Melville acupuncturist giving back to vets

With medical costs soaring, there is at least one place on Long Island where some people can still receive free treatment. Deborah Hanley, owner of Acupuncture & Co. in Melville, treats U.S. military veterans at no cost, no matter their complaints.

Hanley, a licensed acupuncturist for the last four years, was touched by the 2007 film "In the Valley of Elah," about a retired military investigator who works to learn about his son's disappearance following return from a tour in Iraq.

"I believe in service and giving back," said Hanley.

Wednesday morning, Ed Burger, 67, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran from Ronkonkoma, walked in. Burger had tried everything to quit his two-pack-a-day smoking habit. He started coming for acupuncture treatments in early April. "It's six weeks now, and I haven't had a cigarette," said Burger.

Mark Eliassof, 61, comes for allergy treatments. "I have had problems with my ears and nose," Eliassof, of Williston Park, said. Traditional medicine helped, but after some acupuncture, he said, "I felt my ears popping. I could hear better."

Magic? No, Hanley said. But, she joked, "They call it voodoo."

Acupuncture treats patients by insertion and manipulation of needles in the body. Adherents say it relieves pain and treats disease. Believe in it or not, the practice is growing. According to the state Education Department's Office of the Professions, which licenses acupuncturists, 262 new acupuncture licenses were approved in 2010, up from 239 in 2006. There are 3,511 licensed acupuncturists in the state, including 283 in Nassau and 215 in Suffolk.

Michael Jabbour, vice president of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, said insurance companies now cover some acupuncture treatments, such as for pain and chemotherapy-induced side-effects. Jabbour said he is lobbying for broader insurance coverage in the state legislature.

Hanley now sees about four or five veterans a week. "I thought if it was free they would come," she said.