Dr. Julia Wood, D.O.M (Michaela Helean)

The human body undergoes a lot of physical and mental stress in life, with grueling work hours, school and catastrophe after catastrophe.

Points for Health in Corrales is a place where those stresses can fall away at the practiced hands of Dr. Julia Wood.

“I get people that are sick. I get people who have PTSD. I get people who just need to relax. The important thing is to maintain your body,” she said.

Wood helps all sorts of people in her relaxation-based clinic. Her methods range from acupuncture to cupping to herbal medicines. She doesn’t prescribe pharmaceuticals.

She mostly uses a combination of Asian and U.S. practices. She says people from the West have a hard time understanding the Eastern way of life and usually convenience takes precedent over actually addressing the problem.

“Western ideology tells us to just push through the pain. You know, take a pill so I can be at work tomorrow. But in Eastern ideology, it is very ceremonial for people to take care of yourself,” Wood said.

People go to work sick all the time so they can still get that paycheck and avoid getting fired.

But Wood says because of this, people never recognize the underlying issue.

“It is always, ‘I am sick’. OK, but why are you sick? People will get a cold and focus just on the fact that they have the cold,” she said.

Physical and mental stress can cause people to get sick more often.

However, COVID didn’t allow people to address the issue, either.

According to Wood, the pandemic and isolation created the idea that to not get sick, people have to avoid exposure.

But she says this only makes the sickness worse when you do finally get it.

“The best thing you can do is rub some dirt on it. Go get dirty. No, I am not saying to go get COVID on purpose, but don’t stay in all the time, either. Our bodies are not meant to be in solitude,” she said.

Wood suggests to all of her patients that they get the help now while they can and maintain their body.

“Your body is talking to you. You just have to pay attention,” she said.

Lately, she has been getting more clients at her shop solely based on word of mouth and radio ads. She is there to help, though, and accepts anyone who wants the help.

She is starting to accept more health insurance agencies to cover the cost. Her prices have been lowered to help with people who might not be able to afford the help.

Her hours are:

Monday and Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.