Chinese Holistic Health Center
Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM encompasses many different practices, including acupuncture, moxibustion (burning an herb above the skin to apply heat to acupuncture points), Chinese herbal medicine, tui na (Chinese massage therapy), dietary therapy, and tai chi and qi gong (practices that combine specific movements or postures, coordinated breathing, and mental focus). TCM is rooted in the ancient philosophy of Taoism and dates back more than 5,000 years.
Although the exact number of people who use TCM in the United States is unknown, it was estimated in 1997 that some 10,000 practitioners served more than 1 million patients each year. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults had used acupuncture in the previous year. The number of visits to acupuncturists tripled between 1997 and 2007. According to the 2007 NHIS, about 2.3 million Americans practiced tai chi and 600,000 practiced qi gong in the previous year.
Acupuncture
Over five thousand years ago, East Asian practitioners discovered that the body forms disharmonies as a result of the various physical and mental stresses of life. Oriental medical theory explains these disharmonies as an imbalance of opposing forces called yin and yang. This imbalance disrupts the movement of the body's vital energy (qi) along the meridian pathways, which are channels through which the body's energy is thought to flow. Acupuncture restores the smooth flow of qi. By inserting and manipulating needles at specific points on the body, I am able to return the body to its natural balance and promote the body's ability to heal itself.
What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?
Many first-time patients are concerned that acupuncture needles will feel like hypodermic injections at the doctor’s office. They won't. Acupuncture uses hair-thin, flexible needles that you will hardly feel when I insert them. When I gently stimulate the needles they may produce a unique sensation that Oriental medicine calls "De Qi." Patients often describe De Qi as a heavy, achy pressure, or spreading, traveling feeling. You may also feel an "electrical" sensation moving down the meridian pathways, though this is less common. Most patients find these acupuncture sensations deeply satisfying and leave the treatment feeling relaxed both mentally and physically.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
The benefits of acupuncture are cumulative, so more then one treatment is necessary. For acute conditions you can expect to have 10 to 15 treatments, but you will usually begin to feel relief after just the first few. Chronic conditions may take longer to respond, depending on the type, severity, and duration of the condition. Preventative treatments and treatments for general well-being may also be scheduled on an as-needed basis.
Will the needles hurt?
Acupuncture is a painless experience. Insertion is gentle without feeling the needles enter the body. At times a light pricking sensation may happen. Qi flow has been known to arise at the site of a point as a heavy sensation, trickling, or warmth. These feelings could surface at other areas of the body away from the needle site corresponding to where the chosen meridian flows.
Does it really work?
Chinese Medicine has been proven with empirical evidence over the course of thousands of years to aid in a person’s health and well-being. Research continues today to study its affects on people. More evidence through the scientific method surfaces every year discovering its assistance to a variety of illnesses and common health conditions.
Can I see my western medical doctor at the same time?
Most certainly. It is advised to be in communication with your both your medical doctor and acupuncturist to assure the most comprehensive care possible.
How often do I need to get treatments?
Treatment protocol will be discussed during your first visit depending on the nature of your condition. An acute concern could show improvement after one visit, whereas a more chronic illness could result in treatments over the course of a few weeks to months. Often patient visits will typically be 1 to 2 times per week.
Your First Visit
When you arrive for your first acupuncture appointment I will ask you to complete a comprehensive intake form. The acupuncture intake form asks questions about your current state of health, past illnesses, and family history. These questions are important because the holistic approach of Oriental medicine takes everything into account. Your current symptoms may not seem related to past health issues, but our bodies are complex landscapes and everything that happens to them leaves its mark.
After reviewing your intake form, we will discuss your condition, and I will examine your pulse and tongue, which are two of the basic diagnostic methods of Oriental medicine. The acupuncture points I choose will depend on your condition, but you can expect approximately 20 needles. Once the needles are inserted, I will leave you to lie comfortably for 15-20 minutes with the needles in place. Many people find acupuncture treatment deeply relaxing, and it is not uncommon for patients to fall asleep during this time.
What Can Acupuncture Treat?
Acupuncture works by activating the body's own healing powers, so it can be beneficial for many health conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented many symptoms, diseases, and conditions that have been shown in controlled clinical trials to be effectively treated with acupuncture. Below are some common conditions I can treat, but please feel free to contact me about your specific health condition.
