Healing Your Entire Body
Acupressure
The same points on the body are used as in acupuncture, but are stimulated with finger pressure instead of with the insertion of needles.
Blood letting
a small needle stick of an acupuncture point, where drops of blood are allowed to seep until the blood color changes from dark to light (typically three to five drops).
Cupping
An ancient and effective modality widely used in traditional Chinese medicine over thousands of years in China. The Cup is usually made from bamboo, glass, or plastic. Traditionally, by quickly heating the inside of the cup with fire, suction is created on the skin and the cup will adhere to the skin for 20 minutes. With the suction, the negative pressure in the cup stimulates the local acupuncture point; to increase qi and blood flow through the meridian, to loosen up local tight muscles, to relieve pain, to detoxify, and to re-balance the relative organ function.
Ear Seeds
Small black seeds from the Vaccaria plant are secured on the ear with a piece of adhesive tape over specific acupuncture points. The seeds stimulate the point by exerting mild pressure.
Electical Stimulation (E-Stim)
Needles are inserted on specific acupuncture points along the body. The needles are then attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses using small clips. These devices are used to adjust the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture uses two needles at a time so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously.
Laser Light
Traditional Acupuncture points and Acupuncture motor points are stimulated with low-energy lasers.
Gua Sha
meaning "scraping sha-bruises", in which the skin is scraped to produce light bruising. Gua sha releases unhealthy elements from injured areas and stimulates blood flow and healing.
Moxibustion
A traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing. Moxibustion has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years to strengthen, stimulate, and nd maintain general health.
Therapeutic Exercise
Qigong, and Tai-chi are ancient Chinese forms of physical training that combines preventive healthcare and therapy. Qigong relies on breathing techniques to direct the qi to different parts of the body. The literal translation of qigong is "the cultivation and deliberate control of a higher form of vital energy." Tai- chi involves moving through a series of 30–64 movements that require a relaxed body and correct rhythmic breathing. Often practiced as a form of preventive medicine.
Tui-Na
A hands-on body treatment in which the practitioner may brush, knead, roll, press, and rub the areas between each of the joints to attempt to get the energy moving in the meridians and the muscles. Techniques may be gentle or quite firm. The name comes from two of the actions: tui means "to push" and na means "to lift and squeeze." The practitioner can then use range of motion, with the stimulation of acupressure points. These techniques are claimed to aid in the treatment of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, as well as many non-musculoskeletal conditions.
Lifestyle Dietary Regulation
Chinese medicine uses foods to keep the body in internal harmony and in a state of balance with the external environment. In giving dietary advice, the the weather, the season, the geography of the area, and the patient's specific imbalances (including emotional upsets) are considered in order to select foods that will counteract excesses or supply deficient elements. Basic preventive dietary care, for example, would recommend eating yin foods in the summer, which is a yang season. In the winter, by contrast, yang foods should be eaten to counteract the yin temperatures. In the case of illness, yin symptom patterns (fatigue , pale complexion, weak voice) would be treated with yang foods, while yang symptoms (flushed face, loud voice, restlessness) would be treated by yin foods. One aspect of a balanced diet is maintaining a proper balance of rest and activity as well as selecting the right foods for the time of year and other circumstances. If a person does not get enough exercise, the body cannot transform food into qi and Vital Essence. If they are hyperactive, the body consumes too much of its own substance.
