Acupuncture--Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

History: Acupuncture goes back to over 8,000 years ago! Fu Hsi observed nature and created a straight and broken line, which created the backbone of Chinese medicine --the ying and the yang. The earliest medical writing was titled "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" written by Huangdi Neijing.

What it treats and/or cures: Infertility, pain, nausea, disease, promotes general health, digestion issues, pregnancy issues, anxiety, depression, anemia, muscle pain, thyroid issues, allergies, and so much more....

What they check: Your acupuncturist will/should check your pulse in BOTH wrists, temperature, color of your tongue, and blood pressure. All of this information is suppose to give them a good indication of what is going on inside your body (i.e. how your organs are functioning). Depending on what you are there for, your acupuncturist might ask you to have your Doctor fax over your blood work.

I was advised to eat warming (walnuts, squashes, red meat, chicken soup, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, rice, oats), organic, and black foods (black beans, walnuts, black sesame seeds, black olives, blueberries). Black foods are said to help strengthen the water elements of the kidney and the bladder. Most of the time your acupuncturist will advise that you avoid the following foods during treatment: alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, coffee, ice cream, and spicy foods. Although avoiding these foods is not a requirement it is something that will only help your treatments work faster and better.

My personal experience with acupuncture was fantastic. I enjoyed all of my treatments. It gave me energy and relaxed my body and mind. Every time I left my appointments I felt like I had just had a massage and was rejuvenated and ready to go on! I would love to hear from you and if you have ever gone through acupuncture and loved it as much as me.