Acupuncture Therapy Etobicoke
Acupuncture is a form of Eastern medicine in which we use the body’s natural ability to heal itself to treat many chronic and acute conditions. According to Chinese medicine, an imbalance of ‘qi’ (pronounced ‘chi’), or energy, in a particular meridian (pathway) or organ in your body can cause harmful physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. ‘Qi’ is defined as our energy current that runs through our bodies, providing us with circulation, nutrients, and minerals that we need to be whole. The goal of acupuncture is to restore the body to its natural, healthy state, and to help people achieve a state of zen, or calm.
What happens in an Acupuncture session?
Your acupuncture practitioner will explain the general area of the planned treatment before you lay down on a padded table. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin, sterile, disposable needles to stimulate points on or under the skin in strategic places called ‘acupuncture points’ or ‘acupressure points’, releasing this negative ‘qi’ (described above). This causes little to no discomfort, and often, people do not feel them inserted at all. This technique stimulates the pituitary gland in the brain to release neuro-hormones, which aid in decreasing the body’s inflammation and stress. In most cases, the needles remain in place for 20 minutes while you lie still and relax. There is usually no discomfort when the needles are removed. After treatment, some people report feeling relaxed, and others feel energized. Typically, a first session involves a longer initial assessment and lasts 60 minutes in length, while follow-up sessions are roughly 30 minutes in length.
How can Acupuncture help with my Mental Health?
Acupuncture can be very effective in relieving symptoms of mental and emotional stress, related to anxiety, depression, anger, or grief. When emotions are held over long periods of time, or when they result from a particularly stressful or traumatic event, they can become causes of illness. Emotions also can result from an imbalanced flow of qi. When you are angry, the qi rises to the neck and shoulders. When you are fearful, the qi descends to the feet.
This belief is based on the interaction of the five elements and their effect on internal organs.
Five emotions are represented by the five elements:
- Water (fear)
- Wood (anger)
- Fire (happiness)
- Earth (worry)
- Metal (grief)
Acupuncture and Anxiety: Traditional Chinese medicine relates anxiety to an imbalance of the heart and kidney. Fire represents the heart and joy according to the five elements. Research states that the heat in the heart will imbalance the interaction with the kidney (represented as water and fear). This will result in the water organ failing to contain the fire organ rising up to the mind, leading to anxiety. Acupuncture on points around the heart, kidney, spleen and ear are used to treat anxiety.
Acupuncture and Depression: Depression is considered to be a problem with circulating qi around your body, according to traditional Chinese beliefs. The main organ responsible for circulating this energy is the liver, along with the heart and spleen. One of the most common acupuncture treatments used to increase the flow involves stimulating source points on both hands between the thumb and index finger and both feet between the big toe and second toe.
Acupuncture and Fertility: In addition, acupuncture is effective in treating fertility issues. Acupuncture can assist in chances of fertility by reducing stress hormones that interfere with ovulation, normalizing hormones overall, and increasing blood flow to the uterus.
Please call 647-961-9669, book online, or use our contact form if you have any questions or would like to learn more about this type of treatment. All questions are valid!
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/acupuncture-for-depression#in-traditional-chinese-medicine
https://psychcentral.com/lib/acupuncture-anxiety-depression/
