Acupuncture for Pain, Fertility and More
West Auckland Acupuncture provides acupuncture for a wide range of health issues and to promote overall wellness.
Acupuncture originated in China over 3,000 years ago and uses the careful insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific points of the body that control the flow of “Qi” energy. Relatively painless, the experience often results in sensations of heaviness, tingling, or warmth in the area of insertion as the flow of Qi increases. Increased balance in Qi flow throughout the body can help relieve symptoms including pain, reproductive and aging challenges, mind-body imbalances, and immune system disorders.
Acupuncture stimulates peripheral nerves in the skin, which relay messages to the brain, creating a cascade of physiological effects such as the blocking of pain receptors (the gate control theory of pain) and the increased release of neurotransmitters such as beta-endorphins, met-enkephalin, and serotonin, all of which are effective in blocking pain. Recently, researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey used functional MRI to prove that acupuncture decreased brain activity correlated with lowered pain perception in volunteers.
Personalized diagnosis and treatment
Your practitioner will begin the session by discussing your health concerns and health history, look at any of your relevant labs or imaging reports, and perform any orthopedic testing needed. We will also examine your tongue and feel your radial wrist pulses. Examination of the tongue and pulse are among the principal diagnostic methods in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The color, shape, and coating of the tongue provide information about the body that informs the diagnosis. Similarly, pulses relate to the internal organs and have several characteristics to evaluate your physical condition.
Once your practitioner makes a diagnosis, a treatment will be designed specifically to correct your pattern of imbalance. Acupuncture will be part of your ongoing treatment plan—including lifestyle changes, exercise, diet, and self-care—to help you stay healthy.
Acupuncture is used today not only as a stand-alone holistic medicine but as a complementary therapy to traditional Western medicine treatment. We can work alongside your MD to provide integrative care. Our team of compassionate practitioners provides gentle acupuncture for fertility, menopause, anxiety, digestive disorders, back pain, tendonitis, and more.
Many patients find acupuncture for anxiety highly beneficial for relaxation and improving stress resiliency. Acupuncture helps your nervous system move from being in sympathetic “fight or flight” mode, into parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode.
One of the primary reasons people initially seek out acupuncture is for pain relief. Acupuncture promotes healing in tissue and reduces pain in conditions such as back pain, arthritis, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, repetitive strain injuries, or other types of pain. Patients with back pain, migraines, tendonitis, and many other types of pain benefit from this natural, non-invasive treatment. Other conditions acupuncture can treat include depression, digestive issues such as IBS, and chronic constipation or diarrhea.