What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete healthcare system that has been practiced and documented for over 2000 years. It involves a variety of treatment techniques including acupuncture, herbal medicine, guasha, cupping, tuina, qigong exercises, lifestyle modifications, and food therapy. Using natural and non-invasive methods, Chinese Medicine shifts your body out of its state of disharmony and towards a state of balance and health.
A TCM practitioner will address both the root cause of your condition as well as the branches (symptoms), instead of exclusively treating or masking your symptoms. By encouraging shifts in your self-awareness, lifestyle, and diet, your practitioner will enlist and empower you to improve your own health and prevent the recurrence of your symptoms.
When should I use Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Common reasons to seek acupuncture and TCM treatments include difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia), upper back and neck tension, mood disorders, headaches, bloating after eating and digestive disorders, PMS and painful periods, fatigue, chronic illnesses, and skin concerns such as acne, rosacea, and visible signs of ageing. Traditional Chinese Medicine can help relieve your symptoms and make you more comfortable in your body.
In North America, people often turn to TCM as a last resort for relief of their symptoms when other forms of treatment have not been effective. However, Chinese Medicine is unique and effective in its intention as preventative medicine. It can improve your quality of life and empower you to make changes that will benefit your long-term health, whether you’re feeling well or unwell.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a Chinese Medicine modality that has been used as healthcare for thousands of years and continues to be used in hospitals to this day. During a treatment, fine, sterile, single-use acupuncture needles are inserted into carefully considered points, improving circulation of energy and blood and bringing your body back into a state of balance. Acupuncture needles interact with the nervous system (the control center of your body’s processes) and local cells to elicit a healing response. Over time and with regular treatments, your body begins to heal itself with the help of acupuncture.
Within the context of Classical and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and when performed by an R.Ac or R.TCMP, acupuncture is capable of helping to resolve many health conditions. Acupuncture can address mood disorders, insomnia, menstrual disorders such as painful periods, digestive disorders, headaches, Bell’s Palsy, jaw pain, acne and other skin concerns, inflammatory disorders such as allergic rhinitis, and so much more!
What can I expect at my first appointment?
At your first appointment, we’ll talk a lot about your treatment goals and overall health and wellness. Your health intake form will have covered a lot of ground, and I’ll ask you some questions about your answers. I ask to know so much about you because Chinese Medicine examines the broader picture of your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing to get to the root of your issues. We’ll have a chance to get to know each other a bit during this appointment, and follow-up appointments will be less chatty! I’ll also answer any questions you have for me during this appointment.
After this discussion, we’ll move into the treatment! The length of your first treatment may vary depending on how much we have to discuss. It might include body work like cupping, massage (tuina), or other modalities, but it may just include acupuncture! During your first treatment, we’ll discuss your personalized treatment plan to reach your health goals.
Everyone’s treatment looks a little different. For example, your treatment might start out with a relaxing cupping treatment or guasha treatment followed by acupuncture. It might start with acupuncture and be followed with an acupressure head massage. Each treatment is a little different. Once the needles are in, you can rest in stillness on a warm and comfortable massage table for about 30 minutes. You’ll be checked in on regularly to make sure that you’re comfortable and able to relax. Sink into the comfort and let your worries melt away! Some people receive other treatment modalities at the same time as acupuncture, such as a head massage, LED light therapy, FIR (Far Infrared) Heat Therapy, or electrical stimulation of the needles based on their needs.
How many treatments do I need? / When will I feel better?
Everybody’s reaction to acupuncture is a little bit different. Chronic issues or things you’ve been experiencing “as long as you can remember” take longer to heal than more recent or acute issues; people who are generally healthy will recover more quickly than those with multiple chronic illnesses; those in their 20s will recover more quickly than those in their 60s. Acupuncture is a cumulative treatment. Each session builds on the results of the last. You might not notice much change after your first treatment for a chronic issue (in the same way you might not notice a difference after going to the gym once, eating a balanced meal once, or taking one dose of a medication). Stick to your treatment plan and the results will come! Trust in the process.
A recent or acute issue might only take a handful of treatments to resolve, for example twice per week the first 1-2 weeks, once per week for the next 2-3 weeks, and monthly tune-ups as you please.
A general treatment plan for a deeply entrenched, chronic issue (for example, anxiety or fibromyalgia for “as long as you can remember”) might involve receiving acupuncture twice per week for the first 2 weeks, once per week for the next 4-10 weeks, once every other week for a month, and then once per month onward for maintenance and prevention. Your treatment plan will be personalized. Everyone responds a little differently to acupuncture! Your healing journey might not look the same or take the same amount of time as someone else’s. As your symptoms improve, shift, and disappear, the treatments will be spaced out more and more until you’re just coming in for your monthly tune-up!
Does acupuncture hurt?
