Acupuncture for pain

Licensed Acupuncturists see the body as a system of meridians. When a blockage happens in a meridian due to acute trauma (i.e. tripping and spraining your ankle) or overuse (i.e. poor posture while working on the computer), Qi and blood no longer flow smoothly through it and symptoms like pain, numbness, and tingling may develop. If a person's body is in balance, it should overcome this blockage on its own, but if someone is already off balance because of poor diet and lifestyle choices - or if the injury too severe for the body to handle - then the natural processes that usually lead to long-term healing are disrupted. Acupuncture gently reawakens these processes and helps the body to heal itself.

From the perspective of Western medicine, acupuncture improves circulation in a given area and increases white blood cell activity, both of which lead to a shorter healing time. Acupuncture also increases the body's natural pain killers and can influence a person's pain threshold. In this way, a person suffering from pain can find both short-term and long-term relief after having regular treatments.

As we mentioned on our homepage, Traditional Chinese Medicine is its own system of medicine with its own diagnoses and treatments. If you have a Western diagnosis for your pain - bursitis, tendinitis, arthritis, bulging disc, torn rotator cuff, migraines, etc. - we would love to hear it, but that alone will not determine our treatment plan. We look at the whole person and how the different areas of the body connect, so don't be surprised if your Licensed Acupuncturist chooses points that aren't where you would expect. (For instance, when a patient comes in to get acupuncture for low back pain, we'll often start with points around the ankles and wrists.) 

 Photo credit (top): Sarah Anna Hansen Photography