Acupuncture

Acupuncture, one of the five branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a comprehensive healing art that has been used for thousands of years.  It is a safe and effective practice that based on the theory that a person will experience good health if the body’s energy is balanced.  If this energy, called Qi (chi), becomes blocked, disrupted, or deficient, then it will create an imbalance in the body and illness will result.  Acupuncture can restore balance by regulating the flow of Qi in the body, strengthening areas that are deficient and reducing and/or moving the Qi in areas of excess.

Acupuncture is performed by inserting sterile, hair-thin needles into acupoints, which can be thought of as little energy reservoirs.  Each acupoint is located on a meridian or channel, which is the pathway that Qi runs throughout the body.  These meridians connect to and affect specific organs and systems of the body, such as the circulatory system, nervous system, digestive system. 

One reason that more and more people are finding themselves drawn to acupuncture is that Chinese Medicine looks at each individual as a whole person and not just a list of symptoms to fix.  By offering a more comprehensive view towards healing, acupuncture is able to get to the root of an imbalance rather than merely addressing how that imbalance is manifesting (the symptoms).  This is why patients who initially begin getting acupuncture for a certain symptom or illness suddenly begin to notice that other seemingly unrelated issues are clearing up as well.  For example, one of my patients who initially began acupuncture treatments for migraines discovered that after a few treatments, not only were here headaches and neck pain significantly reduced, but her digestion and insomnia also dramatically improved.

Chinese medicine uses pulse and tongue diagnosis to locate the root of a person’s imbalance and to measure progress from treatment to treatment.  Both the pulse and tongue give an inside view of your body’s overall constitution and provide necessary information in order to make a proper diagnosis. 

Your first visit is approximately 90 minutes in length.  This will include:

• A detailed discussion of the issues you would like address and your medical history
• Pulse and tongue diagnosis
• Explanation of how Chinese Medicine views and treats the issues that apply to you
• The acupuncture treatment (approximately 30 minutes in length)
• Herbal and nutritional consultation (if applicable)

Return visits are approximately 60 minutes in length.