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The Clinic Environment A visit to my clinic is felt by most to be a deeply restorative, healing break from the normal stress of life. Coming to the clinic for regular treatments can help establish a new rhythm of respect for the body and calm pacing in life. Here is how a treatment unfolds: fIrstly I will take a brief medical history, or update on your symptoms. You will then lie down on a treatment table. Normally my patients are given privacy to disrobe but leave on their underwear, and they climb under a sheet. If at some point during the treatment we need to get access to parts of the body for treatment, the patient will always be asked first and appropriately draped for modesty.
Acupuncture and related treatment methods There are a number of treatment modalities that I might use. They are not necessarily all used in the same treatment. At a certain point we might use some physical approach to the body. It could be just medical qigong type 'laying on of hands' or massage or acupressure or acupuncture or moxibustion. 1/ Acupuncture 4/ Channel Palpation and Acupressure 5/ Massage 7/ Moxibustion 9/ Gua Sha (acupuncture channel or point stimulation with tools) 11/ Conversation
Outside of the specific treatment time we might also use: 1/ Qigong exercise - Qigong classes and / or Qigong home practice 2/ Home methods of stimulation of acupuncture points 3/ Therapeutic juice-fasting and healing diets 4/ Traditional Chinese herbal formulas 6/ Supplements
I use acupuncture. The needles perform a specific function of clearing away the old and diseased energy, and allowing in the balancing clean energy. They help to break through energetic blockages and they help to dispel negative energy. They also help to act as channels to get the clear and bright healing energies to penetrate deep into the body, to activate the organic matrix with the energies of universal intelligence, the pattern or ideal form of health. The Mandala of Point Selection - Another important aspect of Acupuncture is the prescriptive effect of the choice of points. This is the mandala of point selection. The choice of points in Sacred Acupuncture is often guided by the need to rebalance a specific affected acupuncture channel. The energy channels lie in specific relationships to each other, and all illness or imbalance within the physical body is reflected in distortions of this harmonious architecture. Here we attune to the architecture and the 'mechanics' of the acupuncture channels, and the flow patterns of Qi and Shen within the body. Scientifically acupuncture has been shown to be analgesic, and It also enhances total body health by beneficially stimulating the immune system, the nervous system, and the endocrine system. From Chinese medicine we understand that acupuncture also benefits the circulation of the Qi, which influences, in its turn, the circulation of the blood. Chinese medicine also teaches us that acupuncture reaches to the internal organ systems of the body. Acupuncture is safe. I use only highly precisioned sterilized and disposable needles. Acupuncture is often surprisingly painless. The needles are only slightly thicker than a human hair, so the experience is not the same as getting shots. I have had many needle-phobic patients come to love acupuncture! Acupuncture is also deeply relaxing for the mind and restorative and energizing for the body. Sometimes acupuncture can be a strong experience. But if you plan a little time after to the treatment to integrate, and sip some herb tea it will ground you.
Much of my acupuncture practice is informed by Medical Qigong. There are three main reasons I perform Medical QIgong:
I may teach you a breathing exercise to perform on the treatment table for a while. These exercises are useful to energize the system and generate breakthroughs in energy blockages. For more information about the kind of breathing exercises I use in my practice see: Breath-Work keep in mind though that the type of breathing exercises I give you during acupuncture treatment may be much gentler than the methods used in group breath-work sessions.
Channel Palpation and Acupressure I frequently use acupressure to diagnose the channels and to activate specific points. In this procedure I will press the points on an acupuncture channel looking for a particularly sore or reactive point. I may then activate this point with pressure first when I find it, before inserting a needle. Very often acupuncture will work much better for pain relief when the right point is activated with pressure first.
I might also perform internal organ massage, belly massage or massage along either side of the spine. In acupuncture every part of the body can be pressed to diagnose the underlying condition and then also to treat the underlying imbalance. I was trained in many form of massage before I began practicing acupuncture, and so I will often use these methods. As a patient this often feels good! It relieves pain, increases vitality and improves circulation. I use bodywork only as an integrated part of the overall acupuncture treatment.
Essential oils
Moxibustion or Moxa
This is a method of stimulation of larger areas of the body using a vacuum created by a cup shaped implement. This is a traditional Asian medical tool used for moving 'stagnant blood', stuck Qi and bound areas of the body. It is not particularly painful, often creates a dramatic opening and freeing of the body and Qi, and is a very useful technique for acupuncturists.
Gua Sha (acupuncture channel or point stimulation with tools) Gua Sha is a method of scraping the acupuncture channel with an implement. It is a technique often used in conjunction with acupressure, massage and cupping to open up blocked acupuncture channels, clear stagnant Qi and blood, open up circulation, improve tissue oxygenation, improve joint mobility and generally free up the body by releasing held energy.
