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What is it?
Acupuncture is at least 2000 years old (according to archeological research) and forms part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) along with food, herbs and massage.
TCM views health as coming from a free flow of qi, pronounced chee. Qi can be understood as the force that moves our blood, allows nerves to communicate quickly, and lets muscles remain strong and relaxed. In TCM, pain and dysfunction are understood to arise when qi is undernourished or stuck.
What does it do?
Acupuncture releases the body’s stuck energy. A person with a decent amount of unstuck qi at their disposal is energetic, clear minded and emotionally and physically resilient.
What can I expect from treatment?
Acupuncture is a gentle treatment. Many people expect the needles to hurt but the most commonly used words to describe the sensation of needling are "floaty","tingling" and "warm".
Paul will always explain what a treatment consists of and if, after hearing and seeing what Acupuncture is, a client is not happy to receive Acupuncture then the treatment will not include it.
After an Acupuncture treatment it is not unusual to feel a little spacey and/or there may be a ‘bruisey’ feeling in some muscles but the most common reaction is an increase in mental and physical relaxation.
What type of Acupuncture does Paul use?
TCM Acupuncture
The original (and some say still the best!). TCM Acupuncture follows the Chinese system of treating qi through points on the meridians (channels) of the body. Through these points the practitioner is able to work with the muscles, nerves and organ systems of the body. Traditional conditions that are treated with TCM Acupuncture include: fertility, period pain, stress, headaches, back pain, neck pain, asthma, hayfever, insomnia, anxiety, stomach discomfort, and muscular-skeletal injuries.
IM (Intramuscular) Acupuncture
A healthy body’s muscles are capable of clenching and relaxing fully. When a muscle is tense it gets stuck in a ‘half-in, half-out’ state. Intramuscular needling makes the muscle clench fully and then immediately relax fully. Conditions treated by IM Acupuncture are any that create muscular tension.
Electro-Acupuncture
In some cases the effects of Acupuncture can be enhanced by use of an electro-therapy machine similar to TENS. In cases of severe muscular or nervous impairment e.g. stroke or sciatica, electro-acupuncture is used (Chinese hospitals record a high degree of success with this treatment menthodology). It can also be used to help conditions such as period pain.
Trigger Point Acupuncture
Trigger points are points on the body that may radiate pain to a completely different part of the body. When Trigger points are stimulated with Acupuncture needles, the area which has been feeling the pain will be relieved and function improved.
Auricular (Ear) Acupuncture
Similarly to reflexology whereby the foot is used to treat the whole body, points used in Ear Acupuncture correspond to organs and systems throughout the body. Ear Acupuncture has been used by the US NAvy in the field of combat to reduce pain in wounded soldiers and used extensively in addiction programs world wide to reduce cravings. There is also strong evidence to the effectiveness of ear acupuncture in weight loss. |
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