acupuncture

The Truth About Acupuncture Needles

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needle

So one of the most common reasons why people say they don’t like acupuncture is that they are afraid of needles.

Most people imagine nails and syringe needles when they think of acupuncture when in reality, the needles we use are literally hair thin. Most people barely feel a mosquito bite like sensation upon insertion and are fairly relaxed within minutes once the acupuncture begins to work and the body starts to rebalance itself.

After google image searching and not finding any decent looking pictures I decided to do my own version.

There was even one google image where they stuffed 10 acu needles into a syringe hole opening to prove a point.  Acupuncture needles are way thinner in comparison to a syringe needle (left) and a sewing needle (right)

What do you guys think?

  • Bob Wong was raised in a traditional Chinese medicine family and moved to mainland China to study and train in Chinese medicine for almost a decade. During that time, he was able to learn from some of  the top acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners in China at the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. His mission is to bring that knowledge and experience to benefit his patients.
  • Bob Wong currently maintains an acupuncture practice in the Brisbane CBD area. You can read his full bio or schedule an appointment.
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3 Reason Why Cupping Rocks

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cupping copy Cupping is an ancient form of therapy in traditional Chinese Medicine. A vacuum suction is created with either heat or suction thereby raising the skin to the surface. There are actually a million reasons why cupping rocks but we will only go into three:

1) Relieves muscle aches and tension: Recently, more and more athletes as well as celebrities have been using cupping to relieve sore muscles and speed up the body’s healing process. Cupping also removes blood stasis by increasing local blood flow to the area being worked on.

2) Cupping  Removes Toxins: When the cups are placed along different points of body, dark or light bruises may appear. This is no reason to be alarmed. It is usually a good sign because it means that the toxins in your body are being pulled up and pushed out of the body. Cupping encourages phagocytosis )eliminating pathogens and debris in the body¹) and makes you feel pretty damn good.

3) Cupping Looks Awesome: Because we live in a world of insta, fb, snapchat, you can take pictures afterward and send them to the internet world and be the most popular kid at school/work/gym/planet.

  • Bob Wong was raised in a traditional Chinese medicine family and moved to mainland China to study and train in Chinese medicine for almost a decade. During that time, he was able to learn from some of  the top acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners in China at the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. His mission is to bring that knowledge and experience to benefit his patients.
  • Bob Wong currently maintains an acupuncture practice in the Brisbane CBD area. You can read his full bio or schedule an appointment.
References: 1)Cheng Xinnong (1999) Acupuncture & Moxibustion, 1999 edn., Foreign Press hardcover:

Immediate Relief For Back Pain Using Hand Points

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linggudabai

ling gu da bai combo. 灵骨大白

Ling Gu & Da Bai are two points located on the hand in Master Tung’s Acupuncture system. Ling gu (spirit bone) is located at the end of the first and second metacarpals and Da bai (Big White) is located at Li3.5.

It is different from the TCM model we learned in school and works much faster in my experience. Within 5 seconds of insertion of these hand points, most of the lower pain should be gone or shifted. To be honest I was a bit skeptical when I was first introduced to these techniques until one day a colleague of mine invited me to one of Dr. Tan’s balance method seminars (tanwubian.com.)

After two days of demonstrations and lectures I was completely blown away and started using it as soon as I returned to clinic. The results were phenomenal and so much faster than I had ever expected. Gone are the days of “put’em in and pray” and hooking electrodes to peoples backs like car batteries (you know what im talking about.)

One time my mother in law woke up in the morning with a severe back ache and couldn’t bend over forward. banged ’em in and she was all good after 15 minutes.True story.

  • Bob Wong was raised in a traditional Chinese medicine family and moved to mainland China to study and train in Chinese medicine for almost a decade. During that time, he was able to learn from some of  the top acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners in China at the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. His mission is to bring that knowledge and experience to benefit his patients.

  • Bob Wong currently maintains an acupuncture practice in the Brisbane CBD area. You can read his full bio or schedule an appointment.

How Fire Needling Works

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fireneedle Quite few people are freaked out when they see this picture and they think it’s an acupuncture needle. It’s actually a form of acupuncture called Fire Needling used in China. They don’t really pierce into the skin but rather slightly dab the points after the needle is heated.

Fire needling is a treatment based on the heating of an acupuncture needle until red hot, and rapidly inserting and then removing it into an acupuncture point or a specific area.Fire needling has the actions of both acupuncture needles and fire, the heat Qi and Blood in the channels, thus promotes the flow of Qi and Blood to regulate the sinews. Also, it promotes local blood saturation to nourish the tendons and removes stagnation. Its used to treat all conditions, which, due to stagnated Channels, Qi and Blood movement stagnation, Channel blockage, malnourished muscle spasms, numbness, itching, paralysis etc.

There is a really great book by one of my teachers on fire needling by Professor Lin Guo Hua from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine where I studied. There are not any English translations available but I think they’re working on it. Its 32.80 rmb  (7 USD unbelievable!) on Chinese Amazon: fireneedlingbook

  • Bob Wong was raised in a traditional Chinese medicine family and moved to mainland China to study and train in Chinese medicine for almost a decade. During that time, he was able to learn from some of  the top acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners in China at the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. His mission is to bring that knowledge and experience to benefit his patients.
  • Bob Wong currently maintains an acupuncture practice in the Brisbane CBD area. You can read his full bio or schedule an appointment.

M, 73 stage 4 stomach cancer patient

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2nd Affiliated Hospital at the Guangzhou University of Chinese medicine, spring 2011

M, 73 stage 4 stomach cancer patient. He refused to do chemo & was a bit too weak for acupuncture so they used moxa along the back shu points for constipation and fatigue. He came back a few days later with improved bowel movement and better energy levels.

I’d be lying if I said what we do cures cancer or any terminal illnesses but it does make a difference and offers people a better quality of life and sometimes even a smoother transition into the next.

To all acupuncturists out there stay awesome and keep sharing the love!

  • Bob Wong was raised in a traditional Chinese medicine family and moved to mainland China to study and train in Chinese medicine for almost a decade. During that time, he was able to learn from some of  the top acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners in China at the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. His mission is to bring that knowledge and experience to benefit his patients.
  • Bob Wong currently maintains an acupuncture practice in the Brisbane CBD area. You can read his full bio or schedule an appointment.