Alternative Health Care

Alternative therapies: Florida program similar to Colorado pilot saved money, improved health

Colorado has a new Medicaid pilot program that will cover the cost of acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic services for 67 people with spinal cord injuries. As explained in our feature story, "Body Movin'," the program's chief architect is a determined thirty-year-old named Chanda Hinton Le ... More >>

Alternative therapy could be the next step for those with spinal cord injuries

Photos: Chanda Hinton Leichtle is out to change how Medicaid treats spinal cord injuries

Reader: What idiot would think beer has medicinal qualities other than to inebriate?

Nanny state or manny state? It looks like Elevation Beer Company in Poncha Springs might be able to go with its first-choice name for the smoked dopplebock it's making this fall for Pints for Prostates, a nonprofit organization that raises money to help fight prostate cancer, after all. The name? Pr ... More >>

Herbs flavor the "The Chef's Pantry" class at the Denver Botanic Gardens

"Colorado just has so much," explains Susan Evans, longtime herbalist and avid gardener. "Most restaurants today try and offer something other than your standard menu, and Colorado is turning into a place where people want to eat what's local, fresh and seasonal." For that very reason, Evans will ... More >>

Putting Down Roots

Steven Noble, legally blind masseuse, charged with unlawful sexual conduct of teen client

On his website, masseuse Steven Noble notes that he is legally blind -- something he regards as a blessing. It's one of many posted statements that make him seem like an unlikely target for criminal charges. But the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has now formally accused him of unlawfu ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Denver almost ready for dispenary applications to begin.

The dispensary application process seems a lot like a visit to the DMV. You show up knowing that it's going to be a pain in the ass, go through line after line, each time praying it will be the last. Finally, you cut a check to someone in the hope that the state has enough of its act together to sen ... More >>

Medical marijuana dispensary review: Natural Remedies in Denver

​Natural Remedies is on the fifth floor of a turn-of-the-century building on Market Street above Sonoda's Sushi. The building has a central staircase and the smell of freshly fried tempura wafts all the way up to the fifth floor, generally overpowering the feint smell of cannabis until you get ... More >>

VegFest 2011: Top five lifestyle products

Paintings by vegan artist Ken Voss.​On Saturday, VegFest 2011 took over the Exhibition Hall at Jefferson County Fairgrounds; among the lifestyle products available were these chaotic yet controlled abstract paintings by vegan artist Ken Voss. And more -- including aromatherapy for dogs and pap ... More >>

The brainiacs of Das Racist offer a colorful take on current events

Shouchun Han, massage pro accused of sex assault: Thinking about his own happy ending?

Large photo below.​According to the Broomfield Police Department, two female clients of massage therapist Shouchun Han experienced the opposite of a happy ending at his hands. Their claims of inappropriate touching during rubdowns have led to an investigation of possible unlawful sexual contac ... More >>

Medical marijuana dispensary review: ADG Herbal Medicine, Dan Maes's aromatic neighbor

​In "Mile Highs and Lows," Westword's William Breathes offers a no-holds-barred look at what goes on behind the locked doors of marijuana dispensaries, whether they resemble swanky bars or a dope dealer's college dorm room. See our updated dispensary list here, and continue reading for Breathe ... More >>

Fuyiu Yip is suburban superhero Centennial Sage: Kenny Be's Hip Tip

Full-sized comic below.​Centennial Sage Real name: Fuyiu Yip; Occupation: True Acupuncturist; Suburb of operation: Centennial; Eyes: Insightful; Hair: Precise Suburban superhero skills: Centennial Sage possesses the ability to pin-point therapeutic energies for maximum holistic healing. Her s ... More >>

Plant Medicine Expo: Medical marijuana event featuring Richard Belzer historic, advocate says

Full-sized photo below.​This weekend's Plant Medicine Expo, featuring a debate moderated by Law & Order Special Victims Unit star Richard Belzer, was a "historic event not only for the state of Colorado, but for the nation and the world," says Cannabis Therapy Institute's Laura Kriho, a member ... More >>

Richard Belzer, Law & Order SVU star, on why he sees medical marijuana is "a moral issue"

