What if you went to your health care provider with a complaint—an ache, a pain or a strange new symptom—and he or she spent an entire hour with you taking an extended history of the problem, rather than just a few minutes? What if your health care provider could offer you real methods to manage chronic health problems that didn't involve filling a costly prescription at your local drug store? Now, in Lincoln Square, you can care for your health using natural methods based on the thousands of years of collective knowledge in traditional Chinese medicine. Lincoln Square Acupuncture is a second-floor sanctuary above the hustle and bustle of Lincoln Avenue. Licensed Acupuncturist David Kato and his wife Rosa have created a space for healing that is nothing like the fluorescent-lit offices common to Western medicine. The husband-wife team runs Lincoln Square Acupuncture together, with Rosa helping out as the office manager. It's a place where you can breathe a sigh of relief as you walk into its fragrant lobby and leave your stresses and worries outside.
One major difference between Chinese and Western medicine is its goal of not only relieving your symptoms, but also getting to the root of the problem and addressing that to prevent future health issues. At Lincoln Square Acupuncture, every patient starts with an intake session, which is an extensive knowledge-gathering interview and examination before any treatment takes place. During the session, David asks you about your current and past health problems, then takes your pulse and examines your tongue. If necessary, he will also do some orthopedic testing that involves a variety of tests to rule out certain conditions. "During the intake session, David will take an inventory of the patient's health," says Rosa. "It's about getting a complete picture of everything that's going on and putting the pieces together to recommend a treatment."
Unlike Western medicine, the principles of traditional Chinese medicine have been practiced successfully for more than 3,000 years. But to many people in the US, Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine are shrouded in mystery. Different schools of Chinese medicine exist; what we think of as Acupuncture is just one part of this approach to healing. Several concepts guide practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine: the importance of the flow of the two vital substances, blood and Qi (pronounced "chee"), or life energy; viewing the body within the context of yin and yang; and assessing health within the context of the five elements (wood, fire, earth metal and water).
The most important idea behind traditional Chinese medicine is the flow of blood and Qi. If some internal or external factor causes the flow of either of these vital substances to be blocked or imbalanced, then pain or illness will occur. Acupuncture and the various practices associated with Chinese medicine work to unblock the flow, eventually relieving the symptoms. Other ideas are used to classify various body parts, symptoms and illnesses. Yin and yang are complementary opposites, as represented in the yin/yang symbol. They are cyclical and represent the idea of a constant state of dynamic balance. "Yin and yang are in a constant state of change," explains David Kato. "One creates the other to maintain a balance. If they become out of balance, then illness will result." Each of the five elements, on the other hand, represents a particular organ or area of the body. In nature, each element also has an associated color, flavor, climate, compass direction or season of the year.
Although they grew up thousands of miles apart, David and his wife Rosa seemed destined to meet. After spending her entire life in Chicago, Rosa had the opportunity to travel to Korea in the 1990s to seek out her family roots and learn to speak Korean. On the plane to Seoul, she sat beside a man who was a vice president of a US-based sporting goods company. They exchanged information and she kept in contact with him. He later introduced her to an American inline skate tech who was working abroad: David Kato. "We were born and raised separately, but when we met, we both felt like we had already known each other," says Rosa.
 David was a bike technician from Seattle who had taken a job in Korea with the same sporting goods company as the man Rosa had met on her flight to Seoul. His family was of Japanese descent and had lived in Hawaii for several generations. With an eclectic background that included a degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences, a license in massage therapy and skills in bike repair, David decided his path was to concentrate on the art of healing people. After he and Rosa met, David went on to China to the TianJin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to study Acupuncture under the director of the department, Dr. Liu Gong-Wan. Eventually, David proposed to Rosa and they married in Hawaii. Los Angeles was their next destination, where David continued his studies at SAMRA University of Traditional Oriental Medicine. After passing the National Acupuncture examination to become a Diplomate of Acupuncture, he continued his studies by working in a groundbreaking program at Cedars-Sinai hospital that integrated an Eastern and Western approach to medicine.
