Terrie Duda Harris is licensed to practice acupuncture in New Jersey and is nationally certified in acupuncture and Chinese herbology by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Acupuncture and Chinese herbology are two of the four main branches of Chinese medicine. The other two branches are nutrition and exercise (Tai Chi and Qi Gong). Terrie regularly counsels her patients in the Chinese system of nutrition/food energetics while Qi Gong classes are offered in her office. Chinese medicine (often called Oriental medicine) is a comprehensive system of health care with a continuous clinical history of more than 3000 years.
Though relatively new to the United States, acupuncture has been practiced throughout Europe and other parts of the world for decades. The benefits of acupuncture treatment are now clearly recognized and well documented in western medical journals and in medical institutions across the United States. Acupuncture is a powerful system of medicine.
Acupuncture has become a highly popular form of complementary health care because of its relatively low cost and its non-invasive nature. Each treatment in this gentle form of medicine is designed uniquely to address imbalance as it is specifically experienced by each individual. Symptoms are viewed in relationship to the totality of a person in order to explore the underlying cause of an illness or disease. This is why it is said that Chinese medicine treats mind, body and spirit.
This holistic approach to healing is central to Terries practice, which is why she has chosen as her symbol the Chinese characters for "Shen Men," or Spirit Gate (pictured above). Shen Men is an acupuncture point located along the Heart Meridian frequently used for treating disorders of the Spirit, such as irritability, unrest, poor memory, and insomnia. The character "Shen," or Spirit, brings to mind this point's ability to calm and regulate the Spirit as well as to treat the Heart's function of storing the Spirit. The character "Men," or Gate, is a way of likening this point to a gateway for the treatment of the Spirit. Shen Men suggests for Terrie the importance of Spirit in our lives, and particularly in the healing process.