Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the practice of penetrating the skin with hair thin, metallic needles which are then activated through gentle and specific movements of the practitioner's hands.
Acupuncture is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points connected by pathways or meridians. These pathways create an energy flow (Qi, pronounced "chee") through the body that is responsible for overall health. Disruption of the energy flow can cause disease. By applying acupuncture to certain points, it is thought to improve the flow of Qi, thereby improving health.
Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for a variety of conditions.
Acupuncture is part of the ancient practice of Traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points connected by pathways or meridians. These pathways create an energy flow (Qi, pronounced "chee") through the body that is responsible for overall health. Disruption of the energy flow can cause disease. By applying acupuncture to certain points, it is thought to improve the flow of Qi, thereby improving health.
Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for a variety of conditions.
Chinese Fire Cupping
Cupping is a treatment that is a little less know but is also a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I frequently use fire cups in my clinic, especially when treating pain, stress and anxiety.
Recent studies have shown cupping’s effectiveness in reducing pain intensity and providing positive benefits, especially in the treatment of neck, back and shoulder pain.
What Is Chinese Cupping? What Does it Do for You?Cupping is the term applied to a technique that uses small glass cups or bamboo jars as suction devices that are placed on the skin to disperse and break up stagnation and congestion by drawing congested blood, energy or other humors to the surface.
There are several ways that a practitioner can create the suction in the cups. The method in use involves swabbing rubbing alcohol onto the bottom of the cup, then lighting it and putting the cup immediately against the skin. Flames are never used near the skin and are not lit throughout the process of cupping, but rather are a means to create the heat that causes the suction within the small cups.
Once the suction has occurred, the cups can be gently moved across the skin. The suction in the cups causes the skin and superficial muscle layer to be lightly drawn into the cup. Cupping is much like the reverse of a massage, rather than applying pressure to muscles, it uses gentle pressure to pull them upward. For most patients, this is a particularly relaxing and relieving sensation. Once suctioned, the cups are generally left in place for about ten minutes while the you relax.
The side effects of cupping are immediate. You will feel looser and pain will be reduced. Bruising should be expected, but skin should return to looking normal within 5 days.
The Philosophy Behind Pain and Cupping. What is Cupping Used For?“Where there’s stagnation, there will be pain. Remove the stagnation, and you remove the pain.”
The old Chinese medical maxim holds that pain results from the congestion, stagnation, and blockage of Qi, or vital energy, vital fluids, lymph, damp and blood. If pain is the essence of disease, then suffering is a result of obstructed or irregular flow in the body. Chinese cupping is therefore a method of breaking up the blockage to restore the body’s natural flow of energy.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to promote healing with acupuncture. The purpose of moxibustion, as with most forms of traditional Chinese medicine, is to strengthen the blood, stimulating the flow of Qi, and maintain general health.
Moxibustion is used on people who have a cold or stagnant condition. The practice expels cold and warms the meridians, which leads to smoother flow of blood and qi. In Western medicine, moxibustion has been used to turn breech babies into a normal head-down position prior to delivery.
Patients feel a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin, but do not experience any pain.
Moxibustion is used on people who have a cold or stagnant condition. The practice expels cold and warms the meridians, which leads to smoother flow of blood and qi. In Western medicine, moxibustion has been used to turn breech babies into a normal head-down position prior to delivery.
Patients feel a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin, but do not experience any pain.