Both the LA and Seattle markets were saturated with Acupuncturists. So when David and Rosa discussed their next step, they decided it was time to return to Rosa's hometown. "David had studied such advanced, forward thinking medicine on the West Coast," explains Rosa. "Our idea was to bring these ideas to the Midwest, where eastern medicine is less known. We're really excited about the prospect." Once again, destiny seemed to come into play. "We looked at locations in all of the different neighborhoods in Chicago," says Rosa. "Just when we were close to signing a lease in Lincoln Park, David had to come up to Lincoln Square for a meeting. We happened to notice the 'For Rent' sign above Dr. Wier's office." They changed course and signed that lease instead. And the coincidences didn't end there. The first time Rosa's mother came to the office for a visit, Rosa started giving her detailed directions about where to park. Her mother told her not to worry, that she and her father knew the neighborhood well. They had lived in Germany before immigrating to the US and the people they met there recommended that they go to "Germantown," also known as Lincoln Square, once they arrived in Chicago.
The atmosphere in Lincoln Square Acupuncture is more serene spa than medical office. Asian art hangs on the walls, bamboo grows from pots and fascinating artifacts like an antique sheng, or musical instrument, appear throughout the space. Lush velvet curtains provide patients with privacy and comfort while they receive treatments. Despite the plush surroundings, the services are comprehensive and aimed at treating serious conditions ranging from the flu to high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis and depression. After a patient completes the intake session, David prepares an individualized treatment program that may involve one or more of the services offered at Lincoln Square Acupuncture. These include Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, moxibustion, cupping, scraping, traditional Chinese massage or herbal elixirs.
Acupuncture is the use of ultra-thin needles to adjust the flow of Qi, or energy, away from areas where it is stuck in the body and to areas where it is needed. Despite its successful use, no one is quite sure how Acupuncture works. Needles are inserted along meridians, or lines of Acupuncture points, each of which affects a different body system. "I use as few needles as possible to treat patients," explains David. "It depends on the disorder, but in most cases I use fewer than ten needles—typically about six to relieve pain and fewer than ten for internal conditions. Sometimes only one needle with be enough." Needles are all sterile and made for a single use. Because they are extremely thin, they feel nothing like the needles we know from injections or blood draws. What patients do tend to feel instead of pain is often a tingling, numb or throbbing feeling. "You should feel something when the needle is inserted," says David. "It is a good sign." Where Western medicine funnels all patients into one particular path of treatment, Acupuncture is extremely individualized. "I could see ten different patients all with the same conditions, and treat each of them with ten different sets of points, depending on how well they respond to the treatments," he explains. "Conversely, I can use the same ten points and treat ten different conditions. It's extremely versatile."
 Other services that David performs include cupping, moxibustion and scraping. Cupping is an ancient practice used primarily for pain management. When Qi and blood stagnate in an area of the body, the result is pain or discomfort. Cupping is the heating of glass or bamboo cups, which are applied to the skin to form a vacuum. "Cupping is an effective way to invigorate the blood and pull any stasis to the surface," says David. In moxibustion, moxa sticks filled with herbs are burned and placed near to certain Acupuncture points with needles. "Moxibustion helps warm and invigorate the blood, also dispelling stasis," he explains. Scraping is a massage-like practice that requires the rubbing of a flat tool made of horn along the surface of the skin. "This is another way to release heat, for example if there is a fever, or to invigorate the blood and Qi," says David.
In addition to the treatments you experience at Lincoln Square Acupuncture, some of them are designed to go home with you. To enhance the effects of a good Acupuncture session, David may give his patients herbal medicines. "We have some herbal medicines that we recommend to patients for just when they need them," says David. "Other medicines you can only get from us if we give you a prescription." The medicines take different forms, which are prescribed based on the type of disorder. Tea pills, for example, are peppercorn-sized pills that are a milder dose, while an extract is an herb suspended in alcohol that can be dropped under the tongue to get into the patient's bloodstream more quickly. "These are tried and proven formulas that have been used in China for thousands of years," says David. While at Lincoln Square Acupuncture, you can also experience one of the Elixirs they sell. Served either hot or cold, these beverages combine natural fruits with Chinese herbs to help with common complaints like warding off colds, relieving hangovers, clearing your mind and refocusing your energy. Patients can bring their favorite bottle of concentrated Elixir home with them, or they can purchase a sampler to taste a few. Try one of the cleverly named tonics like Liquid Yoga, Mind Over Muddle or Virtual Buddha.
If you have been frustrated with a lack of options in Western medicine and you are looking for a different, more individualized approach to care, call Lincoln Square Acupuncture for an appointment. And make sure to bring your insurance card. Rosa and David take any type of insurance that will cover Acupuncture services—they will even call your insurance company to find out if your plan will cover your visit. More companies than ever are offering coverage or at least partial reimbursement of non-traditional treatments that keep people healthy. "People come in here in a frenzy and leave like they're floating on air," says Rosa. "That, to me, is a reflection of David and the positive effect he has on people."
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