What is the difference between movement therapy, sports acupuncture, chiropractic care, and sports massage - and which one is better?
Because these professions overlap, this page explains what each one does and how they intersect.

The main goal of pain relief is to help the body move out of positions it is “stuck” in and toward positions it has difficulty going into.
    •    Chiropractic adjustments do this at the joint level using a short, rapid motion.
    •    Joint mobilization uses slower, broader techniques to improve joint movement.
    •    Soft tissue mobilization, such as structural integration, acupuncture, cupping, and massage, aims to influence soft tissues to help reposition the body.
    •    Movement therapists, such as yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, and personal trainers, help you access your own muscle activation and relaxation, particularly in muscles that are lengthened or underutilized, to support movement into these restricted and underutilized positions.

While these approaches do not produce identical tissue responses, understanding both their similarities and differences can help clarify how each modality contributes to pain relief and improved movement.

​Muscles need two things in order to properly work: activation and strength. 

1. Needling motor points of injured muscles will help activating the muscle and through the muscle's motor neuron it help reconnecting it with your brain 🧠.

2. Needling around the injury site the needle breaks up accumulations and cause micro trauma. Blood then brings the healing cells of inflammation, nutrients and oxygen and carries away waste products. 
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3. Various Traditional Chinese Acupoints stimulate circulation, reduce pain, swelling, inflammation and move energy. 

CLICK HERE to book an appointment today if  you are in pain. 

​Myofascial trigger points are palpable knots, a wad of muscle fibers staying in a hard contraction, never relaxing. They may cause localized pain, referred pain or reduced range of motion and function. Whether they are caused by new or old injuries, improper or overtraining, incorrect posture or just life, trigger point acupuncture/dry needling is very effective in the treatment of muscle pains and help to return the natural balance to your muscles.

​Your dry needling sessions are complimented with evaluation of your movement and suggestion of corrective exercises are also provided. These two I find are essential to really correct and overcome the problem. Dry needling is one of the safest ways to address physical problems such as chronic neck, back pain, sciatica, TMJ, tension headaches or whiplash injuries . 
Schedule your session today if you experience pain. ​

Practitioners of Chinese Medicine have a large toolbox to choose from. 
Under the umbrella of Chinese Medicine there is acupuncture, moxibustion (heat therapy), tuina (manual therapy / cupping / bone setting / tissue modulation / massage), herbs, qi gong (exercise) and diet (nutrition). 

​During each session the practitioner choses the modalities that benefits the patient the most. ​ ​

Dry needling and acupuncture: needling into the tight tissue loosens up the muscles in the low back. Needling specific acupuncture points in various parts of the body (in the ankles, between the eyebrows, on top of the head for example) can provide pain relief. 

Moxa (moxibustion) is a traditional form of dry heat therapy to increase blood flow to a painful area to decrease pain, and promote healing. During moxibustion an herb mugwort is being burnt over the skin. On this picture a moxabox is being used to protect the skin. Moxibustion is very relaxing. 

CLICK HERE to book your appointment today if you have low back pain. 
​With proper evaluation and treatment, healing is very much possible. ​

​​I noticed over the years that my patients with Parkinson's Disease, who do Pilates not only deteriorate slower, but actually, improve and make progress. They are less stiff, able to stand up taller, have better balance and better control over their bodies and movements. 

In this article I am sharing my experience teaching Pilates to patients with Parkinson's Disease, and explain why I prefer the Pilates Chair and Cadillac over the Barrel, Spine Corrector, Mat, Ped-I-Pole or Reformer. ​

Ideally I encourage my patients to practice Pilates 2-3x weekly to make progress and slow deterioration. When that is not possible I give them a home exercise program based on their specific needs and limitations. 

The Reformer: I love the Reformer work, however, I found that my patients with Parkinson's  have a hard time with the Reformer, as it is hard for them to sit down, hard for them to hold their legs up while doing Supine Arm Work, or hold their legs while doing Feet in Straps, and they just overall have a hard time with the transitions. ​

The same goes for the Mat work, the Barrel and Spine Corrector. Patients with Parkinson's are usually very stiff, and have a hard time moving their bodies on their own and work against gravity.
I found that my patients made very minimal progress with these four equipments, therefore I avoid the Reformer, the Mat, the Barrel and the Spine Corrector with these patients. ​

What I found patients made the most progress with is the Cadillac and the Chair. 
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The Cadillac allows patients to lay comfortably on the stable surface (as opposed to the moving surface of the Reformer).
The Roll Down  Bar allows to find and strengthen the core muscles.

The leg springs are different on the Cadillac from the Reformer. On the Cadillac patients are supported, and they can hold the poles behind them for additional support. The leg springs are fantastic for Patients with Parkinson's: they help improve range of motion in the hips, teach pelvic stability and stretch the hamstrings.

The Push Through Bar helps to move, stretch and mobilize the spine in various ways. ​

Ped-I-Pole helps to train vertically, with neutral pelvis, which is the way we live our daily lives. The heels, butt, mid back and head is supposed to stay against the pole while doing the exercises. I would say the Ped-I-Pole is too advanced for most patient’s with Parkinson’s, but is still an important tool to train on.

Recent case success - closing a non healing wound with the herb San Qi (Pseudoginseng) in just over two weeks. After evaluation the injury was sprinkled over with San Qi, then covered with a gauze. Patient was sent home with a bottle of San Qi, and was instructed to repeat the treatment once a day after showering. With the daily treatments the wound closed in just little over two weeks. San Qi is the herb I frequently prescribe for pressure ulcers and pressure sores as well. 
​Purchase a bottle here

Move and train against tendency, move your body in all three planes to avoid injury and to build a strong, functional and efficient body.  

As each individual vertebrae articulates, these small muscles are activated. This is important, because research shows that very often with low back pain these small muscles are dormant and the global stabilizers (erector spinae muscles) become overactive.
When this happens you start to feel those long erector spinae muscles becoming tight, overdeveloped, and eventually painful. When you incorporate spinal articulation into your workouts you reawaken the small multifidi, which allow those long, bigger erector spinae muscles to relax. The outcome: your pain disappears. ​

Trauma Ointment 1. a poultice, just like Herbal Ice. Applied to areas of large bruises (which we call blood stasis in Chinese Medicine) to move blood and reduce pain, fasten the absorption of congealed blood. Kept on for 24 hours. 
Blood Stasis Pill taken internally instead of pain killers or anti inflammatories to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling. 

Subacute: 
Tendon Lotion ​an external topical, more warming than Trauma Liniment. For Stage 2 tendonitis, or older injuries, like older ankle sprains, tendinosis that never healed properly. Alcohol based. 
U-I Oil fantastic for muscles and joints that ache in damp, cold weather, pain that is worse in the cold. 
Trauma Ointment 2. a poultice. This is great for bruises that have a hard time absorbing and still feel there’s a remaining lump in it.
Bonesetter Special Pill follow up formula from Blood Stasis Pill, to reduce pain, improve healing. Less reducing and more tonifying herbs in this formula. Taken internally. 
​Bone Knitting Pill for fractures that struggle knitting and healing (elderly, frail, weak). The herbs in the formula help nourish the body (what we call Kidney Yin and Yang)

Chronic: 
Warming Soak a soak to soak body parts like ankle, elbow, wrist. Great for old injuries that were over iced or are painful in cold, damp weather. 
​Bone Spur Soak great soak for bone spurs in the heel or shoulder. 
Collateral Liniment warming topical for chronic injuries, chronic pain like dull low back pain, or nagging neck pain. 

Questions which products to purchase? Email us 
Struggling with pain? Come in for a session.