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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) includes a variety of different techniques and disciplines, including Acupuncture, Acupressure, use of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, Tai Chi, cupping among many others.

Acupuncture originated in China over 2,500 years ago and is a primary and complementary health care modality throughout the world. Chinese Medicine views disease as the result of an imbalance or blockage in the body’s natural energy flow. It is a method of balancing and building the body’s energy, known as “qi” (pronounced “chee”). Acupuncturists insert sterile needles into unique points that lay on particular pathways called channels that circulate energy throughout the body.

Acupuncture is used mainly to relieve discomfort associated with a variety of diseases and conditions, including:

  • Acupuncture / Scalp acupuncture / Hand acupuncture
  • Gua sha
  • Acupressure
  • Cupping therapy
  • Tui Na
  • Electroacupuncture
  • Auriculotherapy (commonly known as ear acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, or auriculoacupuncture)

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is safe, precise and scientific. During an acupuncture treatment, fine needles are applied to specific parts of the body, called acupuncture points or acupoints. The needles are inserted through the muscles or other subcutaneous layers of tissue below the skin. According to traditional medical theory, acupuncture stimulates the flow of Qi (pronounced chi), which is defined in Chinese medicine as a life force that circulates through channels in the body called meridians.

Acupoints are presumed to be physiologically linked with organs and systems in the body and, according to traditional Chinese medicine, reflect the status or health of those organs or systems. Under this theory, stimulating specific acupoints may facilitate changes in the organ or system and reduce disease symptoms. Acupuncture stimulation is given either right on the acupoint or a nearby affected area (called an ashi point) for the treatment of local symptoms, such as knee pain, while the placement of needles away from ashi points is used to treat systemic abnormalities.

The needles stimulate the body’s existing systems to:

  • React to an illness or symptom.
  • Rebalance the body.
  • Release natural chemicals, such as endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and neurotransmitters, chemicals that control nerve impulses.

Gua sha

Gua sha is a healing technique of traditional East Asian medicine. Sometimes called ‘coining, spooning or scraping’, Gua sha is defined as instrument-assisted unidirectional press-stroking of a lubricated area of the body surface to intentionally create transitory therapeutic petechiae called ‘sha’ representing extravasation of blood in the subcutis.

Raising sha removes blood stagnation considered pathogenic in traditional East Asian medicine. Modern research shows the transitory therapeutic petechiae produce an anti inflammatory and immune protective effect that persists for days following a single Gua sha treatment accounting for the immediate relief that patients feel from pain, stiffness, fever, chill, cough, wheeze, nausea and vomiting etc, and why Gua sha is effective in acute and chronic internal organ disorders including liver inflammation in hepatitis.

The technique is applicable in any hands on therapeutic practice, and will be of particular interest to acupuncturists, massage therapists, physical therapists and any physician or nurse who work directly with patients.

Acupressure

In traditional Chinese medicine, we learn that there are several energy pathways, called meridians, throughout your body in which your Chi, the energy of life itself, ebbs and flows. When the flow of energy is disturbed, it results in physical and emotional deterioration over long periods of time that can manifest in your body as chronic illness and mental instability.

An imbalance in the flow of this life energy can be solved via the art of acupressure, the act of stimulating points along the meridians, known as acupoints, with your fingers or other objects. With proper stimulation, the energy of the meridians can be balanced and your health and emotions restored to normal function.

In acupuncture, meridian points are “punctured” with needles, while in acupressure you merely use finger “pressure” to stimulate them, thus the respective names of the two healing arts. Since it doesn’t use potentially dangerous needles, acupressure can be practiced casually at home with no risk but is best to have a professional perform acupressure.

Cupping therapy

Cupping therapy, which uses cups to create suction on the skin, is a popular treatment for muscle tension, chronic pain, fatigue, and inflammation. It has been a key part of traditional Middle Eastern and Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

Ancient Egyptians used cupping over 5,500 years ago, and the therapy spread to cultures around the world. According to traditional Chinese medicine, cupping opens skins pores and stimulates blood flow. It is thought to help balance the flow of energy called the qi.5 Cupping is often used along with acupuncture and massage therapies.

Cupping therapy is generally safe for many conditions. You may experience a warm, stretching sensation, but the procedure should not hurt. If you feel pain, inform your practitioner and we will reduce suction or end the treatment.

Tui Na

Tui na (pronounced “twee nah”) is a form of Chinese massage that has been practiced for more than 2000 years. The word tui means “to push” and na means “to lift and squeeze,” which describes some of the common techniques used in tui na.

Tui na is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine that uses manual techniques to work with different areas of your body. This can cause muscles to relax and help blood flow freely throughout your body.

Sometimes, tui na is sometimes called “acupuncture without needles” because it can be used like acupuncture to target specific acupuncture points and energetic channels (acupuncture meridians). Tui na is considered by some to be the ancestor of physiotherapy, chiropractic, cranio-sacral and other contemporary therapeutic techniques.

Tui na can be used to treat chronic or acute pain caused by joint injuries, arthritis, sprains, muscle strains, and other conditions. In addition to addressing chronic muscle tension or injuries, tui na is also used to treat arthritis, back pain, frozen shoulder, migraines, menstrual cramps, tendonitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), digestive disorders, asthma, and insomnia.

It is a powerful tool for improving physical and mental health and incorporating it into your self-care routine is a great way to ensure that you are treating your body with care and respect.

Electroacupuncture

Electroacupuncture is quite similar to traditional acupuncture in that the same points are stimulated during treatment. As with traditional acupuncture, needles are inserted on specific points along the body. The needles are then attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses using small clips. These devices are used to adjust the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture uses two needles at time so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously, usually for no more than 30 minutes at a time.

One advantage of electroacupuncture is that a practitioner does not have to be as precise with the insertion of needles. This is because the current delivered through the needle stimulates a larger area than the needle itself. Another advantage is that electroacupuncture can be employed without using needles. A similar technique called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS, uses electrodes that are taped to the surface of the skin instead of being inserted. The advantage of this procedure is that it can be used by people who have a fear of needles or a condition that prohibits them from being needled.

Auriculotherapy

Auriculotherapy is a safe, painless, noninvasive and non-Toxic procedure, performed through stimulation through the cranial nerves and spinal nerves on the auricle (external ear). This stimulation results in neurotransmitters being stimulated within the Brain and Spinal Cord of the Central Nervous System. This stimulation of neurotransmitters modulates the pain and modulates nerve function, thereby stimulating the healing process within the body to that organ or body part that is affected.

Auriculotherapy gets its name from the auricle, which is the anatomical name for the external ear. Auriculotherapy techniques use special locations or points on the skin of the ear to diagnose and treat pain and medical conditions of the body. This method is used worldwide by 10’s of thousands of practitioners to bring effective relief to a wide variety of conditions including pain, dysfunctions, injuries, addictions and internal disorders.