While surrounding masseuses, chiropractors and acupuncturists may be unaware of their potential competition only a few blocks away, the CSUN Klotz Health Center tries to make students aware of the savings and alternative medicine available.

At the Health Center acupuncture is $10 for a half hour, or $20 for an hour. Local acupuncturists charge anywhere from $40 per half hour to over $75 per hour at the Northridge Acucenter, Resda Acupuncture and Alternative Medical Clinic.

Massage therapy follows suit in being inexpensive in comparison to surrounding places. CSUN charges $29 for 50 minutes with one of their three massage therapists.

Treatment “gets tailored to what the client’s need is,” said Sharon Aronoff, health educator at the Klotz Student Health Center.

According to December 2008 National Health Statistics Report, 38.3% of adults used some form of alternative medicine in 2007. Various charts show that since 2002 use of alternative medicine has either stayed the same or gone up 1%

On-campus pricing seemed reasonable in comparison to other massage places for freshmen art history major Ashley Flores and Nicole Alibutod, accounting major.

Students who have experienced the various alternative medical options at the Klotz Center had nothing but praise for the center.

“I got a massage here about a month ago and the guy was a complete professional,” said Tina Choi, Senior, Theater major. “It was pretty legit; I would do it again.”

While students enjoy massages at the health center for less, Lotus Therapy Spa on Reseda charges a quarter more at $40 for an hour.

Massage Envy charges $49 for the first massage.  Membership is $54 a month and comes with one massage a month.

Kelly Wilson, manager of the Northridge Massage Envy, was unaware CSUN offered massages for a lower price, like the other alternative medical providers in the area.

“Our goal is to make massage accessible so people can stay healthy and have regular massages,” Wilson said. “It sounds like (the health center) is doing the same thing.”

Brian Malec, professor of health sciences at CSUN, fully supports the alternative medicine offered at the health center.

“It’s a good strategy for the health center to offer a mix of traditional and alternative medicine, they are complimentary,” Malec said. “It’s a matter of informing students on alternative medicine and allowing them to make an informed decision on what to use.”

Alternative medicine works for Fernando Hernandez, super senior (5th year) biology, major so he keeps coming back he explained.

“A lot of people say that the (alternative medicine) here is the same as any other place,” Hernandez said. “I’ve had three massages and I go to the chiropractor twice a month here.”

Chiropractic care dropped down in price this semester, according to Aronoff.

As explained on the Klotz Health Center site, chiropractic care “focuses on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention” of problems occurring in the muscles.

According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, in a randomized test done with patients who had neck pain, those that went through chiropractic care had a more successful recovery than those that went through physical therapy.

Some local chiropractors can charge $40 for half an hour, or $50 for a ten minute adjustment at places like Valley Chiropractic Care, Coastline Chiropractic and Steinberg Chiropractic.

Students pay $56 a semester to subsidize the health center’s costs Aronoff explained in responce to how the Health Center is able to offer such low prices to the students. The student absorbs the rest of the cost, or pays whatever the health center would otherwise pay, for the medicine or service they chose to use at the center.

Appointments for any of these alternative medical options can be made by either calling the Klotz Health Center at (818) 677-3666 or by making an appointment online.

The Klotz Health Center doesn’t advertise these services in a traditional sense but they do get the word out, according to Aronoff.

“For the last 10 years, all of the ‘University 100’ students have come through the health center for a tour and are given an orientation of what we provide,” Aronoff said. “We participate in every transfer and freshman orientation and housing. We try to reach students around campus.”

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