Acupuncture is the main treatment modality within the ancient system of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is the use of very thin needles placed less than 1mm into the epidermal layer of the skin, to stimulate the flow of the body’s vital energy, or Qi (Chi) along the body’s energy channels, known as meridians. Acupuncture meridians in TCM serve as pathways of vital energy to our organs and systems. When these pathways are blocked due to energetic imbalances, then illness, pain, and other degenerative conditions can develop. The placing of acupuncture needles at various key acupuncture points along these meridians for a short period of time can relieve these blockages and stimulate a more efficient and harmonious flow of vital energy, thereby allowing the body’s innate healing mechanisms to flourish.

Acupuncture has been proven efficacious over the thousands of years it has been practiced in the East. With its relatively recent popularity in the West, acupuncture has gained a strong reputation, even in some strict conventional medical communities. The effectiveness of acupuncture in treating a wide range of medical issues has been proven not only empirically over thousands of years, but also in a number of clinical trials conducted mainly in Asia, Europe and the US, thus giving acupuncture a viable reputation in the world of medicine. Health concerns ranging from cancer, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, to hormone balancing, depression, and acute and chronic pain, have been helped with acupuncture treatments.

Each patient and diagnosis is unique, and a skilled acupuncturist will structure each treatment according to a wide variety of variables. The effects of acupuncture treatments tend to be subtle at first, but with time and consistency, noticeable results can be achieved. With regards to cancer therapy, some of the goals of acupuncture treatment include supporting the strength of the body’s various systems, enhancing vital energy, boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, increasing circulation, relieving stress as well as relief from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Overall, the goal is to treat the health of the whole person – body, mind and spirit, so that their own innate healing capabilities can flourish unobstructed, and they can better overcome the health issues they are facing.