Mark Speechley
Doctor of Chiropractic
Bachelor of Applied Science (Chiropractic)
Fellow of the International Acadamy of Medical Acupuncture
Member of the Chiropractors Assoc. of Australia
Member of the Acupunture Assoc. of Victoria
Member of the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australia
Associate member of the Chiropractors College of Australia
An ancient oriental medical system
over 5000 years old, recently revived in China and
becoming popular in the West. It deals with subtle
energy flows ( chi, qi ) in the body related to the
cosmic principles of Yin and Yang. The balance of
these energies in the human body affects health and
disease. Acupuncture therapy alters these energy
flows by stimulating acupuncture points, for varying
periods of time. There are many methods of
stimulating these points such as using needles,
laser, teishin and acupressure. The choice of
which treatment method to utilize can be determined
amongst other things, by the patients own perception
of what acupuncture is. i.e. laser would be a better
choice for a patient who has a phobia for needles.
The actual
treatment is safe (We only use disposable needles) and can be at
times quite relaxing.
What Does Acupuncture Treat?
When we ask such a
question, we tend to be thinking about specific
clinical conditions like 'asthma' or 'colitis'.
Acupuncture, within the framework of Traditional
Oriental Medicine, focuses primarily on the person,
and secondarily on the illness.
To fully understand this,
you have to turn your thinking on its head a bit.
The Classical Acupuncturist usually views your
symptoms (the reason you are coming for treatment)
as a 'branch' expression of an underlying or 'root'
imbalance.
An acupuncturist uses the
diagnostic principles and systems of Chinese
Medicine to evaluate your root imbalance (some
people consider this to be a pattern of disharmony
that is more at the constitutional than symptomatic
level).
A treatment program is then
tailored to address the two aspects of your
circumstance, the root and the branch. There are
situations where the symptoms are so extreme, they
must be the exclusive focus of the treatment but it
is more common to receive root and branch treatment
in the same session.
In many cases, root
imbalance diagnosis enables your practitioner to
offer appropriate and meaningful lifestyle
suggestions in addition to an acupuncture treatment.
One interesting feature of
this approach is that different root imbalances can
produce the same symptoms or patient complaints. So,
for example, five patients with asthma may all
present themselves with the same symptoms or Western
Medical diagnosis.
Yet Classical Chinese
Medical diagnosis may reveal five distinct root
imbalances hiding behind the symptomatic expression.
These five people would all be treated very
differently despite the fact that the conditions for
which they seek treatment are all seemingly the
same.
So what about specific
conditions?
Because Acupuncture treats
the whole person, it has something to offer almost
every condition. Having said that, some conditions
respond readily to acupuncture treatment and some
are notoriously difficult to treat.
In many cases, acupuncture
can bring about a complete cure; in others, it is an
effective management strategy. Of course, in cases
of life-threatening trauma and emergency conditions,
your first visit should always be the hospital!
One common perception is
that acupuncture is mainly useful in the management
of pain.
This is completely untrue.
Firstly, with regard to pain, Classical Acupuncture
can often resolve the pain (rather than merely
manage it).
Secondly, Classical Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
have a range of application that is far broader than
pain conditions.
For example, acupuncturists
routinely and successfully treat patients whose main
complaints are related to immune and/or endocrine
dysfunction. Below is a list of conditions and
circumstances for which people commonly find
acupuncture treatment to be effective.
General: Allergies,
Asthma, Sinusitis, Headaches, TMJ, Back Pain,
Sciatica, Musculoskeletal Problems, Insomnia,
Anxiety, Dizziness, Depression, High Blood Pressure,
Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Addictions,
Indigestion, Constipation, Sexual Dysfunction,
Post-Operative Recovery, Palliative Care.
Women's Health: Menstrual Irregularities, Menopause, Conception
Difficulties, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Lactation
Difficulties, Postpartum, Ovarian and Uterine
Problems.
Men's Health: Prostate, Infertility, Impotence.
Paediatrics: Asthma,
Cough, Digestive Problems, Behavioural Problems, Ear
Infections, Sleep Problems.
Preventative Health: Prevention, Stress Management, Wellness, Seasonal
disorders.
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