Q&A
How many treatments will it take before I feel better?
It depends on the type, severity, and chronicity of the condition. Some new and acute conditions may only take one to three treatments to resolve. Other chronic and degenerative conditions need up to 5 treatments before seeing a significant change and around 10 for maximum benefit. After the initial treatment phase, maintenance treatments every 4 to 6 weeks are recommended.
The initial treatment phase is tailored to the patient, their lifestyle, their condition, and other therapies. In any condition, you schedule your first treatments close together in order to get the results you are seeking. Just as you would see your physical therapist or chiropractor more often in the beginning of your therapy with your doctor. Initially, you'll want to come in at least twice a week until you're feeling much better. At that point, you may reduce to weekly appointments, then bi-weekly, every 3 weeks and eventually 4-8 week maintenance treatments. We understand if you are using other therapies in conjunction with your acupuncture, and we can modify your treatment schedule accordingly.
How are you preventing the spread of COVID-19?
What we're doing:​
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Our staff wears masks and additional PPE when necessary. Our team is vaccinated against COVID-19.
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We use antiviral & antibacterial cleansers to clean each acupuncture treatment room after every treatment. We also use a UV light light daily.
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In order to reduce face to face time, we have the option to use telehealth for initial intakes.
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We got rid of fabric chairs and table coverings. The only surfaces available are surfaces that may be wiped down with antiviral cleansers.
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We have expanded our credit card processing capabilities so you can have a touch free checkout.
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We have waived our cancellation fee for people experiencing symptoms of cold, flu or COVID-19.
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If and when COVID-19 cases are high in our area we discontinue mask off procedures like Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture.
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We reserve the right to refuse care & clinic access to people who refuse to comply with our safety protocols.
What we ask of you:
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We ask that you cancel your acupuncture appointment if you have symptoms of cold, flu or COVID-19, or if you had contact with a person who is COVID Positive. You may reschedule after a negative test or when your quarantine is complete.
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Masks are no longer mandated for patients, but they are encouraged. We do serve immunocompromised individuals.
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We ask that you wash or sanitize your hands upon entering the clinic.
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We encourage you to use the bathroom before your treatment and wait in the waiting room for your provider to call you when they're ready.
Common Questions About Acupuncture
Does Acupuncture Hurt?
You may not even feel the needles at all! Every point has its own personality. There may be a slight pinch upon insertion. Once the needle is in, you may feel nothing, or you may feel what is called a “Qi (pronounced Chee) Sensation.” A Qi sensation may be heavy, electric, shooting, warm or tingling. This is due to nerve stimulation and blood flowing to the area because the body has detected a break in the surface of the skin. Qi sensations are normal. In fact, they are a sign of a healthy and functioning nervous system. You should feel a sensation when your body is presented with any stimuli. That being said, people don’t feel most of the needles and that’s ok too, as long as they are seeing results.
What should I expect during my acupuncture appointment?
Chinese Medicine provides an additional perspective to Biomedicine. lood tests, X-Rays and MRIs are helpful to your provider, and you are encouraged to bring. your diagnostic reports to your acupuncturist. In addition to the information you provide, your acupuncturist may feel your pulse in multiple positions. They may take your heart rate, but they are also looking for qualities in the pulse. They want to know how big or full the blood vessel is. They are feeling for how the pulse hits their hands, and they’ll notate their findings.​
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Your provider may look at your tongue. They will draw and/or write down a description of what they see. The pulse and tongue give your acupuncturist a picture of your health. They can tell if blood and energy are flowing and if there is a sufficient amount of each. They can get a sense of body substances both pathological and physiological.
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In addition to tongue and pulse diagnosis, your practitioner will palpate (touch) the painful area and different acupuncture points on your body. They are feeling for knots, depressions, and tender spots.
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Your acupuncturist may have a lot of questions for you too. They may sound funny at first, but your practitioner just wants to know more about your overall health because it helps them to diagnose and treat you. They may ask about your digestion, appetite, urination, menstruation, and libido. The benefit of answering these questions openly and honestly is that these conditions can be improved with your acupuncture treatment!
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Your acupuncturist may needle you at the site of pain, or they may not needle the site of pain at all. In any case, your practitioner will likely needle points nowhere near your pain. Don’t fret, They are listening to you and your complaint. Your practitioner is simply using points on your body to help you gather the resources you need to heal. Acupuncture points may be selected by their function or based upon their reflexology (how they relate to the part of the body that’s ailing you). In order to address the pain “directly,” your practitioner may use techniques known as Cupping, Tuai Na or Moxibustion to release tight muscles and bring blood into a given area. They may also use topical linaments, creams or a heat lamp for the same effects.
History
A brief history and
evolution of acupuncture.
Most civilizations around the world used shamanism before any other modality of healing, even before they discovered the medicinal properties of indigenous plants. China is not exempt from this model. Shamanism preceded the use of plants and animals in Chinese Medicine. Next came massage and the discovery of acupuncture points. Ancient Chinese medical practitioners wanted to stimulate more than two acupuncture points at a time, so they began using needles, in place of their own two hands, to activate the points. Acupuncture in all its forms is based on ancient Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture’s success and popularity have helped the medicine last over the span of thousands of years and migrate out of China into the rest of Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America. Over the course of time, each country has made its own contribution to the medicine resulting in many different styles of acupuncture. More styles of acupuncture means more ways to help you heal!
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Modern research has taken a look at acupuncture point by point to help us understand exactly what is going on inside of the body when we practice. We don't have all the answers yet, but we do know more than we did 10 or 15 years ago.
