What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an beneficial and effective form of medical treatment that is widely used for healthcare purposes. Practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese medicine have used this noninvasive treatment method to help many people become well and stay well. Acupuncture not only promotes natural healing, but it can enhance immunity, boost physical and emotional health, and improve the overall function of the human body. It is a safe, painless and effective way to treat various medical problems.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are safe, effective and drug-free medical treatments that can help address a wide variety of common ailments and problems.

 

How does it work?
According to the theory of Chinese medicine, acupuncture works primarily by promoting the free movement of energy. Western scientific research has shown that acupuncture causes the production of molecules called endorphins. Nevertheless, acupuncture is used for many other conditions besides pain. Recent studies have shown that when an acupuncture needle is inserted into the body, specific regions of the brain are activated. This brain activation allows other systems of the body to be regulated with the modulation of various molecules like neurotransmitters and hormones. Acupuncture can also modulate all primary systems in the body including the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.

 

Does acupuncture hurt?

Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are thin as hair, and they are not designed to cut the skin. They are also inserted to much more shallow levels of the skin than hypodermic needles, which includes lengths of half an inch to only an inch, depending on the type of treatment. The needle does not exceed the length of one inch.

Most people feel only a minimal amount of pain as the needles are inserted. If there is pricking or pain during initial insertion, it should diminish quickly.

 

Is acupuncture safe?

When practiced by a licensed and trained doctor, acupuncture is extremely safe. 
As a system of health care, acupuncture already has some inherent safeguards. Patients do not have to worry about taking several doses of medication, for acupuncture is drug-free and does no harm.

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine

 

What is Chinese herbal medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine is part of an integrated system of primary health care, known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It has a history of development that originated in China and other parts of East Asia thousands of years ago.
 

Traditional Healthcare & Modern Profession
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the oldest health care systems in the world.

In the intervening millennia, the practice of Chinese herbal medicine and TCM has matured to become what it is today - a natural system of primary health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.

 

Holistic Health Care
Chinese herbal medicine takes an holistic approach to understanding the function of disease processes, as it also focuses as much on the prevention of illness as on the treatment.

Most diseases or illnesses present a combination of noticeable signs and symptoms, yet the actual presentation of a particular disease or illness will vary from person to person. For this reason, people with similar health conditions may be provided with quite different Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions.

A qualified practitioner is able to prescribe a Chinese herbal formula that specifically matches and treats your individual health problem. As your condition changes and improves with treatment, the Chinese herbal treatment is also adjusted and modified until the desired health outcome is achieved.

 

What substances are used in Chinese herbal medicine?
Today, there are more than 450 substances commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine, which consist of mainly animal and mineral substances. You may find some in your kitchen, such as ginger, garlic and cinnamon, while others such as chrysanthemum and peony flowers, are more likely to be found in your own garden! Many of the substances used will be unfamiliar to you and have names like chai hu (bupleurum), di huang (rehmannia), and huang qi (astragalus). Some substances that were used traditionally are no longer part of modern professional Chinese herbal medicine practice. For example, traditional remedies that are derived from endangered species have been replaced by other substances with similar actions.

 

How is Chinese herbal medicine prescribed?
Chinese herbal medicines are made into formulas or are singled out, which shows the individual therapeutic action of each herb as well as the effects of them, when combined together. A well constructed formula maximises the effectiveness for treating a particular condition, while counteracting and minimising the unwanted effects of an individual herb.

What conditions does Chinese herbal medicine treat?
In addition to providing effective treatment for a wide range of health disorders, Chinese herbal medicine may also be used to support general health care and disease prevention. By strengthening and improving normal body functions, the immune system is boosted, and a general sense of well-being promoted.

 

A list of typical conditions that are treated with Chinese herbal medicine includes:

• Insomnia and fatigue

• Loss of appetite and common digestive disorders

• Constipation and diarrhoea

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Common cold and influenza

• Chronic headaches

• Skin disorders

• Fluid retention

• Anxiety, depression and stress

• Allergies

• Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis

• Premenstrual syndrome and painful menstruation

• Excessive menstruation

• Infertility

• Impotence and prostate disorders

• Disorders associated with menopause