PinPoint Health Centre
Acupuncture:
Without using too much terminology or getting too complex, Acupuncture Therapy is the Science and Art of healing. It originated in China over 5,000 years ago and has been used over the Millennia to successfully treat a whole gamut of disease.
Acupuncture Therapy offers the following benefits:
- Holistic approach to illness linking body, mind & emotions
- Effectively treats many common ailments
- Treats the cause as well as the symptoms
- Drug-free pain relief
- Assist prevention against disease
The basic idea is that energy (known as chi) flows through our bodies along pathways. (Similar to how blood flows through arteries & veins). The pathways are referred to as meridians and these meridians were mapped out by the ancient Chinese all those years ago.
Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that in order to maintain optimal health it is essential for the body’s energy, as well as the blood, to circulate in a continuous and unobstructed manner. Problems arise when a blockage occurs. (Which makes sense if you consider the fact that a lot of pain and disease is also accompanied by, or has, associated swelling, inflammation or a growth in some cases).
So the aim of Acupuncture Therapy is to establish the state in which the body can heal itelf. This is done by stimulating certain areas along the meridians (known as acupuncture points) with tiny sterile disposable needles so that the quality & quantity of energy and fluids can be “normalized”.
Acupuncture works:
- By treating specific disorders to provide relief of symptoms and reduce complications. It is used to treat the cause of the disorder and reduce the likelihood of its recurrence.
- Through maintenance treatment of a long term problem. This is to provide a more comfortable state of health and reduce the need for medication and surgery.
- As an effective preventative medicine, Chinese Medicine detects and treats energy imbalances before they lead to disease. The earlier a disorder is detected the better. Regular checkups are recommended.
Chinese Medicinal Herbs:
The medicinal properties of certain plants were discovered accidentally thousands of years ago.
Every herb has its own properties which include:
- its energy,
- its flavour,
- its movement and
- its related meridians to which it connects
It includes four natures and five flavours that have the effects of lifting, lowering, floating or sinking meridian tropism and toxicity.
The combination of herbs prescribed depends completely on the symptoms and the imbalance in a person’s energy.
Usually cold or cool herbs will treat fever, thirst, sore throat and general heat diseases.
Hot or warm herbs will treat cold sensation in the limbs, cold pain and general cold diseases.
Pungent herbs are generally used to induce perspiration and promote circulation.
Sweet herbs relieve pain and slow the progression of acute diseases; harmonise other herbs or reduce toxicity and provide nourishing deficiency.
Sour herbs constrict, obstruct and solidify. These herbs are good to stop perspiration or diarrhoea for example.
Salty herbs soften hardness, lubricate intestines and drain downward. These herbs are used to treat hard stool with constipation or hard swellings as in diseases like goiter.
Bitter herbs induce bowel movement; reduce fevers and hot sensations, re-direct rebellious Chi, dry dampness and clear heat. They can also nourish the kidneys and are used to treat damp diseases.
After a herb is absorbed by a patient it can move in 4 directions:
- Upward towards the head,
- Downward towards the lower extremities,
- Inward toward the zang-fu organs or
- Outward towards the superficial regions of the body
Traditional Chinese Massage (Acupressure):
Acupressure works in a similar way to Acupuncture but the practitioner stimulates the Acupuncture points with finger pressure instead of fine needles. By stimulating the body’s natural curative abilities, it works as a powerful preventative therapy and is a safe and effective compliment to conventional healing methods. Acupressure deals with the person as a whole treating the symptoms as well as the cause. It uses the power and sensitivity of human touch to eliminate stress, relieve pain and alleviate acute and chronic conditions.
Unmanaged stress and chronic tension are recognised health hazards. Regular acupressure sessions release the build-up of daily pressures and tensions and keep the body resilient and healthy. By releasing tension regularly, you help prevent a multitude of stress related problems and you look and feel great.
The benefits of Acupressure:
- Relieves pain
- Releases muscular tension and toxicity
- Treats the body as a whole
- Treats the symptoms as well as the cause
- Accelerates recovery post surgery