Marie-France Collin, L.Ac.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been used in China for several thousand years, with whole hospitals wings dedicated to its practice. Many disorders can be treated by acupuncture and adjunctive therapies, here are a few examples:
Orthopedic (neck pain, shoulder impairment, low back pain)
Circulatory (hypertension)
Digestive (diarrhea, constipation, lack of appetite)
Respiratory (cough, asthma, allergies, sore throat)
Neurologic (post-stroke recovery, Bell’s Palsy, Trigeminal Neuralgia)
Emotional (depression, anxiety, PTSD)
Autoimmune (rheumatoid arthritis)
Urinary and Reproductive (UTI, menstrual cramps, irregular periods)
Addictions (nicotine and other drugs)
Marie-France has had experience in treating all of the above disorders throughout her years in practice. She is presently helping more people transit through life changes, as she believes that physical symptoms are a sign for a need of some life change, in order to develop one’s fullest potential.
Allergy Testing
Many types of allergies can be tested from the environment such as grass, pollen, weed, dust, chemicals, as well as the presence of parasites, bacteria and candida. Testing can also be done for food sensitivities such as grains, meats, dairy and various others.
Sensitivities will be determined through the use of kinesiological muscle testing. Up to 4 sensitivities can be treated in 1 session.
Once the allergens have been determined, treatment will be done with auriculotherapy at the pace of 1 session every 3 or 4 weeks until the allergens have been eliminated.
Accessory Techniques
All the following modalities can be used on their own and work very well combined with acupuncture:
Guasha
A buffalo horn (nowadays also spoon) tool used to scrape the skin in order to release tension in superficial muscles.
Cupping
Glass or plastic jars applied to the skin, with suction over painful or stuck areas, releasing built up toxicity and reestablishing joints mobility. Cupping leaves circular marks for a few days, like a gentle bruise, indicating toxins are being released.
Marie-France frequently uses guasha and cupping for musculo-skeletal disorders, which bring faster results than needling alone.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is an integral part of Acupuncture which is called “Zhen Jiu”, Zhen means needle and Jiu means burning in Chinese. Moxa is made with the herb Artemisia Vulgaris and is smoldered on points and areas on the body. It moves stagnation, warms the meridians, and relaxes muscles. It is particularly effective for joint stiffness, muscular strain, menstrual disorders, and general debility. It can be applied under various forms, directly on the skin no bigger than a grain of rice in size, held over the skin in form of a cigar, or on top of a needle.
Auriculotherapy
Auriculotherapy is based on one of the microsystems of acupuncture, the ear, which has a very close relationship to the brain and holds representations of all organs and body parts. Auriculotherapy is used as both diagnosis and treatment. Tiny needles made of gold or stainless steel are held into place for several days to continue stimulation of the point, which will relay the message to the brain and in turn to the organ. Auriculotherapy has been extensively developed and researched in France. Marie-France is continuously training with the two main authorities of auriculotherapy, Dr. Nadia Volf and Dr. Raphael Nogier.
Chi Nei Tsang
Chi Nei Tsang is a massage focusing on the abdomen, which is the center of the body where the fetus resides during its development, receives its nutrients and evacuates waste through the umbilical cord. After birth, some waste remains around the navel and tension keeps building up throughout life, creating physical knots and tangles that may lead to pain and discomfort, or push on nerves and refer to other body areas. Releasing tensions and blockages in the abdomen will as well increase the performance of the internal organs, where most of them are located. Chi Nei Tsang is taught as part of a Qi Gong training program, of which Marie-France has been part for 25 years.
Tuina
A whole department is dedicated to this medical massage in Chinese hospitals. Marie-France did her training in the Orthopedic department, as well as Pediatric in various hospitals in Shanghai and Beijing. Conditions commonly seen are neck, shoulder, low back, knee, and ankle problems.
Scar Treatment Acupuncture
Operations or injuries create scars, which result in impairing the flow of energy in acupuncture meridians, sometimes leaving adhesions that can be bothersome even years after an operation. Marie-France includes treatment of scars as necessary in order to allow the body to release the surrounding tensions and sometimes trauma that stand in the way of improvment.
Herbs
An herbal formula is prescribed according to the specific pattern presentation of the patient, after evaluation from symptoms, tongue and pulse, focusing on the underlying cause and its manifestation in the body. The formulas themselves are a combination of synergistically acting Chinese herbs and have been passed down for centuries along with detailed use and modifications. A patient may be given a prepared powdered form, pills, or make a raw herb decoction.
Marie-France uses herbal medicine as a complement to support the effect of acupuncture between treatments, to speed up the recovery process or to strengthen the organ systems that are involved in the disorder.