Our clinic is thrilled to have Kelsey offering Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture on Mondays & Thursdays.
As an Acupuncturist & Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Kelsey brings many years of training and experience to her practice here at LifeSpring.
These descriptions are taken from the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario, of which Kelsey is a member in good standing.
TCM ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture is the insertion of thin, metal needles to stimulate specific points of the body. These stimulation points are called acupuncture points. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that there are 365 commonly used acupuncture points on the human body. Typically, it takes 15-30 minutes to manipulate the needles in these acupuncture points, and 30-60 minutes of retaining them to regulate the flow of qi throughout the body, restoring health to both the mind and body and thusly balancing the yin and yang.
DOES IT HURT? Needles inserted during an acupuncture treatment should be painless. Every patient experience is unique to them: some may experience bruising, bleeding, needle site pain and/or a brief “zing” nerve sensation.
TCM Acupuncture is not the same as dry needling, which is a technique used by Western practitioners such as physiotherapists based on strictly body anatomy as opposed to TCM principals.
CUPPING
Cupping is a form of therapy which involves the suction of the skin and surface muscle layer (fascia) to stretch and be drawn up into a cup. Cupping is used to encourage the blood flow of the body and treat conditions such as acute or chronic pains and musculoskeletal problems.
Kelsey primarily uses suction cupping, where a silicone cup is placed on the skin and pressed down to create suction to remove the air. The cups are to be left on the patients skin for 2-10 minutes before removal.
DOES IT HURT? After the cups are removed, temporary red marks may appear on the patient’s skin, for up to 10 days. These marks are the result of bruising and minor bleeding from broken capillary blood vessels as the blood moved closer to the surface of the skin under the cup.
GUA SHA
Gua sha is a technique in which a smooth-edged tool, such as a smooth stone or piece of honed jade is pressed and stroked on a lubricated area of the body until a mark appears, similarly to cupping. Press stroking is to be performed sequentially – line by line and in one direction – until the entire area is completed.
DOES IT HURT? When done correctly, Gua Sha should not be painful. Temporary red marks may appear on the patient’s skin, for up to 10 days. These marks are the result of bruising and minor bleeding from broken capillary blood vessels as the blood moved closer to the surface of the skin under the stone. Raising sha removed blood stagnation & abnormal qi, reducing inflammation. This it provides immune protection and improves the body’s circulation. According to Western medicine, it helps the nervous system by enhancing human defense mechanism, and the circulative system which speeds up blood & lymph circulation to enhance metabolism.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was originated in ancient China and has a history of over 2000 years. Influenced by ancient Chinese philosophy, culture, science & technology, Chinese medicine uses the therory of Yin & Yang, and the theory of Wu Xing to explain the mechanism of balancing the function of the body.
Only registered members of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario are allow to practice in Ontario.
What to expect at a typical TCM visit
When visiting a TCM practitioner and/or acupuncturist, patients should expect the following:
After the patient gives consent to treatment, the practitioner will:
- gather detailed information about the patient’s medical history
- perform their assessments, using: listening & smelling, touch, tongue diagnosis, and pulse diagnosis.
- provide a diagnosis on the imbalance in the body and a treatment plan which will be thoroughly explained to the patient.
In addition to Acupuncture, Cupping and Gua Sha explained above, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Moxibustion and Tui Na may be used. Please visit www.ctcmpao.on.ca/public/about-tcm/ to learn more about these options.
