Antonia Balfour and Stephanie Kanan have teamed up to create Oasis Palisades, a haven for health and wellness in the Marquez neighborhood, where they offer acupuncture, herbal consultations and a variety of massage treatments. Balfour, who graduated with a master’s degree in Chinese Medicine at Yo San University in Los Angeles, has been expanding her practice in Pacific Palisades for the past seven years and will become the next Chamber of Commerce president in June. She believes that there are many ways to find health, and acupuncture is one pathway. She uses the analogy, ‘We could look at two maps of the Palisades. The first might be a map that shows all the streets and roadways. A second map might show the mountains and trees. Neither is wrong because they’re both of the Palisades, but each shows a different perspective.’ Balfour explains that Eastern and Western medicine are similar to her analogy. ‘There is not a conflict; a person could use both to get optimal health.’ A person with back, neck or foot pain or chronic headaches might be a good acupuncture candidate, says Balfour, who also treats women who are experiencing infertility, going through menopause, having heavy periods or suffering PMS. After graduating from Yo San University, Balfour thought she would open a gynecological practice, but when she came to the Palisades her outlook expanded. ‘It’s a village and I see a spectrum of issues,’ she says. ‘I see as much back pain as I do gynecological issues.’ A patient visiting Oasis Palisades for the first time, whether for acupuncture, herbs or massage, first fills out a questionnaire and then has a long conversation with Balfour or Kanan, who is the director of massage therapy and has also worked in holistic healthcare for more than 20 years. For example, a patient complaining of chronic headaches may be asked seeming unrelated questions about sleep, environment, day-to-day activities, work and diet, and different times that food is eaten. ‘The goal is to bring someone into balance,’ Balfour says. ‘My job is to be a detective and put the pieces of the puzzle together.’ Once she has a patient’s history, Balfour determines whether acupuncture is appropriate and if it is, where needles should be placed. ‘If someone has just injured his back and is in acute spasm, I won’t put the needles where the patient complains of pain. Instead I may place them in the hand, ankles and ear,’ says Balfour, who demonstrates the procedure. The area of pain is palpated and the area where the needles will be placed is cleaned with alcohol. Surprisingly, when the needle is placed in the skin, it is barely perceptible. Balfour points out that the needles are not like a vaccination needle or even as thick as sewing pins, but rather, are hair thin. After they are in the proper location, the needles are stimulated when the practioner touches them; once again the movement is barely perceptible. Balfour says that she has many needle-phobic patients who have no problems with acupuncture. The number of needles placed is dependent on what is being treated. Once they are placed, they stay for about a half hour. ‘Some people go into a relaxed state and some even fall asleep,’ Balfour says. Many skeptics argue that acupuncture is a placebo. ‘I have a skeptical, critical mind, so I respect that,’ says Balfour. Her primary concern is her patient’s health, so ‘as long as it [acupuncture] works,’ that’s what counts. She notes that acupuncture is used on animals with successful results, which would seem to discount the placebo effect. She has also used the treatment on children as young as four months. Herbs are often used in conjunction with acupuncture and are customized for the individual. In addition, Balfour recently launched a line of herbal products made specifically for dogs, Qi Blends Herbs, that include Bladder Blend, Digestive Blend, Feel Young Again Blend and Skin Repair for Hot Spots (www.qiblends.com). Another aspect of treatment at Oasis Palisades is an affordable massage (starting at $48 for one hour). A customer can chose between several types of massage including Swedish, deep tissue, reflexology, aromatherapy and hot stone. ‘Massage provides joints and muscles with a direct benefit,’ Kanan says. ‘It relieves stress and is relaxing; it also helps circulation in older people.’ ‘I feel that most of what makes us sick, at the core, is stress,’ Balfour adds. Although Oasis has one of the lowest prices for massage in the Palisades, Kanan and Balfour insist on using high-quality organic oils that have Vitamin E, which is good for the skin. Kanan started her career as a medical assistant for Dr. Pearl McBroom, the first black female cardiologist in L.A., who also focused on alternative modalities. When McBroom retired, Kanan worked for Dr. Bruce Beddoe, founder of Palisades Holistic Chiropractic Center. Oasis Palisades is located in the alley between Bollinger Drive and Sunset (below Marquez Avenue), in the space formerly occupied by Jordan Appliance. The interior has been tastefully remodeled by Thane Roberts, whose architecture credits include Emporio Armani in Beverly Hills. Treatments are available by appointment only, seven days a week. Call (310) 454-5855, or visit: www.oasispalisades.com.
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