Acupuncture
Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a system of healing including Chinese massage and Chinese herbs that has been used to bring about mental, emotional and physical well being for more than 2000 years. TCM understands that health is based on the abundance and free flow of qi (pronounced chee - meaning energy) in the organs and through the channels or meridians of the body. Western or Medical Acupuncture works more closely with muscle attachments and origins and has been shown to alter the electrical conductivity and fascial tissues of the body.
TCM Acupuncture
The original (and some say still the best!). TCM Acupuncture follows the Chinese system of treating qi through points on the meridians (channels) of the body. Through these points the practitioner is able to work with the muscles, nerves and organ systems of the body. Traditional conditions that are treated with TCM Acupuncture include: fertility, period pain, stress, headaches, back pain, neck pain, asthma, hayfever, insomnia, anxiety, stomach discomfort, and muscular-skeletal injuries.
IM (Intramuscular) Acupuncture
A healthy body’s muscles are capable of clenching and relaxing fully. When a muscle is tense it gets stuck in a ‘half-in, half-out’ state. Intramuscular needling makes the muscle clench fully and then immediately relax fully. Conditions treated by IM Acupuncture are any that create muscular tension.
Electro-Acupuncture
In some cases the effects of Acupuncture can be enhanced by use of an electro-therapy machine similar to TENS. In cases of severe muscular or nervous impairment e.g. stroke or sciatica, electro-acupuncture is used (Chinese hospitals record a high degree of success with this treatment menthodology). It can also be used to help conditions such as period pain.
Trigger Point Acupuncture
Trigger points are points on the body that may radiate pain to a completely different part of the body. When Trigger points are stimulated with Acupuncture needles, the area which has been feeling the pain will be relieved and function improved.
Auricular (Ear) Acupuncture
Similarly to reflexology whereby the foot is used to treat the whole body, points used in Ear Acupuncture correspond to organs and systems throughout the body. Ear Acupuncture has been used by the US Navy in the field of combat to reduce pain in wounded soldiers and used extensively in addiction programs world wide to reduce cravings. There is also strong evidence to the effectiveness of ear acupuncture in weight loss.
