ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture is an embodiment of alternative medicine and a key component of Traditional Oriental Medicine(TOM) in which fine needles are inserted through your skin following the strategic or meridian points on your body. As one of the fundamentalcomponents of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is typically utilized to treat symptoms of pain. However, its benefits extend further to stimulate overall wellness, including stress management.

Traditional Oriental Medicine explains acupuncture as a form of balancing technique to optimally manage the flow of energy or life force, known as chi or qi (chee), that circulates through the pathways (meridians) in your body. Acupuncture practitioners strive to re-balance the energy flow via the insertion of fine needles into the distinct and precise points along the body meridians.

To formulate a patient’s diagnosis according to the tradition utilized, the acupuncturist determines which acupuncture points to target by deliberately observing and inquiring about the patient. In TOM, the four diagnostic methods include inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiring, and palpation. Inspection is centered around the face and particularly on the tongue, including a thorough analysis of the tongueshape, tension, size, color and coating, and the absence or presence of teeth marks around the edge. Auscultation and olfaction focus on the auditory aspect by listening for definite sounds such as wheezing, and observing body odor.] Inquiring revolves around the “seven inquiries”: chills and fever; perspiration; appetite, thirst and taste; defecation and urination; pain; sleep; and menses and leukorrhea. Palpation is attentive to feeling the body for tender “A-shi” points and sensing the pulse.

Acupuncture needles
Acupuncture points are predominantly stimulated via penetration of the skin by fine metal needles, which are manipulated manually by the acupuncturist or by electrical stimulation (electroacupuncture). Acupuncture needles tend to be constructed from stainless steel, allowing them to be flexible, durable, and sustainable from rusting. In adherence to safety guidelines, needles are disposed of with each usage to prevent contamination.

Acupuncture procedure
Acupuncture points are stationedacross all areas of the body. Surprisingly enough, there are cases in which the appropriate points reside far from the area of your pain. After a thorough inspection and precise diagnosis, your acupuncture practitioner will communicate with you regarding the general site of the planned treatment and whether any clothing needs to be removed. A towel, gown, or sheet will be provided. The treatment will proceed after you have laid on a padded table, which involves:

• Needle insertion. Acupuncture needles are inserted via varying depths at strategic/appropriate points on your body. Since the needles are very fine, insertionoftentimes causes little to no discomfort as the majority of the patients do not feel them inserted at all. Between 5to 20 needles are utilized in a typical treatment session. You may experience a mild aching sensation when a needle arrives at the correct depth.
• Needle manipulation. It is common for your practitioner to gently twirl/move the fine needles after placement, apply heat or low-frequency electrical pulses to the needles.
• Needle removal. In most cases, the thin needles are stationed in place for 10 to 20 minutes while you lie still and relaxed. Usually, no signs of discomfort are experienced when the needles are removed.

Acupuncture Safety
Acupuncture is optimal when executed by appropriately trained practitioners who use clean (sterilized) needle techniques and single-use needles. Acupuncture has a low rate of adverse effects when optimally delivered, in which a high proportion of those effects are very minor.

Acupuncture treatment is the most crucial and fundamental aspect of the 8 Constitution Medicine. Dr. Kwan Dowon, Ph.D., the founder of the 8 Constitution Medicine, released his first thesis (The Constitutional Acupuncture) on the 8 Constitution-Acupuncture in September of 1962. In October of 1965, the International Congress of Acupuncture & Moxibustion formally released a journal including the work of Dr. Kwan Dowon (A study of Constitution-Acupuncture).

At Dr. Kim Health Care, we maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of our treatments by interchanging between the 8 Constitution-Acupuncture and traditional acupuncture methods.

