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