Judy Spence and Gerry Spence are qualified Acupuncturists and TCM practitioners at the Meridians Clinic in Ottawa. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine

TCM is s a healing practice that has developed over many centuries in China and is today practised around the world by thousands of practitioners.  Acupuncture, along with associated techniques such as Moxibustion, Cupping, Acupressure, Electro-acupuncture, Auricular medicine, Massage and natural medicines are used to successfully treat and heal many diseases and body imbalances.

TCM relies on gaining an in-depth understanding of the patient and his/her condition, not just the most recent symptoms.  Keen observation and palpation, probing of the patient's medical history, diagnosis of their past and present disharmonies all play an important part in developing an overall treatment plan.

Unlike western medicine, TCM's  "holisitic" approach encompasses much more than the patient's most current disease label such as "arthritis", "depression", "irritable bowel" or "chronic fatigue".  TCM considers not only the patient's current acute or chronic medical problem but even more so the underlying factors causing the specific symptoms.  The Patient's emotional state, their diet, lifestyle and their overall environment may all be significant contributing factors to the patients health disharmony. 

Unlike western medicine TCM does not rely on the "lab test" + "prescription" approach to resolving medical issues.  Instead, TCM is holistic and natural in its approach to each individual and harnesses the body's immense healing powers.  The focus is on rebalancing and harmonizing each patient's physical and emotional energy as well as the complex functions and interrelationships of the various organ systems.   All this is brought together to affect the appropriate healing solution. 

For chronic conditions treatments often focus on strengthening particular organ functions, removing blockages in the body's own natural energy flows, stimulating energies that have waned with time and overuse and rebalancing energies that have fallen into dysfunctional patterns.

To treat more acute conditions such as infections, physical injuries and unusual behaviour patterns we may add more focus on the affected areas of the body.  

In addition to working with the body's energies to affect the healing process there may sometimes be need for adjustments to diet, nutritional supplementation, living patterns and even to the patient's environment.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a highly effective technique which has been honed over centuries of observation and practice.  Meridians (energy channels) have been studied and specific points along those channels have been found to affect the body's energy, blood flow, organ functions, emotions and musculo-skeletal health in specific ways. 

While the outcomes of acupuncture needling are predictable each individual's symptomology, constitution and medical history may considerably vary the treatment plan and particular techiniques that are employed. 

Meridians Clinic

A good Acupuncturist/TCM practitioner will do far more than apply a formulaic approach that works most of the time.  Understanding each individual patient and his/her underlying disease factors are the key to truly successful healing.  That is what we offer patients at our Clinic.