Healing with Needles
Fountyn Acupuncture, a San Francisco based clinic providing Traditional Chinese treatments
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FOUNTYN ACUPUNCTURE
G etting pricked by a needle is not a pleasant feeling. Now, imagine being pricked by close to a hundred needles. That is not something anyone would want to go through. But what if these needles could cure you of some major illness or condition? Wouldn't you want to try for yourself? I definitely would. Dr. Rachele Lam cures people using these needles (acupuncture) and other techniques of Chinese medicine—herbal medicine, gua sha, cupping, holistic facial— at her San Francisco-based clinic, Fountyn Acupuncture. Named after Margot Fonteyn, one of Dr. Lam's favorite ballet dancers, the fountain also represents an enclosed flowing water system reminiscent of the human body and the qi (energy) and life that flows within us. Acupuncture works on both physiological and energetic levels. Thin acupuncture needles are placed along energy pathways in the body to promote the unobstructed,
smooth flow of qi. When qi is flowing smoothly, the body is at an optimal functioning level. Acupuncture helps to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, regulate the nervous system, and restore homeostasis. While the intricacies of acupuncture have not yet been completely broken down into biomedical explanations, modern research and imaging have visually shown some of the physiological changes to the body from acupuncture and its effects on the nervous, endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, and digestive systems. For example, Doppler ultrasounds (which measure the amount of blood flow through your arteries and veins) show that acupuncture increases blood flow and circulation. Also, MRI readings show how needling certain acupuncture points can affect specific areas of the brain. Thermal imaging before and after treatments also show noticeably reduced levels of inflammation in the body.
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