Traditional Chinese Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese acupuncture is an ancient healing system originating in China nearly 5000 years ago. Only recently, in the last 50 years or so has acupuncture been “discovered” by western society and in the past 10 years is becoming part of mainstream health care.

Acupuncture is a holistic system of healing. This means that the entire body, mind and spirit of the person being treated is assessed and considered when diagnosing and determining the appropriate treatment. This holistic approach is not only very effective for the ailment but it is also gentle to the other parts of the body with no harmful “side effects”. In contrast, some more “modern” methods of heath care and treatment may be useful for the area of the body being treated but those procedures and medications often impact other body systems causing additional ailments and diseases.

Acupuncturists in BC attend school full time for a minimum of 3 years, not including a 2 year undergraduate entrance requirement. Their training involves an in depth education in all aspects of Chinese medicine including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Chinese massage, Chinese dietary therapy and other treatments such as cupping and moxabustion. In addition, acupuncturists in BC are also educated in modern western anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology .Acupuncturists in BC must not only attend an accredited teaching institution but must also pass rigorous licensing exams in order to practice acupuncture legally-similar to licensing for other health care professional such as doctors, dentists, chiropractors, physiotherapists and registered massage therapists so that they may legally practice their own disciplines.

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) is the world leader and advisor for world health issues such as disease and treatment. Through extensive clinical trials W.H.O. has long recognized and endorsed acupuncture as an effective health care option, listing over 75 diseases and conditions successfully treated with acupuncture.

Central to acupuncture theory is the ancient concept of Yin and Yang and “Qi”. Qi is a Chinese name for energy found in the body. Yin and Yang are opposites and are represented by feminine and masculine, day and night, hot and cold etc. Chinese medicine recognizes disease by the imbalance of Yin and Yang and pathologies regarding Qi such as stagnation and deficiency.

Your skilled acupuncturist will use traditional Chinese diagnostic skills of pulse taking and tongue reading to determine the root of your health concern and to find a suitable treatment plan. Many different “point combinations” may be used to treat a health problem depending on the “differential diagnosis” found by your acupuncturist.

People often ask how many treatments they will need to relieve their health problem. The short answer is that the more superficial or acute the problem is the quicker and easier it is to treat and the more long term and chronic a health problem is, the longer it may take to treat. Often people come for acupuncture treatment for a health problem that they have “tried everything else for”. This is a challenge for the acupuncturist and even then, many chronic and long term problems can be relieved. The most important thing for patients to remember is that body, mind and spirit are inseparable aspects of humans and all three contribute to both disease and health, therefore, a holistic approach will do more than just heal a person’s body.

Finally, we believe that it is never too late to feel better and look better and to have a better life with more meaning and enjoyment.

 

"We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us
It’s not just in some of us, it is in everyone!"
-Marianne Williamson