WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

 Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, sterilized, single-use, disposable needles on the body’s surface in order to influence the physiological functions of the body. The goal of acupuncture is to rid to body of pain, discomfort, or imbalance by stimulating the body’s healing response to bring the body back into homeostasis / balance. Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been practiced for over 5,000 years.

WHAT CAN ACUPUNCTURE TREAT?
Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine which is a complete medical system that attempts to treat the full range of diseases, acute and chronic, traumatic, infectious, and internal “dis-ease”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture’s treatment effectiveness for over 40 common disorders, including:

• Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders (toothaches, earaches, sinusitis, rhinitis, laryngitis)
• Respiratory Disorders (Colds and flu, bronchitis, asthma, allergies, emphysema)
• Gastrointestinal Disorders (Food allergies, nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, colitis)
• Circulatory Disorders (Hypertension, high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris)
• Urogenital Disorders (Cystitis, stress incontinence, neurogenic bladder, prostates, prostatic hypertrophy)
• Gynecological Disorders (Menstrual irregularity, endometriosis, PMS, infertility, menopausal syndrome)
• Musculoskeletal Disorders (Tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, TMJ, Sciatica, low back pain, Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia)
• Psychoemotional and Neurological Disorders (Depression, anxiety, insomnia, headache, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, intercostals neuralgia, post-stroke paralysis, dizziness, tinnitus)

In addition to these health concerns, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine treats several hundred other health issues.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM MY FIRST VISIT?
Your acupuncturist will conduct an initial consultation at your first office visit, which will include a full medical history and review, Chinese Medical diagnostics and evaluations, discuss treatment protocol that is specific for your health concerns, and discuss whether or not you should consider complimenting your acupuncture therapy with another medical modality. If appropriate, you will receive acupuncture treatment with your first visit.

The results of your first treatment depend on your condition that you are being treated for, physical condition, lifestyle, stress level, among other considerations. Generally, you will feel better. Most patients feel very relaxed and an overall relief. If you are being treated for pain, most often, patients will notice a significant decrease in pain after the treatment; occasionally, the treatment may take a couple of days to settle in. Sometimes, it may take a couple of treatments to encourage the healing process where you will begin noticing significant changes and improvement in your healing and energy levels.

WHO BENEFITS FROM ACUPUNCTURE AND CHINESE MEDICINE? CAN CHILDREN RECEIVE TREATMENT?
Everyone can benefit from Chinese medical therapies. No matter where you are in your healing process, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can be adapted to your health concerns.

Children are no exception. Depending on their age, comfort level, and imbalance, many children are perfectly relaxed during acupuncture treatment. If this is not a realistic option for your child, there are other options for treatment, including acupressure or teh-shin/laser (instrumentation acupoint therapies), massage techniques, and most often, herbal therapy. Pediatrics is a specialty within Traditional Chinese Medicine and children are given reduced dosages based on their age and weight. There are specially prepared pediatric medical, herbal formulas that make it easy for the child to take (either mixed in juice or water). Chinese Acupuncture is very effective in treating children for colic, the fussiness of teething, earache, diarrhea, cough, and fever in babies and children.