Chinese Medicine Treatments

Chinese Medicine involves careful and detailed questioning of a person’s personal and medical history, symptoms and treatments, observing the appearance of their tongue and complexion, feeling the quality of their pulses, and assessing the feel of reflexes on their feet, hands, abdomen and neck when palpated. Chinese Medicine makes it possible to diagnose people as individuals rather than as a disease label. This allows for individualized treatment based on an individualized diagnosis.

Acupuncture, one of the primary treatments in Chinese Medicine, is effective in regulating and balancing the network of energetic pathways, called meridians, that connect the surface of your body to your internal organs. In health, Qi, blood, and fluids are abundant and flow smoothly through these meridians. When the flow is improper, obstructed, or weak, physiological functions and processes can become impaired, impacting the body, mind, heart and spirit.

Acupuncture treatments help regulate nervous system function by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which relaxes the fight or flight response. As a result of the relaxation that occurs, primary body functions such as hormone secretion and regulation, blood oxygenation and circulation, sexual and reproductive function, digestion and elimination, the proper movement of emotions and thoughts and the wellbeing of our spirits can occur and be restored if there has been injury, illness or impaired functioning.

Acupuncture is a safe and effective drug-free way to treat many conditions, both as a primary form of treatment and as a complement to conventional allopathic medical treatment and other modalities such as massage, chiropractic, naturopathy, Rolfing, osteopathy, physiotherapy, kinesiology, and counselling. Acupuncture can be incorporated from age 6 months.

Cupping increases blood flow within vessels and capillaries so that tissues better receive nutrients and oxygen. When tissues receive good blood flow and are nourished, healing can take place and pain will diminish or resolve.

Traditionally, cupping is done with glass cups. Heat is captured in the glass cup using an alcohol-soaked cotton ball that is lit and placed for a short time into the cup and then removed. The warm cup is quickly placed on the skin creating suction. The skin and tissues are pulled into the cup. The cups are left in place or moved up and down the body to massage the tissue. I use plastic cups and a pump to create the suction.

Anyone of any age can receive cupping. “Kissing cups” is a fun and effective treatment for children under 5 years old as the cups can make a kissing sound when they are removed. This makes the treatment approachable for little kids.

Moxibustion is a treatment where a rice grain sized piece of prepared mugwort (Artemis vulgaris) is placed directly on acupuncture points and lit, or a lit stick of mugwort is brought close to a point on the body with pecking motions. The action of warming or pumping heat into an acupuncture point activates and strengthens circulation, absorption, and healing in the local area.

I use this treatment primarily with pregnant clients attempting to turn malpositioned and breech babies.

When clients are bedridden, or in hospital and elder care facilities, I offer home visits. This makes treatment possible for people who otherwise might have trouble coming to the clinic. I charge a fee in addition to the treatment fee.