Returning to balancePart of a larger body of knowledge and clinical approach known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture originated long before modern science existed, when clinicians relied on their own senses to assess, diagnose, and monitor changes in the bodies and minds of their patients over the course of treatment. It is the ability to recognize what’s happening in one’s own ‘bodymind’ (where our physical body and psychological well-being converge in our nervous system) that allows us to sense the ways in which we may be undernourished, hyper-stimulated, overwhelmed, and ultimately to become aware of our unaddressed needs.

This ability to touch into our own bodily experience and felt sense of being alive is what we strive to cultivate at SOMA—in our personal lives, as clinicians, and also with our clients.

Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique that has been practiced for over 3,000 years. Specific electrically-sensitive points on the surface of the body are stimulated with fine needles to mobilize the body’s own resources to return to homeostasis, the state of dynamic equilibrium associated with optimal health. Modern research has demonstrated that these points and the channels on which they are located correlate with the pathways of blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, peripheral nerves, nerve receptors, motor points (where nerves enter muscles), and other physiologically vital structures.

Acupuncture is best known for its ability to facilitate pain relief, but it is also used to successfully address overall well-being through its ability to understand the body in terms of interrelationships, rather than as isolated symptoms and diseases, as is done in allopathic (i.e., “western”) medicine.

Acupuncture has been proven to effectively treat several conditions, including: Nausea caused by surgical anesthesia and cancer chemotherapy, Dental pain after surgery, Addiction, Headaches, Menstrual cramps,

© 2020, SOMA Integrative Bodymind Wellness �1

AcupunctureReconnecting the body to its innate tendency for optimal health

Tennis elbow, Fibromyalgia, Myofascial pain, Osteoarthritis, Low back pain, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Asthma, stroke rehabilitation.

The following sets of conditions are known to benefit from acupuncture: Emotional (Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Nervousness, Neurosis); Digestive (Gastritis, Irritable bowel syndrome, Hepatitis, Hemorrhoids); Gynecological (Menstrual pain, Infertility); Musculoskeletal (Arthritis, Back pain, Muscle cramping/pain and weakness, Neck pain, Sciatica); Neurological (Headaches, Migraines, Neurogenic bladder dysfunction, Parkinson’s disease, Postoperative pain, Stroke); Respiratory (Allergic rhinitis, Sinusitis, Bronchitis); and more (Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Sore throat, Irritable bladder, Prostatitis, Male infertility, Some forms of impotence, Addiction).

How does it work?Through the networks that connect them to internal organs and the biological systems of the body, stimulation of acupuncture points:

• Induces the release of endorphins (hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system, and the same chemicals responsible for “runner’s high”). These natural opioids activate the body's opiate receptors, resulting in an analgesic pain-relieving effect.

• Relieves muscle pain and tension by inducing the release of contracted muscles through the stimulation of trigger points, tender points found in traumatized muscle tissue.

• Increases circulation of blood by inducing the release of nitric oxide, resulting in improved delivery of oxygen and nutrients to, and waste removal from, injured tissues and sites of illness.

• Reinforces the immune system (through natural killer cell activation; increase red and white blood cell counts; and induce mast cells to release immune-regulating chemical mediators), providing support for those with immune issues ranging from allergies to autoimmune disorders.

• Alleviates inflammatory processes associated with chronic exposure to stressors, poor dietary habits, lack of sleep and tissue damage.

© 2020, SOMA Integrative Bodymind Wellness �2

TCM Meridians

Instead of needles, other forms of stimulation are sometimes used over the acupuncture points, including: Heat (moxibustion), Pressure (acupressure), Friction (massage, gua sha), Suction (cupping), Impulses of electromagnetic energy.

© 2020, SOMA Integrative Bodymind Wellness �3