Eastern Medical Services

HERBAL MEDICINE (한약)

A way of tuina adjustment on the spine in the past

ACA

Auckland City Acupuncture

The first reference to using herbs dates back nearly 5000 years. There is a vast repertoire of Eastern herbal medicine textbooks that have been revised and supplemented over the centuries. In more recent times there has been an increasing amount of biomedical research into the efficacy of Eastern herbal medicines. Increasingly, Eastern herbs are being used in association with treatment provided by GP’s and other health care providers. Eastern Herbal medicine can be of benefit in helping to alleviate some of the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.

There are a number of ways that Eastern herbs can be prescribed. A Eastern herbalist diagnoses according to traditional methods and puts together a prescription to suit individual needs. Traditionally a combination of 10-20 dried herbs is boiled together and the resulting decoction taken daily. Although very effective, such decoctions are often very bitter and strong tasting – sometimes a deterrent for the Western palate. Herbs are also available as freeze dried granules or in pill or capsule form which may be easier for Westerners to accept. The benefit of the individual prescription of raw dried herbs is that it can be adapted to exactly meet the needs of the patient and is usually considerably stronger therefore more efficacious more quickly. There are likely to be fewer side effects from individually prescribed formulae.

Herbs imported into New Zealand are subject to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and Customs requirements. Any herbs which are on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) list are unable to be brought into the country unless specifically grown for commercial purposes and not gathered from the wild. Patent herbs (freeze dried, pills and capsules) from reputable sources are manufactured according to stringent health and safety guidelines regarding heavy metal or pesticide contamination. Many of those available in New Zealand have already met regulatory requirements in Australia (TGA), United States of America (US FDA) or Germany (PIC GMP).

Eastern Herbal Medicine can be used on its own or in combination with Acupuncture treatment.

Refers to the warming or heating of individual acupuncture points or regions of the body by burning the herb Artemisia close to or actually on the inserted needle. The heat is able to penetrate deeply into the muscles and essentially strengthens the actions of the needles. By drawing more Qi and Blood into the area, Moxa can greatly aid the healing process. It is the burning of Moxa which gives many acupuncture clinics their characteristic aroma!

The application of vacuum cups to the skin, most commonly used on the back, to increase the flow of qi and blood to the area. In musculo-skeletal pain conditions, cupping is widely used to release spasm of muscles and relieve pain. Cups frequently will leave circular dark bruises on the skin but these will not be painful and will clear after a couple of days.

Traditionally there are many ways of cupping depending on the conditions which it is applied for. It is largely divided to two ways. One is dry cupping and the other is wet cupping. Dry cupping is putting cups on the lesion to promote blood circulation and remove blood stagnation. Wet cupping is cupping and bloodletting at the same time. It is used not just to promote blood flow but also to remove stagnated blood out of the lesion.

ACUPUNCTURE (침)

MOXIBUSTION (MOXA, 뜸)

Acupuncture is widely practiced and is now also accepted in the western world for the treatment or adjunct treatment for more and more conditions. It is a relatively safe treatment with few side effects. It may be used alone or in conjunction with electro-acupuncture, ear acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and tuina massage in standard treatment sessions.

Acupuncture is based on the idea that the body has a number of channels located throughout the body. These are often referred to as meridians, Your life energy, or qi, flows through these meridians. Each of the organs of the body has its own associated channel.

When acupuncture professionals insert needles into specific points (acupoints) along these channels, they help free up any blockages in the flow of qi and brings the body to a point of balance and harmony thus facilitate healing.

Every aspect of the patient’s life is considered by the practitioner before the points are selected – sometimes it may be impossible to change someone’s life circumstance, but by using acupuncture the person may be strengthened so that they are more easily able to deal with what life brings their way.

A visit to an Acupuncturist will usually take up to an hour, with the needles being left in place for 20-30 minutes of that time. How many needles will your acupuncture professional use? That depends on you and your symptoms, as each acupuncture treatment is individualized. You may have as few as one or two or as many as 8 or 10. The number of sessions necessary to experience long-lasting relief also varies.

Very often people go into a state of deep relaxation whilst the needles are in place and many drift off into a brief but sound sleep.

Acupuncture is widely known for its effectiveness in treating musculo-skeletal injuries but has traditionally been used extensively in the treatment of respiratory, digestive, gynaecological and many other chronic conditions..

There is no age limit for acupuncture treatment. Everyone from babies to elderly may benefit.

It is worth trying acupuncture and Oriental medicine for your health problems.

Tuina massage is also an important treatment modality of Eastern medicine. It is applied not just for musculo-skeletal pain syndrome but also many other disease conditions such as digestive troubles, fertility problem and mental-emotional disorders.