• It relieves pain.
• It regulates immune function.
• It regulates and balances hormones.
• It elevates mood.
• It relaxes muscles.
• It eliminates stress.
• It enhances mental clarity.

All of these factors taken together can be summed up by stating that acupuncture promotes dynamic balance in the human body, a condition called homeostasis, thereby enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself. For this reason, acupuncture is a valuable complement to conventional medical treatment of almost any condition.

In 2002, the World Health Organization published a review and analysis of nearly 300 controlled clinical trials on acupuncture and concluded that it is useful in the treatment of over 90 diseases, symptoms, and conditions, including: allergies, asthma, and hay fever; arthritis; low back pain and sciatica; neck, shoulder, and elbow pain; knee pain; shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia; depression and insomnia; fibromyalgia; rheumatoid arthritis; headaches and TMJ pain; infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome; nausea, vomiting, and morning sickness; painful periods and PMS; tobacco and alcohol dependence; and many others.

For a more detailed list of conditions that benefit from treatment, please click here.

To read comments from patients like you, please click here.

Acupuncture needles are very thin and flexible – about the diameter of a cat’s whisker. Some people feel nothing at all when the needles are inserted while others experience a sensation similar to a mosquito bite, followed by an aching or tingling sensation. Acupuncture does not feel like getting a shot or having blood drawn.

An average treatment involves the insertion of between six and sixteen needles in the arms, legs, hands, feet, and ears. The needles are then retained in the body for 45-60 minutes. During this rest time most patients become deeply relaxed and many fall asleep.

Non-needle treatment is available, including stimulation of acupoints with laser light, mild electrical current, heat, suction, and/or pressure massage. These options are suitable for children and for individuals who are very afraid of needles. Children under six enjoy completely pain-free treatment with my “tickle machine”, which uses a tiny electrical current to safely and gently stimulate acupuncture points.

In a Japanese survey of 55,291 acupuncture treatments given over five years by 73 acupuncturists, 99.8% of them were performed with no significant minor adverse effects and zero major adverse incidents (Hitoshi Yamashita, Bac, Hiroshi Tsukayama, BA, Yasuo Tanno, MD, PhD. Kazushi Nishijo, PhD, JAMA). Two combined studies in the UK of 66,229 acupuncture treatments yielded only 134 minor adverse events, such as slight bruising or momentary bleeding (British Medical Journal 2001 Sep 1). The total of 121,520 treatments with acupuncture therapy were given with no major adverse incidents (for comparison, a single such event would have indicated a 0.0008% incidence).

Common, minor adverse events

A survey by Ernst et al. of over 400 patients receiving over 3500 acupuncture treatments found that the most common adverse effects from acupuncture were:

• Minor bleeding after removal of the needles, seen in roughly 3% of patients.  Holding a cotton ball for about one minute over the site of puncture is usually sufficient to stop the bleeding.
• Bruising, seen in about 2% of patients. Bruising usually go away after a few days.  This side effect is more common among patients taking blood thinning medications such as Coumadin, warfarin, Plavix, or anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Dizziness, seen in about 1% of patients.  Some patients have a conscious or unconscious fear of needles, which can produce dizziness and other symptoms of anxiety.  Patients are usually treated lying down in order to reduce likelihood of fainting.  Being careful to eat a light meal or snack prior to treatment significantly reduces the likelihood of this type of problem

The survey concluded: “Acupuncture has adverse effects, like any therapeutic approach. If it is used according to established safety rules and carefully at appropriate anatomic regions, it is a safe treatment method.”

Risks from omitting orthodox medical care

Receiving any form of alternative medical care without also receiving orthodox Western medical care can be inherently risky, since undiagnosed disease may go untreated and could worsen. For this reason I prefer to consider acupuncture a complementary therapy rather than an alternative therapy, and always encourage my patients to remain under the care of their physicians.

Safety compared with other treatments

Commenting on the relative safety of acupuncture compared with other treatments, the NIH consensus panel stated that “adverse side effects of acupuncture are extremely low and often lower than conventional treatments.” They also stated: ”the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for the same condition. For example, musculoskeletal conditions, such as fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and tennis elbow… are conditions for which acupuncture may be beneficial. These painful conditions are often treated with, among other things, anti-inflammatory medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) or with steroid injections. Both medical interventions have a potential for deleterious side effects but are still widely used and are considered acceptable treatments.”

Although it is unfamiliar to most westerners, Qi not a spiritual or a “new age” concept.  One translation of the word Qi is “that which animates life”—the presence of Qi is what distinguishes a living person or animal from a dead person or animal (or an inanimate object).  Qi is the motive force behind your ability to move, see, hear, heal, digest, and speak. It is the “spark” that keeps your heart beating, your blood circulating, and your brain thinking. It is the energy behind the phenomenal growth of a small child and the remarkable ability of the human body to heal from injury and disease. The main point when trying to grasp the concept of Qi is to consider the possibility that there is an immaterial level of reality that Western science cannot yet quantify or categorize. Acupuncture theory suggests that many of our physical and emotional problems begin at the level of function that is more subtle than our brain chemistry and organ function.

“From the standpoint of Western medical science, Qi is likely to be revealed as some amalgam of endorphins, the bioelectric potential of cell membranes, nervous conduction, circulating hormones and perhaps even photons (light) and infrared radiation (heat). In attempting to define and quantify qi, acupuncture research may end up identifying a whole new system of biological information, such as the conduction of impulses through the body’s connective tissue.”

