Maureen Kittredge and Meredith Souza of the Clinton Wellness Center offer massage, acupuncture and Pilates at the 145 Church St. location in Clinton. (Photo by Ken Cleveland, Item Extra)
Clinton Wellness Center is located at 145 Church St. in Clinton. The telephone number is (978) 365-7100. Hours are Monday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to noon, Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and every other Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; also by appointment. The Web site is www.clintonwellnesscenter.com.
The Item Extra recently talked with Maureen Kittredge, owner of Clinton Wellness Center, and Meredith Souza, who offers Pilates classes.
Q: How long have you been open?
Maureen: I've been here since February of 2005, only in a smaller area. I did massage out of one room. In April of this year, I expanded to the entire space. We spent the summer doing renovations. I starting treating people in August and had the grand opening Nov. 2 with the ribbon cutting. I changed the name from Healing at Hand to Clinton Wellness Center to reflect that we were offering more than massage therapy and has added acupuncture.
Q: What improvements have you made?
Maureen: We recently renovated the space. We have acupuncture and massage rooms; there's lots of space. It gives us room to offer the Pilates instruction through Meredith. She came in starting Nov. 26 offering Pilates in both group and one-on-one.
Q: What does acupuncture do?
Maureen: Everybody has a pattern. In Chinese medicine, they observe and once they find a root pattern, anything wrong is a symptom of imbalance. We try to restore the balance to the body, not just using needles. It can include massage, dieting changes and other stress reduction techniques including cupping to relieve stagnation, or a buildup.
Q: What is the concept?
Maureen: The basic premise is, if somebody has a deficit, we build it up; if too much, like stagnation, we disperse. There are 365 main acupuncture points on the body. Each point has one function.
Q: How do you devise individual treatments?
Maureen: A treatment is 100 percent individualized for each person; the same symptoms can have different treatments. A diagnosis includes a comprehensive intake; it has to do with your pattern. It includes feeling the pulses for indications of imbalances.
We use the pulse for information as well as the coating of the tongue; we palpate the abdomen to get a diagnosis. It's a reflection of the energy. In Chinese medicine, there is no separation of the mind-body connection.
Even people who are needle sensitive can be treated - just in a different way; everybody is treatable.
Q: How far back does this type of medicine go and how did you learn it?
Maureen: It's a 1000-year-old system. The best way to learn is to practice. In addition to textbook work, we practiced on each other in school.
Q: Is there a lot of training and regulation?
Maureen: I took three years of training and have a master's degree. I'm also licensed by the state Board of Medicine. And safety is important; every needle is sterilized and not reused.
Q: How about cost?
Maureen: Most insurance doesn't cover it at the moment, but our prices reflect the discounts insurance would get you. We have pricing set up to cost less to come more often; it gets you better sooner. The closer together the treatments, the quicker the result.
Q: You also have a background in traditional Western medicine?
Maureen: I'm fortunate to have had the Western medicine background. I've been a nurse since 1992 and nurse practitioner the last 10 years. I still work a day a week as a nurse practitioner in a private practice.
I look at the entire picture; my background allows me to be very safe with people. I also know when it's beyond what I can offer here. Treatments can always be always be combined with other things. Its 2007, we have other options.
Q: Do people get treatments even if they don't have problems?
Maureen: If everything is fairly in balance, it's easy to treat a symptom. Some people look at, once in a while, rebalancing. Some people do it seasonally. They feel different with changes in the season; fall is a drier time, in the earth, too, while spring is more active.
Q: What are the problems people usually bring to you?
Maureen: Typical problems include foot problems, back issues, sinus issues and insomnia, Bell's palsy.
I try to get the whole idea of somebody and apply that information to help them recover or put them in balance. The absolute best part is when I'm treating.
Q: Can people talk to you about what you offer, since it is something many people are not familiar with?
Maureen: I'm available for consultations. I offer a 20-mionite free consultation; people can call or e-mail me as well. I'm always available for questions and some information is available on the Web site. Gift certificates are available; and we take credit cards.
Q: How has Clinton been for the business?
Maureen: I have a lot of faith in Clinton. The client base is fabulous. There are people who have been with me since the beginning, including one very large family.
Q: What led to teaching Pilates?
Meredith: I've always been into fitness and health. A few years ago I was going to the gym and started to injure myself; so I started to look for something that was low-impact. A friend suggested Pilates; I tried it about five years ago. I discovered a trainer and after a few years the trainer suggested I get certified, and here I am two years later offering classes.
What I really enjoy is the one-on-one. You have to be careful with high impact training. This gives you a workout and not a lot of stress, helps with posture and builds a stronger core, which supports the lower back.
Q: How does one learn Pilates?
Meredith: I recommend, especially if a person is new to Pilates, that a person try a one-on-one to get the basics down. We have a combination of classes and one-on-one, and various equipment to work on to offer even more. People who take mat classes, when they use the machine it's a completely difference experience. It has things that move or are spring-loaded; it adds more to your workout.
Q: What are some of the benefits of Pilates?
Meredith: Pilates was a mind-body believer. I'm seeing a lot of people who have been out of regular exercise. Someone can take a few weeks and see improvements. It's a good, low impact exercise. As the population ages, its really important not to pound on these joints to help chronic problems.
This article originally appeared in the December 21, 2007 Item Extra and is republished here with permission. Thanks to Jan Gottesman.