Acupuncture, an ancient form of medicine, is a powerhouse treatment that we are seeing be consistently proven through rigorous research. It involves inserting small, thin needles into your skin in specific points on your body to address a variety of health concerns.
If you are not a fan of needles, you need not worry. Acupuncture needles are significantly thinner than syringes. Think closer to a sewing needle rather than the needles used to draw your blood. I'm actually not a fan of needles yet a huge fan of acupuncture. Acupuncture is (usually) painless. Acupuncture also has this amazing calming effect on your body.
There are several theories about why acupuncture works but the one that makes the most sense to me is the interaction with our nervous system. Traditional acupuncture points follow the various nerve pathways in our body. By tapping into these spots, we can help calm and regulate the nervous system to relieve pain, ease anxiety, and regulate various processes.
Here are some common conditions that I have treated using acupuncture:
Digestive Concerns - IBS, Heartburn, Constipation
This is one of my favourite strategies for the gut. Many gut conditions are rooted in dysregulation of the nervous system. Acupuncture helps shift your body out of the sympathetic system (a.k.a fight or flight stress mode) into the parasympathetic system which is our calming rest and digest state.
Shifting into our parasympathetic state helps reduce anxiety, promote sleep, and support healthy digestion.
Anxiety + Insomnia
I love acupuncture for anxiety & sleep for all the same reasons I love acupuncture for digestion.
Regardless of why we're doing acupuncture, most patients report they sleep fantastic after treatment. This is amplified when we are actually targeting sleep
Pain + Arthritis
Acupuncture is an excellent natural pain reliever. It also provides longer term results than simply popping an Advil because it helps clear out inflammation and promote healing at the site of pain. It is also a great tool to help speed up recover from muscular and bone injuries.
This is also great tool for reducing pain caused by arthritis and helping prevent further damage.
Maximizing Fertility + Reducing Labor Time
This is one of the amazing ways we can use acupuncture AND the research is continuing to support it!
Research has shown that using acupuncture around fertility treatments significantly increasing the chances of conception. We can also use acupuncture to regulate periods and increase natural conception as well.
Once you are pregnant, keep acupuncture in your mind. Weekly acupuncture treatments starting at week 37 have been shown to reduce the time spent in labor. This reduces the chances of complications and of course speeds up your introduction to your beautiful baby.
Try it out for yourself
Want to find out if acupuncture is for you? Give the clinic a call or book a complementary assessment here.
There are so many conditions that acupuncture can help with – find out if it is a good fit for you!