Acupuncture

Welcome to The Medical Sanctuary. Our clinic integrates conventional and natural therapies to address your specific­ health, but more importantly to promote your optimal health.

At The Medical Sanctuary we strongly believe in a holistic approach to medicine. Our Acupuncturist – Gus MacAnally is available to address a wide range of health issues.

Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine that originated in China over 5 000 years ago. This science and art of healing has become widely accepted over the past three decades. It has now been proved to be safe and effective.

Acupuncture has the following major benefits:

•    drug-free pain relief

•    assists prevention against disease

•    treats the cause as well as the symptoms

•    holistic approach to illness, linking body, mind and emotions

•    effectively used to treat many common acute and chronic ailments

Of all the traditional systems available in Australia, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is by far the most respected and has achieved widespread acceptance as an effective form of health care, including formal recognition by the World Health Organization. Acupuncture is a time honored medicine and is part of an integrated system of primary health care that has an uninterrupted history of development dating back thousands of years in China and other parts of East Asia.

The origins of acupuncture in China can be traced back as far as 5 000 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world. Today, acupuncture is an effective, safe and natural and increasingly popular form of health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.

Chinese Medicine is a holistic health system that views the mind, body and spirit to be intimately connected. It is based on a coherent and substantial body of knowledge developed over thousands of years of clinical practice and intellectual endeavor. Modern clinical research adds to this traditional knowledge. Qualified practitioners draw on these traditional and modern sources to arrive at individually tailored acupuncture treatments.

This system is developed from the philosophy that restoring balance will both treat ailments and prevent further illnesses from developing. Treatments target not just the presenting signs and symptoms, however, the underlying conditions, other health problems and the general state of health and well being of the patient is also considered. What is unique about Chinese medicine is that although most diseases or illnesses present with a core set of recognizable signs and symptoms, the actual presentation of that illness will vary from person to person and therefore, people with similar health conditions may be provided with quite different acupuncture treatments.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

The goal of acupuncture therapy is to establish a healthier state of body function and to increase the capacity to cope with stress. The human body can be likened to a highly complex electrical circuit. Like any electrical circuit, it must be kept in good working order if it is to function effectively. If the human circuit breaks down the result is illness.

Each person has an energy circulation. To maintain good health, it is essential that the body’s energy as well as the blood, circulate in a continuous and unobstructed manner. The pathways through which the energy flows are called meridians and these circulate through the organs and tissues of the body. The energy which flows along the meridians is called Qi (Chi). These meridians were mapped out by the ancient Chinese. Modern technology methods such as Kirlian photography, electronic and thermal readings are now being used to detect these meridians. There are hundreds of acupuncture points in the body and these lie along the meridians. By stimulating these points with needles, the quality and quantity of energy can be balanced.

Qualified practitioners are educated in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, diagnosis and assessment as well as the Western bio-medical sciences. They are professional trained in the use of acupuncture to treat a wide range of chronic and acute health problems. Many acupuncturists also use herbs, massage, counseling, and dietary and lifestyle advice.

What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?

The most common reply when someone is asked if they have ever had acupuncture is “no thanks I don’t like needles”. Most assume that acupuncture needles are like those of Doctor Jones down the street, huge massive syringes. In actual fact acupuncture pins (pins is a better description) are as thin as a hair and insertion into the skin is seldom felt or feels similar to a mosquito bite.

Most people after experiencing their first one reply ‘oh is that it?’ An acupuncture treatment consists of inserting these fine, sterile needles into specific sites (acu-points) along the body’s meridians. Stimulating these acu-points clears energy blockages and encourages the normal flow of qi through the body. When the needles enter, you usually do not feel much until it hits the meridian where the energy flows. This in turn creates various sensations in the body such as tingling, buzzing, throbbing, pulsating, electricity or radiating feelings etc, and then you know and can feel that the qi or energy has been stimulated. The practitioner may also stimulate the acupuncture points using other methods, including moxibustion or heat therapy, cupping, laser therapy, electro-stimulation and massage in order to re-establish the flow and balance of qi within the body.

How Can Acupuncture Help You?

As a natural form of health care, acupuncture:

• provides drug-free treatment;
• has very few side-effects when provided by a qualified practitioner;
• treats the underlying cause of disease and illness as well as the
• provides an holistic approach to the treatment of disease and illness, linking body, mind and emotions;
• assists in the prevention against disease and illness as well as the maintenance of general well-being;
• effectively treats many common ailments

There are three main ways acupuncture can help.

1. Treating specific disorders to provide relief of symptoms and reduce complications. Acupuncture is also used to treat the cause of the disorder and reduce the likelihood of its recurrence.
2. Maintenance treatment of a long term problem: this is to provide a more comfortable state of health and reduce the need for medication and surgery.
3. Chinese Medicine is an effective form of preventative medicine because of its ability to detect and treat energy imbalances before they lead to disease.