A Holistic Approach
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of medicine which has been used in China for the last 3000 years. Its effectiveness is now accepted in various countries including New Zealand, especially as more people in our society dislike taking medical drugs.
Acupuncture aims at treating the person, rather than the disease. This means that the acupuncturist looks at the patient as a whole, finds the cause of the illness and the imbalance in the body causing it.
With its system of diagnosis, an acupuncturist will ask not only details of the immediate problem, but also take a full case history of past illnesses, familial tendencies, and aim to determine a complete picture of the patient's health. In this way acupuncture has always been used as a preventative medicine and can affect almost any illness as long as the degenerative process in the tissues of the body has not been too extensive.
DISORDERS SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY ACUPUNCTURE
as recorded by the World Health Organisation Chronical
No, 34, 1980.
RESPIRATORY
Asthma, Pleurisy, Bronchitis and Emphysema.
SKIN DISORDERS
Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis and painful scars.
EAR, NOSE and THROAT
Common cold, Influenza, Tinnitus, Nerve deafness, Meniere's disease, Eye
problems, Sinusitis and loss of smell.
GASTROINTESTINAL
Hyperacidity, Nausea, Ulcers, Colitis, Constipation, Spastic colon, Diarrhoea
and Haemorrhoids.
CARDIOVASCULAR
High and low blood pressure, Angina Pectoris, Palpitations and cold extremities
MUSCULOSKELETAL
Arthritis (All types), Tendonitis, Bursitis, Low Back pain, Shoulder/Neck
pain and stiffness, Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel syndrome, injuries of knee
and ankle. Most sports injuries.
MISCELLANEOUS
Obesity, Smoking and drug addictions, Allergies such as Hayfever.
GYNAECOLOGICAL AND UROGENITAL
Cystitis, Prostatitis, Bedwetting, Menstrual Disorders including P.M.T,
Infertility. Anaesthesia during childbirth.
NEUROLOGICAL
Headaches (Migraine and Tension types). Tie, Tremors, Trigeminal Neuralgia.
Bell's Palsy, Shingles, Sciatica, Post-Stroke syndrome, General neualgias
and numbness.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia and Nervous Tension.
Treatment by acupuncture consists of the insertion of very fine needles into a few carefully selected points on the body. The number of needles used varies, from two to three to ten or fifteen, and they are left in place for an average of twenty minutes. The total number of treatments required depends on the patient and the condition being treated but averages between four and eight sessions for most conditions.
A typical treatment may include moxibustion (warming of the acupuncture needles), acupressure, Chinese herbal medicine and dietary advice and/or Chinese remedial exercise. There is practically no age limit for treatment. It is important to advise the practitioner if you are pregnant but pregnancy does not preclude acupuncture or its benefits. Babies and children may be treated with acupressure in lieu of the use of needles.
Needle sterilization practiced by registered acupuncturists complies with standards set by the New Zealand Department of Health, and there is no more to fear from professionally administered acupuncture needles than from a dentist's drill or a doctor's syringe.
In Chinese, acupuncture is Bu tong, painless, however if the correct stimulus of the needle has been obtained the patient should feel some cramping, heaviness, distention. tingling or electric sensation either around the needle or travelling up or down the affected energy pathway or meridian. If there is any discomfort it is usually mild.
WHAT SHOULD ONE DO AFTER A TREATMENT?
Acupuncture changes the state of energy of the body and affects nerve and blood vessels as well as the tone within the muscles. For this reason, it is best to avoid heavy physical labour or stress for at least one day following a treatment. Avoidance of alcohol during this period is recommended. Otherwise no special precautions are necessary. Occasionally patients may notice a brief worsening of the symptoms of the condition. More commonly there is a short-lived period of relief from a first treatment and this is consolidated with progressive treatments.
The New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists was incorporated as a society in 1977 to promote traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture and to ensure the highest standards of ethics and professionalism amongst its members. Most of the present members have trained at colleges overseas which require a minimum of three years of full time study, including Western anatomy, physiology and pathology as well as acupuncture. Members of the Register have been trained at these recognised places or have shown equivalent standards of proficiency through their clinical practice. The New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists is comprised of a group of highly trained practioners who specialise in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Register is a member of the Code of Ethics and Standards Corporation of New Zealand and is also a member of the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies.
All practising members are approved A.C.C. providers and are registered with the Accident Compensation Corporation to provide A.C.C. treatment with referral from a medical practioner.
This enables members of the N.Z.R.A. Inc., to provide A.C.C. treatment for a patient at a much lower cost than you would normally pay for a consultation.
This brochure has been compiled by the N.Z. Register of Acupuncturists :
For further information please refer to members in your local area, or write to:- The Registrar P.O.Box 9950 Wellington
Takapuna Acupunture Clinic Olav Solberg Lic. Ac (UK) MNZRA Registered a ACC Approved Acupuncturist 415 Lake Road, Takapuna