Acupuncture & Chinese Remedial Massage
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What is acupuncture? Acupuncture is an ancient wholistic therapy that has been performed in China and the Far East for over 3000 years. While it has been practiced for such a long time, the art has evolved quite significantly in that time. For example 3000 years ago the needles were made from slivers of bone whereas today the needles are all surgical stainless steel and single use only.
For those who don’t know acupuncture is a treatment involving insertion of needles into specific points around the body to treat various conditions.
So how does acupuncture work? Well there are many theories about how acupuncture works. I’ll give you a quick explanation of the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) theory and a brief explanation of the most common western medical theory.
The TCM theory is quite complex (it takes at least 4 years to learn). The basic theory is that energy known as Qi circulates around the body. The Qi circulates round the body through pathways called meridians. Most of the acupuncture points used are on these meridians. In TCM theory when the flow of Qi around the body is blocked or interrupted pain or illness will occur. TCM theory also uses concepts such as the relationship between the organs and 5 element theories. There are approximately 360 points on the meridians with a few extra points that aren’t on the meridians that are used for specific conditions. Of the approximately 400 points that exist on the body there are approximately 100 points that are commonly used to treat most conditions. While these points are located all around the body, most of the commonly used points are either on the back or on the arms, legs, hands and feet. This is quite convenient because it means that for most common conditions little or no undressing is required.
The most common western medical understanding of acupuncture is known as the nerve segmentation theory. This theory believes that the needles stimulate nerves along which are from the same spinal nerves as the affected organs. By stimulating the points it overloads the neural pathways to the brain causing the brain to shut off that pathway thereby stopping the pain from being felt.
In TCM as a wholistic medicine we look at the overall health of the patient when diagnosing and treating their conditions. As such diagnostic techniques also include asking specific questions about the patient’s body as a whole and even asking questions that may not appear to have anything to do with the primary complaint.
The diagnostic paradigm of TCM may include statements about a person’s organs (e.g. Liver Qi stagnation) or statements regarding 5 element theories (e.g. wood/earth disharmony). It is important to note that this is a statement about the energetic state of the organ not the physical state. For example if a patient is diagnosed with “kidney deficiency” that refers only to the energetic state of the organ and how that impacts on the body. There is no need to go put yourself on the transplant list.
So now we get to the question of what exactly does an acupuncture treatment involve? Well for starters as I described earlier the diagnosis includes asking detailed questions about the state of the person’s health. While these questions may not appear to have anything to do with the primary complaint they do give quite a bit if information about the health of the patient. Other diagnostic methods include examination of the tongue & the pulses. Palpation of certain points is also used especially in cases of muscular or skeletal injury.
The treatment involves the insertion if very fine needles into points around the body. The needles used are very fine (about the thickness of a human hair) and range in length from around 13mm to 100mm depending on which areas are needed and the size of the patient. The insertion of the needles is usually painless although there are some areas of the skin which are more sensitive. The needles are inserted to a certain depth and then gently manipulated until a feeling known as “da Qi” is attained. This would usually manifest as a mild distending feeling at the point but everyone’s experience may differ. This sensation is not painful but on rare occasions may be slightly uncomfortable. The needle is then left in for approximately 20 minutes. Further manipulation is sometimes necessary to maintain the feeling of da Qi.
Other techniques that may be used include electro-acupuncture – small electrical leads are attached to the needles and a small electrical pulse is transmitted between the needles; TENS – which is similar to electro-acupuncture but adhesive pads are attached to the skin and the electrical pulse is transmitted through the skin; infrared heat lamps; moxibustion – a herb called mugwort is burnt either on the needle or near the skin at specific points; Tui-Na – Chinese remedial massage (sometimes known as acupressure); cupping – suction cups placed on specific parts of the body (this is painless but may leave some marks on the body); gua sha or scraping – scraping certain implements such as a spoon across areas of the skin (this is also painless but may leave marks similar to cupping); magnets stuck to certain points such as on the ears and left there for several days can also be used.
So the big question I often hear is “what can acupuncture treat?” For thousands of years acupuncture has been used as a complete medical system to treat a wide variety of problems. In modern times there has been a lot of research on the efficacy of acupuncture in treating certain conditions. The conditions that are most commonly treated include sports and musculo-skeletal injuries including back pain, RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome and many more. It can also be used to treat headaches, migraine, sinus and respiratory conditions, hay fever, women’s health issues, skin disorders, even stress & emotional disorders. Acupuncture has also proven useful for quitting smoking and other drugs of addiction. The list goes on and I won’t mention everything. If you are unsure if acupuncture is the right treatment for you book in for a free consultation. This will last for about 15 minutes in which time I will make a diagnosis, and outline a treatment plan including a realistic prognosis and treatment outcomes.
QUALIFICATION DETAILS
Now for a bit of info about me. Well for starters I actually have a science background having studied pharmacology at Monash uni. I then went and did a 4 year degree in health science, majoring in acupuncture. Included with that was a certificate IV in Chinese remedial massage. At the end of my course I spent one semester in china studying under some doctors there and working in a Chinese hospital. After returning from china I went into private practice. I am an accredited member of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society, and I am registered with the Chinese Medicine Registration board of Victoria.
Service Categories
Acupressure, Acupuncture, Chinese Massage, Corporate Massage, Natural Fertility Management, Weight Loss, Womens Health
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