Acupuncture Styles - Makari Wellness

Acupuncture – Many Styles – Many Specialties

Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Dry Needling Acupuncture:

A modern approach based upon anatomical structure and function. It involves orthapedic assessments to diagnose the imbalanced muscles and meridian groups. The needling is focussed on traditional acupuncture points, local tender points (ahshi points), trigger points, motor points and addresses the muscle tears or inflammation directly. Orthopedic acupuncture is great for acute and chronic muscle injuries due to trauma and athletic injuries. It is very effective for performance and post-surgical rehabilitation. Acupuncture improves circulation improving the rate of healing and recovery and has a dramatic effect on reducing inflammation. The needles are more stimulating and often combined with electric stimulation and various physical manipulations (stretching, ART, deep tissue and range of motion work). We also combine Motor Control and Stability exercises to consolidate the treatments and prevent recurrence as implemented within the FMS & SFMA systems.

JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE:

Japanese styles of acupuncture use very thin needles with very shallow insertion (about 2 mm), The Japanese approach is almost invisible, without pain or heavy sensation, and is frequently used with children. The Japanese feel that very superficial stimulation — just below the skin — affects the energetics more effectively than deep needling. Needling is based on pulse and abdominal diagnosis and is often accompanied by moxibustion.

SCALP ACUPUNCTURE

As more knowledge has become available about brain function and neuro-anatomy, many advances have been made in scalp acupuncture. Scalp acupuncture is a world standard in the treatment of neurological conditions from stroke to autism. Several styles of scalp acupuncture are used at Makari Wellness. These vary somewhat in needle location, needle manipulation technique, and needle retention time. We have been blessed to train with several prominent scalp acupuncturists and utilize systems developed by Dr. Jiao Shu-Fa, Dr. Ming Qing Zhu, and Dr. Lin Xue-jian. Specific areas of the head are used for particular ailments since different parts of the brain control different areas of the body. Once inserted, the needles are gently manipulated while the patient or acupuncturist moves or massages the affected limb or specific area of the body. The patient may be instructed to concentrate on the area that is being manipulated, for greater movement of the body’s energy to that area. Many times electrical stimulation will be added to enhance the effect. Stroke patients receiving care at the Tianjin Hospital Program have better outcomes than patients treated with standard post-stroke care in the U.S. The report highlights that 85 percent of Tianjin patients are able to walk without assistance, compared with 51 percent of patients completing rehabilitation in the U.S. Following treatment in Tianjin, 98 percent of patients return to live in their homes instead of long-term care facilities while only 68 percent of U.S. stroke patients are able to live in their own homes. Tianjin Hospital patients also see decreases in blood pressure and cholesterol which are causes of stroke, reaping secondary benefits of this approach. Tianjin’s acupuncture treatment program has resulted in exceptional improvements for stroke patients and some are even cured of ischemic stroke disorders often considered incurable with ‘conventional’ Western medicine. These include speech dysphagia and aphasia, hemiparesis, body and facial paralysis, spasticity, comas, and vegetative states. Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Neurological development and more.

MASTER TUNGS

Master Tung’s acupuncture is a system of point choices developed in Taiwan and promoted by Drs. Chao Chen, Wei-Chieh Young (Yang, Weijie) and Richard Tan. Collectively, they call this approach Taiji Treatment, indicating that it balances the yin and the yang of the body. (In China, taiji refers to the familiar yin-yang symbol.) It is similar to Chinese styles but is a traditional family style showing rapid results with few needles.

Precise Diagnosis is the key to success

Palpation – A Key Diagnostic Tool

We palpate the abdomen, throat, neck and back in order to determine treatment strategies. This enables me to obtain instant feedback from the patient and eliminates unnecessary treatment trials. Pressure pain on any of these areas is used to both diagnose the underlying causes of the patient’s chief complaint and to determine treatment points. My philosophy is “to make every needle count.” Palpatory techniques have been used for hundreds of years in Japan as a primary diagnostic tool. Palpation was also used extensively in modern, Western medical practice. As we grew to rely more heavily on laboratory testing and machine-imaging, this art form has lost much of its power and subtlety. Yet, palpatory diagnosis can be an extremely accurate tool for assessing and treating patients as many disorders will reflect as pressure pain on the abdomen, throat, neck and back.

In China scalp acupuncture is used in the treatment of many central nervous system diseases and protocols have been developed for diseases such as stroke, head trauma, cerebral palsy, encephalitis-meningitis sequale, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, dementia, memory loss, cortical blindness, nerve deafness, and epilepsy.