Cupping
Traditional Chinese medicine brings to mind acupuncture and the use of natural herbs as healing remedies. Cupping is a lesser-known treatment that is also part of Oriental medicine, one that can provide an especially pleasant experience. One of the earliest documentations of cupping can be found in the work titled A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, which was written by a Taoist herbalist by the name of Ge Hong and which dates all the way back to 300 AD.
Cupping is the term applied to a technique that uses small glass cups or bamboo jars as suction devices that are placed on the skin. There are several ways that a practitioner can create the suction in the cups. One method involves swabbing rubbing alcohol onto the bottom of the cup, then lighting it and putting the cup immediately against the skin. Suction can also be created by placing an inverted cup over a small flame, or by using an alcohol-soaked cotton pad over an insulating material (like leather) to protect the skin, then lighting the pad and placing an empty cup over the flame to extinguish it. Flames are never used near the skin and are not lit throughout the process of cupping, but rather are a means to create the heat that causes the suction within the small cups.
Once the suction has occurred, the cups can be gently moved across the skin (often referred to as "gliding cupping). The suction in the cups causes the skin and superficial muscle layer to be lightly drawn into the cup. Cupping is much like the inverse of massage - rather than applying pressure to muscles, it uses gentle pressure to pull them upward. For most patients, this is a particularly relaxing and relieving sensation. Once suctioned, the cups are generally left in place for about ten minutes while the patient relaxes. This is similar to the practice of Tui Na, a traditional Chinese medicine massage technique that targets acupuncture points as well as painful body parts, and is well known to provide relief through pressure.
Generally, cupping is combined with acupuncture in one treatment, but it can also be used alone. The suction and negative pressure provided by cupping can loosen muscles, encourage blood flow, and sedate the nervous system (which makes it an excellent treatment for high blood pressure). Cupping is used to relieve back and neck pains, stiff muscles, anxiety, fatigue, migraines, rheumatism, and even cellulite. For weight loss and cellulite treatments, oil is first applied to the skin, and then the cups are moved up and down the surrounding area.
Like acupuncture, cupping follows the lines of the meridians. There are five meridian lines on the back, and these are where the cups are usually placed. Using these points, cupping can help to align and relax qi, as well as target more specific maladies. By targeting the meridian channels, cupping strives to ‘open' these channels - the paths through which life energy flows freely throughout the body, through all tissues and organs, thus providing a smoother and more free-flowing qi (life force). Cupping is one of the best deep-tissue therapies available. It is thought to affect tissues up to four inches deep from the external skin. Toxins can be released, blockages can be cleared, and veins and arteries can be refreshed within these four inches of affected materials. Even hands, wrists, legs, and ankles can be ‘cupped,' thus applying the healing to specific organs that correlate with these points.
This treatment is also valuable for the lungs, and can clear congestion from a common cold or help to control a person's asthma. In fact, respiratory conditions are one of the most common maladies that cupping is used to relieve. Three thousand years ago, in the earliest Chinese documentation of cupping, it was recommended for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Tui Na
Tui na means "pushing grasping," and is a powerful form of Chinese medical bodywork. Based on the same Oriental medical principles as acupuncture, ui na seeks to improve the flow of qi through the meridian channels. Tui a is particularly effective for conditions involving muscles, tendons and joints, such as structural misalignment, orthopedic problems and sports injuries. It can also be used to treat internal diseases.
Baby Tui Na - Chinese massage
What parent would not welcome the means to alleviate conditions such as colic and restlessness for their babies.
Tui Na techniques provide the essential green way for infants from birth to six years old to enjoy a healthy future. Parents and babies will both greatly benefit from the rewarding, touch based experience that practicing these massage techniques bring.
What are the benefits of Baby Tui Na / Pediatric Tui Na
Baby Tui Na Chinese massage maintains the vital Qi (energy) patterns essential for healthy development. The result, is a very healthy, strong, bright, happy child.
Good brain development ensures not only high intelligence but effective functioning of all the more vegetative processes as well. The impact that Tui Na has on the intellectual development of a child raised in a stimulating environment & with a close parental-child relationship can seem like a miracle.
A strong immune system means not only good resistance to childhood ailments but also a greatly reduced tendency to react to the ever increasing amounts of substances in our environment that can cause allergies such as asthma and eczema.
