Veterans find pointed relief with Main Street acupuncturist

LACONIA — Robert Woodward says his memories of combat in the jungles of Vietnam remain a fixture in his life.

“They are there every day,” said Woodward, 68. “The war has been over for 40 years, but my war goes on every day.”

In downtown Laconia, the former Navy SEAL has found help for his post-traumatic stress disorder as well as severe pain and other medical ailments.

“Kathy has been very, very helpful for me,” Woodward said. “She’s actually been my angel.”

He’s talking about Kathy Twomble, who runs Gate of Life Acupuncture and Wellness, 635 Main St. Woodward is one of a group of veterans who rely on her treatments.

She said she sees about 40 people a week. About half of her patients are veterans.

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas visited Twomble and some of her patients recently to listen to complaints involving slowness on the part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in making payment for services, or in authorizing treatment. Pappas has written a letter to Richard Stone, the executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration, calling attention to the issue.

Woodward said that before he began receiving treatments from Twombly, doctors had prescribed him opioid-based medication for pain in his head, neck and elsewhere.

“Last year, I said, ‘I’m not going to take medication like candy anymore,’” he said.

“The pain is not completely gone now, but it’s not like before when I was in constant pain, when I was not getting enough sleep, couldn’t do anything, couldn’t even drive to the doctor sometimes,” he said.

Woodward said acupuncture has also reduced the numbness he was feeling in his legs as the result of diabetes.

It has also helped with his PTSD.

“It’s kept my mood down,” he said. “I don’t have the anger issues I did. I didn’t like anybody walking behind me, standing behind me. Certain sounds, like the sound of a helicopter, would upset me. I deal with it now and it doesn’t bother me.”

On Wednesday, Twomble inserted tiny sterile needles on the forehead and ears of Ann Clark, of Gilford, an Air Force veteran who developed back pain after her time in the military.

The needles are the thickness of a human hair. There appeared to be very little pain.

“There can be a sensation,” Twomble said. “I don’t ever tell anybody you won’t feel anything because if it hurts, I’ve lied to you.”

Clark enjoyed one particular needle.

“That’s my favorite spot,” she said.

Twomble had put a needle in what is known as a “meditation point” on Clark’s forehead. Strains of Asian music played at low volume in the background.

“I do meditation also,” Clark said. “It all works together for overall well-being.”

“She’s really a miracle worker with pain. When I first started coming to see her, I was having pain level at eight or nine daily and now she’s kept me down to a regular three or four, which is awesome for me.”

When Clark was in the Air Force, she worked in supplies.

She suffers from lower back pain she associates with years of working on cement floors and with the lifting that was part of the job.

Twomble said she was using a technique of acupuncture that has been found helpful for people dealing with addiction and for calming down the central nervous system.

Clark said she was referred to Twomble by her primary care physician.

“I knew that if I was ever going to get any kind of pain relief, I had to have an open mind,” she said. “I was so desperate for some pain relief that I was willing to try anything. I’m just happy that it happened to work out.”

According to the Mayo Clinic's website, Acupuncture remains a key component of traditional Chinese medicine, often used to treat pain but increasingly used for overall wellness, including stress management.

Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points on your body. A key component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is most commonly used to treat pain. Increasingly, it is being used for overall wellness, including stress management.

"In contrast, many Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. Some believe that this stimulation boosts your body's natural painkillers."