Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture

What is Chinese Medicine?
What is Acupuncture?
Is acupuncture safe?
How does acupuncture work?
What conditions are treated with acupuncture?
What are the needles like?
What is the side effects of acupucnture?
What can I expect from my first visit?

What is Chinese Medicine?

Chinese medicine is an ancient healing system gained from thousands of years of observation and clinical experience. Its modalities include acupuncture, Tuina (acupressure massage), moxibustion, gua sha, and herbal medicine. Chinese Medicine is a medical healing art that has been used to treat many types of acute and chronic health issues for well over 2,000 years. This system of medicine is based on the theory that illness results from the improper flow of the vital life force (Qi) throughout the body.

In Chinese Medicine, the practitioner is guided by a detailed history, as well as a pulse and tongue diagnosis, in determining the appropriate treatment plan that will remove any blockages in the body and restore health.

Chinese Medicine practitioners use acupuncture, heat application (moxibustion), herbal preparations, and cupping as the primary tools to help the organs regain balance and brings about resolution of symptoms.

Since the introduction of Chinese Medicine to the West, it has proven effective in enhancing and complementing Western medical treatments, as well as standing on its own as a complete and primary system of medicine.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a modality of Chinese Medicine that focuses on balancing the energy or qi in the body. This energy (qi) naturally flows through channels in the body but when disharmony and illness occur the flow is disturbed or blocked. Through the insertion of fine needles at specific points the blockages can be opened to restore balance to the body. Acupuncture focuses on restoring harmony and in doing so symptoms are alleviated and vitality regained. It can be used preventatively to improve energy and manage stress as well as used to treat specific problems such as pain, insomnia, digestive problems, menopause and much more.

A common misperception is that acupuncture is painful. The needles are only about the diameter of a human hair, resulting in very little discomfort. Many people find acupuncture to be extremely relaxing and have profound effects. In addition, acupuncture is very effective when used in conjunction with naturopathic medicine, western medicine, physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy and physical therapy.

Is acupuncture safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996. The FDA requires that sterile, nontoxic needles be used and that they be labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. Relatively few complications from the use of acupuncture have been reported to the FDA in light of the millions of people treated each year and the number of acupuncture needles used. Still, complications have resulted from inadequate sterilization of needles and from improper delivery of treatments.

How might acupuncture work?

Acupuncture is one of the key components of the system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In the TCM system of medicine, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. Among the major assumptions in TCM are that health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state" and that disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. It is believed that there are 12 main meridians and 8 secondary meridians and that there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body that connect with them.

Preclinical studies have documented acupuncture's effects, but they have not been able to fully explain how acupuncture works within the framework of the Western system of medicine that is commonly practiced in the United States. It is proposed that acupuncture produces its effects through regulating the nervous system, thus aiding the activity of pain-killing biochemicals such as endorphins and immune system cells at specific sites in the body. In addition, studies have shown that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry by changing the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones and, thus, affecting the parts of the central nervous system related to sensation and involuntary body functions, such as immune reactions and processes that regulate a person's blood pressure, blood flow, and body temperature.

What conditions are treated with acupuncture?

According to the NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, there have been many studies on acupuncture's potential usefulness, but results have been mixed because of complexities with study design and size, as well as difficulties with choosing and using placebos or sham acupuncture. However, promising results have emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture, for example, in adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in postoperative dental pain. There are other situations--such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low-back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma--in which acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed more than 40 conditions that Acupuncture can treat successfully.

Acid Reflux
Allergy and asthma
Abdominal pain
AnxietyArthritis
Cough
Chronic constipation
Common cold or flu
Chronic diarrhea
Chronic fatigue
Depression
Dizziness or Vertigo
Migraine headache
Hot flashes
IBS
Insomnia
Infertility
IndigestionIrritability
Night sweats
Nausea or vomiting
Palpitations
Painful or irregular periods
PMS
Skin conditions
TMJ
Urinary Dysfunction
Sciatica
Eye twitch
Morning sickness
Muscle and joint pain
Tinnitus
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Food cravings
Quit Smoking

What are the needles like?
Acupuncture needles are smooth and fine and contain no medicines which are injected through them. The needles are one-time-use disposable and sterile, and are FDA approved. Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are much smaller in diameter. The skin is cleansed with alcohol before the needle is inserted. Needles are inserted into the skin anywhere from 1/8 inch in depth to several inches in areas of the body with overlying fat.

What are the side effects of acupuncture?
One of the great advantages of acupuncture is that it is highly successful in treating internal medical disorders with minimal side effects. This is in contrast to many potent Western medicines, in which severe side effects may be worse than the disease being treated.

What can I expect on my first visit?
The Acupuncturist and the patient will sit and discuss health history and lifestyle. The patient will be asked a number of questions which should be answered honestly and openly. All information is kept confidential. The Acupuncturist will observe, listen and palpate the pulse on both wrists. A diagnosis is then made and the patient will lie down for approximately 30 minutes, depending on what needs to be accomplished during the visit. The Acupuncturist will select points to insert the needles, which are usually located on the chest, back, arms, legs, hands and feet.