East Asian Medicine is the 3000 year old field of healing originating in China.  Patients are treated as whole beings, endowed with the ability to heal themselves. The practitioner aims to stimulate the body's own ability to heal, by identifying and treating individual imbalances in each patient.  The healing components of East Asian Medicine include Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, dietary & lifestyle modification, cupping, "tui na" body  work, moxibustion, and more.  Diagnostic methods include individual history, pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, palpation, and others.  At the Catherine Street Clinic, we treat immediate problems, but also aim to encourage a higher "baseline" of health. The patient then emerges with a plan to best avoid imbalance in the future.

Acupuncture an important facet of East Asian Medicine.  It regulates the body's ability to heal by stimulating different points on the body with a very fine needle.  The results include specific and measureable chemical, electrical, and functional changes.  The patient gets a healing response, and a decrease of symptoms that lasts for increasinly longer amounts of time. 

The map of acupuncture points is Universal on humans & animals.  Each point is a place of lower electrical resistance, where access can be gained to the body's own electrical flow.  These points may also be stimulated by pressing, laser, heat, or tapping,  depending on the situation.  

Contrary to what many first-timers fear, Acupuncture involves little discomfort.  It is in no way similar to a "shot" from the Western Doctor's office.  The needles are much, much smaller in diameter (finer than a hair) and they are solid (not hollow-bore).  Therefore, the sensation felt (if any) would be less "sharpness" but more like a pulling sensation as the muscle is stimulated.  Once the "pins" are inserted, the experience is quite pleasurable as the patient lies down for a rest.  The needles remain in place for 20-40 minutes, depending on the application.  Total immobility is not crucial, as the needles are so fine.  One can move around a bit if needed. Some movement can produce a "stronger sensation" which is more helpful than problematic. Most patients report a feeling of deep relaxation and well-being while they rest with the needles in.