Services
Best Practice Acupuncture offers Chinese medicine – acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, cupping & gua sha, and nutritional therapy – from an integrative medicine perspective. At Best Practice Acupuncture, you get the best of the East with the best of the West: ancient, time-tested medicine that is evidence-informed and supported by good science.
Scroll down for a description of the services Best Practice Medicine offers.
Chinese Medicine:
A Brief Overview
With a 3,000 year history, Chinese medicine is the oldest continuously practiced medicine in the world.
Holistic, Naturalistic, Yet
Very Sophisticated
Chinese medicine is based on a naturalistic philosophy that sees humans as dynamically and intimately interconnected with the rest of the natural world. Similarly, each human body is understood to be an organic whole, where all parts are interconnected and function in relation to each other. This emphasis on seeing the “whole picture” – whether it’s looking at a single human body or at the entire natural world – is what makes Chinese medicine the very definition of holistic medicine. And while it may seem simple, Chinese medicine – like the universe itself – is complex and very sophisticated.
Health = Harmony, Balance, and Flow
As understood in Chinese medicine, disease is caused when the harmony (balance of the forces of Yin and Yang), dynamic flow or Qi (pronounced CHEE), and interconnection in our bodies become injured, damaged, or disrupted somehow. Health is reestablished by restoring the body’s natural connections, dynamic flow, and balance.
More Than Just Acupuncture
When people in the West think of Chinese medicine, they think of acupuncture. In fact, Chinese medicine is an entire system of medical theory, philosophy, and therapies. While acupuncture is the most popular Chinese medicine therapy here in the West, it is by no means the only one. Scroll down to learn more about other Chinese medicine therapies offered at Best Practice Acupuncture.
More Than Just Acupuncture
When people in the West think of Chinese medicine, they think of acupuncture. In fact, Chinese medicine is an entire system of medical theory, philosophy, and therapies. While acupuncture is the most popular Chinese medicine therapy here in the West, it is by no means the only one. Scroll down to learn more about other Chinese medicine therapies offered at Best Practice Acupuncture.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the insertion of sterile, very thin needles into specific points on the body to promote health and treat disease. Chinese medicine believes that injury, poor diet, unbalanced emotions, and other factors can disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang and the flow of Qi and Blood in the body, resulting in pain and other symptoms of disease. Acupuncture heals the body by harmonizing Yin and Yang and restoring the proper flow of Qi and Blood.
A Modern View of Acupuncture
Modern research has demonstrated that acupuncture exhibits a regulatory or homeostatic effect on human physiology that positively impacts the functioning of a number of the body’s systems. Acupuncture has been shown to:
- activate the endogenous cannabinoid and opioid systems to reduce pain and inflammation
- regulate peristalsis in the large intestine to improve digestion and elimination
- regulate neurotransmitters and the autonomic nervous system to improve mood and reduce stress
- regulate neurotransmitters and hormones which can positively affect the menstrual cycle and improve PMS symptoms
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine is a form of therapy in Chinese medicine that uses plants, minerals, and sometimes animal products to promote health and treat disease. While the majority of these medicinal products originate in China, some come from other parts of the world. For example, frankincense and myrrh, commonly used in Arabic medicine, became staples in Chinese medicine when trade along the Silk Route introduced them into China. More recently, American ginseng came to the attention of Chinese herbalists in the USA during the 1800s and is highly treasured back in China.
Traditionally, herbs are categorized according to properties like taste and temperature, their ability to direct and move Qi in the body, and the affinity they have for particular organs and tissues. Unlike other systems of herbal medicine that merely treat symptoms, Chinese herbal medicine addresses the root causes of illness by identifying and treating your own unique “pattern of disharmony.” Prescribing herbs based on your pattern of disharmony – the way you express a particular disease – brings your body back into balance naturally.
A Modern View of Chinese Herbs
The physiological effects and clinical effectiveness of Chinese herbs and herbal formulas have been investigated in numerous research studies over more than fifty years.
Basic research has shown that Chinese herbs can exert physiological effects on various organs and systems in the body. These include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, cholagogic, antidiarrheal, and laxative effects, among many others.
Conditions that Chinese herbs can help treat include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Pain (headaches, chronic pain, sports injuries, traumatic injuries, fibromyalgia)
- Digestive issues (IBS, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn/acid reflux, abdominal bloating/gas/distention)
- Mental/Emotional health concerns (stress, support for anxiety and depression, insomnia)
- Women’s health concerns:
- Menstrual disorders (PMS/PMDD, dysmenorrhea or painful periods, amenorrhea)
- Peri-menopausal/menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia)
- Long COVID and Post-COVID symptoms (for example: fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues, headaches, depression or anxiety)
Cupping &
Gua Sha
Cupping is an ancient therapy that has been used by many cultures all over the world. It involves the placement of a vacuum cup made of glass, plastic, or silicone onto the skin with suction that is usually created by either a flame or a manual pump. Unlike massage, which compresses soft tissues, cupping lifts the skin into the cup and decompresses muscles and other underlying soft tissue, helping to improve blood circulation. Depending on what the patient needs, cups may either be moved around or left in place. Cupping often leaves a surface bruise on the skin, which is a normal effect of the therapy.
Gua sha (pronounced GWA-SHA) is the practice of using a tool to scrape the skin to relieve pain and tension. The name literally means “scraping bruise” because the action of dermal scraping causes light bruising, which often appears as purple or red spots on the skin. Gua sha is not only performed in acupuncture offices, but is a common practice in many Asian households.
Both cupping and gua sha relieve muscle pain and stiffness and improve range of motion by breaking up scar tissue and fascial adhesions, reducing painful trigger points, and improving blood flow and lymph circulation. They are used to treat many conditions, including headaches, tendinitis, bursitis, plantar fasciitis, and fibromyalgia.
Nutritional Therapy
Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” Chinese medicine places a similar emphasis on the importance of healthy eating as one of the pillars for maintaining a healthy life.
Common Sense Eating
At Best Practice Acupuncture, I will ask detailed questions about what, when, and how much you eat to help me understand the role your diet plays in your overall health. I may suggest changes if I think that will help you. But don’t worry: I’m not going to insist that you give up everything you like and eat a diet of tofu and brown rice! I believe eating should be healthy but also enjoyable, and I always partner with my patients to find a diet that works for them.