Pain

Pain is a feeling triggered in the nerve system. It may be sharp or dull, off-and-on or steady, localized or all over the body. Sometimes, pain alerts us to injuries and illnesses that need attention. Although pain usually goes away once the underlying problem is addressed, it can last for weeks, months, or even years. Chronic pain may be due to an ongoing condition, such as arthritis, or to abnormal activity in pain-sensing regions of the brain or the cause may not be known.

Acupuncture, among the oldest healing practices in the world, is part of traditional Eastern medicine. The basic foundation for Eastern medicine is that there is a life energy flowing through the body. This energy flows through the body on channels known as meridians that connect all of our major organs. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect. Acupuncture is also thought to decrease pain by increasing the release of chemicals that block pain, called endorphins. Many acupuncture points are near nerves. When stimulated, these nerves cause a dull ache or feeling of fullness in the muscle. The stimulated muscle sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins, which are morphine-like chemicals produced in our own bodies during times of pain or stress. Endorphins, along with other neurotransmitters (body chemicals that modify nerve impulses), block the message of pain from being delivered to the brain.

Headache & Migraine

Acupuncture can offer powerful relief without the side effects that prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause. Acupuncture and Eastern Herbal Medicine have been used to relieve headaches and migraines, as well as their underlying causes, for thousands of years and are widely accepted forms of treatment for headaches in our society. Traditional Eastern medicine does not recognize migraines and recurring headaches as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Eastern herbs, tui-na massage, and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, your diagnosis and treatment will depend on a number of variables such as the location, severity, time of occurrence, frequency and nature of the pain. According to traditional Eastern medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect.

Stress & Anxiety management

Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another. Stress is a normal part of life. In small quantities, stress is good — it can motivate you and help you be more productive. However, too much stress, or an going, intense response to stress, is harmful. It can cause poor health in general as well as specific physical or psychological illnesses like infections, depression or heart disease. Persistent and unrelenting stress often leads to anxiety and unhealthy behaviors like overeating and drug or alcohol abuse. Stress can deplete your nervous system, lymphatic system, kidneys and adrenal glands. This sets the stage for a wider array of more serious illneses. Studies have shown that increased and constant stress can decrease the number of white blood cells, which defend us against viruses. This leads to a wreaked immune system and emotional instability.

Eastern medicine and acupuncture in particular have been shown to be among the most effective ways to reduce the devastation of stress and activate the relaxation response. Acupuncture causes your body to release chemicals called endorphins when happy. These endorphins are natural opiates, which relieve pain and increase a person’s sense of relaxation and well being. They can give a person a “natural high” similar to the feeling we have during peak experiences in our lives. This is one of the reasons that acupuncture is so useful in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Acupuncture also encourages relaxation by loosening tight muscles. You can leave a session feeling as if you have just had a good, deep massage.

Sleep disturbances

Insomnia is one of the most common disorders reported by patients. Chronic insomnia is defined as going without adequate restorative sleep for at least three nights a week for one month or longer. Sleep can be disturbed by a number of reasons, such as stress, anxiety, medications and physical conditions. Western medicine has very little to offer patients in the way of relief. Antidepressant medications can help, but may cause undesirable side effect. Acupuncture has an extremely calming effect on the nervous system, and over time, it can help to correct the imbalances causing insomnia without creating side effects in the process.
In the Eastern medicine, the body’s energy, or qi, circulates through 12 meridians, which are linked to internal organs and emotions. The heart meridian, for instance, relates to anxiety, the liver meridian to stress and anger, the spleen meridian to worry. Too much of any emotion can affect its correlating meridian, creating a disturbance in shen(神), the energy of our emotional body. Each form of insomnia requires its own treatment. These treatments are composed of several combinations stimulating the meridians with different formulas of herbal medicines. Insomnia treatment through acupuncture and herbs is usually customized to meet the individual’s needs.

Gastro-interstinal Disorders

Accupuncture has been widely used in the management of gastrointestinal disorders including nausea and vomiting, functional disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and diarrhea), peptic ulcer disease, Crohn’s disease, postoperative ileus, and even gall stone disease by correcting ZangFu disruption in flow at identifiable points close to the skin. Acupuncture also helps to focus on a holistic, energy based approach to the patient rather than the disease. Conditions which respond well to acupuncture and Eastern herbal medicine including virus infections, bacterial infections, chronic gastritis, Inflammatory bowel diseases.