BY Claire Howard

Dianne Geiss pulled a ligament in her back. She couldn't stand up or lie down without pain. She stood while eating meals. She couldn't bend over to put on her shoes. Cortisone injections gave limited relief.

Then Geiss, a registered nurse and wife of physician Roger Geiss, crossed the line between Western and Eastern medicine.

She started acupuncture treatments. Her relief was profound.

Geiss had been in so much pain by the time she saw Dr. Yang Xie, she had trouble walking into his offices, Peoria Integrative Medical Center in Peoria, Ill.

"I'm not sure how I injured myself," she said. "It bothered me for a week and was getting worse and worse. By the time I saw him on Thursday, I had gotten to the point where I couldn't sit or stand without pain."

After her first 30-minute treatment with needles, Geiss was able to walk out of the doctor's office with less pain. The next day she was able to bend down and put on her shoes.

Four more treatments provided more relief.

"I'm a long-time proponent of holistic medicine. It's not just all about the body. The mind, body and spirit are very much connected," Geiss said. "The beauty with Dr. Xie is he knows Eastern medicine and Western medicine and integrates them. He is able to use them side by side to heal. Acupuncture is not just helpful for pain relief."

Xie is a physician and licensed chiropractor. He also trained in acupuncture. He graduated from Dalian Medical University and completed a residency in cardiothoracic surgery in China. He came to Peoria and did another residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria family practice at the Methodist Medical Center of Illinois. He is American Board Certified in Family Medicine.

Xie comes from a family of physicians. His parents recently retired. His father was an open heart surgeon in China. His mother was an eye surgeon. His wife is a registered nurse. His older sister is a radiologist in Los Angeles and is married to a neurologist. His younger sister is an accountant married to a physician.

"Acupuncture started in China 4,000 years ago. It was referred to in a medical text 2,700 years ago," Xie said. "Western medicine began to recognize acupuncture 100 years ago. Acupuncture is based on life force and energy flow. Patients can still take their medications, but acupuncture helps the medication work better. Blood pressure medication works better with acupuncture."

Acupuncture is based on 14 major energy channels in the body called meridians. Energy called Chi circulates in the meridians. When Chi is blocked or out of balance, the body may experience pain, dysfunction and illness. Acupuncture needles stimulate certain points of the meridians to restore the balance and flow of Chi, enabling the body to repair itself and maintain health.

Before Geiss moved to Peoria with her husband, acupuncture treatments helped ease her severe headaches and gall bladder disease.

Another Peoria practitioner of acupuncture is J.X. Chang, who sees patients at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Chang is certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He also is an exercise specialist with OSF Medical Rehabilitation.

"I think people are accepting acupuncture more today as they see results," he said. "Most of my patients are pain related, but acupuncture is useful for much more ... allergy, skin problems, incontinence, vertigo."

In addition, acupuncture is used to treat menopause, headaches, stress, weight loss and depression.

Catherine Theobald, 44, started acupuncture with Chang five weeks ago to see if it might be helpful with speech and balance problems caused by a car accident 20 years ago that caused traumatic head injury.

"It's my last resort," she said as Chang slowly removed 22 needles strategically inserted into her body from forehead to feet.

Theobald said she had no reluctance to try acupuncture. The needles do not hurt. Occasionally, she has a little tingling. Her mother, Jean Theobald, said her daughter's speech has improved since acupuncture treatment started. The two are still hopeful Catherine's balance will improve.

Chang said many insurance companies don't cover acupuncture, however, Caterpillar Inc. insurance now does and some Blue Cross Blue Shield plans do.

"Acupuncture is one of those things you've heard about all your life. It's been practiced for thousands of years. We thought we'd give it a shot," Jean Theobald said.

Dr. Roger Geiss, husband of Dianne Geiss, is chairman of pathology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.

"I don't know a lot about acupuncture. I do know it works," he said.

Geiss said many alternative medical techniques proven effective may not yet have a scientific explanation behind them, but science is catching up with some of these integrative medical concepts.

"Many M.D.s believe a lot of these methods have merit," he said.