Lets talk about acupuncture and why it fits so well within the model of health that Dr. Dillon has worked to create in his clinic..

Have you, or anyone you know, ever had to deal with Back pain? How about Morning Sickness? Insomnia? I’m Dr. Brady Bird, and as you probably know, since you’re watching this video, I’m the newest chiropractor here at Total Health Chiropractic in Coralville. One of the reasons I joined Dr. Dillon and his team was because we knew that Acupuncture would be a great addition to the impressive list of services offered at Total Health, and in addition to being a doctor of chiropractic, I just so happen to be certified in Acupuncture.

Today, I’d like to tell you a little about acupuncture and why it fits so well within the model of health that Dr. Dillon has worked to create in his clinic. If you’ve already visited us here at Total Health Chiropractic, you know that we believe that the choices we make every second of every day determine our health. Health can be built by making good choices regarding what we eat and drink, how we think and talk to ourselves, and how often and the way in which we move our bodies. This idea holds true for acupuncture as well as it does for chiropractic.
The practice of acupuncture in Traditional Chinese Medicine is centered around the energy that drives every function of the body. This energy is called Qi, and it travels through the body via the nervous system in channels, or meridians. In chiropractic, we refer to this energy as innate intelligence, and just like our innate intelligence, the quality of the Qi in the body depends on our lifestyle habits such as food quality, emotional balance, physical exercise, and so on, and this reinforces our belief here at Total Health that the choices you make every day determine your well-being. Using acupuncture, my goal is to facilitate balance and regulation of Qi by stimulating specific points on the body, primarily by using acupuncture needles. Acupuncture needles are tiny, super thin needles that are inserted with the intention of being recognized by the nervous system, and they can be this thin because your body is incredible at recognizing even the tiniest amount of pressure that’s caused when they’re inserted. The tissues surrounding the needle are pushed aside just enough to be noticed, all without actually cutting any tissue. At worst, having an acupuncture needle set feels like a hair is being plucked. In addition to needles, I like to use a number of other treatment tools and techniques, like microcurrent, which uses a small electrical current similar to a TENS unit. I use a few acupressure tools such as this needle-less Tei-Shin tool or even tiny beads that can be adhered to the skin so you can continue treatment at home between sessions by simply pressing on the point. My favorite non-needle tool is this monster. This is a Rapid Release Tool, which uses vibration to stimulate acupuncture points, and it can also be used to work out trigger points or break up scar tissue. 3 minutes with this guy and you’ll wonder why you even had to think about getting in here to be treated. As you can see, there are so many options for treatment, so even if you absolutely can’t do needles, you don’t have to miss out on the benefits of acupuncture.

Now let’s get back to the channels, or meridians, that I mentioned a few minutes ago. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are 12 primary channels in the body, each with a left and a right side. 6 of these channels are located in the upper body, the other 6 in the lower body, with each either starting or ending at the tips of the fingers or toes and traveling to the head or the trunk of the body. Each of the channels is associated with an organ and that organ’s function, and many of the points of these channels can be used to treat musculoskeletal pain along the channel itself. For instance, the Small Intestine meridian travels from the fifth finger, up the back of the arm, across the back of the shoulder, and up to the face, ending right in front of the ear. The points on this channel not only treat the small intestine, but they treat pain in the area as well – just as an example, the points along the back of the shoulder are great points for treating shoulder pain. The fact that each channel covers such a great distance along the body gives us a number of treatment options for conditions and imbalances associated with that channel. Most treatments actually happen between the elbows and hands or between the knees and feet, as these are the most active acupuncture points on the body. That’s why you may have heard of treating headaches with points on the hand – the goal is to treat points that are shown to balance the energy in your entire body, even if they’re on a different part of the body than where your symptoms may be appearing. This balance that we aim to create, along with the treatment of points specific to certain symptoms or conditions, can produce incredible results. The World Health Organization has actually released a list of diseases, symptoms, and conditions for which acupuncture has been proven, through clinical trials, to be an effective treatment. These conditions include Allergies, Depression, Headaches, and even Nausea during or following Chemotherapy. Acupuncture may seem like both a crazy idea and a really simple treatment all wrapped in one, but using acupuncture to create balance in the body’s energy has been around for thousands of years and it continues to prove to be a great treatment option.

I’ve talked a lot about the body’s energy balance, and you may be curious how we tell if your Qi out of balance. There are a number of diagnostic methods used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but here at Total Health Chiropractic, we use a system called AcuGraph. This system shows us how well each of your 12 main meridians communicates with the rest of your body, offering us objective measurements showing which of your systems are working too hard or not working hard enough, as well as any imbalances between the right and left side of your body. It only takes a few minutes, and we end up with a fantastic graph like the one you see behind me, and the system gives us a report that breaks down your results and helps us visualize the areas that need the most attention. Using this graph, we’re able to create a personalized treatment plan just for you that can both address the conditions you’re concerned with and correct your body’s energy imbalances. Treating patients with this two-pronged approach provides really incredible results, and I’m so happy you took the time to stick with me through this video so I could tell you about AcuGraph.

Thank you so much for your time and attention. If you’ve never been to our office, you can find our contact information at Total Health Iowa.com. If you’re already a patient, find me next time you’re in the office and let me know you’re interested in acupuncture and we’ll set up a time to take an AcuGraph and talk about how we can fit acupuncture into your treatment plan here at Total Health! One more thing – Please like and share this video with anyone that you think could benefit from the information I’ve just given you.

Thanks guys, and be well!