Acupuncture

My approach to acupuncture is gentle and collaborative. You and I will work together during the session to create a treatment that feels best for you. 

First I will listen to your health concerns during our initial intake. I value deep listening and empathy—this is your chance to share everything going on with your health and I am here to listen. Everything from how your physical body feels to your emotions, sleep and digestion is important and relevant. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, all systems in the body must be balanced and working in harmony for us to be healthy and thriving. 

Then I will use traditional methods like pulse taking, tongue reading, and acupuncture channel palpation to make my diagnosis and treatment plan. When I feel along these powerful channels that run from head to toe on the body, this is when the collaborative part of our session really happens. As I carefully feel along the acupuncture channels, I’m asking you what you are feeling as I put gentle pressure. I move up and down, gaining a mental picture of which points on the channel are “lighting up” for you, or which ones feel most tender to the touch. Then gently I start to insert the hair-thin needles into these specific points, and again, I’m checking in to ask what you are feeling. You may feel a heavy pulling sensation or warmth in the acupuncture point. This is known as “Qi” sensation, and this is a positive sign that the needle is stimulating the Qi flowing through the channel. From a western medical perspective, we are promoting blood flow to the area and stimulating nerves.

We allow the needles to rest and do their work for about twenty minutes, during which I may apply some gentle acupressure, or do cupping to relieve tight muscles. 

Before our treatment comes to an end, I will provide recommendations for self-care at home tailored to your specific needs. For example, I will show you a  specific acupressure point you can massage that encourages relaxation, or send you the recipe for a soup that is recommended in Chinese Diet Therapy. In this way, we are approaching health and wellbeing holistically and giving you the tools to make lasting change in your life. 

More about me: I am a Registered Acupuncturist in Vancouver, working at Ananta Wellness on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I help people to achieve optimal health naturally and holistically through acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques.

Book in to see me here.

Acupuncture involves the stimulation of specific points on the body using thin needles (single use and surgical steel). It treats a wide variety of physical and health conditions, such as chronic pain, tendonitis, headaches, digestive complaints, women’s health, insomnia and immune boosting. Acupuncture can also improve your mental and emotional wellness, reducing stress and improving symptoms of anxiety and depression.

A technique that uses small glass cups as suction devices that are placed on your skin to promote blood circulation, lymph drainage and relax muscles. The suction created by the cups draw out toxins from the body, relieving pain and inflammation. It’s widely used for trigger points and musculoskeletal injuries, such as strains, sprains and neck/back pain. Cupping is also used to release scar tissue and fascial adhesions, improving joint mobility and range of motion.

In Hannah’s practice, she frequently combines both cupping and acupuncture in one session.

Gua Sha Treatment – ‘Gua’ – means to rub or scrape and ‘Sha’ means redness. This treatment is similar to cupping. When the gua sha tool is rubbed on the skin, it ruptures the most superficial blood vessels. This micro-damage to the skin causes an immune response. Gua Sha can increase blood circulation, move lymph fluid, improve range of movement and help your body to form new, healthy blood vessels. 

Tui Na (pronounced twee-nah) is a 2,000-year-old traditional Chinese therapeutic massage designed to balance the body’s energy (Qi), relieve pain, and promote healing. It uses techniques such as pushing, rolling, stretching, and kneading along meridian lines and on acupressure points to treat musculoskeletal issues, stress, chronic pain and to restore joint mobility. The massage is tailored to your individual needs to be either more invigorating or more relaxing. 

Acupressure is a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique that involves applying manual pressure (fingers, palms, elbows) to specific points along the body’s meridians to balance vital energy (Qi) promote self-healing, and relieve pain. It works similarly to acupuncture but uses touch instead of needles to reduce tension, improve circulation, and release endorphins. Practitioners apply firm pressure to “acupoints” to stimulate the body’s natural healing, often to address issues like headaches, nausea, stress, or muscle tension. Sessions typically involve lying down while a therapist applies steady pressure, for around 30 seconds to a minute per point. It is used to manage chronic pain, reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and aid in recovery.