What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient form of medicine involving the insertion of sterile, disposable needles (as thin as a hair) into the skin at specific points on the body. Acupuncture is safe and effective, and is often successfully used as an alternative to or in combination with conventional therapies or medications.
What does it do?
Acupuncture can relax you, diminish pain, improve your digestion, energize you, and help you to avoid illness.
How does it work?
Chinese medicine has an interesting explanation as to how and why illness occurs. Qi (pronounced chee ) or vital energy flows in our body through a network of meridians, like a highway system. Injury, congestion, or just plain stress can interrupt the smooth flow of energy throughout the body, creating a ‘traffic jam’.
In a highway system, when there is road construction or an accident, traffic may also be backed up on secondary roads that feed into or out of the affected area. This is true in the body, too. Stress, or any disruption in the flow of energy, can affect many processes of the body, for example digestion, the ability to sleep and the immune system.
Acupuncture helps to clear blockages (traffic jams) in the flow of energy, enabling our natural healing processes to function effectively.
What can acupuncture help with?
Acupuncture has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a valuable healing modality for over 40 conditions, including:
- addictions
- anxiety & stress
- allergies
- coughs and colds
- depression
- digestive issues (constipation, bloating, diarrhea, gas, heartburn)
- headaches or migraines
- high blood pressure
- insomnia
- lower back pain
- menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats)
- menstrual problems (PMS, painful/heavy periods, absence of periods)
- morning sickness
- muscle or joint pain
- side-effects of medications (e.g. chemotherapy)
- sinus congestion
What does acupuncture feel like?
Acupuncture should not feel painful. You may experience a tingling or slight aching feeling when the needles are placed. Most people become very relaxed and take a nap during their treatment.
Having acupuncture could be described as a period of deep stillness in which nothing seems to be happening, but all sorts of things get done.
How often should you come for acupuncture?
For acupuncture to have lasting results, you need to have it frequently enough to result in progressive improvement. One or two sessions will feel good due to acupunctureʼs relaxing effect, but will not usually resolve a health problem. Once a week is the minimum to make real progress. Twice a week can jump-start the healing response and shorten your treatment cycle.
Here are some guidelines that apply to most conditions:
In an acute situation, such as an injury, or seasonal allergies, you will get the best results from several visits a week until you feel better.
With chronic conditions like migraines or insomnia, acupuncture is best done on a weekly basis for about 6-8 weeks. At that point you can re-assess your needs with your acupuncturist. Very chronic conditions may require several cycles of treatment.
If you are seeking relief from stress related to your job or life-situation, acupuncture can enable you to cope better by helping you to relax and strengthening your immune system. During these times, you should come in as often as you need to alleviate the symptoms.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese Medicine has a long history of using herbal remedies. Herbs are combined into prescriptions based on your particular constitution as well as your health issues. At the RCAC, we will sometimes suggest herbs to complement acupuncture treatments. These will usually be in the form of pills or powders.
