Charles Steuber, herbalist and acupuncturist, removes acupuncture needles from the hands and feet of patient, Thomas Snyder, Jr., during his Jan. 15, 2010 visit. (Staff photo by Norine Longo.)

In China, there’s a saying that says you should visit your medical doctor if you have a problem. If he can’t figure out what’s wrong with you, he sends you “across the hall” to an acupuncturist.

The idea is the use of complementary medicine, the acupuncturist and the medical doctor working together to solve the ailments of their patients.

As one of the largest practices on the East Coast, Hamilton/West Windsor Acupuncture is often a part of this “across the hall” mentality as most of their patients are referred from doctors, said acupuncturist and herbalist, Charles F. Steuber. Steuber said he is often referred to as “the guy in the log cabin,” a nickname derived from the appearance of his distinctive building on Route 33.

This practice is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, a feat Steuber attributes to patient satisfaction.

“They come in with pain and they go out without it,” he said.

Prior to opening up on 33, Steuber lived in six different places across the country. Before starting his current career, he was a teacher and successful swim coach.

Steuber developed an interest in oriental medicine and philosophy at an early age.

“I picked up the wrong book when I was 11,” he said. “I have been studying and reading about it since then. It’s been a natural, lifelong interest of mine.”

Steuber studied and graduated from Indiana University and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

He is board certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Steuber said often times, people feel like they’ve run out of options.

“Sometimes they’re not seeing relief with other methods or are told that their pain is something they have to live with,” he said.

He encourages people to start with acupuncture because it complements any other treatment that the patient is receiving, he said.

Steuber said his motivation is fueled by people’s pain. His goal is to do all he can to fix them or get them to their optimal health and happiness, he said.

When patients go in for the first time, they can expect to talk with Ericka Bastecki, who finds out patients’ medical history and general health information, getting into specifics about their reason for coming in. Next, she gives patients what she likes to call, “Acupuncture 101.”

“We don’t care what the name of the pain is or the reason for it; if it hurts we can most likely fix it,” he said.

One way, they diagnose a body’s pains is by using a computer program for pulse diagnosis. A person will place their hand on a large mouselike device that is hooked up to a program that reads the body’s pulse. In Chinese medicine, it is believed that the pulse tells where a person’s problem areas are and what is causing the issues, Bastecki said.

Acupuncturists use needles that are usually placed in the hands and feet to “communicate to the brain” where to “focus the body’s healing,” she said.

Treatments include pain, emotions, digestion, stress and more, Bastecki said.

“Many people are surprised to hear that we treat some of the things we do,” said Steuber.

Steuber said everybody at the practice cares a lot about their patients. They won’t give up and they never tell someone they have to live with something, he said.

Steuber is currently in talks with his landlords to expand the practice and possibly double in size after finding that the facility’s increasing numbers of available treatment tables were being filled within a week of adding extra tables.

Steuber described several different patient treatment successes, one being a young woman who had slowly become disabled from her severe back pain and used a cane to walk. Following a series of 8 to 10 treatments, Steuber heard from the patient that she went home and danced on her coffee table, he said.

“She was in tears because she said we had given her her life back,” Steuber said.

“We stimulate the healing potential of the body,” said Steuber. “It’s like a fingerprint, it’s your alone.”

Success of treatments depend on the person, Steuber said. Some experience relief right away while others require more treatments, said Steuber.

“We don’t get miracles every day,” he said. “We try for results and build on that.”

They offer free screenings and assessments to new patients.

Hamilton/West Windsor Acupuncture is located at 911 Route 33 in Hamilton Square. They are open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information call (609) 588-8655. On the Web: thelogcabinacupuncture.com.