Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Freeing flow, creating balance
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a system of medicine that includes, as one of it’s key components, acupuncture.
The practice of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are rooted in 5000 years of practice and experience. This experience dictates that the whole of a persons symptoms and signs are used to identify imbalances in their internal energy (described in traditional texts as “qì”), and rebalancing the flow of qì (using acupuncture, and often botanical [herbal] medicines) results in a return to not only physical, but also psychological and emotional health.
Benefits of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture and TCM have been used, traditionally, in the treatment of all health concerns, particularly those of a chronic, long-lasting nature.
Amongst other uses, modern medical research has verified the effectiveness of TCM, and acupuncture particularly, in (treatment of):
- Increasing uterine and ovarian blood flow (a possible mechanism to increase female fertility)
- Male infertility
- Improvement of in-vitro fertilization success rates
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Menstrual symptoms
- Migraine headaches
- Low back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Anxiety and depression
- Insomnia
- Inflammation and pain
- Type-2 diabetes mellitus (insulin resistance)
- Cancer-related symptoms (depression, anxiety, insomnia, quality of life)
What to Expect
A typical acupuncture treatment is 45 – 60 minutes long. Discomfort is limited to a quick “prick” felt as needles are inserted, and possibly a mild ache (a sign acupuncture needles are inserted to the appropriate depth) over the course of the treatment. Relaxation techniques may be used to increase comfort during treatments.
Treatment is repeated weekly at first, but ultimately treatment frequency is individualized to your response to treatment.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine at Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
All our naturopathic doctors are trained in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, but patients seeking acupuncture specifically are referred to Du La, ND, R. TCMP, R. Acu and Dina Khorasanee, R. Acu.
At Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine we use only sterile, single-use acupuncture needles.
Acupuncture treatments provided at Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine are covered by most extended healthcare plans.
Or contact us to arrange an appointment.
References
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Villahermosa DI, Santos LG, Nogueira MB, Vilarino FL, Barbosa CP. Influence of acupuncture on the outcomes of in vitro fertilisation when embryo implantation has failed: a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial. Acupunct Med. 2013 Jun;31(2):157-61.
Manheimer E, Zhang G, Udoff L, Haramati A, Langenberg P, Berman BM, Bouter LM. Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ [Internet]. 2008 [cited 2014 Apr];336:545. Available at: http://www.bmj.com/content/336/7643/545.
Stener-Victorin E, Jedel E, Mannerås L. Acupuncture in polycystic ovary syndrome: current experimental and clinical evidence. J Neuroendocrinol. 2008 Mar;20(3):290-8.
Reyes-Campos MD, Díaz-Toral LG, Verdín-Terán SL, Orozco-Suárez ES, López-Ramírez P, Pineda-Carranza A, Basulto-Sosa PG, Reyes-Campos PF. Acupuncture as an adjunct treatment for primary dysmenorrhea: a comparative study. Med Acupunct. 2013 Aug;25(4):291-294.
Payant MJ. A single case study: treating migraine headache with acupuncture, chinese herbs, and diet. Glob Adv Health Med. 2014 Jan;3(1):71-4.
Bahrami-Taghanaki H, Liu Y, Azizi H, Khorsand A, Esmaily H, Bahrami A, Xiao Zhao B. A randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture for chronic low-back pain. Altern Ther Health Med. 2014 May-Jun;20(3):13-9.
Deare JC, Zheng Z, Xue CC, Liu JP, Shang J, Scott SW, Littlejohn G. Acupuncture for treating fibromyalgia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 May 31;5:CD007070.
Sniezek DP, Siddiqui IJ. Acupuncture for treating anxiety and depression in women: a clinical systematic review. Med Acupunct. 2013 Jun;25(3):164-172.
Gao X, Xu C, Wang P, Ren S, Zhou Y, Yang X, Gao L. Curative effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on insomnia: a randomized clinical trial. J Tradit Chin Med. 2013 Aug;33(4):428-32.
Zhang R, Lao L, Ren K, Berman BM. Mechanisms of acupuncture-electroacupuncture on persistent pain. Anesthesiology. 2014 Feb;120(2):482-503.
Wang Y, Liu ZC, Xu B. Efficacy analysis on type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with acupuncture in females. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2014 Jan;34(1):21-4.
Haddad NE, Palesh O. Acupuncture in the treatment of cancer-related psychological symptoms. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014 Sep;13(5):371-85.
