Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete medical system that has been used to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases for over 2000 years. The following treatment options are all part of TCM and address stagnation in the body by helping energy to flow as it was intended.
Acupuncture is one of the branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the body there is a universal life energy called Qi (pronounced “chee”) which flows throughout the body in channels that are called meridians and is accessed by inserting needles into specific acupuncture points. It is used to alleviate pain, it also treats physical, emotional and mental conditions.
Auricular therapy is another modality used with acupuncture that is based on the microsystem of the ear. This means that the whole body can be treated by stimulating different areas of the ear. This is done with small acupuncture needles, ear seeds, intradermal needles and moxa. Auricular therapy is known to help with pain, organ disorders, smoking and insomnia to name only a few.
Chinese herbs are prescribed for either internal or external use. For external use there are ointments, liniments, plasters or adhesive patches. Internal use of Chinese herbs are either given in pills or powder. We combine herbs in a formula especially formulated for the patient.
Cupping infuses the tissue with more circulation of Qi, blood and lymph. Most patients feel like it is a soothing deep tissue massage. Cupping is used to reduce muscle spasms and tension, relieve pain, improve asthma and coughs and to hasten the healing of injuries. There can be marks left by cupping but these will fade in several days.
E-stim is a therapy often used along with acupuncture by attaching electrodes to needles and running a small electrical current between the needles. Electro-stimulation will magnify the flow of energy with the acupuncture needles. E-stim can speed up the healing process, release muscle spasms and lessen pain and swelling.
Moxabustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that uses the burning of mugwort to speed healing, strengthen the flow of blood, it is used to ease menstrual problems, and in cold or stagnant conditions.
Gua sha involves the action of scraping the skin with a massage tool to produce redness. It is used to lower fever, move stagnant qi and blood and treat tired, sore and painful muscles.
“Where there is space there is movement, where there is movement there is energy and where there is energy disease cannot exist.”
