Treatments are customized to fit each patients needs according to their traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment plan. This will be decided by the practitioner and may be modified from one appointment to the next.. Every appointment will include acupuncture and may also include some of the following modalities.

Acupuncture:
Acupuncture is the insertion of sterilized, single use filiform needles just below the skin, into strategic points on the body. The needles are very thin, about the diameter of a single human hair and often patients do not even feel their insertion. The points are located along channels, or meridians, which are located across the body. It is believed that qi (pronounced chi), or the body’s vital energy, flows along these channels. When someone is in pain, or unwell it means that there is a blockage obstructing the flow. A practitioner will pick points that correspond to the patient’s condition to help bring the body back to a state of balance, so that healing can occur. Benefits of acupuncture can include reduction of pain, increased immunity, improved digestion, stress relief, decreased healing time for injuries, regulating female cycles, alleviating painful menstruation, ease with labor and delivery, fertility, reducing fatigue, improving sleep quality, reduced frequency and intensity of migraines, and more.

Cupping:
Cupping is attaching cups often made of glass or plastic to different areas of the body. Cupping is used to reduce pain by increasing circulation to an area of the body and breaking up adhesions in the fascia. It can also help the body heal faster after sprains and strains. It often feels similar to a massage and many patients find it relaxing. Cupping frequently leaves circular marks on the area that they were placed, and the skin may be red or purple, but not usually painful and may last for a few days, or up to a week depending on the severity of the condition. This is because it is pulling stagnate blood from old injuries to the surface, so that the body can begin to heal itself.

Guasha:
Guasha is a modality of Chinese medicine where a guasha tool made of wood, porcelain, stone, jade, quartz or other material is used to “scrape” across the surface of the skin. This feels like a massage to many patients and is used to improve circulation and remove fascial adhesion. The benefits of this technique include relieving pain, quicker recovery from colds and healing faster from injuries. Guasha often leaves red or purple marks referred to as petechiae, or sha in Chinese. These marks can take up to about a week to disappear, depending on the severity of the condition.

Dietary Advice and Therapeutic Nutrition:
Includes the use of foods, diet plans or nutritional supplements pertaining to a patients constitution based on traditional Chinese medicine theory.

Tuina:
Tuina means pinch and pull, it is a therapeutic form of massage used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. This may include applying pressure to specific acupuncture points (acupressure), or massaging tissue along the meridians to remove blockages and promote proper qi flow. Different techniques may include gliding, kneeding, rolling, rubbing, vibrating, pulling, pressing, tapping, or shaking.

Qigong:
Qigong is a type of mediation which focuses on controlled breathing exercises and sometimes gentle movements. This can help to remove stagnation in the body to allow for the qi to flow properly. It is a relaxing technique to calm the nervous system and can often be done while the acupuncture needles are in.

Chinese Herbal Medicine:
Chinese herbal medicine is the oldest modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine, whose origins stem back nearly 5,000 years. Practitioners train for years to learn the actions, indications, interactions, dosage, thermal nature preparations, and contraindications of each herb. They customize formulas with different herbs, which is formulated specifically to each patient’s individual needs. Benefits include relieving pain, balancing hormones to regulate menstruation and improve fertility, improving digestive function, regulating bowel movements, quicker recovery from colds and flu, improved immunity, improving sleep quality, stress relief, relief from menopausal symptoms and increased energy levels. Herbs are not for everyone and it is important to only take herbs prescribed from a practitioner. It is important to inform your practitioner of all health conditions, medications (including over-the-counter), allergies, and supplements that you are currently taking, before taking herbs.

Moxibustion:
Moxibustion, or moxa, is the burning of the herb mugwort known as ai ye in Chinese. Moxa is often used to aid the healing process of injuries, for painful menstruation, chronic fatigue, digestive disorders, autoimmune conditions, pain relief, and more.