Acupuncture
Acupuncture
The body’s organizational energy emerges in the womb and persists for life. This energy, or qi, pools in the abdomen and streams to the head and extremities. These streams of energy (qi) serve the body best when abundant, unobstructed, and flowing naturally in the right direction. Due to dietary and lifestyle choices, physical and emotional trauma, inherited conditions, or as a result of aging, qi can flow counter to its natural tendencies, diminish or become stuck. Fortunately, these streams of qi have guideposts along the way that are receptive to various forms of treatment, including acupuncture. Insertion and retention of thin, flexible, filiform needles manipulate the energetic flow within the body, in time restoring balance and treating myriad conditions. This form of Eastern medicine can be traced back to the Neolithic period and continues today in China as one of many treatment modalities available to patients in modern hospitals today.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Herbal formulas have treated a variety of conditions for over 5,000 years. Indeed, the medicinal net cast by herbal therapy is broad, and includes the prescription of primarily specific plant parts (flowers, leaves, stems, roots, etc.) in building a formula with specific properties to achieve a specific medicinal effect tailored both to the patient’s presenting condition and overall constitution. These formulas are prescribed largely in the form of teas or convenient pills. Importantly, many of the herbs used in Chinese medicine for these thousands of years now serve as the active ingredients in the modern pharmaceutical industry today. And while pharmaceutical medicine undoubtedly provides quick symptomatic relief, the adverse effects and inability to treat the underlying condition leave many patients in search for a different solution. At the heart of Chinese medicine is honoring the whole plant for its medicinal qualities in treating the whole person and his or her underlying condition, with the aim of kick-starting the body’s innate curative capacity and ultimately restoring balance.
Moxibustion
In ancient times, moxibustion was used as a primary treatment therapy alongside acupuncture. Moxibustion, the application of direct or indirect heat via the herb commonly known as mugwort (artemisia vulgaris or ai ye), is often utilized in cases of chronic illness, compromised immunity and autoimmune diseases, certain so-called “cold” conditions giving rise to a variety conditions (GI disorders and infertility, for example) and musculoskeletal injuries. This heat therapy may be applied directly to the skin or indirectly applied atop an acupuncture needle or herbal cone placed on the skin, or by hovering a rolled moxa “stick” above the affected area. I primarily utilize direct non-scarring moxibustion (in Japanese, termed okyu), in which rice grain-sized moxa is placed atop an ointment applied to the skin and burned in successive applications. This painless, warm sensation is well-received by patients for whom it is prescribed. Occasionally, I employ chinetsukyu, an indirect form of moxibustion wherein moxa is shaped into a fingertip-sized cone and placed on the affected area, and burned until the heat sensation is perceived, then repeated 2-3 times.
Pediatric Acupuncture
Children respond remarkably well and reasonably quickly to acupuncture. For babies, toddlers, and younger children, a gentle, non-invasive contact needling technique dating back to the 17th century (termed shonishin, in Japanese), employs the use of strategically-shaped tools that are typically stroked, pressed, or tapped along the back, head, abdomen and extremities in a way that minimizes distress during the treatment process. This treatment can be applied on the squirmiest babies and most resistant children! For older children, the introduction of very thin needles that are retained for a few minutes may be introduced, as appropriate.
Yoga Private Sessions
The parallels between the sciences and philosophies of yoga and Traditional East Asian Medicine are impossible to ignore. Both are holistic treatment approaches that see man as a reflection of and participant in the larger macrocosm, and seek to unify and balance mind, body and spirit. The benefits of yoga largely mirror those of acupuncture treatment, and extend well beyond musculoskeletal relief. Body and breath work are emphasized, and each session is tailored to the unique needs of the individual.
Adjunct Therapies
Electrical stimulation (“e-stim”), cupping, tui na, gua sha, bleeding / bloodletting, sound therapy, nutritional education and lifestyle therapy
