Acupuncture
Harmony Family Wellness offers acupuncture for all stages of life. Our highly qualified acupuncturists have extensive experience working with pregnancy and postpartum, as well as with a variety of conditions. These include conditions that may be acute, chronic or degenerative, emotional or psychological. Acupuncture or acupressure can be used for the whole family.
Generally, acupressure is used for children, but acupuncture itself may be used to quickly resolve symptoms such as high fever, sore throat and digestive disorders. Either acupuncture or acupressure may be used for pain, digestive issues, poor sleep, poor physical and/ or mental development and much more. Acupuncture for children is done quickly and the actual insertion of needles is quite gentle as kids respond very well to the treatment.
Acupuncture during pregnancy can be very helpful for many conditions including pain, nausea, morning sickness, hemorrhoids, labour preparation, delayed labour and more.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the insertion of hair-thin disposable needles at key points on the body in order to stimulate the flow of energy or Qi (pronounced chee). There are over 2000 points on the body (including over 300 main points) which fall on meridian or energy lines that cover the body inside and out. These points provide us with ‘gateways’ to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease body’s vital substance, qi, thus correcting many imbalances.
Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare in China for the last 5,000 years. It is used extensively for a variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease, to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery. As with in many oriental medicine practices, the emphasis of acupuncture is on prevention. In traditional Chinese medicine, the highest form of acupuncture given was to enable the individual to live a long, healthy life.
When Qi flows freely through the meridians, the body is balanced and healthy, but if the energy becomes blocked, stagnant or weak, it can result in physical, mental or emotional ill health. An imbalance in a person’s body can result from:
- inappropriate emotional responses such as excess anger, over-excitement, self-pity, deep grief and fear
- Environmental factors such as cold, damp/humidity, wind, dryness, and heat
- Poor diet, too much sex, overwork and overexertion.
To restore the balance, the acupuncturist stimulates the acupuncture points that will counteract that imbalance. The points that the practitioner chooses to stimulate may not necessarily be at the site of the symptoms.
How does acupuncture affect the body?
Recently, many studies have been done to understand the mechanism of acupuncture. Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system. It also has effects on circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, gastric acid secretions and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help the body respond to injury and stress.
Many studies have documented acupuncture’s effects on the body, but none have fully explained how acupuncture works within the framework of Western medicine. Researchers have proposed several processes to explain acupuncture’s effects, primarily on pain.
In general, acupuncture points are believed to stimulate the central nervous system, which, in turn, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either alter the experience of pain or release other chemicals that influence the body’s self-regulating systems. These biochemical changes may stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.
The Chinese medical view of its effects are that by stimulating certain key points in the body, the flow of Qi will be improved, thus enabling the body’s systems to come into balance. The improved qi circulation allows for better blood circulation as well as balancing the body’s yin and yang. (Yin is the more feminine, soft, dark, interior, moist etc. part of a person; yang is the more masculine, hard, light,exterior, dry etc. part of a person).
What conditions may benefit from acupuncture?
Many people seek acupuncture treatment for relief of chronic pain, such as arthritis or low back pain. Acupuncture, however, has many more uses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists 40 conditions that may benefit from acupuncture. These conditions include:
Digestive: Abdominal pain, Constipation, Diarrhea, Hyperacidity, Indigestion
Eye-Ear-Throat: Cataracts, Gingivitis, Poor vision, Tinnitis, Toothache
Musculoskeletal: Arthritis, Back pain, Muscle cramping, Muscle pain and weakness, Neck pain, Sciatica
Respiratory: Asthma, Bronchitis, Common cold, Sinusitis, Smoking cessation, Tonsillitis
Emotional: Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Nervousness, Neurosis
Gynecological: Pregnancy and postpartum issues, Infertility, Menopausal symptoms, Premenstrual and menstrual symptoms
Neurological: Headaches, Migraines, Neurogenic bladder dysfunction, Parkinson’s disease, Postoperative pain, Stroke
Miscellaneous: Addiction control, Athletic performance, Blood pressure regulation
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for Gynecology and Obstetrics
Pre- pregnancy: Chinese medicine is wonderful to prepare the body to be as fertile and healthy as possible in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Imbalances include:
- Menstrual irregularities and pain
- Infertility issues
- PMS
- History of miscarriage
During pregnancy: Many of the discomforts, pains and imbalances of this time can be rectified using gentle techniques. Imbalances include:
- Morning sickness, nausea, acid reflux
- Anxiety
- Back aches
- Sciatica, head aches, other pains
- High blood pressure
- Edema
- Hemorrhoids
- Constipation
- Varicose veins
Before and during labour:
- Fetal malposition
- Premature/ delayed labour
- Difficult labour/ long labour
- Painful labour
After Birth:
- Post partum depression
- Fatigue
- Various pains