How Chinese Medicine and acupuncture works, and what to expect for an initial acupuncture treatment.

Video explanation with Dr. Robin Wittner, TCMD, R.Ac., S.C.
Chinese medicine goes back over twenty five hundred years in which a wealth of knowledge has accumulated over this time. Acupuncture focuses on the twelve main meridians and eight extra meridians that run through the body in a circuit and connect to different organs. These meridians are said to house the energy flow of the body (the qi). It has been proven that acupuncture points are strong nervous system centers, and when a needle is inserted, the nervous system is encouraged to heal itself.

When you come in for your initial assessment, we take an extensive history and record all of your signs and symptoms. Even though your main complaint may be back pain, we still want to look at all systems within the body in order to determine what is out of balance. We will ask you questions about your digestion, sleep, skin, immune system, libido and any other symptoms you may be experiencing. Chinese medicine believes that the whole body is connected and therefore all of your symptoms are connected. At this time I will also look at the tongue to determine if there are any underlying long term conditions of the body, and take the pulse to determine what is currently going on in the body. With all of your symptoms I am then able to determine what exactly is causing your back pain. It could be an excess, in which case it would be inflammation, or it could be a deficiency, for example a collagen or magnesium deficiency.

Now that there is an entire picture, I can treat accordingly. All needles are single use, sterile and disposed of immediately. They are tiny and should be painless. The worse that can happen is slight bleeding, bruising, or the needle can hit a nerve which could cause a slight zing. Once the needles are in, the lights are turned down and the patient is left to relax with calming music for about 20 minutes. When this time is up I come back into the room, remove and dispose of the needles and then flip the patient in order to balance the body, treat the antagonist muscle groups and treat any other symptoms that came up in the intake. If cupping is needed this would also be done before the patient is flipped. Overall the appointment is an hour long, and a person should feel relaxed after their treatment.

A treatment plan is created based on each individual and can vary depending on how chronic or acute the condition is. An acute injury from say a slip and fall would require treatments more frequently, maybe 2 or 3 treatments the first week but once the inflammation is gone treatments would be done. A more chronic condition such as arthritis, or an old injury may only require one treatment a week, but for a longer period of time. We can’t cure arthritis, but acupuncture can reduce the pain and improve quality of life. The goal would be to get on a maintenance program of one treatment per week. Once the treatment is over, she should listen to her body and if she is tired, go home and relax if she has energy, use it.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call Ananta Health at (403) 668-1174.