About Us
Your Pathway to Good Health
Founded in 2018, Ascension Acupuncture is a forward-thinking Acupuncture Clinic dedicated to promoting healthy, alternative practices to managing so many different ailments. Our treatments don’t just focus on your symptoms—they find and treat the root of the problem so you can get back to doing the things you love to do!
We begin each session with a comprehensive patient review, designed to understand your unique health patterns and history. Then we create an individualised treatment plan tailor-made for you. We closely track the results, and modify treatments as necessary. Schedule a session today to begin your healing process.
​
Meet Your Acupuncturist
Dr. Aleah Knapp
Dr. Ac. TCMD
Dr. Aleah Knapp graduated from Alberta College of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2018 after completing her 4 year degree. Prior to her interest in Chinese medicine she also completed courses in Homotoxicolgy, Aromatherapy and is a Herbal Practioner.
​
Being raised by a holistic nutritionist opened my eyes to the vast network of healing modalities outside of mainstream medicine and sparked my love for natural medicine. I completed several herbal medicine courses while still in high school and became interested in Acupuncture specifically after my mom got really sick. Medical doctors could not tell her what was wrong (and she went to many) and when they couldn't find the answers she was prescribed anti-psychotics and anti-anxiety meds because it must be "in her head". We found out later that she had Lyme Disease. Acupuncture was one of the first things to actually help her and it piqued my curiosity. I dove deeper into the theory and eventually enrolled in a 4 year course to become a Dr. of both Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Now I am able to use Eastern and Western medicine to offer a well rounded approach to my patients, addressing a vast array of conditions, to bring health and harmony back to the body.
Learn more about Traditional Chinese Medicine
All about Moxa
Its no secret in Chinese medicine we LOVE to light things on fire!
Moxibustion therapy is no exception!
So what is it?
Moxa is a TCM modality that consists of burning dried Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) on or over top of acu points. So first we roll up a bunch of Mugwort leaves into a type of "wool" that sticks together when compressed. Then we shape it into a cone and then apply it to acu points (with a heat barrier!), on top of needles or burn it in a stick form over top of specific points.
There are a whole host of different types of moxa we can use which we can go into in future posts but for now lets stick with the basics.
What is it for?
Moxa is great at tonifying deficiency and releasing excess conditions. Which means a whole lot of nothing to most people so in western medicine terms think: Raynauds disease, arthritic pain, certain types of diarrhea, infertility, joint pain, sciatica, dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain), abnormal uterine bleeding, prolapse, low energy/fatigue, urinary incontinence, and the coolest thing , we can use it to flip breech babies!!
Does it hurt?
Nope! You will feel a pleasant warm sensation that lingers for a some time after your treatment.
How do I know if I need it?
Not to worry! Your friendly neighbourhood acupuncturist will know if you need moxa and will happily apply it during your acupuncture treatment if needed.
How Chronic Stress Impacts the Body
From TCM Perspective, when a person is exposed to long-term stress, the flow of Qi and blood in their body becomes stagnated.
When the Qi and blood along the Heart meridian becomes stagnated, the circulatory system may be affected, resulting in high blood pressure and palpitations. As the Heart also governs mental activities in a TCM context, the stagnation of the Heart Qi may also lead to restlessnes, irritability and insomnia.
From TCM perspective, the Liver is related to muscles and tendons, emotional well being and menstrual cycles for women. So, when stress affects the Liver Qi, it may result in rigid and tight muscles of the neck, shoulders and back, leading to pain and soreness. As the Liver Qi becomes stagnated, a person may feel moody and depressed. This stagnation of Liver Qi may turn into Liver Fire, causing a person to become easily agitated, and have frequent headaches. For women, they may experience irregular periods, menstrual cramps, and breast tenderness during menstruation.
When the Spleen Meridian becomes impeded the resulting symptoms are related to the digestive system, such as stomach cramps and abdominal bloating. With prolonged exposure to stress,the function of the Spleen may weaken. and cause internal dampness to build up. This can result in constipation or diarrhoea, fatigue,and heaviness over the body and lowered immunity.
And finally, in TCM, the Kidney relates to the reproductive system. When stress affects the Kidney Qi, Yin or Yang, men may experience premature ejaculation,erectile dysfunction, low sex drive or male infertility while women may experience irregular periods, a reduction of menstrual flow or even absent periods, and reduced libido.
In conculsion, managing stress is super important!
Meditation, Exercise, Eating well, Hobbies, Massage, Acupuncture, what ever works for you, just make sure to take some time for yourself!
What do cupping colours mean?
Believe it or not the marks that are left from cupping mean different things in TCM!
We see tons of colour variations when cupping and it can help to show your acupuncturist areas that need our attention. For instance an old forgotten shoulder injury might pop up with dark purple coloured marks and show us where a blockage might be that was previously unknown!
Besides helping out your practitioner cupping is great for many reasons,
it works to:
-stretch out tight muscle fibres for muscle pain relief.
-improve microcirculation, which promotes cell repair and angiogenesis.
-activating the lymphatic system to drain excess fluids and toxins.
-mobilize qi and relieve energy blockages along meridians to promote healing