The Techniques We Use To Heal…
At Lamorinda Healing Arts, we use several traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) modalities, often in combination, to achieve your health objectives. The most common of these may include:
-Acupuncture. Hair-thin, disposable, single-use, sterile needles are inserted on points along specific lines of energy flow called “meridians” or “channels.” For thousands of years, the Chinese have used acupuncture to stimulate or reduce the energy (or “Qi”) of these points in order to bring a person back to healthy equilibrium.
-Herbal Medicine & Topical Liniments. Herbal medicine is one of the major pillars of TCM. The Chinese established a comprehensive materia medica of herbal medicine over 2,000 years ago, delineating thousands of herbs, their preparation, combinations, and appropriate application. Chinese herbs and formulas work from the blood level, and as such may be ingested or applied topically. Herbs rarely cause any unwanted side-effects, and may be used to enhance a treatment by reducing pain, inflammation, improving immunity, reducing symptoms, and addressing the root cause of an issue directly. Herb-drug interactions are rare and herbal medications used at our clinic come from reputable, known sources.
-Dietary Therapy. You really are what you eat, and Chinese medicine takes food very seriously, having categorized most foods into classes of temperature, taste, and effect, such as warming, cooling, moving, stagnating, bitter, sweet, etc. The balance of food energies and tastes reflect the same philosophy and attention to detail paid to the energies of the body and herbal medicines. As such, particular dietary combinations and prohibitions may be matched to your diagnosis based on each food’s unique qualities.
-Moxibustion. This form of heat therapy comfortably warms the points and channels. Moxibustion is used for a large number of issues and is especially effective for pain conditions that worsen with cold, such as arthritis. It most often involves use of a dried herb called Artemisia Vulgaris (Ai Ye in Mandarin). The heat enters the channels and influences the flow of Qi and blood.
-Cupping. Cupping involves the use of small glass or plastic cups placed over specific points of the body. The air is sucked out of the cups, and the technique stimulates circulation within the superficial muscle layers, encouraging the release of local pain or toxins. Cups are generally left in place anywhere from a few minutes to a half-hour, and the suction effect may leave a harmless red mark on the skin for several days.
-Chinese Massage / Tui Na. Tui Na uses a variety of massage techniques to encourage the healthy flow of Qi and blood. In China, medical doctors treat all kinds of orthopedic issues with Tui Na, helping to relieve muscle pain, inflammation, and reducing the time an injury may take to heal.
