What Is Balance Method Acupuncture?
Balance Method Acupuncture is a specialized approach to acupuncture that focuses on identifying the acupuncture points most likely to influence the area or condition being treated.
Unlike approaches that primarily place needles directly into the painful or affected area, the Balance Method often uses points away from the area of discomfort. This allows the body’s response to be observed during treatment.
One of the distinctive features of the Balance Method is its emphasis on immediate feedback. Rather than simply placing needles and waiting to see what happens later, changes can often be assessed during the treatment itself.
For example, if someone comes in with shoulder pain, the treatment may involve points on another part of the body. The shoulder can then be moved to assess whether the pain or range of motion has changed. This ongoing feedback helps guide the treatment.
This makes Balance Method Acupuncture a particularly interesting approach for people looking for an acupuncture treatment that is focused, precise, and responsive.
How Is Balance Method Acupuncture Different?
There are many different approaches to acupuncture. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture is a broad system that considers patterns of disharmony throughout the body and may use combinations of points based on those patterns.
The Balance Method takes a different approach.
Rather than placing needles directly at the site of pain, treatment often uses distal acupuncture points located away from the affected area.
The purpose is not simply to treat the location where a symptom is felt. Instead, the Balance Method examines relationships among different areas of the body and selects points that may produce a rapid change in the condition being treated.
One advantage of this approach is that the response can often be assessed during treatment.
If the desired change occurs, the treatment can be continued or refined. If the response is not what is expected, the approach can be adjusted.
Fast and Often Noticeable Responses
One of the reasons the Balance Method is distinctive is its emphasis on rapid feedback and noticeable change.
Many people notice some type of response during a treatment. This may be a reduction in pain, an improvement in movement, a change in tension, or another noticeable shift in the way the body feels.
This does not mean that every condition will resolve immediately or that every person will respond in the same way. Some problems require more time and repeated treatment.
However, the ability to assess changes during a session can make the treatment process more focused. Rather than simply waiting to see what happens after treatment, the body’s response can help guide treatment as it happens. For someone dealing with pain or restricted movement, noticing a change during treatment can be particularly useful and encouraging.
What Does a Balance Method Treatment Look Like?
A treatment begins with an assessment of the condition you would like to address.
Depending on the problem, this may involve examining pain, movement, sensitivity, range of motion, or other signs to help identify the current imbalance.
The treatment points are then selected using the Balance Method.
In many cases, the needles are placed away from the painful area. This can be surprising to people who are accustomed to thinking of acupuncture as placing needles directly into the location that hurts.
After the needles are inserted, the condition can be reassessed to see whether a change has occurred.
This creates an interactive treatment process in which the body’s response helps guide what happens next.
Why Are the Needles Sometimes Placed Away From the Pain?
This is one of the most common questions people have about Balance Method Acupuncture.
If the knee hurts, for example, it may seem logical to put the needles directly into the knee. With the Balance Method, however, the treatment may use points on the arm, hand, ankle, or another area of the body.
The idea is that different acupuncture channels and areas of the body have functional relationships with one another.
By using these relationships, it is sometimes possible to influence the painful area without placing needles directly into it.
This also allows the response to be checked while the affected area is being moved.
What Conditions Can Balance Method Acupuncture Help With?
Balance Method Acupuncture is not limited to pain. While it is particularly well known for producing rapid changes in pain and movement, it can also be used for a wide range of physical and functional concerns.
Depending on the individual situation, Balance Method Acupuncture may be used for:
Pain, muscles and joints: back pain and sciatica, neck and shoulder pain, knee and hip pain, arthritis and joint pain, sports injuries, chronic and recurring pain.
Headaches and nervous system: migraines and headaches, vertigo and dizziness, nerve-related pain, sleep difficulties and insomnia.
Digestion: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, bloating and digestive discomfort, heartburn and reflux, and other digestive concerns.
Stress and emotional well-being: anxiety, stress and tension, difficulty relaxing, and sleep-related concerns.
