WORKING -- Rose Larsen

-- Story by Lolita Harper; photo by [tk]

SHE IS

Pinpointing your pain

HUMAN TUNEUP

As an acupuncturist, Rose Larsen works with more than needles.

The Costa Mesa resident must have an understanding of her patient’s

symptoms, past medical and family history, lifestyle and diet, sleep

patterns, and emotional feelings to get a feel for the level of energy

flowing through them.

Acupuncture is the insertion of fine needles on the body’s surface to

balance the energy flowing through the body. Basically it’s about

harmonizing the body so it works at optimum levels, she said.

“Sort of like giving your car a tuneup,” she said.

The body had an energy force running throughout it like a current,

Larsen said. This energy force is known as qi (roughly pronounced chee).

The qi consists of all essential life activities, which include the

spiritual, emotional, mental and the physical aspects of life.

A person’s health is influenced by the flow of qi in the body, Larsen

said. If a person’s energy current is weak, unbalanced or interrupted,

the body performs at substandard levels and illness may occur.

SAY AHHHH

To determine where a person is out of balance, Larsen takes a

patient’s pulse at the wrist, which is felt for its rhythm and strength,

and examines the tongue for its structure, color and coating.

“You can tell a lot by looking at someone’s tongue,” she said.

Larsen said the tongue is made of the same material as the organs, and

it lets her know how someone is doing on the inside without surgery.

She is not looking for an isolated symptom, she is instead examining

the flow of energy through the body to see where a problem exists. Once

she determines the problem, she applies the required puncture or pressure

to a part of the body determined by the various rules governing the

steady flow of qi through the body.

“Once a patient is balanced to a degree, they are out of pain and have

much more energy,” she said.

THE GAP

Larsen said she started practicing acupuncture because she believed it

filled a void left unexplored by Western medicine.

“I felt there was a gap in medicine and that acupuncture could fill

it,” she said.

Fascinated by the ancient Chinese practice, Larsen started to study

acupuncture while working as an architect. Once she honed her skills, she

left her Newport Beach architectural firm to start her own practice,

Acupuncture Works in Newport Beach. Recently, she was named Acupuncturist

of Year 2001 by the editorial staff of Consumer Business Review.