In this day and age, time is precious and so is our health.

​Many more people are realising the downsides of excessive alcohol or sugar intake and are looking for  healthy options to help them relax and feel good. Gentle hands on treatment has been shown to be very effective in improving the parasympathetic nervous system response and reducing the 'fright/fight and flight' response. This makes you feel grounded, relaxed, calm and happier than usual.

At City Osteopaths Healthcare we have osteopaths, acupuncturists, massage therapists, naturopaths and counselling available. We have many ways of approaching stress and helping your body back to health.

For more information check out our website www.cityosteopaths.co.nz or give us a call on 04 4991439. Plus if you have any questions one of our practitioners can call you back as soon as they are able.

I had daily sessions for 12 days (minus Sundays) 
The first was a little uncomfortable for my ears, so I was guided through this and time was taken to gently equalise to the pressure... this discomfort rapidly decreased so by the 3rd session there was no sensation of pain during the equalising process.
After the first session I felt somewhat tired however slept deeper than usual that night. 
I used my time in the hyperbaric chamber to rest in a meditative way trusting the oxygen would stimulate healing in my system. It had the quality of a sacred space!
By the second session my constipation was alleviated and during the fortnight I had text book perfect bowel movements! It is now 8 weeks later and I have continued to have a daily or twice daily movement ...this is remarkable given over 4 decades of sluggish bowel. ​

During the period of receiving the oxygen I noticed my breathing dramatically improve..with the breath going right down into the lower and back area of my lungs..this was wonderful to experience and has remained with me. I don’t believe I will ever lose this awareness now.
There was an internal sensation hard to describe...the image I had was of my cells plumping up especially in my face and in the cheeks. Many friends commented how well I looked ...and this sense of inner wellness has remained despite there being many challenges these last 2 months since my sessions. 

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Lastly having the series of sessions has become a resource in my memory bank... when I imagine the experience of receiving the oxygen, it automatically brings me back to joy and wellbeing.

It did what I hoped, giving me a paradigm shift and huge lift in my healing journey. It also cleared a trauma I had carried for over 45 years.

Thank you City Osteopaths and City Hyperbaric for providing this wonderful therapy. I hope many people transform their health through access to the hyperbaric chamber."

Posted with permission from and thanks to Frances A. Wellington September 2016

Some research relevant to long standing concussion:

HBOT and Head Injury:
“Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for Reduction of Secondary Brain Damage in Head Injury”
—Journal of Neurotrauma, 21:44-48. 2004 
Conclusion: Translational research of HBOT in a variety of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) models has shown neuroprotective effects
in the absence of increased oxygen toxicity. Recent clinical trials favour HBOT as promising safe therapeutic strategy for severe TBI patient. 

“Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can improve Post Concussion Syndrome years after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury – Randomised Prospective Trial” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24260334
—PLoS One November 2013 10.137/journal.pone 0079995
Conclusion: Convincing results based on a crossover study, demonstrating that HBOT can induce neuroplasticity and significant brain function improvement in mild TBI patients with prolonged Post-Concussion-Syndrome at late chronic stage, years after injury.
The findings here bear the promises that HBOT can be effective in treating other brain impairments like PTSD or repairing radiation damage. It is reasonable to expect that HBOT can help slow down or even reverse metabolic disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases. 

​For more information please see www.cityhyperbaric.co.nz 
Give us a call on 04 4991439 and speak with our front desk staff to make an appointment for your Hyperbaric Medical and first Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy session

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Like anything, if you give yourself enough time to do a spot of Internet exploring you’re going to find something that will deter you from trying acupuncture. The truth being, people react differently to their various experiences in life; while some might love one restaurant, another person might never step foot inside it again.
Take pharmaceuticals for example, some people respond fast and effectively to drugs, whilst it wont work for others as well. You’ll never know if Acupuncture will work well for you until you give it a try! *Please note: Traditional Acupuncture and ‘dry needling, ‘Trigger point needling’ are different things- which we will elaborate on later*
Acupuncture works- there’s no denying that. There are however plenty of myths surrounding the treatment which could be putting some of you off- and I wanted to clear a few of them up…

Myth number one: It’s painful!
Frightened of vaccinations? Acupuncture needles are absolutely nothing like those used for injections. In fact, they’re so fine (thinner than a human hair) you’ll hardly feel them when they penetrate the skin. The way the needles are inserted is with a gentle flick or tap; the majority of people feel that sensation on the skin then the needle going in itself. If you are not comfortable with that sensation at any point your Acupuncturist will always take the needle out. You might instead feel a slight tingling or awareness in certain areas of the body once the needles are in, but this just shows that the Acupuncture is correctly doing what it’s supposed to do. 

