Acupuncture
China and other Asian countries have practiced acupuncture for thousands of years. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the human body is balanced by two conflicting forces called yin and yang. In an imbalanced state, yin the dark, cold, and negative force, and yang the light, warm, and positive force blocks vital energy (qi or chi) from passing through meridians (passageways) in the body and is the cause of disease. Hair-thin, metallic needles are placed in points on the body, which clears the blockage to release the natural flow of chi.
Dr. Machelle Perkins is a nationally and Florida state board certified Doctor of Oriental Medicine with more than 20 years experience practicing acupuncture. Acupuncture can offer natural pain relief, treatment of illnesses, and even emotional-management.
Acupuncture can treat 90 percent of all illnesses. With approximately 2,000 points on the body, acupuncture has the potential to treatment numerous conditions.
Acupuncture needles can stimulate the Qi by the hands or with electrical stimulation. Dr. Perkins provides a one-hour electrical stimulation treatment and waves moxa over the needles to warm them. The vapors and warming effect stimulates blood flow and Qi.
What acupuncture therapy can do for you
Where there is pain, there is prevention. Acupuncture is a quick and effective solution, which in conjunction with positive lifestyle changes, can prevent you from getting major unnecessary surgeries. If you are considering alternative medicine, this is a great treatment that can treat the following conditions and more:
- General pain relief
- Pain from sports
- Back, neck, shoulder pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Foot pain
- Wrist pain
- Leg pain
- Pregnancy
- Infertility
- Allergies
- Smoking
- Menstrual cramps
Research has shown that acupuncture is the most common treatment for back pain, followed by neck pain and headaches.
A safe and pain-free alternative
The FDA requires that needles be sterile, safe, and marked for individual use. You get a new packaged set of needles and your treatment site is sterilized with alcohol. Acupuncture tolerance is different for everyone, but people generally do not feel pain during the treatment. Patients often feel relaxed or energized.
What kind of results can I expect from a treatment?
At Natural MED Therapies, 99 percent of patients who walk in with a headache or migraine experience relief from acupuncture. Dr. Perkins evaluates a patient’s lifestyle and medical history to find out the cause of the headache or migraine. With a series of treatments involving herbs and acupuncture, you can experience total relief within a few weeks to a month.
Rarely do people walk, sit, or lay down properly, which over time can cause chronic pain. Prior to studying acupuncture and naturopathic medicine, Dr. Perkins also suffered from chronic back pain. It was only through acupuncture and massage she became pain-free. This experience gives Dr. Perkins a first-hand experience of pain that many patients are experiencing today. Once you have a treatment with her, you will understand her compassion and desire to help you.
Acupuncture
Traditional Medicine. Individualized for Modern Care.
Acupuncture for Pain Management
Acupuncture has been used for centuries and today is one of the most widely recognized complementary approaches to pain management.
Treatment uses very thin, sterile, single-use needles placed at carefully selected points on the body. The choice of points and treatment technique depends on the individual patient and the type and location of pain.
Machelle may also incorporate electrical stimulation of acupuncture points, heat or moxibustion, trigger-point techniques, or other complementary methods when appropriate.
Rather than providing the same treatment to every patient, the acupuncture plan is adapted according to how your symptoms respond.
Acupuncture may be considered for pain involving:
- Lower back
- Neck and shoulders
- Knees and other joints
- Muscles and soft tissue
- Sports-related strains and overuse
- Headaches and migraines
- Sciatic-type pain
- Recurring or chronic musculoskeletal discomfort
Research suggests acupuncture may be helpful in managing several pain conditions, particularly certain forms of back, neck, knee and musculoskeletal pain.
What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?
Acupuncture needles are extremely fine. Sensations vary from person to person and from one acupuncture point to another.
Some patients feel very little when a needle is placed, while others notice temporary pressure, warmth, tingling or a dull sensation around the treatment area. Many patients find the treatment period relaxing.
Machelle uses sterile, single-use acupuncture needles and adjusts treatment to each patient's comfort and response.
Battlefield Acupuncture
Focused Auricular Acupuncture for Pain Management
Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) is a specialized form of auricular acupuncture that uses specific points on the outer ear. Originally developed in a military medical setting, the technique provides another way to approach pain without necessarily treating the painful area directly.
Machelle has experience providing Battlefield Acupuncture to veterans and other patients dealing with persistent pain. When appropriate, she may incorporate BFA into a broader pain-management plan alongside traditional acupuncture or other supportive therapies.
HOW IT DIFFERS
Treatment area
Specific points on the outer ear
Technique
Very small semi-permanent auricular needles
Approach
Focused treatment that can complement a broader pain-management plan
May be combined with
Traditional acupuncture and other appropriate therapies
Traditional acupuncture and other appropriate therapies
Why Battlefield Acupuncture?
Because the treatment focuses on auricular points, BFA gives Machelle another option when developing an individualized approach to pain. It may be considered for patients experiencing acute or chronic pain, including veterans and others who may benefit from a focused ear-based technique.
Battlefield Acupuncture is one treatment option rather than a guaranteed or stand-alone solution. Machelle determines whether it is appropriate according to each patient's symptoms, medical history and response to care.
Explore Battlefield Acupuncture →
Microcurrent Point Stimulation
MPS Dolphin Therapy
A Technology-Assisted Approach to Pain Management
MPS — Microcurrent Point Stimulation — combines principles associated with acupuncture and trigger-point therapy with gentle electrical stimulation.
Using the handheld Dolphin MPS device, Machelle can apply low-level microcurrent stimulation to selected acupuncture points, trigger points and areas associated with muscular tension or sensitivity.
Unlike traditional acupuncture, conventional acupuncture needles are not required to stimulate these points with the Dolphin device.
MPS AT A GLANCE
Technology
Low-level microcurrent stimulation
Applied to
Selected acupuncture and trigger points
Needles required?
No conventional acupuncture needles are required
Role in treatment
May be used independently or incorporated alongside other appropriate therapies
Where MPS Fits Into Your Treatment Plan
Pain does not always originate from one isolated location. Muscles, sensitive trigger points and patterns of tension can all contribute to how discomfort is experienced.
MPS gives Machelle another way to work with these patterns. Depending on your individual needs, it may be incorporated into care for persistent muscular discomfort, neck and shoulder tension, back discomfort, sensitive trigger points or areas affected by previous injuries.
Explore MPS Dolphin Therapy →