Strong well developed neuromuscular and skeletal systems ensure good motor co-ordination which enhances the development of the physical skills such as writing, drawing and sports.
Baby Tui Na Chinese massage is completely holistic in its action and treats the whole body. Most mothers want to give their children the best start in life. This means doing all that is possible to allow each child to develop to the full potential determined by it genes.
Baby Tui Na Chinese massage achieves its results by balancing Qi (energy) and promoting its free flow.
Can Baby Tui Na Chinese Massage be used for treating illness?
Illnesses of all kinds are the result of some disturbance to the normal flow of Qi. Tui Na can restore this flow to treat most of the common health problems of young children:
- asthma
- colds
- colic
- constipation
- convulsions
- restlessness
Baby Tui Na Chinese Massage or Paediatric Tui Na is a branch of traditional Chinese Medicine and was developed from Tui Na for adults over a thousand years ago.
It has been extensively practised in China for at least 700 years and experience has revealed unique ways and means of affecting the energy flow in the bodies of young children.
Babies have meridian systems that are not fully developed, yet every aspect of a baby's growth and development depends on Qi flow and its correct balance.
Tui Na Chinese massage for infants uses a whole system of points and pathways that often do not correspond with any of the adult ones. Tui Na Chinese massage for babies is powerful medicine and when performed correctly, its effects are profound.
It is during the first five years of a child's life that the most important physical, neurological and behavioral developments take place. This is the time when disturbances to the flow and diffusion of vital Qi and its balance between the organs can have the most seriously harmful and lasting effects. These include retarded brain development, weakened immune response and slow development of the muscular-skeletal system.
Acupressure
Acupressure is an ancient healing art using the fingers to gradually press key healing points, which stimulate the body’s natural self-curative abilities. Acupressure was developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago. Using the power and sensitivity of the hand, Acupressure Therapy is effective in the relief of stress-related ailments, and is ideal for treatment and preventive health care for boosting the immune system. Acupressure releases tension, increases circulation, reduces pain, and develops spirituality and vibrant health. Acupuncture & Acupressure use the same pressure points and meridians, but Acupuncture employs needles, while Acupressure uses gentle to firm finger pressure. When these acupressure points are stimulated, they release muscular tension, promote circulation of blood, and enhance the body’s life force energy to aid healing.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion involves the heating of acupuncture points with smoldering mugwort herb (known as moxa). Moxibustion stimulates circulation, counteracts cold and dampness in the body, and promotes the smooth flow of blood and qi. This safe, non-invasive technique may be used alone, but it is generally used in conjunction with acupuncture treatment.
My sister, an Olympic Gold Medal Winner, in Urumqi, China receiving a Moxibustion treatment
Infrared Heat Therapy
Infrared is a band of light that we perceive as heat. While we cannot see infrared heat, we can feel its effects. Infrared radiation, or radiant heat, represents over half of the energy emitted by the Sun and is divided into three segments: near, middle, and far.
Infrared rays heat our body by a process called conversion. Through conversion, far infrared heat can penetrate organic substances such as the human body without heating the air in between. You may notice a similar effect on partly cloudy days: when a cloud obscures the sun, you suddenly feel cooler, but the air temperature around you has not had time to be affected. The cloud blocked the sun's infrared rays from penetrating your body.
By using far infrared heat as opposed to traditional heating methods, you enable the heat to penetrate deeper into your body without the skin discomfort of heating pads, hot towels, and some pain relief gels/creams. However, less discomfort is just one of many benefits of far infrared heat therapy.
The benefits of Infrared Heat Therapy
The human body is composed of 90% water. Infrared rays cause resonance in water molecules, activating them and ionizing them. Because of this effect, Infrared Heat Therapy offers a variety of proven health and beauty benefits.
Infrared Heat Therapy effectively helps to increase blood circulation without putting strain on your heart and increases the levels of oxygen and white blood cells in your blood. It also stimulates the production of collagen (a building block for human tissue) in your body and helps to rid your body of toxins by causing you to perspire. You get the benefit of a stronger immune system, better cardiovascular health, and a faster ability to heal from soft tissue injuries such as tears, pulls, and sprains. Believe it or not, Far Infrared Heat Therapy also serves as an effective way to help cure hangovers.
The penetrating heat of Infrared Heat Therapy can be used as a beauty treatment as well. It reduces the appearance of crow's feet, fine lines, and wrinkles. In addition to helping heal scars, wounds, and cuts, it also smoothes your skin's texture, lessens coarseness, and reduces pore size.
