Acupuncture Injection Therapy
Acupuncture Injection Therapy, also referred to as AIT or Biopuncture, is an integrative therapy that combines time-tested Chinese Medicine with homeopathic, conventional medicine. Physicians certified in Acupuncture Injection Therapy use botanical therapeutic substances, injecting them into various acupuncture points–areas specific to the patient’s wellness needs. This practice can affect the body on a deeper level, promoting lasting health and wellness.
AIT is appropriate for a number of ailments, including the following: Pain (acute and chronic) * Fibromyalgia * Swelling * Inflammation (any diagnosis that ends with “itis” like arthritis, colitis, sinusitis, etc.) * Immune system deficiency * Toxic load * Viral Infections * Respiratory infections (acute or chronic) * Low energy/chronic fatigue * Scarring * Allergies * Lymphedema * Neuralgias/ Neuritis
More on AIT
Sometimes referred to as acupoint injection, this practice emerged and gained popularity in China during the 1950s. This modified acupuncture technique stimulates powerful acupuncture points with homeopathic substances. The practice is believed to have derived from intramuscular injection in the western world.
With Acupuncture Injection Therapy, a liquid agent is injected to prevent and/or treat various ailments and even diseases. These agents generally consist of a mixture of herbs, vitamins and homeopathic remedies. The liquid agents administered in acupoints have an important role, creating a synergistic effect with acupoint stimulation through the meridians. Acupuncture Injection Therapy can have a more sustained effect than the traditional acupuncture and patients often comment on the lasting health benefits.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the use of very thin, stainless-steel needles to help facilitate wellness by specifically targeting insertion points on the body. Be assured, Path to Wellness only uses sterilized, individually packaged, disposable needles, which are much smaller than needles traditionally used in western medical practices. By strategically placing the needles, the practitioner is able to stimulate key energy points that regulate physical, mental and emotional balance. By facilitating balance, we aim to address, alter and correct the health condition being treated, which can range from common illness and acute pain to digestive problems, insomnia, and hormone imbalances.
Traditionally, acupuncture has been used to help properly re-circulate energy (or “Qi,” pronounced “chee”) along pathways in the body called meridians. The modern scientific explanation for acupuncture’s effectiveness is that it stimulates the body’s nervous, circulatory and immune systems. This stimulation prompts the release of naturally occurring chemicals in the body that promote healing, as well as endorphins and serotonin, which naturally reduce pain and positively affect one’s mood. Acupuncture originated in China and has been one of the main medical practices in the Orient for over 2,000 years. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine continue to grow in popularity in western cultures as the medical community further solidifies the practices as effective in treating a variety of conditions. For a list of conditions commonly treated by acupuncture, click here.
Microneedling at Path to Wellness
Microneedling has become an increasingly popular treatment. Professional microneedling (also known as Collagen Induction Therapy) is a minimally invasive skin rejuvenation treatment that can dramatically improve the skin with little pain and no downtime. Microneedling uses needles to puncture hundreds of tiny holes in your skin, which induces collagen and elastin production as it pushes the skin into a healing mode. Microneedling is the ideal way to treat various skin problems such as wrinkles, lines and enlarged pores, among others. If you have skin sensitivity, we can use numbing cream, at your request.
What Can Microneedling Treat?
Sun spots/age spots
Scars
Large pores
Uneven skin tone or discoloration
Reduced skin elasticity
Stretch marks
Wrinkles
Dr. McKenney pulls from her vast experience and education in Chinese medical practices to target the root causes of her clients’ conditions. Dr. McKenney’s goal with every patient is to restore the whole body to wellness—to the point where further treatments can eventually become unnecessary.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine can often be a safe, effective alternative to prescription medications. Herbs have served as nature’s medicine for countless centuries in virtually every culture. Every herb has its own specific properties and is related to a meridian in the body. Treatments at Path to Wellness are often supplemented with an herbal prescription.
As a licensed herbalist, Dr. McKenney can prescribe herbal medicines that heal and powerfully complement other treatments. While natural, herbs are still complex chemical compounds similar to other prescription drugs and should be used with the knowledge of a licensed herbalist.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has been a holistic approach to health focusing on restoring the body to its natural, balanced state. When in a balanced state, we are more energetic, at ease and better able to cope with everyday stresses. Unlike many western medical practices that address symptoms without addressing the underlying cause, Chinese medicine focused on identifying the root cause(s) of a patient’s condition or ailment. Because pharmaceuticals typically only treat a patient’s symptoms, they often lose their effectiveness over time, not to mention pharmaceuticals are also commonly accompanied by uncomfortable or harmful side effects.
Dr. McKenney pulls from her vast experience and education in Chinese medical practices to target the root causes of her clients’ conditions. Dr. McKenney’s goal with every patient is to restore the whole body to wellness—to the point where further treatments can eventually become unnecessary.
Cupping
As in many of the practices used in Eastern Medicine, cupping has ancient roots. There is some evidence that suggests Egyptians were using it over 3,000 years ago; it was also practiced by Hippocrates in ancient Greece. However, it was in the Far East that cupping was developed into what it is today. The practice is based on the philosophy of energy moving throughout the body. This energy can become stagnant and create blockages.
Physically, cupping opens the skin’s pores, to stimulate blood flow. This allows for improved circulation and the detoxing of toxins from the body. On an energetic level, cupping removes blockages and frees energy pathways. When Qi (pronounced “chi”) and blood is flowing at a healthy rate throughout the body, illness and long-lasting conditions can be dramatically reduced.
The cupping procedure is performed by placing heated jars onto the skin’s surface. The difference in temperature lowers the pressure in the jar, gently pulling the skin. Much like acupuncture, the placement of these jars depends on the specific issues you are having and the correlating energy points.
Cupping is a trusted and safe treatment used for a variety of conditions, from upper respiratory problems to simply relieving tension. In the hands of our knowledgeable and skilled practitioner, it is an effective form of alternative medicine and is often included in our acupuncture practice.