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So integrative medicine means taking a team approach to
healthcare and
that can be by bringing modalities that are different
from what is typically a Western biomedical treatment.
And that could be something like using massage or
using meditation or using acupuncture in conjunction with
those traditional therapies.
In order to give the patient a more optimal outcome,
a more positive experience, and that the entire team
of providers are communicating and making sure
that the treatment plan is communicated to the patient.
And that everyone's on the same page the whole time.
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From a modern biological perspective,
acupuncture is stimulating the body to balance itself.
And it does that through complex neurochemical pathways that
affect the immune system,
the nervous system, and the inflammatory process.
Now from traditional Eastern perspective, the theory explains
that our bodies are a microcosm of the natural world and
that there is energy at play that animates us,
that makes us alive.
And each of our organs contain a type of energy that's call Chi.
And that Chi, that energy, travels through the body
through pathways and we call those pathways meridians.
And along those pathways there are points where
that energy is said to collect and
each of those points have very specific functions.
And it's by stimulating those very precise,
very specific points that we're able to affect certain changes
in the body depending on what we're treating.
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No, acupuncture is actually a very relaxing treatment,
feels very good.
The placement of the needles actually stimulates your body's
own abiiity to relieve pain and releasing endorphins.
A lot of patients actually fall asleep and
leave an acupuncture treatment feeling very good.
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So acupuncture can treat a wide range of conditions,
just about anything that might affect a patient's quality of
life in the long term.
Here in the gastroenterology department,
I see patients with things like Crohn's disease, colitis,
inflammatory bowel disease, sometimes gastroparesis.
But acupuncture actually can treat
a much broader range of things.
And I do see all kinds of different conditions here in my
practice.
And that could be anything from joint pain,
orthopedic sports injuries, a lot of women's health issues,
menopause, infertility, PMS, anything that causes pain.
Things that are aggravated by stress,
things that are mediated by an inflammatory process.
Acupuncture is very, very effective for.
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The number of treatments that a patient might require for
any given condition is going to vary widely from case to case,
just like it does in any medical modality.
It's important to speak with a licensed acupuncturist who can
give you more targeted information depending on what it
is that you're looking for.
How severe a condition is, how long it's been a problem,
the overall more global health of the patient are all
things that are taken into consideration.
But usually acupuncture is performed in a series of
treatments, kind of like a course of antibiotics,
you could think of it that way, and the effect is cumulative.
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