Generally, not at all! Some people experience no discomfort at acupuncture points, and others feel stronger sensations. Tense muscles are more likely to ache when acupuncture needles are inserted, and some points are more tender or sensitive than others. Sometimes, you may feel a brief sharp sensation when a needle is inserted. Most people find acupuncture very comfortable and relaxing. Everyone’s experience with acupuncture is a little different, so you’ll just have to try it for yourself!
Other sensations you may experience include heaviness, tingling, and/or sensations of coolness or warmth. Many of my patients feel movement of energy and release of “stuck” sensations. Most people feel very relaxed during and after treatment.
Is Acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is a safe and effective form of treatment in the hands of a well-trained practitioner such as a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCMP) or Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac). In Ontario, this is a regulated health profession with education and testing requirements to keep patients safe. Rest assured knowing R.Acs and R.TCMPs have received the most thorough training in using acupuncture needles to deliver safe and effective treatments.
Acupuncture treatments have associated risks, like any treatment available today. Luckily, acupuncture is relatively non-invasive compared to other forms of healthcare, so the common risks are mild. The most common risks associated with acupuncture are mild bruising where acupuncture was performed and lightheadedness after treatment. You can mitigate the risk of lightheadedness by eating regular meals. When you’re running on empty, you’re much more likely to experience dizziness.
What is Cupping?
Cupping is an effective therapy that has existed for thousands of years. It’s excellent for treating muscular aches and pains, stubborn knots and tension, headaches, and even internal conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, restless leg syndrome, and asthma. Gentle abdominal cupping can also treat painful menstruation and constipation, for example.
To learn more about it, read this brief blog post.
What is Herbal Medicine?
One of the main treatment modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine is herbal medicine. Its effective use treating a variety of ailments has been documented for thousands of years. Most of the substances are plant matter such as roots, twigs, and leaves, but shells and other animal materials are sometimes used.
Like a detective, your practitioner will perform a thorough assessment of your current and past health in order to find patterns that link all of your symptoms together. With this unique diagnosis, they’ll prescribe a customized herbal formula that will address your case specifically. The active components in herbs can be extracted by simmering raw herbs as a decoction, or they may be extracted in alcohol as a tincture, or processed into granules that are consumed much like instant coffee. They may also be prescribed as tablets or pills. Currently, in my practice, I used granules and tinctures most often because they’re both effective and easy for patients to take regularly.
Every case is different and your symptoms will take a different length of time to resolve than someone else’s. Using herbology alongside acupuncture helps to prolong your positive results after a treatment, and helps bring you more efficient relief from your symptoms. It’s an important aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with custom dietary and lifestyle modifications, that should not be overlooked for your stubborn symptoms!
What is Guasha?
Guasha is a Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment modality that uses a smooth tool to scrape the surface of the body for therapeutic benefit. Sometimes the treatment is gentle, and sometimes the treatment is quite vigorous depending on the purpose of treatment and needs of the patient. Gua sha tools come in a variety of shapes and materials for a variety of different uses.
Guasha may also be included in your treatment if you have muscle aches and pains or would like to improve your muscle recovery time after the gym. It can also used to treat headaches, insomnia, and jaw pain. Like cupping, guasha can be used to open your pores and vent heat through the skin. It’s a fantastic treatment modality if you’re feeling irritable or agitated and have tension in your upper back and neck.
Gua sha for muscular pain and venting heat (that causes headaches and frustration) causes local erythema (redness) and leaves petechiae (tiny red and purple markings). These markings are referred to as sha, and indicate that an area is congested and needs treatment to increase circulation and remove waste from the tissues. The marks are not painful and will fade within 3-14 days, depending on your circulation, age, and general health.
What is Tuina?
Tuina is another important branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine that is often used in conjunction with other treatment modalities. It is a form of massage originating in ancient China that is used to correct imbalances and areas of stagnation (excess) or deficiency in your body. Your practitioner uses the channel (or, meridian) system- a system of inter-connected pathways that run throughout your body much like your nervous system- to diagnose or treat what imbalances they’ve assessed. Tuina is a form of massage that enlists Traditional Chinese Medicine theory to treat not only local issues such as pain, but systemic issues such as insomnia, headaches, abdominal pain, and anxiety.
I often perform head and face massages to treat specific acupuncture points and meridians for patients with neck, upper back, and jaw pain that presents with anxiety or insomnia. Patients usually get off the table feeling relaxed, looser, and ready for a good night’s sleep.
What is FIR Therapy?
Far Infrared (FIR) heat therapy reduces pain and inflammation, improves blood circulation, helps regulate blood pressure, and accelerates healing and cellular regeneration. FIR heat can penetrate inches into the body- much deeper than a moist-heat electric heating pad. Aside from that, it makes for an incredibly relaxing treatment! At Peony Tree Medicine, it is applied using a TDP lamp.
