What is Acupuncture?
How does Acupuncture work?
How can Acupuncture help?
How much does it cost?
Acutonics®
Acupuncture and Modern Science
NIH Consensus and WHO Viewpoint
Cranial Sacral Therapy
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the gentle insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body. This process stimulates movement of energy within the body, allowing natural healing to take place. These points are selected based on years of training Aupuncturists receive, which is based on over 3,000 years of experience in China. Acupuncture helps to prevent illness by improving the overall functioning the body’s immune and organ systems. Acupuncture is helpful for:
- Treating existing illnesses and injuries
- Preventing both recurrence of illnesses and new illness
- Improving overall health
How does Acupuncture work?
The Classical Chinese explanation is that energy (Qi) flows in channels (meridians) throughout the body and over its surfaces. These channels are rivers of energy, which are referred to as meridians. The Chinese have identified 71 meridians in the human body, which is a basic energy map for all people. The meridians are often compared to a series of interconnected highways. Each of the major organs in the body is associated with its own meridian. Through the network of meridians, the internal organs are connected to certain areas and parts of the body including: the muscles, bones, joints, and also other organs. The Chinese believe that health is a manifestation of balance, both within the body itself and between the body and the external environment. When the body is internally balanced and in harmony with the external environment, Qi flows smoothly through the meridians to nourish the organs and tissues. If an obstruction occurs in one of the meridians, the Qi is disrupted and cannot flow properly. When the Qi cannot flow smoothly or is forced to flow in the opposite direction, the body’s innate balance is disrupted and illness results. Acupuncture points are the specific points on the meridians where the Qi is both concentrated and accessible. Acupuncture engages the Qi by inserting needles at these specific points, the goal being to restore the proper flow of Qi. As the body regains its natural balance, well-being returns.
How can Acupuncture help?
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine complements conventional medicine. They are not substitutes for any conventional medical advice, medications or treatments. As a complement to conventional medicine, acupuncture can treat both acute and chronic problems such as insomnia, digestive and elimination problems, headaches, sleeping disorders, chronic pain, headaches, gynecological issues, aging concerns, smoking and eating disorders, and much more. For more conditions, see the World Health Organization list below.
Acupuncture can help reduce or eliminate the need for medications for many conditions including narcotics and other pain-relievers, but your family doctor must always be consulted in such instances.
Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at illnesses from a different perspective than conventional medicine. The basic tenet of Chinese Medicine is that we have a life force that energizes all the metabolic activity in our bodies, and this life force (often referred to as “qi”) is always moving and flowing. When qi flows unimpeded, we are healthy. When qi is blocked, we get pain and ultimately disease. The strategy of the Practitioner of Oriental Medicine is to find the areas of blocked energy, and help remove those blocks, which in turn helps the body return to its natural healthy state.
When you first visit the office of an acupuncturist, the practitioner will sit with you and do an intake. We are interested in all your symptoms and medical history. This helps us begin to determine our treatment strategy. The Chinese medical model is often very effective at treating hard to diagnose problems since it does not rely on having to know the biochemical reason for your condition, which is not known in most cases, particularly where blood tests and MRI’s are normal. Even when blood tests show imbalances, it is not usually known why this is happening.
This difference in perspective means that Traditional Chinese Medicine can often make sense of illnesses that Western medicine has difficulty treating. In cases where Western medicine may be limited to prescribing medication for symptom management, acupuncture may be able to intervene and encourage the body in a self-healing process. Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine is currently the fastest growing healing modality in the country.
How much does it cost?
Your initial visit will last approximately 2 hours; return visits are usually about 1 hour. This time will be spent interviewing you regarding your medical history and primary complaint, conducting a physical examination based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and performing a course of treatment.
My fee is $185 for the first office call with a $100 fee for repeat visits. I accept payment by cash, check, and most health insurance companies (I am not covered by Regence or Group Health).
Acutonics®
The Acutonics® Healing System is an energy-based non-invasive treatment that is similar to acupuncture. Precision calibrated tuning forks are applied to specific acupuncture and acupressure points to access the body’s Meridian and Chakra energy systems. These tuning forks represent a natural harmonic series based on the orbital properties of the Earth, Moon, Sun and planets. Their rich resonance and vibration connects with and supports the body’s natural frequencies. The sound waves of the forks vibrate and travel deeply into the body along energy pathways, affecting human physiology and reaching places not easily accessed by traditional medicine. Applying the forks stimulates and balances the body’s physical and subtle energy field to promote healing and inner harmony. Listening to the forks speaks to us deeply by connecting with our vestibular system, within the inner ear canal, and accessing our sense of motion, balance, space, memory, and healing.
How can it help?
Acutonics works similarly to Acupuncture. Like Acupuncture, the primary benefit is a balancing of energy. In many cases the tuning forks can be used by themselves without needles to achieve the same, if not deeper results of harmony. Acutonics treatments can be used to treat the same conditions as Acupuncture. In addition, many emotional and spiritual concerns can be addressed. We can, however, use the combination of needles and tuning forks to really address specific concerns.
Is it painful?
There are no needles or insertions with Acutonics, so those who are sensitive to needles and to experiencing their own qi sensations will find Acutonics to be more relaxing and less fear-inducing. The sensations often reported with Acutonics treatments are a deep inner vibration, and the feeling of being washed in tranquility.
How are treatments different from Acupuncture?
Because there are no needles, there are no insertions with Acutonics. The only sensation is around the vibrations created with the tuning forks. With Acupuncture, it’s normal to have the needles retained for up to forty minutes. The tuning forks are on a point for usually less than a minute, and then the next point is selected. The amount of time spent on a treatment is the same.
