Services.Be Healthy Acupuncture works with your Western Medicine team to integrate Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments to help improve your health. These treatments include acupuncture, Chinese herbal formulas, and dietary recommendations. Together, these elements help you get through chemotherapy treatment by minimizing the side effects to improve your quality of life. Once you have completed your treatments, continuing with Traditional Chinese Medicine can help you optimize your health.
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Acupuncture![]() More than 2,000 years ago, acupuncture was practiced by using pointed (bian) stones as needles according to the textbook Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Xinnong in 1999. Where the needles are inserted into the body is determined by the complex theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. At its most basic, it can be described as the interplay between Yin and Yang. Yin can be described as the most inner part of the body or relating to substance such as the blood and body fluids. Yang, on the other hand, is the more superficial part of the body, and more action oriented than physical or tangible according to Giovani Maciocia, in his 2005 book called The foundations of Chinese Medicine: A comprehensive text for acupuncturists and herbalists. The traditional Yin/Yang figure symbolizes the balance these two forces need to have in the body. A Western equivalent that might come close to describing it is homeostasis, where everything needs to be in balance to maintain health according to Albegov, Butenko DV, & Butenko LV in their paper "The wu xing theory and homeostatic interaction of organs" published in the Chinese Medicine Journal in 2010. From a Western Medicine perspective, acupuncture works by stimulating the nervous system either locally by releasing neurotransmitters where the needles is inserted, or through your spinal column, as well as by releasing hormones in your brain. These needles are much smaller than the hypodermic needles used by physicians, and can be as small as the width of a human hair. Generally, you will not feel the needles go into the skin, but if you do have any discomfort, it should resolve within 5 seconds. You may feel a dull achy sensation, this means that the treatment is working. During the treatment most people feel relaxed, and are able to rest. The needles are left in while you relax for about 30 minutes. Because the treatment is re-setting your body, it generally takes 4 to 6 weekly treatments to get the full effect of the session. You should get some relief after the first treatment, but it's best to follow the longer timeline to get the most improvement from receiving acupuncture. |
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