Traditional Chinese Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an integral part of the rapid growth of complementary therapy in NZ. With an increasing number of people seeking acupuncture treatment it is important for patients to understand the difference between the two styles most commonly on offer.
Acupuncture as practiced by Elaine Bennett, a member of the New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists (NZRA) is an holistic approach to health based on over 2,000 years of development and refinement in the Far East. The tradition is as much about the maintenance of health as the management of disease. Western or medical acupuncture is a more recent development practiced predominantly by doctors and physiotherapists which uses acupuncture techniques within their existing scope of practice on the basis of a western medical diagnosis.
Although sometimes described merely as a means of pain relief, traditional acupuncture is actually used to treat people with a wide range of illnesses. Its focus is on improving the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms. The skill of an acupuncturist lies in their ability to make a traditional diagnosis from what is often a complex pattern of disharmony. The exact pattern and degree of disharmony is unique to each individual and so following diagnosis, the acupuncturist puts together a personalised treatment plan.
According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependent on the body's motivating energy - known as qi - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin. The flow of qi can be disturbed by many factors, physical, mental and emotional: anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief, poor nutrition, weather conditions, hereditary factors, infections, poisons and trauma. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body's own healing response and help to restore its natural balance.
Acupuncture can be used as a drug free treatment during pregnancy for symptoms such as nausea and back pain. It can also be used to induce labour:
"After being induced a week overdue with my son, I was not prepared to do that again with my daughter and looked into acupuncture as a way to bring labour on naturally. I had one session a week before my due date, and I started having contractions which stopped after a few hours. The next session I had was the day after my due date and contractions started one hour after my session finished, and my baby girl was born later that evening. Elaine, Renee and the people at the Peace Clinic were knowledgeable, friendly and extremely helpful. In my opinion acupuncture worked to bring my labour on and the team at the Peace Clinic were fantastic."
A.P. Auckland
Acupuncture as practiced by Elaine Bennett, a member of the New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists (NZRA) is an holistic approach to health based on over 2,000 years of development and refinement in the Far East. The tradition is as much about the maintenance of health as the management of disease. Western or medical acupuncture is a more recent development practiced predominantly by doctors and physiotherapists which uses acupuncture techniques within their existing scope of practice on the basis of a western medical diagnosis.
Although sometimes described merely as a means of pain relief, traditional acupuncture is actually used to treat people with a wide range of illnesses. Its focus is on improving the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than the isolated treatment of specific symptoms. The skill of an acupuncturist lies in their ability to make a traditional diagnosis from what is often a complex pattern of disharmony. The exact pattern and degree of disharmony is unique to each individual and so following diagnosis, the acupuncturist puts together a personalised treatment plan.
According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependent on the body's motivating energy - known as qi - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin. The flow of qi can be disturbed by many factors, physical, mental and emotional: anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief, poor nutrition, weather conditions, hereditary factors, infections, poisons and trauma. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body's own healing response and help to restore its natural balance.
Acupuncture can be used as a drug free treatment during pregnancy for symptoms such as nausea and back pain. It can also be used to induce labour:
"After being induced a week overdue with my son, I was not prepared to do that again with my daughter and looked into acupuncture as a way to bring labour on naturally. I had one session a week before my due date, and I started having contractions which stopped after a few hours. The next session I had was the day after my due date and contractions started one hour after my session finished, and my baby girl was born later that evening. Elaine, Renee and the people at the Peace Clinic were knowledgeable, friendly and extremely helpful. In my opinion acupuncture worked to bring my labour on and the team at the Peace Clinic were fantastic."
A.P. Auckland
