About Kathy Manning
Kathy Manning's passion has always been to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Speech therapy was Kathy’s first career field. She graduated from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland with B.A. and M.S. degrees in Speech Pathology. She took time away from that career to raise her four children. During that time, Kathy experienced acupuncture treatments that remarkably shifted her health and well- being to such an extent that she knew going back to school for her degree in acupuncture was what she wanted to do.
Kathy received her master's degree in Acupuncture from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (now the Maryland University of Integrative Health) in Laurel, Maryland. MUIH is the oldest accredited acupuncture school in the United States. She is a licensed acupuncturist in the state of North Carolina and holds Diplomate status with the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). She continues her education by attending acupuncture seminars across the country. Kathy practices 5-Element and 8-Principle (Traditional Chinese Medicine) styles of acupuncture. She has experience in treating many different conditions using acupuncture. Kathy specializes in pain relief, anxiety, addictions, digestion and fertility.
Kathy holds the belief that the mind, body and emotions influence each other and when one of these systems is out of balance, all three systems may suffer. These imbalances cause pain, discomfort and disharmony in the body. The body is always striving to heal itself and restore harmony and balance. Acupuncture assists in this process.
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What is acupuncture and how does it work?
Acupuncture is a form of healthcare that began in China over 3000 years ago. The basic concept of acupuncture is that a living body has pathways of energy constantly flowing through it. This energy is called qi (pronounced "chee") and it flows to all parts of the body. When the qi is not flowing properly imbalance occurs in the body creating pain and discomfort on all levels of the body, mind and emotions.
Acupuncture is a treatment that assists in restoring the balance of qi within the body. For the person whose context of healthcare is western medicine, this may sound like a foreign concept. Yet, the proof of the healing powers of acupuncture has been evidenced for centuries by people from all nationalities and all socio-economic cultures. Whether acupuncture is used to correct an imbalance in the flow of qi or to maintain the proper flow of qi, the objective is always the same; achieving the balance of qi in the body.
The acupuncturist practitioner uses tools of questioning, observation, and examination of the pulse, tongue, eyes, and complexion, all of which are used in context of the whole and not symptoms in isolation. This "whole body" listening and observation provides the practitioner with an understanding of where the qi may be blocked and insight as to what acupuncture points on the body to use for treatment. Acupuncture engages the qi by inserting sterile , single use, disposable needles at these specific points, the goal being to restore the proper flow of qi. To the human body, acupuncture needles are a physical stimulus - a detectable change within the body itself. When the body detects change, it produces a response. With modern technology scientists can now actually begin to "see" the body's response to acupuncture. For example, using an MRI, researchers have shown that when a needle is inserted at specific acupuncture points on the body, corresponding changes occur in the brain.