News
Entertainment
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Christine Gallagher's 8-year-old son Gabriel gladly climbed atop his mother's massage-type table for a brief Acutonics session last week. Using two specially calibrated tuning forks, Gallagher gently applied the activated forks to specific acupuncture points and muscles, sending vibrations throughout his body.
“He used to request ‘kidney one,'” Gallagher said, because he said it felt so good.
Gallagher is a natural health practitioner, and certified in Acutonics sound therapy — a technique developed 25 years ago by an acupuncturist and a musician.
Similar to acupuncture, the practice involves sound waves instead of needles to stimulate the body's physical and subtle energy field to promote healing and wellness. The vibrations formed by the tuning forks open up blockages inside the body's energy pathways, Gallagher said.
Gallagher works with two forks at a time — chosen from her collection of 75, each with different frequencies — to reduce inflammation, promote relaxation, cause cooling (for hot flashes), promote warming (for hypothyroidism), or provide pain relief.
“Blood pressure can go down,” Gallagher said. “It's good for stress, anxiety and depression.”
Acutonics can also help people with headaches, digestive concerns, life transitions, menopause, back pain, insomnia, sinus problems and other problems, she said.
Gallagher was a former hospital chaplain in Minneapolis, and at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. She has a Master's degree in religion with a focus on spiritual care.
“That's the spirit part of the body-mind-spirit” philosophy of care, said Gallagher, who has a Doctorate degree in natural health.
Initial visits with Gallagher last an hour and a half.
Gallagher has studied nutrition, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine, anatomy, physiology and pathology. She may draw on those various healing modalities when treating clients at Journey for Wellness, Center for Natural Family Health, 551 Grand Ave.
WELLNESS CENTER
At Journey for Wellness, Gallagher shares space with a massage therapist, a natural skin-care specialist, and an osteopathic physician. Each have worked independently for years. The Grand Avenue center opened May 1.
“We work with people here, and send people to doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors, depending on what they need,” Gallagher said. “I'm a big believer in integrating care.”
Marie Currey is a registered nurse who schedules quarterly Acutonics sessions with Gallagher.
“It's my tune-up,” Currey said.
Currey said Acutonics “resonates more” with her body, because she doesn't like needles — even though needles used in acupuncture do not hurt.
After a session, “I always feel more mentally clear and alert. I'm physically more relaxed and balanced,” Currey said.
Currey, who is also a massage therapist, receives massages on a regular basis as part of her own health care.
One of the massage therapists she frequents is Nan Keith Frates, who founded Journey for Wellness with Gallagher.
“She is effective with deep tissue work without (inflicting) pain,” Currey said. “She is sensitive about how deep to go.”
An avid runner, Frates turned to massage in 1990 to prevent injury and to help her recover faster and train harder. She trained at the Mountain Heart School of Massage Therapy in Crested Butte and attends yearly workshops specializing in myofascial release — a form of soft tissue therapy to treat pain and restriction of motion.
Frates also specializes in deep tissue, Swedish, neuromuscular therapy and sports massage.
The Journey for Wellness center is also shared by natural skin care specialist Christy Vogt and osteopathic physician Ilene Spector, who travels from Crested Butte to Grand Junction once a month to spend a week seeing patients.
OPTIMAL HEALTH
Gallagher's mother travels from Denver for Acutonics treatments to relieve the pain in her knees due to arthritis. Acutonics also helps relieve her sinus problems, Gallagher said.
Last week, Gallagher used Acutonics to treat a 4-month old baby recovering from problems associated with premature birth.
She often attends births, using the tuning forks to provide pain relief for the laboring mother.
She also cares for people in their 80s.
A couple of weeks ago Gallagher used Acutonics to help a hospice patient who was in the process of dying.
“We're a center for natural family health,” Gallagher said. “We see people from birth to death.”
Gallagher also teaches infant massage, natural cold and flu classes, and travelers' first aid.
“A lot of what we do is grandma's wisdom — what's been lost over the years,” Gallagher said.
Helping people reach their optimal health is the goal, Gallagher said.
