Contemporary Medical Acupuncture

Dr. Shima Shahidy, (Hon) B.Sc., DC
Doctor of Chiropractic, Acupuncture & Graston Technique Provider

Acupuncture is a healing art dating back over 5000 years

Based on traditional Chinese medicine, contemporary medical acupuncture is used to treat a variety of conditions and is endorsed by the world health organization as a safe and cost effective approach to healthcare.

Acupuncture is used to alleviate pain and promote healing. Treatment involves the insertion of very thin, sterile, disposable needles into specific sites on the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, these points are chosen to balance the flow of Qi (energy), thereby allowing the body to heal.

While respecting the traditional roots of acupuncture, we primarily adhere to the neurophysiological and anatomical model for acupuncture. It is used either as a part of chiropractic treatment or as the sole treatment modality. Sometimes an additional device is used to deliver electrical current through the needles to enhance their effect. Thankfully Acupuncture treatment is not usually painful. Often patients feel the insertion of the needle but rarely would they describe it as pain. This is primarily because the needles are extremely thin and therefore do not cause the pain sensation often felt with vaccines or blood tests.

To keep it simple, research on acupuncture has shown that it works by stimulating the nervous system. Stimulation of tissue by acupuncture needles triggers the body's natural healing response, in many ways similar to how the body reacts to a cut or other puncture injury. Acupuncture needles are often placed in tight muscles and can help release trigger points and spasms.

Acupuncture treatment imparts a feeling of general well being and relaxation. We often advise patients to relax after treatments and take advantage of this.

Chiropractors often use Acupuncture in the treatment of the following conditions:

• Headaches or Migraines
• Neck pain
• TMJ dysfunction
• Tennis elbow
• Golfer's elbow
• Muscle strain/tension
• Low back pain
• Sciatica
• Knee pain
• Arthritis
• Shoulder pain / Rotator cuff injuries
• Frozen shoulder
• Sprains and strains
• Acute and chronic pain

 

Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine

Provided by Dr. Samantha Ristimaki, BSc, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine

What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete medical system that has been used to diagnose, treat and prevent illness for more than 2000 years. It focuses on evaluating and treating the body as a whole in order to attain balance and wellness.

The Chinese believe that opposing forces such as hot and cold, winter and summer, happiness and sadness are present within the body and the universe. This theory of Yin and Yang when in balance, allows your body to feel energized - yet relaxed. When out of balance, too much or too little of either can negatively affect your health.

How does Acupuncture relate to Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that energy know as Qi circulates throughout the body along specific pathways called meridians. Good health is maintained as this energy flows freely throughout these channels. If this flow is disrupted, pain or illness can occur. Traditional acupuncture works to restore normal function by stimulating specific points along the meridians which facilitates circulation of Qi and restores overall balance within the body.

What conditions can benefit from Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine?

There are numerous applications in which Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can be applied:

Issues of the Mind and Body:

• Back, neck, knee and/or facial pain and stiffness
• Frozen shoulder - when the shoulder is painful and there is loss of motion due to inflammation
• Migraines and headaches
• Acute and chronic pain relief
• Rheumatoid (leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues) and other forms of arthritis
• Sprains and strains
• Neuralgia - pain in one or more nerves caused by a change in neurological structure
• Muscle spasms - sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles
• Depression
• Stress and anxiety
• Bursitis - painful inflammation of the bursa, a pad like sac found in areas subject to friction
• Addictions - smoking, eating, drugs
• Constipation/diarrhea
• Dizziness

Issues with Overall Health and Disorders:

• Allergies and sinus problems
• Dysentery - an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea
• Sleep disorders - such as snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, parasomnias (disruptive sleep) etc.
• Epigastralgia - pain in the gastric region
• Hemorrhoids
• TMJ - Temporomandibular Joint Disorder - symptoms include headaches, jaw clicking, ear pain, dizziness and/or tinnitus
• Fertility/Infertility
• Reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
• Biliary colic - known as Gallstones, hard pebble-like deposits form inside the gallbladder causing pain
• Abnormal blood pressure - hypo and hypertension
• Bell’s Palsy - a form of facial paralysis resulting from damage or trauma to the facial nerves
• Asthma - chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways
• Shingles - an infection caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox

Issues Specific to Women:

• Menstrual problems
• PMS
• Irregular; heavy and/or painful periods
• Menopause
• Induction of labour
• Malposition of fetus
• Morning sickness
• Uterine fibroids - benign (non-cancerous) tumors that form on the wall of a woman's uterus
• Endometriosis - disorder where the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus and on other organs
• IVF support - In vitro fertilisation