Do you feel like you have enough energy? Do you have so much energy that you can’t unwind? How is your sexual energy? Do you experience daily energy dips? Feel fatigued after eating? The Life Force within us seeks to flow freely and evenly. Blockages and energy imbalances can affect all aspects of our health including our mental and emotional health, our sleep, immune system, libido, fertility, digestion, and elimination.  Energy levels are an indicator of internal harmony, and thus it is important not to overlook the signs and symbols that our body give us. Acupuncture treatments deal directly with the movement and balance of our energy.

Do you have frequent colds and flu? Do you have low energy? Want to give your immunity a boost? Much of the body’s immune response depends on the gut microbiome and ensuring that it is in balance. A study published by the National Institutes of Health revealed that acupuncture with e-stim can increase the number of T cells in the body. And, general acupuncture can decrease inflammation, which is paramount to a top-notch immune system. When your body’s energy is sluggish, your body falls prey to viruses more readily. Conversely, when your energy is in balance, you can fight off “invaders” with greater ease. By stimulating portions of the nervous system through specific acupoints, responses in the immune system are triggered. In this way, acupuncture is used preventively to shore up a healthy and strong immune response.

Do you suffer from a chronic cough or frequent sinus infections? Annoying allergies or aggravating asthma leave you feeling drained? From a Chinese point of view, some respiratory issues are due to a deficiency of the Lung and Kidneys’ defensive-qi systems. Herbs and acupuncture help to reduce congestion, open the nasal passages, and nourish the Lungs and Kidneys. Western treatment of allergies relies mostly on the use of antihistamines. Unfortunately, those only treat the symptoms of the disease and not the root. Chinese medicine and acupuncture offer respiratory sufferers a way to strengthen their bodies, which in turn helps relieve symptoms.

Do you have cold hands and feet? Do you suffer from varicose veins or Raynaud’s Disease? When this happens, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin become narrow, limiting blood flow to affected areas. Since redirecting and replenishing blood flow is acupuncture’s specialty, it makes perfect sense that acupuncture improves blood circulation. Treatments dilate constricted blood vessels that inhibit blood flow and relieve symptoms associated with circulatory issues. 

Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly sees its own tissue as an enemy invader and tries to destroy it. There are currently more than 100 confirmed or suspected autoimmune diseases, each with its own triggers and side effects. One in five people suffer from some form of autoimmune disease, and they can be mild, such as dry eyes, or severe such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, Hashimoto’s, or rheumatoid arthritis. Many autoimmune diseases have a “trigger” that can be identified, controlled, or avoided. That is where acupuncture comes into play because it works by calming the body’s immune system. It may also reverse the body’s sensitivity to the “trigger,” thereby stabilizing the progression of the autoimmune disease.