Acupuncture

Needling the Points

Hair-thin needles are inserted into ‘points’ along the innate, internal (and external) channels that we address in Chinese Medicine in order to have a therapeutic effect on that channel and thus the whole health picture of the patient. Acupuncture is most often painless, with the exception of some instances there might be a hot feeling or pressure at the moment of insertion that quickly dispels, often followed by a relaxing and refreshing feeling as the needles do their work. In those cases where the needling needs to be more readily felt so that it can treat a particular type of condition, we will discuss the possibility of discomfort before creating that. Acupuncture is our most powerful tool.

Sometimes, to get more effect, E-stim, or electrical needle stimulation is used to enhance the efficacy of an acupuncture treatment. A small battery powered device feeds a micro-current, adjusted down to just palpable, clipped onto needles to create a constant vibrating sort of a stimulation that is useful in treating pain and especially chronic conditions.

Treatment Modalities

East Asian Medicine (EAM) & Chinese Medicine (CM)

Gua Sha

Improving Circulation

Gua Sha creates similar benefits as cupping. It’s done with a smooth-edged hard tool to gently scrape areas of your body where there is inflammation or stagnant blood/qi to help improve circulation and promote healing. Essentially, gua sha is a tool-assisted type of massage.

Cupping

Application of Heated Cups

Cupping is using a cup on the skin with a vacuum drawn in it. The therapeutic effect is to draw blood towards the surface, which accomplishes moving blood in a muscle or tendon area where there is pain, so that there is room for fresh blood and oxygen, while lactic acid is removed. Bamboo, glass and plastic cups are used with a flame or hand pump to create the vacuum. We may slide the cup with lubricant for a deep massaging effect to further relieve muscle tension, stress and pain.

Fire cupping is using flame to create the vacuum in a glass cup. Treatment is enhanced when the cup is repeatedly placed to draw the skin/muscles into the cup, then pulling it to release the cup and repeating the flame-vacuum again quickly to have a muscle relaxing effect. All cupping techniques are very relaxing.

Moxibustion

Smoldering Mugwort

Moxibustion is the smoldering of a specific herb, Artemisia Vulgaris, or commonly known as ‘mugwort’, held near or in some cases burned briefly on the surface of the skin to tonify (bring energy into a point or channel), or warm specific acupuncture points or areas on the body. An age-old Chinese Medical (CM) treatment modality, and one especially embraced and further developed in Japan, it is very effective in increasing circulation, tonifying and warming a particular body area and boosting immunity. Moxa burns at a particular wavelength that effectively reaches into the body, soothing and improving skeletal/muscular and internal medicinal conditions.

It can be used in the treatment of back pain, or sports injury and the like when an improvement in circulation will bring benefit, and many other situations. It’s excellent for treating the numbness from cold, menstrual pain, upset stomach, diarrhea and other digestive disorders, and more. A stick of smoldering moxa is brought into proximity of the lateral little toe’s tip to turn a breech baby no later than the 38th week of gestation.

Tui Na

Chinese Medical Massage

There are numerous very specific techniques developed to treat pain and other body / physical problems. We were also taught techniques for correcting sprains, joint damage, and tendon tears and chronic adhesions and the like for renewed health. As with massage in western understanding, these ministrations can be very relaxing.

Acupressure is simply pressing on points instead of needling them. Warming and other essential oils can be used in conjunction with this form of channel and points treatment.

Ear Acupuncture

Auricular Acupuncture

The surfaces of the external ear can be seen as a microsystem of the body. There are others on the body, BTW. Acupuncture on the ear is powerful enough to have become recognized worldwide, with further investigation and development in Europe. In the United States, it is especially used in treatment of addiction, and effectively in detox clinics, and when addressing weight loss, drug and alcohol addiction, smoking, PTSD, and other myriad emotional disorders. It is easily taught and applied while seated in a group, outpatient situation. We use tiny needles and often send the patient home with ear seeds that can be pressed to extend the treatment when away from our clinic.

Qi Gong

Moving Meditation

Qigong practice involves moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind. People practice qigong throughout China and worldwide for recreation, exercise, relaxation, preventive medicine, self-healing & alternative medicine.

We will be able to demonstrate to patients their personal, tailored, stress reducing and physically beneficial qi gong exercises.

Nutrition

Your Health Starts Here

Perhaps we should list this first. What we eat is almost as important as the air we breathe. Our eating and food choices are the most significant choices we make, and so we need to learn to be responsible for what those consist of. The practitioner will have available general nutrition counseling to help the patient gain the most benefit from their treatments.

Chinese Herbal Remedies

Ancient Medicine

Literally evolving on our planet along with humans, herbs are part of us, and have been used medicinally for many thousands of years. They serve as cornerstones to western pharmacopeia. Traditional Chinese herbs here have been known to have included adaptogens that bring specific benefits, while boosting your energy and rebuilding your health; and several other types of healthcare responses.