I wasn’t skeptical, but acupuncture wasn’t something I thought I’d ever do. It made sense, pressure points and what not. Similarly, we apply oils at certain reflexology points. But then Kari started practicing out of the same office as our chiropractor.
Ethan was the first to test it out. He and Kari actually went to high school together. Then, I decided to give it a whirl in an attempt to get labor moving along. You can read about that experience here. Needless to say, I love it. I was apprehensive as I don’t love needles; says the girl with 3 tattoos and plethora of piercings. It was a ridiculously relaxing experience. It may have been because I was laying child free for an hour. Then, we took grandma because she was having sciatic issues and she loved it too!
When I started restructuring my website I knew I wanted to include a section on natural options outside of just oils. Dr. Kari was the first person who popped into mind to have as a quest writer to share a bit about what she does. Let me first, give you just a few of her certs and degrees:
- Nationally board certified Diplomate of Eastern Medicine (Dipl. OM), (NCCAOM).
- Licensed in the state of Pennsylvania as a Practitioner of Eastern Medicine (L.OM.)
- Certified Provider of Hospice and Palliative Care Acupuncture (CPHPCA).
- Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine (DACM), 2020, from Pacific college of Health and Science.
- Masters of Science in Traditional Medicine (MSTOM) and a Bachelor of Professional studies (BPS), 2019, from Pacific College of Health and Science, where she studied at both the San Diego, CA and New York, NY campuses.
Basically, that all means that Dr. Kari knows her stuff. There’s no one I’d trust more to stick me with needles head to toe- literally. I asked Dr. Kari to give me some info on acupuncture to share, and she graciously obliged!
Curiously enough Acupuncture isn’t just sticking needles into people. An acupuncturist uses
tiny sterile needles and other modalities to activate specific points along the body. Acupuncture points are found to stimulate the central nervous system. This releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These biochemical changes stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities and promote physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Acupuncture can influence the way your brain responds to pain and other external or internal stimulation.
Acupuncture and eastern medicine is a cohesive system dating back thousands of years. A doctor of acupuncture and eastern medicine uses acupuncture needles, cupping, gua sha, Chinese medical massage, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, and more to help influence the body and facilitate a change. Ultimately the body is healing itself and the acupuncturist is there to initiate and help you carry out the changes so that you learn to help your body heal itself. Healing truly starts at home!
Here are some things you need to know:
- Acupuncture is a growing profession and there are about 35,000 acupuncture
practitioners in the United states. - 3000 hours are required to be nationally board certified for acupuncture and herbology.
You should make sure to find a board certified and licensed practitioner.
https://www.nccaom.org/find-a-practitioner-directory/ - Needles are tiny: we can fit about 30 acupuncture needles into one hypodermic needle
that might be used to get a shot. - Acupuncture has been recognized by the world health organization to be effective for at
least 28 conditions and 60+ more are currently being studied. - These 10 conditions (allergic rhinitis, headache and migraines, ambulatory anesthesia,
dysmenorrhea, chronic pain, and depression) have been proven to be cost-effective
treatments!
To sum it up, acupuncture has been shown to work by stimulating local blood flow, regulating the nervous system, improving emotional well being by helping the body to release endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, and decrease pain in the body! The only way to experience the benefits of acupuncture and eastern medicine is to give it a try for yourself.
Here is a list of conditions from the world health organization that acupuncture has been found to be beneficial for:
If you are in the Lancaster, PA area, I truly can’t recommend Dr. Kari enough! You can learn more about her, as well as the various services she offers HERE!
The Nurtured Bee 