Sometimes my patients ask me how acupuncture was invented, how it works, who thought it up and other questions about the history of acupuncture. And who the heck was the first person to agree to have an acupuncture treatment! While there is no single or simple answer, we have a lot of clues as to how this ancient system of … [Read more...]
Is Acupuncture Legit? Common Myths about Acupuncture
Let’s face it; acupuncture is an unfamiliar treatment option for many people. Coupled with its ancient beginnings and foreign feeling, many myths arise surrounding acupuncture. I’d like to take this opportunity to address some of the most common misunderstandings I’ve encountered with facts about this incredible system of … [Read more...]
How Does Acupuncture Help Fertility?
Many people are discovering that acupuncture can be an effective therapy to support your fertility, whether you’re trying to get pregnant naturally or with the help of assisted reproductive technologies. For some, just knowing that acupuncture can help increase your chances of becoming pregnant is enough to give it a try, … [Read more...]
How the Heck Does Your Acupuncturist Know What Points to Use?
For many people, acupuncture can seem a bit mysterious. You may think your practitioner is needling random places on your body, and being on the receiving end may leave you wondering why. Why did they choose this place and not that? Why did they do these points last session, but different ones today? How does your … [Read more...]
How Many Acupuncture Treatments Do You Need?
Sometimes when I’m out in the world, I have heard people say, “I tried acupuncture once and it didn’t do a thing.” To me, that’s like saying I tried exercise once and didn’t get any fitter, or I took one piano lesson and couldn’t play a concerto. Acupuncture is a therapy, and it almost always takes more than one treatment … [Read more...]
Is Facial Acupuncture Better than Botox?
In the past century, our average life expectancy has risen dramatically. A hundred years ago, the average lifespan was 58 years old. Today, the average life expectancy is 78, with many people living healthfully well into their 90’s and beyond. With today’s increase in longevity and the fact that many people stay active and … [Read more...]
How Does Acupuncture Work?
At BodaHealth, we’ve found that prospective, new and current patients often have questions about acupuncture and Chinese medicine. We’ve also found that many people who are considering acupuncture are super-interested in knowing a little more about what it is and what’s involved. Below is a collection of some of the most … [Read more...]
Acupuncture and Dry Needling or IMS: What’s the Difference?
I often get asked questions by my patients about whether we perform dry needling (also known as IMS or Intramuscular Stimulation) at BodaHealth, or how acupuncture and dry needling are different. My answer is yes we do, but it’s a little bit complicated. In this article, I hope to clear up some of the confusion surrounding … [Read more...]
How Do You Heal Shin Splints?
Shin Splints: Your Questions Answered Shin splints can be a pain in your…uh, shin. This painful condition also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, is a sports injury that’s somewhat unique. Here are answers to some questions about shin splints: What exactly are shin splints? Simply put, shin splints is a term to … [Read more...]
Treating the immune system and respiratory health with Traditional Chinese Medicine
Meet our newest member of the BodaHealth team, Faith Belhacene! Faith is a Registered Acupuncturist, with a great education, experience in treating a variety of health conditions and a passion for helping patients through the use of a number of different healing modalities. Read more about Faith here: Jeda Boughton: Hi … [Read more...]
What the Heck are Shin Splints?
Years ago I developed something called shin splints. Attracted to the neighborhoods and running paths around Vancouver, I became a regular runner. However, the pain of shin splints stopped me in my tracks—they really hurt! If you’re not familiar with shin splints, be thankful. It’s a painful condition that occurs along … [Read more...]
What is Trigger Point Acupuncture?
If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen, it’s likely that your neck and upper back get sore from time to time. If fact, if you’re like most people, you have muscle knots in these areas, too. A muscle knot is a thickening in the muscle where the fibers have begun to adhere to each other. These knots, … [Read more...]
Six Things You Should Know about Rotator Cuff Pain
You’ve heard people talk about their rotator cuff. They have pain, it’s near their shoulder, but the details always seem so vague. What kind of body part is a rotator cuff? And how does it become injured? Here are six things to know to help clear up any rotator cuff confusion you may have: 1) Your rotator cuff is a … [Read more...]
