Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is the insertion of tiny, sterile, single-use needles into the skin and muscle tissue at specific acupuncture points throughout the body. Acupuncture points lay along energetic pathways called meridians that correspond to major nerves, arteries, veins and lymphatic pathways. Studies have demonstrated these points affect the Central Nervous System as it responds to the stimulus caused by the needle insertion and releases various chemicals and neurotransmitters. Due to such effects, acupuncture may be used to regulate the different systems in the body and greatly improve conditions related to musculoskeletal, nervous, immune, endocrine, circulatory, urogenital and digestive dysfunction. Acupuncture is widely known for its remarkable effects on diminishing both chronic and acute pain. Research indicates that this may be due to the high amount of endorphins that the acupuncture stimulus releases in the body. Endorphins are the body’s natural opioid-like painkillers. Coupled with some other effects of acupuncture, such as increased circulation and decreased inflammation, acupuncture is a favored choice in the management of pain, as it can diminish the need for pharmaceutical medications, especially opiates, that pose greater health risks and addiction. Acupuncture works to restore a state of natural balance in the body so that the body can heal itself as it is designed to do.

The W.H.O (World Health Organization) has compiled a list of conditions that acupuncture is approved for based on scientific research, data and studies.

World Health Organization: Viewpoint on Acupuncture

1. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved through controlled trials to be an effective treatment:

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)

Biliary colic

Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)

Dysentery, acute bacillary

Dysmenorrhoea, primary

Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)

Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)

Headache

Hypertension, essential

Hypotension, primary

Induction of labour

Knee pain

Leukopenia

Low back pain

Malposition of fetus, correction of

Morning sickness

Nausea and vomiting

Neck pain

Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)

Periarthritis of shoulder

Postoperative pain

Renal colic

Rheumatoid arthritis

Sciatica

Sprain

Stroke

Tennis elbow

Cupping therapy is used in conjunction with an acupuncture treatment and is used to increase circulation to an affected area. It is useful as a pain-relieving tool, as well as to enhance immune function and to promote detoxification. Cupping is the use of glass cups in which the oxygen is removed by fire. It is then placed on the skin, to create a vacuum, drawing up the skin and muscular tissue and breaking the tiny capillaries at the surface of skin. This action promotes the regeneration of new blood vessels and helps the body to rid toxins, reduce muscular tension and even diminish cellulite. Although one should expect bruising for a few days after receiving cupping, this treatment is safe, painless and yields significant results. People often compare the sensation of cupping to a gentle massage, as it is a very soothing way to end an acupuncture treatment.

Moxa -Bustion is a modality in Traditional Chinese Medicine that provides relief to the body through the administration of applying a burning plant material called moxa, commonly known as mugwort. Mugwort is an herb in the Chinese medicinal pharmacopeia that is used to promote circulation by warming the body. It is useful in conditions that are marked by weakness, muscular degeneration and improper balances in water metabolism. Research has shown that it can be an important treatment for infertility as well, as it increases blood flow to the uterus. Moxa is traditionally administered by burning the moxa and letting it smoke above the skin along the correlating meridians and or points in order to promote the movement of qi and blood to remove accumulations of fluids that impede proper physiological functions.

Massage Therapy is widely known to reduce muscle tension, spasms and stress. Human touch itself has been well documented to provide emotional and physical healing and is a great relief to the body by calming the nervous system. Although massage affects the body as a whole, it particularly influences the activity of the musculoskeletal, circulatory, lymphatic and nervous systems. Massage helps heal damaged muscle tissue, stimulates circulation, clears waste products, boosts the immune system and reduces pain and tension by stimulating endorphins and reducing stress hormones. Massage is a wonderful way to prepare the body for acupuncture and to enhance its effects.

Chinese Herbal Medicine can greatly enhance the effects of Acupuncture, especially in the treatment of chronic disease where daily therapy is crucial to achieving significant and lasting relief. Chinese herbs consist of both plant and animal substances and can be modified for an individualistic approach to treatment. Herbal formulas typically consist of two or more single herbs carefully chosen to enhance and balance one another, while targeting both the symptoms and the underlying cause of your condition. Formulas may be administered as raw ingredients to boil into a tea, powders to mix with water, ready-made tinctures, capsules or pills. I will work with you to choose a form of herbs that best suits your lifestyle needs.