Chinese medicine and acupuncture
Chinese medicine is a broad range of medicine practices based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years.
Herbal therapy
Herbal therapy is widely used for many disease conditions in China. There are now approximately 5,700 herbal substances identified in the material Medica, published by the Ministry of Health, China. Majorities of these substances are plant source and found through many years of experimentation and usage to be effective in assisting healing in certain conditions. Chinese herbs are usually used in combination of 6 of 20 herbs and are customarily prescribed for an individual patient’s specific condition. It is therefore common to have different herbal prescriptions from patient in many forms. Raw herbs can be taken in brewed tea form. This herb tea can also be prescribed in many other forms such as power, capsule, pill, topical and tincture. Herbs possess many strengthening as well as therapeutic effects due to their content of varieties due to their content of varieties of nutrients and vitamins, which are essential to the body.
Dietary therapy
In Chinese medicine, proper nutrition is considered one of the most important foundations of health and disease prevention. A patient going through an initial evaluation will be given guidance on general food restrictions and specific recommendations.
Cupping therapy
Cupping originated many thousands of years ago primarily for the treatment of disease & pain. Hippocrates & Galen, two of the most celebrated originators of modern medicine, were advocates of the tremendous benefits of Cupping. The application of the Cupping is very simple but its effects are dramatic. Due to the wonderful pulling power & heat that the cups offer, the technique is very effective in its reduction of pain & hence our feeling of well-being. Because of its stimulating & strengthening effects cupping has been used successfully to treat asthma, depression, back pain, arthritis, bowel conditions, headaches, injuries – the benefits are endless.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine is a system of medical care based on natural laws and spiritual understanding. There are many treatment modalities within this system. Acupuncture, elector-acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal, and dietary are the commonly utilised method. The process usually begins with an initial evaluation. Treatments are rendered on the same visit after evaluation. Objectives and goals are established in the first visit. Treatments may be used in conjunction with conventional drugs.
Electro-Acupuncture
Electro-acupuncture is the usage of electro impulse stimulation through the acupuncture needles in affected areas and is utilised in more severe pain conditions. This type of treatment enhances the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. It is a pain-free procedure with a small amount of throbbing and vibration in the affected area.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is a procedure of burning an herb, Folium Artemisiae Vulgaris to create heat and therapeutic effects as a stand-alone or an additional treatment to acupuncture treatment Moxibustion increases circulation and promotes healing.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a therapy involving inserting, manipulating and retaining very fine disposable sterile needles in different acupuncture points of the body to solicit neurological, immunological and endocrine responses. It has been fund that acupuncture treatment promotes the release of endorphins and other “healing” chemicals in the body. These chemicals assist in healing and pain management.
What one can expect from acupuncture
Most patients will see some benefit within 1 to 5 treatments. Occasionally there is an aggravation of symptoms between the 2 nd to 3rd treatments. Acupuncture effects are generally curative.
Beneficial for:
- Muscle and joint pains
- Headaches, migraines, neck and back spasms
- Insomnia
- Chronic fatigue (ME)
- Depression
- Loss of sensation motor impairment of limbs after a stroke
- Nausea & impaired immune function after chemotherapy & radiation
- Asthma
- Sinusitis
- Menopause
- Endometriosis
- Infertility
- Spastic colon, chronic diarrhea or constipation
- Facial paralysis & post operative toothache
- Weight loss
- Addictions
Acupuncture facts
Originally acupuncture needles were not made of stainless steel but of stone, bamboo and bone. Todayʼs needles are extremely fine in diameter (about the thickness of two human hairs) and are sterile and disposable.
Acupuncturists feel your pulse and look at your tongue to gain information about your state of health and plan a course of treatment.
The World Health Organisation released a report, Acupuncture:Review of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, which endorses the use of acupuncture for over 200 symptoms and diseases (low back pain, headache, nausea/vomiting, allergic rhinitis, depression/anxiety, side effects of chemotherapy and induction of labor to name a few).