Practitioner Profile: Greg Henderson
Greg Henderson L.Ac., M.Ac Greg is licensed under the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). His Educational background includes a B.S. in Biological sciences with an emphasis on Human and Plant Physiology as well as a Masters of Acupuncture from the Won institute of Graduate studies. Greg’s background allows a mutual respect of both Eastern and Western modalities of healthcare. A testimonial of this mutual respect of East and West medical language can be seen in the number of clients who he treats with Acupuncture as a compliment to there ongoing Western medical care.
Some of the Oriental modalities Greg has training and experience in include TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Korean 4 needle technique, Moxabustion Therapy, Trigger point therapy, 5 element Acupuncture and Oriental nutrition. Greg’s practice focuses on the treatment of many of the common physical and emotional disharmonies that exist today. These include back pain, knee pain, tennis elbow, migraines, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, arthritis, insomnia, depression, anxiety, seasonal affective disorder etc.
Special areas of Focus
While treating a vast number disharmonies in my Oriental Medical practice a special focus lies in the treatment of pain management and emotional disharmonies.
Pain Management
A common phrase used in Oriental Medicine is "Where there is stoppage there is pain". In this case "stoppage" can mean the inhibition of the free flow of Qi energy and or blood as an example. Acupuncture has been successfully implemented in the treatment of pain for well over two thousand years. Acupuncture addresses the various types of pain. It is the nature of the specific pain that gives valuable clues toward the correct diagnosis and course of treatment used.
Emotional Well Being
Much like the phenomena of physical pain, emotional disharmonies such as anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, grief etc. can be viewed as a stagnation or blockage. The importance which emotions play on our well being can not be overemphasized in terms of Oriental Medicine. Under normal circumstances all emotions are perfectly acceptable. It is when we become stuck where it becomes a disharmony. In Oriental medicine specific emotions can have specific energetic effects on specific organs and visa versa. I think this really speaks to Chinese medicine viewing the human condition as a whole. Acupuncture treatment aims to restore harmonious flow of Qi energy and remove any impediments to emotional well being.
East and West
Thanks to vast amounts of research that have been done in recent years there can now be parallels made between the efficacy of Acupuncture’s phenomenon of Qi and Western medical language. In regards to pain management Acupuncture has been shown to enhance various types of endorphin’s in the body which act as the bodies natural pain killers. In regards to emotional disharmonies such as depression anxiety research has shown Acupuncture to increase levels of 5-HTP (a precursor to serotonin). Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which when deficient is implicated as a significant contributor to anxiety, depression and even insomnia. These studies speak to the fact that Acupuncture can be implemented as safe alternative by itself as well as complementary to conventional medicine.
Nutrition
Nutrition plays a profound role in promoting well being in mind, body and spirit in regards to Oriental Medical Theory. Nutritional counseling is based on an individuals specific constitution and therefore there is no "one size fits all"diet to speak of. Traditional Chinese nutritional philosophy takes a sophisticated approach to diet. Different foods are looked at in terms of there energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, neutral, calming etc. Specific flavors affect specific organs etc. An Example of flavor application could being utilizing the sour flavor (apple cider vinegar) to cleanse the Liver. These are concepts that are also touched upon within a series of consultations.
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