FAQ

We are certified acupuncturists.

Yes, most insurance refund for acupuncture. Please contact your insurance.

Acupuncture is one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world. It orig-inated in China over 2,500 years ago as part of Chinese Medicine. According to Chinese Medicine, the body’s energy or Qi (pronounced chee) flows through the body’s energy pathways or meridians. A person is healthy when his/her Qi flows smoothly through the meridians and when there is bal-anced Yin and Yang. Acupuncture uses more than 2,000 acupuncture points along the meridians to balance Yin and Yang, stimulate the body’s own healing properties, and smooth the flow of Qi through the meridians.

“Yin-Yang theory is based on the philosophical construct of two polar elements, called Yin and Yang. These complementary opposites are neither forces nor material entities. Nor are they mythical concepts that transcend rationality. Rather, they are convenient labels used to describe how things function in relation to each other and to the universe. They are used to explain the continuous process of natural change…. The character for Yin originally meant the shady side of a slope. It is associated with such qualities as cold, rest, responsiveness, decrease, satiation, tranquility, and quiescence. It is the end, completion, and realized fruition. The original meaning of Yang was the sunny side of a slope. The term implies brightness and is part of one common Chinese expression for the sun. Yang is associated with qualities such as heat, stimulation, movement, activity, excitement, vigor, light, exteriority, upwardness, outwardness, and increase. It is arousal, beginning, and dynamic potential." Kaptchuk, Ted J. The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine

Many people are understandably unsure about acupuncture. They worry about the needles. However, acupuncture needles are very thin, flexible, sterile, and only for a single use. They are not firm, thick, or hollow-like hypodermic needles. With skillful needle insertion there is often no sensation at all. In addition, Chinese herbs are very useful in treating health problems. Many patients benefit from these alone, if fear of needles is a problem. 

Acupuncture has developed over thousands of years. People are using it all over the world for its high effectiveness, lack of negative side-effects, and wide range of application. Both chronic and acute diseases can be treated. My patients are often surprised when a long accepted disease symptom, which they did not tell me about, gets better with acupuncture as the treatments stimulate the body and mind to heal itself. Acupuncture treats disorders of the muscles, joints, nervous system, emotional and psychological disorders such as cravings and addictions, and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and gynecological disorders, including infertility. 

Acupuncture is successfully used on animals. When treating animals, the placebo effect does not work. Since animals cannot “believe” in acupuncture, and positive results are observed, the conclusion is that you do not have to make up your mind until you try it for yourself. You will be in the good company of practitioners and patients who have been using acupuncture for close to 3,000 years and have found a good reason to continue. That is a fine track record.

www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2002/jul/07gerac.html
“World’s Largest Acupuncture Study”
Results from the cohort phase showed that approximately nine out of every ten participants (89.9%) experienced relief from pain after being treated with acupuncture. Of those patients who experienced relief, 50.7% said the pain had subsided within two weeks, usually after four treatments or less.

www.acupuncturetoday.com/archives2000/jan/01painrelief.html
Article: New Studies Confirm Acupuncture Relieves Pain: MRI Scans Provide Objective Evidence that Treatment Works
“It is important for Western medicine to recognize that these acupoints really mean something in regard to pain relief,” Dr. Lee concluded. “So many people with pain, whether from cancer, headache or a chronic, unexplained condition, rely on medications such as morphine, which can become addicting”.

When you come into the clinic for the first time, you will be asked to complete paperwork. In the privacy of a comfortable treatment room I will then ask you some questions and answer any that you may have. I will take your pulse and press specific points on the body. These steps are important diagnostic tools, which help determine the root cause of any imbalance. It is then possible to tie together seemingly unrelated problems into a whole and accurate picture. I will leave the room, and you will lie down on a soft treatment table covered with professionally laundered cotton sheets. Listening to soothing music, you will relax while the specifically chosen acupuncture points are stimulated by the inserted needles. You can expect to experience a deep, comfortable, healing relaxation as a positive side-effect of the treatment. Many patients even fall asleep. After about twenty five minutes I will take the needles out.At the end of the treatment we can go over additional questions you might have. 

The number of treatments depends on how long you have suffered from a particular illness. A standard treatment includes the following:

Stage I involves 4-5 one-hour sessions over a two to four week period. If acupuncture will help you, then some improvement will be noticed during this time. If symptoms improve, then we will start stage II.

Stage II consists of one treatment every other week for two months.

Stage III involves one treatment every one to two months as maintenance.

This is only a general guideline for treatment; your personalized treatment may vary. Often patients get significantly better within the first few treatments. Some even stop treatments at this point and only continue with Chinese herbs and the recommended lifestyle changes. The more you can readjust your life to create conditions conducive to regaining and maintaining health, the faster and better you will heal.

I’m happy to reassure you that skillfully administered acupuncture has virtually no negative side-effects. I practice clean needle technique guidelines conscientiously. I use only single use, sterile needles and dispose of them according to regulations.

In my practice I have observed only the positive side-effect of a deep, healing relaxation during the treatment. Many patients are amazed how rested they feel afterwards. I have heard comments that they haven’t relaxed this deeply in as long as they remember.

Never stop taking your medication without the guidance from your primary care physician.  There is no need to stop medication for acupuncture to work.

Yes. And with positive results, too. The World Health Organization recognizes 132 different diseases as responsive to acupuncture. The National Institute of Health has given its stamp of approval for the use of acupuncture for several diseases.

www.acupuncturetoday.com
This is an excellent web site for looking up studies on acupuncture and specific diseases.