“It's fun to go to work,” she said. “We love what we do.”
Journey for Wellness can be reached at 970-812-6356, or visit journey4wellness.abmp.com.
“He used to request ‘kidney one,'” Gallagher said, because he said it felt so good.
Gallagher is a natural health practitioner, and certified in Acutonics sound therapy — a technique developed 25 years ago by an acupuncturist and a musician.
Similar to acupuncture, the practice involves sound waves instead of needles to stimulate the body's physical and subtle energy field to promote healing and wellness. The vibrations formed by the tuning forks open up blockages inside the body's energy pathways, Gallagher said.
Gallagher works with two forks at a time — chosen from her collection of 75, each with different frequencies — to reduce inflammation, promote relaxation, cause cooling (for hot flashes), promote warming (for hypothyroidism), or provide pain relief.
“Blood pressure can go down,” Gallagher said. “It's good for stress, anxiety and depression.”
Acutonics can also help people with headaches, digestive concerns, life transitions, menopause, back pain, insomnia, sinus problems and other problems, she said.
Gallagher was a former hospital chaplain in Minneapolis, and at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. She has a Master's degree in religion with a focus on spiritual care.
“That's the spirit part of the body-mind-spirit” philosophy of care, said Gallagher, who has a Doctorate degree in natural health.
Initial visits with Gallagher last an hour and a half.
Gallagher has studied nutrition, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine, anatomy, physiology and pathology. She may draw on those various healing modalities when treating clients at Journey for Wellness, Center for Natural Family Health, 551 Grand Ave.
WELLNESS CENTER
At Journey for Wellness, Gallagher shares space with a massage therapist, a natural skin-care specialist, and an osteopathic physician. Each have worked independently for years. The Grand Avenue center opened May 1.
“We work with people here, and send people to doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors, depending on what they need,” Gallagher said. “I'm a big believer in integrating care.”
Marie Currey is a registered nurse who schedules quarterly Acutonics sessions with Gallagher.
“It's my tune-up,” Currey said.
Currey said Acutonics “resonates more” with her body, because she doesn't like needles — even though needles used in acupuncture do not hurt.
After a session, “I always feel more mentally clear and alert. I'm physically more relaxed and balanced,” Currey said.
Currey, who is also a massage therapist, receives massages on a regular basis as part of her own health care.
One of the massage therapists she frequents is Nan Keith Frates, who founded Journey for Wellness with Gallagher.
“She is effective with deep tissue work without (inflicting) pain,” Currey said. “She is sensitive about how deep to go.”
An avid runner, Frates turned to massage in 1990 to prevent injury and to help her recover faster and train harder. She trained at the Mountain Heart School of Massage Therapy in Crested Butte and attends yearly workshops specializing in myofascial release — a form of soft tissue therapy to treat pain and restriction of motion.
Frates also specializes in deep tissue, Swedish, neuromuscular therapy and sports massage.
The Journey for Wellness center is also shared by natural skin care specialist Christy Vogt and osteopathic physician Ilene Spector, who travels from Crested Butte to Grand Junction once a month to spend a week seeing patients.
OPTIMAL HEALTH
Gallagher's mother travels from Denver for Acutonics treatments to relieve the pain in her knees due to arthritis. Acutonics also helps relieve her sinus problems, Gallagher said.
Last week, Gallagher used Acutonics to treat a 4-month old baby recovering from problems associated with premature birth.
She often attends births, using the tuning forks to provide pain relief for the laboring mother.
She also cares for people in their 80s.
A couple of weeks ago Gallagher used Acutonics to help a hospice patient who was in the process of dying.
“We're a center for natural family health,” Gallagher said. “We see people from birth to death.”
Gallagher also teaches infant massage, natural cold and flu classes, and travelers' first aid.
“A lot of what we do is grandma's wisdom — what's been lost over the years,” Gallagher said.
Helping people reach their optimal health is the goal, Gallagher said.
“It's fun to go to work,” she said. “We love what we do.”
Journey for Wellness can be reached at 970-812-6356, or visit journey4wellness.abmp.com.
