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ACUPUNCTURE HERBAL MEDICINE ORIENTAL MEDICINEThe guiding of fine needles into specific points on the body, ranks amongst the world's oldest and most widely used healthcare modalities. Not widely known in the United States until the 1970s, it has relieved pain and illness, supported recuperative and immune function, and promoted overall physical and emotional well-being in the Eastern world for millenia.
Today, although sterile technique and disposable, single-use needles have become the standard, the diagnostic methods and choosing of points used by doctors of Oriental medicine have remained true to their origins.
The focus of acupuncture is on the circulation of the body's energy (Qi). Qi flows through the body in a series of 14 main pathways (meridians) that connect to the internal organs and glands. This energy can be likened to the circulation of nutrients via the blood, the electrochemical firings of the nervous system, or the moving of cellular by-products throughout the lymphatic system. It is only when the flow is smooth and unobstructed that the body is truly healthy and pain-free. Compare this to the flow of water in a river. When there is a blockage that prevents water from passing freely, the land and anything supported by it "downstream" receives less of the hydration and nutrition that they require (endocrine, digestive, neurotransmitter, or blood/nutrient deficiencies). At the site of the blockage, swelling and congestion occur where the water builds up (pain, edema, infection).
Acupuncture centers around freeing these blockages, letting the body's cells, tissues, and organs receive the substances needed for optimum health.
If you could superimpose pictures of the meridian system onto diagrams of the human body, you would see that they effectively trace major nerve pathways and follow muscle borders in many instances. Many of the recognized acupuncture points are located near a nerve branching or plexus, a gland, or an organ, and function by stimulating these structures into action by calling the body's attention to the area.
Acupuncture is generally a very relaxing experience, although some say they feel an extra burst of energy after their treatment. Although the sensation of discomfort is a highly individual matter, most report little more than an inconsequential sensation, like a mosquito bite, as the needles are placed. Once properly placed and manipulated to achieve the desired results, feelings of heaviness, tingling, warmth, numbness, achiness, or those of circulation are common experiences.
Acupuncture is natural, drug-free, and produces no side effects. Rarely, a small bruise around the site of insertion can occur. Infection is generally not of concern due to the use of aseptic techniques and pre-packaged, sterile, disposable needles.
While an excellent choice for natural pain relief, acupuncture, along with the full complement of Oriental medicine can play a part in treating any condition that affects the body.
We at Lake Premier Wellness are well-studied in the actions and indications of the hundreds of points on the body, and will use the ideal combination of points appropriate to you as an individual.
Chinese medical herbology is a powerful adjunct to acupuncture treatments, and provides a way for your body to continue healing and balancing itself even after the effects of the acupuncture session have run their course.
Rather than using a concentrated, chemically extracted derivative of a certain plant, mineral, or animal source, which provides quick but side-effect laden results, Chinese herbs use the source itself (leaves, roots, shells, etc), leaving all of the beneficial compounds intact. This results in a slightly slower, but very thorough and gentle means of guiding your body back into optimal function.
Whether your needs are more immediate (acute illness/infection/pain) or long term (endocrine dysfunction/digestive system regulation/fibromyalgia), Chinese herbal medicine can help.
Chinese medical herbologists have knowledge of the actions, indications, and interactions of the hundreds of varied medicinals in their pharmacopeia, and have studied the way they best combine into synergistic combinations, or formulas. They also study interactions with pharmaceuticals, and can advise you as to whether they may safely combine. If a patient wishes to stop taking a prescription drug in favor of an herbal formula, a safe timeline of adjustment can be agreed upon in conjunction with the medical doctor.
Knowing that each person has his/her own particular constitution, we do not take a one-size-fits-all approach to medical herbology. Our formulas, though they may begin with their foundations in either classical or "patent" formulas, are custom-tailored to fit each patient and meet them at their current state of being. This means that your formula may be adjusted slightly at each visit, adding or removing certain herbs as your body requires.
We are, of course, very willing to answer any questions you may have about Chinese herbal medicine, and welcome the opportunity to speak to you, your family, or your doctor.
Oriental medicine is a centuries-old system of diagnosis and treatment of disease and pain based on the philosophy of balance, and how health is contingent on the body being as close to balance as is possible.
This necessary balance is thrown off when an infective agent (known as an "external pathogenic factor") or an internal cause (usually an emotional trigger) overpowers the body's own immunity or energy (known as "Qi"). When the body's energies are unable to flow freely, nourishing and supporting the body's intricate biochemical processes, disease and pain are the results. Among other causes of imbalance are poor diet, physical inactivity or overexertion, accidents/trauma, and seasonal changes.
It is the aim of Oriental medicine to expel the infective agent, restore emotional well-being, and strengthen the body's energy and ability to fight further attempts at imbalance.
Since Oriental medicine's existence long predates modern diagnostic tools, such as blood testing, x-rays, biopsies, etc., Oriental medicine relies on thorough physical examination, and questioning the patient as to the specific nature of their symptoms. Taking into account the emotional state of the patient is of great importance to the practitioner of this medicine as well. It is from these findings that the physician is able to formulate a treatment plan that is unique to the patient.
We, as practitioners of Oriental medicine, incorporate a variety of modalities into your treatment strategy.
These include:
Acupuncture - Thin, sterile needles are guided into specific points on the body to initiate a gentle reaction within the body.
Cupping - Vacuum suction of glass cups to the skin allow for increased blood flow and release of muscular tension in the area on which they are applied. They may be left stationary on the skin, or moved over the muscles in a "reverse deep-tissue massage". This will loosen accumulations of metabolic waste in the tissues and help bring them to the surface where they can be easily eliminated. Cupping can leave pale red to deep purple marks on the area in which they were used. These marks, though they may remind you of a bruise, are painless, and usually fade quickly. The deeper colored markings may take a few days to dissipate fully.
Food Therapy - The addition/subtraction and combining of readily available foods is suggested to help strengthen, rebuild, and balance your body.
Gua Sha - A round-edged implement is rubbed along the surface of the skin in areas of muscular tension, with an effect similar to cupping. Used primarily on the neck and upper back, it is of great use in treating the effects of the common cold (stiffness, chills, breathlessness) and other respiratory and digestive issues. Gua Sha can leave marks on the treated area in the same way as cupping. In both cases, we ask that you keep the treated area covered, so as not to expose it to drafts of air. (Open pores are considered to be a direct route for "external pathogenic factors" to enter the body.)
Herbal Medicine - Plant, mineral, and/or animal sources are combined into a customized formula that serves as a supplement to acupuncture treatments.
Moxibustion - The use of burning herbs indirectly on acupuncture points, or more broadly on painful areas. Primarily, it is the herb Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort); used for its warming and invigorating properties in either a cigar-shaped roll, or in small cones, placed on a medicinal medium. Moxibustion is used largely in "cold-induced" conditions such as arthritis, menstrual dysfunction, lumbar pain, respiratory, and digestive disorders.
Tui Na - Translated as "push/grasp", tui na is a site-specific massage used to move stagnated circulation and relieve muscular pain, tension, and inflammation.