Services Available
Chinese Medicine is more than just needles. Most treatments include a combination of the following:
Acupuncture is the insertion of fine needles into the body at specific points shown as effective in the treatment of specific health problems. The Chinese have mapped these points over 2,500 years and recently electromagnetic research has confirmed their locations.
Modern Science explains the functions of acupuncture in the following way. Needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals (i.e. - endorphins) in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain or they will trigger the other chemicals and hormones which influence the bodies own internal regulating system to heal itself.
Microcurrent Therapy is a form of electro acupuncture. It uses currents graduated in the millionth of an amp range, whereas most electronic devices (i.e. TENS units) use currents in the thousands of an amp range. The microcurrent is a more gentle way of treating, does not put the muscles into spasm, and is far more effective.
The weaker stimuli increases physiologic activity, whereas the stronger stimuli inhibit or abolish activity. These subtle electrical discharges can relieve pain and promote homeostasis by balancing the positive and negative ionic currents in the body. This treatment can be done with or without needles, for those patients who want pain relief, but are needle phobic. Best of all, when using microcurrents, the patient does not feel a thing.
Electric Stimulation: Electricity has been used to treat pain for over 100 years. Electrical stimulation may directly block transmission of pain signals along nerves. In addition, electrical stimulation has been shown to promote the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers produced by the body.
Similar to Microcurrent, Electrical Stimulation (TENS, EMS) uses a stronger current which may stimulate the muscles into contraction
Cupping Therapy: Cupping is one of the oldest methods of traditional Chinese medicine. In a typical cupping session, glass cups are warmed using a cotton ball or other flammable substance, which is soaked in alcohol, let, then placed inside the cup. Burning a substance inside the cup removes all the oxygen, which creates a vacuum. The cup is then turned upside down and onto the skin. The vacuum created pulls the skin upward on the inside of the glass as the air inside the jar cools. Drawing up the skin is believed to open up the skin’s pores, which helps to stimulate the flow of blood, balances and realigns the flow of qi, breaks up obstructions, and creates an avenue for toxins to be drawn out of the body.
Moving cupping is the method of choice in this office. First massage oil is place on the affected area, usually the neck, shoulders and back. Once the cup is on the skin, it is moved around. In essence, it is like a reverse massage to melt away muscle pain and tension. Antonio feel’s it is the ultimate form of myofascial release.
Massage: When dealing with pain related issues, Antonio feels it is important to end the treatment with massage to the affected areas. Antonio likes to combine traditional Swedish or Deep tissue massage with Tui Na (Chinese style massage) and Manual therapy and stretching.
Ask about the AcuPlus Treatment: 75 minute treatment that includes 30 minute massage
Alpha Stim: The Alpha-Stim AID treats anxiety, depression, and/or insomnia with tiny electrical currents similar to those found naturally in the body, using a method called cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES). Placing clips on the ears, the microcurrent waveform activates nerve cells near the brain stem to release serotonin.