Infrared Heat Therapy penetrates deep into soft tissue, making it an ideal source of arthritis pain relief. Athletes and the elderly will benefit from an effective means of loosening sore muscles and stiff joints without the use of ointments or creams that can burn and have an unpleasant odor. Those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, and Parkinson's Disease can enjoy an easy to use form of pain relief. In addition to making you perspire and removing toxins from your body, Infrared Heat Therapy serves as a means of weight loss and cellulite reduction for those who cannot exercise due to health concerns or mobility issues.
Micro-current acupuncture therapy
Stimulate acupuncture points
Pain control
Heal non-union fractures
Increase wound healing
Faster healing rate after injury
How it works:
Micro-currents work on a cellular level stimulating cellular physiology and growth
Adenosine-5-triphosphate (ATP) ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism
Micro-current increased ATP production by 500%
Increased protein synthesis 70%
Increased amino acid transport 40%
Increased electron flow
Increased potential difference
Enhances tissue repair; protein and DNA synthesis
Improved insulin binding
Increased intracellular calcium uptake
Inflammation, swelling and bruising are reduced visibly within 24 hours of injury
Infertility
Acupuncture is one of the most popular forms of alternative medicine used to improve fertility and possibly treat infertility. But how exactly is sticking little needles into the body supposed to help you get pregnant? How does it work?
There are two ways to ways to answer this question. We can answer this question from the so-called Eastern perspective. In other words, with what traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) say about acupuncture and fertility.
We can also answer the question from the Western point of view: What does the medical research suggest about acupuncture? How can acupuncture help those with infertility?
How Acupuncture May Work, According to Traditional Chinese Medicine
According to classical Chinese philosophy, we have channels of "energy" called meridians that run through our bodies. "They are often compared to rivers running through the body, in order to nourish the tissues," she explains. "Stagnation in the flow of these energy rivers is like a dam that is backed up."
According to traditional Chinese medicine, disruption of the flow can lead to physical and emotional illnesses, including infertility. These meridians can be affected by needling specific points, also known as acupuncture points. By needling the acupuncture points, the flow of the energy gets "unstuck" and is allowed to flow in a free and balanced way.
How Acupuncture May Work, According to the Current Research
Of course, the Western, scientific explanation is quite different. The truth of the matter is that no one is sure how acupuncture works. But there are theories.
One theory is that by needling points on the body, chemicals and hormones are triggered and released. "These chemicals either change the experience of pain, or they trigger a cascade of chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system," Blakeway says. "The improved energy flow and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture stimulates the body's natural healing abilities, and enhances physical and emotional well-being."
Research has shown specifically that acupuncture increases the amount of beta-endorphins flowing through the body. Beta-endorphins are feel-good hormones that help lessen pain. Exercise is also known to boost the amount of beta-endorphins in the body. If you've ever experienced a "runner's high," you've enjoyed a boost of beta-endorphins.
But some interesting research on acupuncture points may imply that it's more than just beta-endorphins and hormones at play. In a research study at UC Irvine, researchers used MRIs to look at the brain while patients received acupuncture treatment.
"Traditionally, acupuncturists have used a point on the little toe to address eye pain," says Blakeway. "The point is chosen because it is on the same meridian as the eye." What's amazing is that in this study, when the point on the foot for eye pain was stimulated, the part of the brain that regulates vision lit up.
Acupuncture and Infertility
The research on acupuncture and infertility is ongoing, and the topic is controversial. Some studies have been too small to prove a definitive connection to improved pregnancy rates, and some studies contradict each other in their results. Other studies question whether any benefits are simply a result of the placebo effect.
With that said, here are a few of possible benefits of acupuncture, according to the preliminary research:
- Improved pregnancy rates during IVF treatment cycles, when acupuncture takes place on the day of embryo transfer
- Increased blood flow to the uterus, leading to an improved endometrial lining
- Reduced stress and anxiety levels
- Possible improvement in ovulation for women with PCOS
- Possible improvement in sperm count and quality in men with infertility
- Possible regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which in turn could help regulate ovulation
If acupuncture's something you'd like to try for infertility, I can surly help you realize your dream. I have many success stories and many happy parents that have realized their dream,... to conceive a child.