Going underneath the conscious mind to explore and release old beliefs and mental structures. Often I will guide the patient to tune into the body, to experience the consciousness held within the body. This can be very healing and liberating. There are many methods of doing this. Sometimes it is a innocuous as a single suggestion, sometimes I use a more involved guided visualization. Whilst receiving and shortly after acupuncture the mind is especially receptive to shifting old beliefs and ideas, and sometimes that is more important than the needles themselves!
I am always interested in the whole picture, so I may ask you about you, your life, your family, your work, your relationships, how you feel about your life, etc. This is an exploration of how you are doing, and the relationship between your spiritual, mental and emotional state and any physical imbalance or illness that is present. If you cannot deal with this approach - please work with a different practitioner, as we will not be a good fit.
The conclusion of the Acupuncture treatment Normally after a period of treatment I will leave you resting for a while in the treatment room with the needles in place. During this time there is no pain from the needles, but lots of patients experience different energy sensations in their body. This resting time is useful for integration and if often bypasses the conscious mind. While patients are lying and relaxing on the treatment table the healing is sinking in. Many times patients will report falling into a deep sleep state, where they are as if asleep yet still present. I try to keep the patient warm and comfortable during this resting period.
I may recommend exercises, attendance at qigong classes and / or Qigong home practice. We have some DVD's of Qigong forms we practice, with more to come. QIgong (known also as Chi Kung) breathing and movement exercises have been
used for thousands of years to generate energy and re balance the body.
Home methods of stimulation of acupuncture points I will often provide you with a method of continuing and strengthening the effects of the acupuncture treatment at home. I might give you small magnets with adhesive patches to adhere to certain acupuncture points, or a specific liniment or massage oil or essential oil to apply to a part of the body. In this way the treatment effectiveness is increased and the speed of recovery is amplified.
Juice fasting and Healing Diets Therapeutic juice cleansing, and healing diets, are time honored and universal healing technologies. Having access to them is a very useful healing tool to learn, and is often an essential component of healing because it is often important to detoxify the body. The detoxification aspect of healing is the least understood aspect of healing in the West, and often it is the most needed. To support this we have a group juice cleanse twice a year. For more information on this you can read about it on the web-site we have set up at the following link. It does take time to open so be patient please: The Juice Fast Healing diets, or changing the diet is often a really useful aspect of treatment, and should result in more energy, vitality and enthusiasm with a reduction in symptoms. In both East and West the effects of our diet on our health have been studied for thousands of years. Specific diseases can be helped by specific diets. If any dietary changes would be of benefit we will talk about how to incorporate these diet changes, to make it workable.
I may recommend herbal medicine for you. Herbal medicine has developed over thousands of years in the Orient, so it has been tested over countless generations! In modern China, herbal medicine has been found to be so effective that it is used throughout the nation in hospitals alongside Western medicine. Research has verified the healing applications of over a thousand different herbs. Like all systems of Oriental medicine, herbal treatment aims to treat the underlying cause of a problem, rather than just the symptoms. Normally, in herbal treatment I give you a traditional formula composed of ten or so herbs chosen to specifically correlate to your unique body type, needs and health condition. This formula comes in the form of a powder, liquid, pill or capsule, normally taken twice a day.
I may recommend a vibrational remedy. Homeotherapeutic vibrational remedies are a unique method of treatment first developed in Europe by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann. THese remedies use highly diluted 'energy' medicines to stimulate the body to respond with a reduction of symptoms and a return to a natural state of balance. Vibrational remedies include homeopathic concepts, but they extend also to flower essences, gem elixirs and other remedies prepared in a homeopathic fashion. These remedies come in the form of either tasteless drops to put under the tongue or small white pellets with a sweet taste that dissolve under the tongue. These vibrational remedies are completely non-toxic. They are so diluted that no toxicity is possible.
In addition, I might draw from a broad range of vitamin products, mineral formulas, enzyme supplements, amino-acid formulations, plant extracts, herbs from other traditions and certain
nutritional supplements. The right supplement can be very helpful in promoting healing. There is a large selection of natural remedies and I use them frequently. If some supplements seem appropriate we will talk about where you can buy the supplements, the correct
amount to take and for how long. If they are not commonly available I
will order them for you.
To get a Sacred Acupuncture Healing Session Sacred Acupuncture Healing Sessions are available through the Los Gatos Clinic and the Santa Cruz Clinic in California.To make an appointment to receive a Sacred Acupuncture Healing Session there are five things you have to do: 866-863-5560 to schedule an appointment for Los Gatos
initial appointment $125 The healing is not dependant upon money! It is generated from a place of Love and service. However I rent my clinic, put gas in my car, support a family etc. This is why I charge money - to replenish the resources used. Thank you for understanding the difference between these two things. Student and senior discounts available.
Prayers for your well-being, joy, happiness, health and healing!
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