Myth number two: Acupuncture is only for Injuries!
Again being a myth, majority of conditions Acupuncture can be beneficial with (not just injuries!) Common conditions we can help with:

• Infertility 
• Mental/Emotional conditions
• Digestive complaints
• Insomnia
• Sinusitis/ respiratory problem
• And the common cold!

Myth Number three: It’s unsafe if you’re pregnant!
This is a major myth (to note always inform your Acupuncturist of potential pregnancy) We will avoid certain Acupuncture points during pregnancy, Acupuncture is 100% safe (ensuring your with a qualified/ registered Acupuncturist) We can actually assist with common pregnancy complaints such as:

• Morning sickness
• Muscular aches & pains
• Headaches
• From 35 weeks assist with encouraging a natural efficient labour
• Breech babies
• Induction treatment (if you’ve gone over your due date)

Myth number four: It doesn’t work!
At this stage in New Zealand ACC will fund Acupuncture services, private insurers will also subsidise treatments. This would not occur if ‘Acupuncture didn’t work’. Acupuncture is currently being carried out at IVF centres throughout the world and here in Wellington- again this would not be happening if there was no evidence to show effectiveness. 

• Pooled results of 29 studies involving nearly 18,000 participants; overall, acupuncture relieved pain by about 50% = pain levels halved

• An article examined the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating chronic shoulder pain (CSP). Participants were comprised of 424 patients with CSP. Random assignment placed each patient into traditional acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or conventional orthopaedic treatment. Directly following treatment analysis revealed that the traditional acupuncture group yielded a 68% improvement, sham acupuncture 24%, and conventional orthopedic treatment 28%.

• In 2010, Manber et al. (N=150) found a significantly 50% decrease in depressive symptoms amongst pregnant patients with Major depressive disorder.
• A study of 160 women, published April 2002 in the reproductive journal Fertility and Sterility, a group of German researchers found that adding acupuncture to the traditional IVF treatment protocols substantially increased pregnancy success by 61%. 

• An observation study by Betts and Lenox in 2004 looked at the effect of using pre-birth acupuncture on 169 women as part of their routine antenatal care. In the acupuncture group there was an overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their first baby this was a 43% reduction) and a 31% reduction in the epidural rate when compared to the local population. When comparing midwifery only care there was a 32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery and a 9% increase in normal vaginal births.

Myth number five: You need no training to be an Acupuncturist
Acupuncturists in New Zealand complete four years University level training to be qualified and registered. Completing at least 500 clinical hours and passing a final exam for registration, as well as completing yearly continued development hours for registration.

Myth Number six: It’s not entirely safe
As long as you a being treated by a qualified/ registered practitioner rate of adverse events requiring specific treatment after Acupuncture are 2.2% (4963 incidents among 229 230 subjects), worst case scenario!
Most common side effects with rates are as follows:

• Small bleedings (2,9%), 
• Hematoma (Bruising) (2,2%), 
• Dizziness (1 %)

*Please Note: I have been asked and there is no ‘Death point’ or ‘Kiss of the Dragon” point- apologies to martial arts fans!*

Myth number seven: It Can’t Make You Look Better
While most people use acupuncture to help rid themselves of pain, some swear by it for the benefits it brings to their skin – and it’s a myth that the technique can’t make you look better.
Facial acupuncture or beauty acupuncture as it’s more commonly known stimulates the skin’s ability to regenerate and restructure itself. In accelerating anti-inflammatory activity it can remove accumulative toxins from the skin and encourage new collagen and elastin production. This can be particularly beneficial for anyone with acne scarring or for those who’d like to add a youthful glow to their complexion

Myth number eight: Acupuncture & Dry needling are the same thing
Again this is false- Dry needling was established by Physiotherapists who saw the excellent results Acupuncturists were getting treating Muscular-Skeletal conditions. So an element of this was taken and adapted to their modality. When dry needling is performed and stimulated in a different means to a Traditional Acupuncturist, we generally do not stimulate needles to the point where it elicits such a strong nerve response.

Myth number nine: I shouldn’t go to my Acupuncture appointment if I have a Cold/ Flu
We appreciate your consideration of not spreading your cold- but Acupuncture can be very beneficial at supplementing the immune system and helping your body throw off any winter chills you may catch in the colder weather. 


So there you have it. Nine acupuncture myths all cleared up. Time to book yourself in for better health, immunity and energy!
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For more information please see www.happybodyacupuncture.co.nz and 
 http://www.cityosteopaths.co.nz/acupuncture.html

Call our reception staff at City Osteopaths Healthcare on 044991439 to make an appointment.