About Acupuncture

What is TCM?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete system of medicine dating back over 3,000 years. TCM addresses disharmonies in the body that can result in pain, disease, and illness. TCM looks at the relative health of the whole body and all its systems in order to realign the body for optimal wellness.

The basic tenet of Chinese Medicine is that the body is comprised of energy and the energy flows in very precise pathways throughout the body. These pathways are subject to disruption due to lifestyle, diet, trauma, aging, and emotions. When disruption occurs, blockages can form. These blockages can be experienced as pain, a change in digestion or appetite, insomnia, headaches, a compromised immune system, depression, and any other symptom one experiences when illness strikes. Acupuncture opens these pathways and reestablishes the flow of energy to balance the body and promote wellness.

We will create our diagnosis by listening to your complete medical history, looking at your tongue and taking your pulse. The tongue is a map of the body in TCM. It is the only muscle in the body that we can look at with the naked eye. Its size, shape, color, and moisture can tell us a lot about how and if the body is well nourished. The pulse is taken on both wrists in 6 different positions. In TCM, each pulse relates to the 12 organs. We can feel the various excesses and deficiencies occurring in each organ and where the disharmonies in the body are located.

We use a number of different techniques in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture is the use of hair thin needles placed in various places on the body to promote the flow of energy so that the body can balance itself. We also use moxabustion. It is the use of an herb to heat up the body for areas of cold or pain. We use fire cupping to help with pain, respiratory problems and the common cold. Magnets are used to coerce the proper flow of energy in the body, especially in children needling is not an option. Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine is given in cases where internal means are necessary to promote balance. It also prolongs the effects of the treatment by cultivating the proper energy flow on a daily basis. Herbal medicine is food based and is a gentle way of helping the body to regain its natural balance.