Medical Spa content: Acupuncture

medical SpaAcupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, "needle", and pungere, "to prick". In Standard Mandarin refers to acupuncture together with moxibustion.

According to Traditional Chinese Medical Theory, acupuncture points are situated on meridians along which qi, the vital energy, flows. There is no known anatomical or histological basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians. Modern acupuncture texts present them as ideas that are useful in clinical practice. According to the NIH consensus statement on acupuncture, these traditional Chinese medical concepts "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture. "Acupuncture originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)".

Because acupuncture has been the subject of active scientific research only since the beginning of late 20th century, its effects are not well-understood by Western medicine, and its application remains controversial among Western medical researchers and clinicians. A 2007 review led by Professor of Complementary Medicine Edzard Ernst finds that the "emerging clinical evidence seems to imply that acupuncture is effective for some, but not all conditions.

"The WHO, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Medical Association (AMA) and various government reports have studied and commented on the efficacy of acupuncture. There is general agreement that acupuncture is safe when administered by well-trained practitioners using sterile needles, and that further research is appropriate.

Indications according to acupuncturists in the West
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004) states: "In the United States, acupuncture has its greatest success and acceptance in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain." They say that acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for the conditions in the list below, noting: "Most of these indications are supported by textbooks or at least 1 journal article. However, definitive conclusions based on research findings are rare because the state of acupuncture research is poor but improving."

• Abdominal distention/flatulence
  Acute and chronic pain control
  Allergic sinusitis
  Anesthesia for high-risk patients or patients with previous adverse responses to anesthetics
  Anorexia
  Anxiety, fright, panic
  Arthritis/arthrosis
  Atypical chest pain (negative workup)
  Bursitis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome
  Certain functional gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting, esophageal spasm, hyperacidity, irritable bowel)
  Cervical and lumbar spine syndromes
  Constipation, diarrhea
  Cough with contraindications for narcotics
  Drug detoxification
  Dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain
  Frozen shoulder
  Headache (migraine and tension-type), vertigo (Meniere disease), tinnitus
  Idiopathic palpitations, sinus tachycardia
  In fractures, assisting in pain control, edema, and enhancing healing process
  Muscle spasms, tremors, tics, contractures
  Neuralgias (trigeminal, herpes zoster, postherpetic pain, other)
  Paresthesias
  Persistent hiccups
  Phantom pain
  Plantar fasciitis
  Post-traumatic and post-operative ileus
  Selected dermatoses (urticaria, pruritus, eczema, psoriasis)
  Sequelae of stroke syndrome (aphasia, hemiplegia)
  Seventh nerve palsy
  Severe hyperthermia
  Sprains and contusions
  Temporo-mandibular joint derangement, bruxism
  Urinary incontinence, retention (neurogenic, spastic, adverse drug effect)
  Weight Loss

Medical Spa content: Hydrotherapy

Research has shown hydrotherapy is extremely effective in aiding pain relief and rehabilitation while also promoting general fitness and a sense of well-being.

The healing power of hydrotherapy lies in the combination of warmth, buoyancy and gentle resistance provided by the water. Hydrotherapy is not only physically therapeutic, it also helps to promote relaxation and improve general fitness.
Delivering health and lifestyle benefits to people of all ages hydrotherapy is particularly beneficial to people in their later years. As the body ages, strenuous physical exercise becomes more difficult and less desirable. Hydrotherapy can help people maintain a low-impact exercise program as they age leading to better health and mobility. One of the greatest benefits of hydrotherapy to older people is its potential to reduce falls through maximising balance and mobility.Hydrotherapy is also a particularly effective form of rehabilitation as the therapeutic effects of buoyancy and turbulence, combined with warm water, help reduce pain and muscle spasm.

