Oakland Community Acupuncture

ecord this information of health and healing. Chinese Medicine (CM) is one of the oldest and best-documented systems of healing in the world. The CM knowledge available today is a culmination of the clinical experiences of thousands of doctors over thousands of years, treating billions of people. CM utilizes many different treatment modalities in its system of healing. The most common therapies are Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, TuiNa/Orthopedic Manual Therapy, Diet and Nutrition, and Physical Exercise (QiGong and TaiJi). A fundamental concept of CM is the idea of “qi,” which means life force or energy. CM views disease as an imbalance of qi in the human body. oxygen, blood circulation, nerve impulses, hormones, etc.--is impeded or deficient, diseases and illnesses arise. The primary focus of CM is to restore the body’s homeostasis and support all the body systems to effectively heal any disease, and most importantly, to prevent it. At OCA, we have been very successful in treating people with many different conditions because of the unique styles of acupuncture we practice: Japanese Acupuncture and The Balance Method. Derived from the I Jing and the Nei Jing—two of the oldest Chinese classical texts dating back 3,000 years —both treatment styles seek to harmonize the body´s vascular system (vessels, blood, and oxygen) with the nervous and organ systems in order to effectively transport vital nutrients to damaged areas of the body. This is achieved by needling acu-points distal to and corresponding with the problem areas. And in addition to acupuncture, we also utilize other modalities of CM, such as herbs, moxibustion, cupping, and gua sha. In Japanese Acupuncture, Hara (Abdominal) Diagnosis is the primary form of evaluation used, revealing constitutional imbalances in the organ systems of the body. Hara Diagnosis is so important because most of the vital organs are located in this region, and problems (known as ‘active reflex zones’) in this region generally underlie any other symptoms a patient might have. We select distal and local acu-points that create physiological change in the active reflex zones of the Hara, while at the same time addressing the primary symptom or complaint. Based on the strategy of balancing corresponding Meridians (nerve and vascular pathways), The Balance Method is one of the best systems available today for alleviating any Pain Condition or Sports/Orthopedic Injuries. Similar to Japanese Acupuncture, The Balance Method relies on palpation for choosing the correct points to be needled, which, when chosen carefully, bring immediate PAIN RELIEF. One of the beauties of the Balance Method is that we can treat the entire body using acu-points from the knees to the toes and the elbows to the fingers--and the patient never has to disrobe. Acupuncture is the insertion of thin, disposable stainless steel needles through the skin at specific sites to regulate the body´s qi, i.e. oxygen, blood circulation, nerve impulses, hormones, etc. According to Traditional Chinese Medical Theory, qi flows throughout the body in a network of channels and vessels. Acupuncture serves to harmonize and distribute the qi to areas of the body that contain blockages or deficiencies in order to facilitate the healing process. Recently, the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organizations (WHO) recognized the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating many conditions. Our ancestors discovered therapeutic herbs in much the same way that they discovered edible foods: by trial and error and by observing what other animals ate. Herbal medicine is a very important aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is especially effective when used in conjunction with acupuncture. Today, most pharmaceutical drugs are isolated compounds derived from plants and herbs. Chinese herbs are usually combined together in herbal formulas based on each patient´s specific TCM diagnosis. Herbs are generally safe and effective, producing minimal side effects when prescribed by a licensed practitioner. There are several ways to administer herbal formulas: pills, tablets, tinctures, powdered extracts, and dried raw herbs that are decocted to make tea.