Acupuncture Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture can be used to treat a wide range of ailments as it seeks to bring balance back to the body. By bringing the body back to a state of balance, symptoms lesson or disappear all together.
The contemporary scientific explanation of acupuncture is that needling certain points in the body stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the brain, spinal cord and muscles. These chemicals will change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities, and by promoting physical and emotional well-being.
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What is Neurological Acupuncture?Neurological Acupuncture is based on contemporary knowledge of neurological anatomy and function. This type of acupuncture's aim is to stimulate motor points and nerve junctures. Specific electrical currents induce the gene expression of neurochemicals and activate brain areas important for healing. This scientifically based type of acupuncture uses a combination of symptomatic points, motor points, 24 key points each located on a specific nerve that has control over a particular body part and of points through the sympathetic trunk ganglia chain located on each side of the spine.
Acupuncture has been declared to be a safe and effective practice by the World Health Organisation. It is relatively painless, you may feel a slight pricking sensation when the needle first goes in, but it shouldn't hurt to have the needles inserted. Once the needles are in place, the sensations range from none to feelings of heaviness or warmth, to a sharp tingle or a sense of wavy, pulsing turbulence. In any case, there should never be any pain that feels wounding. Neurological acupuncture is mainly used for the treatment of pain and performed by Registered Acupuncturists, Physiotherapists, Medical Doctors, Registered Nurses and Naturopathic Doctors. What is TCM Acupuncture?Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Acupuncture is the art and science of manipulating the flow of Qi and Blood through the body's channels- the invisible aqueduct system that transports the Essential Substances to the Organ Systems, tissues, and bones. Manipulation of the Qi and Blood is accomplished by the stimulation of acupoints with hair-thin disposable needles, along the channels where the Essential Substances flow close to the skin's surface. Acupuncture has been declared to be a safe and effective practice by the World Health Organisation. It is relatively painless, you may feel a slight pricking sensation when the needle first goes in, but it shouldn't hurt to have the needles inserted. Once the needles are in place, the sensations range from none to feelings of heaviness or warmth, to a sharp tingle or a sense of wavy, pulsing turbulence. In any case, there should never be any pain that feels wounding. Such sensations occur because acupuncture points are equivalent to valves in an aqueduct system. When the acupoints are stimulated, they may open a valve, so that Excess or Stagnant Qi or Blood can disperse. If Qi or Blood are Deficient, stimulation of certain acupoints may close a valve, so that the Essential Substances can collect as needed. When this is done, the distribution of Essential Substances throughout the whole system of channels becomes more evenly balanced, allowing for smoother flow into all areas of the body. This adjustment of the body's Qi and Blood can be used to maintain or restore balance between Yin and Yang, alleviate emotional disorders, protect the Organ Systems, moisten tendons and keep joints healthy. Acupuncture works on a physical, emotional, spiritual and energetic level. TCM Acupuncture is used to treat or alleviate a multitude of different issues as it seeks to bring the body back to a balanced state. TCM Acupuncture is practiced by Registered Acupuncturists, TCM Practitionners & TCM Doctors. What to Expect?When you go to a Registered Acupuncturist, whether for treatment of an illness, acute pain, or to begin a program of preventive care, the practitioner will follow a Traditional Chinese Medicine system of evaluation and diagnosis that depends on observation and questioning. In accordance with the philosophy of the Tao, diagnosis is a process of perceiving signs and symptoms and relating them to one another to reveal how they form patterns of harmony or disharmony. Each symptom or sign has meaning only in relationship to other signs and symptoms and to the whole of your body/mind/spirit. A Registered Acupuncturist will question you about your main health concern, the history of that concern in addition to your reaction to heat and cold, perspiration, headaches or dizziness, pain, your thirst, appetite and tastes, sleep patterns, bladder and bowel function, menstrual cycle, medications or supplements consumption, diet, lifestyle, emotions, general physical and medical history/diagnosis. The second step will be the evaluation of your tongue. When examining the tongue, the Acupuncturist looks at the color, its size and shape, the color and thickness of its coating, locations of abnormalities, and moistness or dryness of the tongue body and coating. These signs reveal not only overall states of health but correlate to specific organ functions and disharmonies. For this reason, it is best not to brush your tongue the day of a treatment. Finally, your pulse will be taken. There are 28 pulse qualities that are essential to Traditional Chinese Medicine's process of evaluation and diagnosis. Pulses are evaluated on a superficial, middle and deep level. The normal pulse resides at the middle and is usually about 4-5 beats for each inhalation and exhalation of breath. Disharmonies of the pulses indicate: the condition of Qi, Blood and Fluids; Organ System imbalance(s); the location of the imbalance(s); and the nature of the disease, along with many other qualities. Questioning, tongue and pulse evaluations are the main tools a Registered Acupuncturist will use to examine you in order to develop an acurate picture of your whole being. |
