Asian medicine views a person as an energy system in which body, mind and spirit are unified, each influencing and balancing the other. Unlike Western medicine which attempts to isolate and separate a disease from a person, Asian medicine emphasizes a holistic approach that treats the whole person.
The basic foundation for Asian medicine is that Qi (pronounced “chee” and often translated as “life force” or “vital substance”) animates and controls the functions of living beings. Qi flows through our bodies along channels, or meridians, that connect all of our major organ systems. Asian medical theory maintains that illness arises when the flow of Qi in the channels becomes unbalanced or blocked. This is illustrated in a very famous Chinese saying: “Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong” which translates as “free flow: no pain, no free flow: pain.” Simply put, any kind of pain or illness represents an obstruction in the normal flow of Qi, and acupuncture and other Asian medical modalities work to restore the harmonious flow of Qi in our bodies.
Acupuncture 
Acupuncture is an ancient method of treatment that uses the insertion of very thin, sterilized needles into specific points on the body to encourage the body to come back into balance, promote natural healing and improve physiological function. Each acupuncture point has the ability to influence the flow of Qi in our bodies, as well as to alter various biochemical and physiological pathways.
Acupuncture has been clinically shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of conditions such as pain, fatigue, insomnia, PMS, migraines, menopausal symptoms, anxiety, depression, respiratory disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders to name just a few. The World Health Organization (WHO) performed a landmark study in 2003 entitled, "Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials," that detailed conditions for which acupuncture is clinically shown to be effective.
Yin Tui Na
Yin tui na is a gentle, energetic technique that utilizes the same basic ideas of Asian medical theory described above. Instead of needles, however, a practitioner’s hands are used as medical instruments to deeply awaken
and encourage the body’s own innate healing capacity. As the practitioner gently holds and supports the body’s physical structure, the body’s energy is free to direct itself in exactly the way it needs to allowing for a deeply therapeutic experience. Yin tui na excels at treating old injuries, prior surgical sites where there has been incomplete healing, scar tissue, chronic and/or stubborn pain, and emotional trauma.
Due to the subtle nature of yin tui na and the gentle unwinding process that needs to occur in the body before the deep healing work begins to take place, this modality requires dedicated time. The synergistic combination of acupuncture and yin tui na used together makes for an incredibly effective treatment session.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion therapy is another very important modality within Asian medicine. This type of therapy entails burning moxa – the herb Artemisia Vulgaris (mugwort) – and using the emanating heat to warm and stimulate both channels and acupuncture points on the body. Unlike many herbs, moxa is one of the few herbs in the Chinese pharmacopoeia that stimulates and has an effect upon all of the channels in the body. This property makes moxa uniquely suited to address a wide variety of conditions.
Moxa has been clinically shown to increase blood circulation to the uterus and pelvic region in particular, making it an especially indispensable tool for treating menstrual pain. Much publicity has also been given as of late to the use of moxibustion to correct breech fetus presentation.
Jennifer uses a “smokeless” form of moxa, which means that mugwort charcoal is burned, rather than the dried herb. This reduces the amount of smoke produced, making it much more tolerable for smoke-sensitive patients without diminishing any of the therapeutic benefits.
Cupping
Cupping is a method of treatment that stimulates the body through the use of suction. The air inside of a specially designed glass cup is heated with a flame and then quickly applied to an area of the body creating a vacuum. Cups can be stationary (cups remain at the same spot for up to 10 minutes), or lubricated with medicated oil and moved up and down a large area, such as the back.
The vacuum created inside the cup anchors the cup to the skin and pulls the skin upward into the cup. The suction on the skin opens the pores, stimulates the flow of blood, balances and harmonizes the flow of Qi, breaks up obstructions, and creates an avenue for toxins to be drawn out of the body.
Gua Sha
Gua Sha, or skin scraping, is an especially effective modality for stubborn neck and shoulder pain. This treatment involves the use of a round-edged piece of jade which is scraped against the skin in downward strokes to reduce congestion in the local musculature. The skin is lubricated with medicinal herbal oil, and the heat generated by the friction of the jade against the skin helps the oil penetrate deep into the tissue. Often times, neck pain that doesn’t respond to any other type of treatment can be relieved with gua sha.
Gua sha can also be a great tool to use for treatment of the common cold and other respiratory illnesses.
Herbal Medicine
Chinese Herbal Medicine consists of over 5,000 substances derived from plant, animal, and mineral sources. The use of these substances can be traced back to 1,000 BC, and over the past 3,000 years, an incredibly rich and powerful system of medicine has developed. If an herbal formula is prescribed for you, it will be a carefully balanced mixture of several different herbs specifically chosen for your health condition and constitution.
One of the most appealing qualities of Chinese Herbal Medicine is the low risk of adverse reaction or side effects. Herbal formulas are available in tablet, tincture, and granulated powder form.
