Questions & Answers
What is Acupuncture?
Is Acupuncture Compatible With Western Care and Other Alternative Therapies?
What is Massage and How Does it Assist In The Chinese Medical Assessment Treatment Plan?
- Acupuncture is a system of medicine which has been which has been used to treat all the ills of human societies for thousands of years. The treatment is based upon balancing the patient's energy by putting sterile, hair thin needles in electrically charged acupoints. The pain associated with needling is minimal and has been compared to the intensity of a mosquito bite. The affect is to wake up the energy system which permeates the body-mind and spirit of the patient and thereby enlivens all functions of the body returning them to a healthy vital state of harmony. By this method, acupuncture can maximize the person's ability to heal themselves of any condition they may be suffering from or to prevent illness from developing by keeping the person in optimal balance.
- Acupoints are energetically charged places along the meridians that acupuncturists use to shift the energy according to what is needed for balance of the body - mind - spirt.
- It was previously assumed it was only an Asian medical practice because one of the oldest books ever discovered, The Nei Jing from 200 BC, was a Chinese medical text describing Acupuncture. New archeological evidence has now been found that suggests acupuncture was also practiced in India, Europe, and America. The use of acupuncture in the Far East has been widely appreciated for centuries even with the advent of modern western surgery and drugs.
- Acupuncture in modern China today accounts for 50% of all medical treatment. Acupuncture has ben well documented in the East for centuries and there are many different styles of practice. In the 1960's the West was reintroduced to a form of Chinese Medicine which has been standardized into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This style of practice tends to focus more on the healing of the physical body. At about the same time another teacher, named J. R. Worsley put together a system based on his studies in China, Japan, and other places which maintained the rich spiritual and emotional healing traditions in Chinese Medicine. One of the main talents of all forms of Chinese Medicine is that it helps all aspects of the person's body-mind-spirit; however, there are some differences in the style of these two traditions of Chinese Medicine. Chinese Healing Arts offers both of these styles of acupuncture in order to meet the needs of each particular patient.
Is Acupuncture Compatible With Western Care and Other Alternative Therapies?
- Yes, acupuncture is safe to use with regular medical care. It often helps ease the side effects of drugs and help people in recovery from surgery and chemotherapy. It is a good idea to tell your physician that you are receiving acupuncture.
- Acupuncture also goes well with other alternative therapies. Massage and Qi Gong is offered at Chinese Healing Arts and is often included with the acupuncture treatment to relieve tension in the musculoskeletal system or help in healing from acute injuries or illnesses.
- Some insurance companies will pay for acupuncture and it is worth having a conversation with yours to see if they will. Chinese Healing Arts does require payment at the time of service and then if needed we will give you a receipt to send to your insurance company to seek reimbursement. Most patients do find Andrea"s prices for paying out of pocket very reasonable and do not need insurance reimbursement.
- On the initial visit the practitioner will take you through a health history by asking the patient about their symptoms and how they developed. Information is gathered by interviewing the patient about emotional, physical , family, and job stressors from the past or present that could have weakened the patient. The lifestyle of the patient such as diet, exercise and sleep habits are also looked at. All this information is figured into the diagnosis and treatment plan that the practitioner makes for the patient to help return them to their natural state of balance and good health.
- The patient is also given a Chinese Pulse Diagnosis in which the practitioner feels the pulse for many different qualities in order to learn which energies are blocked or deficient and in need of support. This pulse diagnosis also tells the practitioner more about the patient's particular pattern of disharmony which has allowed systems to develop.
- After the diagnosis the patient lies on the massage table fully draped with a sheet. Their treatment usually consist of a combination of 6-12 needles placed about a half inch into the body at electrically charged acupoints which are designed to bring the energy field back into balance. The treatment is very relaxing, the needling sensation is normally mild and the needles can be left in anywhere from 1 second to 30 minutes depending on what needs to happen to guide the energy into a more balanced pattern. This combination of treatment is very effective, pleasurable, and extremely safe.
