Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Herbs

Chinese medicine is based in part on the ancient Chinese philosophical principle of the holistic nature of the universe, where humans are understood as a microcosm of the cosmos. The heart is like the sun in the sky, the lungs the atmosphere or the sky itself, the digestion the soil of the earth, the liver the regenerative vegetation of the earth and the kidneys the salty oceans. Chinese medicine studies the natural order of the universe in order to understand the inner workings of the human body. It is through this study and application that we have developed various protocols to treat many different disorders from insomnia (failure of the heart/sun to communicate with the kidney/ocean) to gut dysbiosis, a sign that the ‘earth element’ in our bodies is not in proper order.

Acupuncture works on a system of meridians that flows through the body, much like the nervous system or circulatory system. Qi (pronounced “chee”), our life force, moves through the meridians and is thought to flow like rivers on the earth into the sea. Certain points along the meridians will clog up or get weak; the body can’t do what it knows to do to stay healthy and illness ensues. The insertion of very fine, painless needles into these points mobilizes the flow of Qi through these meridians in therapeutic ways restoring internal balance.

Just as we go to our doctors for all types of ailments, Chinese medicine too, treats everything because it is a complete medical system. While we can and do often treat pain, we also treat allergies, asthma, auto-immune disorders, gynecological disorders, infertility, migraines, irritable bowel, acid reflux, gastro-intestinal disorders, skin rashes, acne, nicotine and other drug addictions, even Asperger’s syndrome.

Chinese herbal medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical traditions that is still practiced today. It has been used successfully to cure a wide range of illnesses and diseases. We utilize a wide variety of herbal therapies both premade as well as individualized formulas for our patients. When acupuncture is used along with Chinese herbs the healing process is quicker.

Chinese medicine excels at treating diseases that are chronic or complex in nature and for which Western medicine has limited treatment. Doctors manage the symptoms, but a practitioner of Chinese medicine can actually work on treating the underlying condition as well as the symptoms. We call this a root and branch treatment.

For 20 years we have been providing excellent integrative care to our patients. We invite you to join us on the journey to better health and wellness through Chinese medicine and a variety of complementary therapies.