Services

What Is Acupuncture?

Based on recent archaeological discoveries, scholars now believe
acupuncture in a rudimentary form may date back 5000, even 7000 years.
It’s probably safe to say that acupuncture has been a healing method to
some degree at least that long.
Acupuncture is a complex branch of ancient Asian medicine, but its
practical principles and methods are easily understood:
       1) Fourteen major energy channels called Meridians course through
the human body including the head, arms, hands, legs, feet, torso, and
internal organs.
       2) A subtle energy called Qi (pronounced Chee) circulates via the
meridians to all parts of the body, even the most remote cells.
       3) Qi is the vital force, the presence of which separates the living
from the dead. Its balanced, unimpeded flow is critical to sound health.
       4) Any misdirection, blockage, or other derangement of the amount,
flow, or balance of Qi may result in pain, dysfunction, and ill
health.
       5) With acupuncture needles, or other means, the acupuncturist
stimulates certain points (Acupoints) along the course of the meridians.
Such stimulation helps restore the normal balance and flow of Qi so
organs and bodily systems can work together in harmony as intended.
This sets the stage for the body to repair itself and maintain its own
health.

Is Acupuncture Painful?

Unlike hypodermic needles, acupuncture needles are solid and hair-thin,
and they are not designed to cut the skin. They are also inserted to
much more shallow levels than hypodermic needles, generally no more than
a half-inch to an inch depending on the type of treatment being
delivered.
While each person experiences acupuncture differently, most people feel
only a minimal amount of pain as the needles are inserted. Some people
reportedly feel a sensation of excitement, while others feel relaxed.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

When practiced by a licensed, trained acupuncturist, acupuncture is
extremely safe. As a system of health care, acupuncture already has
some inherent safeguards. Because the treatment is drug-free, patients
do not have to worry about taking several doses of a medication or
suffering a possible adverse reaction.
Properly administered, acupuncture does no harm. However, there are
certain conditions you should notify an acupuncturist about before
undergoing treatment. If you have a pacemaker, for instance, you should
not receive electroacupuncture due to the possibility of electromagnetic
interference with the pacemaker. Similarly, if you have a tendency to
bleed easily, or if you are a hemophiliac, you may want to consider a
different type of care.

Besides Needles, What Are Other Treatment Options?

While needle treatment is traditional, other effective means of bringing
about the desired physiological response include acupressure (finger
pressure), blunt probes, pressure massage, electronic stimulation, laser,
heat, cold, ultrasound, moxibustion, herbal therapy, to name a few.

How Long Do Treatments Take?

It depends on the patient’s condition and the treatment plan, each
treatment takes averages of one hour.

How Many Treatments And How Often?

Because each patient’s health problems and response to treatment are
unique, the number and frequency of treatments vary.
Typically, the recommendation is two to three treatments per week for
eight to sixteen treatments, although some patients respond favorably
after only one or two treatments. Some may not improve until the eighth
or ninth visit. Others may require two or three treatments per week for
several months for maximum results.

What Brought Acupuncture To The United States?
In the early 1970s American newspaper reporters covering President
Richard Nixon's visit to China wrote about a "miraculous" healing art
virtually unknown in the United States. The method immediately caught
the American imagination, and suddenly a new word was on millions of
American lips: Acupuncture.
       According to news reports, instead of using chemical anesthetics,
Chinese acupuncturists were able to block the pain of surgery by deftly
inserting needles into the patient at specific points. Even more
astonishing, it was said that acupuncture relieved a wide variety of human
ills, and had worked reliably for people through thousands of years.
That publicity brought acupuncture into great demand by many
American, some of them seeking a last resort remedy for serious
afflictions.