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Western medicine bases its treatments on an analysis of the type of disease and its stage of progress. Even the most sophisticated diagnostic and treatment methods, however, do not address the true origin and cause of disease.

At every moment the body’s resources are being consumed just to maintain a basic level of functioning. Just being alive puts demands on the body, and these demands slowly drain the body of its strength and vitality over the course of one’s lifetime.

In Eastern medicine, disease is understood as the accumulation of the effects of one’s daily life. These effects start to accumulate the moment life begins, which means even before birth, when one is just a fetus in the womb.

Staying healthy is not just a matter of having a disease diagnosed early enough so that one can get the right medicine to treat it. If just being alive is the real cause of disease, then the only way to maintain one’s health and treat disease is to live properly and pay attention to one’s lifestyle. This is true health care, and this is why Eastern medicine places so much importance on such things as proper breathing, sleep, and diet.

Now that you have been introduced to this approach to health care, you can begin to address some of your own health concerns starting today.

Keeping warm is a basic principle for staying healthy. In Canada, especially in the cold seasons, we need to make a special effort to maintain a properly elevated body temperature and avoid getting chilled.

One way that we can keep warm is by paying attention to the temperature of the foods we eat and drink. This is especially important when it comes to foods that come directly from the refrigerator or freezer. A refrigerator keeps food at a temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius, and a freezer keeps food at a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile our body is working all the time to maintain its temperature of around 37 degrees Celsius. Cold food and drink might taste refreshing, but they cool the body and force it to expend extra energy on digestion and maintaining a normal body temperature. Just think of how much energy and heat is needed to melt ice cream that has come straight from the freezer. Even eating foods that are at room temperature (around 21 degrees Celsius) will cool the body a little bit.

Ingesting very cold foods and drinks also has the effect of weakening the organs of the digestive tract. When the stomach and intestines get cold, bacteria such as E.coli can grow more easily and spread throughout the body. At the cellular level, bacterial proliferation can interfere with mitochondrial functioning and impair cellular activity. Mitochondria are organelles found in every cell of the body. Each mitochondrion provides the cell with needed energy through a series of chemical processes called cellular respiration that converts nutrients into energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

When abnormal bacterial growth interferes with mitochondrial functioning, ATP production drops and metabolic processes within cells break down. The consequences of this can be widespread, since the health of every organ, gland and tissue in the body depends on strong metabolic functioning. For example, when metabolic functioning in the pancreas is weak, it can result in low insulin production. In the pituitary gland, production and secretion of hormones that regulate thyroid and adrenal functioning can be affected. In the brain, neurotransmitter production and metabolism of monoamines such as serotonin, melatonin and dopamine can be affected. In many cases, severe disease can result.

Acute Conditions
Colds and flu
Recent injury
Migraine
Low back strain
Food poisoning
Gallstone attack
Kidney stone attack
Asthma attack
Severe pain
Seasonal allergies
Sinus infection

Special Treatment Plans
Quit Smoking
Facial Rejuvenation (Cosmetic Acupuncture)
Surgical Scar Reduction
Chemotherapy and Radiation Support
Immune Support
Preparing for Allergy Season
Stroke Recovery

Non-acute Conditions
Digestive disorders (IBS, constipation, diarrhea, ulcers, acid reflux, food sensitivities, nausea and vomiting)
Liver and gallbladder disorders
Insomnia
Headaches and migraines
Sinus infection
Respiratory conditions (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia)
Low energy
Chronic fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Irregular menstruation
Infertility
Pregnancy-related conditions (morning sickness, breech presentation, hip and low back pain, induction of labour)
Post-pregnancy conditions (insufficient milk flow, mastitis, surgical scar reduction, excessive bleeding)
Back pain and stiffness
Knee, hip or shoulder pain and inflammation
Tennis elbow
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Repetitive strain injuries
Pain or disfunction anywhere along the spine
Neuralgia
Neck pain or stiffness
Whiplash
Sciatica
Low immunity
Dizziness
Urinary disorders (bladder infection, enlarged prostate, excessive urination)
Male sexual disfunction
Addiction and substance abuse
Circulatory conditions
Anxiety and depression
Hypertension
TMJ syndrome
Facial paralysis
Stress
Post-operative pain and recovery
Environmental sensitivities
Tinnitus

Common childhood illnesses such as asthma, digestive disorders, allergies and immune deficiency respond very well to acupuncture. Acupuncture can also effectively treat problems with sleep, anxiety and attention in children.

When treating children fewer needles are used and the treatments tend to be short. The age at which a child can begin receiving acupuncture treatments depends largely on the child’s temperament, level of maturity, ability to understand the nature of the procedure, and the child’s willingness tolerate the needles. In some cases it may be appropriate to treat a child as young as five or six years of age with acupuncture.

In general acupuncture will not interfere with medically prescribed treatments that a person may be receiving. If you have concerns, however, it is advisable that you consult with a physician before beginning a course of treatments.

Acupuncture serves to activate the body’s own healing mechanisms and does not act in a direct manner to effect change in the body. As such the body’s own healing intelligence is allowed to decide whether a particular change is desirable or beneficial at a particular time. Unlike most forms of modern medical treatments, acupuncture does not demand anything of the body and will work gently in concert with other therapies rather than interfere with them.

It is more likely that acupuncture will complement rather than conflict with other medically prescribed treatments. It will do so by releasing blockages and relaxing the nervous system, thereby increasing the effectiveness of medically prescribed therapies. This is especially true for people undergoing physiotherapy, surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.

Acupuncture, when carried out by a properly trained clinician using clean-needle technique, is very safe. One-time use disposable needles are inserted into muscle tissue with the acupuncturist avoiding blood vessels and sensitive tissues whenever possible. Acupuncture needles are very thin, about one-third of the diameter of medical injection needles, and rarely cause bleeding when inserted or removed. A properly trained acupuncturist will ensure that needles are inserted at a safe depth in order to avoid penetrating organs or sensitive tissues.

Some people express concern that acupuncture relies on the blood’s clotting ability to avoid bleeding. If you are currently taking prescription blood-thinning medication you may wish to consult your physician before beginning a course of acupuncture treatments.