Spirit Gate Acupuncture
with Tina Römer
Acupuncture
Acupuncture Overview
Acupuncture has been practised for more than 2 000 years to help restore and maintain good health by addressing key imbalances in the body. It is based on the Chinese Medical theory that the quality of your Qi determines your state of health, and any blockage or disturbance in the flow of Qi can cause health issues, whether these disturbances are on the physical, mental or emotional level. In essence, if your Qi is in balance, health is maintained; and so illness and disharmony can result when out of balance. Imbalances can be caused by a variety of factors such as unresolved emotional issues, physical traumas, poor diet, overwork, stress, medication etc. Acupuncture treatment thus aims to stimulate the body’s natural healing system and restore health and equilibrium. My key focus is thus to establish the cause, nature and location of this imbalance and create the most effective treatment plan to bring you back into balance, harmony and health.
What are the benefits?
Acupuncture is an integrative medicine that addresses a wide range of conditions. Pain, stress and trauma can manifest in various ways, often physically, from minor aches and pains to complex conditions. People can often come with a specific condition, to find that not only are their symptoms improving but they are better able to cope with life’s stressors, feel like they are back in control of their health and life and feel more like themselves again. Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the release of endorphins, not only the body’s feel-good hormone, but also the body's natural pain-relieving chemical. It is also believed to influence the autonomic nervous system, which affects both the sympathetic (your body’s fight or flight system) and parasympathetic (your body’s rest and digest system) nervous systems, affecting body functions such as breathing, blood pressure, heart rate etc. Additionally, by supporting you holistically and helping you strengthen your mental and emotional state, you are often better able to deal with pain, physical symptoms and day-to-day life. People therefore often turn to turn to acupuncture in order to: •relieve pain and assist with pain management •address certain symptoms •seek the underlying cause of niggling symptoms for which they are unable to get a western diagnosis •manage stress, anxiety, depression •improve overall quality of life •enjoy the relaxing benefits of treatment in their high stress lives •work through old traumas that may have pathologised into symptoms •maintain their current state of health even if they don’t have any specific symptoms •take back control of their health •understand their body in a deeper way •better understand the body mind connection •explore themselves on a more profound constitutional level •ease the transition of the seasons •reduce or come off medication •support their bodies and mental health in conjunction with a western medical diagnosis or treatment regime •help alleviate unwanted drug side effects for more serious illnesses where western medical drugs are essential and lifesaving
How can it help you?
According to John Hopkins Medicine in the US, studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective treatment, alone or in combination with conventional therapies, to treat the following: •Addiction •Headaches •Menstrual cramps •Tennis elbow •Fibromyalgia •Myofascial pain •Osteoarthritis •Low back pain •Carpal tunnel syndrome •Asthma •Nausea caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer chemotherapy •Dental pain after surgery It may also help with stroke rehabilitation. Vickers et al (2018), in a patient data meta-analysis including 20 827 patients from 39 trials, concluded that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain, with treatment benefits persisting over time. Additionally, John Hopkins Medicine mentions a number of extra conditions that may benefit from acupuncture. Including: Digestive: Gastritis Irritable bowel syndrome Hepatitis Hemorrhoids Emotional: Anxiety Depression Insomnia Nervousness Neurosis Eye-Ear-Throat: Rhinitis Sinusitis Sore throat Gynecological: Menstrual pain Infertility Musculoskeletal: Arthritis Back pain Muscle cramping Muscle pain and weakness Neck pain Sciatica Neurological: Headaches Migraines Neurogenic bladder dysfunction Parkinson's disease Postoperative pain Stroke Respiratory: Allergic rhinitis Sinusitis Bronchitis Miscellaneous: Irritable bladder Prostatitis Male infertility Some forms of impotence Addiction This list is not exhaustive and only covers some of the issues people often turn to acupuncture for. It is important to note that each person and each body is unique and so each individual responds differently to acupuncture treatment.
For more information, see our FAQs
A short video on traditional acupuncture
