Needle Nirvana: The Ancient Art of Acupuncture to Curate Calm in your Inner World

In this day and age, when COVID is upon us, our much longed-for exotic and exciting holidays are a thing of the past (or very distant future), we all still need to find ways to relax, renew & rejuvenate to deal with the stresses of our everyday life. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of our best loved ways!

Acupuncture is one of the oldest traditional forms of natural medicine in the world today. The ancient practice of acupuncture started in China approximately 3000 years ago. The first documentation of acupuncture that described it as an organised system of diagnosis and treatment is in The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, which dates back to 100 BCE.

It has stood the test of time because it works, it really does. In this modern world, we need to find ways to calm our overactive buzzy minds and decompress from the pandemonium surrounding us. Acupuncture is deeply relaxing & has been shown over and over again to calm down our stress response system, known as the adrenals and specially, the stress hormones cortisol & adrenaline. All you have to do is turn up, lay down, close your eyes and EXHALE….and we do the rest.

For you science lovers, here is the western medical explanation if how Acupuncture actually works, and how has such a calming & healing affect on the body.

How does Acupuncture work?

The research in this area is ever expanding. In current research, acupuncture helps to initiate responses from the central nervous system (CNS), increase blood flow, and stimulate the release and modulation (balance) of natural chemicals such as endogenous opioids, endogenous cannabinoids, neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine) and stress hormones.

• The endogenous opioid system helps to diminish the stress response, reduces the effects stress has on the body, and builds resilience to stress. It has effects on the endocrine system (hypothalami-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis), the adrenal/energy system (hypothalami-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis), the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and on emotional and behavioural responses.
• The endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS) is the fourth major regulatory system of the body. The ECS functions in the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, organs, immune system and endocrine system. The ECS aids in the regulation of everything from pain, blood pressure, inflammation, immunity, appetite, mood, metabolism and stress.
• Serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin are three of our 'feel good' neurotransmitters, and acupuncture can help to increase the levels and activity of these chemicals in the brain, nervous system and around the body.
• Acupuncture helps to reduce the levels of stress hormones cortisol, ACTH (cortisol), adrenaline and noradrenaline, thereby reducing physical & emotional stress levels.

Fascinating, right!

If you need some “Needle Nirvana” in your world and a 40 minute laydown in our calming space sounds good then we’d love to see you for some acupuncture, with our resident Guru, Dr. Geoff Brothers, otherwise locally known as “The Miracle Worker”.

Geoff is qualified in both acupuncture + traditional Chinese herbal medicine. He’s a wonderful listener and we can surely say from personal experience, Geoff makes our world a better place.