Bodywork + manual therapy
Personalized treatments where you need it most
It’s not just the needles.
We provide a full spectrum of modalities to incorporate into your treatment plan beyond the needles. Working alongside the acupuncture treatment, we may include additional manual therapies to assist us with your recovery and encourage healing. These techniques work to increase circulation, reducing pain, tension and removing adhesions.
Manual techniques
Cupping therapy
Cupping involves the attachment of a glass cup to the body’s surface, and using negative pressure the cup alleviates tension in the body’s tissues and promotes the proper movement of blood and fluids. It’s commonly used for musculoskeletal pain but can also be used during the early stages of a cold to improve lung function, and help with expectoration of phlegm, as well as for general stress relief.
Gua Sha
Gua sha is a manual therapy consisting of different tools that are used to glide over the soft tissues to break up adhesions, promote circulation and decrease pain. Just like cupping, gua sha is frequently used to treat musculoskeletal conditions and pain.
Moxibustion aka “moxa”
This traditional technique involves the burning of an herb called “mugwort” or “ai ye” over the surface of the body along specific points. We use it to warm the channels and stimulate circulation to reduce pain, boost energy and can even be used to turn breech babies.
Tuina
As one of the oldest systems of bodywork, Tuina works off the same meridians and acupoints as acupuncture, stimulating certain areas of the body to remove blockages to reduce pain and tension. Techiniques used are similar to a western massage with acupressure applied to specific points thus facilitating the healing process. Tuina may sometimes be included during treatments to further enhance the treatment goals.