WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, sharp, disposable needles into specific points along the body’s energy pathways in order to regulate organ functions and align physical structures. According to T.E.A.M. there is a flow of energy called Qi, consisting of positive/heating/Yang and negative/cooling/Yin components. These course through the channels in the body.
These channels are called meridians. Imbalances of energy levels between the Yang Qi and the Yin Qi, and blockages in the meridians allow pathological conditions to begin. External factors (wind, cold, heat, damp, dryness, and trauma), emotional factors, (fear, anger, grief, joy, worry, anxiety, shock), and pathogenic factors (overwork, poor diet, poisons, excess sex, lack of exercise) play an important role in creating these imbalances. By stimulating specific acupuncture points or a combination of such points, acupuncture is able to adjust the energy level, thus re-establishing homeostatisis (equilibrium), and allowing healing to take place.
HOW ACUPUNCTURE WORKS FROM A SCIENTIFIC BASIS…
The ancient Chinese stated that external acupuncture points and meridians are connected with internal organs. There are several ideas about how acupuncture works from a Western biomedical perspective, like the pain gate theory. The superficial pain felt in diseases of the organs occurs because their nerves enter the spinal cord. Stimulation of acupuncture points by needle or moxibustion is transmitted to the internal organs via the spinal cord.
WHO IS ACUPUNCTURE FOR?
Acupuncture is for all ages. We treat couples trying to conceive, pregnant women, newborn babies, toddlers, young children, teenagers, and adults into their 80′s. No matter what the age or gender this medicine has appropriate treatment protocols for everyone.
- We even have an acupuncturist who can treat your pets – See our Animal Acupuncture page.
- The needles we use are very fine and are often not even felt on insertion.
- Here we have taped a series of needles from Western medicine above a series of needles from acupuncture.
- They are arranged from thickest to thinnest going from left to right. The Western medical needles range from 1.20mm to 0.35mm in diameter.
- The acupuncture needles range from 0.22mm to 0.12mm!!
- Several of our thickest needles can fit inside these hypodermic needles.
- So, why do hypodermic needles cause pain, and acupuncture needles don’t?
- A hypodermic needle is hollow and has a bevelled edge. This allows this type of needle to cut the tissues as it is inserted. Whereas an acupuncture needle is solid, and while sharp it has a slightly rounded tip. This allows this type of needle to part the tissues when inserted, rather than cutting.
WHAT DOES A TREATMENT INVOLVE?
Initially you will fill out a form that will provide your practitioner with much valuable information about your health history as well as current complaints. The next step in the treatment is the diagnosis. This consists of four steps.
These steps are:
- Looking – the practitioner observes your complexion, eyes, posture, gait, vitality, range of motion, and tongue.
- Listening – the practitioner listens to your breathing, voice, abdominal sounds, and respiratory sounds.
- Asking – the practitioner will ask relevant questions about your health and lifestyle. These may include sleep, appetite, bowels, menstruation, headaches, pain, onset of the problem, duration, emotions, food and climatic preferences, and past traumas.
- Palpation – the practitioner will assess your abdomen and the channels of your arms and legs through touch. They are looking for information that shows up as tightness, pain, stiffness, weakness, flaccidity, rough or dry skin, vascular spiders, skin tags, numbness, hot and cold areas, nodules, etc. They will also assess your radial pulse. Using T.E.A.M. thoeries the radial pulse can show a wealth of diagnostic information about all of your internl organs, not just your heart.
These four steps allow the practitioner to provide a starting point for a tailor made treatment for each individual. The actual application of a treatment can then consist of 3 to 5 steps.
Steps 1 and 2 will treat the root cause of your symptoms using the front and back of your body.
Step 3 will address structural misalignment.
Step 4 will address presenting or residual symptoms.
Step 5 involves providing home therapy for the client to continue at home between visits. This is perhaps the most important step in treatment. With home therapy the integrity of a treamtent is sustained and can result in better outcomes for the client.
TRADITIONAL EAST ASIAN MEDICINE CAN BE USED TO TREAT THE FOLLOWING:
- ASTHMA
- BACK PAIN
- STRESS
- HEADACHE
- ANXIETY
- INSOMNIA
- ALLERGIES
- HYPERTENSION
- HYPOTENSION
- COLDS / FLU
- PALPITATIONS
- INFECTIONS
- BRUISING
- SPRAINS
- COLD LIMBS
- P.M.T.
- DIARRHOEA
- CONSTIPATION
- COUGH
- CRAMP
- JAUNDICE
- HEPATITIS
- DERMATITIS
- ECZEMA
- KNEE PAIN
- ARTHRITIS
- WHIPLASH
- BURNS
- GALLSTONES
- KIDNEY STONES
- EPILEPSY
- DIZZINESS
- IMPOTENCE
- INFERTILITY
- FATIGUE
- SCARS
- SINUSITIS
- SHOULDER PAIN
- INCONTINENCE
- TOOTHACHE
- DIABETES
- A.D.D./ A.D.H.D.
- STROKE
- MORNING SICKNESS
- SCIATICA
- MIGRAINE
- RHEUMATISM
- BURSITIS
- VOMITING
- NUMBNESS
- THYROID AND OTHER HORMONAL IMBALANCES
- NAUSEA
- TONSILITIS
- EMOTIONAL TRAUMA
- MENSTRUAL DISORDERS
- LACTATION DISORDERS
- DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
- PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
- PREGNANCY
- GYNAECOLOGY
- PAEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE
- DIETARY THERAPY
- STRUCTURAL ALIGNMENT
- POST SURGERY
- QUITTING SMOKING
- NEURALGIA
- IRRITABILITY
- SWELLING
- INFLAMMATION
