Mr. Tea

Monday, March 6, 2000 | 9:17 a.m.

You get much more than tea and sympathy at the Healing Cup in Green Valley. You also gain insight into alternative paths to wellness.

"I prefer to call 'alternative medical treatments' an 'integrated system' to health," said Dr. Funi Antuna, an internist who has a primary care clinic in Henderson in addition to the tea and wellness bar he opened last October.

The bar, in the Colonnade Square on South Eastern Ave., has an array of tea blends, herbs, vitamins, literature about alternative health care and a lunch counter that includes a variety of sandwiches and salads for the health-conscious.

Even the decor of the bar, done in warm earth tones, has been chosen to promote health and peace of mind.

Antuna's prescription for overall health care is much like the exotic blended teas sold at his counter. He said it should be a mix that includes traditional medicines and, if appropriate, massage and aroma therapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine and a number of other treatments that are gaining in popularity as people begin to take charge of their health.

The doctor's interest in the broad-spectrum approach to health care began more than three years ago when he noticed that large numbers of his patients were treating themselves with alternative medicines.

"Six out of 10 patients who walk into my office do alternative medical treatment," Antuna said. So that he might better understand what his patients were doing, Antuna began researching the alternatives.

He was strongly influenced by Canyon Ranch Resort in Tucson, Ariz., a facility with a health and wellness center that teaches you to lead a healthy lifestyle. He also was swayed by the teachings of Deepak Chopra, called the poet-prophet of alternative medicine. Chopra operates the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, Calif., where he helps clients "understand the power of your body, mind and spirit."

Antuna's study of tea took him to John Harney, a world-renowned tea merchant in Connecticut. Harney taught Antuna and his wife about blending various teas and even created blends for them.

"He taught us the difference in the teas, the qualities and the blends. The tea bags basically contain dust, which is much lower quality than the loose leaf teas," Antuna said.

Shelves of blended teas occupy a portion of one wall of the room. Customers can buy tea from the tin containers, buy prepackaged tea or order some to drink on the premises.

Since beginning his quest for wellness, Antuna has lost 22 pounds and learned to meditate. A self-confessed Type A personality, he said he has gone from an "8" on the scale to a "4."

After years of research Antuna was inspired to open the Healing Cup, which has been described as a Starbucks for tea drinkers. "I contemplated what I could do to give back to the community," he said.

His choice was the tea bar, where you can come in and have a cup of tea and relax as you visit with friends, read some of the wellness literature he has available or seek advice from the doctor himself. Antuna spends about 12 hours a week at the bar, which is managed by his wife, Manela.

An integral part of the tea bar is a lecture series. Every other Tuesday evening a person in the health profession speaks to customers. "I feel people are yearning to learn," Antuna said. "Americans want to empower themselves with their health issues."

For the first lecture, 35 people showed up. "That was too many for this size room. We were borrowing chairs from next door. Now you have to sign up. We limit it to 20 to 25 people," Antuna said.

One recent speaker was Peter Lok, a doctor of acupuncture who spent an hour discussing the subject and, at the end, gave a demonstration. In 1973 Nevada became the first state to recognize acupuncture as a legitimate medical practice, Lok noted.

The lecturer two weeks before Lok was Dr. Robert Wesley Jr., a cardiologist who discussed clinical hypnosis, "the most powerful tool not used in clinical medicine." The next lecturer, scheduled to speak Tuesday, will be Jacqueline Moses, a master in Reiki (ray-key), the Japanese art of hands-on healing that many poeple believe to be the way Jesus healed followers.

Reiki is a Japanese word meaning "universal life-force-energy."

On March 21, Debra Symons, a doctor of naturology at the Barbara Greenspun Women's Care Facility, will discuss the benefits of clinical yoga and meditation.

"My customers have been extremely receptive to this integrated approach," Antuna said. "It's an integration of Eastern and Western medicine and spirituality."

The increasing popularity of the tea bar has made believers out of skeptics who thought the idea wouldn't work, Antuna said. He plans to open a second bar later this year in Summerlin. A website will be online in a few weeks.

Ultimately, Antuna wants to open a wellness clinic that will integrate many systems under one roof: traditional medicine, chiropractics, T'ai Chi, yoga, clinical psychology and others.

"This is my dream as a physician."