Hello! My name is Jennie Abraham and I work for Tim Button at Cleve Chiropractic as his acupuncturist. He’s asked me to write a guest blog to explain all about acupuncture – so here goes.
Simply put, acupuncture is a healthcare system that works on the mental, emotional and physical aspects of a person. It can help with a huge array of conditions, ranging from pain to anxiety.
Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM for short) and is one of the world’s oldest medical systems that’s used for diagnostic, treatment and preventative purposes.
There are all sorts of reasons why people come to see me at the clinic. They include:
- Headaches and migraines
- Stress/anxiety
- Women’s health (PMS, menopause, fertility)
- Pain
- General health and wellbeing
The latter is for people who have reached a place where they are happy physically and mentally and don’t necessarily have any particular symptoms. However, they like to come and see us once a month or so to keep in tip-top condition.
Acupuncture works by stimulating sensory nerves just under the skin and in muscles which trigger the body to produce natural substances, such as endorphins and serotonin, in the central nervous system and brain. Enhanced levels of these chemicals have a positive effect on mood and provide pain relief.
From a TCM point of view, acupuncture works by restoring the free flow of a person’s Qi (pronounced ‘chee’), which loosely translates into ‘energy’. When a person’s Qi doesn’t flow smoothly around their body illness, disease, unbalanced emotions and pain can occur. In these cases, acupuncture aims to restore the free flow of energy to help bring the individual back to good health.
If you do book to come and see me, I will ask lots of questions about how you’re feeling and your general health. I’ll look at your tongue and take your pulse to try to find out the root cause of your symptoms. This will help to paint a picture of what’s causing your problems so I can select which of the 300-plus acupuncture points across your body to use. The insertion of ultra fine acupuncture needles will then trigger the free flow of Qi and the release of natural substances for your body to begin the healing process.
Acupuncture has a cumulative effect, meaning that each session builds upon the last – as your treatments progress, your symptoms become less severe. Acupuncture can be used alongside other practices such as physiotherapy or chiropractic treatments and is safe to use with medicines.
Next month I will pass the reins back to Tim but for now I hope you enjoyed reading about what I love to do!
To book a consultation with Jennie or any of the friendly health and fitness experts at Cleve Chiropractic, call 0117 957 5388.
Photo by Katherine Hanlon on Unsplash
