Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine have been utilized to successfully treat a variety of health conditions for thousands of years. Acupuncture can be used to direct the body’s flow life force energy (QI) which can become congested, stagnant or deficient in organ systems channels (meridians) or specific areas of the body. This can lead to a variety of symptoms and health issues including; pain, acute illnesses like cold and flu, insomnia, hot flashes, frequent urination, migraines, digestive disturbances and just about anything that you can think of.
Each organ has correlations to a certain time of the day, emotions, tastes, senses and parts of the body. A dysfunction of energy flow from the meridian associated with one organ system to the next can result in disharmony of the organs and the related parts of the body, senses, tastes and emotions. An example of this is someone that has liver congestion; some common findings would be consistently waking up during the night between 1-3 AM, craving for sour foods, easily tends toward anger, has vision problems such as blurry vision or red, itchy, burning eyes and flank pain.
What to Expect
Acupuncture needles are very small and usually painless. Most people, actually, find their treatment to be very relaxing. Treatment time and location of points vary based upon each individual case. Some patients choose to forgo the needles all together and receive an acupressure treatment. Treatment is based upon current symptoms and tongue and pulse assessment done by the physician the day of the appointment.
Cupping Therapy
Many people are now familiar with how cupping can help with muscle pain and rehabilitation thanks to Michael Phelps’ display of his cupping marks in the 2016 Summer Olympics. This is a very relaxing treatment that is useful for moving blood and lymph, improving the flow of Qi, detoxification, muscle and nerve pain, increase relaxation and is especially useful with respiratory conditions.