Acupuncture
Stimulate your body’s natural healing abilities.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective healing practice that involves placing acupuncture needles at specific points in the body that promotes our bodies ability to heal itself and a return to biological balance.
Our biological balance, or homeostasis is how we regulate our body temperature, ensure that blood continues to flow in our veins, our lungs continue to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, function from a cellular level up and so much more. Sometimes, our bodies get stuck in negative patterns, replicating not so great versions of a certain type of cell or something else that isn't supposed to be happening. These imbalances in our bodies are expressed as symptoms (like headaches, anxiety, pain and so much more).
Acupuncture is an important element in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and can help return your body to homeostasis.
As an acupuncturist, Andrea doesn't heal you, she uses acupuncture needles to help nudge your body into doing what it was meant to do - heal itself.
Acupuncture can offer help in many areas and can use used to address:
Fertility, infertility and pregnancy
Women’s health – menstrual regulation, perimenopause, menopause, etc.
Stress and nervous system disorders
Fatigue – chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, exhaustion, fibromyalgia, etc.
Digestive complaints – bloating, IBS, constipation, etc.
Insomnia
Addictions
Cravings and weight optimization
Pain and inflammation
Skin complaints
Healthy ageing
Promoting overall wellness and health
And more!
“Acupuncture isn’t just sticking needles into people. It’s a way of gently coaxing healing from the body by helping the body listen to itself.”
More info about acupuncture.
How do I know if I should try acupuncture?
The best way for you to know if you should try acupuncture is to chat with Andrea. She offers a free 20-minute call for this precise reason! Acupuncture can be very beneficial but it isn’t for everyone and Andrea can help you decide if it’s something that can help you.
What happens in my first acupuncture session?
Your first appointment will be a 90-minute intake with Andrea to go over your health goals, your current health status, and your health history. This allows Andrea to gather a complete picture of where you’re at, so she can formulate a treatment plan to best serve your needs. A short acupuncture session may be included, if time permits.
What can I expect at follow-up acupuncture sessions?
Each follow-up session starts with a check-in, to see if anything has changed in your health since your previous treatment. Then, you will be asked to disrobe to your comfort level to allow access to specific areas. Linens are provided for your modesty and comfort.
Where do the needles go?
The needles are placed into specific points called ‘acupuncture points’, these points are located all over the body. Andrea primarily uses points located on your arms and legs below the elbows and knees, on your back and on your abdomen. Each point has a specific, targeted goal to help stimulate specific processes in the body, like calming the nervous system, stimulating circulation, or targeting effects on various organs and tissues within the body. The ultimate goal of acupuncture is to help your body remember how to help itself. Andrea uses sterile, single-use acupuncture needles that are safely disposed of in a sharps container after each treatment.
Does acupuncture hurt?
Ideally, acupuncture should never be painful. Very rarely, there might be a slight pinch as a needle is inserted because acupuncture needles are hair thin.
You may experience other sensations (such as warmth, heaviness, tingling, dullness, or even a zip of energy) at or around where some of the needles are placed. These are all normal.
If you experience any pain or significant discomfort during your treatment, it is very important to let Andrea know. Patients with fibromyalgia or other nervous system issues may find the level of needle stimulation their body can tolerate can change drastically from one treatment to the next.
Are there any potentially unpleasant effects or risks with acupuncture?
There are some risks, but a good practitioner is always mindful of these and takes the necessary precautions to avoid risks.
Some of the more minor risks include the possibility of a small bruise or some achiness after treatment (depending on what's being treated, the ache may be a good thing and should only last for two to three days at most).
Potentially more serious risks can be avoided by understanding the anatomy below the acupuncture points and knowing the correct depth and angle to insert a needle at any given point—this is something Andrea studied at great length in school and continues to review now.
How long does it take for acupuncture to work?
How long it takes before you feel relief is unique to each individual and can be dependent on whether the ailment being treated is acute (new or very short term), or chronic (you’ve experienced it for anywhere from 6 months to 20+ years).
Andrea’s goal is to help the body remember what it’s meant to do - heal. Each acupuncture treatment builds on the previous treatments and gently nudges the body towards health.
Acute (new or short term) symptoms require frequent treatments over a very short period of time. For example, an acute cold in its early stages might take two or three treatments over three to five days.
Chronic (longer term) symptoms require less frequent treatments over a longer period of time. A treatment plan for chronic symptoms will likely include one to two treatments per week until your health has improved sufficiently to allow for the treatments to be spaced out. At that point, treatments may be extended to once every 10 days, then once every two weeks, and so on until treatment is no longer required.
Depending on how advanced some cases are (like degenerative illnesses – multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson’s, etc.), full healing isn’t possible, but it is possible to significantly slow the progression of an illness. In this case, treatment will be more long term.
Why is following the treatment plan important?
Your treatment plan is designed to help you feel better as quickly as possible, and to help your body pick up where the acupuncture treatment left off, and continue to heal or slow the progression of a degenerative disease.
For example, a treatment plan for a patient who suffers from chronic and frequent headaches or migraines would begin with treating and reducing the symptoms, then once the frequency has decreased significantly, treating the root cause of the imbalance that created them in the first place.
Illness is caused by an imbalance in the body. We don’t get headaches or migraines from a deficiency in acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Once the treatment shifts from treating the symptoms to treating the root cause of the imbalance, the patient may not notice a lot of difference between treatments, other than the lack of symptoms, but each treatment is helping their body strengthen. They may, however, notice other, unexpected benefits, such as better sleep, fewer trips to the bathroom at night, fewer perimenopausal symptoms, clearer vision, more energy, better focus, and more.
Why don't you share testimonials and/or patient reviews?
The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO - www.ctcmpao.on.ca), regulates the practice of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine in Ontario. As part of regulation, CTCMPAO does not permit any registered acupuncturist to share testimonials and/or reviews, because each patient is unique, and how they respond to treatment is 100% unique to them.
Is acupuncture covered by insurance?
Many supplemental insurance plans offer coverage for acupuncture. This coverage can extend to include cupping as well. If you are wondering if your plan covers acupuncture, please be sure to contact your insurance company or check your insurance guide book to confirm what your coverage includes.
Andrea is registered with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO - www.ctcmpao.on.ca).
If you don’t have insurance coverage, we can discuss options and resources available to you to help with the costs of your treatment plan.