Acupuncture

What are the benefits of Acupuncture?

 

The benefits of having acupuncture are many and varied. They can range from an immediate sense of wellbeing, a deep feeling of relaxation, to freedom from pain and an increase in mobility straight after the treatment. The most important benefit of having acupuncture is that it offers a returning path to health. This can be a gradual or quick process depending on your age, state of general health and the severity and/or length of the presenting problem.

Acupuncture may also be used to; maintain normal health, assist in disease prevention, regulate the immune system, promote longevity and vitality and reduce the signs of aging.

 

 

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is part of an integrated system of primary health care developed in China known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Its history and development dates back at least five thousand years, which makes it one of the oldest traditional medicine systems being used in the world today.

 

Acupuncture has become an increasingly popular form of traditional treatment in the west and in Australia has achieved wide-spread acceptance as an effective and reliable form of health care. Qualified practitioners of acupuncture treat many health issues, based on a coherent and substantial body of knowledge developed over thousands of years of clinical practice and intellectual endeavour. Modern clinical research adds to this traditional knowledge.

Since 1979 acupuncture has had formal recognition by the World Health Organisation for successfully treating a wide range of health conditions.

Acupuncture may also be used to; maintain normal health, assist in disease prevention, regulate the immune system, promote longevity and vitality and reduce the signs of aging.

 

What happens during consultation and how does acupuncture work?:

Gabriella arrives at a diagnosis by getting your thorough medical history; by examining your pulses on the wrists, the appearance of your tongue, your general appearance and talking with you about your life style and environment.  Based on the diagnosis, she will select a number of acupuncture points that will address your health problems and that will work well together to create harmony and balance within your body. Your treatment will be perhaps combined with a massage and/or a prescription of a Chinese Herbal formula to complement and support your acupuncture treatment.

Your Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine sterile needles into specific points along your body’s meridians (energy pathways). In very simple terms; stimulating these acu-points clears blockages and encourages the normal flow of Qi throughout your body. Your organ systems benefit greatly by the regulation of qi and blood flow and other nutrients that get delivered to them at optimum rates as a result of acupuncture treatments.

 

Gabriella may also stimulate the acu-points using other methods.

 

These methods may include:
moxibustion (smouldering herbs placed near the points);
heat packs applied to tight or sore muscles combined with a liquid moxa spray (very relaxing!);

Cupping (cups applied via a suction method to various parts of the body);

Massage or acupressure.

All these methods, although varied, have one aim; to clear blockages and re-establish the smooth flow of Qi.

 

Does it hurt?

Contrary to popular myth, acupuncture is less painful than a deep tissue massage.  Some of the points used cannot be felt at all.  Others produce a slight tingling or itching sensation initially, which fades in a very short time

Length of treatments

First treatment involves a thorough history taking and can take up to an hour.  Ongoing treatments generally last between thirty and forty-five minutes, but it’s best to leave yourself an hour to fit in a short massage if needed.

When do I start to feel better or different and how many treatments do I need?

A feeling of wellbeing can occur in the first ten minutes, or may take three to four treatments to achieve.  There are many factors which affect the length of your recovery to health, such as your age, your general state of health, lifestyle choices, and the severity and chronic nature of your presenting condition.  For best results six treatments at weekly intervals are recommended initially.  This is best followed by maintenance treatments at monthly to six weekly intervals; these are particularly important for chronic conditions.  Some people elect to have regular acupuncture to maintain health and wellbeing.

 

Conditions treated at the centre include:

 

Women’s Health issues – such as; PMS, Dysmenorrhoea (painful periods), irregular periods, menopausal syndromes, fertility issues, morning sickness, healthy pregnancy management, induction of labour, pain management, post-partum conditions

 

Painful and Musculoskeletal conditions – including; back and neck pain, head ache, arthritis, sporting injuries, tennis elbow, and fibromyalgia, sciatica

 

Gastrointestinal disorders – such as; nausea, vomiting, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating

 

Ear Nose Throat and Respiratory disorders – including; the common cold, viral upper respiratory infections, middle ear infections, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis, mouth ulcers, tinnitus, Meniere’s disease

 

Uro-genital disorders – such as; urinary tract infections, prostatitis, impotence, low libido

 

Stress related disorders – including; anxiety/panic attacks, insomnia, nervous ticks, phobias, dizziness/light-headedness

 

Skin conditions – such as; acne, dry skin, premature aging of skin, pigmentation, sagging/drooping skin, puffiness around the face and eyes