Advantages

Acupuncture has endured the test of time for thousands of years in China. In the last millennium, it spread to China’s neighbouring countries like Japan, Korea and Vietnam. And lately it is gaining popularity steadily in the west, all for very good reasons.

 

powerful, versatile yet simplistic

First, acupuncture is very powerful, versatile, and yet simplistic to the extreme – all one needs are acupuncture needles, cotton balls and alcohol. In an expert acupuncturist’s hands, it can bring health benefits to just about anyone for any illness. The World Health Organization recognized acupuncture’s therapeutic value in treating hundreds of illnesses in 2003.

Studies have found out that acupuncture can be used to treat both physical and mental illnesses. It is also useful for treatment of chronic diseases. It helps in improving memory, boosting immune system, and in regulating hormones. Many people have reported that they get relief from headache, back pain, joint pain, insomnia, stress and fatigue after completing prescribed acupuncture sessions. It restores energy and increases overall stamina of the body.

 

no side effects

Second, acupuncture is extremely safe and has virtually no side effects – if carried out by an experienced and lisenced acupuncturist. The NIH (National Institutes of Health) has reported that acupuncture has lower adverse effects compared to the prescribed medications and other medical procedures followed for treatment of the similar conditions.

 

complementary therapy

Third, acupuncture can be an effective complementary therapy to treat some of the most complex and difficult diseases, such as severe migraine, cancer and infertility. As a matter of a fact, pain control, integrated oncology and infertility treatment are probably three most applied fields for acupuncture in the USA and Canada.

Acupuncture, Acupuncture & Herbs

Historically, Traditional Chinese Medicine has five healing techniques: acupuncture (针灸), herbal medicine (中药), massothreapy(按摩), dietary regulations (食疗) and therapeutic exercises, such as Tai Chi (太极), Kong Fu (功夫) and Qi Gong (meditation, 气功).

 

herbal medicine in China

In clinical practice, herbal medicine is much widely used in China. In addition to it long historical use, herbal medicine is effective, versatile, easy to take, economical, accessible and acceptable. There are many Chinese medicine doctors in China use acupuncture rarely or not at all.

 

herbal medicine in North America

In the USA and Canada, however, Acupuncture is the predominant branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine being practiced. There are many probable reasons:

  1. The herbal medicine is not in the required curriculum in many Acupuncture / Traditional Chinese medicine schools. So it is not widely taught, therefore not widely used. As a result, not many patients have benefited from herbal medicine.
  2. The effective application of herbal medicine is relatively easy to learn, but quite challenging to master. In north America, due to the limitation of the educational system and working environment, most of the acupuncturists do not have the opportunity to follow a master or work with experienced practitioners for a few years to nurture their skills and building confidence, after their graduation. For most of them, a weekend seminar or two per year is all they get for their professional development. As a result, some acupuncturists don’t use herbal medicine at all, while others can only use pre-packaged Chinese herbal formulas to supplement acupuncture treatment.
  3. The safe practice of herbal medicine has been continually documented over many thousands of years and reports of adverse reactions to herbal medicine are extremely rare in clinical practice. Most of the reported cases are caused by poor quality control of herbs (reports of heavy metals, pesticide residues…) and misuse of herbal medicine. Take Ephedra or Ma huang (麻黄), for an example. It has been safely used for thousands of years to treat asthma, hay fever and cold in TCM, but misused in dietary supplement industry. As a result, it tarnished the image of Chinese herbal medicine and it is currently banned by USA FDA and Health Canada. With expereience and careful adiministration, the risk of complications from herbal medicines are minimal.

Knowledgeable Chinese medical practitioners often combine two or more of these methods to treat certain conditions. If co-ordinated properly, the combined treatment often brings much better and faster therapeutic results.

For example, to treat a digestive system dysfunction caused by long term stress, a combination acupuncture, herbal medicine and even Tuina are often prescribed:

  • Acupuncture works by inserting needles in specific points to promote energy circulation in meridian channels and further regulate the internal organs functions
  • Herbs taken orally work on a much deeper level and provide nutrition or detoxification directly to the internal organs
  • Tuina is applied directly to areas of muscle pain or nodes, which often accompany a digestive system dysfunction, to help these muscle groups relax and expel toxins into the blood stream and eventually to discharge these toxins from the body

 

These three therapies often supplement each other, so the speed and quality of recovery can be greater in many cases.

