Acupuncture
For thousands of years in China, acupuncture has been a primary means of treatment for illnesses of all kind. While Americans are most familiar with the use of acupuncture for pain control and anesthesia, Acupuncture can actually be effective in treating a wide variety of conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) recognize more than 50 conditions being effectively treated by acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Can Acupuncture Benefit You?
Acupuncture is a safe and effective therapy that promotes natural healing of the body. Acupuncture can provide you:
- Drug-free pain relief
- Strengthens your immune iystem
- Stress reduction and emotional balance
- Improved and faster recovery from injury, illness and surgery
- Premenstrual (PMS) and Menopausal symptom relief
- Reduction of side effects of chemo and radiation therapies
- Very few side effects
- Improved Health and Quality of Life
Cupping
What Is Cupping Therapy?
Cupping is a type of alternative therapy that originated in China. It involves placing cups on the skin to create suction. The suction may facilitate healing with blood flow.
Proponents also claim the suction helps facilitate the flow of “qi” in the body. Qi is a Chinese word meaning life force. A famous Taoist alchemist and herbalist, Ge Hong, reportedly first practiced cupping. He lived from A.D. 281 to 341.
Many Taoists believe that cupping helps balance yin and yang, or the negative and positive, within the body. Restoring balance between these two extremes is thought to help with the body’s resistance to pathogens as well as its ability to increase blood flow and reduce pain.
Cupping increases blood circulation to the area where the cups are placed. This may relieve muscle tension, which can improve overall blood flow and promote cell repair. It may also help form new connective tissues and create new blood vessels in the tissue.
People use cupping to complement their care for a host of issues and conditions.
What are the different types of cupping?
Cupping was originally performed using animal horns. Later, the “cups” were made from bamboo and then ceramic. The suction was primarily created through the use of heat. The cups were originally heated with fire and then applied to the skin. As they cooled, the cups drew the skin inside. Modern cupping is often performed using glass cups that are rounded like balls and open on one end. There are two main categories of cupping performed today:
Dry cupping is a suction-only method. Wet cupping may involve both suction and controlled medicinal bleeding.
Your practitioner, your medical condition, and your preferences will help determine what method is used.
What Should I Expect During A Cupping Treatment?
During a cupping treatment, a cup is placed on the skin and then heated or suctioned onto the skin. The cup is often heated with fire using alcohol, herbs, or paper that’s placed directly into the cup. The fire source is removed, and the heated cup is placed with the open side directly on your skin.Some modern cupping practitioners have shifted to using rubber pumps to create suction versus more traditional heat methods.
Chinese herbal medicine
Chinese herbal medicine is the largest organized herbal system in the world. Chinese herbal formulas, some in use for more than 2,200 years, are composed of 10 to 15 ingredients chosen to function in combination with each other. Mastery of Chinese herbal medicine is incredibly intricate. It involves the knowledge of hundreds of herbs and formulae. One of the advantages of putting together a prescription of individual dry herbs is that the prescription can be created specifically for each patient and adjusted on a regular basis in relation to improvement or change in the patient’s condition. In China, herbal medicine is considered to be a very powerful form of therapy that is used to treat most conditions. Due to its long history, the workings of the classical herbal formulas are extremely well understood.
At our practice, we prescribe Chinese herbs both as a complement to acupuncture treatments and as a primary form of therapy. Chinese herbs can help change unhealthful balances and patterns, resulting in decreased allergy symptoms, increased energy, improved digestion, improved sleep, regulated menstrual cycle, and improved fertility. The herbs are particularly effective with chronic problems as well as the more acute versions of the common cold, flu, and allergy, which do not respond as readily to Western medicines.
The first appointment for Chinese herbal medicine lasts 1 hour, and follow-up appointments last 1/2 hour. During the appointment, you will be asked many detailed questions about your symptoms and lifestyle
patterns. Inspection of the tongue and palpation of the pulses at the wrist will also be included in the diagnostic workup.
How can Mr. Jiang Help you?
Mr. Jiang was educated in traditional Chinese medicine in China. He has over 8 years of time training, with special focus on acupuncture and herbology. He has been practicing in the TCM field for nearly 40 years. His practice covers a variety of conditions.
Mr. Jiang works closely with each patient to uncover the root of one’s ailments. He will carefully examining all aspects of your health: details of medical, surgical and family history and other lifestyle habits. After meeting you and examining you carefully, Mr. Jiang will provide you a highly individualized treatment plan to rebalance the your system through diet, lifestyle, acupuncture and herbs. Mr. Jiang’s goal is not only to relieve the symptoms of your illness and disease, but also improve the strength of your body and mind to promote your wellness and quality of life.
