West Vancouver Acupuncture

David Malcom

David offers both Chinese Medicine and orthopedic type acupuncture. He is a honours graduate from Pacific Rim College in Victoria, where he obtained his Diploma of Acupuncture. Previous to this he completed a western herbal studies program and has a background in teaching yoga and offering yoga therapy. He has been recommending remedies and other lifestyle choices for many years, having spent hundreds of hours talking to people about their health as a nutritional supplements consultant for more than 12 years.

David has always had an interest in East Asian medicine, having discovered the benefits of it in his early 20’s. Through his various studies, David has come to see that the body’s state of being represents itself over and over in many spheres. From bone to skin to mind and emotion - it is all interrelated. Chinese Medicine has tracked and mapped these relationships and developed methods to bring the body and mind back to balance.

David has a special interest in treating body pain, injury recovery, other musculoskeletal issues, sleep and stress issues, depression, anxiety, digestive and gynecological issues, seasonal allergies, and working with people who want to optimize their health. In an initial meeting, a comprehensive evaluation is done. This involves conversation about your health and your goals from treatment. Diagnosis also involves a hands-on approach, feeling the uniqueness of your radial pulse, observing your tongue, palpating specific acupuncture points and energetic channel lines - looking for areas of soreness, weakness, robustness and everything in between. Chinese Medicine theory holds that the body can be read; the outer body will reflect the inner body. As a result, we can find signatures of internal malfunction represented on the outside.

In addition to acupuncture, treatment will typically involve other ancillary methods that fall under the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) umbrella. When we think of acupuncture we might consider it as a part of a whole bodywork system. TCM bodywork includes tuina (Chinese medicine massage); this form of massage uses specific and unique techniques on the body’s channels that alongside acupuncture regulate the body’s Qi (energy) and blood. Tuina opens the body, is deeply relaxing and lays the foundation for more potent acupuncture outcomes. It has a complete universe of techniques and has many dedicated practitioners. Moxibustion is the burning of prepared mugwort herb over acupuncture points that is essentially a form of infrared therapy. David uses a smoke-free hand-held device and a TDP lamp as alternatives to this practice. There is also the fascia releasing techniques known as guasha and cupping. Both are used to release pathology. Additionally acupuncture needling can be enhanced by the usage of a percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device, this practice is commonly known as E-stim among acupuncturists.

Visit David’s website for more information: www.davidmalcolm.ca