This gentle form of exercise is recognised as one of the most beneficial physiotherapy techniques in the treatment of:

• Post-operative orthopaedic conditions
  Osteoporosis
  Neurological conditions
  Arthritis
  Cardiac rehabilitation
  Skeletal and soft tissue injury
  Acute and chronic back pain
  Ante and post natal care
  Work-related injuries

Each hydrotherapy program is individually tailored to meet the needs of the client and sessions are conducted by physiotherapists who specialise in hydrotherapy

Medical Spa content: Aromatherapy

The Benefits
Aromatherapy doesn't just smell good, it also benefits you in many ways. Some aromatherapy benefits that are more commonly known include:
-Relaxation and stress relief
-Mood enhancement, balance and well being
-Relief of minor discomforts
-Boosting the immune, respiratory and circulatory systems

Aromatherapy is a great, natural compliment or alternative to other health treatment options such as certain prescribed medications.
Aromatherapy doesn’t “cure” major illnesses but it is effective at alleviating many of the discomforts associated with them.
Essential oils are the heart of aromatherapy. They have been used to:
Heal wounds
Energize
Improve skin tone
Relax muscles
Regulate hormones
Reduce inflammation
Relieve menstrual cramps
Improve sleep
Stimulate the immune system
Kill fungal & bacterial infections
Decrease sinus & lung congestion
Aid digestion
Relieve tension headaches
Aid blood circulation

Medical Spa content: Aromatherapy

The History

The history of aromatherapy is reputed to date back as far as 6000 years, although the term aromatherapy ("aroma" meaning fragrance, and "therapy" meaning treatment) wasn’t coined until the 20th Century.
The ancient Chinese, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all used aromatherapy oils.
The ancient Egyptians used plants for religious rituals; it was believed that certain smells could raise higher consciousness or promote a state of tranquility. They used the fragrant oils from plants (essential oils) for embalming. Oils such as myrrh, frankincense, cinnamon, cedarwood, and juniper berry are all known to have been used in the mummification process to preserve the bodies of their loved ones in preparation for the after-life.
As time went on, the Egyptians continued to refine their use of aromatics in medicine, cosmetics, incense and perfumes.
The ancient Chinese were using some form of aromatherapy at or around the same time as the Egyptians. They used herbs and burned aromatic woods and incense to show their respect to God. The oldest surviving medical book in China, (dated around 2,700BC and written by Shen Nung, contains cures involving over three hundred different aromatic herbs).
The Greeks continued the use of aromatic oils. They used them for medicines and cosmetics. Aromatherapy came of age when they took medicine into a new light 2000 years ago. The earliest known Greek physician was Asclepius who practiced around 1200 BC combining the use of herbs and surgery with previously unrivalled skill. His reputation was so great that after his death he was deified as the god of healing in Greek mythology.
Hypocrates (400 BC), who was commonly known as the "Father of Medicine", was the first to study essential oils' effects. He believed that a daily aromatic bath and scented massage would promote good health.
Theophrastus, a physician, wrote of the healing properties of "aromatic" plants. For at least 1200 years, a book written by a Greek physician named Pedacius Dioscorides about herbal medicine was the Western world's standard medical reference. Many of the remedies he mentions are still used in Aromatherapy today.
The Romans built upon the knowledge of the Egyptians and Greeks and became well known for scented baths followed by aromatic oil massage.
It was during the 19th century that scientists in Europe began researching the effects of essential oils on bacteria in humans.
Rene Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist, began research into the healing powers of essential oils in the early 1900’s after he accidentally burned his hand in his laboratory. On reflex, he immersed his burned hand in the closest liquid which happened to be lavender oil. He was quite impressed by how quickly the burn healed without infection and with no visible scar. Gattefossé is credited with coining the word "aromatherapy".
In 1937, Gattefossé wrote a book called Aromathérapie: Les Huiles essentielles hormones végétales which was later translated into English and renamed Gattefossé’s Aromatherapy.
As a result of Gattefossé’s experiments, Dr. Jean Valet used essential oils to treat the injured soldiers during world war two with great success.
Since then, there has been numerous studies and books published on aromatherapy and the healing powers of essential oils.
The late 1970’s / early 1980’s brought about the use of essential oils and aromatherapy as a major part of alternative and holistic healing across the world.