How Acupuncture Can Improve Your Well-being: Insights from an Antigonish Practitioner

Finding Balance in Busy Lives

Antigonish, a beautiful place to live, but even with the beauty that surrounds us it’s easy to find yourself struggling.

Hi! I am Samantha, a New Brunswick born turned Antigonish local, and Acupuncturist with a focus on women’s health, stress transformation and mental wellbeing.

I found Acupuncture when I was at a dark point in my life - I had hit rock bottom and wasn’t sure how I was going to pull myself out of the darkness.

With Acupuncture, I was able to calm my mind, remind my body it was safe, improve my willpower and reignite the spark that I had thought burned out all those years ago.

And since, I have been sharing the power of this medicine with the world around me and I am excited to be a healing part of the Antigonish community.

Acupuncture is not just about the tiny little magic needles - it’s about improving homeostasis and balance, improving resilience, increasing energy and reigniting the inner spark that with time gets suffocated and dimmed due to the external stressors of everyday life.

The Modern Wellness Struggle

The amount of people who come through the clinic door who have given up, feel defeated or have been told “it’s all in their head” is shocking and unacceptable.

The amount of stress and burnout I see is terrifying. Poor sleep, anxiety, hormonal struggles, digestive concerns - the list goes on.

But, it’s important to know that these are not symptoms you need to live with, but signs the body is communicating that something deeper is out of balance.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the entire physio-electric body - addressing physiological symptoms and communication channels within the body. This holistic approach includes acupuncture treatments, lifestyle adjustments, dietary therapy, herbal recommendations and movement therapy.

Thanks to the flexibility of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine people can easily implement this healing modality both in clinic and in their personal lives - allowing personal accountability and cost effective healing.

What Acupuncture Actually Does (Beyond the Myths)

I know it can be confusing and hard to understand - its important to remember that Chinese culture is very different than ours, these wellness tools are engrained in their lives from the day of birth. It’s in the way they live, eat, breathe and move.

The complexity of their culture and their language adds to the confusion and difficulty with translation, but this does not negate the powerful effect of the medicine.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine work with the bodies fluids, functions and nervous system - each point communicates with a particular area in the brain or body - improving circulation, cellular regeneration, metabolism, and energy production.

There are many myths surrounding Acupuncture -

• It’s painful - NOPE - needles are tiny, and when placed properly zero to minimal sensation is felt. Of course there is possibility of a misplaced needle but your Acupuncturist should be looking for immediate feedback from you.

• It’s just for pain relief - NOPE - it’s great for everything from chronic conditions to mental health to preventative care.

• It’s limited to Athletes and Hippies - ABSOLUTELY FALSE - while it is powerful sports medicine and may have some “out there” theories - there are thousands of cases and studies that have been collected over thousands of years - many included on the World Health Organization website - showing the efficacy of the medicine.

The Antigonish Advantage: Personalized Care that Feels Like Home

Finding a team of healthcare providers close to home is an important part of your overall wellness plan. Not only does it reduce your travel time, it also provides you with a team of people to lean on when times get tough - or you’re just feeling under the weather.

Being a practitioner in a small town like Antigonish allows me to foster a deeper connection with the community as a whole. I enjoy connecting deeper and more personally with clients as I see them around town. Getting to know who you really are is a big part of why I love what I do.

Because of the safe and effective nature of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine it is a great complement to your Western medical practitioners, working synergistically alongside your family physician, physiotherapists, counsellors and other members of your healthcare team.

Whole-Body Benefits of Acupuncture

Acupuncture has many recorded benefits:

• Pain Relief & Mobility: From minor aches to chronic pain — acupuncture reduces inflammation, improves blood flow, relaxes the body and helps the body heal naturally.

• Mental Health & Relaxation: Works with the ‘Shen’ to calm the mind, regulates the nervous system, and supports those with anxiety, overwhelm, or burnout without the risk of contraindications.

• Hormonal & Reproductive Health: Amazing for all things women’s health. Supports menstrual cycles, fertility, menopause, and postpartum recovery.

• Immune Support: Strengthens the body’s natural defences making it a safe and effective option for seasonal changes and chronic fatigue.

  
  

Real-Life Results: How My Clients Feel After Treatment

My favourite part of practicing this medicine is watching people get back that spark in life - to regain excitement and passion in themselves.

There is nothing like watching someone walk in with dullness in their expression and walk out with a glimmer in their eyes.

→ Hearing the confidence shift in someones voice.

→ Watching them hit their weight goals.

→ Holding space for tears that turn out to be transformational.

→ Regulating a woman’s cycle after years of struggling.

→ Calming the mind for someone who can’t stop thinking.

→ Improving sleep in someone who hasn’t slept properly in a decade.

I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve heard “I never knew needles could be so comforting and calming.”

The transformations I get to hold space for are nothing short of surreal. I will be eternally grateful for providing a place for people to reduce stress, reconnect with their inner selves and transform their lives.

Integrating Acupuncture into Your Wellness Routine

I understand that this system of medicine is a completely foreign concept to many.

The fact that tiny little flexible stainless steel needles can be both painless and help remind the nervous system of what it is meant to feel balanced and calm is understandably hard to grasp.

Complemented by the complexity of the medicine it’s hard to tell someone “it will take X many treatments until you see results” as there are many additional factors to consider outside of the treatment room.

During your detailed intake your Acupuncturist will review your treatment plan with you - during the beginning of your treatment plan your appointments will most likely be placed closer together to establish a new baseline and avoid losing the progress of previous treatments.

Once it is established how your body responds to the treatments, your practitioner will give you some home recommendations to implement and help you create a maintenance plan.

Remember, Acupuncture meets you where you are at, this is not about having to be perfect but about the progress you are able to make towards feeling more in control of your health and stepping back into living your life.

Fun Fact: Acupuncture is covered by most insurance providers in Canada!

Finding Your Balance Starts Here

At the end of the day, life in Antigonish - or anywhere, really - can pull us in a million different directions. Between work, family, and the mental load that never seems to shut off, it’s easy to lose connection with ourselves.

Acupuncture gives you a moment to pause. To breathe. To come back home to your body. It’s not just about easing pain or calming nerves — it’s about remembering what it feels like to be balanced, energized, and in tune with your natural rhythm again.

Whether you’re curious about your first session or looking to deepen your existing wellness routine, know that healing doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as lying still, breathing deeply, and letting your body do what it was designed to do - heal itself.

If you’re ready to reclaim your spark, I’d love to help you find your balance again.

In the Antigonish area and ready to experience how acupuncture can help you feel like yourself again, I’d love to welcome you to join the Coastal Chiropractic family - you can book online at https://coastalchiropractic.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/4/treatment/25*.*