Local doctor, Jeff Albright, DC is doing something that hasn't seen the light of day since the 1960s.

Dr. Albright now offers doctor's "house calls" to the residents of Castle Pines Village. A few days per week, Dr. Albright arrives at peoples' front doors with a big smile and an old-style, black leather doctor's bag in hand.

There is just one big difference. Instead of being filled with prescription medications and syringes, Dr. Albright's bag is filled with natural healing remedies and acupuncture needles.

Dr. Albright uses a number of natural healing methods, but specializes in Japanese Acupuncture, an art he learned while living in Japan for more than five years.

Each house call usually includes a combination of Japanese Acupuncture, gentle chiropractic adjustments and other bodywork. When Dr. Albright comes to your home, you have his undivided attention.

There are many benefits to a doctor making house calls. The most obvious of which is probably patient convenience. But more than that, house calls provide additional privacy and anonymity for patients who prefer such.

Almost everyone has at one time or another had that awkward experience of running into a neighbor or colleague in a doctor's waiting room and having to address the inappropriate, yet, often asked question, "So, what's wrong with you?"

A less obvious benefit of making house calls is the avoidance of an increasingly common disorder sometimes referred to as white coat syndrome. It is a kind of anxiety that some people only experience when they are in a doctor's office.

White coat syndrome can produce temporary high blood pressure, a racing heart or even panic attacks that, if misdiagnosed, can lead to the unnecessary prescribing of medication.

He got the idea of offering house calls a few weeks ago when one of his patients had hurt his spine so severely that the patient physically couldn't get to his office. Dr. Albright agreed to treat him in the patient's own living room several days in a row.

He then wondered how many other people either can't get to his office or require more privacy than a typical doctor's office provides. Currently, he is offering his house call service to residents of Castle Pines Village, but hopes to expand that service in the future to the Castle Rock community.

Dr. Albright holds a Bachelor's of Art in Japanese Language, a Bachelor's of Science in Human Biology, a Doctorate in Chiropractic and is also Colorado Board Certified in Acupuncture.

He has been practicing since 2003 and frequently returns to Japan to further his study of Japanese Acupuncture. Having practiced both in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, Dr. Albright split the difference and moved his practice to Castle Rock in 2007.

"It seemed like a good middle ground geographically. I have patients from both regions coming to see me regularly. Castle Rock seemed like the natural choice." In fact, many patients travel well over an hour and pass dozens of other similarly trained physicians to be treated by Dr. Albright. According to one of his patients, "He's that good."

One of the most common questions Dr. Albright is asked is how is Japanese acupuncture different than Chinese acupuncture? "Japanese acupuncture generally involves thinner and smaller needles," says Dr. Albright. Japanese acupuncture also tends to employ shallower - but not less effective - insertions than Chinese acupuncture.

In his experience, patients find Japanese acupuncture treatments more relaxing and cause significantly less discomfort than the more common form of acupuncture. Often, patients are not even aware that he's placed needles on their body.

"That is not in any way meant to put down Chinese acupuncturist," say Dr. Albright, "Chinese acupuncture is also a very effective healing art."

Dr. Albright firmly believes that healers have a tendency to attract the kind of patients they are most able to help. Recently, he has been attracting a lot of patients with immune deficiency disorders, hormone imbalances and chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia.

He says he gets very good results with those kinds of individuals. "In our office we pride ourselves on providing a loving, compassionate, supportive environment. It gives me great pride to help people like these get out of pain and regain their health."

Dr. Albright was especially touched when he was informed a few weeks ago that he had been voted "Best of Castle Rock 2007" for both acupuncture and chiropractic.

When not healing people and relieving people of their chronic health problems, Dr. Albright and his wife, Miho, spend several evenings a week teaching adults and teenagers the Japanese martial art of Aikido. About half of their students are over age forty, which some find surprising.

However, Dr. Albright recommends that his patients consider practicing Aikido to help maintain their health and fitness. One of his students has lost over 35 pounds since beginning Aikido just three months ago.

If you don't live in Castle Pines Village, Dr. Albright is still accepting new patients at his holistic health clinic in downtown Castle Rock. His office is located at 405 South Wilcox Street, Suite 105 on the southwest corner of Wilcox Street and Plum Creek Parkway. You can call his office, Rocky Mountain Wellness, Inc., at 303-929-2115 or visit their web site at www.rockymtnwellness.com.