Acupuncture
Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine acupuncture needles into specific locations on the body. The aim of treatment is to stimulate and harmonise the flow of energy (Qi) throughout the body - which then restores a greater sense of health and wellbeing. Acupuncture needles are much finer than regular medical needles and generally insertion is not painful. Most people report an initial tingling sensation followed by a calm and relaxed feeling during the treatment. Acupuncture treatment is very safe, and practitioners at our clinic only ever use single-use, high quality disposable acupuncture needles .
Acupuncture Treatment
After performing a comprehensive Chinese Medicine diagnosis, your acupuncture practitioner will select acupuncture points on various parts of the body to help bring your body back into balance. Sometimes the practitioner will only select one or two points, other times many more points will be needles to effect a good outcome.
Relaxation
Once inserted, acupuncture needles are left in-situ for between 10-40 minutes depending on the treatment protocol. During this time you can relax, close your eyes, meditate or sleep as the acupuncture takes effect.
Acupuncture Theory
Acupuncture theory describes 12 main channels (sometimes called meridians) that run vertically along the front and back of the body. Along these channels are numerous acupuncture points where the life-force and function of the body "Qi" (pronounced Chee) can be accessed and guided back into balance. There are over 360 acupuncture points on the body, each with their own actions. Acupuncture points are described in Chinese Medicine theory according to their effects on the four main substances: Qi, Yin, Yang and Blood. Their effects are either nourishing or sedating, moving, heating or cooling.
Pain-Free Acupuncture
Our practitioners take great care to ensure the utmost comfort and a pain-free acupuncture experience - using the most gentle acupuncture techniques. You can inform us prior to your first session if you are anxious about having acupuncture and we can then tailor your treatment to accommodate this. In fact many clients report after having their first acupuncture treatment that they are surprised at how comfortable the process was.
Laser Acupuncture
The use of low level lasers is a recently modern addition to the practice of Chinese Medicine. Our clinic uses laser acupuncture for the treatment of children and for clients who have low pain tolerance or are anxious about having needle acupuncture. Laser acupuncture is not always suitable for the treatment of all conditions, but your practitioner will be able to let you know during your initial consultation. Musculoskeletal injuries, dermatological conditions, IVF support are conditions that are frequently treated with laser acupuncture and have good outcomes demonstrated in clinical trials. Some conditions that normally repsond well to acupuncture can be made worse by laser acupuncture, our practitioners will determine prior to your treatment if there is a possibility of laser acupuncture worsening your condition, and alternative treatments will be recommended accordingly. Laser acupuncture is not suitable for use around the site of a melanoma or other skin cancer, or within 6 months of having received radiation therapy. Other treatment types are more suitable in these cases.
Scientific Research on Acupuncture
Some preliminary studies have been performed using a modern scientific analysis of how acupuncture works. Many mechanisms have been identified so far, including the stimulation of pain relieving substances including endorphins, enkephalins, substance P, interleukins and others, the regulation of neurotransmitters (related to mood), promoting production of white blood cells (involved in immunity), regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (involved in hormones and metabolism) as well as local anti-inflammatory effects. Further research is finding that there are many many mechanisms of action that come into play to make acupuncture such a beneficial treatment for such a wide variety of health issues.
Thousands of clinical trials have been conducted over the past 20 years into the effectiveness of acupuncture for various conditions - from headaches, back pain, nausea, osteoarthritis, depression, fertility and many more. A good place to scour through the clinical trials is at the pubmed website - where all research and clinical trials from the 80s until present are indexed and searchable.
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