Cosmetic Acupuncture Improves Skin from Within
Jan 03, 2017 07:45PM ● By Diana Pereira
A healthy body is a beautiful body,” states Bonnie McClean, an acupuncturist and doctor of Oriental medicine in Gulf Breeze. As the skin is our largest detoxification organ, it makes sense that our outward appearance is a visual guide to our body’s overall health. If the body is harboring significant levels of toxins—accumulated through food, conventional medicines or the environment—the skin can appear dull or blemished. That’s the science behind cosmetic acupuncture, which focuses on improving skin health from the inside out.
“Cosmetic acupuncture doesn’t remove toxins from the body directly, but addresses the flow of energy, known as qi, throughout the entire body, which increases blood flow and balances the body as a whole,” says Shalimar-based acupuncturist Rebecca Freeman.
Acupuncture has been shown to provide overall health benefits, including reduced hot flashes and night sweats, relief from mild emotional symptoms, improved digestion, pain relief and greater vitality. Whole-body health is the starting point for cosmetic acupuncture.
“We insert needles into the face after looking at the body in totality and seeing what the body needs first,” Freeman says. “Then needles are inserted into the head to bring the energy to the head and face area to improve muscle tone, decrease puffiness, firm sagging skin, eliminate or reduce wrinkles, and even out skin tone and complexion.”
Both acupuncturists agree that proper nutrition is important to this process. “In Chinese medicine, the basis of acupuncture, food is medicine,” McClean says. “Chinese herbs have an important role to play in balancing the detoxification organs so they can work at their most optimal level.”
Cosmetic acupuncture uses the System of Five Elements, based on the premise that each element—fire, earth, metal, water and wood—corresponds with certain bodily organs, she says. “The organs of the fire element include the heart and small intestine; the earth element has the spleen and stomach; the metal element has the lungs and large intestine; the water element has the kidneys and bladder; and the wood element has the liver and gallbladder. Bringing balance to these organs through acupuncture allows them to work together efficiently to detoxify the body.”
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Bonnie McClean at 850-932-1778 or SpiritGateMedicine.com or Rebecca Freeman at 850-902-2536 or [email protected].
