Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment Modality Descriptions
Herbal Medicine
A doctor of acupuncture and chinese medicine is trained in the traditional herbal pharmacopeia that is still utilized throughout asian countries today as a main source of treatment. Herbal medicine is a wonderful way to treat numerous conditions within the body and often has little to no side effects when under the care of a professional.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the practice of utilizing sterile, single use, thin filiform needles in order to stimulate certain areas of the body known as "acupuncture points" that follow "meridians" throughout the body. These treatments are meant to re-establish homeostasis within the body to maintain optimal health through the study and practice of traditional chinese medicine theory. Acupuncture is effective for numerous types of conditions and is commonly utilized for pain.
Cupping
Cupping is a form of therapy that combines fire and glass cups in order to move "stagnation" and dead tissue out of a muscle. Bruises often occur deep in muscle tissue and actually do not commonly surface on the skin. As a result, the cups pull out the tissue that is injured to the surface in order to allow the area to heal properly. This is why bruising is common when there is pain- especially chronic pain- in a particular area. Cupping- while recognized commonly for musculoskeletal disorders is also commonly used for respiratory issues especially allergies and asthma.
Gua Sha
Gua-Sha works through the same mechanism as cupping. Gua-Sha is a scraping technique utilizing a rounded edge tool and oil in order to allow muscle injuries and "stagnation" to heal properly. This speeds up the healing process the same way as cupping, just using a different type of technique. Gua-Sha is a way to get deeper into the muscle than cupping and is effective in hard to reach areas that cups may not be as effective.
Tui-Na
Tui-Na is a form of traditional chinese medical massage where the goal is to establish homeostasis within the body. This works similar to acupuncture, Cupping and Gua-Sha but only requires the use of the practitioners hands. Tui-Na is commonly mastered by practitioners and due to the physical demand, many practitioners do not offer it. Tui-Na combines traditional acupuncture knowledge with medical massage principles to create a highly effective treatment.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion utilizes an herb known as mugwort. Mugwort has one of the highest infrared spectrums of any substance when it is burned and therefore penetrates heat deeper into the body than any substance. Moxibustion is used in order to warm particular areas like acupuncture points in order to aid in homeostasis within the body. Please note: Moxa is very smokey when burned and may not be suitable for all areas or clients who are sensitive to smoke.