ACUPUNCTURE

What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) - one of the oldest healing arts in the world. It has originated in China over 5,000 years ago, and has become an accepted form of alternative treatment in the West.
In the view of TCM, a person is one whole, composed of the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects. Therefore, the entire body is treated by harmonizing the body, mind abd and spirit.

Benefits of acupuncture
The benefits of acupuncture frequently include more than just relief from a particular condition. Many people find that it can also lead to increased energy levels, better appetite and sleep as well as an enhanced sense of overall well being.

How does it work
There are many different ideas about how acupuncture works. TCM holds that a life force energy, chi, flows through the body along fourteen channels that can be disrupted by physical trauma, stress, or poor diet, causing illness,. Placing fine needles at specific points along these channels moves the blockage, allowing to flow and restore balance.

While Western science does not yet understand the concept of chi, studies have found that acupuncture stimulates brain activity and the immune system. Special cell-signaling chemicals called endorphins and other peptides are released during treatment. Endorphins are anti-inflammatory and fight pain; they also induce a state of euphoria and deep relaxation. This is important for two reasons:
1) Recent research suggests that many chronic diseases may be caused by low-grade, chronic inflammation. These include arthritis, rheumatism, heart disease and high blood pressure, cancer and dementia.
2) The mind and body need to be relaxed in order to heal. Relaxed bodies are in a metabolic state called anabolism, essential to the growth of new tissue and the replacement of old, worn out cells. When we’re stressed our bodies exist in a catabolic state, and cell replacement slows or stops. This is why people age so fast when they live through periods of great stress.
The effectiveness of acupuncture has been repeatedly verified through various reports from National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization and others. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration has approved acupuncture needles as medical devices.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine have been used successfully by the most populous nation on earth for thousands of years to treat the full range of health problems.

Some of the Conditions Treated by Acupuncture:
• Emotional - stress, anxiety, depression
• Gynecological - PMS, infertility, painful/irregular periods
• Musculoskeletal - injuries, spinal and joint disorders, arthritis
• Neurological - memory loss, headache, sciatica, insomnia, stroke
• Digestive - constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, IBS, ulcers, colitis
• Respiratory - cold/flu, bronchitis, allergies
• Genito-urinary - prostate problems, men’s sexual dysfunction
• Skin/Beauty - acupuncture facelift, hair loss

For appointments contact: 800-322-2222
By Acupuncturist: Dena K. Gorilik, LAc, RN, BSN -
Washington & Los Angeles Clinic