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acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the many modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine which has been practiced for over 2,000 years. Acupuncture is based on the concept that the body has the ability to heal itself, and return to a balanced state, or homeostasis.
Acupuncture uses fine, sterile needles to improve the body’s energy flow and biochemical balance. The needles are inserted at well– defined acupuncture points located on “meridians” or channels. Meridian are energy channels that connect the surface of the body to the internal organs and other internal structures.
Acupuncture regulates the autonomic nervous system, which controls our sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) states. This is because acupuncture points lie in areas of high concentrations of superficial nerves, blood vessels, and neuromuscular junctures. Needle stimulation on these junctures, particularly the myelinated A-fibers and unmyelinated C-fibers of the somatic afferent fibers, promote a healing effect, leading to homeostasis - an intelligent self-healing process that the body undertakes to bring itself back to balance.
Auricular acupuncture and warming therapies are incorporated into the treatment as practitioner deems fit.
TRADITIONAL ACUPUNCTURE
Initial Consult & Treatment $150.00
Follow-up (Single Visit) $105.00
Cupping (add-on therapy) $35.00
Electroacupucture involves connecting a machine to two acupuncture needles and that passes a small electric current through the needles. The patient will experience a tapping or pulsing sensation at the needle where the clip is attached. This is a painless sensation. The acupuncturist selects a frequency and duration based on the condition being treated. The intensity is adjusted based on the patient's comfort level.
Depending on your condition, your practitioner may recommend electrical stimulation to increase treatment efficacy. Electroacupuncture relieves pain by activating bioactive chemicals in your body, such as endorphins, dynorphins, dopamine, among others. Recent studies have found electroacupuncture to be extremely beneficial for swiftly relieving pain, and it’s on the forefront of becoming a huge factor in decreasing opioid abuse.
If you have any medical devices, or suffer from a heart condition, please inform your practitioner.
ELECTROACUPUNCTURE
Initial Consult & Treatment $150.00
Follow-up (Single Visit) $105.00
Cupping (add-on therapy) $35.00
Auricular acupuncture, ear acupuncture, or auriculotherapy, is the stimulation of acupuncture points on the external ear. The tissue of the ear is unique and has functions in addition to our sense of hearing. The ear is the first organ to develop, becoming fully functional about 18 weeks after conception. It is one of a few anatomical structures composed of tissue from each of the 3 primary types (endoderm, ectoderm, mesoderm) in the developing embryo.
The ear holds a microsystem of the body, resembling an inverted fetus with all the fine details of the anatomical, physiological, and emotional body represented.
Treatment is performed by needling the respective points on the ear using fine, sterile needles inserted only millimetres under the skin. Depending on your condition, your practitioner, might send you home with ear seeds (vaccaria seeds) for longer lasting stimulation.
Auricular Acupuncture has proven to be an efficient method of treating a wide variety of conditions, from headaches and allergies to addictions and pain disorders.
AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE
Auricular Acupuncture and warming therapies are incorporated into the treatment as practitioner deems fit
research
The infographic shows that acupuncture points lie in areas of high concentrations of superficial nerves, blood vessels, and neuromuscular junctures. As a result, acupuncture influences both the Central and Peripheral Nervous systems, creating a global healing effect by promoting homeostasis - an intelligent self-healing process that the body untakes to bring itself back to balance.
In 2009, Dr. Morry Silberstein of the Curtin University of Technology, discovered the physical structure of the meridian points. Dr. Silberstein used stereomicroscopic images to find that the meridian channels were "extremely thin nerves called C fibres and acupuncture points are the points where the C fibres branch. These C fibres transmit low-grade sensory information. Insertion of acupuncture needles into these ranches disrupts this circuit and numbs our sensitivity to pain." [Metzger]
References:
Metzger, Lisa. New Groundbreaking Research from Curtin University proves the anatomic. PRWeb. (2011, December 20). Retrieved July 22, 2022, from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/12/prweb9029906.htm
Zablocki, F. (2021, June 28). Why acupuncture works - new scientific breakthrough. American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Retrieved July 22, 2022, from https://www.actcm.edu/blog/acupuncture/new-scientific-breakthrough-proves-why-acupuncture-works
Yun-Tao Ma, Mila MA, Zang Hee Cho; The Dao of Chinese Medicine - Donald Kenndall, et al.; Evidence of connective tissue involvement in acupuncture. FASEB J 2002
EFFICACY
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes the use of acupuncture due to its high-level of efficacy in the treatment of over 40 commons disorders. You can refer to their publications here and here for further detail. A summarized list is provided below for reference but does not encompass the vast number of ailments that can be treated.
MUSKULOSKELETAL
pain in spine, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, elbows and wrists
osteoarthritis
rheumatoid arthritis
fibromyalgia
tendinitis
sprains and strains
athletic injuries
traumatic injuries
NEUROLOGICAL
neuropathy
stroke
Bell’s Palsy
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Multiple Sclerosis
chronic migraines
headaches
dizziness
migraine
intercostal neuralgia
post-stroke paralysis
tinnitus
PSYCHOEMOTIONAL
depression
anxiety
insomnia
addiction recovery
GASTROINTESTINAL
food allergies
nausea
indigestion
bloating
diarrhea
constipation
ulcers
colitis
RESPIRATORY
cold and flu
bronchitis
asthma
allergies
emphysema
EAR, NOSE, THROAT
toothaches
earaches
sinusitis
rhinitis
laryngitis
GYNECOLOGICAL
menstrual irregularity
endometriosis
PMS
infertility
menopausal syndrome
PCOS
UROGENITAL
cystitis
stress incontinence
neurogenic bladder
prostatitis
prostatic hypertrophy