ACUPUNCTURE

An alternative medical therapy that is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It involves the insertion of thin (like two strands of human hair thin) needles into specific areas and trigger points in the body to bring about an overall state of balance.

From a Chinese perspective acupuncture works to bring balance to the energy -Qi (“chee”), blood, yin and yang. When one of these is either deficient or in excess signs and symptoms show up like pain, fatigue, anxiety, digestive issues, and/or menstrual irregularities signaling something isn’t balanced in the body. Symptoms like these are your body’s way of communicating with you that something isn’t right and needs attention. Will you listen?

From a western medical perspective, acupuncture works to bring the body back to homeostasis or a state of stability. It does this by activating the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and slowing the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). When stress in introduced to the body the fight or flight response is activated. Being in this state continuously can cause high blood pressure, less circulation to the digestive and reproductive organs, trouble losing or gaining weight, and muscle tension. By stimulating the parasympathetic or “rest and digest” nervous system, acupuncture can help reduce blood pressure, slow the heart rate, improve blood flow to the digestive and reproductive organs, and release tension and pain in the muscles.

WHAT CAN ACUPUNCTURE TREAT?

Acupuncture has been shown to have therapeutic benefits in the following areas:

Low back pain
Neck pain
Knee pain
Sciatica
Headaches/migraines
TMJ dysfunction
Arthritis
Stroke
Postoperative pain
Hypertension
Allergies
Depression
Anxiety
IBS
Digestive issues (constipation, diarrhea, appetite)
Labor progression
Morning sickness
Breech presentation in pregnancy
Painful periods
Menstrual irregularities
Fertility (male and female)

HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE HELP?

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help women from the onset of menstruation until menopause. Women can experience many issues that involve: painful periods, PMS symptoms, heavy cycles, irregular cycles, hot flashes, night sweats and other hormonal imbalances. All of these are signs that something isn’t balanced that should be. I’m here to tell you ladies that NO you DO NOT have to live with hot flashes or painful/heavy periods. These are not just things that women have to suffer through! They can be helped!

FERTILITY

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help women (and men) who want to conceive a child. Fertility is part of a balanced, healthy body and when issues or complications arise in this area there are treatments to help! Emotional treatments and cycle regulation are very helpful for those who are trying to conceive and have a heathy pregnancy. Even in cases of IVF or IUI, acupuncture has been shown to double your chances of a positive result from these procedures!

PREGNANCY

Morning sickness, muscle pain, fatigue, anxiety, stress, constipation, threatened miscarriage, breech presentation and/or labor progression are all things acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help with during pregnancy! And YES acupuncture is safe during pregnancy! There are certain points and areas that are contraindicated at different times during gestation, but these points will be avoided during pregnancy related treatments. I’ve got you covered mommas!

PAIN

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have an impact on the nervous, endocrine (hormones) and immune system. By impacting these areas acupuncture is able to reduce inflammation, increase blood flow, influence endorphins (the body’s natural pain-killer) and promote active healing.

DIGESTION

Digestion is largely impacted in our high stress culture. Remember that the opposite of “fight or flight” is “rest and digest”. When stress is high the body decreases blood flow and oxygen to the stomach which can lead to stomach cramps, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcers, acid reflux, constipation or diarrhea. Acupuncture works to slow down the “fight or flight” response and activate the parasympathetic nervous system to help promote healthy blood flow and oxygen back to the digestive system!

EMOTIONS

This is a very large part of the practice of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine! TCM treat the whole being: body, mind and spirit. This means that emotions and stress can be underlying causes for pain, digestive issues, menstrual irregularities, anxiety and depression. In Chinese medicine each organ is responsible for an emotion: happiness, sadness, worry, fear, anger. By taking a look at what emotions are either deficient or excess for you as an individual this helps me, as a practitioner, properly diagnose and treat you whole being to help you be completely balanced!