ACUPUNCTURE RESULTS
While four to ten treatments (sometimes more)
are generally required to realize significant
improvement for a specific problem, you can
expect to also see improvement in your overall
health. In fact, acupuncture has been proven to
stimulate the release of natural opiate-like
hormones which usually induce a deep state of
relaxation, balance and healing. Most people
report that the experience is actually quite
pleasurable.
ACUPUNCTURE STYLES
There are varieties of acupuncture styles and
moreover, assessment and treatment procedure can
actually be quite varied. At KNOLL Acupuncture
we practice Traditional Chinese Acupuncture,
Japanese, Korean, Balance Method,
Electro-Acupuncture and Auricular Acupuncture.
The artistic element of acupuncture is
integrating the proper elements for each
patient. So which acupuncture style is best for
you? This really depends on your condition and
personal response. Some health problems may be
more responsive to one style of acupuncture,
while some other conditions (or patients) may
respond favorably to other acupuncture styles.
Some acupuncture systems are designed more to
provide temporary relief of symptoms; other
acupuncture protocols are designed to address
the root cause of the symptoms.
We also use adjunct modalities such as gua sha,
tui na, massage,
nutritional counseling and electrical
acupuncture. Gua Sha is a healing technique
used in Asia by practitioners of Traditional
Medicine. It involves palpation and cutaneous
stimulation where the skin is pressured, in
strokes, by a round-edged instrument; that
results in the appearance of small red petechiae
called 'sha', that will fade in 2 to 3 days.
Raising Sha removes blood stagnation considered
pathogenic, promoting normal circulation and
metabolic processes. The patient may experience
immediate relief from pain, stiffness, fever,
chill, cough, nausea, and so on.
Tui Na is an Oriental Bodywork Therapy
that has been used in China for 2,000 years. Tui
Na uses the traditional Chinese medical theory
of the flow of Qi through the meridians as its
basic therapeutic orientation. Through the
application of massage and manipulation
techniques Tui Na seeks to establish a more
harmonious flow of Qi through the system of
channels and collaterals, allowing the body the
naturally heal itself. Tui Na methods include
the use of hand techniques to massage the soft
tissue (muscles and tendons) of the body and
acupressure techniques to directly affect the
flow of Qi.
Electro-acupuncture, the application of a
pulsating electrical current to acupuncture
needles as a means of stimulating the acupoints,
was developed in China as an extension of hand
manipulation of acupuncture needles around 1934.
The procedure for electro-acupuncture is to
insert the acupuncture needle as would normally
be done, attain the Qi reaction by hand
manipulation, and then attach an electrode to
the needle to provide continued stimulation.
The benefits of using electrical stimulation
are:
-
It substitutes for prolonged hand
maneuvering. This helps assure that the
patient gets the amount of stimulation
needed.
-
It can produce a stronger stimulation, if
desired, without causing tissue damage
associated with twirling and lifting and
thrusting the needle. Strong stimulation may
be needed for difficult cases of neuralgia
or paralysis.
-
It is easier to control the frequency of the
stimulus and the amount of stimulus than
with hand manipulation of the needles.
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