Acupuncture in Clearwater

Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and recent medical studies have shown it to be a viable physical therapy. In fact, in 1997, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) documented and publicized acupuncture’s safety and effectiveness for treating a wide range of conditions. It complements chiropractic quite nicely to help with certain conditions that require more than chiropractic adjustments to resolve. Dr. Stephen Nedd is certified in Traditional Chinese Acupuncture along with Medical Acupuncture.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Acupuncture helps to restore balance or equilibrium to the body by improving function through the stimulation of specific points on the body called acupuncture points or acupoints.

The most common way these points are stimulated is through the use of ultra-fine, sterile needles into the skin at these points, but they can also be stimulated by manual massage including thumb pressure (acupressure), moxibustion or heat therapy, cupping, and the application of topical herbal medicines and linaments. Pressure, heat, or electrical stimulation are sometimes added to enhance the effects.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine describes acupuncture points as being located along energy channels in the body called meridians. Meridians contain energy that flows like a river and when either too much or too little energy is concentrated at any of these points, then “circulation” problems can occur resulting in health problems. Stimulating these points with needles helps to balance the energy flow and allow normal circulation to occur.

Western medicine research has shown that acupuncture points are directly linked to the body’s nervous system and stimulating them can produce pain relief and tissue healing. Dry needling is a Western medicine offshoot of acupuncture.

Acupuncture visits can take up to 15-20 minutes.

Why are Needles used?

Acupuncture needle insertion has been found to produce the most profound effect on the various acupuncture points, especially since they can reach various depths below the skin into the tissues depending on the condition being treated. The needles are used only once since they’re sterile and disposable, and are so small that they’re about 1/5th to 1/10th the width of a standard hypodermic needle.