About Acupuncture and Eastern Medicines
“Acupuncture is way more than just using needles. It’s a whole set of approaches...”
Patients, family, friends, and even strangers often ask me “So how does exactly acupuncture work?” But I think a better question is “why does it work?” It works because it has been around thousands of years. Our best documentations/books is from around 200-300 BCE. But there is evidence of the early starts with herbal medicine around 3500-2600 BCE. Just to give you an idea: that is about 5,000 years ago and the Pyramids of Giza weren’t even around yet!
The driving tenant in this medicine is simple: help the body reach balance when it is imbalanced or sick. And it works because it is a medicine that has been constantly refined over 5,000 years.
First of all, acupuncture is way more than just using needles. Its a whole set of approaches and medicines sometimes called Oriental, Chinese, or Asian Medicine. In this medicine we collect information, we may look at your tongue; feel your pulses or check channels for those imbalances in the body and then devise a treatment plan to help the body rebalance and so you feel better:
Acupuncture or dry needling
Acupressure
Asian-styled massage
Cupping or guasha (pronounced gwah-shah)
Herbal formulas
Diet recommendations
Movement recommendations like qigong (pronounced chee·guhng)
Lifestyle suggestions