- Acupuncture is one of the safest types of therapy a person can have. Acupuncture moves energy in the patient and helps them to reach a state of balance. The biggest side effect is an occasional bruise which rarely occurs. A trained practitioner knows how to avoid putting the needles in too deep over the lung area which is at some risk of puncturing if the needle is inserted too deeply. Acupuncture has no side effects as the body naturally knows how to find the correct energy balance when the energy points are stimulated.
- Acupuncture treatments return your body-mind-spirit to optimal balance and harmony so that your innate healing abilities are enhanced. We usually recommend a patient get 8-10 treatments to get a good balancing of the energy. Your progress depends on the severity of your problem and how long you have had it. Making additional lifestyle improvements to support your healing can also help treatment progress more quickly. Often people feel better after the first treatment; however, if your problem is very long standing it could take a series of treatments before improvement occurs. When you start to feel better a week at a time, the treatments can be spaced out to bimonthly, monthly and then seasonally to keep your energy balanced and tuned up. At the end of your series we will evaluate what if any further treatments are necessary.
- The needles are solid, sterile and about the thickness of 2 human hairs. They are much thinner than hypodermic needles doctors use and they are carefully placed in acupuncture points that are much less tender than blood vessels. Usually people feel a slight ache or tingling sensation. Occasionally it does sting a little bit but only when it is initially inserted. If needles are left in for a while they do not continue to hurt. Often people have compared the pain of the acupuncture needle to the intensity of a mosquito bite. In general, patients find acupuncture treatment a very relaxing and nurturing experience despite the brief discomfort occasionally experienced through needling.
- Cosmetic Acupuncture is a technique which focuses on turning back the hands of time and making you look decades younger by increasing muscle tone, elasticity, reducing fine lines, improving skin tone and giving you a healthy youthful glow. It also benefits the entire body, mind and spirit like regular acupuncture.
What is Massage and How Does it Assist In The Chinese Medical Assessment Treatment Plan?
- When massage is indicated as useful by the Chinese Diagnosis, Andrea uses deep tissue manipulation as well as lighter Tui Na, Chinese massage techniques, and qi gong energy healing to loosen tight muscles wherever they may be constricting you. Massage improves circulation, loosens tight connective tissue and muscles and can help relieve pain and free up joint movement.
- Hormones are the directing system of the body and tell all the cells what to do. Most people have hormonal imbalances due to stressful lifestyles and poor diets which cause the body to age prematurely. Hormone imbalance often becomes obvious with women's issues, but actually hormone imbalance is at the root of most problems everyone has. When we do not have happy, restful lives, with wonderful eating habits, our hormones become dysregulated and start to create issues for us. Acupuncture and lifestyle changes can restore the healthy balance and we can live very long healthy lives with healthy hormones.
- Sometimes people have hormonal imbalances which make it impossible to lose weight even when on a good diet and exercise program. Acupuncture and a detox program can rectify theses issues so that weight loss can proceed normally.
- Chinese Medicine assists patients with weight loss by balancing blood sugar and hormone levels, increasing insulin permeability and balancing the digestive processes so that you do not feel hungry. There are specific acupuncture points that increase your ability to lose weight. Acupuncture works slowly over time to restore health. Your acupuncturist will discuss and prescribe proper treatments to reach your goals.
- The Purification Program is offered through Standard Process. It is a conscious lifestyle change that will effect not just your weight but also your vitality. With the use of Organic Whole Foods and the proper nutrient base it restores the immune system from deadly toxins generally found in todays food supply.
- The Enneagram is a system based in ancient knowledge that has been adopted by modern psychology to better understand your personality. Based on the idea of nine distinct types, the Enneagram shows not just how each type interacts separately from the others; but how each type is connected to each other and all types reside with us.
- The Enneagram teaches you how to understand yourself in a way that blends personality with spirituality by identifying specific traits of the nine personality types. With a basic understanding of each type you can begin to see the motivations, strengths and weaknesses of each person's personality type. Each type interacts with the world in a different way. By understanding how each type views their world you can begin to heal yourself and the relationships around you.
