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Acupuncture is a form of treatment which aims to restore the body to perfect energetic balance.  It is a wonderfully relaxing form of treatment with benefits for the whole body.  It have been shown to be very effective is addressing an enormous range of issues in a drug free, natural way.

The origins of acupuncture in China can be traced back at least 2000 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world. Today, acupuncture is a natural and increasingly popular form of health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds. It can be remarkably effective in many.

Acupuncture takes a holistic approach to understanding normal function and disease processes and focuses as much on the prevention of illness as on the treatment. The applications of acupuncture are many, improving overall health and vibrancy and thus allowing our own bodies to heal themselves as they have been designed to do.

Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective in women health in particular – reducing pain in menstruation, increasing pregnancy rates, decreasing miscarriages and reducing the symptoms of menopause. For more information please go to your section on mums and bubs.

Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific sites (acupuncture points) along the body’s meridians to clear energy blockages and encourage the normal flow of qi through the individual. The practitioner may also stimulate the acupuncture points using other methods, including, electro-stimulation and massage, in order to re-establish the flow of qi.

 

Acupuncture in pregnancy

Acupuncture draws from a history of treating women in pregnancy for thousands of years, but has also been adapted to our modern knowledge of safely and evidence based medicine. Studies has shown it to have wonderful benefits for overall wellness, and to counter specific complaints during this time. These include morning sickness, hip and lower back pain, depression, breech position and in shortening labour. In all the peer- reviewed scientific studies, not one has shown there to be any increased risk for the use of acupuncture in pregnancy or labour. Kate and Tom work with your obstetrics team or midwife to help you through a healthy pregnancy.

Restore has a keen interest in acupuncture for womens health in North Sydney, and we are therefore located in St Leonards, close to our patients care centres at RNS hospital, the Mater Hospital and North Shore Private.

 

Acupuncture and Sport Rehabilitation

Acupuncture has been beneficial for treating many injuries and painful conditions, and is a useful complementary therapy for any type of sport rehabilitation.  Acupuncture can be helpful in treating a number of symptoms that may arise with injury such as inflammation and swelling, acute and chronic pain [2], nerve damage or impingement, decreased range of movement and decreased circulation to muscles and tissues. These can arise from either acute trauma or overuse.

These effects are accomplished during treatment because acupuncture:

  • relieves pain
  • decreases inflammation
  • reduces swelling
  • relaxes muscles and relieves spasms
  • decreases bruising
  • improves local blood circulation

Commonly Treated Conditions

  • Knees and hips:    ligament tears or strains, oseto-arthritis, bursitis
  • Elbows:     golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, ligament strains, tears, RSI, tendonitis
  • Shoulders:     frozen shoulder, A/C joint injury, rotator cuff injury
  • Spine:     disc herniation, back pain
  • Ankles and feet:     plantar fasciitis

 

Acupuncture and Chronic Pain

In a recent analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,1 researchers concluded that acupuncture has a definite effect in reducing chronic pain, such as back pain and headaches.  The researchers also went the extra mile by retrieving the raw data on self-reported pain. By standardizing the various study participants’ responses, the team discovered a “clear and robust” effect of acupuncture in the treatment of:

  • Back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Shoulder pain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Headaches

On a scale of 0 to 100, participants who started out with a pain rating of 60 experienced an average 30 point drop (a 50 percent reduction) in response to acupuncture treatment.  More and more studies of this nature are being conducted into the remarkable impact of acupuncture on pain.