Support for Endometriosis
If you’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis, you know very well how rough it can be! It’s not just painful; it’s excruciating, with discomfort that can last for a week or two every month. People don’t really get it, because they tend to think you just have bad menstrual cramps. To make things worse, endometriosis is hard to … [Read more...]
Acupuncture for Fertility – Commonly Asked Questions
Deciding to become pregnant is an exciting time! However, sometimes conceiving isn’t as easy or simple as it should be. Whether you’re thinking about becoming pregnant, are trying to conceive naturally, or are using the help of Assisted Reproductive Technology, acupuncture can play an important role in that process. Got … [Read more...]
What to Expect During an Acupuncture Session
Let’s face it, if you’ve never had acupuncture before, it can feel like uncharted territory. Not only are needles involved, but it may be hard to imagine what actually happens during an acupuncture treatment. In order to take a little mystery out of acupuncture, here’s a rundown of what happens when you come to BodaHealth … [Read more...]
Ear Acupuncture – It Works!
Ear acupuncture is a treatment that I use on many of my acupuncture patients for a good reason; it works! Also called auricular acupuncture, ear acupuncture involves the insertion of tiny needles into specific points in your ear to address imbalances and symptoms in different parts of your body. Much like foot reflexology, … [Read more...]
Practitioner Spotlight: Maryam Ghasemi – Effective Results with Rotator Cuff Problems and Frozen Shoulder.
Acupuncturist Maryam Ghasemi is a unique addition to BodaHealth. She has studied both in Iran and Canada; she is a teacher and a learner, and she has a foot in both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine. I interviewed Maryam to find out more about her background and how she became interested in Chinese … [Read more...]
So What’s The Big Deal About Stress?
Everybody seems to be stressed out to some extent, but why do you hear so much about the importance of relieving it? The answer is that stress is a mixed bag. It’s your body’s natural response to threatening situations. Your reaction to stress is largely regulated by your body’s sympathetic nervous system, which activates … [Read more...]
Can Acupuncture Prevent a Whiplash Injury From Becoming Chronic?
If you or anyone you know has had a whiplash injury, you know that it can be life-changing. An accident that happens in an instant may change your health and quality of life for months or years. While most whiplash injuries are the result of car accidents, they can also result from falls and other traumatic … [Read more...]
To Fibromyalgia Sufferers Who Want Natural Pain Relief But Never Dreamed of Getting Acupuncture
Fibromyalgia can be a very frustrating condition for a number of reasons. It can be a difficult condition to describe, diagnose, and treat. In addition, it is a chronic condition with unpredictable flare-ups. People who struggle with fibromyalgia may describe their symptoms as feeling like they had a tough day at the … [Read more...]
It’s Good to be King, But Spare me the Pain: 5 Ways to Avoid a Gout Attack
If you’ve never suffered from an attack of gout, you might just think of it as something that attacks the base of your big toe and happens from eating rich food. If you’re unlucky enough to have had an attack of gout however, what you may remember most is how incredibly painful it was. Centuries ago, gout was considered … [Read more...]
How to Treat The 2nd Most Common Type of Pain Among Adults With Acupuncture
Chances are that you or someone you know suffers from knee pain. In fact, about one-third of North Americans will report significant knee pain at some point in their life. It’s second only to back pain as being the most commonly reported kind of pain among adults. Knee pain can be a game changer in terms of your quality … [Read more...]
Did You Know The Ear Can be Used to Diagnose Health Issues?
You may be surprised to know that ear acupuncture is a commonly practiced method of healing by many practitioners of Chinese medicine. Also called auricular acupuncture, needles placed in your ear can be an effective treatment for a variety of conditions. Auricular acupuncture is considered to be a healing microsystem, a … [Read more...]
Why Many Women Look to Alleviate Hot Flashes Naturally…
The feeling is unmistakable. You may be in an important meeting or out to dinner. Suddenly you feel heat creeping upward from somewhere deep in your body. You start sweating, your face flushes, and you feel the need to take off layers of clothing. It’s embarrassing to think that everyone around you knows what’s going … [Read more...]
