How Our Therapies Work

What It Is:
Acupuncture uses fine, sterile needles placed at specific points along meridian pathways.

🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Nervous System Modulation: Stimulates sensory nerves → signals spinal cord & brain → alters pain perception and autonomic regulation.
• Endorphins & Neurotransmitters: Increases natural opioids (endorphins), serotonin, dopamine, and GABA → pain relief, better mood, stress reduction.
• Circulation & Inflammation: Improves microvascular flow, nitric oxide release, and downregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines.
• Connective Tissue: Fascial winding and fibroblast activation improve elasticity, signaling, and tissue repair.
• Systemic Regulation: Shifts from sympathetic (“fight/flight”) to parasympathetic (“rest/digest”).

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Moves Qi & Blood, clears blockages.
• Restores Yin/Yang balance.
• Harmonizes Zang-Fu organ systems.

What It Is:
A Japanese style of pediatric acupuncture that does not use needles. Gentle tools (probes, rollers, brushes) stroke or tap the skin.

🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Activates mechanoreceptors → calms the sympathetic nervous system, enhances parasympathetic activity.
• Improves microcirculation, oxygen delivery, and metabolic waste removal.
• Triggers endorphins & neuropeptides for mood and pain modulation.
• Fascial mobilization supports alignment & tissue mobility.
• Modulates immune signaling (mast cells, cytokines).

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Activates meridians without insertion.
• Gentle stimulation harmonizes Yin/Yang in children’s “delicate” systems.
• Regulates Qi & Blood flow, calms agitation.

Why Choose:

• Excellent for children, infants, or adults with needle sensitivity.
• Builds trust, feels soothing and playful.
• Needles may be stronger, but Shonishin is sufficient and often preferable for pediatrics.

What It Is:
Electroacupuncture (E-Stim with needles) combines traditional acupuncture with gentle electrical stimulation. Very fine needles are inserted into acupuncture points, then connected to a small device that delivers mild, pulsed electrical currents.

E-Stim can also be applied without needles through microcurrent probes placed directly on the skin, making it a non-invasive option for children or patients who are needle-sensitive. 

🌿Biomedical Perspective

With Needles (Electroacupuncture):

• Enhanced Nerve Activation: Electrical pulses stimulate both sensory and motor nerves more strongly than manual needle stimulation, increasing therapeutic effects.
• Neurochemical Release: Promotes higher levels of endorphins, enkephalins, serotonin, and dopamine → pain relief and mood regulation.
• Neuromodulation: The rhythmic current normalizes abnormal nerve firing patterns, useful for neuropathy, nerve pain, and muscle spasms.
• Muscle Repair & Rehabilitation: Electrical stimulation contracts muscles gently, improving local blood flow, oxygenation, and waste removal.
• Brain & Spinal Cord Effects: E-Stim influences central pain pathways and has been shown in research to reduce chronic pain sensitivity and improve motor recovery after injury.

Without Needles (Microcurrent Therapy):

• Gentle Cellular Stimulation: Delivers very low electrical current at the skin surface → supports ATP production in cells, accelerates tissue repair.
• Improves Microcirculation & Oxygen Delivery: Helps reduce swelling and inflammation in localized areas.
• Pain Modulation: Stimulates cutaneous nerves and reduces pain signaling without needle insertion.
• Safe for Pediatrics: Especially helpful for children with musculoskeletal pain, sports injuries, or developmental concerns.

🌿TCM Perspective

With Needles:

• The addition of electricity to acupuncture points amplifies the movement of Qi and Blood along meridians.
• Continuous or pulsed stimulation helps break through deeper blockages of stagnation and restores balance.
• Often used for conditions with stubborn pain, paralysis, or long-standing imbalance.

Without Needles (Microcurrent):

• Microcurrent probes activate meridians through the skin surface, similar to Shonishin but with electrical energy instead of tactile tools.
• Supports the gentle flow of Qi in children and sensitive patients, harmonizing Yin/Yang without the intensity of needles.
• Especially indicated for deficient or delicate constitutions where subtle stimulation is more appropriate.

What It Is:
Gentle red & near-infrared light applied to acupuncture points to stimulate healing without needles.

 🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Increases ATP production → cellular energy.
• Enhances microcirculation and oxygen delivery.
• Reduces oxidative stress & inflammation.
• Modulates nerves → decreases sensitivity & muscle tension.
• Supports relaxation & nervous system regulation.