When do I use Acupuncture and Acutonics?
This distinction is made during each treatment. I choose combinations based on individual treatment goals. If you have a fear of needles and wish to only have sound therapies, please let me know and your wish will be accommodated.
Acupuncture and Modern Science
To the human body, acupuncture needles are a physical stimulus. In Western science, a stimulus is defined as a detectable change in either the external environment or within the body itself. When the body detects change, it produces a response. Although acupuncture is not yet fully understood by Western science, with modern technology scientists can now actually begin to “see” the body’s response to acupuncture. For example, using an MRI (a very sophisticated x-ray), researchers have shown that when a needle is inserted at specific acupuncture points on the body, corresponding changes occur in the brain. In the West, acupuncture is most well-known for its ability to relieve pain, so the majority of research thus far has been done in this area. Acupuncture points are now believed to stimulate the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to release pain- relieving chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord and brain. Acupuncture may also stimulate other chemicals to be released by the brain, including hormones that influence the self-regulating system of the body.
The NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture
In 1997 the U.S. National Institutes of Health published a Consensus Statement on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of conditions. View the full Consensus.
The World Health Organization
In the hands of a well-trained practitioner, acupuncture has much broader applications beyond pain relief. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of common illnesses including:
- Upper Respiratory Tract
- Acute sinusitis
- Acute rhinitis
- Common Cold and Flu
- Acute tonsillitis
- Respiratory System
- Acute bronchitis
- Bronchial asthma (Most effective in children and uncomplicated conditions.)
- Eye Disorders
- Acute conjunctivitis
- Central Retinitis Myopia (in children).
- Cataracts (without complications)
- Mouth Disorders
- Toothache
- Post Extraction Pain.
- Gingivitis
- Acute and Chronic Pharyngitis
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Spasms of esophagus
- Hiccough
- Gastroptosis
- Acute and Chronic Gastritis
- Gastric Hyperacidity
- Chronic Duodenal Ulcer (pain relief)
- Acute Duodenal Ulcer (without complications)
- Acute and Chronic Colitis
- Acute Bacillary Dysentery
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Paralytic Ileus
- Neurologic and Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Headache and Migraine
- Trigeminal Neuralgias
- Facial Palsy (early stage, i.e., within 3-6 months)
- Pareses Following a Stroke
- Peripheral Neuropathies
- Sequelae of Poliomyelitis (early stage, i.e., within 6 months)
- Meniere’s Disease
- Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction
- Nocturnal Enuresis (bedwetting)
- Intercostal Neuralgia
- Cervicobrachial Syndrome
- Frozen Shoulder
- Tennis Elbow
- Sciatica
- Low Back Pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Back and Knee Pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic Fatigue
- Sports Injuries and Pains
- Reproductive & Gynecological Conditions
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps)
- Spotting and Excessive Bleeding
- Amenorrhea (Loss of Menstrual Period)
- Impotence
- Infertility
- Incontinence
- Prostatis
- Mental Emotional Problems
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
The World Health Organization Interregional Seminar compiled the above list of illnesses that may benefit from acupuncture treatment. The list is only a partial list and is based on clinical experience, and not necessarily on controlled clinical research. The inclusion of specific diseases are not meant to indicate the extent of acupuncture’s efficacy in treatment, since all conditions may vary in severity and response.
Source: World Health Organization. Viewpoint on Acupuncture. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 1979.
Summary
Oriental medicine has been around for thousands of years, and has provided us with a unique and holistic approach to help prevent and treat disease. Western science and Traditional Chinese Medicine ultimately rely on the body’s natural healing ability to maintain health and protect against disease. Both have the same goal of helping a person stay healthy. Western science tends to use drugs and surgery as needed. Acupuncturists tend to use gentle needling and herbs. A combination of both systems creates an ideal environment of health and healing.
Cranial Sacral Therapy
There are many ways to explain Cranial Sacral Therapy, and many different ways of utilizing this profound, amazing healing modality. If you are receiving Cranial from an Osteopath it will be very different than receiving from an energy healer.
I have received a lot of Cranial over the years the only commonality is that I loved every treatment.
Clearly I have never received my own treatments, but I can tell you what I’m experiencing while I’m working. There are many subtle energies that run through the body, and most simplistically, I am connecting with them and helping the energy return to a natural state of existence.
Ok, that sounds very eclectic, and that’s what I love best about this modality. It’s about listening to the body. When my hands are resting on you, your body literally guides me towards finding a place of balance within you. Sometimes I see images that I convey to you. Sometimes I start breathing differently and realize if you changed your breath to match mine you would connect in with a deep part of yourself that needs this gentle nourishment. Sometimes I just sit and wait, allowing you to decide when the time is right for pressure or movement, for release.
I have written in another section about the idea of Stillpoint, and it is very strongly connected in with the healing work I do. When your body can come to the center, balance itself, and take a deep breath, aligning with the shifts that have just occurred, then real, lasting healing happens. This master reset that we achieve through our breath is the greatest indicator that we are present in our bodies, and that we are listening and taking strides towards the ultimate state of health and balance that we crave.
Cranial Sacral aligns perfectly with the healing work I do. Manipulating and listening to these subtle energy forces, allows the Acupuncture to work much more deeply and profoundly both energetically and emotionally. This quiet, beautiful touch allows for reflection and the opening for profound growth and change in every session. The combination of Cranial work with the other healing modalities I practice deepens and solidifies our work. I feel honored to have found and thankfully continue to learn from this amazing healing technique.