The characteristics of the 8 Constitution-Acupuncture are as follows:
A. The 8 Constitution-Acupuncture is a treatment that controls the strength and weakness of the organs by using acupuncture points of the organs. The acupuncture points of the organs have 12 principal meridians (the meridian system), with each meridian referring to the 5 acupuncture points beneath the elbow and knee joints. A meridian is a path through which each organ transmits its life energy, meaning that each organ has its distinct meridian. The 10 internal organs are divided into two categories: 1) solid organs (liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, and kidney) and 2) hollow organs (stomach, small intestine, large intestine, gallbladder, and bladder). All organs retain unique energy magnitudes (size of life energy) that are systematically ordered from the organs with the largest energy magnitudes to organs with the smallest energy magnitudes. Despite the difference in the order of energy magnitudes, our organs exchange life energies and complement each other to create a complete life (human body).

Each of the organs within our bodies has an independent physiological function that can be seen through our eyes (primary physiological function). Human physiology entails only the primary physiological function of all organs. The functions of the stomach include mechanical digestion, sterilization via gastric acid, and protein degradation through pepsin. The functions of the liver include the detoxification, sterilization, and metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acid, protein, fat, bile acid, bilirubin, vitamin, mineral, and hormone. Of importance, there is a secondary physiological function (cannot be seen through the eyes) which is due to each organ maintaining its unique life energy. By exchanging its life energy with each other over a long period, it creates balance internally while creating human life activities for the body. It is crucial to consider the fact that primary physiology and secondary physiology are influenced and affected by each other.

In the case of Pancreotonia constitution that entails high energy in the pancreas and the stomach, consuming foods that are either spicy or of high energy (turmeric, ginger, ginseng, lemon, chicken, etc.) will stir an eruption of energy in the pancreas or the stomach. The consequence involves the elevation of heat in the shoulders or head, leading to symptoms such as indigestion, headaches, and acne-like infections around the face and neck areas. Additional to these consequences, more severe side-effects such as diabetes and high blood pressure may occur. By utilizing the acupuncture points of the organs, such consequences are treated via sedative acupuncture methods (calming the collection of heat in the pancreas).

B. The 8 Constitutional-Acupuncture method has a step regimen (step-by-step prescriptions).

• First level prescription (known as the basic or general prescription): Utilizes 4 acupuncture points of organs to treat a single organ (used for treating Pediatric patients, sprains, hemostasis, etc.).
• Second level prescription (prescription of sterilization, mental, intestinal inflammation, paternal inflammation, etc.): Utilizes 8 acupuncture points of organs to treat 2 organs (used for treating gastritis, bladder infection, and other various inflammations).
• Third level prescription: Utilizes 18 acupuncture points of organs to treat 3 organs (used for treating all problems within the neuromuscular skeletal system such as Spinal System Therapy, Joint System, tinnitus, Bell’s Palsy, Frozen Shoulder, sciatica, cold, shingles, degenerative arthritis, aches, gout, stomach ulcer, Ulcerative colitis, atopic dermatitis, Menopausal disorder, etc.).
• Fourth level prescription (contains 9 levels: level 9 deals with 9 different acupuncture points to treat all intractable diseases. Majority of the diseases, except for cancer, are treated in level 5).

C. Diseases that will find the 8 Constitutional-Acupuncture effective:
Sciatica, Rheumatoid arthritis, Frozen Shoulder, Headaches, Bell’s Palsy, Myasthenia, Parkinson’s disease, numbness in hands and feet, hemorrhoids, acne, hepatitis, hepatocirrhosis, fatty liver, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, Duodenal ulcer, Gastroptosis, gastrointestinal intolerance, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, cold, sneezing, phlegm, various skin diseases, cystitis, Urethritis, urinary incontinence, menopausal disorder, menstrual pain, menstrual irregularity, uterine lump, cold hands and feet, conjunctivitis, Otitis media, tinnitus, rhinitis, sinusitis, sore throat, depression, insomnia, Atopic dermatitis, various allergic diseases, and side effects of chemotherapy.

D. Even with the same gastritis, each body type constitution involves a different treatment method (therefore, each treatment method is unique to the body constitution and will bring forth the most optimal effect).

E. There are virtually zero to very minimal side effects from the 8 ConstitutionalAcupuncture.