Acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine that originated in China over 5,000 years ago. It is based on the belief that all living beings posses a vital energy, called "Qi", that circulates throughout twelve invisible energy lines known as meridians in the body. Each meridian is associated with a different organ system - kidney, urinary bladder, large intestine, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, lung, spleen, heart, pericardium, conception vessel and governing vessel. An imbalance in the flow of qi throughout a meridian is how disease originates.
Regular acupuncture treatments encourage natural healing, reduce or relieve pain, improve energy and mood, and improve the function of the affected area or body part. Acupuncture is safe and is often successfully used as an alternative to conventional medical treatment or even surgery. It can also be used in conjunction with traditional medical therapy.
An acupuncturist inserts needles into specific points along one or more meridian lines in order to influence and restore balance to the flow of Qi. These points are places on the skin that have lower resistance to the passage of electricity than surrounding skin and can thus produce a therapeutic response. The needles are stainless steel and are designed to slide smoothly through tissue making them unlikely to cause bleeding or damage underlying structures. No drug is injected at the needle site as the insertion of the needle alone is enough to produce a beneficial effect.
Specific conditions treatable with acupuncture include the following:
- Physical complain following a motor vehicle or, workplace accident, sports injury or repetitive use injury.
- Angina
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Balance disorder/Vertigo
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Fatigue
- Muscle and joint pain
- Headache and migraine
- Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
- Digestive Disorders and complaints
- Inflammation
- Post-dental discomfort
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Asthma
- Stroke rehabilitation
- Weight reduction
- Smoking cessation
- Women’s health issues (i.e. fertility, menstrual irregularities, menopause etc)
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