ACUPUNCTURE

Our ideal is a relaxed readiness for life.  Acupuncture helps us achieve this by freeing the flow of energy and nourishment to our bodies, and easing our transitions through life’s rhythms.

As part of the ingenious natural world, our bodies know how to balance and restore themselves after injuries and insults. Acupuncture reminds the body to do this by causing tiny stimulations that wake up the body’s innate intelligence for self-healing.

It creates cascades of positive changes in the blood chemistry and nervous system to promote homeostasis, the fine balance of physiological processes that keeps us alive. Modern science has proven that acupuncture benefits the immune system, lowers blood pressure, regulates blood sugar, calms asthma and balances hormones, among a myriad of other functions.

It also stimulates the body to release its own pleasurable, relaxing, pain relieving natural substances, and relaxes tense muscles and calms inflammation.

The early Chinese thought of the human body as a planet, complete  with rivers of functional energies or meridians that irrigate and nourish the tissues.  These energies can become dammed up, causing painful overflows and under-irrigated deserts of low function. These rivers have access points, spots rich with powerful nerves and blood vessels, to release blockages or call forth nourishment .

Each of these points has a beautiful name that reflects its function on the planet, which we  treat with hair-thin single-use needles. The insertion of the needles is not painful.

We use a variety of acupuncture styles, including very gentle Japanese needling, classical Chinese methods, ear acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, and modern orthopedic techniques like trigger point therapy.

Acupuncture is typically given in a course of multiple treatments to reinforce the effect, which depends upon the complexity and duration of the problem. We also do cupping and gua sha.

Of course, you don’t have to believe in acupuncture for it to work!