 

 

benefit based on individual needs

Patients will benefit fully from the herbal remedies, when prescribed and composed to address their individual needs.

We will obviously provide patients with the exact treatment they ask for, but it is really better for patients to listen to our recommendation, whether it is acupuncture, massotherapy, herbal therapy or any combination of these three. After all, we have many years of experience of treating wide variety of illnesses, and you may only have preconceived notions of certain therapy. To dictate a therapy before consulting with us is the equivalent of telling a plumber you hired to do his work only with left hand or right hand – you may not get the full benefit of what you paid for.

Acupuncture & Herbs

Historically, Traditional Chinese Medicine has five healing techniques: acupuncture (针灸), herbal medicine (中药), massothreapy(按摩), dietary regulations (食疗) and therapeutic exercises, such as Tai Chi (太极), Kong Fu (功夫) and Qi Gong (meditation, 气功).

 

herbal medicine in China

In clinical practice, herbal medicine is much widely used in China. In addition to it long historical use, herbal medicine is effective, versatile, easy to take, economical, accessible and acceptable. There are many Chinese medicine doctors in China use acupuncture rarely or not at all.

 

herbal medicine in North America

In the USA and Canada, however, Acupuncture is the predominant branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine being practiced. There are many probable reasons:

  1. The herbal medicine is not in the required curriculum in many Acupuncture / Traditional Chinese medicine schools. So it is not widely taught, therefore not widely used. As a result, not many patients have benefited from herbal medicine.
  2. The effective application of herbal medicine is relatively easy to learn, but quite challenging to master. In north America, due to the limitation of the educational system and working environment, most of the acupuncturists do not have the opportunity to follow a master or work with experienced practitioners for a few years to nurture their skills and building confidence, after their graduation. For most of them, a weekend seminar or two per year is all they get for their professional development. As a result, some acupuncturists don’t use herbal medicine at all, while others can only use pre-packaged Chinese herbal formulas to supplement acupuncture treatment.
  3. The safe practice of herbal medicine has been continually documented over many thousands of years and reports of adverse reactions to herbal medicine are extremely rare in clinical practice. Most of the reported cases are caused by poor quality control of herbs (reports of heavy metals, pesticide residues…) and misuse of herbal medicine. Take Ephedra or Ma huang (麻黄), for an example. It has been safely used for thousands of years to treat asthma, hay fever and cold in TCM, but misused in dietary supplement industry. As a result, it tarnished the image of Chinese herbal medicine and it is currently banned by USA FDA and Health Canada. With expereience and careful adiministration, the risk of complications from herbal medicines are minimal.

Knowledgeable Chinese medical practitioners often combine two or more of these methods to treat certain conditions. If co-ordinated properly, the combined treatment often brings much better and faster therapeutic results.

For example, to treat a digestive system dysfunction caused by long term stress, a combination acupuncture, herbal medicine and even Tuina are often prescribed:

  • Acupuncture works by inserting needles in specific points to promote energy circulation in meridian channels and further regulate the internal organs functions
  • Herbs taken orally work on a much deeper level and provide nutrition or detoxification directly to the internal organs
  • Tuina is applied directly to areas of muscle pain or nodes, which often accompany a digestive system dysfunction, to help these muscle groups relax and expel toxins into the blood stream and eventually to discharge these toxins from the body

 

These three therapies often supplement each other, so the speed and quality of recovery can be greater in many cases.

 

 

benefit based on individual needs

Patients will benefit fully from the herbal remedies, when prescribed and composed to address their individual needs.

We will obviously provide patients with the exact treatment they ask for, but it is really better for patients to listen to our recommendation, whether it is acupuncture, massotherapy, herbal therapy or any combination of these three. After all, we have many years of experience of treating wide variety of illnesses, and you may only have preconceived notions of certain therapy. To dictate a therapy before consulting with us is the equivalent of telling a plumber you hired to do his work only with left hand or right hand – you may not get the full benefit of what you paid for.