Got a Minute with Lily Mallory House


Published: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 6:41 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 6:41 a.m.

Age: 26 Occupation: Licensed acupuncturist at Acu-Na Wellness Center Originally from Chapel Hill, House graduated from Furman University in 2009 with a bachelor’s in psychology and Spanish. Her interest in psychology, coupled with her desire to help people on a deeper level, led her to seek training in acupuncture.

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After four years of studying under Chinese medicine expert Jeffrey Yuen and 800 hours of intensive clinical internship, House received her master’s in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts in Asheville.

Your father, Dr. Richard House, also practices acupuncture. How much of an inspiration was that for you entering the profession?

I am incredibly honored to be a second-generation acupuncturist carrying on a family tradition. As a child, I got lots of acupuncture treatments from my dad and I also heard a lot about how he was helping his patients overcome their illnesses and live more comfortable lives. I grew up knowing that acupuncture helps people feel their best, and I wanted to serve my community by continuing that healing tradition.

How do the needles work on the body and mind?

The simple answer is that acupuncture helps increase blood circulation to parts of the body, decreases inflammation and blocks pain signals sent from nerves to the brain. The more complete answer involves a unique medical theory that was developed by the Chinese about 5,000 years ago.

The idea is that in our bodies we have energy, known as Qi, that flows through specific circuits in the same way that blood flows through our vessels. These circuits are invisible, but they are responsible for taking the energy where it needs to be so that the body can function properly.

If there is an imbalance between these circuits, the result is illness, pain or stress. We treat these imbalances by inserting very thin needles into specific acupuncture points that lay along the energy circuits in question.

What percentage of your clients seek your services to deal with physical pain, like arthritis, versus a psychological issue like smoking cessation?

A lot of people primarily think of acupuncture as a treatment for pain, so a lot of my patients do come for pain. However, as people become more familiar with the effects of acupuncture, they learn that it can treat a wide variety of internal issues including respiratory health, digestion, depression and anxiety, and yes, smoking cessation.

We do have a special “stop smoking” treatment at Acu-Na Wellness where we use specific acupuncture points and a homeopathic remedy to help people curb the cravings associated with smoking. This is becoming more popular as people realize that acupuncture can treat a lot more than just pain.

Is it true that acupuncture isn’t a “one-time” fix, that usually treatment involves multiple sessions?

That is true; the benefits of acupuncture are cumulative, meaning that people get better faster if they get weekly treatments for a few weeks. Depending on the condition, we typically treat people once per week for four to five weeks before we re-evaluate and consider putting them on a “maintenance” plan of once every two weeks or once a month. There certainly are some occasions where a patient feels completely better after one or two treatments and never needs to come back. It all depends on what condition we are treating and how well the person responds to the acupuncture.

Do the number of needles you insert vary from treatment to treatment?

Yes, each treatment is customized to the specific individual, so the number of points is different for each person. Typically I use anywhere from six to 20 needles, with the higher number being reserved for conditions like acute pain.

Don’t let that number intimidate you; I always remind people that the needle insertion is usually completely painless. Treatments for athletes with lots of muscular pain might involve a higher number of needles, whereas treatments for children or elderly folks will have fewer needles to avoid over-taxing their system.

The needles are single-use sterile stainless steel, and they are always discarded after being used one time. All acupuncturists are required to take classes on what we call “clean needle technique” to ensure that every aspect of the treatment is clean and safe for every patient.

Western medicine tends to rely on drugs, which can have side effects. Are there any side effects to acupuncture?

The “side effects” of acupuncture are actually one of the best things about what I do. I find that very often, people experience things that aren’t directly related to the problem they came to treat, but these things are very positive. For instance, people may come in for knee pain and then find that they are sleeping better than they have in years. Or they may come in for digestive trouble and then report that suddenly their blood pressure is down by 10 points. Other than happy surprises like this, acupuncture does not have any side effects.

Can you practice acupuncture on yourself, or do you have a coworker treat you?

It is certainly possible to practice on yourself if you can reach the area you want to get to, but I find that it’s not as effective. It is similar to the fact that squeezing your own shoulders doesn’t feel at all like a real massage; it’s just so much more valuable if somebody else does it. I think it’s about the exchange of energy that you get when you interact with another person — they can bring your attention to things you wouldn’t have thought of, and they can probably reach your shoulder blades better than you can, too!

Acupuncture is considered highly effective for treating pain, circulatory problems, neuroendocrine imbalances such as menopause, and digestive disorders. Is there any malady that acupuncture is not as effective in treating?

To be honest, I really can’t think of a single thing that I would not feel confident treating with acupuncture, aside from emergency situations and surgical issues, obviously. The reason for that is that we aren’t necessarily treating the condition or the disease that someone comes in with. Instead we are treating the person, and evaluating what the underlying patterns are that gave rise to whatever condition they have been diagnosed with. So we don’t treat high cholesterol or cancer or fibromyalgia per se; instead, we treat people who are experiencing imbalances that have been labeled as such. I think of it as treating a person instead of a problem, so any person who walks through my door can get an effective treatment.

A lot of your job is about helping patients relax and heal. What do you do to relax on your days off?

My teacher once said that the most important thing we can do to heal others is to heal ourselves. What he meant was that we have to be our happiest, most healthy selves in order to bring people to their ideals of health and happiness.

So I focus on myself through prayer, meditation, hiking, dancing, reading and knitting. I spend a lot of time with my partner, Christopher, and our friends and family. I feel very content in my life, and I am very pleased to be able to share that feeling of well-being with my patients.


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