Origins

The origins of acupuncture in China can be traced back at least 2500 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world. Today, acupuncture is an effective, natural, and increasingly popular form of health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.

An acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific sites (acupuncture points) along the body’s meridians to clear  blockages and encourage the normal flow of qi, blood and oxygen through the body. The practitioner may also stimulate the acupuncture points using other methods, including moxibustion, cupping, and massage in order to re-establish the flow of qi, working with the normal function of the bodymind dynamic and focuses as much on the prevention of illness and optimal wellbeing as on the treatment of symptoms.

World Health Organization

Acupuncture is known to treat a wide range of health concerns. The conditions below have been recognized by the World Health Organization as having been successfully treated by acupuncture.

  • Neurological system such as headaches, migraines, stroke, neuralgia, some forms of paralysis, sequelae of poliomyelitis, peripheral neuropathy, and Meniere’s disease.
  • Respiratory system such as bronchial asthma, bronchitis, acute tonsillitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, sore throat, and the common cold.
  • Digestive system such as toothache, post-extraction pain, gingivitis, hiccough, spasms of the esophagus, duodenal ulcers, gastric hyperacidity, gastritis, paralytic ileus, colitis, diarrhea, constipation.
  • Urogenital system such as nocturnal enuresis, and neurogenic bladder dysfunction.
  • Eye conditions conjunctivitis, simple cataracts, myopia in children, and central retinitis.
  • Musculoskeletal system such as osteoarthritis, sciatica, low back pain, cervicobrachial syndrome, ‘frozen shoulder’, and ‘tennis elbow’.

Gentle Touch

Cally completed a post-graduate Toyohari certification training in 2001 in Seattle. This style of acupuncture was developed in Japan by blind practitioners, whose extraordinary sensation of touch allowed them to refine the location of the acupuncture points with such precision that they often do not need to insert the needles into the body. Rather, Toyohari trained acupuncturists most often simply place the needle on the surface of the skin and wait for there to be an observable positive change in the pulse, indicating the desired outcome and effectiveness of the treatment.

Acupuncture Needle Acupuncture Bellingham

Toyohari style acupuncture has deeply informed the way Cally practices today. Although it is not her main style of treatment, she continues to focus on the direct perception and treatment of qi through her gentle needling technique, precision of point location, and observable changes in the pulse. Most often her patients never feel the needle, instead they feel the extraordinary benefits of relaxation and the subtle, yet profound, shifts in their musculoskeletal system and emotional well-being.