenly realize they don’t have PMS anymore. These other areas will start to shift because it’s all connected. Also, no matter what the main focus of acupuncture is, people report a greater sense of calm and less stress. When the body is brought into balance, the mind naturally shifts into a state of greater ease, which is a wonderful byproduct of acupuncture! Even if there is a lot of stress going on, people report they can be like the calm in the eye in the storm. We can’t control what is happening in our lives, but we can perceive it differently. With more strength, focus and ease. Acupuncture is amazing for that.
S: Do you have three favorite health tips?
G: Yes! Move your beautiful body everyday. There are many options: a daily walk, yoga, running, martial arts, cross-fit, swimming, you name it. Do something you enjoy. Even 20 minutes a day will help. The comforts of our current society can lead us to be quite sedentary and we are meant to move. A main element of acupuncture is moving the energy - moving the qi as they say. So when there is regular exercise, it can make my work easier! Also, make whatever exercise you choose, be joyful. Feel gratitude for being able to move your body in this way.
Something that is very simple and that often helps people begin to drink more water is putting sliced lemon in the water. It’s so good for the body! Lemon water flushes out toxins, purifies the blood, aids digestion and strengthens the immune system. Drinking plenty of water IS as important as everyone says – we are built mostly of water and we need to replenish it. Many people don’t naturally drink enough and the flavor of the lemon can often make it more palatable. A great morning ritual is to have warm lemon water upon waking, to start the day off right.
Thirdly, I strongly encourage adding some kind of daily meditation to your life. Again, there are many forms: sitting in stillness, breath work, guided meditation, prayer, yoga, dance, tai-chi, martial arts. Anything that brings you into the present moment is extremely helpful for the mind. For some people, that could be playing music. Even running could be made into a meditative practice with the right intention and focus.
And so that is something I try to teach my patients. I try to teach them how to come into the present moment, suggest avenues of meditation to explore if they need guidance, and often I’ll recommend certain recordings. Meditation is vital to our overall wellbeing because the world can be so over stimulating in our era of multitasking and technology. Regular meditation will not only create peace in the present moment, but will slowly permeate the rest of your life, changing your awareness and perception in a very positive way.
Want to get in touch with Geralyn or schedule an appointment?
Geralyn Kruger, Lic. Ac., MAOM
Licensed Acupuncturist, Master of Oriental Medicine
Geralyn@geralynkrugeracupuncture.com
781-264-4952
www.geralynkrugeracupuncture.com