Acupuncture

Healing for the body

Acupuncture & Cupping

Acupuncture is 4,000-year-old healing methodology from China that treats patients using the insertion of thin, sterile, filiform/solid needles into specific points on the body called acupuncture points. 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), stimulating these points can correct imbalances in the flow of qi (vital life force or energy) through channels known as meridians to restore health. By inserting these fine needles into the skin, the acupuncturist can redirect the flow of your body’s healing energy.

Current scientific research indicates that acupuncture treatment is effective in the relief of certain types of pain and post-operative nausea. Acupuncture’s use, for certain conditions, has been endorsed by the United States National Institutes of Health, the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, the World Health Organization and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.


Acupuncture Treatment and TCM may be used to treat:

  • Allergies

  • Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease

  • Arthritis

  • Asthma

  • Back, neck or chronic pain

  • Depression and anxiety

  • Fertility assistance

  • Hypertension

  • Insomnia

  • Irritable bowel syndrome

  • Menopausal symptoms


The most common sensation that is felt is a small ‘mosquito bite’ feeling as the needle penetrates the skin, followed by a dull ache as the needle is brought to the proper depth. This sensation typically fades as the needles are retained for a period between 15 to 45 minutes, and patients report a deep sense of relaxation during that time. Qi moves through the body in a series of channels called meridians, not unlike the way your blood flows through arteries and veins.  The needles encourage the qi to flow out of areas that are congested to areas that are empty, to regain balance in the meridians.


“When there is flow, there is no pain. When there is pain, there is no flow.” Ancient Chinese Adage


CUPPING THERAPY 

Cupping therapy (Ba Gua) is the application of small glass cups or plastic suction cups on the skin for the purpose of loosening tight muscles, encouraging blood flow and sedating the nervous system (which makes it an excellent treatment for high blood pressure).

 Suction is created by either a handheld manual pump (suction cupping) or by lighting a flame onto an alcohol-soaked cotton pad and placing the empty cup over the flame to create the suction (fire cupping). Flames are never used on or near the skin.  Once the suction has occurred on the skin, the cups can be gently moved across the skin (sliding cupping) or left still (stationary cupping). The procedure takes about 10 minutes and is commonly combined with acupuncture but it can also be used alone.

 By targeting the meridians, cupping therapy strives to ‘open’ these channels — the paths through which life energy (qi) flows freely throughout the body, through all tissues and organs, thus providing a smoother and more free-flowing qi.


Cupping therapy is commonly used to treat conditions including:


  • Anxiety

  • Asthma

  • Back, neck or chronic pain

  • Cellulite

  • Congestion from a common cold

  • Fatigue

  • Migraines

  • Muscular tightness and stiffness

  • Pulmonary tuberculosis

  • Respiratory conditions

  • Rheumatism