The Power of Acupuncture

               Christina Windhorse M.Ac., Lic.Ac., LMT, ECST

          Christina received her Masters degree in Acupuncture from the Academy of Five Element Acupuncture in Gainseville, Florida.  This three year program included extensive study in Chinese Herbalism as well as a rigorous clinical training.  Christina is also a licensed massage therapist in practice since 1996, utilizing structural integration, craniosacral therapy and myofascial massage.  She is also a certified Equine Cranial Sacral Therapist and specializes in Integrative Therapy for Horse and Rider.

           Christina's unique strength is her ability to integrate Acupuncture with Massage Therapy. She can take her knowledge of body from her years of massage practice and use it to assess points, meridians and structures, and use either modality or both to best suit the client. She can include cranial sacral work or deep therapeutic massage to assist the body to come into structural alignment and energetic balance. No other acupuncture practitioner in the area has this ability.           

             Christina is certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture which can be of great benefit to athletes. She works extensively with athletes from many disciplines including equestrians and triathletes. She has worked with many Olympians and national team members in sports like bobsled and skeleton from several countries.  Let Christina help to enhance your performance.

Christina Windhorse uses only the finest sterile disposable needles.

How does it work?

 ~ It’s a time proven Oriental practice of balancing the whole being by balancing your energetic levels.

 ~ It works because your physical, emotional and energetic levels are profoundly connected.

 ~ A problem on any physical or emotional level of the body will also manifest in your energy level.

 ~ Addressing this energy imbalance reestablishes your physical, mental and emotional well-being.

   Acupuncture is very effective to
treat chronic pain, anxiety, depression, addictions, PTSD, panic attacks, chronic fatigue, IBS and many other mental, physical and emotional conditions.  

 The NADA protocols are uniquely powerful for detoxification, smoking cessation or addiction recovery.

What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?

 Many first-time patients are concerned that acupuncture needles will feel like hypodermic injections at the doctor’s office. They won't. Acupuncture uses hair-thin, flexible needles. When gently stimulated the needles may produce a unique sensation that Oriental medicine calls de qi. Patients often describe de qi as a heavy, achy pressure, or spreading, traveling feeling. You may also feel an "electrical" sensation moving down the meridian pathways, though this is less common. Most patients find these acupuncture sensations deeply satisfying and leave the treatment feeling relaxed both mentally and physically

The 5-Element Approach

The life energy flowing through the body (Qi, pronounced "Chee") can be influenced and balanced by stimulating specific points on the body. These points are located along channels of energy known as meridians that connect all of our major organs and specific states of energy. According to Chinese medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced or is blocked.
 
Christina's 5-Element Acupuncture is unique to the area and is known for it's potency. Diagnosing the traditional 5 states of energy and correcting any excesses and deficiencies will balance how they create and inhibit each other, leaving you with a healthy energy flow.

The "Western" Explanation: 
 

Acupuncture works via stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect. 
  

Acupuncture points themselves are areas of specific electrical sensitivity. Inserting needles at these points stimulates various sensory receptors that in turn stimulate nerves that transmit impulses to the hypothalamic/pituitary system located at the base of the brain.

These hypothalamus/pituitary glands are responsible for releasing neurotransmitters and endorphins, the body's natural pain-killing hormones. It is estimated that endorphins can be 200 times more potent than morphine! Endorphins also play a significant role in the functioning of the hormonal system. This is why acupuncture works so well for back pain, arthritis, P.M.S. and infertility.

The substances released as a result of acupuncture treatments not only relax the body but also regulate serotonin in the brain which plays a role in human and animal disposition. This is why depression is often effectively treated with acupuncture.

  Physiological effects observed throughout the body include increased circulation, decreased inflammation, relief from pain and muscle spasms and increased T-cell count which stimulates the immune system.