Richard Belzer.​Richard Belzer, a TV mainstay thanks to the Law & Order franchise (he's currently a regular on Special Victims Unit), got his start as a standup comic. But don't expect lotsa chuckles at the debate he'll moderate at this weekend's Plant Medicine Expo & Healthcare Provider Expo ... More >>

Medical marijuana lawsuit against Westminster could challenge all local dispensary bans

Herbal Remedies' logo.​HB 1284, the medical marijuana regulation law signed by Governor Bill Ritter, includes the right for municipalities to ban dispensaries, and numerous cities, including Aurora and Broomfield, are taking advantage of it. But while MMJ attorneys have talked about issuing la ... More >>

Nutrition guru can't stomach own Power Meal

Gary Null​Irony, thy name is Holistic Medicine If you're a proponent of alternative medicine, make sure you're taking the correct dosage of tree-hugging meds -- or you could end up buried under the big branch. Gary Null, a nutrition author and self-described health guru with his own line o ... More >>

Mars on Life

Marijuana and massage therapy don't always go together

A Flickr photo"Before you ask, no, you can't have any weed."​Part of House Bill 1284, Representative Tom Massey's attempt to regulate the medical marijuana industry, states that "the act of supplying medical marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia, by itself, is insufficient to constitute 'signif ... More >>

Jobbed: New Year's Day Masseuse

​Having trouble finding work? You're not alone. Follow Jobbed every week as we troll for the weird, the wacky and the worst of what the recession-era world of job ads has to offer. The Job, as posted online: New Year's Day Masseuse Responsibilities: Seeking a relaxing massage for one or two ... More >>

Another dispensary-ban fight gears up in Westminster

Photo by Coleen Whitfield​As communities around the state struggle with what to do about proliferating marijuana dispensaries, some cities and towns are washing their hands of the whole thing by banning them outright or instituting temporary moratoriums. Now, however, some of the dispensaries ... More >>

Mile Highs and Lows: Walking Raven Dispensary

​As Colorado's medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer's college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering ... More >>

Mile Highs and Lows: Peace in Medicine Center

​As Colorado's medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer's college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering ... More >>

Dip Into Spa Week

The latest thank-you for Rocky Mountain News employees: a free massage

All the Rocky Mountain News had to do was spend a couple of months teetering on the edge of oblivion to find out how many people in the community care about it. On the day after last Thursday's well-attended candlelight "migil," an anonymous benefactor dished up a midday feed to newsroom staffers ... More >>

Ethics scandal in Colorado House not exactly in Blagojevich territory

In today's Rocky Mountain News, Lynn Bartels demonstrates once again why she made our list of the five journalists who the Denver Post should poach first in the event of a Rocky closure -- a sidebar to the feature article headlined "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down." In her piece "Ethics Charg ... More >>

Soul Sisters

Shop till you sigh with contentment at Boutique for the Soul.

High Trauma

A dubious deal between a law firm and medical providers spins out — and accident victims feel their pain.

Quacked Up

The doctor is out.

Do No Harm

Is Brian O'Connell all he's quacked up to be?

Best Cheap Massage

Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado

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A New Spirit Wellness Center and Spa

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Leave the Driving to Bill

When special interests collide over auto insurance, consumers feel their pain.

Shining Star

Marlene Roulliard broke free from a vicious cycle and founded the Women's Empowerment Circle.

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The Blue Door

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Colorado starts a new system of picking medical experts in insurance cases.

Due Unto Others

Next month, Colorado voters will decide whether the state's $5 billion worth of tax-exempt properties are all charity cases.

A LITTLE JAB'LL DO YA

ACUPUNCTURE HITS HOME IN THE TREATMENT OF DRUG ADDICTS IN JAIL.

TAKING HIS MEDICINE

OSCAR BRAVE EAGLE APPEALS HIS CONVICTION IN THE MOONWATCHER RAPE CASE.

A PAIN IN THE NECK

BAD MEDICINE

AN OVERDOSE OF SPIRITUALITY SENT KAYLA MOONWATCHER TO THE COPS FOR A CURE.RITUAL ABUSE KAYLA MOONWATCHER DREAMED OF BEING ADOPTED BY A LAKOTA MEDICINE MAN. IT TURNED OUT TO BE QUITE AN INITIATION CEREMONY.