ACUPUNCTURE
About Acupuncture
Reduced to its simplest, acupuncture is the millenia-old practice of inserting sterile, hair-fine needles at specific points in the body to strengthen, stimulate and relieve symptoms of disease. But here’s what you really want to know:
Do you feel it? Yes.
Does it hurt? No. It feels weird, like no other feeling you’ve had before, but it’s not an “ouch feeling.”
If you are “afraid of needles” should you still try it? Totally. More often than not the “scared patient” is the first to fall asleep once the needles are in and then be surprised by how relaxing the whole thing was.
Is it weird to stick needles in your body for health and serenity? Sure. It’s really weird. I’m the first to admit it. However, the fact that it has been treating patients on nearly every continent for at least 4000 years (compared to Western medicine’s 100 years) speaks to its efficacy.
Do you need to be sick and broken to benefit from acupuncture? While acupuncture can be incredibly effective at treating symptoms, the ideal acupuncture patient actually has no “symptoms” and wants to stay that way.
The gist is: Energy (or “qi” if you like) is constantly moving through the body (blood is a thicker form of this energy), and when it circulates properly, we don’t feel it.
But when it gets blocked or becomes deficient, it causes pain, dysfunction, depression and disease. Pain is actually energy and blood that have stagnated.
During treatment, when an acupuncture needle is inserted, it doesn’t hurt but the brain recognizes “something is happening” and sends blood to the insertion point to investigate, triggering the inflammatory response and circulating oxygen, lymph fluid, minerals, and resources both to the point of insertion and to other areas that may help the body recover.
That’s what acupuncture does: it speeds up the healing process through hyper-circulating blood to where it needs to go.
HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK?
With new technology called the FMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) an abundance of studies have been published within the last decade. These studies have shown that acupuncture indices different effects on the human brain as displayed through use of FMRI machines.
Studies using FMRI found that acupuncture can induce different effects on the brain and can be used to:
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Decrease pain by Increasing endogenous opioids: (enkephalins and endorphins- Which are stronger than morphine!)
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Increasing serotonin- a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of happiness.
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Protect the brain- Has neuroprotective effects :Inhibits neurodegeneration. (Via expression and activation of brain derived neurotrophic factor -BDNF).
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Reduce blood flow to the amygdala (fear centre of the brain) and Increase cerebral blood flow.
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Reduce blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. (Pain processing, overthinking over analyzing part of the brain).
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Has vasodilation effects: Increases nitric oxide levels resulting in increased local circulation.
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Anti inflammatory effects: decreases levels of pro inflammatory cytokines In the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
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Increases nitric oxide in the endothelium to increase circulation in the body.
Many things happen when you insert a needle into the skin:
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It creates a micro-trauma that stimulates the activity of immune cells that control inflammation.
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Sends a signal through the nervous system to the brain: chemicals such as endorphins, norepinephrine and enkephalin are then released. Some of these substances are 10-200 times more potent than morphine!
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Helps stimulate blood flow: Restoring proper blood flow is vital to healing and maintenance of health.
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Regulates nitric oxide levels: Increased nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity has been found in acupuncture points. Acupuncture increases the nitric oxide level in treated regions and helps increase local circulation and decrease inflammation and pain.
How many sessions you will need is based on the ailment. I usually recommend at least 3-5 sessions to correct many imbalances. Although relief is usually felt after the first or second session.
ACUPUNCTURE SESSIONS
Acupuncture is an effective method of healthcare that focuses on moving blood and lymphatic fluid to accelerate the healing process.
In a typical acupuncture session, several diagnostic methods are used to determine what's out of balance. This begins with questioning you about your various signs and symptoms, previous medical history, and course of illness.
Acupuncture sessions are between 45-50 minutes long which allows time for assessment, evaluation and treatment as we try to gain a deep understanding of your health issues, lifestyle and eating patterns.
Massage techniques and fire cupping are also used during the treatment to promote blood and lymph flow. We love using red light therapy and infrared heat during our sessions to improve blood flow and circulation. Red light therapy is incredibly relaxing.
You are the focus for the entire session and we only treat one patient per hour.
The acupuncture needles used are extremely thin, and their insertion is virtually painless. Some needling sites will produce very little sensation, and you may not even know the needles are in place.
Other sites may produce a sensation of tingling, electricity, heat, cold, heaviness, or an achy sensation. The vast majority of people find acupuncture to be extremely relaxing, and many will even fall asleep during treatment.
If you prefer not to have needles inserted then acupressure therapy and auricular points can be used instead.
