Discover the Healing Power of Acupuncture in Antigonish: A Local's Guide

Welcome to Antigonish's Natural Healing Scene

If you’re familiar with Antigonish then you are familiar with the beauty of nature that surrounds us. With just a short drive to beaches, trails, trees, and falls we as a town are lucky to be surrounded by the healing power of nature.

But did you know Antigonish is also home to a host of natural healthcare providers, holding space for transformative healing and helping advance the health of our community.

This is a small introduction to my practice of Acupuncture in Antigonish. I don’t believe that people understand the full benefit of what Acupuncture can offer on a healing spectrum.

We hear all the time that Acupuncture helps with pain, which is great - pain is a major contributor to loss of quality of life - but what people don’t understand is that Acupuncture is an entire system of medicine - and every ‘symptom’ you’ve ‘written off’ as ‘normal’ is a symptom that could benefit from Acupuncture.

From neuro-typical tendencies and emotional concerns, night sweats to palpitations, to obsessive thinking and digestive concerns, menstrual, fertility and all women’s health concerns - the systems within Acupuncture have answers for all those “it is what it is” symptoms.

What is Acupuncture?

We’ve made comfort with struggle in the West - period pains “normal” - (HINT - NO they’re not!), low energy - “I’m just tired” - unhappy “I’m just so stressed out.”

My job as an Acupuncturist is to diagnose the root cause of the symptoms present and work with your unique personal constitution to bring it back to primal balance.

Basically, I’m a detective for the communication systems in the body. I tap into your nervous system to relax the mind and allow the body to take on a deeper healing - because we can’t heal when we are in fight or flight.

In addition to Acupuncture treatments, we - as acupuncturists offer dietary and lifestyle adjustments that are appropriate to your own personal constitution - this is NOT a one-size-fits-all model.

EVERYBODY is treated uniquely.

These personalized recommendations will enhance YOUR personal constitution, meaning more energy, clearer thinking, more willpower - all the things that may currently feel impossible.

But - its a journey - it isn’t a one treatment cure all type of deal. Though in my experience people often experience shifts in sleep, stress and digestion within that first week of treatment.

Brief History: Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. It’s exact date of creation is not accessible as it is a collection of works that have been compiled through observation and case studies throughout the centuries by a variety of practitioners.

We must also consider when it comes to origin dates that in traditional healing doctors often stemmed from lineages - stemming back generations - and these lineages were often learned through verbal tradition, experience and passage, so documentation was not as necessary.

Throughout recent years as English translations have gotten stronger Traditional Chinese Medicine has not only worked its way into the Western medical world, with research popping up in pain, fertility, PTSD, it has become the subject of many studies. And as the world of technology grows and adapts we’ve been able to read the electrical changes of the meridians and Acupuncture points.

How It Works:

Our body is covered in little receptors - see the Nobel Prize medicine 2021. These receptors communicate very intricately with our nervous system. We all learned in basic biology that we have organs and through dissection we’ve determined that these organs have precise functions.

Traditional Chinese Medicine explains to us the missing picture of HOW these organs communicate with each other. Something that could never be determined through dissection because this communication happens bio-electrically - there are no visibly "dissect-able" pathways.

Traditional Chinese Theories explain these “invisible” but undeniable communications that are happening at ALL times in the body. Theories such as 'Channel Theory' and 'Yin and Yang' may have been difficult to understand with a broken translation, but as translations get stronger and we get better at internal medicine systems - it really is undeniable that these ancients understood the body in ways we are just beginning to.

Acupuncture works with the bio-electrical channels on the body to “re-stimulate” areas where communication may have become severed - possibly due to trauma, injury, pathogen, or just a constitutional deficiency. Very precise points are chosen based on your precise diagnosis and an extremely flexible sterile needle - the size of a human hair - is inserted into very precise anatomical locations to remind the body of it’s natural state (parasympathetic) or to improve blood flow to the area and address inflammation.

The Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture doesn’t just benefit pain. Acupuncture is a whole system of medicine designed to get the body back to its OPTIMUM condition - whatever that looks like for you.

Physical Health: Acupuncture addresses chronic and acute pain, it reduces inflammation, improves circulation and brings a fresh ‘energy’ to the area. It is important to remember that stagnation (IE. Pain) in one area of the body can cause issues all locally, internally and distally - so remember those symptoms you may not think are related likely are.

By reducing the inflammation, welcoming fresh blood flow and palpation/manipulation of the tissues Acupuncture allows healing to occur by reducing the excess heat (inflammation) and reminding the body of its natural state before the pain and/or injury.

Mental Wellness: When it comes to the world of mental health in Traditional Chinese Medicine - this is where we SHINE.

Our view of the mind (Shen) and spirit(s) is a very complex, multi-layered concept. Each spirit is represented by one of the five big emotions - fear, anger, grief, overwhelm and joy and each presents with a related set of symptoms - making treatments extremely effective.

