Why acupuncture?

Acupuncture - the practice of inserting thin, single use needles at specific locations on the human body - was developed within the cultural, philosophical, and spiritual traditions of East Asia and was used as a technique to influence the physical and mental health of the individual. Although we can still view the practice of acupuncture through the lens of an interconnected network of channels throughout the body in which different types of “qi”, or energy, flows, we can also utilize acupuncture within the context of modern human anatomy and psychology. Just as we recognize the psychological benefits of the mindfulness meditation practices developed by ancient wisdom traditions, acupuncture techniques developed over the last 3000 years can have profound positive influence on our physical and mental health today.

What to expect during an appointment

An initial acupuncture appointment will always begin with an intake and discussion period where you will be able to share with me your reasons for pursuing acupuncture as a treatment. This may include questions about your medical history, orthopedic testing to establish how your body is functioning and moving, and will be an opportunity for you to describe any symptoms related to the condition that you would like to address in the treatment. The length of this interview is variable and can be correlated with the relative complexity of the condition that you would like to address. When addressing muscular and joint-related pain conditions, an intake make take only several minutes, whereas an intake to address a long-term and complex internal medicine condition, such as a digestive disorder or autoimmune disease, may take a half hour or more. In both cases there will be enough time allotted for your initial visit to receive an effective acupuncture treatment for your condition. 

In every acupuncture appointment you will receive a treatment with points located at various places around your body. Some may be points located very close to areas where you are currently experiencing pain or other symptom; some points may be much further away. I will always communicate with my patients about where I am planning to use points and will ask them to let me know if there are particular parts of the body where they will not want needles to be placed. After placing the needles, I will have the patient rest for several minutes with the needles in place, often utilizing heating elements such as table warmers, heating pads, and heat lamps. The acupuncture treatment itself will last between 30 and 45 minutes. 

I use many different acupuncture techniques during my treatments, depending on the needs of the patient. These include very subtle or surface needle placement techniques, intensive stimulation and deep needling techniques such as trigger point therapy or dry needling (ah shih), electrical stimulation acupuncture, and heated needle or moxibustion. I also very frequently will utilize ear (auricular) acupuncture with my patients.

In addition to receiving a treatment with acupuncture needles, I almost always include a physical manipulation technique with each patient. This may be shiatsu or acupressure deep tissue massage, fire cupping (either stationary or sliding), or gua sha (scraping therapy). I will often use topical lotions, ointments, or oils as an adjunctive therapy for many of my patients. For this reason I will always ask that patients inform me of any skin allergies or sensitivities they may have. If there is a particular type of body-work modality that you prefer, I will be happy to include it in your acupuncture treatment if possible.