ACUPUNCTURE

What Is Acupuncture?

Dating back thousands of years as part of Chinese medicine, acupuncture can treat a wide variety of maladies, pains, and discomforts in just about every part of the human body. Acupuncture stimulates the body’s own healing processes in part by activating the release of endogenous (naturally occurring) hormones and neurotransmitters, relaxing smooth muscle, increasing blood flow to injured tissue, and reducing inflammation. The insertion of small, single use needles are used to stimulate this action. In short, acupuncture works not by adding anything from outside the body—but by tapping into your body’s own internal pharmacy, enhancing its ability to heal and restore balance naturally. You have the easy part, lay back and take a nap and let the acupuncture do it’s work for 30-45 minutes! Acupuncture is extremely safe and free of many negative side effects present with other medical procedures. Acupuncture can often be used as an alternative or adjunct to conventional medical treatment.

acupuncture needles in shoulder

What Can Acupuncture Treat?

Acupuncture can have a positive effect on most any condition both acute and chronic. Some of the primary issues we see regularly and have good effect with include:

  • Stress, anxiety, depression, grief and emotional support
  • Respiratory challenges: acute or lingering cold symptoms, sinusitis, asthma, frequent colds or flus, allergies
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Digestive disorders: abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, colitis, IBS, Crohn’s disease
  • Osteoarthritis: neck, back pain and other musculoskeletal issues (hand, elbow, shoulder, knee, hip, foot)
  • Fertility, painful periods, hormone irregularities, PMS, PCOS, menopause
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia, Bell’s Palsy, TMJ, muscle spasms, neuropathy
  • Autoimmune disorders: hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis
  • Skin disorders: eczema, psoriasis, acne, hives
  • Addiction to carbs, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, etc.
  • Fatigue, discomfort, nausea and other side effects associated with chemotherapy

 

Does Acupuncture Hurt?

You generally won’t feel much of anything with the needles. Most folks are pleasantly surprised how little they feel. If anything is ever uncomfortable, please let your acupuncturist know and they can make any necessary adjustments.

What will I feel after a treatment and how many times do I need to come?

In general, you can expect to feel relaxed for several hours or days following an acupuncture treatment and relief of your symptoms. Your acupuncturist will go over what to expect and a plan of treatment specific to your condition. Typically we like to see people 1-2x/week for a couple of weeks for your treatment plan.

What Else Should I Know?

It’s best to wear lose fitting clothes so that we can access up to your knee and elbow level. Any condition can be effectively treated in this manner. Make sure you’ve eaten some food within 3-4 hours of your treatment. If you run on the cold side, we. have blankets. Although we find it best to relax and rest, you can bring a book, or a device with your own music also if you prefer.