“Qi is understood to be the intrinsic, dynamic, self-regulating and self-maintaining power of the organism. All healing in Chinese Medicine is directed, ultimately, at conserving, protecting, augmenting, restoring, and facilitating Qi.”

Quantum physics has come to a similar understanding of the material world and the human body by proving that when we break down any material object into its smallest components, it is reduced to pure energy. Our bodies, while seemingly solid, are actually energetic configurations that are constantly changing. Acupuncture is premised on this understanding. The point of treatment is to manipulate the flow of Qi within our bodies in different ways to induce a therapeutic effect. By working on the energetic level, the physical and material levels can be directly affected. In fact, according to acupuncture theory, many forms of imbalance or disease cannot be fully healed simply by intervening on the material level. The underlying energetic component has to be addressed in order to treat the root cause of the problem.

Meridians (also known as channels) are the pathways that conduct Qi throughout the body. Free flow along the fourteen major and innumerable minor meridians of the human body brings life-giving Qi to every cell of your body, including the muscles, nerves, and organs. An obstruction in a meridian is like a dam in a river – Qi builds up and overflows the normal boundaries of the meridian on one side; on the other side tissues lack nourishment. When there is an obstruction, energy stagnates on either side of the blockage and tissue function is impaired. If the blockage is sustained, pain and disease is the result. In Chinese there is a saying, “If there is pain, there is no free flow; if there is free flow, there is no pain.” Blockages can be caused by injury, contagious diseases, emotional stress, lack of physical activity, excessive physical activity, overuse injuries, faulty diet, and many other factors. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are used to remove blockages, regulate Qi, and restore physiological and psychological equilibrium.

The Qi in the human body pools and gathers at specific locations that are spread out along the meridians. These specific locations are called acupoints or acupuncture points. These are typically the points where needles are inserted to induce various therapeutic effects. Most acupuncturists use stainless steel needles which are said to disperse energy and get the Qi moving effectively throughout the meridian system. The needle is used as a medium for transferring and manipulating Qi in various ways, and serves to remove the obstructions in the meridians that are the underlying cause of pain and disease. When these obstructions are removed, the body’s own self-healing capacity is activated and strengthened.

To learn more about Qi and the other vital substances, click here.

To learn more about acupuncture from both a scientific and traditional Chinese medicine perspective, clickhere.

Fees

All payments are due at the time of service (cash or checks accepted).  NO CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS.

Initial appointment – $85.00
Follow-up appointment – $60.00
Targeted follow-up appointment  - $55.00 **
Stop smoking treatment, up to six sessions, payable at the first appointment – $225.00
Cupping (in addition to acupuncture) – $40.00
Cupping (no acupuncture) – $60.00
Missed appointment, less than 24 hours notice given – $60.00

For my insurance policy, please click here.

** Targeted appointments are intended only for individuals who require frequent (3 or more times per week) treatment.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

An “average” course of treatment consists of 8-10 sessions, with most patients noticing a clear benefit within 3-4 sessions.

It is impossible to predict up front how quickly your body will respond to acupuncture.  About 10% of people are what we call “acupuncture strong responders”.  This means that they will notice dramatic and lasting benefit from just a few sessions.  On the other end of the spectrum is about 10% of people who we consider “acupuncture non-responders”.  These people will not benefit from acupuncture, no matter how many treatments they receive.  The remaining 80% of people fall somewhere in between these two extremes.

If you are going to respond to the therapy, you can expect to see some positive changes within 3-4 sessions.  This does not mean that your symptoms are gone within this period of time, only that your pain or symptoms are less severe, you are sleeping more restfully, your mood is brighter, you are having more “good days” than you did before, etc.  This is an encouraging result which suggests that will continuing care you will experience more and more relief.

Children or young people in good health with acute problems (for example a cold or minor ankle sprain) often only require 2-3 treatments.  Older individuals and those with chronic health problems typically require a longer course of treatment.  In these cases, treatment is divided into three phases:

Acute care – During this phase, treatments are scheduled weekly (or 2-3 times per week in severe cases).  The goal during this phase is to relieve symptoms and to start the process of addressing the underlying cause of pain or health problems.

Convalescent care – During this phase, treatments are usually scheduled every two weeks.  The goal during this phase is to maintain symptomatic relief while focusing on resolving underlying disharmonies and preventing future problems.

Maintenance care – During this phase, treatments are scheduled once a month or four times per year (usually at the change of seasons).  The goal during this phase of care is to maintain the progress we have made and to support your vitality and overall wellbeing.

The length of time you spend in each phase depends on a number of factors, including:

1.  Whether your problem is acute or chronic
2.  How long you have had the problem
3.  Whether you can avoid the conditions that caused your problem
4.  Your age
5.  Your general state of health
6.  How readily your body responds to acupuncture (see above)
7.  Whether or not you follow the instructions you are given regarding diet and lifestyle

Progress will be faster if you faithfully follow your treatment plan by keeping your appointments, taking your herbal medication every day (if applicable), and following any advice that you are given about dietary or lifestyle changes.  Click here to learn about The Three Free Therapies — things that you can do at home to minimize the number of treatments you will require.

Please understand that I have a busy practice and am eager to get you to the point that you are able to cut back on the frequency of treatments or discontinue treatment altogether as quickly as possible.  You will never be pressured to continue to come more frequently than is necessary and only a small percentage of people require weekly treatment indefinitely.