Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture and more

Acupuncture is a safe, painless, and effective form of traditional Chinese medicine that has been practiced for as many as 5,000 years. Hair-thin needles are applied to specific points on the body to stimulate the nervous system to release certain chemicals in the brain. Acupuncture involves placing these single-use stainless steel needles beneath the skin to stimulate the body’s 14 major meridians (energy carrying channels) which promotes a therapeutic effect by increasing energy in the region of that meridian. This holistic system holds that the meridian pathways where the acupuncture points lie are not just connected to the area where they are located, but also relate to the internal organs of the body. Acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities, promotes physical and emotional well-being, and helps the body to resist or overcome illnesses and pain by correcting imbalances.

Acupuncture services are widely used in the hospital and outpatient settings as an integral part of effective integrative medicine. Found at Abington Memorial Hospital, Sloan Kettering Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, and Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, to name only a few, integrative therapies provide patients with mind-body-spirit holistic care. At Wagner Integrative Therapies, we believe that acupuncture can be vitally important in the recovery of our patients.

Acupuncture at WIT

“I want to emphasize that acupuncture also does work closely with the circulatory, immune, and myofascial/muscular systems as well.”

The circulation diverges to specific regions around the point but also travel along the meridians to promote oxygenation of specific tissues allowing more energy and metabolism in the cells to be used for healing and recovery.

The immune system is also activated because a foreign body, the needle, is being introduced into tissues that should be isolated from the outside world. It has been shown in numerous studies to increase white blood cell count which are the body’s first responders to infection and trauma. This increased immune activity plays a crucial role in healing and recovery.

Lastly, the depth of needling requires acupuncture needles to reach into the connective tissue and myofascial layers. These layers and networks of soft tissue are being more and more recognized as the culprits in many disorders that cause the body to feel pain including repetitive motion injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain and neck pain with or without specific mechanical causes, a herniated disc for example, arthritis, and even fibromyalgia. The myofascial layers are changed with acupuncture and forced to heal and try to return to a normal balanced state.

Cupping at WIT

Cupping is a therapy that involves creating a vacuum of air to displace skin and soft tissue to move circulation through an area and bring blood and extracellular fluids to up to the skin to be metabolized. The historical texts state that the procedure is a good way to bring stagnant toxins to the surface. Cupping is used for a variety of disorders including muscle and joint pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and asthma. For bone and joint pain, cupping works on the topmost layers of muscle and the myofascial connective tissue layer. The pulling and vacuum effect is good for stretching the myofascial layer and breaking down adhesions that cause stiffness in muscles and decreased range of motion in the joints.

Several cupping methods exist but the two methods I prefer to use are the stationary cupping and moving cupping methods.

The Stationary Method: Involves placing a cup or multiple cups in one area or multiple areas and letting the cup or cups remain stationary to pull the circulation to the surface and getting a localized myofascial stretch. I have my own variation of the stationary method which consists of me moving the cup slightly while still adhered to a specific position in the respect to the underlying muscle fibers and holding the new position for 15-30 seconds to tolerance to stretch the muscles and soft tissues.

The Moving Cupping Method: Requires a skin lubricant to drag the cup along large muscle groups giving a wonderful massaging sensation and break down adhesions along an entire muscle. Cupping is not a painful procedure, in fact most patients find it to be very comfortable, relaxing, and beneficial.  It may leave bruises especially in very stiff muscle areas or areas where the skin is excessively loose, but these bruises will clear up on their own in a few days and do not cause additional pain.  The bruises are caused by a high vacuum pressure pulling blood out of the weaker capillaries in the skin and myofascial layers but celebrities and pro sport players who receive cupping wear these bruises proudly.

Symptoms commonly treated with Acupuncture & Cupping:

  • All Types of Pain
  • Neuropathy
  • Tendinitis, Bursitis, Osteoarthritis
  • Frozen Shoulder, Tendinitis, Tennis Elbow, Sciatica
  • Headache, Neck Pain
  • Musculoskeletal Issues
  • Smoking Addiction
  • Sinusitis, Bronchitis, Asthma
  • Fatigue, Stress
  • Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia
  • Nausea, Gastritis, Spastic Colon
  • Diarrhea, Constipation, Urinary Problems
  • Weight Gain and Loss, Lack of appetite
  • Impotence
  • Edema
  • Hot Flashes, Hormone Imbalances

Jean-Paul Rouzier is a gifted, intuitive acupuncture therapist, and an important part of the Integrative Therapies’ Team at WIT. Our other therapists, and area physicians, often refer patients with difficult and persistent problems to JP for acupuncture. However, JP successfully treats patients for a variety of conditions unrelated to pain as well.

Acupuncture at WIT is affordable and effective.

Find out about complimentary therapies, call for an appointment. 215-230-8100.