Acupuncture Appleton WI

With all of the advancements in modern medicine, people in Appleton or Fond du Lac WI often forget or ignore the benefits of acupuncture.  However, acupuncture is one of only a few health care options that has a history encompassing a time frame extending back before 10,000 BC.  Over that time, acupuncture has helped millions of people recover from hundreds of sicknesses and heal in a non-invasive, natural way.  In fact, the World Health Organization recently released a document describing the many benefits of acupuncture, revealing that this approach to health care has been proven to help with over 28 conditions.

The success of acupuncture is largely tied to its unique approach to healing.  Traditionally, acupuncture has focused on restoring the flow of the body’s vital substances which allows the body to heal itself.  To accomplish this, acupuncturists focus on creating a balance between the bodies organ systems so that it can function properly.  Ancient Chinese medical practitioners labeled one of the body’s vital substances as Qi (chee).  Qi is what allows a person to function and is responsible for determining a person’s health state.

While the study of acupuncture is complex, practitioners focus on stabilizing the pathways of the Qi which flows through various vessels in the body.  It is believed that when these vessels become unbalanced, the cells, organs, and tissues within the body are deprived of their necessary nutrition and other vital substances.  Unless these disruptions are corrected in a timely matter, the affected area of the body often becomes diseased or even dies.  Conversely, if these vessels are opened up and remain open, normal function in the body can be restored. In fact, many patients report a reduction or absence of symptoms such as pain, tiredness, and nausea immediately upon receiving their first acupuncture treatment.

While the Western doctor views the human body mechanically as a machine that needs to be fixed, the Eastern doctor views the human body as a dynamic organism that is capable of thriving when it is in a balanced state. Thus the Western doctor is like a mechanic and the Eastern doctor is like a farmer. Plants cannot be made to grow, rather the correct environment is created so the plants can thrive.

The chronic problems we face with our health have three underlying causes. The first is emotional stress. Stress can create imbalance at several levels in our bodies including in our hormones and neurotransmitters which impacts our endocrine and nervous systems. This can impact any organ system or muscle group in our bodies. The second problem is trauma. Traumas occur throughout our life and the effect of them accumulates with time. If the healing from a trauma is interrupted, complete healing might never occur causing a chronic problem. The third problem is toxicity. Unfortunately, we live in a toxic environment. Worse than that, many of us have habits or lifestyles in which we expose ourselves to even more toxins. In any case, toxicity leads to malfunction of our bodies which robs us of our health. With repeated exposure to stress, trauma and toxins, it is easy to understand how our bodies natural state becomes disrupted.  While many health care professionals resort to chemical prescription drugs and surgery to treat the symptoms that result from the imbalances, acupuncturists focus on restoring the flow of vital substances and helping the body to heal naturally.

Just as communication throughout your body is important for health, so is full communication between you and your acupuncturist.  To begin, your Appleton acupuncturist will spend as much time as necessary learning about your health history and concerns.  Prior to treatment, our team will perform a full physical exam so that we can determine if acupuncture would benefit you.  If we determine that you would benefit from acupuncture, an individualized treatment plan will be developed specifically for you.

Our acupuncturists are highly trained in the art of pulse diagnosis. By feeling your pulses in both wrists and evaluating them for the presence or absence of several characteristics, we are able to determine the function of various regions and organ systems in your body. Patients are often amazed at how we are able to identify pain in your neck or low back as well as problems with digestion, reflux or reproduction just by feeling your pulses. Once we identify the areas where the flows are obstructed, we carefully choose the points at which your acupuncture needles will be inserted.  While some people are frightened by needles, the needles used in acupuncture are very thin, so thin that the majority of patients describe the treatments as pain free.  With proper placement, these needles free the flow in the vessels which improves function.  At first, the results are temporary, but as your body becomes balanced it is able to heal itself and even prevent future disease.

We find that our patients who take Chinese herbs as we recommend have a 20-30% better or faster response to our treatments than those patients who do not take herbs. Chinese herbalism is quite different from drugs and even differs significantly from Western herbalism. We use your symptoms, pulses and other signs to determine an herbal formula that is right for you. Often the formulas are “tweaked” over time to maximize their effect. Like the acupuncture the herbs work by restoring balance. Acupuncture primarily works by “redistributing” what you have. Herbs work by balancing as well as adding substances that are lacking.

If you are interested in learning how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can benefit you in Appleton please call us at (920) 997-0511 to schedule a free consultation!