Acupuncture: Balance, Healing, Relaxing
About Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a medical practice created thousands of years ago to address blockages or disturbances in the flow of your body’s qi, or energy, to help alleviate health issues. Each treatment is developed based on a person’s unique needs and health and it benefits many conditions, including low back pain, headaches, neck pain, gastrointestinal issues, menopause, menstrual cramps, and allergies, to name a few. Read below for more detail on what options you can include in a session.
Acupuncture
Contrary to thicker needles meant to draw blood or inject fluids into the body, Acupuncture needles are hair thin and only cause a slight pinch or sting when inserted. They might cause varying sensations in different people, like an achy feeling, but that indicates your body is being receptive to the treatment and starting to heal vs. your body being in a state of distress or pain.
Gua Sha
A technique used in Chinese Medicine to help treat muscle and tendon injuries, specifically ones that have not completely healed. A rounded edge instrument is used to scrape the surface of the skin and create friction to encourage the formation of petechiae, or red spots, with the goal of causing the stagnant blood to evaluate the capillaries and create room for fresh blood to flow.
Cupping
The use of small cups suctioned to your skin help alleviate pain and heal sports injuries. This technique helps break up stagnant, congested blood and other fluids in the body to gain relief from sore muscles. You might experience some skin discoloration but it will normally only stay for a few days.
Moxabustion (Moxa)
In Chinese medicine, the herb itself is known as mugwort, which creates a smooth flow of qi and blood in the body to help rid it of pathogens. This form of heat therapy helps address pain management, which includes: decreasing inflammation, swelling, muscle stagnation, and healing time for injuries, while improving arthritic pain, overall energy, and muscle cramping due to stagnation.
“I had an eye-opening experience about the benefits of acupuncture. I see how it can be the (mental) yin to my (physical) yang.”
— TYRONE, ACUPUNCTURE CLIENT