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Activates meridians like a needle would.
• Moves Qi & Blood, restores balance.

Why Choose:

• Non-invasive, painless, feels like gentle warmth.
• Great for children and needle-averse patients.
• Complements acupuncture or stands alone.

At Meridian + Myrrh, we believe healing occurs on many levels - physical, emotional, and energetic. 

What It Is:

Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a gentle, hands-on energy therapy that helps restore balance and harmony to the body’s natural systems. During a Reiki session, light touch or hands held just above the body help guide energy flow, releasing stress and supporting deep relaxation. Many clients describe Reiki as calming, centering, and grounding - an ideal complement to acupuncture or a stand-alone therapy for stress relief and emotional balance.

 🌿Biomedical Perspective 

 From a biomedical perspective, Reiki is believed to activate the body’s relaxation response, shifting the nervous system from a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state to a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state.
This shift is associated with:

• Decreased heart rate and blood pressure
• Reduced muscle tension and perceived pain
• Lower cortisol levels and stress biomarkers
• Enhanced mood regulation and sense of calm

Clinical studies suggest Reiki may help reduce anxiety, fatigue, and pain perception in various settings, possibly through modulation of the autonomic nervous system and psychoneuroimmunologic pathways (how the mind, nervous system, and immune system interact).

🌿TCM Perspective

 In TCM, Reiki harmonizes the flow of Qi (vital energy) throughout the meridians, supporting balance between the body, mind, and spirit. It is used to calm the Shen (spirit), nourish yin energy, and promote deep relaxation and inner peace. 

What It Is:
Suction cups create negative pressure, lifting skin & fascia.

🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Decompresses fascia, reduces adhesions. 
• Increases circulation, accelerates waste removal.
• Modulates pain via the gate control theory & endorphins.
• Controlled microtrauma → immune activation, reduced inflammation.
• Enhances lymphatic drainage & detoxification. 

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Expels Wind/Cold/Damp.
• Moves Qi & Blood, relieves stagnation.
• Clears blockages along meridians.

What It Is:
Scraping technique with a smooth tool that produces “sha” (red/purple marks).

 🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Increases local circulation up to 400%. 
• Activates immune & anti-inflammatory enzyme HO-1.
• Stimulates fascia, mobilizes connective tissue.
• Modulates pain perception & brain processing.
• Enhances lymphatic flow, clears waste.

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Releases surface pathogens.
• Moves Qi & Blood, clears Heat.
• Relieves stagnation, reduces pain.

What It Is:
Tui Na is a hands-on manual therapy within Traditional Chinese Medicine that uses pressing, kneading, rolling, stretching, gentle traction, and acupoint stimulation along the meridian pathways — without the use of needles.

🌿 Biomedical Perspective

• Mechanoreceptor Activation: Stimulates pressure + stretch receptors in skin, fascia, and muscle > signals brain + nervous system for regulation and sensory recalibration.
• Tissue + Circulation Influence: Encourages blood flow, movement of lymphatic fluid, and soft tissue glide.
• Nervous System Effects: Helps downshift stress responses and supports parasympathetic “rest/restore” activity.
• Mobility + Movement: Gentle joint mobilization and fascial work support natural range of motion and functional ease.

🌿 TCM Perspective

• Moves Qi & Blood along channel pathways.
• Harmonizes the body by addressing imbalances through manual stimulation instead of needles.
• Can be used as a stand-alone therapy or combined with acupuncture, cupping, or herbal medicine.

What It Is:
Burning dried mugwort near or on acupuncture points.

 🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Provides infrared heat → improved microcirculation, muscle relaxation, pain relief.
• Modulates the immune system, increases white blood cells.
• Neuroendocrine activation → endorphins, autonomic regulation.
• Anti-inflammatory cytokine effects.
• Mugwort compounds (cineole) with antibacterial & analgesic properties.

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Warms channels, dispels Cold/Damp.
• Moves Qi & Blood.
• Tonifies Yang and supports prevention.

What It Is:
A therapeutic lamp emitting far-infrared heat through a mineral plate.

 🌿Biomedical Perspective

• Infrared penetrates tissue, increases blood circulation & oxygenation.
• Relaxes muscles, eases stiffness, supports healing.
• Stimulates cellular metabolism & tissue repair.
• Reduces pain perception through nerve modulation.

 🌿TCM Perspective

• Warms meridians, dispels Cold and Damp.
• Moves Qi & Blood.
• Strengthens Yang and supports vitality.