The combination of physical symptoms present (palpitations, digestive upset, tightness in chest or throat, panic attack etc) and the emotional profile (more fearful, more overwhelmed, easily irritable, tearful, or manic?) allows for such a precise and personalized treatment plan.

We treat you as you, and meet you where you’re at.

Holistic Approach:

Something that most people don’t know is that Acupuncture is a whole system of medicine, it is based in multiple theories with THOUSANDS of years of case studies - and there is always an answer.

Things don’t just stick around for thousands of years if they don’t work.

In addition to the internal systems of the body Acupuncture addresses how the physical and mental body - always intwined - integrate, relate and interact with the world around us IE: pathogens, seasons, toxins etc.

What to Expect During a Session

The Process: Prior to your session you will be asked to fill out an in-depth intake form. The more details you can provide (even when you don’t feel they are relevent) the more effective your practitioner can prepare deeper questions and a guide for your first treatment.

Upon arrival: Upon greeting you should be offered the option to use the bathroom before your session. It is important you are able to relax on the table and you won’t be able to relax with a full bladder or the urge to go.

Intake: Your Acupuncturist will have reviewed your detailed intake form and have made note of deeper questions to ask you. You will be asked to show your tongue for diagnosis of bodily fluids and confirmation of systems in question.

Treatment: After your full intake your Acupuncturist will explain how to prepare for your treatment - I use a table in my practice so I will guide you to laying face up or down, and inform you which areas will need access.

Your Acupuncturist may palpate channels while doing insertion, and will check in with you along the way. If at ANY point something feels uncomfortable, too heavy or painful IMMEDIATELY inform your Acupuncturist - they will address it immediately by pulling back or removing the needle entirely.

You will then relax for about 20 minutes with the needles in, listening to calming music. Your Acupuncturist will then remove your needles and allow you some time to adjust, sit up and get dressed again.

Post-Treatment: After needles are removed, please take your time getting back up off the table and getting dressed. Your Acupuncturist may want to meet back in the office to check in with your experience or they may ask you to meet in the front to process insurance and co-pay.

You should ensure to drink lots of water to help the system flush the toxins that may have been stirred up, and it is recommended to take an epsom salt bath in the evening.

• First-Timer Tips:

  • Wear loose clothing for comfort.

  • Communicate openly with your practitioner - the more we know the better we can attune your treatment.

  • Relax and breathe deeply during the session - you can request that your Acupuncturist needle with your breathing, which many people who are nervous find helps immensely.

    
    

How to Get Started: Finding Your Practitioner

Acupuncture is Growing as a Profession

As science expands into the invisible world that has always evaded us and we continue to become more accustom to cultural diversity, it is only natural that Acupuncture has grown in popularity both in and out of the clinical setting.

Finding a Practitioner:

Because of the dynamic and vast practice of Acupuncture many practitioners find themselves working in speciality practices and focusing on specific areas of health - for instance I have colleagues who specialize entirely in cosmetic acupuncture, fertility acupuncture, women’s health, sports medicine and I myself practice in the mental health and recovery field.

Consider your goals and see if there is a specialized Acupuncturist in your area, many Acupuncturists will offer a free initial consultation to see if they are the right fit for you.

• Actionable Steps:

  • Make a list of potential practitioners.

  • Schedule a consultation to discuss your health goals.

  • Keep an open mind and be ready to share your health history.

Debunking Myths and Addressing Concerns

Of course there are natural safety risks with needles being inserted into the body slight bruising, tiny amounts of blood, and slight discomfort can occur with improper placement.

Your Acupuncturist has been trained extensively on point location, safe anatomical placement and needle depths. Each point has a very precise angle and depth that it is placed at.

Unlike a hypodermic needle which is inserting or removing something from the body, these needles are extremely thin, flexible and virtually painless upon insertion.

Needles come in pre-sterile, individual single-use packaging.

Conclusion: Embrace the Healing Journey

I know it can feel intimidating to take that first step.

It’s hard to fathom how needles being placed into the body can actually help it to relax, and the concept of invisible communication within the body can be hard to understand.

I’ll be open with you, I am terrified of needles. This has led me to having a very gentle technique, many patients report “I don’t even feel them, that’s so wild.”

And, if we get started and it’s not for you, thats ENTIRELY okay! Absolutely NO judgement, needles will be discontinued and removed IMMEDIATELY - It is YOUR body and YOU deserve to be comfortable.

There is always Acupressure, Cupping and Dietary Adjustments that can be recommended and implemented.

Offering Thanks

I want to thank each and every one of you who have allowed me to hold space for you in my clinical space. I’ve grown attached to this little community and the variety of people who have walked through the door and allowed me the opportunity to enhance their lives, hold space for their pregnancies, and work with them towards their wellness goals.

I look forward to connecting more deeply with Antigonish as a community and continuing to offer Acupuncture to its community members.

If you are interested in working with me you can book directly online at coastalchiropractic.ca.

I look forward to helping you reach your wellness goals.