return to health
by balancing the flow of Qi.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the practice of inserting "hair-thin" needles into specific locations throughout the body to stimulate those points in order to bring about a return to health by balancing the flow of Qi. It's important to know that it isn't the needles, themselves, doing the healing. The needles set the stage for the body to regain its own health by stimulating the points that allow the body to heal itself. Currently, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) it is reported that well over one million people receive Acupuncture treatments in the United States alone.
When you come in to see your Acupuncturist for the first time, you can expect your appointment to last for about 1 – 1 ½ hours. During this time your practitioner will gather information from you regarding your health, lifestyle, diet, medical history and even the medical history of your parents in order to better develop a picture of how your health needs have developed. This detailed intake will allow the practitioner to create a treatment plan that will best suite those specific needs.
Each of your Acupuncture visits will include approximately 25 to 30 minutes where you will spend quite time on the treatment table with the Acupuncture needles in place. The goal is to relax during this time period. There is a misconception that one has to consciously lie still and avoid movement during this time. The needles are placed in a way that does allow you some "wiggle room" for some movement, so don't be afraid to settle into a relaxed position.
IMPORTANT: We highly recommend that you have something to eat, at least, an hour before your appointment.
On rare occasions the needling effect of Acupuncture will stimulate the movement of Qi so much so that the patient who hasn't had anything to eat can experience dizziness, clamminess and a sense of nausea. This is often referred to as "needle shock". It is not at all a life threatening or long lasting experience; but it is uncomfortable, usually only lasting a few minutes once the needles are removed.
When coming to have an Acupuncture treatment please do not arrive immediately after eating a full meal, intoxicated or under the influence of recreational drugs as all of these will interfere with your treatments. Please wear loose clothing especially those allowing us access to the areas below the knees and elbows. Understand that in some instances you may be asked to wear a provided gown in order to apply some treatments.
allow the body to heal itself.
Auricular Acupuncture
(Ear Acupuncture)
For some, body Acupuncture can be a little overwhelming to think about. Another option is Auricular Acupuncture. Shorter Acupuncture needles are inserted into the outside sections of the ear at specific location points that relate to various organs and locations of the body. Whereas body Acupuncture points can be combined into specific combinations addressing specific areas of the body and their functions, Auricular Acupuncture uses single points to address more generalized body areas to treat. This, by no means, implies that Ear Acupuncture is less effective. It is merely another tool used to influence the healing ability of the body. Patients often find rapid results using this technique. Needles are never inserted inside the ear canal.
The ear is considered a microcosm of the body. This meaning that the structure and organs of the body are all represented within various areas of the ear. So by stimulating those points in the ear, the represented organs and structures are also stimulated.
Needles are inserted only slightly into the ear. Often only one ear is treated while "ear seeds" are placed into the other. Ear seeds are tiny Vaccaria seeds embedded onto a small square of adhesive tape much like the sticky part of a "band-aid". These seeds are placed over the same points that would be needled and are a type of "homework" for the patient.
Over the course of the following days, patients are instructed to periodically squeeze the seeds against the ear to continue the Acupuncture treatment that they received during their session. It is a way to continue the treatment long after they have left the clinic office and helps support the ongoing healing effects from their Acupuncture treatment. The tape with the seeds eventually fall off after a few days and several showers, and can be peeled off for any reason at any time.
Scalp Acupuncture
Like regular body Acupuncture treatment, Scalp Acupuncture is used to treat many of the same kind of conditions as traditional body Acupuncture. Some of these include internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, gynecology, all types of pain, acute or chronic, neck pain, back pain, muscle pain, migraines and many more conditions regularly treated with regular Acupuncture.
But what is most impressive to note is it's effectiveness in the treatment of acute conditions, pain and neurological dysfunctions such as Stroke, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, Spinal Cord Injury, Parkinson's, PTSD, Seizures and many others.
In the case of Stroke, early intervention is highly recommended, whether its ischemic or hemorrhagic in nature. The use of Scalp Acupuncture can minimize the scope of damage and increase the ability for a more rapid recovery.
LIke regular body Acupuncture, a Scalp Acupuncture treatment session will usually last about an hour. The same type of needles used in body Acupuncture are used in specific locations on the scalp. The needles are inserted at an angle so as to travel just underneath the skin and above the skull. Needles are not inserted into the skull. Once inserted, the needles are periodically "stimulated" by gently twisting the handles for a specific amount of rotations. Only a small amount of needles are used and the procedure can be done in a sitting position if it is more comfortable.
Length of treatment will vary upon the severity and/or the length of time the patient has had this condition. We often recommend treatments in groups of eight with a period of a week between groups of treatments. The frequency of visits per week will be determined by the severity of the conditions and how acute they are. We recommend daily treatments of 3 to 5 visits per week for acute conditions and approximately 2 visits for conditions that are more chronic. Once the condition has shown improvement, we still recommend a few more visits to make sure the healing process is "cemented" in.