Patient Care is the number one responsibility of the massage therapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, physical therapist or any other healthcare body-worker.
Do you feel comfortable in your doctor’s office? Do you have to wait two hours from your appointment time to be seen? Do you have a connection with you healthcare practitioner? Do you feel rushed? Do you feel like you are being listened to? Does the practitioner apply proper or adequate draping? Is the temperature of the room moderate? Can you understand your practitioner when something is being explained to you? “Bedside manners” are just as important as the treatment. If the patient is not comfortable, no healing will take place. There needs to be a “level of trust” for healing to take place. The body heals the fastest when it is relaxed.
“Before technique one must have heart.” -Shudo Denmei
The body is a “healing machine.” The body has only one “job” to do, and that is to regulate homeostasis or balance in the body systems. Acupuncture helps balance the energetic system of the body which flows through meridian/ pathways outside of the nerve vessels. These pathways are accessed through acupuncture or acupressure points which are located on these channels. There are 365 common acupuncture points and 14 common acupuncture meridians. There are at least an additional 100 extra acupuncture points located on different “micro-systems” on the body. These micro-systems are located and not limited to the ears, hands, feet and scalp. Generally, acupuncture points are recognized as slight depressions on the body which are located anatomically or by using a measurement system. Acupuncture points have higher electrical conductivity and can be measured with an electrical gauge.
Acupuncture continues to amaze me with how many conditions these tiny hairlike needles can treat. One acupuncture point can help in many ways. One of the most common acupuncture points on the body is Large Intestines 4, which is located on the dorsum of the hand between the thumb and the pointer finger. This point is most commonly used for headache. But since it is on the Large Intestines Channel it can also be used for constipation. Since the Large Intestines Meridian flows on the arm alongside the neck, mouth, eyes and directly to the organ it can help with these parts of the body. Conditions that LI4 can help with are swelling and pain of the eye, pain in the neck, toothache, abdominal pain and weakness and impairment of the upper limbs.
Acupuncture, like other medicine, has practitioners who specialize in different areas of pain management. When choosing an acupuncturist please ask as many questions as you feel comfortable to find out if this professional is the right one for you.Anthony Cerabino, a licensed Acupuncturist and Massage Therapist, owns Healthcare Wellness Center in Bay Shore and Bellport. He may be reached at 631.665.1666 orwww.healthcarewellness.org.
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