Acupuncture in Seattle WA

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture, or “needle therapy” (zhenjiu) as it is called in Chinese, is one of the most ancient forms of therapy, which is gaining more and more popularity in the U.S. for the treatment of acute and chronic pain as well as systemic inflammatory conditions. During the treatment, very thin, solid, hair-like needles are inserted at specific points on the body. In Chinese these points are called “neural nodes” (jie) and the stimulation of these nodes affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems. It triggers the release of the body’s internal chemicals such as endorphins and enkephalins, which have pain-relieving properties. Secondly, this method of treatment causes “vaso-dilation” (opening of blood circulation). The healing prowess of your body lies in the blood. The improved blood circulation delivers hormones and immune cells to whatever part of the body that the needle has stimulated. This is how the body heals itself; there is no medicine on the needles.

If you have pain that is lingering or is not being treated by other modalities, then acupuncture offers a time-tested, very reliable method of pain relief. How this works is best viewed as a complex wiring circuit that is exquisitely connected on many layers. Thus acupuncture enhances the function of your stomach by improving blood flow and immunity in that particular organ. Or a needle placed in a specific place in your shoulder joint will enhance the function of your thyroid and it will also improve the integrity of your shoulder joint. Or for example, a needle placed in the forearm will have a direct effect on the forearm, the opposite lower leg as well as the large intestine.

At our acupuncture center in Seattle, our practitioners detect the dysfunctions through Chinese medical pulse diagnostic technique and tongue examination techniques then specific acupuncture points are chosen to address those imbalances. The other thing that acupuncture does for the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments is that is allows for greater blood circulation, which will do four things:

  • Decrease pain.
  • Increase range of motion.
  • Enables soft tissue healing.
  • Resets the spindle cells in muscles, which means it retrains malfunctioning muscles to function correctly.

Our practitioners at the West Seattle acupuncture center are also quite effective at realigning your spine. The specific acupuncture points used resets the spindle cell to relax and release the tension in the muscles that are responsible for pulling the spine out, then the bones will move into place on their own without force. This followed by stretching and strengthening of the area stabilizes and ensures long-term success with the postural correction.

 

Not all Methods of Acupuncture are the Same

The practitioners at Pinnacle Integrative Health are experts in a different style of acupuncture. This method is over 2,500 years old and is derived from the I Ching, one of the oldest books in the world. This method has several names such as: “I Ching Acupuncture,” “The Balance Method,” or “Distal Needling Acupuncture.” Regardless of the name, the effects are nothing less than miraculous. The Distal Method produces instantaneous results making it an invaluable treatment for pain. This style of Acupuncture also helps to create a treatment matrix for some more difficult internal chronic conditions, which have not responded to other types of conventional treatment.

The majority of the acupuncture points used are on the scalp and ears, from the elbows to the fingers, and from the knees to the toes. Consequently, the patient rarely has to take off their clothes and the treatments are efficient, comfortable and extremely effective.