Fertility and women’s health: fertility challenges, menstrual pain and irregularities, PMS, menopause and perimenopause symptoms, and support during fertility treatment.
Acupuncture may also be considered for other health concerns depending on the individual situation. Every person is different, and treatment is tailored to the person’s presentation and response.
The Balance Method and Dr. Richard Tan
The Balance Method is strongly associated with the work of Dr. Richard Tan, who developed and taught a modern system of acupuncture based on the relationships between acupuncture channels and different regions of the body.
His approach was influenced by classical Chinese acupuncture theory and the I Ching, with particular emphasis on balancing the channels and observing the body’s response to treatment.
Elad Shalev, Dr. Ac. has studied the Balance Method extensively and has incorporated it into clinical practice for many years.
The approach is applied in a practical way, with attention to what is happening during the treatment and how the body responds.
About Elad Shalev, Dr. Ac.
Elad Shalev, Dr. Ac. has more than 20 years of experience in acupuncture and holistic medicine.
His professional training includes Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and extensive study and clinical practice of the Balance Method Acupuncture approach.
Dr. Shalev has studied and practiced the Balance Method since 2004, including many years of study with experienced teachers of the method.
The clinical approach focuses on pain relief, restoring balance, and helping people return to better movement and function, while also recognizing that acupuncture can address a much broader range of physical and functional concerns.
Rather than treating every person in exactly the same way, treatment is guided by the individual’s presentation and the body’s response during the session.
Balance Method Acupuncture in Whitecourt and Woodlands County
Balance Method Acupuncture is available in Whitecourt, Alberta, serving people from Woodlands County, Barrhead, Mayerthorpe, Blue Ridge, and surrounding communities.
For people in the Whitecourt and Woodlands County area looking for an acupuncture approach that emphasizes precise point selection and rapid feedback, Balance Method Acupuncture offers a distinctive way to approach treatment.
The goal is not simply to place needles and wait. The body’s response can often be assessed during treatment and used to help guide the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Balance Method Acupuncture?
Balance Method Acupuncture is an approach that uses specific relationships between acupuncture channels and different areas of the body. Treatment often uses points away from the painful or affected area and emphasizes observing the body’s response during treatment.
Is Balance Method Acupuncture different from TCM acupuncture?
Yes. Both approaches use acupuncture points and are rooted in Chinese medicine, but they organize and select points differently.
Traditional Chinese Medicine often focuses on identifying broader patterns of disharmony. The Balance Method places particular emphasis on balancing relationships between channels and using immediate feedback to guide treatment.
Does Balance Method Acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are extremely thin. Most people experience little discomfort when they are inserted, although sensations such as heaviness, warmth, tingling, or a brief ache may occur depending on the point and treatment.
Why don’t you put the needles where it hurts?
With the Balance Method, needles are often placed away from the painful area. This enables the use of relationships between different acupuncture channels and, in many cases, allows changes in the painful area to be observed while the needles are still in place.
Can I notice a change during the treatment?
Some people notice a change during treatment, sometimes quite quickly. This may involve reduced pain, improved movement, or another noticeable change.
However, responses vary, and not every condition will change immediately.
How many treatments will be needed?
There is no fixed number of treatments that applies to everyone. The number depends on the condition, how long it has been present, the individual’s response, and other factors.
Because the Balance Method allows changes to be observed during treatment, the response can help guide decisions about subsequent treatments.
Where is Balance Method Acupuncture available?
Balance Method Acupuncture is available in Whitecourt, Alberta, serving Whitecourt, Woodlands County, Barrhead, Mayerthorpe, Blue Ridge, and surrounding communities.
Experience Balance Method Acupuncture
If you are dealing with pain, restricted movement, a digestive concern, anxiety, fertility challenges, or another recurring health concern and would like to explore a different approach to acupuncture, Balance Method Acupuncture offers a precise and responsive way to approach treatment.
Rather than simply treating the location where a symptom is felt, the Balance Method looks at relationships within the body and uses the body’s response during treatment to help guide the process.
Book a Balance Method Acupuncture appointment in Whitecourt.