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East meets West for Lake Oswego animal=20 acupuncturist

Dr. Kelly Jenkins Nielsen=92s unique practice = fills a special=20 niche for animal owners seeking a non-traditional way of helping their=20 critters

By Linda Hundhammer

The Lake Oswego Review, Feb = 7,=20 2008

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Dr. Kelly Jenkins Nielsen =97 with her = companion Rudy =97 is=20 the only board-certified animal acupuncturist in Oregon. She relies on = 20 years=20 of experience as a Western medicine vet to help diagnose and treat her = patients=20 with Eastern practices.

Linda Hundhammer / Lake Oswego Review=20

Mind blowing.

That is how practice manager Patty Pickern = describes the=20 results of her boss, veterinary acupuncturist, Dr. Kelly Jenkins = Nielsen.

=93I have worked with animals my whole life,=94 = said Pickern. =93I=20 have never seen healing like this.=94

Nielsen=92s unique practice, The Kindred Spirits = Acupuncture=20 and Oriental Medicine Clinic, in Lake Grove has had its share of what = some pet=20 owners feel are miracles.

Lilly, a 12-year-old standard poodle, has suffered = from=20 Addison=92s disease, an insuffiency of the adrenal glands, since she was = nine=20 months old. She recently was in a car accident, which has furthered her = physical=20 complications. Her owner, Sandra Adams, of Southeast Portland, brings = Lilly to=20 the Kindred Spirits Clinic for acupuncture treatments and herbal = remedies.

=93We call Lilly the miracle dog,=94 said Adams. = The Addison=92s=20 wreaks havoc with almost every organ and tissue in Lilly=92s body, and = often she=20 stops eating. The acupuncture needles in her back directly correlate to = the=20 organs, stomach, kidneys and spleen. The needles in her legs and belly = help with=20 digestion.

=93Lilly gets so relaxed, she goes to what we call = =91acculand,=92=94=20 said Adams.

What makes Neilsen=92s Eastern practice so unique = is her=20 background of 20 years in Western veterinarian medicine. With a = doctorate in=20 veterinary medicine from Oregon State Veterinary School, she started her = own=20 business Housecalls for Pets in Lake Oswego in 1993. Twenty years later = with a=20 thriving practice, Nielsen felt the calling to further her ability to = help her=20 patients.

=93I had a lot of home euthanasia patients,=94 said = Nielsen. =93I=20 just knew there was something more I could do for these animals.=94

She began her studies of Eastern practices in 2001, = completing a 100-hour course that is common amongst animal = acupuncturists. She=20 followed that with classes in herbs and veterinary chiropractic = training.

Finally, in 2003, she decided to put her career on = hold to go=20 back to school full time at one of the country=92s top schools in = Eastern=20 practices, the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.

=93The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. = There is so=20 much available in alternative medicine that really makes a difference. = Some of=20 which, if I had not seen it myself, I would not have believed it.=94

Right before graduation in 2006, Nielsen was = diagnosed with a=20 rare form of cancer in her fallopian tubes that had spread into her = abdomen. Her=20 surgery and treatments began immediately, and she was unable to complete = her=20 classes.

=93I had to throw everything at that cancer to beat = it. It was=20 nasty, but it sure taught me a lot about what to do and what not to do = for pain.=20 I practiced on myself.=94

With the support of her instructors and classmates, = Nielsen=20 was able to complete her degree in 2007. She is now Oregon=92s only=20 board-certified acupuncturist specializing in animals. Her degree allows = her to=20 treat both humans and pets, which is part of the plan for her future at = Kindred=20 Spirits.

Since opening the doors of her clinic in October = 2007, she=20 has found that even with roots in Western medicine she has come to = embrace the=20 Eastern practices.

=93The philosophy is simple: You ask yourself, = =91Why is this=20 animal=92s body so out of balance that it is allowing diseases to = manifest=20 themselves?=92 Usually, if we can re-balance the body, then we can cure = so many=20 other things.=94

That doesn=92t mean there aren=92t skeptics. The = owner of a large=20 doberman brought his dog to Nielsen because it could no longer go up the = stairs=20 of their house. Because the dog was too big to carry, the owner was at a = loss=20 for what to do. Reluctantly, he chose acupuncture as his last resort. = After=20 three sessions, the doberman was upstairs and moving better than he had = in=20 years.

Patients come to Nielsen from all over the greater = Portland=20 area, and as far away as Washington and the Oregon coast. She treats = cancer,=20 skin conditions, neuropathies, digestive disorders, pain, arthritis and = many=20 other ailments. Most patients are dogs and cats, but Nielsen is trained = to treat=20 everything from horses to reptiles and birds.

=93The great part about bringing your pet to Dr. = Nielsen is=20 that she knows both sides of medicine,=94 said Adams. =93She doesn=92t = seem prejudice=20 to one side or the other. And she presents the information in a way that = makes=20 sense.=94

Nielsen is a 20-year resident of Lake Oswego, and a = parent of=20 two boys, one a graduate of, and the other currently attending, = Lakeridge High=20 School. She still owns and operates Housecalls for Pets, which is run by = Dr.=20 Benjamin Edwards. With the Kindred Spirit clinic, Nielsen feels she has = found a=20 niche that makes sense for both her and her business.

=93With 500 veterinarians in the area, I receive = lots of=20 referrals because I can offer something different. Something I think can = really=20 help.=94

The Kindred Spirits Acupuncture and Oriental = Medicine clinic=20 is located at 17777 Pilkington Road, Suite 150, Lake Oswego, = 503-697-0550. The=20 Web site is www.kindredspiritacupunture.com .=20